Wednesday 31st. Week of Ordinary time

 

Work out your Salvation Phil. 2:12-18

It always seems as if there is a lot of work to do. 

Work at the office;

Work around the house;

And this work takes up a lot of our time. 

But St. Paul reminds us to “work out our salvation.”

It is not so much work that we do,

Than work that God does within us. 

And the best way that God can work within us is by being an Instrument in His Hands without grumbling or questioning how He chooses to work in us. 

For then God can do great things in us

And salvation will be ours. 

Tuesday 31st week of Ordinary time

 Jesus emptied Himself Phil 2:5-11

Many people seek to fill themselves. 

They seek to fill their bank accounts;

They seek to fill their closets 

They seek to fill their trophy cases. 

But not Jesus!

Jesus seeks to empty Himself. 

He emptied Himself

Of His Divinity and took the form of a slave. 

He emptied Himself of His glory and took the from of a criminal on the cross. 

And because He did, God highly exalted Hm above every other Name. 

If we empty ourselves as Jesus did,

Then we too will be exalted by God;

Above everyone else. 

Monday St. Charles Borromeo Nov. 4

 

Charles Borromeo was a Cardinal of the Church who lived during the time of the Reformation In which the world and the Church were torn by war and division. 

And Charles led the Counter Reformation in the Church. 

One might think that this is a noble thing to do. 

But He faced resistance from his own family members and priests and religious. 

The most difficult reform however is not that of other people,

But of ourselves. 

Habits die hard as do sins. 

Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. 

St. Charles Borromeo reminds us that if we want to reform the Church we must first reform ourselves.

31st. Sunday of Ordinary Time

Reminders  to love God Deut 6

In today’s fast paced world

Everyone needs reminders. 

There are Post its, notifications on our phones; 

people even ask Alexa or Siri to remind them of things. 

Moses told the people to never forget one thing;

To love the Lord with all your heart;  

With All your soul and with all your strength. 

There were no Post Its, or cell Phones Notifications back then,

To help them remember 

1. So Moses told them to teach it to their children;

1. Talk about it when you sit in your house or as you walk along. 

1. To recite it in the morning and every evening. 

1. The people were to put this commandment on the doorposts of their houses.  

In a small scroll with the words to love God with all your heart and soul and strength. 

And they were touch it every time they enter or leave their house to remind them to love God. 

So the Jews teach their children to love God with all their heart and soul and strength. 

They talk about it in their homes and as they walk along the way. 

They have those words on the doorposts of their houses;

Twice a day they pray the prayer to Love God with all their heart and soul and strength. 

If the Jews have all these daily reminders to Love God with all of the heart and soul and strength,

What daily reminders do we have?

All Souls Day

 

On the feast of All Saints

We celebrate those Saints who intercede for us before the throne of God. 

On the Feast of All Souls we pray for those Souls in Purgatory 

who are preparing to see God face to Face. 

Why is there Purgatory for some people after they die?

Because Heaven is a place of

Holiness. 

Where there is no selfishness or anger. 

No pride or envy. 

No grudges or gossip or greed. 

It is not enough to be forgiven for our sins. 

We must be cleansed of them as well. 

If we die and have any trace of these things in us,

Then we must be purified,

Washed clean

So that we can enter Heaven

Spotless and holy. 

For if everyone who had these sins went straight to Heaven

Without being cleansed of these sins first,

Then Heaven would be just like this earth

Filled with selfishness and anger. 

Pride and envy.  

Grudges, gossip and greed. 

And it really wouldn’t be Heaven anymore!

We can all go straight to Heaven

If we spend our time on earth

Striving for holiness,

 

And then we too will be holy like all the angels and saints

And behold God Face to Face. 

All Saints

One the big questions people ask us and we ask ourselves when we are young, is “What do you want to be when you grow up ?”

How many of us said, “A Saint!”

Not many but thank God, some did. 

Thank God some desired to be holy more than anything else. 

Thank God some were willing to sacrifice everything to follow Jesus. 

Thank God that there are saints in Heaven interceding for us even now. 

Sainthood however  is not for the few. 

Everyone can be a saint. 

All we have to do is desire to be one and 

God will do the rest.