The Catholic Calendar for Thursday, September 25, 2003
Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
St. Vincent dePaul

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Zechariah 2:5-9,14-15
Jeremiah 31:10-13
Luke 9:43-45

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

In today's readings, the prophet Haggai is confronted with a discouraged and confused people who have been paralyzed into inactivity. Haggai hounds these Israelites, recently returned from exile to get them to work and rebuild the temple. Finally, they listen, and do as the Lord has commanded them. They are a good example of what moralists call a "sluggish conscience."

How sensitive and open are our consciences? How fortunate are those who really listen to the Sunday sermon and do something about the truths they hear explained? The apostle Paul, exhorts us to be doers of the word, not hearers only.

In the Gospel, we are presented with another sluggish conscience--Herod Antipas has sinned by marrying his sister-in-law, having divorced his wife without cause. He is a curiosity-monger, looking for entertainment more than responsible rule. He has buried his conscience long ago. He doesn't want to hear unpleasant truths, but only those that will justify his evil.

Unless we are truly sincere in our quest for wisdom and holiness, we, too, will end up using religion as a diversion, an entertainment, without any power to help us grow in faith.

O God, give us the grace of sincerity, humility, and a heart that listens to every word that falls from Your mouth. Amen

- Msgr. Paul Whitmore (smartins at twcny dot rr dot com)

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posted by joachim at 4:38 AM