Twenty-Second
Sunday af. Pentecost (29th S Ord Time)
Romans, Chapter 12,
Verse 9-10
9 Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good;
10 love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in
showing honor.
In other words, behave like a Christian. You cannot
separate leadership from relationships. Do not assume that everyone will follow
you or your ideas because you are a designated leader or that your knowledge
qualifies you to lead. People are not interested in what you know but only if
you really care. Therefore, be sincere; if you really care about someone you
will tell them what they need to know and not necessarily what they like to
hear. Paul in this chapter guides us on how to lead through relationships.
1.
Avoid
hypocrisy—be sincere and genuine (v.9).
2.
Be
loyal to colleagues and treat others like brothers or sisters (v.10).
3.
Give
preference to others—honor the desires of others above your own (v.10).
4.
Be
hospitable—look for ways to meet the needs of others (v.13).
5.
Return
good for evil—act, don’t react, when others hurt you (v.14).
6.
Identify
with others—treat others needs or victories as your own (v.15).
7.
Be
open-minded towards others—seek to connect with anyone you speak to (v. 16).
8.
Treat
everyone with respect—this is a compliment to any person (v.17).
9.
Do
everything possible to keep peace—choose wisely which hills to die on (v.18).
10. Remove revenge from your life—let
God judge others; you love them.
(vv.19-21).
God himself created sexuality, which is a marvelous gift to his
creatures. If this gift needs to be cultivated and directed, it is to prevent
the “impoverishment of an authentic value.” Saint John Paul II rejected the claim that the
Church’s teaching is “a negation of the value of human sexuality”, or that the
Church simply tolerates sexuality “because it is necessary for procreation.”
Sexual desire is not something
to be looked down upon, and “and there can be no attempt whatsoever to call
into question its necessity.” To those who fear
that the training of the passions and of sexuality detracts from the
spontaneity of sexual love, Saint John Paul II replied that human persons are
“called to full and mature spontaneity in their relationships,” a maturity that
“is the gradual fruit of a discernment of the impulses of one’s own heart.”
This calls for discipline and self-mastery, since every human person “must learn, with perseverance and
consistency, the meaning of his or her body.” Sexuality
is not a means of gratification or entertainment; it is an interpersonal language
wherein the other is taken seriously, in his or her sacred and inviolable
dignity. As such, “the human heart comes to participate, so to speak, in
another kind of spontaneity.” In this context, the erotic appears as a
specifically human manifestation of sexuality. It enables us to discover “the
nuptial meaning of the body and the authentic dignity of the gift.” In his
catechesis on the theology of the body, Saint John Paul II taught that sexual
differentiation not
only is “a source of fruitfulness and procreation,” but also possesses “the
capacity of expressing love: that love precisely in which the human person
becomes a gift.” A healthy sexual desire, albeit closely joined to a pursuit of
pleasure, always involves a sense of wonder, and for that very reason can
humanize the impulses. In no way, then, can we consider the erotic dimension
of love simply as a permissible evil
or a burden to be tolerated for the good of the family. Rather, it must be seen as gift from God that
enriches the relationship of the spouses. As a passion sublimated by a love respectful of the dignity of the
other, it becomes a “pure, unadulterated affirmation” revealing the marvels of
which the human heart is capable. In this way, even momentarily, we can feel
that “life has turned out good and happy.”
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:
tender 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).
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him, upon
those who hope for his kindness, to deliver them from death and preserve them
in spite of famine.
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.
Mission Sunday– a day that leads us to the heart of our Christian
faith – leads us to mission! Your generosity on World Mission Sunday supports
the work of priests, religious and lay leaders in the Missions who share our
faith with those most in need. This year we can even “chat” with our chief
missionary, Pope Francis, and learn more about his missions and missionaries.
Learn more at ChatWithThePope.org Chat – Pray – Give this World Mission Sunday.
This
day in 1964 was the premier of the movie, “My Fair Lady.” It is one of my
daughter Nicole’s favorite movies.
"Read
these counsels slowly. Pause to meditate on these thoughts. They are things
that I whisper in your ear-confiding them-as a friend, as a brother, as a
father. And they are being heard by God. I won't tell you anything new. I will
only stir your memory, so that some thought will arise and strike you; and so
you will better your life and set out along ways of prayer and of Love. And in
the end you will be a more worthy soul."
1 'Minutes of silence'. Leave silence for those
whose hearts are dry. We Catholics, children of God, speak with our Father who
is in heaven.
Daily Devotions
·
Day ONE spiritual warfare
[1] John Maxwell, The Maxwell Leadership
Bible.
[2] Pope Francis, Encyclical on Love.
[4]Goffines Devout Instructions, 1896
[5] Schouppe S.J., Rev. Fr. F. X.. Purgatory
Explained (with Supplemental Reading: What Will Hell Be Like?)
[7]http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way-point-1.htm
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