The Catholic Calendar for Tuesday, October 28, 2003
Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Saints Simon and Jude, apostles

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Ephesians 2:19-22
Psalm 19:2-5
Luke 6:12-16

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

We Are Members Of God's Household....
built on the foundation of the Apostles
with Christ as the capstone.... (see Ephesians 2:22)

As we look at today's world, the truth of a line from St. Paul's letter to the Romans strikes us forcefully, for indeed all of creation is groaning in labor pains as it struggles to bring forth Christ's new life from the old one. This strife is caused by the fight we all must engage in as we try to overcome our selfishness and be freed from the corruption of sin, fully redeemed by Christ in both body and soul. Such is God's will for humanity.

Today we celebrate the lives of two apostles and we see in Christ's all-night prayer the importance of His choices as He gathers together those who will serve to make Him and God's message of reconciliation known to the world. It was not necessary for Him to choose the most eloquent and scholarly, for the Holy Spirit will reveal the truth to them and give them the power to live it and verbalize it. Jesus chooses those who are humble, those most receptive to His word and who sincerely desire to love and serve God and learn to love and serve others as Christ Himself does, steadfastly and unconditionally. If the Church is to stand firm and continue to grow, it must have a solid foundation, Apostles who will function under the headship of Christ, the capstone.

Worldly forces are now exerting much pressure on the Church's foundation, our bishops, in hopes of toppling her who stands against the world's lax values. A media given to revelling in smut and sensationalism enjoys loudly touting infidels within the Church, exerting pressure upon her, trying to bring about changes in her basic moral tenets by suggesting that the strictness of these and the celibacy of priests rather than the human preponderance toward sin and the failure of some individuals to remain completely faithful to Christ's teachings is the cause of all our problems.

Spirit of love and truth, guide Your Church to a newness of life, that she may be a source of light to a world pervaded by darkness and strife. Amen.

- Marie Bocko, ocds (mlbocko at borg dot com)

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posted by joachim at 4:13 AM