29th Week in Ordinary Time
28th October 2023 (Saturday) Readings and Reflection
Psalter: Week 1
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Ephesians 2:19-22
Brethren: You are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Psalm 19:2-3, 4-5 (R. 5a)
R/. Their sound goes forth through all the earth.
Alleluia
V/. Alleluia R/. Alleluia
V/. We praise you, O God, we acclaim you as Lord; the glorious company of Apostles praise you.
R/. Alleluia
Gospel : Luke 6:12-19
In those days Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples, and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.
Daily Gospel Reflection
The Reflection by Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy MSFS{alertWarning}
Highlight: Strive to live up!
Guidlines: Our vocation always carries with it a profound sense of sacredness because it is the Lord’s choice. It is always his gratuitous grace that we must constantly strive to live up{alertSuccess}
1. Today we celebrate the feast of two of the Twelve Apostles of the Lord, namely Saints Simon and Jude. Simon was a zealot, an anti-Roman nationalist group member. Jude was a cousin of the Lord and author of the epistle of Jude. They preached in Mesopotamia and Persia. They were chosen from among many disciples and named apostles.
2. This is the first thing to note. We are chosen by the Lord. This implies that it is God’s initiative, His free gift. It is not like the other professions where one qualifies himself by fulfilling the requirements. But our vocation is not due to our qualifications or competence. It is not because we deserve it. Rather he qualifies us by choosing us lovingly.
3. He calls us by name. This implies that our vocation is something deeply personal. Each one is related personally to the Lord. Every called person is intimately united with the Lord by an authentic life and is fervently committed to him by an effective mission.
4. Unity is our identity mark as disciples at his feet and apostles on our feet. Being his disciples in prayer and being apostles on his mission must always go together. That was what Jesus did: In communion with the Father and in Commitment to His will. Our constant striving is to be joined to the Lord as the cornerstone and grow into a holy temple in the dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
5. However, this spiritual communion is not enough. Fraternal communion is also a must. We are no longer strangers and sojourners, not only toward God but also toward one another. We are fellow citizens and members of one and the same household.
Practice: Our life and mission can become more credible and effective if there is more spiritual communion and fraternal communion. We must constantly remind ourselves that we are his disciples in intimacy and his apostles in vibrancy{alertSuccess}