September 22, 2011
Thursday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Consider your ways!
You have sown much, but have brought in little;
you have eaten, but have not been satisfied;
You have drunk, but have not been exhilarated;
have clothed yourselves, but not been warmed;
And whoever earned wages
earned them for a bag with holes in it. Haggai 1:5-6
But Herod said, "John I beheaded.
Who then is this about whom I hear such things?"
And he kept trying to see him. Luke 9:9
Piety
The first step of humility is unhesitating obedience, which comes naturally to those who cherish Christ above all. Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 5
Study
Sometimes the words of scripture seem to apply MORE to our time than to the historic time in which they were delivered. When you consider how rustic life was in Judah during the years 500 b.c., what diversions could the people possibly have had to distract them from religion? Certainly nothing like the iPhone-video game-HBO dominated world in which we live today. Maybe they played an ancient game like chess or backgammon. Maybe they worked too hard and did not attend church services. Yet in these primitive conditions, the comparison to the even poorer conditions of the House of the Lord makes me pause.
Today, we work hard yet still have people who are unemployed. People who are homeless. People who are hungry. Children who are orphaned in actuality or by absent and distracted parents. Elderly who are lonely and in need of assistance. We store up funds for a retirement that may never come. The questions never end.
The challenges change but the need to focus on piety, study and action remains so that we may stay on the path toward the House of the Lord and not stray from its pavement.
Action
Consider your ways. To what are you obedient: Christian ideals or commercial goals?
As the Women's 133rd Weekend begins at the San Damiano Retreat House, how can you focus especially on Christian ideals that will help to build and rebuild the house of the Lord?
Start by supporting the candidates in their exploration of the Cursillo method to live and to be supported and reinforced on the path of Christian ideals through palanca, service and an active presence. Remember how much that support meant for you on your weekend.
