Acceptance

First Reading: Acts 11:1-18
Psalm: Ps 42:2-3; 43:3-4 -- Athirst is my soul for the living God.
Gospel: Jn 10:1-10

“If then God gave them the same gift he gave to us when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God?”
When they heard this, they stopped objecting and glorified God, saying, “God has then granted life-giving repentance to the Gentiles too.” - Acts 11:17-18

Have you ever been in a situation where not everyone wanted you to be there? Perhaps at a party, overhearing someone whisper, "How did they get in?" Or maybe working at a job, "I can't believe that they hired him." Perhaps we've even said something like this ourselves. What spurs these comments? Is it not that they (or we) feel a touch of pride at being invited ourselves, and having others there lessens it?

Today's readings are a beautiful continuation from Sunday's readings, with Paul preaching to the Gentiles, who rejoice, while the Jews throw him out because of jealousy. It is a great reminder that we are called to be Christians by God and led by Jesus, the Good Shepherd. We have no reason to be prideful, because it is not we who are leading. We have no cause to boast about being called to follow; all have received the invitation. We must be careful not to squabble about whether someone is worthy to attend. If we do, we may find that the host of the banquet hears our complaint and He will say to us, "My friend, did you not know? I invited them myself, to be my honored guest."

For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. - Galatians 3:26-28

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the great gift of this day. We celebrate the generosity through which we have been called to follow Jesus. Lord, guard our hearts, that we might not become prideful of our calling. Rather, grant that we become more like You, ready to accept all who call on Your name. Fill us with the desire that all will come to Your sacred heart and join in the eternal banquet of everlasting life. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Reconciliation

First Reading: Acts 11:21b-26; 13:1-3
Psalm: Ps 98:1-6 -- The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power
Gospel: Mt 5:20-26
Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle

Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison.
Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny. - Matthew 5:25-26

Friends,

In the gospel reading today, we hear the first of Jesus' clarifications on the Ten Commandments. It is incredibly rich with wisdom, and I recommend a thorough reading of Matthew chapter 5 on your own for further reflection.

An interesting note of the two examples that Jesus presents in today's reading: both put us in the position of the debtor. In the first, Jesus mentions that we should leave our gift at the altar if we remember that our brother has something against us (Mt. 5:23). We are not forgiving our brother, rather, we are seeking forgiveness. In the second example (shown above), we are the ones at risk of being thrown into prison, not our opponent. In both examples, we are called to seek their forgiveness immediately, and not to put any activity before it, lest our opportunity be lost.

This is a parallel of our relationship with God. When we go to offer gifts to the Lord, we should first seek His forgiveness, as well as that of any brothers we have wronged. Our offering will mean nothing if we stubbornly hold onto our pride, and refuse to admit our shortcomings. Likewise, we should make sure to settle with God often, through His gift of the sacrament of reconciliation, before we arrive at our own judgment. It is all the more important that we do this as soon as possible, because we do not know how soon we should arrive at His court.

Finally, take all of this in the context of the opening statements of this gospel reading. Jesus tells us that we are subject to judgment if we are angry with, our insult, our brothers (and sisters) (Mt. 5:22). When we get angry with our family, friends, co-workers, acquaintances, or any other people we meet throughout the day, we must seek their forgiveness. What is more, we should watch our actions, and our thoughts, to make sure we communicate in love; discussing civilly, admonishing gently, and forgiving readily.

forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us - Matthew 6:12

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of this day. Thank you for your gift of the sacrament of reconciliation; draw us to it often. Guide us in our interactions with others, especially those who do not believe, that we might treat them with love and respect. We ask all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Counsel

First Reading: Acts 15:1-6
Psalm: Ps 122:1-5
Gospel: Jn 15:1-8

Feast day of Our Lady of Fatima

Friends,

Do you remember being a child and asking your parents questions? "Why is the sky blue?" was a favorite in our house. Now that we're older, where do we go for our answers to all of our questions? The library? The internet? Someone with experience? If we disagree with someone, how do we determine who is right?

