“Then they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.” (LK 9: 6)
The life of an apostle is to be on the move. There are no homes for them, or—rather—their homes are everywhere. Our Lord’s order: “take nothing for the journey” leads them to complete reliance on God. It is so important to remember that “proclaiming the good news” is to lead people to Him, and we should totally disappear.
“The Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“He said to them in reply, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.’” (LK 8: 21)
The common thing which we can haveevery day is that we can “hear the word of God.” More individual is the way in which we “act on it.” Here we have an unlimited number of options, different like we are different. For one person it will be an “action” by spending more time in silence, for another person—more time in a conversation—talking and sharing with a spouse about his/her day. For a consecrated person, it will be a perfect occasion for more time in front of the Blessed Sacrament; for a married person, it can be time to schedule dinner together. “Hear[ing] the word” without “act[ing] on it” is like looking at a meal without eating. It looks nice, but doesn’t give you strength.
“Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“And he gave some as Apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the Body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ.” (EPH 4: 11-13)
“Mature manhood” literally means “a perfect man” or possibly “the one new person.” We are going to this “mature manhood” together; we need each other and all kinds of vocations “to equip the holy ones,” “until we all attain to the unity of faith.” Everyone with his or her unique vocation can help me to grow and to mature “for building [me] up [in] the Body of Christ.” Our maturity lies in our likeness to Our Lord,like St. Matthew, who started as a tax collector and finished as an Apostle and Evangelist following Jesus.
“We praise you, O God, we acclaim you as Lord; the glorious company of Apostles praise you.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.” (JAS 3: 17-18)
The qualities of the wise man, endowed “from above,” are detailed: “first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits.” All of this shows a man who is focused on others, not on himself. The giver of self looks for any opportunity to serve, to support and to comfort others. It is, let’s say it straight, imitating the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is “Prince of Peace” and full of mercy.
“God has called us through the Gospel to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“This is the meaning of the parable. The seed is the word of God. Those on the path are the ones who have heard, but the Devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts that they may not believe and be saved.” (LK 8: 11-12)
“The word of God” and we have the same enemy—“the Devil,” who “comes and takes away the word” from our hearts. The word of God goes directly to our “hearts that we may believe and be saved.” This is the main concern of God’s word for us—to save us. The devil, an enemy, tries to do everything to “take away the word from our hearts.” He knows perfectly how much God’s word can change ourhearts for the better. What we can do to protect ourselves is to start our meetings with God’s word articulating loudly—“I do believe, and I want to be saved; Jesus, be with me and protect me with my Guardian Angel and the Holy Family.”
“Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“But you, man of God, avoid all this. Instead, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Compete well for the faith.” (1 TM 6: 11-12)
Married couples who recently attended Program no. 4 made a lot of comments about Program no. 1. The main opinion was—Program 1 is a never ending story. There is no way to grow together in marriage without gentleness and patience. Love without these two is empty. The same is true of faith and devotion; their strength comes also from “patience and gentleness.” Spirituality which is not based on strong foundations also could be dangerous. When we would like to grow, we need to start with good foundations.
“Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Let no one have contempt for your youth, but set an example for those who believe, in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. Until I arrive, attend to the reading, exhortation, and teaching.” (1 TM 4: 12-13)
Timothy is asked to be an example “in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity,” the areas where we can always grow with God’s help. As a means to this end, St. Paul suggests: “attend to the reading, exhortation, and teaching.” Reading the Bible daily enables us to meet with the love God extends to us, exhortation shows our involvement in helping each other, and teaching is instructing with love and faith God’s children. Our Lord is always with us with His love, taking all our burdens and labor and giving us rest.
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“I am writing you, although I hope to visit you soon. But if I should be delayed, you should know how to behave in the household of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth.” (1 TM 3: 14-15)
We “should know how to behave in the household of God” because we are part of God’s family; we are “the Church of the living God,” and we have found in His household “the pillar and foundation of truth.” We receive “the manual,” written by God and His servants: holy writers, prophets and apostles, to guide us and lead us to God’s world: His words about “how to behave.”
“Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life, you have the words of everlasting life.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.” (JN 19: 26-27)
Our Lady in many different ways is connected with her Son. After the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we celebrate today her feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. Connected with Him all her life and assisting Him on His mission, she is under the cross receiving His last message: “behold your son.” And now she starts a new mission—to assist us: “and from that hour the disciple took her into his home.” From that day she is always with us in our homes when she is invited.
“Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary; without dying you won the martyr’s crown beneath the Cross of the Lord.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“…Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” (JN 3: 14-15)
Our lives have a purpose: eternal life. Between eternal life and our lives there is sin. Only Our Lord, the Redeemer, can take all our sins upon Himself on the cross and liberate us from sin. What we need is just to leave our sins at His feet. Confession is a place where we can find God’s merciful love and start life again. From both perspectives, as a penitent and as a priest, we adore Our Lord as Our Redeemer.
“We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your Cross you have redeemed the world.” (Gospel Acclamation)
