Daily Retreat 11/04/07
2007 Nov 4 SUN:THIRTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Wis 11:22 – 12:2/ Ps 144(145):1-2. 8-9. 10-11. 13. 14/ 2 Thes 1:11 – 2:2/ Lk 19:1- 10
From today’s readings: “You rebuke offenders little by little, warn them and remind them of the sins they are committing, that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in You, O LORD!... I will praise Your name for ever, my king and my God.... We always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of His calling and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith.... Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house....”
The 4 Last Things
I heard a voice from the infinite say, “What have you done for your soul today?”
As the days grow shorter and colder, Holy Mother Church recommends for our sober consideration not just the upcoming end of the year, but more importantly, the end of our lives, and even the end of time! Death, judgment, Heaven and Hell are never frivolous subjects of conversation, but you and I determine, by the way we live our lives, whether these last things are matters of gloomy dread or joyful expectation.
This month of November began, after all, with one of the principal holy days of the liturgical year, the great Solemnity of All Saints, our celebration of all those who have reached the heavenly homeland, and our expression of gratitude to all of our celestial patrons for the perennial fruits of their earthly lives which continue to inspire and nourish us, and for their unceasing prayers on our behalf.
Then, this past Friday was All Souls’ Day - a particular feast in memory of, and for the spiritual benefit of all of our faithful departed friends and relatives. After all, the Church’s teaching about departed souls in the state of purification, that is, purgatory, is in fact a matter of great hope and consolation: the love we have for friends and family does not, and should not come to an end with the physical separation of death. Rather, you and I can still do something very important for them: as an expression of our ongoing love, we are urged to continue to pray and offer meritorious acts of mercy on behalf of our beloved departed brothers and sisters. In fact, part of every Mass is devoted to “those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith.” So particularly during this month, our Christian family offers prayers for the souls of the faithful departed....
Holy Scriptures speak often, loudly and clearly about the richness of our God’s compassion, of the One Who “has mercy on all, and overlooks the sins of men so that they may repent.” The One Who came to “search out and save what was lost.” Remember the Confessional, the place where this Divine Mercy is there for the asking! Mercy that is so encompassing, so overflowing, that even if we should approach Him with mixed motives, from fear, sense of duty, or even in mere curiosity, such as Zacchaeus, He won’t hesitate to invite Himself in! The Lord is eager to stay at your house today - is there room for Him there? Or do you plan to leave Him behind when you walk out of His house today?
My friends, even in our human finiteness, the last things are not completely beyond our comprehension. For we are all mortals - no matter how hard we try, we cannot forget that death is part of our life. The great gift of our conscience is our personal counsel who constantly instructs us how to secure a positive verdict in the final judgment. The violence and evil that we can see in this life is more than enough to inspire dread for Hell and the fountain of that evil. And our merciful God Who came down from Heaven left us the Eucharist, His Body and Blood, as the foretaste of the eternal Heavenly banquet.
I heard a voice from the Infinite say, “At your house, in your heart, I hope to stay, and share My life with your soul every day!”
Wis 11:22 – 12:2/ Ps 144(145):1-2. 8-9. 10-11. 13. 14/ 2 Thes 1:11 – 2:2/ Lk 19:1- 10
From today’s readings: “You rebuke offenders little by little, warn them and remind them of the sins they are committing, that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in You, O LORD!... I will praise Your name for ever, my king and my God.... We always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of His calling and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith.... Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house....”
The 4 Last Things
I heard a voice from the infinite say, “What have you done for your soul today?”
As the days grow shorter and colder, Holy Mother Church recommends for our sober consideration not just the upcoming end of the year, but more importantly, the end of our lives, and even the end of time! Death, judgment, Heaven and Hell are never frivolous subjects of conversation, but you and I determine, by the way we live our lives, whether these last things are matters of gloomy dread or joyful expectation.
This month of November began, after all, with one of the principal holy days of the liturgical year, the great Solemnity of All Saints, our celebration of all those who have reached the heavenly homeland, and our expression of gratitude to all of our celestial patrons for the perennial fruits of their earthly lives which continue to inspire and nourish us, and for their unceasing prayers on our behalf.
Then, this past Friday was All Souls’ Day - a particular feast in memory of, and for the spiritual benefit of all of our faithful departed friends and relatives. After all, the Church’s teaching about departed souls in the state of purification, that is, purgatory, is in fact a matter of great hope and consolation: the love we have for friends and family does not, and should not come to an end with the physical separation of death. Rather, you and I can still do something very important for them: as an expression of our ongoing love, we are urged to continue to pray and offer meritorious acts of mercy on behalf of our beloved departed brothers and sisters. In fact, part of every Mass is devoted to “those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith.” So particularly during this month, our Christian family offers prayers for the souls of the faithful departed....
Holy Scriptures speak often, loudly and clearly about the richness of our God’s compassion, of the One Who “has mercy on all, and overlooks the sins of men so that they may repent.” The One Who came to “search out and save what was lost.” Remember the Confessional, the place where this Divine Mercy is there for the asking! Mercy that is so encompassing, so overflowing, that even if we should approach Him with mixed motives, from fear, sense of duty, or even in mere curiosity, such as Zacchaeus, He won’t hesitate to invite Himself in! The Lord is eager to stay at your house today - is there room for Him there? Or do you plan to leave Him behind when you walk out of His house today?
My friends, even in our human finiteness, the last things are not completely beyond our comprehension. For we are all mortals - no matter how hard we try, we cannot forget that death is part of our life. The great gift of our conscience is our personal counsel who constantly instructs us how to secure a positive verdict in the final judgment. The violence and evil that we can see in this life is more than enough to inspire dread for Hell and the fountain of that evil. And our merciful God Who came down from Heaven left us the Eucharist, His Body and Blood, as the foretaste of the eternal Heavenly banquet.
I heard a voice from the Infinite say, “At your house, in your heart, I hope to stay, and share My life with your soul every day!”
posted by FrPitstick | 11/02/2007
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