October 25, 2016

Oct. 25

October 25, 2016:  Tuesday, 30th week, Ordinary Time



  • 'Fruits' tie with grapes:  You who follow the Lord shall eat the fruit of your handiwork.  Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine... (psalm)
  • 'Tree' pin:  Mustard bush... (gospel)
  • 'Bird' tie pin:  ...in which birds dwelt (gospel)
  • 'Wheat' pin:  God's Kingdom is like yeast mixed with wheat flour (gospel)
  • 'Hand' tie pin (oops, forgot to pack):  Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the Church and handed himself over for her (1st reading)
    • Green shirt:  Ordinary Time season
    Listen

    Pope Francis homily
    Is the Kingdom of God a well-made, tidy, organized structure?  No; it's moving forward, re-creating itself every day.  Yeast doesn't remain yeast; it's mixed in with the flour and so is on a journey to become bread.  And the seed doesn't stay a seed; it dies and gives life to a tree.  Both yeast and seed are on a journey to do something, but to do it they die.  It's not a problem of smallness; it's a question of journeying and being transformed along the way.
    Don't be rigid and not journey forward!  What does the Lord ask of us so that the Kingdom can grow?  Docility:  the Kingdom grows through docility to the Holy Spirit.  The flour becomes bread because it's docile to the yeast, and the yeast allows itself to be mixed with the flour.  Flour has no feelings, but allowing the yeast in might involve suffering?  The Kingdom grows like this and becomes bread for everybody.  As the flour is docile to the yeast, the seed too allows itself to be fertilized and loses its identity as a seed and transforms itself.  It’s the same with the Kingdom of God journeying towards hope and fullness.
    The Kingdom grows through our docility to the Spirit that, just like the yeast and seed transform themselves to grow.  If we don't journey forward, we become rigid, and it makes us orphans without the Father.  A rigid person only has masters, no father.  God's Kingdom is like a fertile mother who gives of herself so her children have food and lodging, according to the example of the Lord.  Ask for the grace of docility to the Holy Spirit.  Often we're not docile to our moods, our judgments; the Kingdom doesn't grow like that, and neither do we.  Docility to the Spirit makes us grow and be transformed.  May the Lord make us all docile.
    Read
      Mustard bush; bird approaching...
    • Eph 5:21-33  Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.  Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord, as the Church is subordinate to Christ.  Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the Church and handed himself over for her.  Each should love his wife as himself, and the wife should respect her husband.
    • Ps 128:1-5  "Blessed are those who fear the Lord."  The Lord bless you; may you see prosperity.
    • Lk 13:18-21  “The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed planted in the garden; it became a large bush.  It's like yeast a woman mixed with flour till all the dough was leavened.”
    Reflect
      • Creighton:  Most of us may be more likely to wake up reviewing our to-do lists than thinking "I’m going to do something today to build God’s Kingdom," but indeed we can help build the Kingdom every day.  Who planted a “mustard seed” that grew in your life?  A supervisor, teacher, parent, family member?  What can this teach you about becoming a “mustard seed” for someone else?
      • One Bread, One Body:  "Vocation shortage":  In addition to the priest shortage, there's also a marriage vocation crisis:  half of Catholic marriages end in divorce, and many married couples are miserable.  We must live the God-given vocation of marriage by a life in the Spirit, and daily seeking and receiving the grace of the sacrament.  When we don't give all, we don't get all.  Holy Catholic marriages can be the seed ground of more holy vocations; good marriages attract other good marriages and other holy vocations.
        Frei Galvão
      • Passionist:  As a mustard seed can grow into a large shrub, a thought can lead to something big.  Let's think about and plan for peace.  Thoughts have power, show us goals, focus our attention, mobilize our energy, and can lead to action.  “Change your thoughts and you can change the world” (Peale).  “Thy kingdom come” asks God to direct our thoughts and actions to justice, peace, and love.
      • DailyScripture.net:  "What God's kingdom is like":  As a mustard seed grew to be a tree that attracted birds because they loved its seeds, God's kingdom starts from small beginnings in hearts receptive to God, works unseen, and transforms from within.  Leaven is also an agent of change:  when added to dough and heated, rich bread results.  God's kingdom transforms those who receive the life Jesus Christ offers....
        • Frei Galvão (St. Anthony of St. Anne), Franciscan priest, confessor, healer, 1st Brazilian-born saint.
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