Daily Retreat 07/24/06
2006 Jul 24 Mon: Ordinary Weekday/ Sharbel Makhluf, p
Mi 6: 1-4. 6-8/ Ps 49(50): 5-6. 8-9. 16bc-17. 21 and 23/ Mt 12: 38-42
>From today’s readings: “You have been told, O man, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you: Only to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.... To the upright I will show the saving power of God.... At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here.”
Condemnation of a generation
Jesus warned His unresponsive contemporaries that since they had something greater, their generation would be condemned by people of the past who had responded to God’s word given through prophet and king.
Our generation runs the same risk of condemnation. For, even though we are not contemporaries of the earthly Jesus, the Holy Spirit still fills us with His abiding presence in sacred sacrament, Word, and Church, so we do have a greater than Jonah and Solomon. Also, our education and modern communication gives us greater access to the teaching of Jesus than all but the closest of His followers enjoyed.
The men of Nineveh thoroughly repented at the preaching of Jonah - has our generation hearkened to the Gospel call to repent of the evils of our time? The queen of the south came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon - has our generation shown even a fraction of that effort to embrace the wisdom of Christ? If not, at the judgment, those from the past will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they responded to God’s grace given through Old Testament prophet and king, but the Holy Spirit offers Someone greater to us and all generations of the New Covenant!
Mi 6: 1-4. 6-8/ Ps 49(50): 5-6. 8-9. 16bc-17. 21 and 23/ Mt 12: 38-42
>From today’s readings: “You have been told, O man, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you: Only to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.... To the upright I will show the saving power of God.... At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here.”
Condemnation of a generation
Jesus warned His unresponsive contemporaries that since they had something greater, their generation would be condemned by people of the past who had responded to God’s word given through prophet and king.
Our generation runs the same risk of condemnation. For, even though we are not contemporaries of the earthly Jesus, the Holy Spirit still fills us with His abiding presence in sacred sacrament, Word, and Church, so we do have a greater than Jonah and Solomon. Also, our education and modern communication gives us greater access to the teaching of Jesus than all but the closest of His followers enjoyed.
The men of Nineveh thoroughly repented at the preaching of Jonah - has our generation hearkened to the Gospel call to repent of the evils of our time? The queen of the south came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon - has our generation shown even a fraction of that effort to embrace the wisdom of Christ? If not, at the judgment, those from the past will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they responded to God’s grace given through Old Testament prophet and king, but the Holy Spirit offers Someone greater to us and all generations of the New Covenant!
posted by FrPitstick | 7/21/2006
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