Tuesday - April 25, 2017
"We always find that those who walked closest to Christ
were those who had to bear the greatest trials."
-St. Teresa of Avila
TODAY'S READINGS
April 25, 2017
Feast of Saint Mark, evangelist
Lectionary: 555
Reading 11 PT 5:5B-14
Beloved: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.
Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.
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.
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.
I write you this briefly through Silvanus,
whom I consider a faithful brother,
exhorting you and testifying that this is the true grace of God.
Remain firm in it.
The chosen one at Babylon sends you greeting, as does Mark, my son.
Greet one another with a loving kiss.
Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
Responsorial PsalmPS 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17
R. (2) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.or:
R. Alleluia.
The favors of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, "My kindness is established forever";
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The heavens proclaim your wonders, O LORD,
and your faithfulness, in the assembly of the holy ones.
For who in the skies can rank with the LORD?
Who is like the LORD among the sons of God?
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed the people who know the joyful shout;
in the light of your countenance, O LORD, they walk.
At your name they rejoice all the day,
and through your justice they are exalted.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia1 COR 1:23A-24B
R. Alleluia, alleluia.We proclaim Christ crucified:
he is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 16:15-20
Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them:"Go into the whole world
and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved;
whoever does not believe will be condemned.
These signs will accompany those who believe:
in my name they will drive out demons,
they will speak new languages.
They will pick up serpents with their hands,
and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.
They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
Then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them,
was taken up into heaven
and took his seat at the right hand of God.
But they went forth and preached everywhere,
while the Lord worked with them
and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.
******************************
How do people know that you are Christian?
Never are miraculous signs meant for self-glorification. Nor are they meant to make one's own life easier, although that might be a side effect. Always, they are tools of evangelization.
What kinds of signs accompany your daily life? (Ahem, I said DAILY life -- oh, there's the challenge!) What makes you noticeably different from the non-Christians around you? The word "holy" means to be different from the world, set apart from it, belonging not to the world but to the kingdom of God. It does not mean "divine" or "perfect" as we might assume.
Are you holy? Yes you are, and I'll explain how I know this, shortly. Do you live your holy nature? Yes you do, if you behave differently than non-Christians. Although you and I have not perfected our holiness yet (and we won't until we're out of this world and finished with purgatory), we are holy. And how can we be sure of this? Because we have the HOLY Spirit living within us! Our baptisms made us holy. In the Sacrament of Confirmation, we renewed our reliance upon the Holy Spirit to grow in holiness.
The question now is: How does anyone else know that we are holy? How does your spouse know -- or anyone else who lives with you? How does your employer know? If you're a student, do your teachers know? Does your pastor know? Do your neighbors know? How about your friends? How about the grocery store clerk? What about the people in church with whom you interact in ministry and worship?
Don't be surprised by that last question. The divisions and injustices that go on in parish life indicate that we Christians have a lot of work to do to grow in holiness.
Our faith in Christ becomes known -- and evangelizes others -- by the signs that accompany us, i.e., the signs of God's presence within us. His love, his compassion, his wisdom, his patience, his forgiveness, his humility, his healing, and his wonders -- these make us very different from the world.
How do people know that you are Christian?
--
God Bless You.....
KONKANI PRAYER GROUP - Abu Dhabi
"Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone" Mark 16:15
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