Romans 6:12-18; Ps 124 Our help is in the name of the Lord; Luke 12:39-48
Words from Pope Benedict on this wednesday
"Faith in the Last Judgment is first and foremost hope...Only God can create justice. And faith gives us certainty that he does. The image of the Last Judgment is not primarily an image of terror, but an image of hope...It is an image that evokes responsibility, an image, therefore, of that fear of which St Hilary spoke when he said that all our fear has its place in love. GOd is justice and creates justice. This is our consolation and our hope. And in his justice there is also grace. This we know by turning our gaze to the crucified and risen Christ."
Words of Jesus from Luke 12"39-48
"Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."
"The servant who knew his master's will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master's will shall be beaten only lightly."
"Much will be requires of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more."
Words from Plato
"Often when it is the king or some other monarch or potentate that he has to deal with, he finds there is no soundness in the soul whatever; he finds it scourged and scarred by the various acts of perjury and wrongdoing; it is twisted and warped by lies and vanity, and nothing is straight because truth has had no part in its development. Power, luxury, pride, and debauchery have left it so full of disproportion and ugliness that when he has inspected it he sends it straight to prison, where on its arrival it will undergo the appropriate punishment...
Sometimes though the eye of the judge lights on a different soul which has lived in purity and truth...then he is struck with admiration and sends him to the isles of the blessed."
Pope Benedict continues...
"With death, our life choices becomes definitive- our life stands before the judge. Our choice, which in the course of an entire life takes on a certain shape, can have a variety of forms. There can be people who have totally destroyed their desire for truth and readiness to love...On the other hand there can be people who are utterly pure, completely permeated by God, and thus fully open to their neighbor-people for whom communion with God even now gives direction to their entire being and whose journey toward God only brings to fulfillment what they already are."
Which road are we on? Which shape or form is lour life beginning to take? Are we ready for the judgment that awaits us all?
Quote for today:
"When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion, creatutes bristling with prejudice and motivated by pride and vanity." Dale Carnegie
above a picture of St. Isaac Jogues and companions who were martyred in present day canada. Today is their feast day.
Words from St. Isaac Jogues after he returned from Paris after being rescued from the grip of torture, only to return to face martyrdom.
"Yes, I want what the Lord wants, even if it cost a 1000 lives. The tortures are great but still God is greater and immense."
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