Tuesday.blog
The Catholic Calendar for Tuesday, November 11, 2003
Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
St. Martin of Tours, bishop
Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Wisdom 2:23--3:9
Psalm 34:2-3,16-19
Luke 17:7-10
A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:
We are useless servants. We have done no more than our duty. (Luke 17:10)
Today's reading from the Book of Wisdom foretells what is later fulfilled in Christ. Man is imperishable; that is, immortal. Our lives on earth test man like gold in a furnace, purify him, make him 'worthy' of abiding eternally in a love-relationship with God. An unwavering faith and trust in Him through our sufferings leads us to understand and live in His truth, moves us closer to glory. Essentially it is dying to self, a painful process, that makes us alive to God.
Jesus points the way; we are to serve God unstintingly, be as totally self-giving as He. We will have our personal crosses to bear as we live in His love toward all despite our difficulties with them. For we were created both for our eternal happiness with God and to make Him visible to the world in our own flesh. This is painful, for we all tend toward selfishness, a need to be 'right'. Yet this can be done if our hearts are truly given to God, open and responsive to His grace. Walking this difficult path is the only way to heal the distorted image of God that our sinfulness projects to others.
Human dignity can be restored if we consent to rejecting our Godless ways and learning to live in love, truth, justice and temperance out of devotion to Christ. He is God's Living and Creative Word, a Word that is continually spoken throughout every age, spoken to restore humanity to the sanctity God desires for us.
God of all mercy and goodness,
heal our ears deafened by sin,
that we may hear Your Word clearly
and live in loving obedience to Him. Amen.
- Marie Bocko, ocds (mlbocko at borg dot com)
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