October1 in Year C 10

From Twenty-sixth week to Twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time

Click on any date to go to the Thought for that Day

Morning Offering: O Jesus, through the most pure heart of Mary, I offer you all the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of your divine heart, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass. I offer them especially for the Holy Father's intentions:

Pope Benedict's general intention for October is: "That Catholic Universities may more and more be places where, in the light of the Gospel, it is possible to experience the harmonious unity existing between faith and reason."

His mission intention is: "That the World Mission Day may afford an occasion for understanding that the task of proclaiming Christ is an absolutely necessary service to which the Church is called for the benefit of humanity."

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(October 1) Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, Carmelite nun and doctor of the Church (1873-1897)

"I prefer the monotony of obscure sacrifice to all ecstasies. To pick up a pin for love can convert a soul." These are the words of Theresa of the Child Jesus, a Carmelite nun called the "Little Flower," who lived a cloistered life of obscurity in the convent of Lisieux, France. [In French-

speaking areas, she is known as Thérèse of Lisieux.] And her preference for hidden sacrifice did indeed convert souls. Few saints of God are more popular than this young nun. Her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, is read and loved throughout the world. Thérèse Martin entered the convent at the age of 15 and died in 1897 at the age of 24. Life in a Carmelite convent is indeed uneventful and consists mainly of prayer and hard domestic work. But Thérèse possessed that holy insight that redeems the time, however dull that time may be. She saw in quiet suffering redemptive suffering, suffering that was indeed her apostolate. Thérèse said she came to the Carmel convent "to save souls and pray for priests." And shortly before she died, she wrote: "I want to spend my heaven doing good on earth." On October 19, 1997, Pope John Paul II proclaimed her a Doctor of the Church, the third woman to be so recognized in light of her holiness and the influence of her teaching on spirituality in the Church. All her life St. Thérèse suffered from illness. As a young girl she underwent a three-month malady characterized by violent crises, extended delirium and prolonged fainting spells. Afterwards she was ever frail and yet she worked hard in the laundry and refectory of the convent. Psychologically, she endured prolonged periods of darkness when the light of faith seemed all but extinguished. The last year of her life she slowly wasted away from tuberculosis. And yet shortly before her death on September 30 she murmured, "I would not suffer less." (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Job 38: 1.12-21;40:3-5; Psalm 138; Luke 10:13-16

Jesus said to them, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.’ Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” (Luke 10:13-16)

Near yet far One can be very near to God, and yet very far indeed from him. One of the most terrible things about deliberate sin is that, in a sense, the creature, in sinning, drags the Creator into a kind of association with it. In everything, the creature depends on the all-holy, all-powerful Creator. Every element of our being and all our action is radically dependent on the Creator for its existence. Were there not to be that ontological support constantly coming from God, the creature would instantly

cease to be. I can only think because the Creator sustains me precisely as I think. At every moment of my existence I am in an intimate proximity with my Creator because I depend absolutely and radically on his creative act. This means that God is sustaining me as I do his will, and he is sustaining me when I contravene it. He has given me the gift of existence and of life, and when I abuse this by engaging in thoughts, words or deeds that are profoundly offensive to him, indeed that are a horror to him because of their moral evil, he does not withdraw that gift of being. He continues to offer it by his intent that I live and exist. He is closer to me than I am to myself when I am doing things that deeply offend his infinite holiness. He sees all, even when what he sees disgusts him. He sustains me as I neglect and despise him by my action. When we sin, we sin in the intimate presence of our Creator. A great motive for not sinning is to maintain a sense of the presence of God always. When we sin, we are very near to God while being very far from him. The first sin that was ever committed was an enormity — and it was committed in heaven, where God is in all his infinite glory. Lucifer rebelled, and many angels with him. They refused to serve — though the precise nature of the sin is disputed — and this, despite their being in the presence of God himself. So they were cast out, never to return. Even in hell, the demons are close to God because God sustains them in existence. Close to him, they hate him and are far from him.

It is the same when Jesus Christ came among men. Though near to him, they could be very far from him. He grew up in the village of Nazareth, and we remember that he returned to his home town during his public ministry, with the fame of a prophet great in word and works. He announced to them that he was the Messiah, and warned that they were likely to reject him. This they forthwith did. They rejected him, and even strove to kill him. These were people with whom he had been raised, with whom he worked and associated for thirty years. They had been very close to him, and they proved in the event to be very far from him. Being in the presence of God does not necessarily mean being close to him. Expelled from his home town of Nazareth, our Lord moved to Capernaum which would serve as a base in his public ministry beyond. In our Gospel passage today we see our Lord condemning the people of Capernaum, with whom he was living, to whom he returned for respite during his public ministry, and for whom he worked miracles and preached. “And as for you, Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld’” (Luke 10:13-16). They were physically near to our Lord, but far from him in their hearts. The most obvious and famous of such persons was Judas Iscariot. He was a follower of Jesus Christ, and chosen among other followers to be one of the elite Twelve. He was privileged to be part of the “inner sanctum” of Christ’s circle and friendship, with the inestimable honour of sharing in his all-important redemptive work. He could have become a great saint. His feast-day could have been celebrated annually in the Church’s Liturgical Year till the end of time. He was very near to Jesus Christ and literally lived in his presence. But he fell away into the most monstrous of sins. He betrayed his God for a handful of silver. He was close to Jesus Christ, but far from him. He allowed his faults to destroy his relationship with the God who had chosen him to be near to him and to share in his work.

By the gift of life and being, we have ipso facto been placed in the undying presence of God. By our Baptism and by the reception of the Sacraments we share in God’s life as his adopted children. He has placed us very close to him. We ought ask ourselves, What am I doing about this? Am I drifting along in this relationship which he, my Creator, has established for me? In fact, though close to him, I may be far from him because of sin. Let us resolve to build on what God has so mercifully done, and work to establish an undying intimacy with the God who loves us with his infinite love.

(E.J.Tyler)

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Second reflection (Job 38: 1.12-21; 40:3-5)

Job's sufferings: God's answer One of the great steps forward in human history was the rise of science. Science

has been one of the principal factors in the shaping of modern man — and the new knowledge that science has brought. There are breakthroughs in our knowledge of the atom. Unexpected information is on the horizon. What this also shows is that there is so little that we know of what God has created for our benefit. By implication, God's knowledge is unimaginably vast, while ours is so poor. This consideration ought help us in dealing with a problem that has perennially afflicted man, a problem that is very close to him: the problem of evil, especially the evil and suffering that appears to be undeserved. Job could not understand how it was that he suffered so much when he knew that he did not deserve it. God's answer comes at the end, in Chapter 38. He reminds Job that there is so much in the world that he (Job) does not understand. But God does — so there is a reason for what God permits. So too there is a reason for the suffering of the just man.

With the coming of Christ, suffering would be transformed, and given a purpose beyond imagining.

(E.J.Tyler)

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The solution is to love. Saint John the Apostle wrote some words which really move me: qui autem timet, non est perfectus in caritate. I like to translate them as follows, almost word for word — the fearful man doesn’t know how to love.

—You, therefore, who do love and know how to show it, you mustn’t be afraid of anything. So, on you go!
(The Forge, no.260)

The Guardian Angels (October 2, Memorial)
(Saturday of the twenty-sixth week in Ordinary Time C/II )

(October 2) The Guardian Angels Perhaps no aspect of Catholic piety is as comforting to parents as the belief that an angel protects their little ones from dangers real and imagined. Yet guardian angels are not just for children. Their role is to represent

individuals before God, to watch over them always, to aid their prayer and to present their souls to God at death. The concept of an angel assigned to guide and nurture each human being is a development of Catholic doctrine and piety based on Scripture but not directly drawn from it. Jesus' words in Matthew 18:10 best support the belief: "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father." Devotion to the angels began to develop with the birth of the monastic tradition. St. Benedict gave it impetus and Bernard of Clairvaux, the great 12th-century reformer, was such an eloquent spokesman for the guardian angels that angelic devotion assumed its current form in his day. A feast in honour of the guardian angels was first observed in the 16th century. In 1615, Pope Paul V added it to the Roman calendar.
The concept of an unseen companion has given rise to many childish titters about leaving room for an angel in a crowded seat and teacher-induced terrors about the danger of sudden death for a child who fails to honour the angel with prayer. But devotion to the angels is, at base, an expression of faith in God's enduring love and providential care extended to each person day in and day out until life's end. "May the angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs come to welcome you and take you to the holy city, the new and eternal Jerusalem." (Rite for Christian Burial)

Scripture today: Exodus 23: 20-23; Psalm 90; Matthew 18:1-5, 10

The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.” (Matthew 18:1-5, 10)

Guardian Angel One of the most attractive of nineteenth-century saints was the Italian priest, John Bosco, the founder of the two Salesian Congregations of priests and sisters. His life was given over to the apostolate for youth — a ministry for which he had a tremendous talent. On a few occasions in his life when he was on errands that took him into dark and seedy back alleys, he was approached by hoodlums who intended to attack him. It was the period of Italian anti-clericalism. Suddenly out of

nowhere in the dark two large ferocious dogs appeared and attacked the thugs, driving them in terror from the scene. Within minutes the side-street was deserted, with Don Bosco left alone to continue on his errand of mercy. He was in no doubt that it was his Guardian Angel who had arranged his sudden deliverance. I remember being told on good authority some years back of an event that occurred in Australia. Without my being sure of all the details, it went something like this. A solitary young woman was awaiting transport in a certain location and a man was standing not far from her. Days later the man was apprehended by police. He was a wanted man, a dangerous criminal and rapist. Somehow the woman was contacted and, as a witness, brought before the man who was now under arrest. He was asked if he saw her on that occasion, and he admitted that he had — and he was asked why he had left her alone, solitary as she was. While not admitting to violent intentions, he said that, anyway, there were two strong young men accompanying her as she stood there. But she told them that, on the contrary, she was alone. Much struck by his testimony, she became sure that it was her Guardian Angel who had caused the phenomenon. I myself am very careful to observe the speed limits on the roads, but on one occasion my mind wandered and the car increased in speed just beyond the limit. It was in an area where there were cameras. Unaccountably, the thought suddenly entered my mind: slow down! I did so, and was saved from the camera just ahead. At the time I was sure that this was due to my Guardian Angel.

One of the notable features of modern youth are the number who are vibrantly religious. God, Christ and the Church are living realities for them. At the same time, there are many youth who are deeply imbued with the culture of our day. It is a culture that regards this world as all there is. What is real is what can be seen and felt. The unseen is a phantom. For those held in the grip of this perspective, Angels are just fairies. That is to say, they are nothing. There are those who accept Christ but who regard the Christianity of classical dogma as absolutely dated. It must all be re-interpreted according to what is now regarded as likely. Miracles are unlikely, as are many things plainly reported in the Gospels. The Angels are unlikely too — in fact, they are just a little preposterous. But no. If we accept the divine authority of the Scriptures at all, it is plain that we must accept the fact of the Angels. They intervene frequently in Holy Scripture, and we have it on the word of Jesus Christ himself that there are certainly Angels who guard us. In our Gospel today (Matthew 18:1-5, 10), our Lord speaks of the Angels of little children. Our Lord speaks of Angels playing a part in the final judgment on the world. They will be sent out to gather the just from among the unjust. Christ told Simon Peter that he could summon in an instant twelve legions of Angels to defend him against any threat. Were Christ to do just this, we might call such a host twelve legions of Guardian Angels, because their mission would be to guard Christ. Soon after Christ’s birth, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to get up immediately and flee to Egypt. Herod was out to kill the Child. Perhaps Herod’s henchmen were on their way on foot or on horseback. When they arrived, the eagle had flown. That Angel served as a Guardian Angel to the Christ-child. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ was stricken with such sorrow as, he said, to be almost at the point of death. An Angel appeared to sustain him. That Angel served as a Guardian Angel to the Lord of lords, assisting him to bear the sin of the world, and to take it away.

The angelic world is very hard at work assisting us on our way to God. They have the mission to defend and guide us on our journey. Let us think of how God sent Raphael, “the holy Angel of the Lord” to assist Tobias. The book of Tobias provides a classic example of the work of the Guardian Angels. We are all on a grand journey, and we are all sick and wounded. We need sight and we need strength, and we each have a Guardian Angel to assist us on our way as Raphael assisted the son of Tobias. Every day let us pray to our Guardian Angel to lead us to holiness and to heaven.

(E.J.Tyler)

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Second reflection

Praying to our Guardian Angels St Alphonsus Ligouri has written that the reason why we do not receive from God much

more than we do is that we fail to ask for it, or fail to ask in the right way. Our Lord repeatedly tells us in the Gospel that if we ask we shall receive, and there are many cases in the Gospels of people who received favours only because they asked for them. Had they not asked, they may not have received. If this is so in our relations with God, presumably it is so also in our relations with our Guardian Angels because they are God’s envoys for our sake. Today we think of them. We each of us is entrusted to an Angel to guard and guide us through life. As a holy and intelligent person, the angel will fulfill his role. But how much more will we benefit if we have repeated recourse to him. Let us actively acknowledge his presence. Let us ask him to carry our petitions to God. Let us ask him to help us to be led by the Holy Spirit. Our Angel is our God-given friend. He will aid us if we ask him.

Let us cultivate an explicit devotion to our Guardian Angel, and even have recourse also to the Angel of whatever person we are trying to help by our contact or our daily work.
(E.J.Tyler)

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God is with you. The Blessed Trinity dwells in your soul in grace.

—That is why, in spite of your wretchedness, you can and should keep up a continuous conversation with the Lord.
(The Forge, no.261)

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time C

Prayers this week: O Lord, you have given everything its place in the world, and no one can make it otherwise. For it is your creation, the heavens and the earth and the stars: You are the Lord of all. (Esther 13: 9-11).

Father, your love for us surpasses all our hopes and desires. Forgive our failings, keep us in your peace and lead us in the way of salvation. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.

