Readings & Reflections: Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time & St. Wolfgang of Regensburg, October 31,2019

Jesus calls Herod a “fox.” What are foxes? Animals “that damage the vineyards” (Song 2:15). Jesus tells us how such damage occurs: “You were unwilling.” Only our unwillingness can “separate us from the love of Christ.” By our yes, God “will give us everything else” along with his Son. “We are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered” – sheep who “conquer overwhelmingly” the fox.

AMDG+

Opening Prayer

Dear Lord,  Give us the grace put on the armor of God,
that we may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold our ground.  Enable us to stand fast with our loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and our feet shod in readiness for the Gospel of peace. In Jesus’ Mighty Name, we pray.Amen.

Reading 1 ROM 8:31B-39

Brothers and sisters:
If God is for us, who can be against us?
He did not spare his own Son
but handed him over for us all,
how will he not also give us everything else along with him?
Who will bring a charge against God’s chosen ones?
It is God who acquits us.
Who will condemn?
It is Christ Jesus who died, rather, was raised,
who also is at the right hand of God,
who indeed intercedes for us.
What will separate us from the love of Christ?
Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine,
or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?
As it is written:

For your sake we are being slain all the day;
we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered.

No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly
through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities,
nor present things, nor future things,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature will be able to separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm PS 109:21-22, 26-27, 30-31

R. (26b)Save me, O Lord, in your mercy.
Do you, O GOD, my Lord, deal kindly with me for your name’s sake;
in your generous mercy rescue me;
For I am wretched and poor,
and my heart is pierced within me.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your mercy.
Help me, O LORD, my God;
save me, in your mercy,
And let them know that this is your hand;
that you, O LORD, have done this.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your mercy.
I will speak my thanks earnestly to the LORD,
and in the midst of the throng I will praise him,
For he stood at the right hand of the poor man,
to save him from those who would condemn his soul.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your mercy.

Alleluia SEE LK 19:38; 2:14

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.
Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 13:31-35

Some Pharisees came to Jesus and said,
“Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you.”
He replied, “Go and tell that fox,
‘Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I accomplish my purpose.
Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day, for it is impossible that a prophet should die
outside of Jerusalem.’

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,
but you were unwilling!
Behold, your house will be abandoned.
But I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say,
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection 1– Soldier of Christ

A soldier of Christ is not daunted by any problem or difficulty for he knows that in Him we have already won the battle and in Him we have salvation. He uses the Sword of the Spirit, God’s Word in every circumstance that may came his way. But above all, the life he leads is founded on prayer-supplication, intercession, confession, praise and thanksgiving!

As we live our Christian lives and face up to our daily battles against the evil one, it is important for us to stand still and allow God to fight for us. We should be able to acknowledge that the battle is not ours but the Lord’s. We must turn over the control to God to allow his grace to flow to through us.

In 1 Peter 5:7 we are admonished to cast all our care upon God, for he cares for us. We need to gladly toss away our troubles and give them over to God, because He is big enough to catch them and to deal with them. We should be like Christ, brave and courageous, even in the midst of persecution, Who was not discouraged by any threat but spoke, “Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day, for it is impossible that a prophet should die outside of Jerusalem.”

Every believer must therefore be firmly founded on Christ so that when storms of life try to blow one over, he will not be shaken and moved.  In all circumstances, we need to hold faith as a shield, to quench all the flaming arrows of the Evil One. We need to take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We ought to draw our strength from the Lord and from his mighty power and must put on the armor of God so that we may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the Devil, for our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. In all these, with all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. And as Psalm 55;23 states:  “Cast your cares upon the Lord and He will support you and never will He permit the just man to be disturbed.”

Why fear in our work and battle against the evil one, “if God is for us, who can be against us? He did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him?

Who will bring a charge against God’s chosen ones?  Let us remember that God is always with us, even till the end of time and will never forsake us, “for I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Direction

We should be able to acknowledge that the battles we encounter are not ours but the Lord’s. We must turn over the control to God to allow his grace to flow through us.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, give us the strength to endure the struggles and trials of life and enable us to let your will prevail in us. In Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Reflection 2 – Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

When your security is threatened and danger strikes do you flee or stand your ground? When King Herod, the ruler of Galilee, heard that thousands of people were coming to Jesus, he decided it was time to eliminate this threat to his influence and power. That is why some of the Pharisees warned Jesus to flee from the wrath of Herod. Jesus, in turn, warned them that they were in greater spiritual danger of losing both soul and body if they refused to listen to God and to his messengers the prophets. Like John the Baptist and all the prophets who preceded him, Jesus posed a threat to the ruling authorities of his day.

Do not fear those who oppose God
Jesus went so far as to call Herod a fox. What did he mean by such an expression? The fox was regarded as the slyest of all animals and one of the most destructive as well. Any farmer will tell you how difficult it is to get rid of foxes who under the cover of night steal and destroy. The fox became a symbol of what was worthless,  insignificant, and destructive. It takes great courage to stand up and openly oppose a tyrant. Jesus knew that he would suffer the same fate as the prophets who came before him. He not only willingly exposed himself to such danger, but he prayed for his persecutors and for those who rejected the prophets who spoke in God’s name. Do you pray for your enemies and for those who oppose the gospel today?

