EVANGELIO DEL DÍA

domingo, 17 de octubre de 2010

"Pray always without becoming weary"

DAILY GOSPEL: 17/10/2010
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68


Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time


Book of Exodus 17:8-13.
At Rephidim, Amalek came and waged war against Israel.
Moses, therefore, said to Joshua, "Pick out certain men, and tomorrow go out and engage Amalek in battle. I will be standing on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand."
So Joshua did as Moses told him: he engaged Amalek in battle after Moses had climbed to the top of the hill with Aaron and Hur.
As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight, but when he let his hands rest, Amalek had the better of the fight.
Moses' hands, however, grew tired; so they put a rock in place for him to sit on. Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other, so that his hands remained steady till sunset.
And Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

Psalms 121(120):1-2.3-4.5-6.7-8.
A song of ascents. I raise my eyes toward the mountains. From where will my help come?
My help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth.
God will not allow your foot to slip; your guardian does not sleep.
Truly, the guardian of Israel never slumbers nor sleeps.
The LORD is your guardian; the LORD is your shade at your righthand.
By day the sun cannot harm you, nor the moon by night.
The LORD will guard you from all evil, will always guard your life.
The LORD will guard your coming and going both now and forever.

Second Letter to Timothy 3:14-17.4:1-2.
But you, remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it,
and that from infancy you have known (the) sacred scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who willjudge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power:
proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 18:1-8.
Then he told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said,
There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being.
And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, 'Render a just decision for me against my adversary.'
For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, 'While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being,
because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.'"
The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says.
Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them?
I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" 
Lc 18,1-8
Commentary of the day 
Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997), founder of the Missionary Sisters of Charity
A Simple Path
"Pray always without becoming weary"
     If you want to set out in search of God without knowing how to go about it, learn to pray: force yourself simply to pray every day. You can pray anywhere, anytime. There's no need at all to be in a chapel or church. You can pray while working: work doesn't put a stop to prayer, nor prayer to work. If you feel in need of help, you can ask advice of a priest or pastor.

     Try to talk directly to God. Speak to him; tell him everything, spontaneously, directly, just as it comes. He is the Father of us all. Whatever our religion might be, we have all been created by him and are his children. We can trust him, love him, believe in him, work for him. When we pray, our problems are resolved to the degree that it is good for us.

     Without prayer I could not fulfil the work it is mine to do, not even for half an hour. I draw my strength from God by prayer.

                    

Sunday, 17 October 2010

St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop & Martyr († c. 107)



SAINT IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH
Bishop and Martyr
(† c. 107)
        St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, was the disciple of St. John. When Domitian persecuted the Church, St. Ignatius obtained peace for his own flock by fasting and prayer. But for his part he desired to suffer with Christ, and to prove himself a perfect disciple.
        In the year 107, Trajan came to Antioch, and forced the Christians to choose between apostasy and death. "Who art thou, poor devil," the emperor said when Ignatius was brought before him, "who settest our commands at naught?" "Call not him 'poor devil,'" Ignatius answered, "who bears God within him." And when the emperor questioned him about his meaning, Ignatius explained that he bore in his heart Christ crucified for his sake. Thereupon the emperor condemned him to be torn to pieces by wild beasts at Rome. St. Ignatius thanked God, who had so honored him, "binding him in the chains of Paul, His apostle."
        He journeyed to Rome, guarded by soldiers, and with no fear except of losing the martyr's crown. He was devoured by lions in the Roman amphitheatre. The wild beasts left nothing of his body, except a few bones, which were reverently treasured at Antioch, until their removal to the Church of St. Clement at Rome, in 637.
        After the martyr's death, several Christians saw him in vision standing before Christ, and interceding for them.

No hay comentarios: