Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Thursday, 30 October 2014

Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Thursday, 30 October 2014
Meditation: Ephesians 6: A Fight to the Finish
10-12 And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
13-18 Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.
19-20 And don’t forget to pray for me. Pray that I’ll know what to say and have the courage to say it at the right time, telling the mystery to one and all, the Message that I, jailbird preacher that I am, am responsible for getting out.
30th Week in Ordinary Time
Our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with … the evil spirits in the heavens. (Ephesians 6:12)
“Life would be so much easier if my spouse would stop being so irritating. And that annoying co-worker! If she would just shape up, I wouldn’t get so mad. While we’re at it, I wish my neighbor would stop showing off his new car. You know, I would be so much happier if I had one too.”
How often we blame our issues on someone else! But St. Paul reminds us not to lose sight of the real battle. It’s not with the other person but with the devil himself, who wants to separate us from each other and from Jesus.
When you have resentful thoughts about your spouse or envious thoughts about your neighbor, who do you think planted them? It’s not your co-worker’s fault; it’s a temptation from the devil! He’s the one whispering the divisive words to you.
Pope Francis has spoken repeatedly about how the devil works to cut us off like this. In a homily last April, he asked, “What does Satan do to distance us from the path of Jesus? First, his temptation begins gradually but grows and is always growing. Second, it grows and infects another person; it spreads to another and seeks to be part of the community. And in the end, in order to calm the soul, it justifies itself. It grows, it spreads, and it justifies itself.”
What an insidious strategy! It’s easy to feel justified in our complaints, in sharing them with other people, and in presenting a case for why we’re right. But we don’t have to go along with the temptation. Pope Francis continued, “Our Christian life is a struggle. That’s because the Prince of this world, Satan, doesn’t want our holiness. We mustn’t be naïve, right?”
Don’t be naïve. Remember that you aren’t fighting against flesh and blood—your annoying co-worker, your boundary-pushing teenager, or your bragging neighbor. So don’t take it out on them. Rather, engage your real enemy the best way you can—by staying close to Jesus, King of kings, who has conquered the devil.
“Jesus, help me see the true battle lines—and to trust in your victory!” Amen!

Psalm 144: A David Psalm
1 1-2 Blessed be God, my mountain,
    who trains me to fight fair and well.
He’s the bedrock on which I stand,
    the castle in which I live,
    my rescuing knight,
The high crag where I run for dear life,
    while he lays my enemies low.
9-10 O God, let me sing a new song to you,
    let me play it on a twelve-string guitar—
A song to the God who saved the king,
    the God who rescued David, his servant.
Luke 13:31 Just then some Pharisees came up and said, “Run for your life! Herod’s on the hunt. He’s out to kill you!”
32-35 Jesus said, “Tell that fox that I’ve no time for him right now. Today and tomorrow I’m busy clearing out the demons and healing the sick; the third day I’m wrapping things up. Besides, it’s not proper for a prophet to come to a bad end outside Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killer of prophets,
        abuser of the messengers of God!
How often I’ve longed to gather your children,
        gather your children like a hen,
Her brood safe under her wings—
        but you refused and turned away!
And now it’s too late: You won’t see me again
        until the day you say,
    ‘Blessed is he
    who comes in
    the name of God.’”
____________________________