Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Thursday, 23 October 2014

Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Thursday, 23 October 2014
Meditation: Ephesians 3:14-19 My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.
20-21 God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!
Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!
Saint John of Capistrano, Priest
… who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine, by the power at work within us. (Ephesians 3:20)
Imagine if there were a history book that could capture the story of everyone who has ever made a difference in this world. Do you think your name would be in that book?
It would be! Whether you recognize it or not, you are an important player in the world. You have a key role in the unfolding of God’s master plan. Simply by being who you are, you are changing history. Your words, your actions, your demeanor are helping to shape other people and their perception of the Lord. Even your prayers are changing the world!
Sometimes it’s hard to fathom this truth. If we’re not careful, it can even make us feel a little bit defeated. We may look at our faults and worry that we are making the wrong kind of mark on history. How could we ever advance God’s plan when we are dealing with our own mistakes and weaknesses?
Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians today urges us not to worry. Why? Because there is a mighty power at work within us! Paul tells us that if we try our best to connect with the Holy Spirit every day, we will be able to “accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine”—even in our little corner of the world (Ephesians 3:20)!
Pope Francis echoes Paul’s encouragement in his exhortation The Joy of the Gospel: “To believe that the Holy Spirit is at work in everyone means realizing that he seeks to penetrate every human situation and all social bonds.” He reminds us that “evangelization is meant to cooperate with this liberating work of the Spirit” (178).
God needs someone in your corner of the world at this particular time in history. He has placed you here for a reason. He knows what you are capable of doing. Even in your imperfections, you are still the perfect fit for the work God has set out for you.
So let yourself become the instrument that God created you to be. Cooperate with his Spirit, and you’ll change the world.
“Lord, help me remember that you are at work in me and through me. Help me surrender to you and rejoice in what we can accomplish together.” Amen!
Psalm 33:1-3 Good people, cheer God!
    Right-living people sound best when praising.
Use guitars to reinforce your Hallelujahs!
    Play his praise on a grand piano!
Invent your own new song to him;
    give him a trumpet fanfare.
4-5 For God’s Word is solid to the core;
    everything he makes is sound inside and out.
He loves it when everything fits,
    when his world is in plumb-line true.
Earth is drenched
    in God’s affectionate satisfaction.
10-12 God takes the wind out of Babel pretense,
    he shoots down the world’s power-schemes.
God’s plan for the world stands up,
    all his designs are made to last.
Blessed is the country with God for God;
    blessed are the people he’s put in his will.
18-19 Watch this: God’s eye is on those who respect him,
    the ones who are looking for his love.
He’s ready to come to their rescue in bad times;
    in lean times he keeps body and soul together.
Luke 12: To Start a Fire
49-53 “I’ve come to start a fire on this earth—how I wish it were blazing right now! I’ve come to change everything, turn everything rightside up—how I long for it to be finished! Do you think I came to smooth things over and make everything nice? Not so. I’ve come to disrupt and confront! From now on, when you find five in a house, it will be—
Three against two,
    and two against three;
Father against son,
    and son against father;
Mother against daughter,
    and daughter against mother;
Mother-in-law against bride,
    and bride against mother-in-law.”
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