(October 3) St. Mother Theodore Guérin (1798-1856)
Trust in God’s Providence enabled Mother Theodore to leave her homeland, sail halfway around the world and to found a new

religious congregation. Born in Etables, France, Anne-Thérèse’s life was shattered by her father’s murder when she was 15. For several years she cared for her mother and younger sister. She entered the Sisters of Providence in 1823, taking the name Sister St. Theodore. An illness during novitiate left her with lifelong fragile health; that did not keep her from becoming an accomplished teacher. At the invitation of the bishop of Vincennes, she and five sisters were sent in 1840 to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, to teach and to care for the sick poor. She was to establish a motherhouse and novitiate. Only later did she learn that her French superiors had already decided the sisters in the United States should form a new religious congregation under her leadership. She and her community persevered despite fires, crop failures, prejudice against Catholic women religious, misunderstandings and separation from their original religious congregation. She once told her sisters, “Have confidence in the Providence that so far has never failed us. The way is not yet clear. Grope along slowly. Do not press matters; be patient, be trustful.” Another time, she asked, “With Jesus, what shall we have to fear?” She is buried in the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, and was beatified in 1998. Eight years later she was canonized.
During his homily at the beatification Mass, Pope John Paul II said that Blessed Mother Theodore “continues to teach Christians to abandon themselves to the providence of our heavenly Father and to be totally committed to doing what pleases him. The life of Blessed Theodore Guérin is a testimony that everything is possible with God and for God.” (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Habakkuk 1: 2-3; 2: 2-4; Psalm 94; 2 Timothy 1: 6-8.13-14; Luke 17: 5-10

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." The Lord replied, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. "Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from ploughing or tending sheep in the field, 'Come here immediately and take your place at table'? Would he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished'? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'" (Luke 17:5-10)

Grace and Merit In today’s second reading (2 Timothy 1: 6-8.13-14), St Paul refers to God’s gift to Timothy. “I am reminding you”, he writes to Timothy, “to fan into a flame the gift that God gave you.” He then speaks more of the gift. He exhorts Timothy to bear the hardships of his vocation, “relying on the power of God.” Then at the end of the passage he tells Timothy to guard the teaching "with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us." Timothy, then, is to enliven the gift of God by

relying on the power of God and the help of the Holy Spirit. That is to say, he is to rely on the grace of God. Our being made right in the sight of God, our salvation and our sanctification, the fulfilment of our calling from God, all depend on God’s gift of grace. In our Gospel passage (Luke 17: 5-10), the apostles ask our Lord to “Increase our faith.” This gift of an increase of faith is a gift of God’s grace. At the moment of the Incarnation, the Angel addressed Mary as one who was full of grace. Her habitual state was that of being full of grace. Grace is our need and our glory. It is God’s redeeming and sanctifying favour, and it makes us new. It is the gratuitous gift that God makes to us of his own life, infused by the Holy Spirit into our soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it. In the first instance, it is the sanctifying or deifying grace received in baptism, and is the source of our ongoing sanctification. It disposes the soul to live habitually with God and to act by his love. It is also the source of particular helps by God to assist the soul to progress towards him, beyond the grace of an habitual share in his life. These further graces answer to particular spiritual needs of our actual situation. When we ask for the grace of God, as we should do repeatedly, we are asking for God’s abiding favour as well as the special sanctifying helps that arise from this habitual share in his life. When the apostles asked our Lord to increase their faith, they were asking for his help for a special spiritual need. They sought the actual grace of light and prayer. At Pentecost, the grace of God came granting them an habitual share in his life, and the actual graces empowering them to believe and bear witness to him.

When we live habitually in the state of grace, this grace places us in habitual communion with God. In terms of its effect, this habitual grace sanctifies us, and in this sense is called sanctifying grace. It is an habitual action of God, at work in our Baptism and in the various Sacraments, maintaining us in this filial relationship with him. It also opens us to the many actual graces that God gives us in the course of our path of growing communion with him. Grace, whether habitual or actual, is first and foremost the gift of the Holy Spirit who justifies and sanctifies us in an ongoing sense and by particular interventions. God’s favour or grace also includes the gifts that the Spirit grants to associate us with his work. This grace accompanies us in our work and makes it fruitful. Various graces of state enable us to exercise our responsibilities. So we should pray for all the graces we need. We ought pray that God will preserve us in the state of grace; that he will grant us abundant actual graces so that we may grow in his friendship; that he will grant us all the graces we need to fulfil our duties; in a word, we ought pray for all the grace we need both now and at the hour of our death. The Hail Mary is a beautiful prayer because in it we invoke the intercession of the mother of Christ for all our needs now and at the hour of our death. It has been said that the work of personal sanctity depends 99% on the grace of God and 1% on our own efforts. But that 1% constitutes everything we have, our entire effort of cooperating with the grace of God. We will even need God’s grace to put in that 1% that is our own. If we put in that effort every day, we will merit eternal life, and this will be due to the goodness and grace of God. It is something which, by his grace, we will merit. The saints go to God with great merits, all due to God’s grace. For this reason our Lord said that to the one who has will be given more, and the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away from him. So we must ask God for his grace, and then by our active and generous cooperation with that help he gives, merit by our divinely-supported efforts his further friendship.

Let us then take up and pursue the work of our sanctification and the work of the apostolate, constantly asking for God’s grace to do it. A good grace to ask for would be that which the disciples asked for in our Gospel passage today: "Increase our faith" (Luke 17:5).

                                                                 (E.J.Tyler)

Further reading: The Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1996-2016 (Grace and merit)

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A second reflection on the readings of the twenty seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time C

Scripture today:   Habakkuk 1:2-3.2:2-4;    Psalm 94;     2 Tim 1:6-8.13-14;    Luke 17:5-10

Faith     The upright man, God tells us in the first reading, lives by his faith (Habakkuk 1:2-3.2:2-4). That is a key to how to live: by faith. The prophet’s message was, in summary, that whatever evils might strike, the person of faith will emerge victorious. St John in one of his Letters writes that this is the victory over the world, our faith. It is often said that the evils of the world are the obstacle to belief in God. But the scriptures tell us that belief in God gives us the victory over the world. This faith in God

involves faith in One who is almighty, and so to believe in God is to believe also in his power. It is so often this which we do not believe. We do not really believe that God is all-powerful. We tend to think, without admitting it, that God is just one powerful reality among many, and that, therefore, there is a limit to his power, which is to say, a limit to the degree to which we can depend on him alone. Ultimately we tend not to be very different from those who believed in many gods, none of whom were all-powerful. There is also this. A real reliance on God’s power is crucial to the spiritual and apostolic life, for notice what St Paul says in the second reading: “So you are never to be ashamed of witnessing to the Lord, but with me bear the hardships for the sake of the Gospel, relying on the power of God” (2 Timothy 1:6-8.13-14). Relying on the power of God, having faith in God who is all-powerful, enables us to bear the hardships involved in living the Christian life and bearing witness to the Lord. We are all called to be holy, to be saints, full of love in the sight of God. It is our faith that is the foundation of this programme. It gives us the victory. All this enables us to appreciate the request of the apostles in the Gospel (Luke 17:5-10). “Increase our faith,” they said to our Lord.

Our Lord immediately takes advantage of the request of his disciples to stress the power of faith: it can move mountains, the real mountains which are unbelief and sin. Our Lord puts his point in figurative language: “Were your faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” Can we imagine uprooting a tree by a word and having it plant itself in the sea, of all places? Of course our Lord was making his point with colourful and figurative hyperbole. He was saying that if we have a strong faith in almighty God, God’s will, which might seem impossible, will be seen to be very possible. And what is the will of God? This is the will of God, St Paul says in one of his Letters, your sanctification. That is the real mountain. That is the miracle God wants to work, and every day he himself is at that work by his grace, but he asks our cooperation. Fundamental to our cooperation is having a true faith in him. We must believe in him as we set out each day to do his will, which is to act in mind, in heart, in word and in deed in such a way as to please him. On one occasion our Lord was asked to work a miracle. He responded, “unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe!” And the person replied, “Lord, I do believe, but help my unbelief!” Our Lord wants us to believe on the authority of his word as it comes to us in the teaching, the preaching and the ministry of his Church. St John tells us at the end of his Gospel how Thomas, when he saw the risen Christ and felt his wounds, said, My Lord and My God! Our Lord replied, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” We will, then, be blessed if we believe even if we have not seen the miracles and supportive evidence of our Lord’s power. And the supreme blessing will be our sanctification.

Each one of us has been called to be holy and full of love in God’s sight. This is our work in life, but above all it is God’s work, the work of his love and his power. In this work and power of God we must have faith. Our faith will lead us to the Sacraments, to Mass, to prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, to frequent Confession, to a constantly docile and receptive attitude to the Church’s teaching and guidance, to trust in God when it becomes difficult to keep his commandments. Our faith gives us the victory. “Lord I do believe. Help my unbelief!” Let us then pray for a deep faith and for grace to live by it.

(E.J.Tyler)

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You should pray at all times, always.

—You should feel the need to go to God after every success and after every failure in your interior life.
(The Forge, no.262)

Monday of the twenty-seventh week in Ordinary Time C/II

(October 4) St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226)
Francis of Assisi was a poor little man who astounded and inspired the Church by taking the gospel literally — not in a narrow fundamentalist sense, but by actually following all that Jesus said and did, joyfully, without limit and without a mite of self-importance. Serious illness brought the young Francis to see the emptiness of his frolicking life as leader of Assisi's youth.

Prayer — lengthy and difficult — led him to a self-emptying like that of Christ, climaxed by embracing a leper he met on the road. It symbolized his complete obedience to what he had heard in prayer: "Francis! Everything you have loved and desired in the flesh it is your duty to despise and hate, if you wish to know my will. And when you have begun this, all that now seems sweet and lovely to you will become intolerable and bitter, but all that you used to avoid will turn itself to great sweetness and exceeding joy." From the cross in the neglected field-chapel of San Damiano, Christ told him, "Francis, go out and build up my house, for it is nearly falling down." Francis became the totally poor and humble workman. He must have suspected a deeper meaning to "build up my house." But he would have been content to be for the rest of his life the poor "nothing" man actually putting brick on brick in abandoned chapels. He gave up every material thing he had, piling even his clothes before his earthly father (who was demanding restitution for Francis' "gifts" to the poor) so that he would be totally free to say, "Our Father in heaven." He was, for a time, considered to be a religious "nut," begging from door to door when he could not get money for his work, bringing sadness or disgust to the hearts of his former friends, ridicule from the unthinking. But genuineness will tell. A few people began to realize that this man was actually trying to be Christian. He really believed what Jesus said: "Announce the kingdom! Possess no gold or silver or copper in your purses, no travelling bag, no sandals, no staff" (see Luke 9:1-3). Francis' first rule for his followers was a collection of texts from the Gospels. He had no idea of founding an order, but once it began he protected it and accepted all the legal structures needed to support it. His devotion and loyalty to the Church were absolute and highly exemplary at a time when various movements of reform tended to break the Church's unity. He was torn between a life devoted entirely to prayer and a life of active preaching of the Good News. He decided in favour of the latter, but always returned to solitude when he could. He wanted to be a missionary in Syria or in Africa, but was prevented by shipwreck and illness in both cases. He did try to convert the sultan of Egypt during the Fifth Crusade. During the last years of his relatively short life (he died at 44) he was half blind and seriously ill. Two years before his death, he received the stigmata, the real and painful wounds of Christ in his hands, feet and side. On his deathbed, he said over and over again the last addition to his Canticle of the Sun, "Be praised, O Lord, for our Sister Death." He sang Psalm 141, and at the end asked his superior to have his clothes removed when the last hour came and for permission to expire lying naked on the earth, in imitation of his Lord.
"We adore you and we bless you, Lord Jesus Christ, here and in all the churches which are in the whole world, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world" (St. Francis). (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Galatians 1: 13-24; Psalm 138; Luke 10:25-37

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” He said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.” He replied to him,

“You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?” Jesus replied, “A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveller who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’ Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbour to the robbers’ victim?” He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:25-37)

Charity One of the most interesting aspects of nineteenth-century British culture was its religious thought. Another was its anti-religious thought, which is to say its growing agnosticism and practical atheism. Still another was the concern for the working class. An example of one who combined anti-religious thought with concern for the working class was Friedrich Engels (1820 – 1895). Engels was a German social scientist, author, political theorist, philosopher, and father of communist theory,

alongside Karl Marx. In 1842, the 22-year-old Engels was sent to Manchester in Britain to work for the textile firm of Ermen and Engels in which his father was a shareholder. During his time in Manchester, Engels took notes of the horrors he observed there, notably child labour, the despoiled environment, and overworked and impoverished labourers. Two years after arriving he published his first, and perhaps most famous book, The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844, considered by many to be a classic account of the condition of the industrial working class. Originally written in German as Die Lage der arbeitenden Klasse in England, it was a landmark book by the man who went on to collaborate deeply with Karl Marx. Together they issued the Communist Manifesto in 1848, among other things dismissing religion as a mere opiate of the people. Of course, their concern for those in need — for the man half-dead on the road to Jericho — had in it the seeds of the Leninist, Stalinist and Maoist horrors of the 20th century. But the point is that Engels exemplifies a concern for those in need that had no concern for God. On the other hand, there was the man of religion who exhibited little or no concern for those in need. The reader of the Gospels gets the impression that this was one of the severe criticisms Jesus Christ levelled at many of the religious leaders of his day. In our Gospel today, in response to a question by an expert in the Law, our Lord tells his parable of the Good Samaritan. In the story, the priest and the Levite pass by the man who was half-dead on the road, while the heretical foreigner takes pity on him and nurses him to health.

