Elija Mission

Lk 17:20-25

Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was to come, Jesus gave them this answer, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God does not admit of observation and there will be no one to say, “Look, it is here! Look, it is there!” For look, the kingdom of God is among you.’ He said to the disciples, ‘A time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of man and will not see it. They will say to you, “Look, it is there!” or, “Look, it is here!” Make no move; do not set off in pursuit; for as the lightning flashing from one part of heaven lights up the other, so will be the Son of man when his Day comes. But first he is destined to suffer grievously and be rejected by this generation.

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Lk 17:7-10

At that time the Lord said, ‘Which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields, “Come and have your meal at once”? Would he not be more likely to say, “Get my supper ready; fasten your belt and wait on me while I eat and drink. You yourself can eat and drink afterwards”? Must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told? So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, “We are useless servants: we have done no more than our duty”.

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Lk 19:1-10

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.  And there was a man named Zacchae′us; he was a chief tax collector, and rich.  And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature.  So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way.  And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchae′us, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today.”  So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully.  And when they saw it they all murmured, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”  And Zacchae′us stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold.”  And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.” Read More

Rom 15:14-21

‘My brothers, I am quite sure that you, in particular, are full of goodness, fully instructed and capable of correcting each other. But I have special confidence in writing on some points to you, to refresh your memories, because of the grace that was given to me by God. I was given grace to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the gentiles, dedicated to offer them the gospel of God, so that gentiles might become an acceptable offering, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. So I can be proud, in Christ Jesus, of what I have done for God. Of course I can dare to speak only of the things which Christ has done through me to win the allegiance of the gentiles, using what I have said and done, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God. In this way, from Jerusalem and all round, even as far as Illyricum, I have fully carried out the preaching of the gospel of Christ; and what is more, it has been my rule to preach the gospel only where the name of Christ has not already been heard, for I do not build on another’s foundations; in accordance with scripture: Those who have never been told about him will see him, and those who have never heard about him will understand’ Read More

Before delving into the life of this blessed woman, we will include an introductory note on the Beguines, the association to which she belonged and which experienced its heyday in the 13th and 14th centuries. The Beguines were pious women, either single or widowed, who lived together and cultivated a spiritual life. Unlike religious orders, the Beguines retained their possessions and made only temporary vows of obedience, renewing them each year. Therefore, these women could return to the world. They elected a “mistress” to run the house for one or two years. Despite the wealth that some of them brought to the community, the Beguines worked with their own hands to earn a living and lived simple, poverty-stricken lives. Beguine houses originated in Flanders (Belgium) and spread throughout Western Europe, although there were also “itinerant Beguines.” Some houses adopted the rule of the Third Order of St. Francis or St. Dominic.

Conflicts with the clergy intensified, as many did not understand the Beguines’ form of life. These tensions reached Rome, where German bishops succeeded in having the Beguines condemned. Subsequently, they were even persecuted and banned. Today, only a few Beguine houses remain in Flanders.

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Rom 13:8-10

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.  The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Read More