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The Catholic Calendar for Saturday, August 31, 2002 Tewnty-first Week in Ordinary Time Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 Psalm 33:12-13,18-21 Matthew 25:14-30 A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture: St. Paul's message, written twenty-four years after our Lord's Ascension, emphasizes the significance of salvation by the cross, rather than by our own accomplishments and intellectual competencies. He reminds us through his first letter to the Corinthians that it is only by the cross that we have salvation. Our lives are lived in the shadow of the cross, whether we acknowledge it or not. To make a small comparison, many people in the world were impacted by the terrorism and deaths at the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001. For many, especially those who lost loved ones, each subsequent day is lived in the shadow of that horrific event. For Christians, the horrific event of the crucifixion is softened somewhat by the realization that Christ freely gave His life in order that we might gain salvation. In accepting this reality and living our lives accordingly we are acting on the advice of St. Paul. We don't need to go looking for crosses in our lives, as they come to each of us, some experiencing heavier ones than others. In reference to the gospel of Matthew regarding "talents", we all realize that to actualize our God-given talents can, at times, seem to be a cross. The endless patience required of parents in raising their children, the hours of practice by the pianist, or the hours of study for students, all can be difficult at times. These are the crosses that we can carry most majestically for the honor and glory of God! O Jesus, Thank you for dying on the cross for us. Help me to carry my little crosses. Amen - Joan of Jesus, ocds ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) YOU CAN HELP to evangelize the Word of God! Please recommend our website to your friends and Catholic webmasters at: http://www.borg.com/~joachim/DailyMeds.html (case sensitive) Also, the meditations are now in weblog form at http://dailymed.blogspot.com/ ARCHIVED Meditations: http://www.abcsoffaith.com/quiet/quietplace.html and at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] For ALL communications, including subscribe/unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (c)1986-2002 The Way, The Truth, The Life. Permission granted to make reprints of the meditations or to post on any web page, except for profit. Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament and Revised Psalms (c)1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copy-right owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.Text from the New American Bible: http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/index.htm Lives of the Saints: http://www.christdesert.org/public_texts/martyrology/ |
Title: Meditation: Saturday, August 31, 2002
