Reflections of Caritas

GOSPEL: Luke 20:27, 34-38

Dear friends,

As we near the end of the liturgical year, the word of God invites us to contemplate on the mystery of God in relation to human death and life!  Jesus assures us that there is life after death because our God is the God of living. 

This truth—that God is the God of the living—changes the way we view our life right now. We are challenged to live differently today. For we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Show your gratitude today and give thanks to the Savior who made you worthy of that age to come. Live as if this life were nothing but a short journey to your final destination in heaven because that’s exactly what it is. View your wealth not as something to be gathered, but something to be used to serve him in thanks. God blesses us so that we can bless and touch other lives.

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GOSPEL: Luke 19:1-10

Dear friends,

The story of Zacchaeus in the gospel is a true indication that the merciful Christ comes to seek and save us. Irrespective of all human obstacles, the courage and humility of Zacchaeus attracted the attention and mercy of Christ to him. He refused to be limited by the crowd or allow his shortcomings to be a hindrance to his salvation. He saw mercy and salvation, and immediately took advantage of them.

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GOSPEL: Luke 18:9-14

BE HUMBLE!

Dear friends,

In contrasting the prayer of the Pharisee with the prayer of the tax collector in the parable, Jesus teaches his disciples to pray in humility before God. Jesus surprises his listeners by showing the tax collector as the example of faith, rather than the Pharisee. Remember that Pharisees were members of a sect of Judaism active in Jesus' time. If anyone would be a model for prayer, a Pharisee was a likely candidate. In contrast, Jesus offers the tax collector as a model for prayer. This parable reminds us that when we pray, we must remember our need for God in our lives. If we are too full of ourselves, there is too little room for God's grace to work in us. A good life, like a good prayer, comes from emptying ourselves of ourselves to let God in.

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GOSPEL: Luke 18:1-8

PERSIST IN YOUR PRAYER!

Dear friends,

Our readings reveal to us the absolute necessity of praying always without becoming weary. Most of us are not at that stage of life yet! The first reading, from Exodus 17:8-13, tells about Moses holding his hands in prayer. When he became weary, the others helped him keeps his hands up in prayers. This story touches so many aspects of our own lives. We also become weary in praying. Sometimes we don’t even want to pray at all. Sometimes our whole being has lost interest in prayer. We need others to help us keep on praying. Sometimes we lose interest in praying because nothing seems to happen. We pray and God seems silent. We pray and God seems to ignore us. And so we stop praying! That is natural enough. We just don’t do things that have no result. We need others to encourage us and to help us.

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