To a greater or lesser extent, there are two opposite dangers in respect to those in need. On the one hand, there is the danger of being filled with concern for the poor and downtrodden, while being unconcerned for God — and even rejecting God. There are very many examples in history of this, leading ultimately to further misery. Marx and Engels offer a classic case. On the other hand, there is the danger of assiduously practising a religion that lacks concern for those in need and difficulty. This is not the religion that is pleasing to God. The prophets thundered against a religion of sacrifices and oblations, coupled with injustice and lack of compassion for the poor. Our Lord’s famous parable today features the iconic example of one who was a better man in God’s sight, and who fulfilled God’s will and Law in a much better fashion, than certain religious leaders. The Good Samaritan is the man who assists the poor and needy, and who has the praise of Christ. Incidentally, the Good Samaritan of our Lord’s story certainly was not an atheist. He was, at most, a holder of heretical opinions. Samaritans looked to Abraham and to the patriarchs, and expected, as we see in the words of the Samaritan woman to Christ, the coming of the Messiah. Christ regarded them kindly; he spoke to them respectfully — as we see in his dialogue with the Samaritan woman. He gained converts from them during his public ministry, for we read that following his success with the Samaritan woman, many of them came to believe that he was the Saviour of the world. In our Gospel passage today, he holds up a Samaritan for imitation by the religious leaders of the Jews: “Go and do likewise,” he said to the Jewish expert in God’s Law (Luke 10:25-37). Christ may have seen in some Samaritans very estimable qualities. On one occasion he healed ten lepers and it was a Samaritan who returned to him to render him profuse thanks. The others did not. In our story, it is the overflowing compassion of the Samaritan which exemplifies the Law of God that we are to love our neighbour as ourself.

One of the greatest, though hidden, English Catholics of the eighteenth century was Richard Challoner, Vicar Apostolic of the London District. During his ninetieth year (1781) he suffered a stroke. His last word was “Charity.” He wanted some money in his pocket to be given to the poor. Let us work on this, practical charity to those in need. In serving them, we serve Christ himself. So fundamental is this prescription that in our Lord’s description of the General Judgment, our treatment of those in need, especially the least, will be decisive in our eternal prospects. I was hungry, the judge will answer, and you gave me to eat. Lord, when did we see you hungry? The Judge will answer, I tell you, whatever you did to the least of these brothers of mine, you did to me.

(E.J.Tyler)

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Second reflection: (Galatians 1: 6-12)

Fidelity to the Gospel The notable feature of the Christian religion is that it claims to be a divine revelation. We accept its truth and base our lives on it because it comes from God. The Church teaches this, and has the authority from Christ to interpret what God has revealed. All this St Paul makes clear by implication in the first chapter of his letter to the Galatians (1: 6-12). What he, Paul, taught, came from Christ, and he, Paul, is the authentic interpreter of what Christ revealed to him. But there is another thing that is clear from what St Paul says in this same chapter. It is that there is a proneness among many who have received the message of the Gospel to turn away from it and follow a different version of it. St Paul was astonished at the promptness with which some of the Galatians did this. And we find this repeated constantly in the history of the Church.

Let us resolve to treasure what the Church teaches and the authority with which she teaches it, bearing witness before others to this resolve never to turn away to another version of the Good News.

(E.J.Tyler)

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May your prayer always be a real and sincere act of adoration of God.
(The Forge, no.263)

Tuesday of the twenty-seventh week in Ordinary Time C/II

(October 5) St. Maria Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938)
Mary Faustina's name is forever linked to the annual feast of the Divine Mercy (celebrated on the Second Sunday of Easter), the divine mercy chaplet and the divine mercy prayer recited each day by many people at 3 p.m. Born in what is now west-central Poland (part of Germany before World War I), Helena was the third of 10 children. She worked as a housekeeper

in three cities before joining the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in 1925. She worked as a cook, gardener and porter in three of their houses. In addition to carrying out her work faithfully, generously serving the needs of the sisters and the local people, she also had a deep interior life. This included receiving revelations from the Lord Jesus, messages that she recorded in her diary at the request of Christ and of her confessors. At a time when some Catholics had an image of God as such a strict judge that they might be tempted to despair about the possibility of being forgiven, Jesus chose to emphasize his mercy and forgiveness for sins acknowledged and confessed. “I do not want to punish aching mankind,” he once told St. Maria Faustina, “but I desire to heal it, pressing it to my merciful heart” (Diary 1588). The two rays emanating from Christ's heart, she said, represent the blood and water poured out after Jesus' death (Gospel of John 19:34) Because Sister Maria Faustina knew that the revelations she had already received did not constitute holiness itself, she wrote in her diary: “Neither graces, nor revelations, nor raptures, nor gifts granted to a soul make it perfect, but rather the intimate union of the soul with God. These gifts are merely ornaments of the soul, but constitute neither its essence nor its perfection. My sanctity and perfection consist in the close union of my will with the will of God” (Diary 1107). Sister Maria Faustina died of tuberculosis in Krakow, Poland, on October 5, 1938. Pope John Paul II beatified her in 1993 and canonized her seven years later.

Four years after Faustina's beatification, Pope John Paul II visited the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy at Lagiewniki (near Krakow) and addressed members of her congregation. He said: “The message of divine mercy has always been very close and precious to me. It is as though history has written it in the tragic experience of World War II. In those difficult years, this message was a particular support and an inexhaustible source of hope, not only for those living in Krakow, but for the entire nation. This was also my personal experience, which I carried with me to the See of Peter and which, in a certain sense, forms the image of this pontificate. I thank divine providence because I was able to contribute personally to carrying out Christ's will, by instituting the feast of Divine Mercy. Here, close to the remains of Blessed Faustina, I thank God for the gift of her beatification. I pray unceasingly that God may have 'mercy on us and on the whole world' (Quote from the Chaplet of Divine Mercy).” (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Galatians 1: 13-24; Psalm 138; Luke 10:38-42

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me! Martha, Martha, the Lord answered, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:38-42)

One thing necessary I was recently listening to a parish teacher of religion in a local state primary school — she has a class of children once a week — and she made an interesting remark. She said that if the children of a class are always very good, the class is boring for her. She relished some difficulty, as that difficulty forced her to strive to give her best to the work. Consider the most interesting biographies or novels. Generally they portray some grand and difficult undertaking, calling for the best

efforts in the protagonists who are involved in the drama. It could be some family saga, struggling against difficulties in the generations of the family, and finally overcoming or being overcome. One of the National Days of Australia is Anzac Day, commemorating all those fallen in war. Anzac Day was originally the commemoration of a military defeat, when the Australians attacked and were defeated by the defending Turks at Gallipoli. It was the drama and heroism of struggle that was celebrated — and the Day now celebrates all who give their lives in defence of their country at war. Great movies have been made of outstanding singers such as Enrico Caruso (1873-1921), brilliant musical composers such as Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin (1810–1849), and numerous others from various walks of life. What makes their lives enthralling is the struggle to reach the heights of achievement. Now, what this intimates is that it is work and struggle that gives to life its grandeur, its heroism and its satisfaction. A life of ease will not bring happiness and fulfilment — this we sense even naturally, without any recourse to Revelation. Granted this, the great question is, however, what am I to dedicate my best energies to? There is the story of the fast moving passenger vehicle, and the passengers heard an announcement by the driver which said that they were making extremely good time, but that he had no idea where he was going. They were scarcely reassured. Life is too short to be frittered away. On all hands it is agreed that life ought be filled with dedication, but the question is, dedication to what?

Our Gospel passage today (Luke 10:38-42) gives us the gentle scene of Christ being received into the home of Martha and Mary, the sisters of the Lazarus whom our Lord would raise from the dead not long before his own death and resurrection. There he sits, and Mary is at his feet listening with wrapt attention to his words. Imagine being in that situation! Imagine gazing on the face of Jesus Christ, Lord, God and Redeemer of the world, fount of all knowledge and wisdom, image of the Father! He speaks with unutterable simplicity and wisdom, filling the soul of Mary with light and love. Her sister Martha, so much in love for Jesus Christ, filled with faith in his person and prerogatives (as we read on the occasion of the raising of her brother Lazarus), is attending to the business of hospitality for her beloved Master. Martha would in due course be celebrated every year as a saint of the Church. But she is irritated at the sight of her sister who is oblivious of what needs to be done — and perhaps there were some of the Twelve around to be prepared for too. So she boldly comes to our Lord and asks him to get her sister moving. Ah! That is not what our Lord himself wishes at that point. Indeed, he makes a memorable point that was duly noted by the assiduous Luke, a point to be borne in mind by all of Christ’s busy disciples. All must guard their hearts and direct them to the one thing necessary. The one thing necessary is to do God’s will. Elsewhere our Lord had summarized that command — it was to love God with all one’s heart, and one’s neighbour as oneself. The one thing necessary is to keep the gaze of the heart on Jesus Christ, to hear his word with attention, and to put it into practice. It is simply said, but enormous in difficulty. Personal sanctity is the greatest of all human undertakings. The pursuit of holiness is the one thing necessary, and there is but limited time to attain it. The goal ought be to attain it that very day — because we cannot count on tomorrow. Everything we do ought be what God wants us to do, and done with as much love for God as our heart can attain. That is the work of today, and tomorrow and each day. It is the one thing necessary, and it is a mighty work.

The drama of life is the drama of attaining to the goodness God plans for us. We can be good or bad. The former requires that we enter by the narrow door, the latter is the broad way that lead to destruction. Life and death are the ominous alternatives, and we must just seek the one thing necessary. Let us stop, truly stop, and ponder what we wish it to be. We must ponder the goal of life, and not just keep speeding ahead, without considering the one thing necessary. The one thing necessary is that we love, serve and obey God in Jesus Christ, and extricate our hearts from all that takes us away from him. This is attained in the ordinary duties of every day.

(E.J.Tyler)

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Second reflection (Luke 10: 38-42)

The one thing necessary What a beautiful scene we have described to us in Luke 10: 38-42! Our Lord, our God and Creator,

is welcomed into the house of Martha and Mary. There he sits talking with them, he their God and they his creatures! He talks to them as friends. We have Martha even complaining to him about the way he tolerates the inaction of her sister. It is a manifestation of the Incarnation, of God becoming flesh and making his dwelling among men. It shows forth the wonderful accessibility and approachability of God our Creator. God is revealed as One we can approach very simply and with confidence, One who honours us by wanting our friendship. Indeed, our Lord makes it clear in this scene that this is the one thing necessary — that we approach him and sit at his feet listening as did Mary to his word. Martha was worrying and fretting "about so many things, yet few are needed, indeed only one." She was allowing her service of the Lord to distract her heart from the one thing necessary.

Let us relish the presence and the friendship of God in all that we do for him. In all our service of him, let us make him the object of our heart's desire.
(E.J.Tyler)

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When the Lord brought you into the Church he put an indelible mark upon your soul through Baptism: you are a son of God. — Don’t forget it.
(The Forge, no.264)

Wednesday of the twenty-seventh week in Ordinary Time C/II

(October 6) St. Bruno (1030?-1101)
This saint has the honour of having founded a religious order which, as the saying goes, has never had to be reformed because it was never deformed. No doubt both the founder and the members would reject such high praise, but it is an indication of the saint's intense love of a penitential life in solitude. He was born in Cologne, Germany, became a famous teacher at Rheims and was appointed chancellor of the archdiocese at the age of 45. He supported Pope Gregory VII (May 25) in his fight against the decadence of the clergy and took part in the removal of his own scandalous archbishop, Manasses. Bruno suffered the plundering of his house for his pains. He had a dream of living in solitude and prayer, and persuaded a few friends to join him in a hermitage. After a while he felt the place unsuitable and, through a friend, was given some land which was to become famous for his foundation "in the Chartreuse" (from which comes the word Carthusians). The climate, desert, mountainous terrain and inaccessibility guaranteed silence, poverty and small numbers. Bruno and his friends built an oratory with small individual cells at a distance from each other. They met for Matins and Vespers each day, and spent the rest of the time in solitude, eating together only on great feasts. Their chief work was copying manuscripts. The pope, hearing of Bruno's holiness, called for his assistance in Rome. When the pope had to flee Rome, Bruno pulled up stakes again, and spent his last years (after refusing a bishopric) in the wilderness of Calabria. He was never formally canonized, because the Carthusians were averse to all occasions of publicity. Pope Clement extended his feast to the whole Church in 1674.

“Members of those communities which are totally dedicated to contemplation give themselves to God alone in solitude and silence and through constant prayer and ready penance. No matter how urgent may be the needs of the active apostolate, such communities will always have a distinguished part to play in Christ's Mystical Body...” (Decree on the Renewal of Religious Life, 7) (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Galatians 2: 1-2. 7-14; Psalm 116; Luke 11:1-4

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples. He said to them, When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.' (Luke 11: 1-4)

Lord’s Prayer Every saint is extraordinary, not for any extraordinary things he may do, but for the extraordinarily holy way he does the normally ordinary things. That said, one of the extraordinary saints of the nineteenth century was a parish priest in the backwater village

of Ars, in France. Jean-MarieVianney, known popularly as the Cure of Ars, had a striking range of charisms as a parish priest. He could read the hearts of souls and convert sinners. His spiritual power in the Confessional was very great, but one notable feature was the way he said Mass. He was filled with prayer and with God during his celebration of Mass. It was manifest to observers that he was in communication with God during prayer. Now, however striking the spiritual life and the prayer of a particular saint, that saint merely reflects to a point the spiritual life of Jesus Christ. He but shares in the Spirit of Jesus, and Jesus Christ far outstrips him because he, Jesus, is the Son of God. To behold the Cure of Ars at prayer and celebrating Mass was a most moving experience, but what must it have been to see Jesus Christ at prayer with his heavenly Father! Imagine Christ communing in prayer with his heavenly Father — Father and Son in converse with one another. This is what our Lord’s disciples observed. They lived with him, travelled with him, heard him, spoke with him, dined with him, and in general observed him more closely than anyone else had, with the exception of his own most holy mother and his foster-father, at Nazareth. The Twelve came to know Jesus Christ as few others ever could — this was their privilege and their responsibility. How great the responsibility of Judas in falling away from the personal friendship of Christ — not only a responsibility for his own salvation, but a responsibility for the vocation as an Apostle that was granted to him! The disciples also observed Christ at prayer. In our Gospel passage today (Luke 11: 1-4) we read that “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” There was no master of prayer who could match Jesus Christ.

