The Catholic Calendar for Friday, October 7, 2005
Friday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Our Lady of the Rosary

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2
Psalm 9:2-3, 6, 16, 8-9
Luke 11:15-26

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

"Whoever does not gather with me, scatters. . ."

Jesus utters some of His most ominous words here. But He speaks the warning through time. We do nothing worthwhile outside of Him. We do nothing worthy outside of Him. If all of our efforts are not gathered to Him, they are scattered. If we are not for Him, if we are for anything else, then we stand against Him.

What does it mean to be "for" Jesus? For one thing, it means caring for His brothers and sisters. For another it means not giving our hearts and souls to anyone or anything else. It means living a life of prayer. But it also means living a life of pure joy.

Once we are for Jesus there is nothing but joy. Our joy dies out when we move far from Him. It is like the children's game of warmer and colder. As we move closer, our own souls and own lives reflect the living flame of love that desires more than anything else to burn all that is not God out of us. It desires more than anything else to take up residence within us and shine out through us. It desires more than anything that we should become more and more like Him.

- JuandelaCruz

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