The WORD
today (see http://usccb.org/bible/readings/101017.cfm)
reminds me that God wants me to listen to and obey Him.
God is a God of second chances.
We see in the reading yesterday that Jonah initially ran away from Him.
However, God did not give up. He called Jonah, and when he was ready, God gave
him another chance to serve Him. This should remind us that no single mistake can take us away from God’s favor.
He will give us opportunities to correct our mistakes and to make up for them.
Even if we sin and turn away from Him, he will still use us, if we allow Him to.
Jonah’s obedience to God spared
lives. As he followed God, he told the people God’s wrath was upon them. Then
the people, led by the king, sincerely repented of their sins. God saw the
sincerity, and spared their city of what he was planning to do… all because
Jonah answered to God’s call. All because Jonah obeyed God – no matter how
tiring or how futile the action may seem to be.
In the gospel, we are reminded
of this again. Mary sat down and listened to Jesus, while Martha was busy
serving them. Of course, action is important. However, before we act, we should
first listen to make sure our actions are founded on love. Before we act, we
should first be filled with God, to make sure our intentions for our actions
are pure, are correct.
May we be inspired by Mary and
Jonah, to listen to God and be filled with his love and take in his word, then
act for him, so our actions will be based on love, will be based on him, and
would be powerful for Him.
Father God,
Thank you for
today. Thank you for another day to live. thank you for another day full of
blessings and new beginnings. Lord, thank you for the reminders. Thank you for
giving me second chances to do things for you. thank you that you have patience
for me and my hard heart. Sorry for being busy. Sorry when my focus is on the
wrong thing. Help me be like Mary who intently listened to you. help me be like
Jonah who followed you. Fill me with your love so that all my actions would be
based on that love. Use me mightily to bless others. Amen.
Blessed
day!
In
Christ,
-g-
Tuesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 462
Reading 1JON 3:1-10
"Set out for the great city of Nineveh,
and announce to it the message that I will tell you."
So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh,
according to the LORD's bidding.
Now Nineveh was an enormously large city;
it took three days to go through it.
Jonah began his journey through the city,
and had gone but a single day's walk announcing,
"Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,"
when the people of Nineveh believed God;
they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small,
put on sackcloth.
When the news reached the king of Nineveh,
he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe,
covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes.
Then he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh,
by decree of the king and his nobles:
"Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep,
shall taste anything;
they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water.
Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth
and call loudly to God;
every man shall turn from his evil way
and from the violence he has in hand.
Who knows, God may relent and forgive,
and withhold his blazing wrath,
so that we shall not perish."
When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way,
he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them;
he did not carry it out.
Responsorial PsalmPS 130:1B-2, 3-4AB, 7-8
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
Let Israel wait for the LORD,
For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
AlleluiaLK 11:28
Blessed are those who hear the word of God
and observe it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 10:38-42
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
"Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply,
"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her."
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