Yes, Christ is the peerless master of prayer. But notice how simple, brief, and seemingly ordinary the prayer is that he taught his disciples to say. In Luke’s version of it, briefer than Matthew’s, it lasts a mere two lines. It is strikingly simple and brief. There are many much longer prayers in the Scriptures — the average psalm would be longer, and Christ’s prayer at the Last Supper is much longer. It clearly shows that our Lord’s own prayer was simple, and that he wishes our prayer to be simple too. In fact, so brief and simple is it that it easily leads to prayer that is wordless. The Lord’s Prayer suggests that the principal component of prayer is not many words, but the intent that informs them. The words ought be heartfelt, expressing the heart’s sigh and yearning, borne along by the Spirit of Jesus Christ who prays from within us. If this is the prayer that our Redeemer taught us to use in our converse with God our Father, then the elements that make it up are calculated to encompass all our needs. How simple the prayer! “Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation” (Luke 11: 1-4). The first thing we pray for, reflecting the earnest desire of our Lord himself, is that God will be honoured and glorified. Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. This will happen the more Jesus Christ is accepted as Lord of lords and King of kings. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, he told his disciples. That authority is being wielded in order to bring all things to the feet of God our Father, and at the end, God will be all in all. For this we pray, at the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer. The kingdom of God advances the more mankind enters into the friendship of Jesus Christ, and lives according to the demands of that most holy friendship. We pray for all our needs. Our greatest need is for Jesus Christ, and so our true bread is the Holy Eucharist, the bread of heaven and the bread of life, his body and blood. We pray for forgiveness and the grace to forgive all those who have injured us. Finally we pray to be kept from sin.

Let us love the Lord’s Prayer, and never let it become a prayer of rote or routine. We could not do better than die with this prayer on our lips, together with the Hail Mary, and the Glory be to the Father prayer. The Lord’s Prayer was, I think, the last prayer on the lips of Pope Paul VI, whose Cause for Canonization is proceeding. Jesus Christ is our model of prayer and he is our master who teaches us how to pray. Furthermore, and most importantly, he gives us the gift of his Holy Spirit, who enables us to pray and to share in the prayer of Jesus Christ. Pray, then!
(E.J.Tyler)

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Second reflection: (Luke 11: 1-4)

Lord, teach us to pray

It ought be fairly obvious that it is extremely difficult to be saved if one does not pray, and impossible if one refuses to pray. The purpose of life is to know, love and serve God here on earth, and how could we do this if we do not pray? Moreover, if we are to advance in the knowledge and love of God, we must advance in our life of prayer. But there is a more fundamental consideration. The love of God, and the life of prayer which is its precondition, is the gift of God, the fruit of his grace. It is a blessing, a favour to be asked for. And so we can understand the request of the disciples to our Lord that he teach them to pray: "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." He had been praying! Imagine how they would have gazed on the Lord at prayer, how they would have marvelled at what they saw, how they would have loved to share in his life of prayer.

All the Lord's disciples are called by their vocation to be part of his life of prayer. We are called to live in union with him in his life of prayer, and to pray with him to the Father. This is a great grace to be continually sought and requested: Lord teach me, teach us, to pray. The Lord's Prayer is Christ's answer to this request. So all our lives we ought be learning from the Lord's Prayer, and especially from that part in it which begs forgiveness and which promises to forgive others.
(E.J.Tyler)

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Give thanks often to Jesus, for through him, with him and in him you are able to call yourself a son of God.
(The Forge, no.265)

Thursday of the twenty-seventh week in Ordinary Time C/II

(October 7) Our Lady of the Rosary

Pope St. Pius V established this feast in 1573. The purpose was to thank God for the victory of Christians over the Turks at Lepanto — a victory attributed to the praying of the rosary. Clement XI extended the feast to the universal Church in 1716. The development of the rosary has a long history. First, a practice developed of praying 150 Our Fathers in imitation of the 150 Psalms. Then there was a parallel practice of praying 150 Hail Marys. Soon a mystery of Jesus' life was attached to each Hail Mary. Though Mary's giving the rosary to St. Dominic is recognized as a legend, the development of this prayer form owes much to the followers of St. Dominic. One of them, Alan de la Roche, was known as "the apostle of the rosary." He founded the first Confraternity of the Rosary in the 15th century. In the 16th century the rosary was developed to its present form — with the 15 mysteries (joyful, luminous and glorious). In 2002, Pope John Paul II added the five Mysteries of Light to this devotion.
“The rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at a heart a Christ-centred prayer. It has all the depth of the gospel message in its entirety. It is an echo of the prayer of Mary, her perennial Magnificat for the work of the redemptive Incarnation which began in her virginal womb...It can be said that the rosary is, in some sense, a prayer-commentary on the final chapter of the Vatican II Constitution Lumen Gentium, a chapter that discusses the wondrous presence of the Mother of God in the mystery of Christ and the Church" (Pope John Paul II, apostolic letter The Rosary of the Virgin Mary). (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Galatians 3: 1-5; (Psalm) Luke 1; Luke 11:5-13

Then Jesus said to them, Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.' Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs. So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (Luke 11: 5-13)

Petition I remember in the year 1968 attending a lunchtime lecture at the University of Sydney given by a priest who taught in the Department of Philosophy there. His lecture was on prayer, and he gave the example of a person or group praying for rain.

Soon after, rain poured down — he said that it was reasonable to suppose that the rain was an answer to prayer. That is to say, without the prayer, it would not have rained in that way and at that point. There were many students attending the lecture, and two of the professors of Philosophy also. The professors did not find the example of prayer for rain convincing. Their answer was that the arrival of the rain at that point was a mere coincidence. It was due to other factors and would have happened even if there had been no prayer of petition. The secular mind, of course, has little belief in the power of prayer. Even for the religious person, however, it can be difficult to believe that in a world governed by mighty physical and moral laws, the Creator will readily intervene to alter the course of things in response to prayer. This difficulty can increase when there seems to be no difference emerging from prayers of petition. A person who has had a stroke and is left speechless, remains speechless despite long and persistent prayer by relatives for his healing. The faith of the praying relatives remains undimmed, but what is to be said of prayer of petition in the face of this? Cardinal Newman, beatified in September 2010, had something to say about this late in his life. In his address to the Catholic Union of Great Britain on May 12, 1880, he observed, “The Creator acts by a ... system of laws. ... Sometimes, indeed, he directly contradicts His own laws, as in raising the dead; but such (are) rare acts... for the most part his miracles are rather what may be called exaggerations, or carrying out to an extreme point, of the laws of Nature, than simple contrarieties to them..” He suggested, therefore, that generally we “take likely objects of prayer, not unlikely objects.” We must have great faith, while bearing in mind the will and plan of God.

A second point is this. Our Lord’s example of the man at the door of his friend asking for three loaves of bread is of one with a temporal, material need being addressed. But the essential thing is that we present before God our needs. That is to say, they ought be true needs. When the children of Israel were making their way through the wilderness on route to the promised land, they were sustained by God with what they needed. But they still complained. In other words, they were demanding from God more than they needed, and were bitter when those requests were not granted. What do we really need? There are many things we have which we do not really need at all, especially when in the face of tremendous needs of people elsewhere in the world. But what is our greatest need? What does God himself want so much for us? When all is said and done, when this brief life is over (perhaps very suddenly), what will we see to have been our greatest need? Our greatest and most pressing need is our own sanctification. Our greatest need is that we resist and overcome temptation to do evil no matter how slight, and that we always choose what is good. This is the mightiest work in life, and the stakes are high. At any point we could be gone, gone forever, with all opportunities to be better and holier than we are, then at an end. That is the pressing need for which God has himself taken astounding steps in sending his own beloved Son to die on the Cross that we might be redeemed and sanctified. This is the will of God, St Paul writes, your sanctification. This is surely confirmed in our passage today in which our Lord, having urged us to pray for what we need, and to pray for it persistently and with confidence, reminds us that “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11: 5-13). We need to do God’s will in the innumerable little duties of every day. We ought not be aiming day in and day out for the pie in the sky, but for the loving fulfilment of the duties of the day. These are the pennies which if collected, will make us truly rich in God’s sight.

For this we need the help of the mighty Spirit of Christ and the Father. We need him to sustain and guide our efforts — not to replace them, but to sanctify, guide and strengthen them. If we resolutely keep our hearts directed towards the one thing necessary, appealing to God for the grace of the Holy Spirit to attain that one necessary thing, then we may, despite its difficulty, attain it. How could God refuse us his love and his grace? The great colloquy of St Ignatius of Loyola in his Spiritual Exercises stresses this. Take all, he has us say, but give me your love and your grace. This is what we need, and it is what God so wishes to give us. Ah! Give me your love and your grace, Lord!

(E.J.Tyler)

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Second reflection:

Hail Mary! Consider the honour and respect with which the angel Gabriel addressed the humble and obscure virgin Mary. She was full of grace, he said. Hail, you who are full of God's favour! Every time we pray the 'Hail Mary' we unite ourselves with all of heaven in this salutation to Mary the mother of God. Hail Mary! We repeat this constantly during our recitation of the Rosary, and on the feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary we think of her as she is addressed by the Church's members when praying the Rosary. It is obvious how highly the Church regards the Rosary, when we think of its history and the signal success that has accompanied its usage. We think of how heavily indulgenced is the recitation of the Rosary, and of how frequently and authoritatively the popes have urged this prayer on Christ’s faithful. We could also think of how our own praying of the Rosary has been blessed by special blessings and graces.

The Rosary! Let us resolve to honour Mary by frequently and devoutly praying this great prayer.

(E.J.Tyler)

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If we feel we are beloved sons of our Heavenly Father, as indeed we are!, how can we fail to be happy all the time? — Think about it.
(The Forge, no.266)

Friday of the twenty-seventh week in Ordinary Time C/II

(October 8) St. John Leonardi (1541?-1609)
"I am only one person! Why should I do anything? What good would it do?" Today, as in any age, people seem plagued with the dilemma of getting involved. In his own way John Leonardi answered these questions. He chose to become a priest. After his ordination, he became very active in the works of the ministry, especially in hospitals and prisons. The example and dedication of his work attracted several young laymen who began to assist him. They later became priests themselves. John lived after the Protestant Reformation and the Council of Trent. He and his followers projected a new congregation of diocesan priests. For some reason the plan, which was ultimately approved, provoked great political opposition. John was exiled from his home town of Lucca, Italy, for almost the entire remainder of his life. He received encouragement and help from St. Philip Neri [whose feast is May 26], who gave him his lodgings—along with the care of his cat! In 1579, John formed the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, and published a compendium of Christian doctrine that remained in use until the 19th century. Father Leonardi and his priests became a great power for good in Italy, and their congregation was confirmed by Pope Clement in 1595. He died at the age of 68 from a disease caught when tending those stricken by the plague. By the deliberate policy of the founder, the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God have never had more than 15 churches and today form only a very small congregation. (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Galatians 3: 7-14; Psalm 110; Luke 11:15-26

Some people said of Jesus, It is by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that he is driving out demons. Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven. Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a

house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebub. Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armour in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils. He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters. When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. (Luke 11: 15-26)

The one Light There have been countless students of Aristotle, dubbed by very many — including Aquinas — as the Philosopher. His writings range from physical science to metaphysics, and some of them are abstruse indeed. Aquinas, who writes simply, produced much that is not easily understood. Certain of his fundamental points have taken a considerable time for scholars to appreciate, such as his idea of the act of existing.

Any number of philosophers and theologians have written abstrusely — and in many cases convolutedly — on subjects religious. If we set this phenomenon against the writings of the prophets, and in particular the Gospel accounts of the teachings of Jesus Christ, we see a striking difference. Christ speaks simply and on broad, fundamental points. He announces astonishing mysteries in simple language. I and the Father are one, he tells his enemies. No-one can come to the Father except through me, he tells his disciples. The Father is in me and I am in the Father, he states elsewhere. He speaks of man blaspheming the Holy Spirit, and of the Spirit of Truth being our Advocate. So God is a trinity of persons. My flesh is real food and my blood is real drink, he told the assembled people at Capernaum. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I in him, he continued. The language of Jesus Christ is concrete, with a special predilection for analogy rather than abstraction. In this, he is squarely in the tradition of the Hebrew prophets and not at all in that of, say, the Greek philosophers. However, he transcends them all in the content of his straightforward teaching of the ineffable mysteries of God and our salvation. He is the Light of the world, and the world’s Redeemer. Connected with this is the range of very basic issues that feature in his teaching. For instance, it is notable how often he stresses the judgment of God, and how we must always be ready for it. We live a hair’s breadth from our judgment. Very common too is his teaching on Heaven and Hell. Granted his Revelation, Christ stresses its large and obvious features.

One instance of this pattern is our Gospel passage today (Luke 11: 15-26), arising from the despicable attempt to smear Christ with the taint of collaboration with the demonic. He was driving out demons, yes, but this was just a demonic strategy — so they said. He was in cahoots with Satan. The two were hand in glove, with Satan himself arranging to dislodge his underlings from their nests so as to enhance the prestige of Jesus. With this prestige, he could then lead the people astray from their proper guides, the religious leaders of the day. In answer to this gratuitous and malicious accusation, our Lord immediately showed the absurdity of such a tactic. Would any king wishing to advance his hegemony, collaborate in destroying his own strongholds? Now, in refuting his enemies, our Lord makes points about the demonic world which are revealing. Firstly, there is the broad point conceded and used by his enemies, that there is a demonic world that is very personal and very inimical to man’s interests. There is Satan, and there are demons. We forget this in our day, and characteristically we do not believe it. That is not to say that there are not those who believe in the demonic — there is plenty of dabbling with the occult. But the ordinary man in the street tends to think that this visible world is all that there is. The forces of evil that bear on him are grounded in this world. Christ teaches modern man the simple and immensely important point that the unseen Satan is out to get him. The Devil wants to devour him like a roaring lion, seeking its prey. At the Last Supper, he referred to Satan as the Prince of this world, and said that at that point he was “on his way.” Here in our Gospel today, Christ refers to the demonic as a kingdom, and that Satan is the king of this black realm. He is the head of a dark household. Man is, then, up against a kingdom and if he is not part of the Kingdom of God, his prospects cannot be very promising. Further, Christ warns that though he may expel a demon from where he has been, one must be vigilant because the demon can return, and with colleagues. That is to say, one can fall away into a terrible predicament, if Christ is gradually abandoned.

