The Catholic Calendar for Friday, September 30, 2005
Friday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
St. Jerome, priest and doctor of the Church

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Baruch 1:15-22
Psalm 79:1-3, 5, 8-9
Luke 10:13-16

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

"Whoever rejects you, rejects me. . ."

Oh woe to those who reject Jesus. And those who reject the followers of Jesus reject Him. . . sometimes. Not all who say "Lord, Lord" are true followers of Jesus.

What must we do to be a follower of Jesus, one who brings the message of good news? We must be like the Master Himself. We must be willing to deal with sinners in their native land. We must be willing to love people who, given our own way about things, wouldn't deserve the time of day, much less love. We must be willing to give up all the things we often use to supplement or replace Jesus.

And then, wonder of wonders, when we start to really follow Him, we will discover how much we are like Him. When we allow Him to do so, He comes and lives within us, filling us and guiding us, and speaking through us to those around us. It is this follower of Jesus who brings the good news. It is this follower of Jesus that it brings woe to reject.

Let us pray each day to become the Jesus that the world either accepts or rejects by its own choice. And let us pray that the world comes to know Jesus through us.

- JuandelaCruz

(http://floscarmeli.stblogs.org/)