The Blind Will See

One can imagine the joy the blind beggar experienced at having his sight restored. Many people would have passed this beggar, as we often do so in our own city streets. Blind beggars are a common sight to us as they were in the days of Jesus. Sometimes we might feel obliged, or out of pity, to give a few coins or some food.
For the blind man of Jericho, today was a fresh beginning for the rest of his life.

In a beautiful way, Luke tells us that Jesus stopped and asked that the man be brought to Him. The first thing that Jesus does is ask him a question, “What do you want me to do for you?” The reply is obvious, “Lord, I want to see.” The blind beggar had enough of this lifestyle. Imagine the shame and embarrassment of having to beg at the side of the road. His life must have been one of constant rejection. He was an outcast thrown on the edges of society. He must have heard of Jesus, the miracle worker, the teacher, the Rabbi. He makes his own mind. For him, Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of David. Like the widow in the Gospel, we see the persistence of the beggar. He would not allow the voices to drown his calling out to the Lord. His cry for mercy reached the ears of Jesus. The faith of the man touches the heart of Jesus. By his faith, the man receives his sight. His immediate response when receiving his sight is to follow Jesus. He becomes a disciple of the Son of David.

We, too, must cry out to the Lord for His mercy. We are beggars on the outside, seeking a place within the heart of Jesus. As we cry out, many will silence us. This must not be a cause for disappointment but, with renewed vigor and faith, we should continue to cry out to the Lord.

We, too, are blind through our sins. We need the Lord to restore our sight so that we see Him again. Perhaps we have lost sight of the Lord. We have become blind to His presence in our lives. The blind beggar was never the same. He met Jesus on the road and Jesus met the deepest need within his heart. The blind man could see again and, with renewed sight, he followed the Lord. Fr. Brian Steele, MGL

Reflection Question:
Is there anything that blinds you from the presence of the Lord in your life?

Lord, I want to see. Amen.

St. Modanic, pray for us.

Time, Talent and Treasure

As we draw near the end of the year, the Church’s liturgy is focused upon the end times. Today, we hear about the steward’s talents, given and shared. Right from the start of the parable, Jesus tells us that the landowner gives each servant the funds according to their ability. The owner knows his men and in giving them the talents according to their ability, he expects that they will put their talents to good use. The first two are productive; the third is lazy with his talents.

The term talent was equivalent to a weight measure of 75 pounds. Notice that the owner distributes the talents accordingly. Nowadays, the term talent is used to describe some kind of gift or ability. Talents or abilities are given to us, and it is up to us to use them well. The first two are reliable, productive, industrious and dependable. Lazy and wickeddescribe the third. God expects us to use our talents well, not to be lazy and wicked with what we have.

The three Ts are very good for our meditation, namely, time, talent and treasure. How well do we use them?

The servants were well rewarded in using their time, talent and treasure accordingly. The amount given them doubles as they prove to be trustworthy. The other had his talents taken from him and given to one who would use them more
productively.

God will deal with us accordingly. We must take every opportunity to use our time well. We have 24 hours in a day — how do we use it for God? What is our treasure? How well do we share our wealth? Do we hide it? What are our talents? How well do we use them for God, church and society? The measure with which we give is the measure by which we will be judged. Would it not be wonderful to hear the Lord say to us at the end of our life, “Well done, you shall share your Master’s joy”? So let us begin today by reflecting on our time, talents and treasure with firm resolve to use them accordingly. Fr. Brian Steele, MGL

Reflection Question:
What are my time, talents and treasure? Do I use them well?

Lord, You have truly blessed mewith time, talents and treasure. Help me to use them according to Your will. Amen.

St. Didacus, pray for us.

One Bread, One Body - USE OR LOSE

Sunday, November 13, 2011, 33rd Sunday Ordinary Time

Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, Psalm 128:1-5, Matthew 25:14-30 Link to Readings --> http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/111311.cfm

"His master said to him, 'Well done! You are an industrious and reliable servant. Since you were dependable in a small matter I will put you in charge of larger affairs. Come, share your master's joy!' " -Matthew 25:21

The Lord expects us to be good stewards not only of the money He has given us, but also of our time, talents, spiritual gifts, and graces. Our greatest responsibility as stewards is to be "servants of Christ and administrators of the mysteries of God" (1 Cor 4:1). We Christians have been given new life, a new nature, sonship and daughterhood in God's family, the forgiveness of our sins, the indwelling of the Trinity, Jesus' Body and Blood in Holy Communion, the meaning of life, etc. The Lord in His mercy has given us the best and the most. Therefore, we have the greatest responsibilities of any stewards. "When much has been given a man, much will be required of him. More will be asked of a man to whom more has been entrusted" (Lk 12:48). If we aren't good stewards and don't administer the mysteries the Lord has entrusted to us, if we don't evangelize, telling the Good News of what God has done for us, Jesus promised to take away His graces from us and give them to others (see Mt 25:29). We see this happening as Christians in Europe and the USA lose their faith while new Christians in the third-world are showered with faith, joy, enthusiasm, power, boldness, healings, miracles, and religious vocations. When most first-world Christians failed in good stewardship by not evangelizing, they lost their faith and God poured out His graces on others. However, if we repent and evangelize, we will see God's graces return.

