Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings

Reflection on Scripture

At Mass, we recite the Nicene Creed in which we affirm our belief in the Blessed Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one holy and catholic church, and the resurrection of the dead. In the Our Father, we ask the Lord for forgiveness in the same manner we forgive others. We say what is proper but how do we act?

Often, we are like ships on a rough sea and we are tossed about driven by the force of the sea and with no control over our final destination or the proper course to steer. So, each of us becomes a contradiction in our faith, professing one thing and doing another.

Jesus did not sway or change direction in His public ministry. His purpose of bringing salvation to all people and doing the will of the Father were His sole motivation and conviction. We are called to be the same.

Sin is a blindfold for the soul. Sin distorts our mission on earth and leads down paths that are not straight and in directions that take us further from our goal of salvation. Sometimes, we follow this path innocently enough because we are ignorant and not trained properly in our faith. Faith is not a numbers game but a total and absolute surrender to the will of God. And sadly, we do not have a lot of time to change course and direction.

How do we change our ways and return to the road least travelled? It takes a commitment of the will to turn away from the things that are not of God and to embrace the Word of God as a life jacket on a boat caught in a storm at sea.

Begin each day with a simple commitment dedicating the day to allow the Lord to walk with us through our daily chores and task and asking His blessing in all that we think, do, and say. Invite Jesus into our hearts and minds and ask the Blessed Virgin to guide through the pathways of life. Observe fifteen minutes of quiet before the Lord and acknowledge that here I am Lord, I come to do your will.

Greet every person as one greater than us in faith and humble ourselves before the Lord and the people we meet as Jesus humbled Himself to take on our humanity. Forgive all and leave the past in the past, for today is a fresh and glorious start for the remainder of our lives here on earth.

Pray the rosary, meditating on the mysteries. Oh, you don’t have the time. Start with and Our Father, five Hail Mary’s, and a Glory be. Our spiritual Mother will guide us and obtain for us the grace of salvation.

Do not let Scripture be something we hear on Sunday. Subscribe to a daily source like the Morning Offering and consume the word of God offered each day and allow the Word to become incarnate in us and to be transformed in the very image of Jesus.

My greatest fear is that so many men and woman who follow the prescriptions of the faith, will not know Jesus when they leave this valley of tears and go before Him in judgment. Jesus will not ask us how much good we did. Jesus will ask us how much we allowed Him to love us and how much we loved others.

The signs are all around that the world is moving quickly to obliterate Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection by replacing them with false gods created in the image of the world and all its sinfulness.

Holiness is not for a few. The great saints were all sinners that were forgiven and lived a life in Christ Jesus offering themselves for the salvation of all humankind. We are called and tasked to do and be the same. It starts with here I am Lord, I come to do your will and then do it.

Deacon Phil