November 7, 2012

Wednesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 487

First Reading from St. Paul's epistle to the Philippians

Phil 2:12-18

My beloved, obedient as you have always been,
not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent,
work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

>>>My beloved, remain obedient and work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

Romans 2:6-9

King James Version (KJV)

⁶ Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
⁷ To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
⁸ But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
⁹ Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

For God is the one who, for his good purpose,
works in you both to desire and to work.

>>>For it is God who accomplishes His purpose by working through you.

1 Corinthians 12:6

King James Version (KJV)

⁶ And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

Do everything without grumbling or questioning,
that you may be blameless and innocent,
children of God without blemish
in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,
among whom you shine like lights in the world,
as you hold on to the word of life,
so that my boast for the day of Christ may be
that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

>>>And do everything cheerfully without grumbling because it will be good for you:

Hebrews 13:17

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁷ Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

But, even if I am poured out as a libation
upon the sacrificial service of your faith,
I rejoice and share my joy with all of you.

>>>I rejoice that I am permitte to suffer for your salvation:

Colossians 1:24

King James Version (KJV)

²⁴ Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:

In the same way you also should rejoice and share your joy with me.

>>>You should rejoice and share your joy with me in the same way.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14

R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.

The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

>>>Jesus is the light of the world:

John 9:4-5

King James Version (KJV)

⁴ I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
⁵ As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke

Lk 14:25-33

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,
and he turned and addressed them,
"If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.

>>>We must love the Lord above all:

Deuteronomy 6:5

King James Version (KJV)

⁵ And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple.

>>>We must be willing to suffer for Christ and the Gospel:

Romans 8:17

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁷ And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion?

>>>In order to be saved, we must persevere in good deeds to the end:

Romans 2:7

King James Version (KJV)

⁷ To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

Otherwise, after laying the foundation
and finding himself unable to finish the work
the onlookers should laugh at him and say,
'This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.'

>>>Otherwise, we may find ourselves castaway:
1 Corinthians 9:27
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down
and decide whether with ten thousand troops
he can successfully oppose another king
advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?

>>>Because we are fighting powerful foes:

Ephesians 6:12

King James Version (KJV)

¹² For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

And in order to win, we must be uncompromising:

Matthew 11:12

King James Version (KJV)

¹² And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

But if not, while he is still far away,
he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.
In the same way,
everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple."

>>>Therefore, when we choose to follow Christ, we must not look back:

Luke 9:62

King James Version (KJV)

⁶² And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Sincerely,

De Maria