Let us ponder long and prayerfully on the broad and simple revelation granted to us by Christ. This revelation has been the basis of millions upon millions of human lives, and has inspired profound and soaring thought and writing. Its teaching, simple in its Gospel expression yet ineffable in its mysteries, brings before us the fundamental realities for which we have been created. Among them is the grand choice. There are two lords, and two kingdoms. There is the Lord of all lords, Jesus Christ, and the Kingdom of which he is king. There is also the Prince of this world, who heads a murderous, hate-filled and aggressive host. What is it to be, then? Ah! Jesus, my Lord and my God! Him forever!
(E.J.Tyler)

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Second reflection: (Luke 11: 15-26)

Jesus is the stronger one The first thing we tend to think about God is that he is powerful. Indeed this is the first thing professed by the Creed about the one God — that he is not only powerful, but all-powerful.

We believe in one God, the Father almighty. This is a source of immense consolation, and it surpasses the religious sense and belief of many of the religions of man. Man turns to the divine in order to have access to a higher power. In his ministry, our Lord revealed his divine power in so many ways. He showed that there was nothing that he could not do for the one who asked him, except for those things that depended simply on the free will of the one asking. Our Lord is the strong one, strong over the forces of nature and strong over the invisible spiritual forces that are the enemies of man. In Luke 11: 15-26 our Lord casts out a devil and compares his strength with that of Satan. Jesus is "someone stronger than he is", who "attacks and defeats him," taking away "all the weapons he relied on," and sharing "out his spoil."

Let us then gather with Jesus and fight with him daily, relying on the strength and power of his grace, never being discouraged. With him we can win the blessing of holiness, and bring that blessing to others.
(E.J.Tyler)

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As he was giving out Holy Communion that priest felt like shouting out: this is Happiness I am giving to you!
(The Forge, no.267)

Saturday of the twenty-seventh week in Ordinary Time C/II

(October 9) St Denis, bishop and martyr, and his martyr companions (3rd century). St Denis was the first Bishop of Paris. He was sent to Gaul (France) by Pope Fabian. He suffered martyrdom with his companions there.

Scripture today: Galatians 3: 22-29; Psalm 104; Luke 11:27-28

As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you. He replied, Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it. (Luke 11: 27-28)

A Humble God It is a fascinating exercise to compare the images of God that drive the various religions and philosophies of man. A great breakthrough occurred in Greek religious thought when, amid the plethora of mythic figures in Greek religion, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle forged their notions of God.

Aristotle, reacting against Plato’s ideas as the ultimate principles of Being, and beginning with Act and Potency as principles in all beings with the exception of the supreme Cause, arrived at describing this First Cause as Pure Act. Aristotle’s theodicy had considerable influence on later Jewish philosophers, and was powerfully employed and taken to new heights by Aquinas. The noted modern philosopher, Alvin Carl Plantinga, regards Aquinas as of greater philosophical power than Aristotle. However, when all is said and done, what are we left with in, say, the Aristotelian image of God? Profoundly insightful as it is, the God of Aristotle’s system is exalted, yet remote. As Newman once said, it is a principle rather than a living person with whom man can relate — and I would say that it is precisely this that was left behind in the wholesome leap from Greek religion to Greek philosophy. The solution to the difficulty is attained in the integration of Judaeo-Christian revelation with the best of philosophy, as in Socrates, Plato and especially Aristotle. Newman, having said that the religion of classical philosophy is focussed more on a principle rather than a person, has divine revelation bringing before man a living, speaking, identifiable Person — or rather, of course, three Persons in the one divine Being. But now — and this is the point — what is our image of the divine Persons thus revealed? A striking feature of the God of Revelation is that he is humble. We are speaking here of the One whom Aquinas identifies as Actus Purus, Pure Act, understood as the Act of Being. He transcends all else absolutely. He reveals himself to be humble, most humble, and asks that his creatures imitate him in his humility. Indeed, he says that if we do not, that if we exalt ourselves, we shall be humbled.

I say all this as an introduction to our Gospel passage today, which offers yet another instance of the humility of God the Son become man. There he stands! Gaze upon him, him who is the pearl of our race! This Man before us, in all his human individuality and therefore limitation, is the Pure Being who sustains all that there is. In him dwells the fulness of the godhead bodily. All that God is, this Man is. He is the Word of the Father, his only-begotten Son, his Image, his Fulness, while being a distinct Person from the Father. His splendour is veiled — while being revealed — by his humanity, and yet something of it cannot but be seen by observers who see and hear him. Thus it is that “as Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you” (Luke 11: 27-28). She was giving utterance to the admiration and love that filled her heart on seeing and hearing him. What a wonder this Man was! It is the worry of every good mother that her children turn out well, and above all, morally good. The good mother grieves if she sees her child deteriorating in his or her moral life, however successful her child may be materially and financially. How blessed then, the woman of our Gospel passage thought, was the mother of this Man before her! Her praise of Mary was in the first instance, praise of her Son. But now, notice how our Lord deflects the praise away, in effect from himself, to a more universal principle which, of course, applied in the first instance to his mother. Do not think of the blessedness of having me for a son, he replies. Think rather of the blessedness of hearing the word of God and putting it into practice. Many things are revealed in this. The words of the woman in the crowd show forth Christ’s own greatness. They praise the greatness of his mother, and Christ’s reply identifies her fundamental grandeur. They set forth the path to be followed by all. But — and this is the point of this reflection — they also show the humility of God, in Christ turning the focus of praise away from himself.

Our Lord invites us to come to him and to learn from him. “Come to me, all you that labour and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). “He who sees me, sees the Father,” our Lord said to his disciples. So Christ reveals the heart of God. God has a heart that is meek and humble. The Father is humble, as is Christ. Their life in communion is the Holy Spirit — so the Holy Spirit is humble. Humility reigns supreme in the heart of the triune God. Let us strive to be humble, then, in the likeness of Jesus Christ!

(E.J.Tyler)

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Second reflection (Galatians 3: 22-29; Luke 11: 27-28)

Christ or sin St Paul sets a stark picture of the entire visible reality.

He says that "Scripture makes no exceptions when it says that sin is master everywhere" — all are under sin (Galatians 3: 22). This is the hidden force behind the world as we see it. It is not the only force, as he will point out, but it is the great factor we must take into account if we are to understand our world and our situation. There is a tyrant at work, and it is sin. It is a force that fights against the Lord and Master who is God. The greater power is Christ, and he is the answer to the world's condition. Through our baptism we are "in Christ" and are "clothed in Christ" and are "belonging to Christ" (Galatians 3: 28-29). Thus we are heirs to all that God has promised and are able to overcome the tyrant which is sin.

Let us make our choice every day for Christ our Master. There is this great choice to be made and to be lived out: either Christ, or sin and all that leads to sin. We choose Christ when we resolve to "hear the word of God and keep it" (Luke 11:28).
(E.J.Tyler)

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Build up a gigantic faith in the Holy Eucharist. — Be filled with wonder before this ineffable reality! We have God with us; we can receive him every day and, if we want to, we can speak intimately with him, just as we talk with a friend, as we talk with a brother, as we talk with a father, as we talk with Love itself.
(The Forge, no.268)

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time C

Prayers this week: If you, O Lord, laid bare our guilt, who could endure it? But you are forgiving, God of Israel. (Ps. 129:3-4)

Lord, our help and guide, make your love the foundation of our lives. May our love for you express itself in our eagerness to do good for others. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.

(October 10) Saint Francis Borgia General of the Jesuits (1510-1572)
Saint Francis Borgia, named for Francis of Assisi at his birth in 1510, was placed under the tutelage of his uncle, Archbishop of Saragossa, after the death of his mother when he was ten years old. Soon he had to go

to the court of Spain, as he was destined to be one of the great lords of that nation. There he remained Christian, modest and virtuous. His noble and beautiful appearance soon brought upon him snares which he succeeded in escaping, setting for himself regimes of prayer and study to escape from the dangers. He wore a hair shirt, and never would enter into any of those games of chance which cause the loss not only of money but of time, the spirit of devotion, and peace of soul. The Empress arranged for him to marry Eleanor de Castro of Portugal, who like himself was very pious. They were blessed with eight children, five sons and three daughters, who continued to practice the virtue of their parents. Having become the Duke of Gandia after his father's death, he became one of the richest and most honoured nobles in Spain. In 1539, there was laid upon him the sad duty of escorting the mortal remains of his once beautiful sovereign, the Empress Isabella, who had died still young, to the royal burial ground at Granada. The coffin had to be opened for him, that he might verify the body before it was placed in the tomb; and so unrecognizable, so astonishing a sight met his eyes that he vowed never again to serve any earthly sovereign, subject to so drastic and terrible a change. It was many years before he could follow the call of his Lord; the emperor named him Captain-General of Catalonia, and sent him to bring to justice a group of bandits

who had ravaged the countryside. The poor found in him strong protection against oppression. Vices were banished by his ordinances; he endowed poor girls and assisted families ruined by misery and reversals; he delivered debtors from prisons by paying what they owed. He was in effect the very Christian Viceroy of the Emperor. Saint Francis was relieved of this duty when he asked the Emperor, after the death of his father, to return and govern his subjects at Gandia. In Gandia he again did much public good; he built monasteries, founded hospitals, helped the poor in every possible way. But suddenly, his wife was taken from him. He was told by God that this loss was for both his and her own advantage, and amid his tears he offered his own life and that of his children, if that would please the Eternal Master. After making a retreat according to the Exercises of Saint Ignatius, under Blessed Peter Favre, he made the vows of a Jesuit privately until he could see to the establishment of his children. When he went to Rome with one of them, it was rumoured he would be made a cardinal like two of his brothers. But he wished to avoid all dignities, and succeeded in doing so by leaving Rome as soon as possible. Saint Ignatius made him his Vicar General for Spain, Portugal, and the East Indies, and there was scarcely a city of Spain and Portugal where he did not establish colleges or houses of the Company of Jesus. At the death of Saint Ignatius two years later, the Order chose him to be its General. Then his journeys became countless; to narrate them all would be an impossibility. The Turks were threatening Christendom, and Pope Saint Pius V commissioned two cardinal-legates to go and assemble the European Christian princes into a league for its defence. The holy Pope chose Francis to accompany one of the Cardinals and, worn out as he was, the Saint obeyed at once. The fatigues of the embassy exhausted what little life was left to him. Saint Francis died in the same year as Saint Pius V, happy to do so in the service of God and the Church, when he returned to Rome in October, 1572.

Scripture today: 2 Kings 5:14-17; Psalm 98:1-4; 2 Timothy 2:8-13; Luke 17:11-19

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he travelled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!" And when he saw them, he said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, "Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give glory to God?" Then he said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you." (Luke 17:11-19)

Thanks and praise Our Lord strongly encourages us to ask, and says that if we do, we shall receive. Somewhere among his many works, St Alphonsus Ligouri writes that the main reason why people do not receive from God much more than they actually get, is that they ask for so little.

He goes on to say that if we do not bother to ask God for the things we really need — such as his spiritual gifts and graces — our salvation is at risk. So we should ask God for what we need, just as a child would and should ask his father for what he needs. In fact, it pleases God when we ask him, with confidence and persistence, for what in his sight we think we need. As a wonderful Father, he loves to hear our prayers and answer them in the way he knows is truly best for us. Consider our passage today, in which our Lord cures the lepers (Luke 17: 11-19). The lepers stood a long way off asking our Lord to have pity on them. It was a prayer of petition to Jesus, heartfelt and full of faith, knowing he could answer their plea. Forthwith, Jesus granted their request and their healing soon followed. It is a typical example of the power of the prayer of petition in the Gospels. But then only one of the ten lepers, and he not of the Jewish faith but a Samaritan, returned praising God and falling at the feet of Jesus to thank him. “This made Jesus say, ‘Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner’...” Our Lord expected a response of thanks and praise from each. This shows that the prayer of thanks for blessings received is pleasing to him, together with praise for all that he is — so good, so loving, so holy. Just as every event and need can be the occasion of humbly asking God for something, so every event and need can be the reason for thanking and praising him. The saints thanked him for their very sufferings, knowing that whatever he allows is for our good. St Paul tells us to “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” We are to give thanks in all circumstances. He says it again elsewhere, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”

Now, all the masters of the spiritual life lay it down that humility is the foundation thereof. It is therefore imperative that we grow in the virtue of humility if we wish to be truly religious, let alone a sincere disciple of Jesus Christ. How are we to become humble, though? An important means is to take concrete steps to grow in the spirit of gratitude, trying — as St Paul enjoins — to be constantly thankful to God for everything. The greatest prayer of thanksgiving is the Mass, at which we join with our Lord in the thanks he offers to the Father on our behalf. The meaning of the word “Eucharist” is precisely “thanksgiving.” As we think of the leper returning to our Lord and falling at his feet to thank him, let us resolve to fill up our life of prayer with thanksgiving to God. There is also the duty and the call to praise him. Praise is the form of prayer which recognises most immediately that God is God. It praises God for his own sake and gives him glory, quite beyond what he has done for us, but simply because he is what he is. He is God, and for this we praise him and give him glory. When the leper returned to fall at the feet of our Lord and thank him, our Lord’s complaint was that he was the only one to come back to give glory to God. Our Lord wanted to see his heavenly Father praised for what the lepers had received. So we ought not only thank God, but praise him. Of course, if we thank God a lot, we are disposing ourselves to praise him, and in praising God we are most united to those in heaven, for that is what they especially do. Heaven is filled with the praise of God, as it is with intercession on our behalf. Praise of God reaches its summit in adoration of him. How, then, can we grow in the ability to praise God? Our ability to praise God will grow in the measure that we are able to praise at all. Just as we could ask ourselves how often we thank others, we could also ask ourselves how often we praise them. If we learn to praise others and make it a habit, we shall grow in the ability to praise God. We ought strive to become people who are very reluctant to criticize others and prone to praise them. A person who praises a lot helps those being praised, and also develops his own capacity to praise God.

