Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings

Reflection on Scripture

The psalmist declares in today’s responsorial, “Lord, in your great love, answer me”. How does God answer us? In our humanity, we always look for gratification or acknowledgement for the things we do. In spiritual things, we look for affirmation that we are on the path to salvation, and our words and actions are acceptable to God. We yearn to know that we are doing God’s will. In other words, we constantly seek the consolations of God.

However, God has another plan. The good things we do can come naturally, because we are loved into existence and a brought forth intrinsically good. Good and evil are a choice and are dependent upon our free will and the construct of our conscience.

Though our actions can be good, this does not mean that our actions are life giving. Our words and our actions become life giving when we patiently wait upon the Lord to give us the grace to speak and act in His name. So, how do we know that God is answering our prayer and

blessing us with the fruits and gifts of the Spirit, which is the source of all life?

We need to examine the presence of virtue in our life. By virtue, I mean, the supernatural virtues of faith, hope, and charity. Do we believe in the Son of God and all He revealed to us during His time on earth? Do we believe in our hearts and profess on our lips the good news of salvation? Is our hope in the resurrection, not only for us but for all people, good and bad, when we will enjoy eternal life? Are we growing in love of God and of each other? Do we forgive when the world tells us forgiveness is not possible? Where love is not present, do we bring love into all our life encounters?

If we are living a life rooted in the Holy Spirit and allowing God to direct our thoughts, words, and actions, then we will receive our affirmation that God answers us and not only does He answer us, He gives us the consolation of Himself.

So, today, review the fruits of the Holy Spirit which are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22-23}. Take notice if the fruits of the Spirit are active in your life and take notice if the fruits of the Spirit are accompanied by a desire to know and love God more and a peace and tranquility that transcends all human understanding.

When through prayer in the quiet of our hearts ascends to God through the sanctification of the Holy Spirit, then we are transformed into the likeness of Jesus, which is the likeness of love. What God communicates to us in secret, must not be stored away and kept hidden. Love must be shared and shouted from the rooftops and proclaimed to all people as Jesus instructs us in today’s Gospel.

We are loved beyond human comprehension and cherished by our God. Celebrate the love that God has for us. As sin and death entered the

world through Adam, Jesus, the new Adam, destroyed death and restored us to life. We are not an anonymous race of people. We are God’s people and we proclaim Him each day in our hearts, in our minds, and on our lips. Jesus Christ is Lord.

Deacon Phil