Friar’s Corner #753: 10/18/15: Twenty-Ninth of OT; 1st Week of Christian Prayer.
Sunday, Oct18: Twenty-Ninth of OT: Isaiah 53:10-11 (If he gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall see}his descendants in a long life.); Ps 33:4-5, 18-2 and 22 (Lord, let Your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in You.); Heb 4:14-16 (Let us confidently approach the throne of grace.); Alleluia, alleluia. The Son of Man came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. Alleluia, alleluia! Mark 10:42-45 (The Son of Man came to give His life as a ransom for many.)
Theme: Christ brought many into the Kingdom of God through his suffering
Holy Spirit, please give us Your broader vision.
The life of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is very beautiful and complicated. After creating all things God created human life. Our first parents disobeyed the one directive God required of them. They fell to the lie of satan and lost the exalted position in Eden. All their ancestry inherited their fallen state. Thus we have a wounded human nature that doesn’t do always what is best and what God wants of us.
No human person could correct the mistake. God eventually sent His Son. He took on our human nature in its perfect form. In His human estate to spoke to us clearly and showed us God’s plan. He healed, fed and taught thousands in His public life on earth. Jesus trained and equipped 120 men and women to continue His work. He did not want these leaders to lord it over others, as worldly leaders tend to do. He taught us that greatness was in service to others as Jesus washed the feet of the twelve at the Last Supper.
In St. Mark’s gospel section today Jesus told His disciples that He came to serve and give His life to take the punishment for our sins by His bloody suffering and final death on the cross. God showed us that He accepted the ultimate sacrifice of His Son by raising His body from the dead, glorified in radiant light. He opened the gates of heaven and invited us to come into His new kingdom of service by our repentance for our sins and baptism. As we accept this free gift of God we also will endure some suffering as we die to our old worldly way of doing things. The Holy Spirit enlightens our minds to show us God’s plan for doing things. It is as if the Holy Spirit updates our computer operating system by adding something much greater than Windows 10. As we work at following these new God-given directives we are guaranteed a place with Jesus in eternal life in heaven.
The operations of God’s kingdom found in the New Testament scriptures and church tradition are much different that the operating system of the world and what it considers "political correctness." Let us daily strive to get closer to Jesus so we can joyfully serve others as the light and hands of Jesus working in the world around us. May Jesus give us all the graces we need to do that this week and the rest of our lives. Blessings, + Fr. Bob Hilz.
Monday, Oct 19: (memorial of St. Isaac Jogues, John de Brebeuf and Companion Martyrs, 1607-1646, John de Brebeuf 1593-1649, Charles Garnier, Anthony Daniel, Gabriel Lallemant, Noel Chabanel and Rene Goupil. These French Jesuits were the first missionaries to go to Canada and North America after J. Cartier discovered Canada in 1534. Their mission region extended from Nova Scotia to Maryland. These 8 saints preached the Gospel to the Iroquois and Huron Indians. After being tortured, they were martyred in the area of Auresville, NY, between 1642 and 1649. In the same village where St. Isaac died, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha was born.) Rom 4:20-25 (It was written for us when it says that our faith in God will be counted.), Responsory: Luke 1:69-71 (Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; He has come to His people.), Luke 11:29-32 (And the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong.)
Tuesday, Oct 20: Rom 5:12, 15b, 17-19 and 20b-21 (If by the transgressions of one person death came to reign, how much more will those who receive grace come to reign in life.), Ps 40:7-10 and 17 (Here I am, the Lord; I come to do your will.), Luke 12:35-38 (Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.)