Jesus came to set people free from sin and to give them new life
Jesus contrasts his desire for Jerusalem – the holy city and temple of God – with Jerusalem’s lack of desire for him as their long-expected Messiah. Jesus compares his longing for Jerusalem with a mother hen gathering her chicks under her protective wings. Psalm 91 speaks of God’s protection in such terms: He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge (Psalm 91:4). Jesus willingly set his face toward Jerusalem, knowing that he would meet certain betrayal, rejection, and death on a cross. His death on the cross, however, brought about victory and salvation, not only for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, but for all – both Jew and Gentile – who would accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Open the door of your heart to the Lord Jesus
Jesus’ prophecy is a two-edged sword, pointing to his victory over sin and death and foretelling the destruction of Jerusalem and the dire consequences for all who would reject him and his saving message. While the destruction of Jerusalem’s temple was determined – it was razed by the Romans in 70 A.D. – there remained for its inhabitants a narrow open door leading to deliverance. Jesus says: I am the door; whoever enters by me will be saved (John 10:9).

The Lord Jesus opens the way for each of us to have direct access to God who adopts us as his children and who makes his home with us. Do you make room for the Lord in your life? The Lord is knocking at the door of your heart (Revelations 3:20) and he wishes to enter into a close personal relationship with you. Receive him who is the giver of expectant faith, unwavering hope, and undying love. And long for the true home which God has prepared for you in his heavenly city, Jerusalem (Revelations 21:2-4).

“Lord Jesus, I place all my trust and hope in you. Come make your home with me and take possession of my heart and will that I may wholly desire what is pleasing to you. Fill my heart with love and mercy for others that I may boldly witness to the truth and joy of the gospel through word and example, both to those who accept it and to those who oppose it.” – Read the source: http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/2019/oct31.htm

Reflection 3 – On the third day I will accomplish my purpose

• In the Gospel, Jesus demonstrates that he is fully aware of Herod’s plans, as well as those of the chief priests, scribes, elders and Pharisees. He alludes to his imminent death in Jerusalem as well as to the third day of his Resurrection.
• During his public ministry Jesus preached about the Kingdom of God, cast out demons and healed the sick. His mission, though, will culminate in Jerusalem in a few months. He knows that he will return to Jerusalem for the Passover. On that day, Palm Sunday, the crowds will cry out: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”. They will recognize him as royal savior.

Just as the people of Israel refused to heed the word of the prophets, they will refuse to listen to Jesus, who brings a divine message of love, compassion, mercy and salvation. Jesus says that he desires to gather the people under his arms and he will do this on the Cross. His arms will stretch out and he will embrace us.

Jesus fights against evil, sin and death. He is a mighty warrior, clothed in the armor of God. Today, Saint Paul encourages us to draw strength from God in our fight against evil. The armor we will put on in our fight is not made of steel or leather. Just as the Kingdom of God is not a matter of food and drink, but rather of peace, righteousness and justice, so too the armor of God is one of truth, righteousness, good news, faith, salvation, and fortitude.

God is our Rock, God is the one who trains us for battle. God is our fortress of mercy, our stronghold of deliverance, our trustworthy shield. We are under God’s care in all we do. He guides us as we proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

Our mission against evil and our mission to extend the Kingdom, must be sustained by prayer in the Spirit. We should not trust in our own strength or armor, nor should we proclaim our own set of truths. Rather, we rely on the help and power of the Holy Spirit; we are protected and guided by our God, and we seek proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ, so that all men and women may welcome the word of the Kingdom and in turn become soldiers for Christ.

Read the source: http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/daily-homily-on-the-third-day-i-accomplish-my-purpose

Reflection 4 – Wearing the armor of God

Reflection 5 – Joining Jesus on His Way

“O Christians, it’s time to defend your King and to accompany him in such great solitude. Few are the vassals remaining with him, and great the multitude accompanying Lucifer. And what’s worse is that these latter appear as his friends in public and sell him in secret. He finds almost no one in whom to trust.

“O true Friend, how badly they pay you back who betray you! O true Christians, help your God weep, for those compassionate tears are not only for Lazarus but for those who were not going to want to rise, even though his Majesty call them.

“O my God, how you bear in mind the faults I have committed against you! May they now come to an end, Lord, may they come to an end, and those of everyone. Raise up these dead; may your cries be so powerful that even though they do not beg life of you, you give it to them so that afterward, my God, they might come forth from the depth of their own delights.

“Lazarus did not ask you to raise him up. You did it for a woman sinner; behold one here, my God, and a much greater one; let your mercy shine (Source: St. Teresa of Avila, +1582 A.D., Magnificat, Vol. 17, No. 8, p. 396).

Reflection 6 – St. Wolfgang of Regensburg (c. 924-994 A.D.)

Wolfgang was born in Swabia, Germany, and was educated at a school located at the abbey of Reichenau. There he encountered Henry, a young noble who went on to become Archbishop of Trier. Meanwhile, Wolfgang remained in close contact with the archbishop, teaching in his cathedral school and supporting his efforts to reform the clergy.

At the death of the archbishop, Wolfgang chose to become a Benedictine monk and moved to an abbey in Einsiedeln, now part of Switzerland. Ordained a priest, he was appointed director of the monastery school there. Later he was sent to Hungary as a missionary, though his zeal and good will yielded limited results.

Emperor Otto II appointed him Bishop of Regensburg near Munich. He immediately initiated reform of the clergy and of religious life, preaching with vigor and effectiveness and always demonstrating special concern for the poor. He wore the habit of a monk and lived an austere life.

The draw to monastic life never left him, including the desire for a life of solitude. At one point he left his diocese so that he could devote himself to prayer, but his responsibilities as bishop called him back.

In 994 Wolfgang became ill while on a journey; he died in Puppingen near Linz, Austria. He was canonized in 1052. His feast day is celebrated widely in much of central Europe.

Comment:

Wolfgang could be depicted as a man with rolled-up sleeves. He even tried retiring to solitary prayer, but taking his responsibilities seriously led him back into the service of his diocese. Doing what had to be done was his path to holiness—and ours.

Read the source:   http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1185

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