The Messiah our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ whom the world longed for, had already come and with His light dispels all darkness. Are we then living in His light? Are we then living our call as Children of God our Heavenly Father obedient and seeking only to do His Holy Will which is love and mercy in the world we live in; as we journey back to His Heavenly embrace.
Too many sons and daughters have said Yes Lord but have not moved in the direction of His call. In fact we have many volunteers but very few are His disciples! For they are not willing to take up their cross to follow Him. To die to themselves and surrender their all, intellect, body, mind and spirit to serve Him and His flock.
Many come before the altar to receive Holy Eucharist but have not come to be One with Him and their brethren. For they count the cost of everything. They think in terms of spiritual levels of the individual instead of striving to raise everyone to the same, including themselves. They make excuses, justify and exclude themselves from attending community prayer meetings. Time is a precious luxury for them to be spent only for their own needs or that of their immediate family, forgetting that we His children live in God our Father’s time; and we all have a mission and that is to make disciples of all nations!
May I never boast, except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Amen Gal 6: 14
Saint John of the Cross, Pray for us….
“Take God for your spouse and friend and walk with him continually, and you will not sin and will learn to love, and the things you must do will work out prosperously for you.” St John of the Cross
First reading
Zephaniah 3:1-2,9-13
All peoples shall invoke the Lord’s name and serve him
Trouble is coming to the rebellious, the defiled,
the tyrannical city!
She would never listen to the call,
would never learn the lesson;
she has never trusted in the Lord,
never drawn near to her God.
Yes, I will then give the peoples lips that are clean,
so that all may invoke the name of the Lord
and serve him under the same yoke.
From beyond the banks of the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants
will bring me offerings.
When that day comes
you need feel no shame for all the misdeeds
you have committed against me,
for I will remove your proud boasters
from your midst;
and you will cease to strut
on my holy mountain.
In your midst I will leave
a humble and lowly people,
and those who are left in Israel will seek refuge in the name of the Lord.
They will do no wrong,
will tell no lies;
and the perjured tongue will no longer
be found in their mouths.
But they will be able to graze and rest
with no one to disturb them.
Gospel
Matthew 21:28-32
Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people, ‘What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He went and said to the first, “My boy, you go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not go,” but afterwards thought better of it and went. The man then went and said the same thing to the second who answered, “Certainly, sir,” but did not go. Which of the two did the father’s will?’ ‘The first’ they said. Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you, a pattern of true righteousness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.’
CatholicJules.net 