Prayer: Father, I have been given the ultimate. May I evangelize as if my faith depends on it.

Promise: "Let us not be asleep like the rest, but awake and sober!" -1 Thes 5:6

Praise: Praise You, Jesus! You are risen in glory and will come again to raise us from the dead. Alleluia!

http://www.mycatholic.com/reflections/2011-317.html

Persevere In Prayer

One of the many titles of Luke’s Gospel is the “Gospel of prayer.” Within this Gospel, we see many accounts of prayer. The reading today is one of many.

Today, we meditate on the prayer of petition. Luke makes his comment at the beginning of the parable: pray constantly and do not lose heart.

Luke describes two characters. One is the judge who has no regard for people. He is incapable of shame. On the other hand, there is the widow, an example of the poor and marginalized in the society. Luke does not tell us of the widow’s circumstances. We do know that she is persistent; she would come repeatedly. The judge, as we understand, has no care for God or man. However, because of the persistence of the widow, he gives in to her petitions. He wants to be spared from any violence; he does not want a black eye. The moral of the story is that if this corrupt judge can give in, how much more God, the righteous judge, will give in to the cry of those who call upon him?

The story is very simple, touched with Luke’s humor. We are to “storm heaven” with our prayers. Jesus tells us to call out day and night. No matter how often we pray, we are not to lose hope and heart over what may seem so impossible. St. Paul tells us that good things come to those who wait upon the Lord. The widow could have easily become discouraged. Moreover, she could have given up a long time ago. Seemingly, the judge would not budge. He would not give in. It was only to spare himself from being bothered that he gave in. One may wonder why it took the judge so long to favor the widow. It tells us just how corrupt and non-fearing he was to God and man. Taking care of the widow was one of the highest statutes of the law. This poor widow had every right to be heard and fairly dealt with. The widow gives us a fine example of persistence in prayer. Fr. Brian Steele, MGL

Reflection Question:
Are you persistent in prayer?

Lord, I always call upon You in my need. Help me not lose heart. Amen.

St. Machar, pray for us.

Are You Ready Or Not?

Every Mass, we acclaim the mystery of faith: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. The first two events have come and gone, the third has yet to be fulfilled. Some say that Jesus has already come by the coming down of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Others say He has come again at the Resurrection, or at the moment of the believer’s conversion. Jesus tells us that it will be noticeable to all.

At least we have an idea when Jesus will come again when we do not expect it. We are to be watchful, ready and waiting. The Second Coming reminds me of the children’s game, hide and seek. One cries out, “Ready or not, here I come!” I suppose it will be like that when Jesus comes again. Are you ready… or not?

In the Gospel, Jesus warns us of the suddenness of His coming. He cites two characters, Noah and Lot, as examples. Noah was a righteous man. God asked Noah to build an ark in preparation for the upcoming flood that would wipe out all of humanity. God was grieved at the wickedness of man. Some would be spared, such as Noah and his family. People were doing normal activities when the flood came unexpectedly.

Lot was the nephew of Abraham. After the visitors came to his place, they warned Lot to escape the imminent destruction of the city of Sodom. At once, the whole city was destroyed. It was as sudden as a tropical storm that one experiences in the rainy season of the Philippines.

The suddenness and unexpected arrival of the coming of the Son of man need not be a cause for alarm. We are to stand in firm confidence that Jesus is the Savior of the world. Therefore, we should take care of how we act. That’s why the daily examen is a good spiritual practice. It enables us to keep a check upon our life. Fr. Brian Steele, MGL

Reflection Question: Are you ready?

Maranatha. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.

St. Aba Mina, pray for us.

One Bread, One Body - FOR NATURE LOVERS

Wisdom 13:1-9, Psalm 19:2-5, Luke 17:26-37
Link to Readings --> http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/111111.cfm

"For if they so far succeeded in knowledge that they could speculate about the world, how did they not more quickly find its Lord?" —Wisdom 13:9

Many people are nature-lovers. They are impressed by the "might and energy" (Wis 13:4), "the greatness and the beauty of created things" (Wis 13:5), such as "fire, or wind, or the swift air, or the circuit of the stars, or the mighty water, or the luminaries of heaven" (Wis 13:2). Nature-lovers will either become idol worshippers or true worshippers. From studying the works of creation we should discern the Creator (Wis 13:1). "For from the greatness and the beauty of created things their original Author, by analogy, is seen" (Wis 13:5). However, if we don't worship the God of creation, we will worship creation as god. "Since the creation of the world, invisible realities, God's eternal power and divinity, have become visible, recognized through the things He has made. Therefore these men are inexcusable. They certainly had knowledge of God, yet they did not glorify Him as God or give Him thanks; they stultified themselves through speculating to no purpose, and their senseless hearts were darkened" (Rm 1:20-21). "These men...exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator" (Rm 1:25). When nature-lovers become nature-worshippers, they become spiritually blind, foolish, and perverted (Rm 1:22, 24). May all nature-lovers also be God-lovers and true worshippers.

Prayer: Father, may all those in "New Age" spirituality repent and be freed.

Promise: "Whoever tries to preserve his life will lose it; whoever loses it will keep it." —Lk 17:33

Praise: St. Martin strove to do the right thing his entire life and was used by God because of his great zeal. He spent the last eleven years of his life in humble toil, preparing for glory.