Let us often give glory and praise to God in our prayer, while also praising others, and being reluctant to criticise them. At Mass we praise God in union with our Lord. Let us resolve not only to ask God for all we need — and we must do this daily — but also resolve to fill our prayer and our entire life with thanks and praise. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit! As it was in the beginning, is now, and forever shall be!

(E.J.Tyler)

Further Reading: The Catechism of the Catholic Church no. 2637-2643: (Thanks and praise)

A second reflection on the Gospel

Gratitude It is very clear in today’s Gospel passage that it pleases our Lord greatly if we are grateful for his gifts, and if we praise and glorify him as a result. “Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God except this foreigner.”

I remember reading the story of a soldier who, as a result of a battle he was in, had to have one of his legs amputated. He was inconsolable, and was furious with everyone as a result, including God. But then shortly afterwards another soldier came in seated in a wheelchair, and he had lost both legs. But that soldier was happy, joyful to all, and grateful. He was grateful, for his life had been spared, when others had died. That was a tremendous lesson to the soldier who had lost one leg. It is often pointed out that we can look on a half-filled glass in two ways — it can be seen as half-empty, or half-full. The soldier who had lost both legs was grateful for the blessings that had been granted to him. He was alive, and enjoyed the friendship and care of others. In a parable elsewhere in the Gospel, the servant who had been forgiven ten thousand talents forgot what had been done for him and was merciless with a fellow-servant who owed him hundreds of denarii. Let us resolve to cultivate a profound recognition of what God has done in our life, like the Samaritan leper of the Gospel today. There are two ways of viewing a gift. Some, when they receive a gift, think primarily of what the gift will do for them. Others think of the love and goodness of the giver. The Samaritan leper, liberated from his leprosy, was filled with the thought of the Giver of this blessing, and returned to thank and render honour to him. He did not just think of how he had benefited. But let us notice what our Lord says at the end. “Your faith has saved you” (Luke 17:11-19). It was the person’s faith that led him to ask for the cure, and our Lord’s words suggest that his faith led him to be grateful and pleasing to God. It doubtlessly led him to a deeper relationship with God and a greater faith in him. Our faith should lead us to ask for what we need, especially for our spiritual needs. It should lead us to be aware of all that God has given us and is continually giving us. It should lead us always to be thankful, and humble.

Furthermore, — and this is important — our faith will lead us to be thankful to God also in bad times. That is a real and lively faith — to be able to thank and praise God in both the good times and the bad. That is the faith that distinguishes the profoundly religious and Christian person. It often happens that when bad times come — some serious mishap — we pray and pray, asking God to help us in the situation, or to rectify it. Then, much later, when we look back on that situation and on what followed it, we can see that the hand of God was upon us. Indeed, we may come to see that in allowing that very distressing situation to come upon us, God was in fact preparing the way for something better. His goodness was at work in allowing the apparent evil. Our faith helps us to be grateful, even in the bad times. This is the age of polls and surveys. At every state or federal election we hear what the polls are saying. I wonder what a poll would show of the principal virtues of our day. I suspect that the virtue of gratitude would not rank highly. We are continually being presented with advertisements inducing us to get more and more, leading us to forget the many blessings we continually have. Are we characteristically grateful? I tend to think that typically we are angry. God knows our needs far more than we do. Our Lord tells us elsewhere in the Gospel, “Do not worry, your heavenly Father knows your needs before you ask them. Seek first the kingdom of God and his justice and all these things will be given to you besides.” Our Lord is not promising that we will get all we want, but he is promising that he will look after us. And what is it that we truly need? In his Spiritual Exercises St Ignatius Loyola has us pray for one thing: God’s love and his grace. If we have an abundance of this, we have all we truly need. We can then leave most of the rest to God. So important is this element of thanksgiving that the Mass itself is called a prayer of thanks. It is the Eucharist, which is the Greek word for giving thanks. The Eucharistic Prayer, during which the bread and wine become the risen Jesus in his whole human and divine reality, is the prayer in which above all we give thanks to God for all he has done, especially in and through the sacrifice of his Son Jesus.

At Sunday Mass we ought, in union with our Lord, ask God for all that we need, praying for those in need whether alive or dead, and giving thanks and praise for what he has done for all of us. Especially in this greatest of prayers of thanks and praise, we ought ask for the grace to think much on all that God has done for us, asking him to help us to be deeply grateful.
(E.J.Tyler)

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How beautiful our Christian vocation is — to be sons of God! It brings joy and peace on earth which the world cannot give!
(The Forge, no.269)

Monday of the twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time C/II

(October 11) Saint Firmin, son of a senator, was a native of Pampeluna in Navarre. With his father he was taught the Christian faith by Honestus, a disciple of Saint Saturninus, the bishop of Toulouse, himself the disciple of Saint Peter the

Apostle. Firmin, who had been confided by his father to Honestus for his education and had accompanied him on his apostolic journeys, was eventually consecrated bishop by Saint Honoratus, successor to Saint Saturninus at Toulouse. Firmin received the mission to preach the Gospel in the remoter parts of the Occident, or Gaul; thus he preached in the regions of Agen, Angers, and Beauvais. In what is now Clement-Ferrand, after long discussions with two ardent idolaters, he won them over. Error, wherever he passed, seemed to flee before him, as if the infernal powers feared to undertake a combat with this formidable adversary who was sure to defeat them. He had not yet suffered persecution. Desiring martyrdom, he decided to go to a centre of paganism in the north, in what is now Normandy, near Lisieux. There he was arrested and imprisoned for a time by the pagans. When delivered, he continued on towards the north, to a region where Saint Denys of Paris had baptized many. He confirmed the Christians in their faith, and went wherever a soul might have need of him. The Roman authorities heard of him and arrested him; the Saint generously confessed Jesus Christ in their presence. Again he was imprisoned, but released when the prefect and his successor both died suddenly. He was obliged, however, to flee secretly.
When he arrived at Amiens, he placed his residence there and founded a large church of faithful disciples. Amiens conserves the memory of the day he arrived and preached fearlessly there beside a temple of Jupiter, at a site where now the Basilica of Our Lady stands. He taught aloud the salutary doctrine of Christianity to all who came to listen. Many conversions followed, even among the authorities of the city, including the senator. He continued his preaching in that region for a number of years, while the pagan temples became literally deserted. And then two Roman officials, Longulus and Sebastian, heard of him and came to the city. The pagan priests saw their opportunity, when all the city residents were convoked to appear before the visitors. The two officials explained that the capital penalty was decreed for those who did not obey the imperial edicts, not offering incense to the gods and honouring them. The pagan priests then told them of one who always refused to do so, and Saint Firmin, after an eloquent defence of the religion of Christ, was imprisoned. He finally saw his most ardent desire fulfilled when certain soldiers decided on their own to accomplish the imperial orders, and came with swords to his prison at night, where they decapitated the bishop. He died, filled with joy at their coming. This occurred under the reign of Trajan in the first years of the second century. The holy bishop remains in the greatest honour in the city of Amiens.
(Source: Les Petits Bollandistes: Vies des Saints, by Msgr. Paul Guérin (Bloud et Barral: Paris, 1882), Vol. 11.)

Scripture today: Galatians 4: 22-24.26-27.31-5:1; Psalm 112; Luke 11:29-32

While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.” (Luke 11:29-32)

Faith One of the great gains in the modern religious scene is the respect for the religious convictions of others that is now prevalent. It is perceived as important for general education that students be introduced to an understanding of religions very different from their own. On its part, the Catholic Church from its early centuries has seen positive features in the religious thought of other peoples. Several of the early Fathers of the Church taught that “seeds of the Word” had been implanted in the

thought of the pagan peoples. The thinking of many of the Alexandrian Fathers greatly influenced the Anglican Newman in his teaching on a universal Revelation, that there is a form of inspiration or divine guidance given to great thinkers and religious teachers beyond the pale of God’s chosen people. As well as this, there has been a renewed appreciation of the right of freedom in religious belief, such that we all recognize that we must respect those who sincerely differ from us even in fundamentals of belief. However, for these and other reasons we can easily pass on to thinking that whatever a person thinks and believes in the realm of religion is legitimate if sincerely held, and indeed, morally commendable if sincerely held. All that counts for moral legitimacy is sincerity. If a person sincerely thinks that Christ is not God, that he was a mere man, that he did not rise from the dead, then these “opinions” are no more than opinions. They have no greater significance in respect to one’s moral state than any other mere opinion. It is all ultimately a matter of opinion, and the only decider of moral worth is sincerity, whatever be the opinion sincerely held. But now, let us notice what our Lord has to say of the people who did not accept him and his claims in faith. He called them an evil generation. They were not merely of a mistaken opinion about him. Indeed, our Lord does not merely condemn them for their refusal to believe him. He condemns them for demanding signs from him that would prove his credentials to their satisfaction. They were an evil generation, asking for a sign.

Our Lord’s severe strictures suggest that faith in him and recognition of his person and prerogatives involve far more than a mere intellectual consideration of the issues. One needs to have a certain moral probity also — and our Lord is saying here that those to whom he was referring lacked just this. They were heading for condemnation because their lack of faith in him was culpable, and even certain pagans will condemn them — the queen of the South who recognized the wisdom of Solomon, and the people of Nineveh who accepted the preaching of Jonah. He is implying that it is even within the capacity of the pagan to recognize his greatness, let alone the chosen people of Israel with all their historical preparation for the coming of the Messiah. Our Lord does not here say that every person who lacks faith in him or who refuses faith in him will be condemned — he is speaking of those here who were demanding a sign as proof of his credentials. His denunciation is directed to a specific audience, just as others of his denunciations had specific audiences in mind. For instance, he called the scribes and Pharisees frauds (hypocrites) and (because of this,) blind guides. But he was not accusing all the Pharisees of this. He had at least one disciple among them — Nicodemus (and probably others) — who showed his colours at Christ’s burial. Joseph of Arimathea was also a leader among the Jews. The point, though, is that our Lord’s critique of the lack of faith of at least many shows that faith in Jesus Christ is a sign of moral goodness and a cause of it. Its lack can be a sign of a lack of moral goodness and, accordingly, can bring condemnation. Indeed, just before he ascended into heaven, our Lord told the Twelve to go to the whole world and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them and teaching them to observe all his commands. Then he warns that those who believe will be saved, and those who do not will be condemned. Of course, the Church teaches that this must be a truly culpable and knowing rejection of the faith, but it shows that faith is an act of the will, a personal choice, for which, like all other moral choices, one will be held to account. Lack of faith is not just a mere innocent viewpoint.

Faith in Jesus Christ is perhaps the highest of moral acts, having in it the seed of the most glorious results. On one occasion a young man asked our Lord what he must do to inherit eternal life. Keep the commandments, was our Lord’s reply. I have kept them since my youth, the man replied. At this our Lord looked on him with love, and said — if you wish to be perfect, sell all and come, follow me. If you wish to be good, keep the commandments, but if you wish to seek perfection, believe and follow me. Faith in Jesus Christ is, then, the foundation of a life that is heading for perfection.
(E.J.Tyler)

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Second reflection: (Luke 11: 29-32)

Knowing the person of our Lord Our Lord condemned those who were demanding from him a sign to prove his

credentials: "This is an evil generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah" (Luke 11: 29). As a matter of fact, he would point repeatedly to the "works" and miracles that he did, and after his resurrection his apostles would refer to his "mighty works". Nevertheless, it is clear from the passage just mentioned that our Lord regarded himself as manifesting in his very person, in his preaching and wisdom all that his hearers and viewers needed to be convinced, were their hearts rightly disposed. The Queen of the South "came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here." Let us apply our Lord's strictures to ourselves. If our hearts are right, merely getting to know our Lord will lead to personal conviction about him.

We get to know our Lord by spending real time in prayer and meditating in faith on his very person. We ought spend regular quality time daily with our Lord in the Gospel settings and scenes, learning more and more of his heart. Come to me, he said, learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart. It is by coming to him and learning of him that we will come to love him, believe in him, and follow him.
(E.J.Tyler)

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Lord, grant me the love with which you want me to love you.
(The Forge, no.270)

Tuesday of the twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time C/II

(October 12) Saint Wilfrid Archbishop of York (634-709) (Picture: 11th century manuscript life of St Wilfrid)
It was the glory of the great Saint Wilfrid to fasten securely the happy links which bound England to Rome. He was born about the year 634 of an excellent Christian family; at that time a brightly burning torch was seen over the house of his father,

shedding light all along the street where the house was, without doing any damage. This was regarded as a presage that the newborn babe would one day be a brilliant light in the Church. Wilfrid was brought up by the Celtic monks at Lindisfarne in the rites and usages of the British Church. Yet even as a boy Wilfrid longed for perfect conformity with the Holy See in discipline as well as in doctrine, and at the first opportunity he set out for Rome. When his devotion and his desire for instruction in the difficulties of the liturgy were satisfied, he was ready to return to England. On his way he visited the archbishop of Lyons, Saint Chamond, who had very kindly received him on his route to Rome. Before re-embarking for England, Wilfrid received the tonsure and remained with him for three years, until his death. At home once more, he built a monastery at Stamford, and made of another one at Ripon a strictly Roman monastery under the rule of Saint Benedict. There he was ordained a priest, and after having governed it as Abbot for five years, he was consecrated a bishop in France. He again remained for a time across the Channel, and then found, when he returned to England, that another had replaced him in his newly assigned see of York. That bishop, whose position was more than doubtful, was persuaded to retire when the Archbishop of Canterbury visited Northumbria; Wilfrid was thereby reinstated in 669. He enforced the Roman obedience in his see and founded many monasteries of the Benedictine Order.
As Bishop of York he had to combat the passions of wicked kings, the cowardice of worldly prelates, the errors of holy men. He was twice exiled and once imprisoned; finally the difficulties were settled with the aid of Roman authority. In 686 he was called back to his diocese of York, where eventually he swept away the abuses of many years and a too national system, and substituted instead a vigorous Catholic discipline, modeled and dependent on Rome. When the large see of York was definitively divided and suffragan dioceses established, Saint Wilfrid was given two smaller sees but not York. He decided to accept the settlement reached with other British ecclesiastics, since the principle of Roman authority had been vindicated. He died October 12, 709, amid the monks of Ripon and was buried in this monastery. A monk of the monastery of Ripon who had worked with Saint Wilfrid for forty years wrote the first biography of the former Abbot and Archbishop. The greater part of his relics were transferred to the cathedral of Canterbury in the year 959. Trust in the Vicar of Christ is an instinct planted in us for the preservation of the Faith. It follows necessarily upon the reign of our Saviour’s divine love in our hearts.
Sources: Les Petits Bollandistes: Vies des Saints, by Msgr. Paul Guérin (Bloud et Barral: Paris, 1882), Vol. 12; Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, a compilation based on Butler’s Lives of the Saints and other sources by John Gilmary Shea (Benziger Brothers: New York, 1894); The Catholic Encyclopedia, edited by C. G. Herbermann with numerous collaborators (Appleton Company: New York, 1908).

