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The Gift of Faith

INTERNATIONAL | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Saturday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time (Sept. 24, 2011)

September 24, 2011
Saturday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Luke 9:43b-45
While they were all amazed at his every deed, Jesus said to his disciples, "Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men." But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, you are the author of life and the giver of all that is good. You are the Prince of Peace and my mainstay. You are my healer and the cure itself. I need you, and I need to give you. I love you and commit myself to you entirely, knowing you could never let me down or deceive me. Thank you for giving me your very self.

Petition: Lord Jesus, strengthen my weak faith and guide me along your paths.

1. Blind Faith in Science: There are so many everyday, day-to-day things that we take for granted. We have a certain “blind faith” in them: the electricity in our room, the engineering feat of the skyscraper we work in, etc. It just comes naturally to us. We don’t put much thought into them. We trust that they will continue to work. Unfortunately, when our “faith” crosses the line of empirical knowledge – like electricity and engineering – into the realm of the spiritual, we can find obstacles to our believing.

2. Supernatural Faith: Understanding of what Our Lord states about his passion and death in today’s Scriptures can only be obtained through a “supernatural faith.” This faith is a gift we must seek from God in all humility, so that it will shed light on the whole of our lives. It will bring a knowledge greater than just a purely human one. Trusting in Jesus, let us ask him for this faith.

3. Afraid to Ask: The disciples in today’s Gospel passage were afraid to question Jesus. Questioning something we do not understand is not necessarily bad; it is quite normal and reveals a childlike attitude. Christ always has an answer to our questions – an intelligible answer – even though our mind may not fully grasp its breadth. In fact, Christ does not want us to accept his teaching and values in a passive way. He wants us to accept freely, not so much because we understand fully, but rather because we trust and love the God who reveals himself to us.

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, it is so easy for me to look at life from a purely human standpoint. Grant me the eyes of faith to see all things from your viewpoint. May my faith enlighten my path all the days of my life.

Resolution: In my prayer today I will beg, in all humility, for the gift of faith in Jesus Christ.

One Bread, One Body

<< Saturday, September 24, 2011 >>

Saint of the Day

Zechariah 2:5-9, 14-15
View Readings

Jeremiah 31:10-13

Luke 9:43-45

THE CIRCLE OF FIRE

"I will turn their mourning into joy, I will console and gladden them after their sorrows." —Jeremiah 31:13

The chosen people had sinned. Thereby, they had been defeated, debased, and exiled. Jerusalem, its Temple, and the people's lives were in ruins. After generations of degradation, the people could hardly conceive of anything but further devastation.

Possibly you understand too well the condition of the chosen people at the time of the prophet Zechariah. Maybe your life has been one mess after another. Nevertheless, the Lord promises you, as He promised Jerusalem: "I will be for [you] an encircling wall of fire, says the Lord, and I will be the Glory in [your] midst" (Zec 2:9). The Lord is going to protect you and even surround you with His fiery presence. No longer are you going to be marauded, trampled, used, and abused. Your future is to live in God's glory and not in sin, slavery, defeat, shame, and self-hatred.

Therefore, "sing and rejoice...See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the Lord" (Zec 2:14). "Fear not, you shall not be put to shame; you need not blush, for you shall not be disgraced. The shame of your youth you shall forget" (Is 54:4). "No more shall men call you 'Forsaken,' or your land 'Desolate,' but you shall be called 'My Delight,' and your land 'Espoused.' For the Lord delights in you" (Is 62:4). Alleluia! Thank You, Jesus!

Prayer: Father, thank You for hope, healing, and new life.

Promise: "He Who scattered Israel, now gathers them together, He guards them as a shepherd his flock." —Jer 31:10

Praise: God delivered Anna from years of living in shame and guilt.