June 21, 2021

Luigi

June 21, 2021:  St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious

See ten connections with today?
Legend below

Listen

For Psalm 33
  • Gn 12:1-9  Lord to Abram:  “Go to a land I'll show you.  I'll make of you a great nation and bless you; all shall find blessing in you.”  Abram went as the Lord directed him, with his wife, Sarai, his brother’s son, Lot, and their possessions, setting out for Canaan, where the Lord said, “To your descendants I'll give this land.” Abram built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him.
    Animate
  • Ps 33:12-13, 18-20, 22  "Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own."  From heaven the Lord looks down and sees us all, to deliver and preserve us.  We wait for the Lord, our help and shield....
  • Mt 7:1-5  “Stop judging; you'll be judged as you judge.  Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye but not the beam in yours?  Hypocrite, remove the beam; then you'll see clearly to remove the splinter.”
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Reflect
  • Creighton:  In The Miracle Maker (1999), Jesus tells the splinter/beam story, one character pauses to remove an irritant from his eye while the other, carrying a beam over one shoulder, turning to help, swings the beam and knocks several things over.  Jesus and the crowd laugh as they picture the scene with the man who didn’t think to put down the beam first. The scene illustrates the potential destruction if I don’t recognize my blindness but also gives me permission to not take myself so seriously and so be open to learning and making amends when my blind spots are shown to me.  And the heavy, unwieldy beam causing the blindness is a lot of work to carry around!  Even if we're aware of the beam, we may not know how to set it down.  Until we can, may we be present and trust that God will help our friends with their splinters as God will help us set down our beams.
    • When you step away from the familiar, you allow God to become more familiar to you.
    • Before the Lord calls you, he's already prepared everything for you.
    • Often God doesn’t provide the grace till you step out in faith.
    • Don't worry about tomorrow; you have no idea about it.
    • What you give up for God’s sake and the Gospel will return to you a hundredfold.
    • Obeying God's call is about God blessing others through you.
    • Jesus is always with you.
    • Fear is useless; trust is needed.
    • God’s timing is better than ours.
    • In the Spirit is the necessary balance between stepping out in faith and being docile to "let it be done to you.
  • Passionist:  Why should God make a covenant with unknown Abram?  Scholars believe Abram was the first monotheist.  God promised him land, progeny, and blessings.  Faithfulness to God has its rewards.  Jesus and his audience knew rabbinical teaching laid down six works that brought a person credit:  study, visiting the sick, hospitality, prayer, educating children in the Law, and thinking the best of people.  Scripture scholar William Barclay gives three reasons not to judge:  we never know all the facts or the whole person, strict impartiality is practically impossible, and no one is good enough to pronounce judgment.  May we improve our faults and leave others' faults to God.
  • DailyScripture.net:  "Take the log out of your eye":  Think the best of others to grow in love.  We can't see people's inner motives and intentions and don't have all the facts, we're swayed by instinct, and we react unreasonably.
"'Hypocrite,' pretender, is aptly used here, since denouncing evil is best viewed as a matter only for the upright.  We must avoid pretenders who under the guise of seeking advice censure, often moved by malice.  When you must reprove, proceed with discernment and caution.  If the fault is one you had but overcame, remember our common frailty so the correction and admonition will be with mercy.  If you've never had the fault, remember you could have.  If you have the fault, don't correct or rebuke, but bemoan your fault and induce the other to the same concern." (Augustine, Sermon on the Mount, paraphrased)
How we treat others will return to us.  The Lord sees everything, even imperfections and sins we don't see, draws us to his mercy seat, and removes the sin.  Lord, purify my heart so I may have room for charity and forbearance.  "Give us the humility that realizes its ignorance, admits its mistakes, recognizes its need, welcomes advice, and accepts rebuke.  Help us praise not criticize, sympathize not discourage, build not destroy, and think of people at their best not their worst." (Barclay)
    St. Aloysius Gonzaga and...
    St. "Luigi"

    Dress legend
    • 'People' tie pin:  All communities of the earth shall find blessing in you (1st reading); blessed the people the Lord has chosen (psalm)
    • 'Clock' tie bar:  Our soul waits for the Lord (psalm)
    • 'Scales of justice' tie:  Stop judging, lest you be judged (gospel)
    • 'Rulers' suspenders:  The measure you measure will be measured out to you (gospel)
    • '?' tie pin: Jesus' questions:  "Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye but not the beam in yours?  How can you say, ‘Let me remove that splinter’ while the beam is in your eye?  Can a blind person guide a blind person?  Won't both fall into a pit?" (gospel)
    • 'Eyeball' pin:  The Lord's eyes are on those who fear him (psalm); remove the beam from your eye (gospel)
    • 'Wood block' tie pin:  Splinter in my brother’s eye vs. beam in mine (gospel)
    • White shirt:  Liturgical color for St. Aloysius memorial
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