The Catholic Calendar for Wednesday, November 10, 2004
The Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
St. Leo the Great, pope, doctor of the Church

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Titus 3:1-7
Psalm 23:1-6
Luke 17:11-19 or Matthew 16:13-19

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

"You are 'Rock' and on this rock I will build my church. . . ." (Matthew 16:18)

From the outset, Church history reveals that she has been besieged from within and without by those refusing to accept her teachings, changing them to suit their willful, selfish desires, eliminate any limitations placed on the wants of their flesh. That our Catholic faith has survived intact, is God's work performed through such men as Pope Leo and now John Paul II. Whereas the former defended the Church from Barbarians, today's Pope opposes Secular Humanism which usurps God's authority, putting "self" in His place, as well as Paganism that worships many gods, among them money, property, power, sex, and youth.

Because Catholic dogma stands firm against today's lax morality--divorce and remarriage, adultery, cohabitation, abortion, embryonic creation and destruction for medical purposes, homosexuality--our Faith is continually being pilloried by a liberal media and money-hungry lawyers. Surely, some of our hierarchy, clergy and laity have seriously sinned, but this should not be used to malign the Faith but only the actions of those who choose to disobey God's word given to us through Christ. It is He, the living Word of God, Who provides us both the wisdom and the will to live in His love and truth--if only we would yield to His Spirit.

Today's Gospel reveals Christ's fail-safe means of preserving His Church through Peter, the Rock, and his successors. The world's waves of dissent and hatred will always try smashing The Rock, but they will only continue to be swept away in the Divine Tides.

O Blessed Redeemer,
strengthen our faith in the knowledge that You have
conquered evil.
Make us fearless in opposing the satanic forces seeking
to overtake our world.
Amen.

- Marie Bocko, OCDS
(mlbocko at earthlink dot net)

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posted by joachim at 4:50 AM