Scripture today: Galatians 5: 1-6; Psalm 118; Luke 11:37-41

After Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.” (Luke 11:37-41)

Almsgiving Let us imagine the scene, with Jesus having spoken at length to the people. Among the crowds was our Pharisee, perhaps with several of his class and friends. They were a set apart, regarding themselves, and regarded as, the religious professionals and leaders of the people.

Our Lord never criticized the existence of the class of Pharisee as such, and probably they contributed significantly to the fidelity of the nation to Revealed Religion. It surely cannot be doubted that they assisted greatly in cementing the Sabbath Day in the life of the nation and making it a distinguishing linchpin of Judaism. Moreover, reading between the lines, the Pharisees themselves would not have felt that Christ was hostile to them as such, for we see here — as we see elsewhere — that a Pharisee took the initiative of inviting Jesus to his house for a repast. It suggests that Christ’s denunciations of Pharisaical abuses were not perceived as constant, nor even frequent. Nor were they indiscriminate. Nicodemus, a Pharisee choosing to visit Jesus by night for fear of the disapproval of his peers, obviously felt welcomed by our Lord for their conversations. Let us imagine our Pharisee of today’s passage coming forward to meet our Lord at the end of his discourse. The Pharisee would have been impressed, and felt drawn to the Man all held to be a prophet. Imagine their eyes meeting, Jesus plumbing instantly the soul of the Pharisee, the Pharisee gazing on the Man who, he did not realize, was his God and Creator — Yahweh himself. He invites Jesus to his home, and Jesus — loving him as a soul to be reclaimed and brought nearer to God his heavenly Father — assented with a smile. He had come to seek out what was lost, to recover the lost sheep of the House of Israel, to tend the sick, and he lets the Pharisee lead him to his home. All understood that Jesus sought the favour of no-one, but spoke the truth in sincerity — which on one occasion his enemies acknowledged to him before trying to trap him. So he went to the house, and with simplicity took his place reclining at table. But the Pharisee’s eyes widened — this prophet had neglected to observe the elaborate ceremonial washing. It was a serious omission.

I do not imagine the rebuke which Jesus gave — showing that he immediately read the heart of his host — as a rebuke uttered sharply and with sting. I prefer to imagine Jesus looking steadily at his host whose expression involuntarily revealed surprise of mind. Let us imagine their eyes meeting, with the Pharisee conscious that Jesus knew exactly what he was thinking. Let us imagine Christ gazing at his host, and with a smile on his face, slowly shaking his head as he spoke. A benign tone characterizes our Lord’s voice as he says to the Pharisee, full of calm assurance, that he was very, very foolish. Our Lord wished to reclaim this benighted Pharisee, so typical in his notions of many of his professional set. He spoke genially but frankly, and before the others — perhaps most of the guests were his own disciples. I doubt that our Lord spoke in such a way as to humiliate publicly his host, an honoured member of the community. The Pharisee had not actually said anything to Jesus — he had only entertained his thoughts. I suspect that in the case of this particular Pharisee, we have a person led astray in his notions but not hostile as such. To a greater or lesser extent, we are so many of us, astray in our notions. Christ deals patiently with us, correcting us of our serious faults, faults of which we may be scarcely conscious. Now, our Lord’s words suggest that our Pharisee, and many other Pharisees, were actually in a serious spiritual condition. The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools!” The Pharisee was neglecting inner virtue, the state of his heart. Inside, he desired riches and cared little for others. His position involved fleecing others, living off them, and caring little to support the needy when he was quite able to. Inside, his heart was stamped with extortion and sin. He was blind to this, and therefore foolish, taking pride and comfort in purely external observances. Rather — and this is significant and interesting — he should have concentrated on giving alms. “But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you” (Luke 11:37-41). This is a teaching that is applicable to us all. Almsgiving is central in true religion, and is a powerful cleanser of sin.

Our Lord states in the beatitudes that, blessed are the pure and clean of heart, for they shall see God. Here in our passage today our Lord tells the Pharisee, who was so surprised at his not performing the elaborate washing before the meal, that true cleanliness is within. He must rid his heart of extortion and sin. The true filth is there. Further, and this is most enlightening, almsgiving will cleanse the heart. Indeed, our Lord says, “as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.” Let us place almsgiving and works of mercy high on our spiritual programme, then! It will powerfully help us to be clean of heart, and close to God.
(E.J.Tyler)

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Second reflection (Luke 11: 37-41)

Our Lord desires our friendship Our Lord was constantly offering his friendship. For instance, it is interesting to notice the invitations that our Lord accepted in the course of his public ministry, invitations to visit and dine in people's homes. He accepted the invitation from Levi the publican whom he called to follow him,

and at that dinner there were the publicans and the sinners. Observing this, the scribes and the Pharisees complained. He also accepted invitations from Pharisees, one of whom was Simon, another was the Pharisee Luke tells us about in today’s reading: "Jesus had just finished speaking when a Pharisee invited him to dine at his house. He went in and sat down at the table." (Luke 11: 37-38). Our Lord invited himself to dine with Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, and saved the soul of Zacchaeus in the process. We read of his dining in the home of Lazarus, Martha and Mary, his friends. He was at the wedding feast of Cana. Of course, the most important meal he led was the Last Supper, which became the first Mass. Our Lord, we are told in the book of Revelation, stands at our door knocking. The one who opens to him will see him enter and sup with him. That is to say, our Lord wants to be our personal friend, and to abide with us constantly. I have not called you servants, he said to his disciples at the Last Supper, but friends. You have not chosen me, rather I have chosen you.

As we think of our Lord accepting the invitation of the Pharisee to dine at his house, let us think of our Lord desiring for us a life of friendship with him. The love of Jesus, and living in his friendship is, in God's plan, meant to be the essence of our life. Let us resolve to make it so and to draw others into this friendship with Jesus. With this in mind, every day let us invite Jesus into the home of our hearts, knowing that he wishes to come and, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, abide with us.
(E.J.Tyler)

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That morning, to remove the dark shadow of pessimism which hung over you, you also insisted as you do every day… but you were more “aggressive” with your Angel. You sang his praises and you asked him to teach you to love Jesus at least, at least as much as he loves Him… And with that you recovered your calm.
(The Forge, no.271)

Wednesday of the twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time C/II

(October 13) St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) (Picture on right: face of St Margaret Mary)
Margaret Mary was chosen by Christ to arouse the Church to a realization of the love of God symbolized by the heart of Jesus. Her early years were marked by sickness and a painful home situation. "The heaviest of my crosses was that I could do nothing

to lighten the cross my mother was suffering." After considering marriage for some time, Margaret entered the Order of Visitation nuns at the age of 24. A Visitation nun was "not to be extraordinary except by being ordinary," but the young nun was not to enjoy this anonymity. A fellow novice (shrewdest of critics) termed Margaret humble, simple and frank, but above all kind and patient under sharp criticism and correction. She could not meditate in the formal way expected, though she tried her best to give up her "prayer of simplicity." Slow, quiet and clumsy, she was assigned

to help an infirmarian who was a bundle of energy. On December 21, 1674, three years a nun, she received the first of her revelations. She felt "invested" with the presence of God, though always afraid of deceiving herself in such matters. The request of Christ was that his love for humankind be made evident through her. During the next 13 months he appeared to her at intervals. His human heart was to be the symbol of his divine-human love. By her own love she was to make up for the coldness and ingratitude of the world—by frequent and loving Holy Communion, especially on the first Friday of each month, and by an hour's vigil of prayer every Thursday night in memory of his agony and isolation in Gethsemane. He also asked that a feast of reparation be instituted.
Like all saints, Margaret had to pay for her gift of holiness. Some of her own sisters were hostile. Theologians who were called in declared her visions delusions and suggested that she eat more heartily. Later, parents of children she taught called her an impostor, an unorthodox innovator. A new confessor, Blessed Claude de la Colombiere, a Jesuit, recognized her genuineness and supported her. Against her great resistance, Christ called her to be a sacrificial victim for the shortcomings of her own sisters, and to make this known. After serving as novice mistress and assistant superior, she died at the age of 43 while being anointed. "I need nothing but God, and to lose myself in the heart of Jesus."
Christ speaks to St. Margaret Mary: "Behold this Heart which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself, in order to testify its love. In return, I receive from the greater part only ingratitude, by their irreverence and sacrileges, and by the coldness and contempt they have for me in this sacrament of love.... I come into the heart I have given you in order that through your fervour you may atone for the offences which I have received from lukewarm and slothful hearts that dishonour me in the Blessed Sacrament" (Third apparition). (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Galatians 5: 18-25; Psalm 1; Luke 11:42-46

Jesus said, Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practised the latter without leaving the former undone. Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the market-places. Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without knowing it. One of the experts in the law answered him, Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also. Jesus replied, And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them. (Luke 11:42-46)

A true plan of life There is a dominant thread in the strictures that our Lord directs against the religious leaders in our passage today. “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God.

You should have practised the latter without leaving the former undone.” Our Lord here is not criticizing them for performing faithfully these particular practices. The practice our Lord is commenting on here would seem to be one based on Leviticus 27: 30-32, which stipulated that “all tithes of the land, levied on the produce of the earth or the fruit of the trees, belong to Yahweh...” The Pharisees whom our Lord was addressing were punctilious in this observance, even perhaps to excess in care for detail. But our Lord does not criticize the practice itself — after all, as said, it appears to have been an application of Leviticus 27. We may regard the practices of the Pharisees mentioned here as being part of their plan of religious life, founded on their interpretation of, say, Leviticus. Broadly speaking, our Lord expected and in fact commended this in the Pharisees, for he says that they “should have practised these things.” That is to say, our Lord not only did not call into question such religious regulations (if adhered to in sincerity and good faith), but he expected that they be respected. Our Lord’s critique related not to such practices in themselves, but to the spirit in which they were fulfilled. It involved the neglect of what should have been the heart, soul and purpose of any such religious regime. Justice and the love of God were being left undone, and were being replaced by a self-centred and prideful religion. These practices ought directly to have served the flourishing in their lives of love for God and justice towards others. Instead, they were performed with ostentation, excess and with self-commendation. Their own actions were the object of their regard, and God and neighbour were on the margins.

Taking the point more broadly, and applying it to a wider setting, this particular observance of the Pharisees which our Lord actually commended can be taken as reminding us of the gamut of legitimate, recommended and authorized observances of religion. A concrete plan of spiritual life will involve a range of judicious and approved religious practices. Our Lord’s passing remark (“you should have practised the latter”) suggests, indeed, that he expects some definite regime of religious living in a person’s life. There should be what we may call a concrete plan of life which will involve specific steps to sustain and nourish the spirit of religion. This applies to the religious life of all of us. An unstructured, un-patterned, unregulated daily religious life is unrealistic and doomed to failure. It is man’s responsibility to practise his religion in the concrete. The practice of prayer will involve certain prayers, generally also at certain times. The practice of self-denial will involve concrete acts of self-denial, and if the spirit of self-denial is to grow, there will be included in one’s plan of life regular acts of self-denial. The practice of charity will include concrete acts of charity, and if the spirit of charity is to grow over the course of time, there will be a planned regime of acts of charity. Christ our Lord will commend such a plan of life, if it is subject to the discipline of the Church (as in, say, Lent) and prudent guidance. But its true and fundamental purpose must inform its constant practice. The specific things we do to live out our religious life must be performed with the purity of a heart that seeks union with God and the fulfilment of his will. In a word, we must have a plan of life that disciplines our life towards its true goal, and which makes practical our dreams and intentions of holiness. But we must beware of the trap into which these (though not all) Pharisees fell. Our plan of religious life must subserve the grand goal of a flourishing in our heart of the most perfect charity possible.

Our Lord was once asked which was the greatest commandment of the Law. The greatest and the first was, our Lord replied, that we love God with our whole being. The second was like it, that we love our neighbour as ourself. Our Lord would teach his disciples that his love for us was to be our model in loving our neighbour. Let us every day place love, the love of Christ, at the forefront of all we do, and at the forefront of our whole religious life.

(E.J.Tyler)

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Second reflection (Galatians 5: 18-25)

Our daily choice One often hears during political elections that the voters have a stark choice. Despite the claim, often there is not a stark choice at all. But whatever of

political choices, there is a very stark choice before the Christian, and St Paul speaks of it in Galatians 5: 18-25. The choice is between being led by the Spirit, or being led by self-indulgence. Many people do not see in the Christian life the stark choice that is involved. They think that you can have your cake and eat it: that you can have it both ways. St Ignatius in his famous Spiritual Exercises has a powerful Meditation on the Two Standards. There is the Standard of Christ and the Standard of Satan. Ignatius insists that one must make the choice between them. St Paul says that "When self-indulgence is at work the results are obvious.." Whereas "what the Spirit brings is very different." And so, he concludes, "Since the Spirit is our life, let us be directed by the Spirit."