Most often, we will seek out a wise counsel. Someone who is very learned in the subject that we are interested in at the moment. For instance, scientists when discussing the sciences. If a question or dispute arises in the area where a particular scientist is very reputable, they might be asked to give their opinion of the matter. They are consulted because they have a put a lot of time and thought into the problem, studied it from a number of angles, and presumably have the best current understanding of the issue.

In the reading for today, a dispute has arisen among the Christians between those of Jewish heritage and those of the Gentiles. The Jewish Christians want to continue observing the Mosaic law, including circumcision. The others feel that this is not necessary. Only one way to settle the dispute: go back to those who are the most knowledgeable on the subject, the apostles. This would be the first of many counsels that the Church would hold to settle differences within the body of Christ, according to his word (see Matthew 18:15-17).

Notice that the apostles do not give an answer immediately. They hear discussion and debate on the subject. They are willing to weigh the merits of both arguments. However, they also add in another element, the teachings with which they are so familiar. Just as a prominent scientist weighs theories against each other, he must also take into account everything else known about the subject before he endorses one theory or another.

We should take this as a lesson for ourselves and not be quick to take sides, but learn what each side has to say. Take the time to discover why people support one belief or another. Above all, discuss with respect. Remember, each side held strongly to their side of the argument, but all of them wanted to follow the teachings of Jesus.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of this day. We pray that we might be respectful in our discussions with those who do not believe what we do. Help us to keep patience and humility in our hearts when speaking to those who disagree, and ward off anger and pride. Give us the grace to see others that differ with us as brothers and sisters in our Lord and to treat them as such, correcting where we must, loving at all times. We ask all of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Favor for the Humble

First Reading: 1 Pt 5:5b-14
Psalm: Ps 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17
Gospel: Mk 16:15-20

The Feast Day of St. Mark

Friends,

Today's reading is a bit different from those of late. It is less of a direct testimony to the miracle of the Resurrection and more of a warning for those who already accept Jesus as Lord.

Clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for:

God opposes the proud but bestows favor on the humble.

So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. - 1 Peter 5:5b-6

Our reminder here is that we must be cautious in our thoughts and our words. When someone is brought back to the faith, it is not because of the superior intellect of his Christian friends. When a miracle is performed, or an apparition to a seer, it is not because of the power of the seer or mystic. Those that begin to see the mighty works done through them as their own begin down a very dangerous path, into pride.

Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your brothers and sisters throughout the world undergo the same sufferings. - 1 Peter 8-9

The devil has power in this world, though he does not have authority. He can speak truths, scattered among his many lies. His skill to manipulate words and twist their meanings is very powerful, but his end goal is always our separation from God. He seeks to do this little by little, with a little sin here, and a dose of pride there. Pride is his own favorite sin and arguably his chief tool against us. As the demon Screwtape said in the works of C. S. Lewis:

He must be made to feel 'how different we Christians are'; and by 'we Christians' he must really, but unknowingly, mean 'my set'; and by 'my set' he must mean not 'The people who, in their charity and humility, have accepted me', but "The people with whom I associate by right'. - The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis

We must remain humbled in our salvation, remembering that our acceptance into the family of God is not because of some great work of ours. Our sins are not less numerous than those of many who do not follow Christ. The moral difference between any Christian and the lowest sinner on earth is that the Christian turns to God and humbly admits his sin and asks for mercy; something that the sinner could (and we pray would) do in a moment. We cannot demand salvation because of our own goodness or works, but God gives it freely to those who ask with a humble heart.

The God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory through Christ Jesus will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little.
To him be dominion forever. Amen. - 1 Peter 5:10-11

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gift of this day. We thank You for the example of Jesus, whom You sent to us in the most humble of ways. We pray that we will follow His example, not turning away sinners, but welcoming them. Grant us the virtue of meekness, that we might remember that we ourselves were once lost in sin, but through Your almighty love, we are rescued. We ask all of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.