Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 481
Reading 1
Ephesians 6:1-9
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
Honor your father and mother.
This is the first commandment with a promise,
that it may go well with you
and that you may have a long life on earth.
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger,
but bring them up with the training and instruction of the Lord.
Slaves, be obedient to your human masters with fear and trembling,
in sincerity of heart, as to Christ,
not only when being watched, as currying favor,
but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
willingly serving the Lord and not men,
knowing that each will be requited from the Lord
for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
Masters, act in the same way towards them, and stop bullying,
knowing that both they and you have a Master in heaven
and that with him there is no partiality.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 145:10-11, 12-13ab, 13cd-14
R. (13c) The Lord is faithful in all his words.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. The Lord is faithful in all his words.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. The Lord is faithful in all his words.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R. The Lord is faithful in all his words.
Alleluia
See 2 Thessalonians 2:14
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God has called us through the Gospel
to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Luke 13:22-30
Jesus passed through towns and villages,
teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.
Someone asked him,
"Lord, will only a few people be saved?"
He answered them,
"Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
'Lord, open the door for us.'
He will say to you in reply,
'I do not know where you are from.'
And you will say,
'We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.'
Then he will say to you,
'I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you evildoers!'
And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west
and from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the Kingdom of God.
For behold, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last.”
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Entering the Narrow Gate
Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” He answered them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.” Luke 13:27
We should definitely take our Lord’s words spoken above to heart. It’s easy to presume we will be saved. It’s easy to simply presume that God is kind and that we are good people at heart and, therefore, salvation is assured. But that’s not what Jesus says.
So who will be saved? When we get to Heaven, God willing, we may be surprised at who is saved and who is not. This is clearly one of the messages of today’s Gospel. Jesus even goes so far to say that some, when they die, will assume they are going to enter into Heaven but will hear our Lord say to them, “I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!” Again, we should take these words to heart.
One of the most dangerous sins we can fall into is presumption. Presumption is deadly because it has a double effect upon us. First, the person caught in presumption is one who has committed mortal sin but has not repented of it. But the presumptuous person also remains incapable of repentance because they refuse to acknowledge their sin. Their conscience is not working. They have blinders on and expect God to wear those same blinders. But God sees all things and judges accordingly.
The “narrow gate” of which Jesus speaks is a simile used by Jesus to tell us that it is not easy to obtain Heaven. It requires a concerted effort on our part as well as the infinite mercy of God. But regarding our part, the attainment of Heaven is only possible if we intentionally seek out the will of God and respond generously to Him. First, that means we confess and turn away from our sins. But from there, it means that we make every effort to fulfill God’s will in our lives.
If this is hard to accept, simply remind yourself that this teaching came directly from Jesus Himself. He is absolutely clear and means what He says. If that fills you with a sort of holy fear, then that is a good thing. “Holy fear” is a gift by which we have a well-ordered conscience that is able to identify those things in our lives that have become immovable obstacles to eternal salvation. The same well-ordered conscience will lead us to that narrow gate which is the only path to eternal life.
Reflect, today, upon the fact that we must all take eternal salvation seriously. If you find that you have become lax in your spiritual life, then use this Gospel as a motivation to change. Do not allow yourself to be one of those knocking at the gates of Heaven, only to realize that our Lord does not know you. Do all you can to eradicate the sin of presumption from your life, and your reward will be truly great in Heaven.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
THE SPIRIT OF SUBMISSION
“Slaves, obey your human masters with the reverence, the awe, and the sincerity you owe to Christ.” —Ephesians 6:5
Everyone should submit to each other (Eph 5:21). Wives should submit to husbands (Eph 5:22), children to parents (Eph 6:1), and employees to employers (Eph 6:5). Those in authority should submit to the Lord (see Eph 6:4, 9). The Lord wants to create an entire culture of submission.
If we accept God’s call to be submissive in circumstance after circumstance, we will open ourselves to being filled with the Spirit. The beginning of this teaching on submission in Ephesians is verse 5:21. Although this verse looks like a sentence in some translations, it is a participial phrase in the original. Verse 21 is subordinated to the main verb in the sentence, which is “be filled” (with the Holy Spirit) in 5:18. In the original Greek, the Lord is saying that we must live lives of submission if we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
The Blessed Virgin Mary received the Holy Spirit after calling herself God’s handmaid (Lk 1:38). Those who received the Spirit at the first Christian Pentecost humbled themselves in asking: “What are we to do?” (Acts 2:37) Twelve Ephesian men received the Spirit after they humbly admitted that they had never heard of the Spirit (Acts 19:2). Cornelius and his household received the Spirit after Cornelius prostrated himself in submission to Peter (Acts 10:25). The Spirit descended on Jesus when He submitted Himself to John’s baptism (Mt 3:14-15). Life in submission leads to life in the Spirit.
Prayer: Father, I love You by submitting myself to those whom You have given authority over me.
Promise: “Try to come in through the narrow door.” —Lk 13:24
Praise: Despite his terminal cancer, Father John continued to perform as much of his ministry to his parishioners as possible.
Reflections 3
Shared from God's Word
“When you have a choice between the easy and the difficult, choose the difficult,” says Saint Ignatius of Loyola. The world always looks for easy money, short cuts, fast food and almost everything on one click. Jesus invites us to take the road less travelled and enter through a narrow path. It is the narrow path that becomes the door to divine revelation. It is in the struggles of life that we learn life’s important lessons. Success in life may bring happiness but failure in life will definitely bring growth. People thought that because Jesus preached on their streets and ate with them, they would easily get entry into Heaven. Jesus detests their unrighteous behaviour. What criterion do I use while making a choice between two options?
Prayers
My most merciful Lord, You and You alone can open the gates of Heaven to us, and You and You alone will do so only to those who have responded to Your holy will. Please open my eyes to any ways that I turn from You and remain lax in my spiritual journey. Give me the grace I need to see clearly and to respond to You with all my heart. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus, may I never doubt your guiding presence and your merciful love towards me. Through the gift of your Spirit fill me with courage and persevering faith to trust you in all things and in every circumstance I find myself. Give me the strength to cling to your promises when the world around me begins to shake or crumble. And when my love and zeal begin to waver, fan into my heart a flame of consuming love and dedication for you who are my All.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 303: Silence
One of the dangers many encounter in our modern technological world is that of constant noise. We are easily bombarded with chatter all day long. It could be through the radio, TV, Internet, or the ceaseless conversation of another. Rarely do we find times of great silence. As a result, when silence is offered us, we often look to fill that silence immediately. But is this wise? Is it good to occupy our minds day and night with noise? Though every person will be different, especially depending upon their vocation, every person does need times of regular silence and solitude. Without this it is hard to be recollected and to hear the Voice of God. God speaks in the silence and He desires to communicate to you through this sacred language. Do not run from silence for, if you do, you will be running from the Voice of God (See Diary #1476).
Try to take some time today alone in silence. If you find that it is difficult to do even for five minutes, then this is a sign that there is too much noise in your life. Entering silence can bring on a form of “withdrawal” from noise. We tend to be comfortable with it as we are entertained all day long. But try to take time in silence today. Resolve to do so as long as you can. Turn off the radio in the car, go for a walk, or sit and pray without thinking or speaking, just being quiet in the presence of God. The gift of silent communication with God is a gift that you need and you will learn more from silence than from hours of the noise of the world.
Lord, I desire to seek You in the silence. I choose to listen to Your quiet promptings of love spoken in this way. Give me the wisdom and strength I need to dedicate myself to moments of quiet every day. May these moments bring clarity to my soul and understanding to my life. Jesus, I trust in You.
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