Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB
As
we come to the end of the liturgical year of the church, with the First Sunday
of Advent this Sunday and Christmas just four weeks away, the church gives us
readings that focus on the end times or the final judgement. As Christians, we
are called to live out our lives in the expectation of eventually meeting our
Savior, whether at the end of our lives, or the end of the world. That is to be
the focus of our lives: the eventual judgement day that each one of us will
face.
Living
out our lives here in this world means to be open constantly to the words that
Jesus tells us in holy scripture. His Words will never pass away. All
throughout his ministry Jesus taught us of the love God has for each one of us,
and that we are to respond to that love with love of God and love of our
neighbor.
In
our first reading from Revelation, we hear of the Devil (also known as Satan)
leading all nations away from the love of God and his commandments. The last
thing the Evil One wants is for us to be obedient to God’s commandments of love
and service to His people. The Evil One can be very tempting in how he can lead
us away from God. He is THE great deceiver! But we have tools, given to us by
Jesus Christ, to help us to remain faithful to God and His commandments. These
are the Holy Sacraments. Each Sacrament gives us the grace necessary to grow
ever closer to God. In Baptism, we receive the grace to be children of God, and
all our sins are wiped away the moment we are baptized. Then, as we grow in our
faith, we have Confession to help us during the times when we fall short in our
relationship with God. Then we have the Eucharist, which nourishes us and gives
us spiritual strength to continue our journey towards heaven.
During
this time of Advent, as we prepare for the gift of the Birth of Jesus at
Christmas, let us take time from our busy schedules to do the following: take
time to read daily the scripture from each of the weekday masses and quietly
meditate on what God is trying to tell us; take time out to go to confession,
realizing that we are in need of God’s love and healing, and receive Holy
Communion as often as possible. Then we will be ready by Christmas to celebrate
the birth of the Lord into our lives. Let us always remain focused on God and
His love for us.
From Arlene B. Muller
ReplyDeleteYES, GOD'S Word will never pass away, and although the many ceremonial & dietary laws in the Old Testament have been superseded by the New Covenant, the Ten Commandments still remain in full force and effect. Everything boils down to the two Greatest Commandments that Our LORD taught us & to which you referred: loving GOD (with everything we have within our being) above all & loving every person as ourselves. The Ten Commandments is the "how to" for living in obedience to those two Greatest Commandments.
When I think of the many problems in our modern society as a whole & the problems individuals are having, I often say that we would have a lot fewer problems in this world & individuals would have a lot fewer problems in their lives if we only committed ourselves to living by following what GOD has taught us to do. We are all human & have our human faults & frailties & life presents many challenges (and the devil presents temptations)but with faith in GOD, with love for GOD, others & ourselves & with the help of GOD'S grace, both sanctifying grace through the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist & the Sacrament of Reconciliation (& Matrimony for married people & Holy Orders for clergy & Anointing for the sick) & actual grace that the LORD gives us moment by moment, WE CAN DO THIS!