The Catholic Calendar for Friday, February 25, 2004
Friday of the Second Week of Lent

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Genesis 37:3-4,12-13,17-28
Psalm 105:16-21
Matthew 21:33-43,45-46

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

"What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants. . . ?"

What will God do to those who reject Him in this life? I think the answer is all summed up in the actions of Christ on the Cross. He will love them unto death and beyond. They may still choose to reject Him, but He will give them every opportunity in the world to love Him first.

But more importantly, how might one reject God? It seems that there are at least two ways in which this is commonly done. One might start by rejecting God outright, denying Jesus Christ, and simply living as an atheist. This is the first and most clear-cut.

But another way of rejecting God is more insidious because it appears that we are not doing so. We raise up barriers between ourselves and others. We don't see God in all of those who approach us for help. We curse "the cars" that annoy us in traffic, we leave the poor unfed and unguarded, we abandon the weakest to the tender mercies of the government. We refuse to speak to someone because of a hurt or a slight that has occurred between us.

We have a million different subtle ways of rejecting God, but only one of accepting Him. In every byway and path of the day, we must look for Him and find Him. This is praying constantly. As we look upon those with whom we work, with whom we live, with whom we associate, even those whom we simply pass in the streets, we need to know that God has sent each of them into our lives for our instruction, edification, enlightenment, and ultimately our help in working out our salvation.

God loves us into eternity, let us do our very best to return the loving kindness of Our Lord.

- JuandelaCruz
(sriddle415 at yahoo dot com)

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posted by joachim at 4:37 AM