September 11, Saturday

TWENTY-THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

 

Christ came to call sinners, and of this fact Paul himself is the perfect example. Persecutor as he had been, God in his patience showed mercy to Paul, who had been a persecutor of Christians.

Luke makes two main points today. Christians will be recognized for what they are worth by their Christian living. The faith that is in their hearts overflows in their deeds. God’s word has sunk in into their hearts and only goodness in accordance with the Gospel: will have to come from them. In such people faith is solid; it is built on rock, it does not waver. The rains and the storm of trials cannot blow that faith apart.

 

First Reading: 1 Timothy 1:15-19

Here’s a word you can take to heart and depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. I’m proof—Public Sinner Number One—of someone who could never have made it apart from sheer mercy. And now he shows me off—evidence of his endless patience—to those who are right on the edge of trusting him forever.

Deep honour and bright glory
    to the King of All Time—
One God, Immortal, Invisible,
    ever and always. Oh, yes!

I’m passing this work on to you, my son Timothy. The prophetic word that was directed to you prepared us for this. All those prayers are coming together now so you will do this well, fearless in your struggle, keeping a firm grip on your faith and on yourself. After all, this is a fight we’re in.

 

Gospel: Luke 6:43-49

Work the Words into Your Life

 “You don’t get wormy apples off a healthy tree, nor good apples off a diseased tree. The health of the apple tells the health of the tree. You must begin with your own life-giving lives. It’s who you are, not what you say and do, that counts. Your true being brims over into true words and deeds.

 “Why are you so polite with me, always saying ‘Yes, sir,’ and ‘That’s right, sir,’ but never doing a thing I tell you? These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on.

 “If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss.”

 

Prayer

Lord our God,
let the word of your Son sink into our hearts
so deeply and so firmly,
that all of our life is marked by it.
Let no trial or doubt or fad or fear
be powerful enough to shake that faith;
for in you we trust
and on you we rely
on account of him, who is the living proof,
that you love us and want us to be happy,
Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Reflection:

Rooted on the Word

In our final reading from Luke’s version of the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus speaks of the qualities of a genuine disciple. Jesus challenges his disciples to live their lives worthy of the name of Christ. Pope Francis, during his special audience with the members of the Claretian Missionaries after their General Chapter on September 9 has given a reminder on how to be consistent in producing fruits worthy of our call. The Pope said, “If you want your mission to be truly fruitful, you cannot separate mission from contemplation and from a life of intimacy with the Lord. If you want to be witnesses, you cannot stop being adorers.” Consistently good behavior can happen only when we have a healthy interior of prayer and contemplation. Pope Francis further stresses that one cannot live with the spirit of the world and expect to serve the Lord. We must orient our existence on the basis of Gospel values to produce fruits of the Gospel, allowing yourselves to be guided at all times by the options of the Gospel and by the ardent desire to “follow Jesus and imitate him in prayer, in work,… and in seeking always and only the glory of God and the salvation of souls.” When we have a healthy interior, rooted on the Word of God and nurtured by a strong prayer life, we become like that man who has built his house on solid foundation. No matter how strong the winds of accusations or misunderstandings and floods of persecutions strike us, our house built on the rock of Christ would stand firm. If we fail to be rooted on the Word and fail to be nurtured by the sacraments and prayer, a tragic collapse is inevitable. Luke was acknowledging the inevitability of persecutions for those who believe in Jesus and in the Gospel. But for a Christian built on the rock of Christ, there is nothing to be afraid of. We live in times where a genuine Christ-centered life is under threat and ridicule, not only from external forces but even from within the Church. Without the foundations of contemplation of the Word of God and a prayer life, it is very easy to be enticed away to a life of materialism and individualism. We live in a dangerous environment, not of torture and imprisonments, but of deceptive noises from around the society, promising happiness and pleasures. The Gospel message is more relevant today than ever for our life in faith. A life built on foundations of prayer, sacraments and the Word of God is the only way to produce good fruits for Christ.

Video available on  Youtube: Rooted on the Word