Tuesday 25th June, 2019. Genesis 15:1-12.17-18, Psalm 105 and Matthew 7:15-20
_*“Beware
of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are
ravenous wolves.” (Matthew 7:15)*_
The difference between a good tree
and a bad one is not in its shape, size, age or colour. Rather, it is in the
nature of the fruits it produces. A tree may appear very nice on the outside
but if it bears rotten fruits, then it is good for nothing but to be cut down
and used as firewood.
It is not a secret today there are
many fake men and women of God claiming to be sent from God when in fact, they
are simply using the name of God as a cover for their unscrupulous business.
These charlatans are so good in their trade that one can almost not distinguish
them from the genuine.
It is easy to pretend, it is easy to
deceive others; it is easy to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing but then, no matter
how much we pretend to be who we are not, our fruits will eventually sell us
out.
As Jesus told the Samaritan woman:
“The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the
Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him.” (John
4:23). Is my worship of God simply a show? What kind of fruits am I producing?
In today’s first reading, Abram is in
conversation with God. When God told him to look at the stars and consider
their number as his descendants, Abram believed it completely. His faith in God
was credited to him as righteousness. We may pretend about everything else but
we can never pretend about our beliefs. In truth, what we believe determine the
kind of fruits that we bear.
When God promised Abram a land, he
asked for proof. “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” Is
it the case that Abram doubted God for asking for a proof? God sees our heart,
He knows when our demand for proof is because of our faith or because of our
doubt.
Mary asked a similar question when
the Angel Gabriel told her she was going to give birth to Jesus: “How shall
this be, since I have no husband?” (Luke 1:34). Zechariah asked a similar question but in his case, his heart
was full of doubt. Instead of getting an answer, his power of speech was
withheld for some time. There is no crime in asking God for proof (clarification,
certainty) but be sure that there is no doubt in your heart.
Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, free me from
self-deception and pretence. Amen.
*Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you. (Wednesday of the 12th Week in Ordinary
time. Bible Study: Genesis 15:1-12.17-18, Psalm 105 and Matthew 7:15-20).*
Today is the Feast of St. Josemaria
Escriva. Josemaría was born in Barbastro, Spain, on January 9, 1902. His parents,
José and Dolores, brought up their children with a devout Catholic faith. Ordained
on March 28, 1925, he began his ministry in a rural parish, and afterwards in
Saragossa. In 1927, with the permission of his bishop, Fr. Josemaría moved to
Madrid to work on his doctorate in law. There, on October 2, 1928, God showed
him clearly the mission he had been hinting to him for several years; and he
founded Opus Dei. From that day on he worked with all his energies to develop
the foundation that God asked of him, while he continued to fulfil the various
priestly responsibilities he had at that time. These brought him into daily
contact with sickness and poverty in the hospitals and the poor districts of
Madrid.
When the
civil war broke out in 1936, Josemaría was in Madrid. The religious persecution
forced him to take refuge in a variety of places. He exercised his priestly
ministry in a clandestine fashion until he was finally able to leave Madrid.
After escaping across the Pyrenees to southern France, he took up residence in
Burgos.
At the end of the war in 1939 he returned to Madrid. In the years that followed he gave many retreats to lay people, priests, and members of religious orders. In the same year, 1939, he completed his doctorate in law. In 1946 he took up residence in Rome. There he obtained a doctorate in theology from the Lateran University and was named consultor to two Vatican Congregations, as well as honorary member of the Pontifical Academy of Theology, and prelate of honour to His Holiness.
From Rome he
frequently went to different countries in Europe, including Britain and
Ireland, to spur on the apostolic work of Opus Dei. It was with the same
objective that, between 1970 and 1975, he made long trips to Mexico, Spain,
Portugal, South America, and Guatemala, holding catechetical gatherings which
large numbers of men and women attended. He died in Rome on June 26, 1975. On
May 17, 1992, Pope John Paul II beatified Josemaría Escrivá. He proclaimed him
a saint ten years later, on October 6, 2002, in St. Peter’s Square, in Rome,
before a great multitude. In his homily on that occasion, the Pope said:
“Following in his footsteps, spread in society the awareness that we are called
to holiness, without distinction of race, class, culture or age.”
In recent
times, I have had cause to interact with the members of the Opus Dei Society
and I must say I have benefitted immensely from the legacies of St. Josemaria
Escriva
No comments:
Post a Comment