Meditation for the Day

Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time, October 27

Each and Every Day of Our Lives, We Need to Implore the Holy Spirit to Open Our Hearts to God’s Truth, So That We Can Truly Live Our Faith in a Way Which Is Most Pleasing to Our Heavenly and Eternal Father, Never Taking Our Salvation for Granted.

Today, we hear a question posed to Jesus which can weigh heavily on the mind and the heart of every God-fearing person, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?”

And we hear our Lord’s answer which can give each of us pause to reflect upon our own life of faith, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.”

And His answer brings to mind words which we read in the Gospel of Matthew, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven!”

Evidently, our Lord is teaching us today that salvation is not a foregone conclusion! It is something we have to take seriously, something we have to be sure we have taken hold of by faith each and every day of our lives, for we never know which day shall be our last.

Saint Augustine, one of the early Fathers of the Church, once said that God created us without our help, but He will not save us without our help. In other words, while Jesus’ Death and Resurrection have brought about our redemption, each one of us, both you and me, still have a role to play in letting that redemption penetrate our hearts and our minds, affecting our souls.

We have each been given, as a free gift, this faith which we hold so dear – a faith in a loving and merciful God, a God who is the very essence of Love, a God who has created us out of an infinite and indescribable Love, and a God who invites us to share in His Divinity for all eternity.

But what our Lord is teaching us today is that the ultimate choice of entering through “…the narrow gate…” is ultimately ours, for He will not take away our free will of either choosing His will over ours, or choosing to reject Him and all that He offers us.

And yet, as a Loving Father, if we should choose to travel a path in life which leads to spiritual darkness, He will not turn away from us and forget us. Remember the parable of the prodigal son? It is more a story of a loving and forgiving father who patiently waits, always looking out to the horizon waiting for his wayward child to return.

But we also know that a loving father must sometimes reprove his child, so that the child may understand the consequences of making bad decisions – especially if those decisions jeopardize his or her well-being.

Our Heavenly Father is no different. When we make choices which jeopardize the well-being of our souls, then would not a Most Loving and Merciful Father, who only desires the very best for His children, who only desires that we spend our eternity with Him, reprove us so that we may begin to see the consequences of our actions?

We can also imagine our Lord posing to us some rather poignant questions, questions which are very personal to both you and me, questions which are not only pertinent but also quite relevant in this atheistic and hedonistic culture in which we live today –

“How seriously do you take the promise of eternal life? Does My gift to you rank above or below the latest sale at the store on Sunday mornings? Is My gift more important than spending all day Sunday watching football or baseball, or some other extracurricular activity which takes priority over spending at least one hour with the One who has created you and loves you beyond any measure of human understanding?”

Nothing is wrong with shopping or enjoying sports on the weekend. The questions revolve around what our relationship with God is truly like. Do we give quality time to God in our lives? Do we set a good example for our children to follow through the example of how we live our faith?

Only you and I know the answers to these questions. Only you and I know the strength of the faith we carry within our hearts.

Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel that there will be those who will choose a life contrary to what God asks of us. And theirs is a willful choice of an eternity where “…there will be wailing and grinding of teeth…” – a spiritual reality which is not oftentimes preached about in today’s world anymore.

We should NEVER take our salvation for granted! Each and every day of our lives, we need to implore the Holy Spirit to open our hearts to God’s Truth, so that we can truly live our faith in a way which is most pleasing to our Heavenly and Eternal Father!

And Saint Paul reminds us today that, in our human failings, it is the Spirit Himself who cries out to the Eternal Father on our behalf, “The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.”

For all whose hearts and souls are opened to the very Presence of God, it is His Spirit who sanctifies our walk of faith as we journey through life, ultimately seeking the fulfillment of all that our Lord has promised, realizing that it is the Eternal God for whom we truly yearn – “We know that all things work for good for those who love God…”

In the end, when everything is said and done and our hearts beat no more, do we not wish to hear our Lord say to each one of us? – “Well done, my good and faithful servant…Come, share your master’s joy.”

For it is then that we shall truly have LIFE! And have it to the fullest! †

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Please Comment, Like and Share, and Suggest to your Facebook friends – to spread the message of God’s Merciful Love.

Por favor Comente, Le Gusta y Comparta, y Sugiera a tus amigos en Facebook – en difundir el mensaje del Misericordioso Amor de Dios.

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Scripture for the Day

• “Someone asked him, ‘Lord, will only a few people be saved?’ He answered them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.’” (Luke 13:23-24)
• “And you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’ Then he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!’ And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out.’” (Luke 13:26-28)
• “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven!” (Matthew 7:21)
• “I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved…” (John 10:9ab)
• “But without faith it is impossible to please him, for anyone who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)
• “This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3-4)
• “…the Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.” (Romans 8:26)
• “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
• “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10b)
• “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31b-32)
• “Well done, my good and faithful servant…Come, share your master’s joy.” (Matthew 25:21bd)

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Prayer for the Day

“Precious Blood and Living Word of God,
You are my eternal salvation.
Lost in sin, You liberated me.

“You lifted me from perdition and gave me life.
Treasuring my feeble soul,
You excused my constant frailties.

“Forever, I am indebted to You.
Your cost can never be repaid,
For You bought my freedom with Your Blood.

“I will always seek You out, my Lord;
You are my beloved Deliverer!
You are the true Lamb of God!”

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