Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
29TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Psalter: Week 1 / (Green/White)
St. John Paul II, pope
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 85: 9ab-10, 11-12, 13-14: The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
1st Reading: Ephesians 2: 12-22
At that time, you were without Christ, you did not belong to the community of Israel; the Covenants of God, and his promises, were not for you; you had no hope, and were without God in this world.
But now, in Christ Jesus, and by his blood, you, who were once far off, have come near. For Christ is our peace; he, who has made the two people, one; destroying, in his own flesh, the wall—the hatred—which separated us. He abolished the law, with its commands and precepts. He made peace, in uniting the two people, in him; creating, out of the two, one New Man. He destroyed hatred and reconciled us both to God, through the cross, making the two, one body. He came to proclaim peace; peace to you who were far off, peace to the Jews who were near. Through him, we—the two people—approach the Father, in one Spirit.
Now, you are no longer strangers or guests, but fellow citizens of the holy people: you are of the household of God. You are the house, whose foundations are the apostles and prophets, and whose cornerstone is Christ Jesus. In him, the whole structure is joined together, and rises, to be a holy temple, in the Lord. In him, you, too, are being built, to become the spiritual Sanctuary of God.
Gospel: Luke 12: 35-38
Be ready, dressed for service, and keep your lamps lit, like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding.
As soon as he comes and knocks, they will open to him. Happy are those servants whom the master finds wide-awake when he comes.
Truly, I tell you, he will put on an apron and have them sit at table and he will wait on them.
Happy are those servants if he finds them awake when he comes at midnight or daybreak!
REFLECTION:
“Be vigilant and ready.”
Greed and other deadly sins often come in subtle ways. Hence, we are summoned to be always vigilant and ready.
Today’s Gospel tells us of Jesus’ teaching on readiness. It challenges us to be always ready because we do not know when the master will return. Blessed is the servant whom the master will find wide-awake upon the master’s return.
We are blessed as we become more and more aware of sin’s subtle ways because we shall be on guard, not falling into the trap of sin’s subtle allurements. We shall grow in our capacity to discern.
Our journey of faith is a journey which is filled with decision making. We are challenged to always decide for what is good. It is easier for us to choose what is good when the choice between good and evil appears very clear.
However, the distinction between good and evil is not as always clear as the bright blue sky.
Often, the distinction could hardly be traced. Thus, we need to have a better discerning capacity. We can start practicing discernment in the choices we are making every day. For example, we can discern which food to take should we want to have optimal health.
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