MEDITATIONS

Word Among Us, Oct 2005

OCTOBER 1-8

1 Saturday, October 1

Luke 10:17-24

What a joyful tone this reading has! Jesus had sent out seventytwo of his followers to preach and teach and heal and deliver, and they returned with glowing reports of success. Just think: Jesus had entrusted these relatively unknown men and women with the same work of the kingdom that he had given to the twelve apostles. Imagine the confidence he must have had in them.

What do we make of this? That Jesus doesn't want to limit the work of the gospel to just a chosen few. Jesus is confident in each one of us. We are all called, empowered, and expected to bring people to him. So none of us should feel inadequate or too fearful. All we have to remember is that it is not so much what we do, but what we allow the Spirit to do through us.

Often it only takes a simple gesture to begin to reach out. Start small and let the Spirit build your confidence. Intercede for someone you know. Try to perform two or three extra acts of kindness a day, and see what opportunities for evangelism these open up. Who knows? (Maybe you will make a positive, eternal difference in someone's life.

Saints like Thérèse of Lisieux remind us that no matter what our situation in life, we can bring people to Jesus. A young cloistered nun who spent her last years bedridden, St. Thérèse was named patroness of missions because her prayers and spiritual writings circulated the globe even when she couldn't. Simply because she was open to the Spirit, she has touched thousands of hearts with the love of God. So listen as she urges all of us: "Let us work together for the salvation of souls. We have only the day of this life to save souls and to give them to the Lord as proofs of our love."

"Lord Jesus, I want to join you in bringing in the harvest. May your Holy Spirit encourage and empower me to spread your message of love and salvation. Lord, you have brought me so much joy-let me not hesitate to bring that joy to others!"

* Baruch 4:5-12,27-29; Psalm 69:33-37

2 Sunday, October 2

Matthew 21:33-43

Jesus' parable of the tenant farmers communicates very effectively. You can tell because, as he closed this story of the sharecroppers' horrible crimes, his indignant audience recommended the harshest punishment for them. You can also tell it was a gripping story because it took his listeners-the chief priests and Jewish elders who were opposed to him-a moment to realize that they were the villains portrayed in the parable. Once they grasped what Jesus was saying, these religious leaders vowed to silence Jesus (Matthew 21:45-46).

In our haste to condemn the farmers (as well as Jesus' enemies), we may forget how easy it can be for us to fall into the same trap. Comfortable with our lives, we forget that all we are and all we have is merely on loan from our heavenly Father. He not only deserves a share of the profits, he has the right to call in his capital without notice.

We can apply the poignant words of the vineyard owner in the first reading to the church today. Despite God's vision for a fruitful garden where his beloved children enjoy intimacy with him, weakened moral and catechetical walls leave us vulnerable to the raids of secular thinking and doctrinal relativism. Although we certainly have real enemies in the outside world, they gain power from our own attitudes and divisions.

Wherever this parable catches us, we stand in need of God's mercy. If we are the unappreciated messengers, God hasn't given up-but he may require more sacrifice. If we are repentant old tenants or embarking on a new endeavor, God wants a fresh acknowledgment so that he can carry out his vision through us. Sometimes this means clearing the ground and starting anew. But other times it simply means making a few adjustments and continuing to move forward. Whatever our situation, let's do all we can to give the Lord his due!

"Lord, my life is yours. My time is yours. Every member of my family is yours. My home is yours. My job is yours. My resources are yours. My health is yours. My future is yours. I receive all this humbly from your hand, and I offer it back gratefully to you. Help me to work with you to make my environment more like your kingdom."

* Isaiah 5:1-7; Psalm 80:9,12-16,19-20; Philippians 4:6-9

3 Monday, October 3

Jonah 1:1-2:1-2,11

Look at the lengths God went to in order to speak to Jonah and guide his steps. As the story unfolds, God pursues Jonah in a variety of ways-through a prophetic calling, through a storm at sea, in the belly of a huge fish, even through a hapless and short-lived broom tree. When God first called Jonah to be his mouthpiece to Nineveh, the hated capital of powerful Assyria, Jonah flatly refused. Suspecting that God intended to show mercy to these enemies of Israel, he became resentful and fled by sea to far-off Tarshish.

Jonah figured that even if he changed his mind, he would be too far away to do any good. But he quickly learned that it is impossible to outsmart God when his attempt to flee included a violent storm and an unexpected trip overboard. That's when God, with whom all things are possible, provided the great fish to swallow Jonah and speed him home so that he might start all over again. This unique mode of transportation helped Jonah put things in perspective so that when God called him a second time, he obeyed. Such a dramatic-and at times comical-story points out that God will persistently pursue us in order to work his will.