Category: Prayer Intention
“So stand firm, and do not take on yourselves the yoke of slavery a second time.” –Galatians 5:1 Mass Readings: October 10 First: Galatians 4:22-24,26-27,31–5:1; Resp: Psalm 113:1-7; Gospel: Luke 11:29-32 Would a free man who once had been a prisoner of war ever voluntarily return to his former concentration camp to live? “Unthinkable!” (Gal 2:17) Yet God’s people do this constantly. The Israelites escaped the slavery of Egypt, but when times got rough, they preferred to return to flogging and constant brickmaking as long as they could eat their fish, cucumbers, melons, and garlic (Nm 11:4-5). The Galatians began...
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“Where are the other nine?” –Luke 17:17 Mass Readings: October 9 First: 2 Kings 5:14-17; Resp: Psalm 98:1-4; Second: 2 Timothy 2:8-13; Gospel: Luke 17:11-19 The Samaritan leper ignores Jesus’ command to go show himself to the priest. He follows his heart and not Jesus’ order. In so doing, he commits an act of “religious disobedience.” Presumably, when told to go his way by Jesus (Lk 17:19), he does follow Jesus’ command and shows himself to the priests. This was the prescription given for healed lepers in the law of Moses (Lv 13:9-13). Jesus approves of a grateful heart, telling...
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“Blest are they who hear the word of God and keep it.” –Luke 11:28 Mass Readings: October 8 First: Galatians 3:22-29; Resp: Psalm 105:2-7; Gospel: Luke 11:27-28 Mary prophesied that all ages would call her blessed (Lk 1:48). This prophecy was fulfilled when a woman cried out to Jesus: “Blest is the womb that bore You and the breasts that nursed You!” (Lk 11:27) Jesus replied that Mary and each of us are blessed by being disciples of Jesus, that is, those “who hear the word of God and keep it” (Lk 11:28). Being a disciple of Jesus means being...
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“The result is that the last state of the man is worse than the first.” –Luke 11:26 Mass Readings: October 7 First: Acts 1:12-14; Resp: Luke 1:46-55; Gospel: Luke 1:26-38 The man in today’s parable was delivered from evil spirits, but then did nothing more. He was a spiritual sitting duck for Satan, and wound up in worse shape than he was before he was delivered (Lk 11:26). He was like a gardener who pulls up all the weeds from his garden, but then doesn’t plant any crops. Naturally, the weeds will grow right back. Jesus is teaching us that...
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“How could you be so stupid?” –Galatians 3:3 Mass Readings: October 6 First: Galatians 3:1-5; Resp: Luke 1:69-75; Gospel: Luke 11:5-13 “Hey, Galatians,” St. Paul shouts, “wake up! You heard me preach that Jesus saved you by His death and Resurrection. You accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, and received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Then, after I left town, you listened to false preachers, set Jesus aside, and tried to get right with God on your own. How could you be so stupid?” (see Gal 3:1-5) No doubt the Galatians were stunned by Paul’s charges. The fact that...
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