Let us then every day make the choice again, and again. We must resolve to be led by the Spirit of Christ, which in effect means being guided constantly by the dictates of our conscience as enlightened by and immersed in the Revelation of Jesus Christ, as taught by the Church. The Holy Spirit, dwelling in our conscience, will bring "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control." In a word, such a choice will bring life in abundance.
(E.J.Tyler)

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Ask your Mother Mary, ask Saint Joseph and your Guardian Angel to speak to the Lord and tell him the things you can’t manage to put into words because you are so dull.
(The Forge, no.272)

Thursday of the twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time C/II

(October 14) St. Callistus I (d. 223?)
The most reliable information about this saint comes from his enemy St. Hippolytus, an early antipope, later a martyr for the Church. A negative principle is used: If some worse things had happened, Hippolytus would surely have mentioned them.

Callistus was a slave in the imperial Roman household. Put in charge of the bank by his master, he lost the money deposited, fled and was caught. After serving time for a while, he was released to make some attempt to recover the money. Apparently he carried his zeal too far, being arrested for brawling in a Jewish synagogue. This time he was condemned to work in the mines of Sardinia. He was released through the influence of the emperor's mistress and lived at Anzio (site of a famous

World War II beachhead). After winning his freedom, Callistus was made superintendent of the public Christian burial ground in Rome (still called the cemetery of St. Callistus), probably the first land owned by the Church. The pope ordained him a deacon and made him his friend and adviser. He was elected pope by a majority vote of the clergy and laity of Rome, and thereafter was attacked by the losing candidate, St. Hippolytus, who let himself be set up as the first antipope in the history of the Church. The schism lasted about 18 years. Hippolytus is venerated as a saint. He was banished during the persecution of 235 and was reconciled to the Church. He died from his sufferings in Sardinia. He attacked Callistus on two fronts—doctrine and discipline. Hippolytus seems to have exaggerated the distinction between Father and Son (almost making two gods) possibly because theological language had not yet been refined. He also accused Callistus of being too lenient, for reasons we may find surprising: (1) Callistus admitted to Holy Communion those who had already done public penance for murder, adultery, fornication; (2) he held marriages between free women and slaves to be valid—contrary to Roman law; (3) he authorized the ordination of men who had been married two or three times; (4) he held that mortal sin was not a sufficient reason to depose a bishop; (5) he held to a policy of leniency toward those who had temporarily denied their faith during persecution. Callistus was martyred during a local disturbance in Trastevere, Rome, and is the first pope (except for Peter) to be commemorated as a martyr in the earliest martyrology of the Church. (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Ephesians 1: 1-10; Psalm 97; Luke 11:47-54

Jesus said to the experts in the law, Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your forefathers who killed them. So you testify that you approve of what your forefathers did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. Because of this, God in his wisdom said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.' Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all. Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering. When Jesus left there, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, waiting to catch him in something he might say. (Luke 11: 47-54)

The Judgment Late in life John Henry Newman (beatified by Pope Benedict in September 2010) wrote in a letter to an acquaintance that the first principle of religion is the thought of a judgment as contained in the feeling of conscience.

He meant two things here. Firstly, that in the feeling of guilt, so common and normal to man, there is an inkling of a judgment to come. Man is conscious of having done some wrong, and fears a future reckoning. Secondly, this thought of a judgment involves a dim perception of a Judge. It is a natural ground of religion, founded in the ordinary experience of the conscience. But of course, this religious sense is vague when grounded only on the moral instinct, and it can be easily ignored or explained away. The modern secular mind will not allow that the conscience involves the dim perception of an objective Lawgiver and Judge. Instead, it might allow that the conscience can recognize objective moral obligation, or more commonly, that its perceptions are but subjective personal tastes or persuasions. That is, it is just that you happen to think that this or that is wrong (because of your upbringing, environment, or genes), but there is no properly objective truth to your moral view. All this is to say that if religion were to be based on natural moral instincts alone, its basis would be uncertain indeed. Man needs Revelation. Nature, in fact, is oriented to what Revelation presents. The conscience of man supports what God has revealed. It disposes man to accept what God reveals of himself. What vitiates this, however, is that man is profoundly wounded by sin, and so his conscience is similarly wounded. Hence man can be found to be inimical to what God reveals. His best nature is oriented to Revelation, but sin can and does thwart this wholesome natural orientation to true religion. For instance, despite the intimations of the conscience that there is a judgment, God’s revelation of this fact is generally necessary if we are to be convinced of it.

In our Gospel today (Luke 11: 47-54), our Lord confronts his determined opponents with the revelation of a judgment to come. The fact of a judgment should have been before them even on the ground of their natural conscience alone. They had the testimony of the Scriptures too. But our Lord expresses it in the plainest terms. God’s judgment is coming upon them. Time and again in the history of religion, it is the coming judgment of God which turns people away from sin and towards repentance. Our Lord is calling up powerful weapons in the hope that the hearts of his enemies will be changed. He bluntly accuses them of sin, and of being in the tradition of those who sinned in the past. “Jesus said to the experts in the law, Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your forefathers who killed them. So you testify that you approve of what your forefathers did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs.” Our Lord solemnly warns them, they will be brought to account. “Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.” But those to whom our Lord directed his solemn warnings took no heed. We have here a striking instance of the mystery of sin and of its power. When fully flourishing it is culpably blind and hateful towards God — and so we see the Pharisees (not all, though) and experts in the Law redoubling their efforts to oppose Jesus Christ. In this, they were unknowing agents of Satan. “When Jesus left there, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, waiting to catch him in something he might say.” What is it that might have saved them from their tragic course? What might have saved them was to have taken seriously the thought of a future judgment, intimated in the conscience and proclaimed in the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Let us all take heed. Life is short, and eternity is very long. At the end of this very short life, there will be a solemn reckoning, and our eternity will be determined. Now is the time for change, for repentance, and for striving after goodness of life modelled on Jesus Christ and those who are closest to him. Nothing is more important than that we become good — holy in mind and heart. That is to say, we must put on the mind of Jesus Christ. This is the challenge and the task of every day. Let us not waste our time, but gain the one thing necessary.

(E.J.Tyler)

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Second reflection (Ephesians 1: 1-10)

Each of us is marvellously loved A very common feeling among people is that they do not matter much. This may be due to the way they have been treated during life, or perhaps due to the poor results of their work, or whatever. Many try by various means to bolster in themselves a feeling of self-worth, while others never have much of it. But what has been revealed is that from all eternity each of us is the object of God's special choice. God has "blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ. Before the world was made, he chose us, chose us in Christ, to be holy and spotless, and to live through love in his presence" (Ephesians 1: 1-10).

So no matter who we are or what might be our work and its upshot, no matter what our circumstances, no matter who may or may not respect us, each of us has a divine vocation in Christ. Each of us is marvellously loved by God. We must allow this hidden invisible reality to fill our consciousness and shape every detail of our lives. It is the foundation of the quest for holiness. Holiness is God's ambition for us, so let us strive to make it our own.

(E.J.Tyler)

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Fill yourself with confidence. The Mother we have is the Mother of God, the Most Blessed Virgin, the Queen of Heaven and the World.
(The Forge, no.273)

Friday of the twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time C/II

(October 15) Saint Teresa of Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church (1515-1582)
Teresa lived in an age of exploration as well as political, social and religious upheaval. It was the 16th century, a time of turmoil and reform. She was born before the Protestant Reformation and died almost 20 years after the closing of the Council of Trent.

The gift of God to Teresa in and through which she became holy and left her mark on the Church and the world is threefold: She was a woman; she was a contemplative; she was an active reformer. As a woman, Teresa stood on her own two feet, even in the man's world of her time. She was "her own woman," entering the Carmelites despite strong opposition from her father. She is a person wrapped not so much in silence as in mystery. Beautiful, talented, outgoing, adaptable, affectionate, courageous, enthusiastic, she was totally human. Like Jesus, she was a mystery of paradoxes: wise, yet practical; intelligent, yet much in tune with her experience; a mystic, yet an energetic reformer. A holy woman, a womanly woman. Teresa was a woman "for God," a woman of prayer, discipline and compassion. Her heart belonged to God. Her ongoing conversion was an arduous lifelong struggle, involving ongoing purification and suffering. She was misunderstood, misjudged, opposed in her efforts at reform. Yet she struggled on, courageous and faithful; she struggled with her own mediocrity, her illness, her opposition. And in the midst of all this she clung to God in life and in prayer. Her writings on prayer and contemplation are drawn from her experience: powerful, practical and graceful. A woman of prayer; a woman for God. Teresa was a woman "for others." Though a contemplative, she spent much of her time and energy seeking to reform herself and the Carmelites, to lead them back to the full observance of the primitive Rule. She founded over a half-dozen new monasteries. She travelled, wrote, fought—always to renew, to reform. In her self, in her prayer, in her life, in her efforts to reform, in all the people she touched, she was a woman for others, a woman who inspired and gave life.
Her writings, especially The Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle, have helped generations of believers. In 1970, the Church gave her the title she had long held in the popular mind: doctor of the Church. She and St. Catherine of Siena were the first women so honoured. (AmericanCatholic.org)

Scripture today: Ephesians 1: 11-14; Psalm 32; Luke 12:1-7

Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs. I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Luke 12:1-7)

Fear God, not man There is an old piece of advice that one ought not write in a letter anything which one would not wish to see published. In the age of electronic mail, many think that electronic messages are not seen by others, but of course major prosecutions are effected by producing what transpired by electronic mail.

Electronic mail between criminals is easily monitored. Another common saying is that there are no secrets. That is to say, once something is confided to another (we are not here speaking of the Seal of Confession, of course), one must be prepared for the possibility that it may come to public light. These common facts of life give us an intimation of what our Lord refers to in today’s Gospel. The setting is that of throngs pressing on our Lord, striving to hear him and benefit from his ministry. On the face of it, our Lord’s ministry appeared to be extremely successful. Many seemed led by it to God. But in the midst of this abundance of apostolic work, our Lord warns his disciples of the sin that is lurking behind and in the midst of the throngs, sin that would lead to his being crushed. It was the hidden sin of many of the religious leaders, the scribes and the Pharisees. They projected the face of goodness and religious observance, but in their hearts they were scheming calumny against Christ and the destruction of his Person. They were hostile to the good effects of his ministry. The ones who were doing this were “hypocrites.” Hypocrisy was the “yeast” that permeated their actions, and which poisoned those who fell under their influence. Never look to their example, our Lord tells his disciples. How they appear is not how they are, and how a person really is will inevitably come to light. Their secret words and schemes will be revealed by God on the great day of Judgment, and their true character will be manifest. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.”

Our Lord is led to make a further point. Do not fear the judgments or the threats of one’s fellow man if they run counter to the will of God. “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.” This, of course, is a major warning that reaches to all corners of human living. I remember when I was beginning my preparation for the priesthood many years ago, the priest responsible for that early stage of preparation warned often against “human respect.” By this expression he meant being unduly influenced by what others would think when it comes to doing what is true and right. How powerful is this factor in human life! We are inherently social, and this good characteristic can so easily lead us to succumb to bad influences. I remember when Pope Paul VI came to Australia at the end of 1970 he addressed the journalists in French. He told them that they were world power number one. How true this is, and how sad it is that the press fails so repeatedly and dismally to portray the truth. I believe that one reason for this common failure of the press to serve the truth is that too many journalists follow the pack of their fellow journalists and think and write as they are expected to. They lack the courage to question and oppose the trend and the assumptions that drive the trend. Or again, let us take what is perhaps the greatest challenge facing the Christian religion. I refer to the evangelization of culture and society. Our Western culture is secular. Publicly, at least, God is made to be absent. A proposal is made that in a nature reserve, a picture of St Francis of Assisi be set in place, for he is a patron saint of ecology. But no — it is rejected because it is a religious symbol. How is society’s culture to become religious again? It will only happen if people bear public witness to their faith. For instance, how many have the courage to make the sign of the Cross and say silent grace before meals in a restaurant, or when passing a Catholic church? Too many fear what others will think, and because evil flourishes when good people do nothing, the evil of God being absent from society flourishes. We must fear God and not man.

Our Lord tells his disciples to fear offending God above all. In their secret conversations, the Pharisees to whom our Lord had referred failed to do this. It would all come to light. So then, “I will show you whom you should fear,” our Lord continues. “Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:1-7)

(E.J.Tyler)

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Second reflection (Luke 12:1-7)

On the fear of God It has been said that a very good indicator of popular culture and its values lies in the characters of popular fiction, and how these characters are portrayed as thinking. One thinks, say, of James

Bond and various other figures of contemporary fiction. One of the characteristics of such figures is that they show little fear. Of course, they have no fear at all of God because God is to them a non-entity. Our Lord speaks of a different kind of fearlessness. He tells his disciples, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. I will tell you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has the power to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him" (Luke 12: 1-7). Whom then must we fear? We must fear God, fear displeasing him. The context of our Lord's remarks here is his criticism of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. They lived for the approval of men, and they feared the loss of this approval.

We, the friends of Christ, are to live in the presence and the sight of God, who has counted every hair on our heads. Let us ask our Lady and our guardian angel to help us grow in a filial fear of offending God our heavenly Father, leading us to do nothing that will separate us from him — now or hereafter.

(E.J.Tyler)

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Jesus was born in a cave in Bethlehem because, Sacred Scripture tells us, “there was no room for them in the inn.”

—I am not departing from theological truth when I say that Jesus is still looking for shelter in your heart.
(The Forge, no.274)

Liturgical Season	Sun	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat
26th week Ordinary Time C/II						1	2 Guardian Angels
27th week Ordinary Time C/II	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
28th week Ordinary Time C/II	10	11	12	13	14	15