October 26, 2012

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Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 477

Reading 1, from St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians

 Eph 4:1-6

Brothers and sisters:
I, a prisoner for the Lord,

St. Paul frequently describes himself as a "prisoner" of the Lord.  As though he were somehow coerced or involuntarily doing what he is doing.  But he is speaking metaphorically, in the sense that those of us who love someone, feel overwhelmed by that love.  In the same way, St. Paul is a prisoner of his overwhelming love for Christ.

urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,

And he calls everyone to live in love.  Love is the only manner of living which is worthy of Christ:

Romans 13:8

King James Version (KJV)

⁸ Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,

Humility, gentleness, patience, these are all signs of love:

1 Corinthians 13:4-8; 13

King James Version (KJV)

⁴ Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
⁵ Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
⁶ Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
⁷ Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
⁸ Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away....
¹³ And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

striving to preserve the unity of the spirit

 We are one Temple, one Body in Christ, one Church.

through the bond of peace;

We should therefore, love one another:

John 13:34-35

King James Version (KJV)

³⁴ A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
³⁵ By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

one Body and one Spirit,

Don't you know that we are the Temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells within us?

1 Corinthians 3:16-17

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁶ Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
¹⁷ If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

1 Peter 2:4-5

King James Version (KJV)

⁴ To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
⁵ Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

as you were also called to the one hope of your call;

We were called to love and to be loved and to live in love for eternity.

one Lord,

Through Christ,

one faith,

And His Church,

one baptism;

And His Sacraments whereby we receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit according to our faith

one God and Father of all,

In accordance to the plan of God the Father of all

who is over all and through all and in all.

In whom we live,  move and are.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

R. (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD's are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

God is He who created all with but a word.  And we are they who love Him and show our love by obeying, hoping in His love and trusting in His word that He will keep His promises toward us.

Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

and we do not give up hope nor despair in our sinfulness.  Because He has sent His only begotten Son to die for us and wash us clean in His Blood.

He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

And we have received His blessing in Christ our Lord, who died for us and provided for us the fountains of grace wherein we are washed clean of our sins in His Blood.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke

Lk 12:54-59

Jesus said to the crowds,
"When you see a cloud rising in the west
you say immediately that it is going to rain--and so it does;
and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south
you say that it is going to be hot--and so it is.

Jesus said to the people, you can look at the sky and read the signs and predict the weather.

You hypocrites!
You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky;
why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

And yet you claim not to know the sins you commit.

"Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?

You know what is right.  God has, from the beginning given you the guidance you need and it is not far from you:

Deuteronomy 30:10-14

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁰ If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.
¹¹ For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.
¹² It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
¹³ Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
¹⁴ But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.

If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate,
make an effort to settle the matter on the way;
otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge,
and the judge hand you over to the constable,
and the constable throw you into prison.
I say to you, you will not be released
until you have paid the last penny."

Therefore, don't push it.  You know that you have done wrong.  Apologize to your brother or your Father in heaven will punish you and you will not be forgiven until you pay for everything you have done wrong.

Sincerely,

De Maria