How to Live the Faith
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”Ps. 95
How can we be among Christ’s sheep, His disciples? Jesus Himself told us:
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. They will not follow the voice of another, because they know the voice of their shepherd.”
We tend to think that if we saw Christ, or witnessed a miracle, we would already be His faithful followers. But it is not so, because we remain a fallen nature, and it is difficult for us to overcome the temptations of the devil and the weakness of selfish disorder. For this reason, even St. Paul, who was converted by his encounter with Christ and radically changed his life, continued asking God to free him from the thorn in the flesh, from his weaknesses…
“For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is right, evil lies close at hand. For l delight in the law of God, in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”Romans 7:19ff
That is to say, witnessing miracles does not free us from the struggle against sin, nor does it make holiness easier, which in this world and in our humanity always requires effort.
“The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.”Mt 11:12
“Man’s life on earth is a struggle.”Job 7:1
Therefore, we must strive to follow Jesus, even when the world, the devil, and the flesh want to drag us in another direction-toward greed, lust, gluttony, sloth, etc. Following Jesus requires effort, as St. Paul also expresses in this text:
“So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”1 Cor 9:26-27
To live our faith means to follow Jesus; this can be lived in many ways, according to the gifts and charisms received from God. That is why we see various saints, some founders of communities, with different missions according to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, dedicating themselves to various works of charity—whether corporal or spiritual.
Ask yourself: How does God want me to live my faith? What charisms has He given me? What works of charity do I prefer to practice? How can I put them into practice better each time?
Readings of the Week
Sunday: Hab 1:2-3; 2:2-4/Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9/2 Tm 1:6-8, 13-14/Lk 17:5-10
Monday: Jon 1:1–2:1-2, 11/Jon 2:3, 4, 5, 8/Lk 10:25-37
Tuesday: Jon 3:1-10/Ps 130:1b-2, 3-4ab, 7-8/Lk 10:38-42
Wednesday: Jon 4:1-11/Ps 86:3-4, 5-6, 9-10/Lk 11:1-4
Thursday: Mal 3:13-20b/Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6/Lk 11:5-13
Friday: Jl 1:13-15; 2:1-2/Ps 9:2-3, 6 and 16, 8-9/Lk 11:15-26
Saturday: Jl 4:12-21/Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12/Lk 11:27-28
Next Sunday: 2 Kgs 5:14-17/Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4/2 Tm 2:8-13/Lk 17:11-19
Observances for the Week
Sunday: 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Tuesday: Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary
Next Sunday: 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
