Galatians 3:22-29 / Luke 11:27-28
Paul speaks about faith: Faith in Christ makes us children of God.
A Cleveland man, W. J. Hecht, made out a spiritual will and
testament for his four children. He requested it be read at his funeral Mass. A
portion of it reads: "[My children,] I leave you faith in God. Please
keep it, use it, cherish it, and pass it on. This inheritance of faith far
surpasses any other possession I could leave you." The reason why it
surpasses any other possession is clear. Our faith in God reveals Jesus Christ
to us and makes us members of his body. Because of our unity with Christ, we
can truly call God "our Father" and he can truly call us "his
children."
****
How well are we growing in our own faith and passing it on to our children? "I
have never discarded beliefs deliberately. I left them in the drawer, and,
after a while I opened it. There was nothing there at it all." William
Graham Sumner
***
In the Mass as well as in devotions, there are always hymns
of praise. These hymns are sung to praise and thank the Lord and they are
usually sung with feeling and emotion. Also, dynamic and emotive hymns are
preferred in order to appeal to the emotions of the people and also to elicit a
more fervent response from them. But where the emotions and the feeling fade
off, that is where the real action begins. Our hymns of praise must
also be translated into acts of love for God and neighbour.
That was why in response to the acclamation of praise, Jesus sobered down the
emotions to focus on doing the will of God. As we offer this Mass in honour of
our Lady, let us remember that she heard the Word of God, pondered on it and
did the will of God in her life. May we who honour her also learn from her and
do God's will in our lives.
****
Saturday October 8
WORDS BECOME DEEDS
Introduction
The disciplinarian of whom Paul speaks was the slave in charge of the education
of the young. That was the role of the Jewish law. But now that Christ has come
that educator is no longer needed. Faith has come and has made us children of
God, whether we are Jews or pagans, free people or slaves, male or female.
Without any distinction, we belong to Christ.
In the gospel a woman admires Jesus, and with perhaps a hint of jealousy, she
exclaims that indeed the mother of Jesus must be a fortunate woman to have such
a son. Jesus’ answer goes deeper, to a deeper motherhood, for those who bear
Jesus, the Word of God in their hearts and their lives: those therefore who
bring forth Jesus in faith.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
your Son was born into this world
from the Blessed Virgin Mary.
We praise you for your goodness
but we also ask this of you:
Let your Son be born in us in faith,
in our lives: in our words, our thoughts,
our attitudes and all we do.
And then, out of the fullness in us,
may we share him with those around us
as the Lord who belongs to all
now and for ever.
Commentary
If we are now free of the law, what role does it play? For the Jews it was the
disciplinarian leading to the freedom of faith. The law restricted and confined
the Jew, setting limits within which he was held, until he was brought to
Christ and the freedom that he conveys. Those who have been baptized have been
clothed with Christ. This investiture eliminates all other distinctions. There
is now no inequality between Jew and Greek, slave and free person, male and
female. We are now one in Christ Jesus and as believers the true children of
Abraham.
Human parentage means little in comparison with being one with the Lord in
faith. That is the clear teaching of today’s Gospel. It is one thing to be
redeemed in the blood of the Savior. It is quite another to share in his life,
to be Spirit-filled, to be a member of the household of God. Our faith is not a
question of duty or precepts. It is a matter of gratitude. We have not only
been drawn out of darkness; we have been bathed in fight, bound together in a
family of love.
Mary’s virtues are also sung in the scriptures. God looked on her lowliness;
future generations will call her blessed. She too recognizes that it is all due
to God’s goodness. It was he who is mighty who has done great things for her.
While none of us will ever be seen in the same fight as Mary, that same
goodness of God has been showered on us and brought us into a new level of
fife.
Points to Ponder
The role of the Jewish law
Faith and freedom
Equality in Christ
Intercessions
– That we may be grateful to the Lord Jesus that we know him and love him, we
pray:
– That with Mary we may pray that God’s word may be fulfilled in us, we pray:
– That there may be more people to hear the word of God proclaimed to them, we
pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
your sons and daughters pray to you
to give us here and now your Son Jesus Christ.
Let him warm our hearts,
make us similar to him,
fill us with his Holy Spirit,
that he may become fully alive in us and we in him
and that through us his light may shine
and drive away the darkness of this world,
for Jesus is our Lord for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
create us anew through your word
and let Jesus, your living Word,
grow in us day after day.
May we keep rising with him
above our self-sufficiency
and learn from him to bring him to life in others
with an extended hand, a gesture of compassion,
and a smile of hope to the lonely.
Let him live in us now and for ever.
Blessing
The word of God is not just a word but an action. That is even the meaning of
“word” in the Old Testament: both word and action. May the word of God become
action in us, deeds of goodness and love and service. And may almighty God
bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
