Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 464
Reading 1
Galatians 3:1-5
O stupid Galatians!
Who has bewitched you,
before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?
I want to learn only this from you:
did you receive the Spirit from works of the law,
or from faith in what you heard?
Are you so stupid?
After beginning with the Spirit,
are you now ending with the flesh?
Did you experience so many things in vain?–
if indeed it was in vain.
Does, then, the one who supplies the Spirit to you
and works mighty deeds among you
do so from works of the law
or from faith in what you heard?
Responsorial Psalm
Luke 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75
R. (68) Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; He has come to his people.
Alleluia
Acts 16:14B
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Luke 11:5-13
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,’
and he says in reply from within,
‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.’
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?”
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Praying with Fervor and Detachment
Jesus said to his disciples: “Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him…’” Luke 11:5–6
Unless your friend were truly a very close friend, you may hesitate in waking them and their family at midnight to ask to borrow some food. And even if it were a very close friend, you would probably hesitate for fear of disturbing them. But in this parable, the “friend” is God. Jesus just finished giving His disciples the “Our Father” prayer, and now He adds this parable as a way of expressing the great confidence and determination with which we must pray to the Father. The parable concludes by stating that even if the person in bed does not get up to meet the request, they will do so “because of his persistence.” And though God always is attentive to our prayer, our persistence is an essential quality we must have.
When we pray to God with persistence, never doubting the goodness and generosity of God, God will pour forth upon us everything that is good. Of course, if our prayer is for something that is selfish or not in accord with the will of God, then all the begging in the world will not be effective. But when we pray as the “Our Father” prayer teaches us, then we can be certain that our fidelity to that prayer, prayed with the utmost trust and persistence, will effect the good gifts of the will of God in our lives.
One of the seven petitions of the “Our Father” prayer is “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” This is a truly beautiful petition that requires not only ongoing persistence but also detachment from our preference in life. To pray that “God’s” will be done and that “His” Kingdom come is a way of also saying that you surrender all of your preferences to God. You come to God acknowledging that your will may not be God’s will. Thus, this petition expresses detachment in a powerful way.
Reflect, today, upon the importance of praying with the utmost fervor and persistence to God. Reflect, also, upon the importance of doing so with detachment. What does God want of you? What is His holy will for your life? Seek that will and that will alone with all your heart and you will discover that His will truly will come to be in your life.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
FIELDS OF FLESH
“After beginning in the Spirit, are you now to end in the flesh?” —Galatians 3:3
The greatest tragedy possible is to end in the flesh. Jesus died and rose to make us new creations. It would be a great tragedy to die still trapped in our fallen nature and refusing the total newness of life in Christ (see 2 Cor 5:17; cf 2 Pt 2:21).
If we die in the flesh, it will probably not be because we rebelled against God shortly before our deaths. Dying in the flesh, instead of dying to the flesh, is a harvest of corruption produced by the sowing and growing of seeds in the field of the flesh (Gal 6:8). Where are you sowing now? What fields are you beginning to cultivate? Are you planted as a couch-potato in front of the TV or addicted to your handheld electronic device? Are you wasting your seed (see Gn 38:9) in masturbation, artificial contraception, pornography, and other forms of lust? Are you sowing your money in consumerism, gambling, and other forms of greed? The fields in which you sow will determine what harvest you reap (see Hos 8:7).
Therefore, “put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the desires of the flesh” (Rm 13:14). Crucify the “flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal 5:24). “You are not to spend what remains of your earthly life on human desires but on the will of God. Already you have devoted enough time to what the pagans enjoy” (1 Pt 4:2-3). Do not live “at the level of the flesh,” but receive God’s mercy (Eph 2:3-4).
Prayer: Holy Spirit, fight against the flesh in my life (Gal 5:17).
Promise: “If you, with all your sins, know how to give your children good things, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” —Lk 11:13
Praise: Bill returned to weekly Mass after an absence of over ten years because some members of the St. Lawrence Parish Evangelization team cared enough to knock on his door and invite him to join them.
Reflection 3
By Fr. Martin Hogan
In this morning’s gospel reading, Jesus encourages us to keep praying the prayer of petition, ‘Keep on asking…. Keep on searching…. Keep on knocking…’ Of all the different forms of prayer that are open to us, the prayer of petition is probably the one that comes most easily to us. So often we pray out of our need. We recognize some need, some lack, in ourselves that we sense only God can supply and fill. Perhaps we are not always sure, however, what to be praying for, what to be asking for. This morning’s gospel reading comes immediately after the giving of the Lord’s Prayer by Jesus to his disciples. That prayer is really a teaching on what we need to be praying for. The Lord’s Prayer is a succession of short prayers of petition, with the first three petitions focusing on God, and the last four focusing on ourselves. All of our prayers of petition need to be shaped in some way by the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer. In the final verse of this morning’s gospel reading, Jesus suggests something else we need to ask for, search for. We need to keep on praying for the gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives. One of the great prayers of petition for every believer is the simple prayer, ‘Come, Holy Spirit’.
Prayers
My perfect Lord, Your will and Your will alone is what I want and seek. I seek it with all the powers of my soul. Help me to grow in confidence in You and Your goodness. May I trust in You and believe with all my heart that You truly will bring forth Your holy will in my life if I only persist in prayer and trust. Jesus, I trust in You.
Heavenly Father, you are merciful, gracious and kind. May I never doubt your mercy and love nor hesitate to seek you with confident trust in order to obtain the gifts, graces, and daily provision I need to live as your beloved child and constant friend.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 283: Overcoming Sin
The message of God’s Mercy is so simple that we can easily miss it, even after reflecting upon the many pages of this book or upon the Diary of Saint Faustina. The simple truth that the message of God’s Mercy must convey is that we should have no fear, whatsoever, of admitting our sins and trusting in God’s perfect forgiveness. Fear easily paralyzes us and keeps us from being honest in regard to our sins. But if you understand the Mercy of God and realize how all-consuming it is, fear will have no power over you. And though this may be easier to understand in theory, it can be very hard to embrace in your actions. The only way to fully enter into the Mercy of God is to give Him that which properly belongs to you, namely, your sins. Do not hesitate in doing this. Have full confidence in your loving Father and allow the light of His Mercy to replace the darkness of your sin (See Diary #1396).
How easily can you admit your sins to God? And when you do so, are you able to admit them with full confidence and hope? Are you able to admit them in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the greatest source of God’s Mercy? You do not need to carry guilt and shame in regard to your sins no matter what they are. Trust in the omnipotent love of God and let go of your hesitation and fear. If you do this, you will discover that joy will begin to permeate your soul and lift the heavy burden that sin imposes.
Lord, please remove all fear from my life. Cleanse me of my sin and free me from the burdens they impose. Give me full confidence in the abundance of Your Mercy and open my heart to receive all that You wish me to receive. I love You, dear Lord, may I allow that love to dispel all that is not of You. Jesus, I trust in You.
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