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Micah 6:1-4, 6-8
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Psalm 50:5-6, 8-9, 16-17, 21, 23 |
Matthew 12:38-42
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JESUS ON JUDGMENT
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| "The Lord has a plea against His people, and He enters into trial." —Micah 6:2 |
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Jesus promises that on Judgment Day we will be judged on whether we repented at His preaching (Mt 12:41). In some sense, Jesus is preaching in the circumstances of everyday life, but most literally Jesus Himself is preaching at the liturgy (e.g., the Eucharistic liturgy) (Catechism, 1088). This does not mean that every word the priest or deacon says during the homily is straight from the Lord. Yet it does mean that, by virtue of the nature of Jesus' priesthood and the nature of the liturgy, Jesus the High Priest is working through or even despite the person reading the Scriptures or preaching. On Judgment Day, we will be held accountable for repenting as we heard God's words in the liturgy. Also, Jesus promises that on Judgment Day we will be judged on whether we have gone to extremes to listen to His wisdom (Mt 12:42). Jesus' wisdom is available in many ways but especially in the official teaching of His body, the Church. If we haven't tried to read the Bible, the Church's Catechism, the second Vatican Council's documents, and the Pope's encyclicals, can we as Catholics say that we have gone to extremes to listen to Jesus' wisdom? Let's repent of spiritual anorexia. Let us hunger for God's Word (see Mt 4:4). We need repentance and wisdom. Judgment Day comes. |
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| Prayer: Father, I repent of stuffing myself with the things of the flesh and thereby losing my spiritual appetite (see Prv 13:19). |
| Promise: "You have been told, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: only to do right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God." —Mi 6:8 |
| Praise: From an early age, St. Bridget dedicated every Friday to meditating upon Jesus' passion. |
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