22ND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (31nd
S. Ord. Time)
Proverbs, Chapter 23,
Verse 17-18
17 Do
not let your heart envy sinners, but only those who always fear the LORD; 18
For you will surely have a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
Those whom one admires or associates with exercise
enormous influence. Do not join the wicked, who are a doomed group.[1]
Nor desire to be with them for the mind is a terrible thing to waste. Let your
hope be in Christ.
Leaders understand the importance of their minds to
the future of their organizations. Consider some of the timeless principles
offered in Proverbs 23 about our minds and a godly vision for tomorrow:
1.
Your
thoughts determine your character.
2.
Be
careful of your thoughts; they may break into words at any time.
3.
Don’t
waste your thoughts on those who don’t hunger for them.
4.
The
first person you lead is you, and the first organ you master is your mind.
5.
Don’t
let your mind drift away
from God’s truth and into vain envy.
6.
Stay
confident that your vision will come to pass.
7.
Discipline
your thoughts to remain steadfast in what you know is right.
31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
GOSPEL. Matthew 23:1-12
Jesus
spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, "The scribes and the
Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and
observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For
they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and
lay them on people's shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All
their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and
lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor
in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.' As for
you, do not be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher, and you are all
brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do
not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among
you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever
humbles himself will be exalted."
The focus of this Sunday is we must render to God what is God's: meaning that we must give ourselves up entirely to Him,
so that He will recognize us on the Last Day.
GOSPEL. Matt, xxii.
15-21[4]
At that
time, the Pharisees going consulted among themselves how to ensnare Jesus in His
speech. And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying:
Master, we know that Thou art a true speaker, and teachest the way of God in
truth, neither carest Thou for any man: for Thou dost not regard the person of men.
Tell us, therefore, what dost Thou think, is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar,
or not? But Jesus, knowing their wickedness, said: Why do you tempt Me, ye hypocrites?
Show Me the coin of the tribute. And they offered Him a penny. And Jesus saith to
them: Whose image and inscription is this? They say to Him: Caesar’s. Then He saith
to them: Kender therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the
things that are God’s.
Who are hypocrites? Those who, in order
to deceive their neighbors, show themselves outwardly pious, while within they are
full of evil dispositions and malice; who have honey on the tongue, but gall in
the heart; who, like scorpions, sting when one least expects it. Such men are cursed
by God (Mai. i. 14). The Lord hateth a mouth with a double tongue (Prov. viii. 13).
THE word Purgatory is sometimes taken to mean a
place, sometimes as an intermediate state between Hell and Heaven. It is,
properly speaking, the condition of souls which, at the moment of death, are in
the state of grace, but which have not completely expiated their faults, nor
attained the degree of purity necessary to enjoy the vision of God. Purgatory
is, then, a transitory state which terminates in a life of everlasting
happiness. It is not a trial by which merit may be gained or lost, but a state
of atonement and expiation. The soul has arrived at the term of its earthly
career; that life was a time of trial, a time of merit for the soul, a time of
mercy on the part of God. This time once expired, nothing but justice is to be
expected from God, whilst the soul can neither gain nor lose merit. She remains
in the state in which death found her; and since it found her in the state of
sanctifying grace, she is certain of never
forfeiting that happy state, and of arriving at the eternal possession of God.
Nevertheless, since she is burdened with certain debts of temporal punishment,
she must satisfy Divine Justice by
enduring this punishment in its entire rigor. Such is the significance of the
word Purgatory, and the condition of the souls which are there. On this subject
the Church proposes two truths clearly defined as dogmas of faith: first, that there is a
Purgatory; second that the souls which are in Purgatory may be assisted by the
suffrages of the faithful, especially by the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
The first Sunday in November marks the end of
Daylight Savings Time in the US. On this day, clocks are set back 1 hour,
except for Hawaii and parts of Arizona which do not observe DST.
Daylight
Saving Time Ends Facts
The dates for DST to begin and end were set forth by
the US Congress in the Energy Act of 2005. Arizona, Hawaii, and four US
territories (Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) do
not observe Daylight Savings Time. Research suggest that daylight savings time
is related to a rise in heart attacks, while the end of daylight savings time
saw a slight decrease the first three days after the time change.
Daylight
Saving Time Ends Top Events and Things to Do
·
Replace
the batteries on smoke and carbon dioxide detectors.
·
Put
the emergency winter
kit back in the vehicle.
·
Begin
preparing for the coming holidays.
·
Make
sure outdoor lights are in working order.
·
Put
reflectors on bikes so that vehicles can more easily see you as it gets dark
earlier.
Daily
Devotions
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