Wednesday, Oct 21: (memorial of St. John Paul II, Pope, 1920-2005. How do I summarize the life of the second longest reigning pope in Church history? He was born Karol Wojtyla in Wadowice, Poland. He lost both of his parents and older brother before he was 21. His promising academic career was cut short by WW II. While working, Karol joined the underground seminary and was ordain a priest in 1946 and was immediately sent to Rome for a doctorate in theology. Back in Poland, he had a few jobs and earned a doctorate in Philosophy, which for a while he taught at Lublin University. In 1958, he was made auxiliary bishop of Krakow and attended all of Vatican Council II. Fr. Wojtyla was appointed Archbishop of Krakow in 1964. On October 1978 he was elected the first non-Italian pope in 455 years taking the name John Paul II. He made pastoral visits to 129 countries, promoted ecumenical, which is interfaith initiatives, especially in 1986 with the Day of Prayer for World Peace in Assisi.
He improved Jewish relations by being the first pope to visit a Synagogue in Rome. He visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem and established diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Israel. He also helped improve Catholic-Muslin relations. John Paul went back to Poland three times and encouraged the Solidarity movement, a non-violent revolution against communism. He gave Poland back its Christian soul and saw the collapse of communism in central and eastern Europe by 1989. Three of his best phrases were: "Open wide the doors to Christ,""Be not afraid," and be "a witness for hope." He served as pope for twenty-eight years. John Paul saw the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, wrote 14 encyclicals, five books, canonized 482 saints and beatified 1,338 people. He was an actor, poet, philosopher, theologian, evangelist and one of the most influential men of the last century. He was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on May 1, 2011, and was canonized on Divine Mercy Sunday, 2014.) Rom 6:12-18 (Present yourselves to God as raised from the dead to life.), Ps 124:1b-8 (Our help is in the Name of the Lord.), Lk 12:39-48 (Much will be required of the person entrusted with much.)
Thursday, Oct 22: Rom 6:19-23 (Now you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God.), Ps 1:1-4 and 6 (Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.), Lk 12:49-53 (I have not come to establish peace but division.)
Friday, Oct 23: Rom 7:18-25a (Who will deliver me from this mortal body?), Ps 119:66, 68, 76-77 and 93-94 (Lord, teach me Your statutes.), Lk 12:54-59 (You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and sky, why do you not know how to interpret the present time?)
(Franciscan optional memorial of St. John of Capistrano, Friar Priest, 1386-1456. This memorial is historically important since this Franciscan helped lead Catholic armies at Belgrade to stop the Turkish Moslems advance, which would have destroyed most of Christianity west of Turkey. He was born in Capistrano, Abruzzi, Italy. John studied law in Perugia, Italy, and became governor there, bringing peace and justice. Discerning a religious vocation, he joined the Friars Minor in 1416. There was great stress in Europe with the election of an anti-pope and the Hundred Years’ War. John was a great preacher and tried to bring unity among the Franciscan groups. The pope sent him on many missions. With the fall of the declining Eastern Roman Empire at Constantinople to the Turkish Moslems, St. John exhorted the Hungarians to resist the invading Turks at Belgrade in 1456. At 70, he personally led the left wing of the Christian army, praying and encouraging his men. The victory there saved Europe for a time. A plague shortly followed and John died from it, worn out by his work. He left behind 19 volumes of writings and 700 letters. John was canonized in 1630.)
Saturday, Oct 24: (optional memorial of St. Anthony Mary Claret, Archbishop and Founder, 1807-1870. He was born in Sallent, Spain, and ordained a priest. With 5 other men they founded the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary; the Claretian Fathers. They preached throughout Catalonia. Anthony was appointed archbishop of Santiago, Cuba, by the Queen of Spain. His good pastoral work brought threats to his life and he was recalled to Spain where he died.) Rom 8:1-11 (The Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you.), Ps 24:1b-4b and 5-6 (Lord, this is the people that longs to see Your face.), Lk 13:1-9 (If you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!)
Sunday, Oct 25: Thirtieth of OT: Jeremiah 31:7-9 (The blind and the lame I will bring back: I will console them.); Ps 126:1-6 (The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.); Hebrews 5:1-6 (You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.); Alleluia, alleluia! Our Savior Jesus Crist destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel. Alleluia, alleluia! Mark 10:46-52 (Master, I want to see.)
The Sunday Commentary also available from Nancy Ward: www.JoyAlive.net