Elija Mission

Is 61:1-3

Reading for the memorial of St. Martin of Tours

 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
   because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good tidings to the afflicted;[a]
    he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
    and the opening of the prison[b] to those who are bound;
 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
    and the day of vengeance of our God; Read More

1 Kgs 17:8-16

Then the word of the Lord came to him, “Arise, go to Zar′ephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.”  So he arose and went to Zar′ephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”  And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a cruse; and now, I am gathering a couple of sticks, that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” Read More

Jn 2:13-22

When the time of the Jewish Passover was near Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and in the Temple he found people selling cattle and sheep and doves, and the money changers sitting there. Making a whip out of cord, he drove them all out of the Temple, sheep and cattle as well, scattered the money changers’ coins, knocked their tables over and said to the dove sellers, ‘Take all this out of here and stop using my Father’s house as a market.’ Then his disciples remembered the words of scripture: I am eaten up with zeal for your house. The Jews intervened and said, ‘What sign can you show us that you should act like this?’ Jesus answered, ‘Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ Read More

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain” (Ps 126:1).

These words are a profound invitation to surrender ourselves completely to our Father in all areas of our existence, always seeking His ways. Certainly there are things in life that we must decide for ourselves, because God has entrusted them to us. But even here we must examine ourselves: In what spirit do we do things, with our eyes fixed on the Lord to always find the right way, or are we too focused on our own efforts? Read More

Lk 16:1-13

He also said to his disciples, ‘There was a rich man and he had a steward who was denounced to him for being wasteful with his property. He called for the man and said, “What is this I hear about you? Draw me up an account of your stewardship because you are not to be my steward any longer.” Then the steward said to himself, “Now that my master is taking the stewardship from me, what am I to do? Dig? I am not strong enough. Go begging? I should be too ashamed. Ah, I know what I will do to make sure that when I am dismissed from office there will be some to welcome me into their homes.” ‘Then he called his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, “How much do you owe my master?” “One hundred measures of oil,” he said. The steward said, “Here, take your bond; sit down and quickly write fifty.” To another he said, “And you, sir, how much do you owe?” “One hundred measures of wheat,” he said. The steward said, “Here, take your bond and write eighty.” ‘ Read More

Phil 3:3-8

We are the true people of the circumcision since we worship by the Spirit of God and make Christ Jesus our only boast, not relying on physical qualifications, although, I myself could rely on these too. If anyone does claim to rely on them, my claim is better. Circumcised on the eighth day of my life, I was born of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrew parents. In the matter of the Law, I was a Pharisee; as for religious fervour, I was a persecutor of the Church; as for the uprightness embodied in the Law, I was faultless. But what were once my assets I now through Christ Jesus count as losses. Yes, I will go further: because of the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, I count everything else as loss. For him I have accepted the loss of all other things, and look on them all as filth if only I can gain Christ. 

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Phil 2:12-18

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Read More

Phil 2:5-11

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant,[a] being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Read More

Rom 12: 3-13

Reading corresponding to the feast of St Charles Borromeo

‘Through the grace that I have been given, I say this to every one of you: never pride yourself on being better than you really are, but think of yourself dispassionately, recognising that God has given to each one his measure of faith. Just as each of us has various parts in one body, and the parts do not all have the same function: in the same way, all of us, though there are so many of us, make up one body in Christ, and as different parts we are all joined to one another. Then since the gifts that we have differ according to the grace that was given to each of us: if it is a gift of prophecy, we should prophesy as much as our faith tells us; if it is a gift of practical service, let us devote ourselves to serving; if it is teaching, to teaching; if you are put in charge, you must be conscientious if it is encouraging, to encouraging. When you give, you should give generously from the heart; if you do works of mercy, let it be because you enjoy doing them. Let love be without any pretence. Avoid what is evil; stick to what is good. In brotherly love let your feelings of deep affection for one another come to expression and regard others as more important than yourself. In the service of the Lord, work not halfheartedly but with conscientiousness and an eager spirit. Be joyful in hope, persevere in hardship; keep praying regularly; share with any of God’s holy people who are in need; look for opportunities to be hospitable.’

If the Lord warns us through a parable not to bury our talents, but to multiply them and make them fruitful for the Kingdom of God (Mt 25:14-30), in today’s reading the Apostle exhorts us not to go beyond what has been entrusted to us. When each of the members serves in his or her place and with the gifts that God has entrusted to the Body of Christ, which is His Church, a marvellous harmony emerges. If we imagine heaven, we can get an idea of this harmony. There, angels and saints occupy the place and the task assigned to them by God, and praise the Lord together in perfect unity. There is no envy or anything else to disturb the harmony.

Our life on earth should already reflect this heavenly reality, even if we cannot yet experience God’s beatific vision and are not yet free from our defects. But it is up to us to cooperate with God’s grace, so that the life of the Spirit becomes a reality already here on Earth. The helpful warnings of the Apostle to the Gentiles point to this, showing us what we should strive for and avoid so that harmony may not be affected or hindered by the evil inclinations we carry as a consequence of original sin.

Let us notice some of his advice:

“When you give, you should give generously from the heart”.

This is a way of giving that is pure and very different from that custom which always expects to receive something in return or to obtain a special advantage for what has been given. It is God’s way of giving, who out of pure love showers us with blessings. Following His example, we must learn to give out of love, simply because it is good and beautiful to give and to increase this love. If within us there is still other information or other intentions and interests, our gift will not have that purity which makes it shine. If we still perceive such shadows and self-interests within us, let us bring them sincerely before the Lord, asking Him to purify us and teach us to give as He gives.

“If you are put in charge, you must be conscientious”.

He who has been called to an office of leading, let him exercise it with joy and solicitude, for it is an honour to serve God and men in this responsibility entrusted to him. He who has such an office must be careful not to exercise it with discontent, making people feel that it is a burden and a great effort for him. Again and again the fervour to fulfil this mission must be renewed in the Spirit of God. For this, it will help us to see the untiring love with which God accompanies us throughout our lives. The Gospel read today to commemorate St. Charles Borromeo opens a broad horizon for those who have received the office of presiding: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (Jn 10:11). Here we find the key so that our strength can be renewed again and again! The Lord is not only the most brilliant model; but He Himself gives the necessary graces to the one who presides in His Name.

“Avoid what is evil; stick to what is good”.

We can never get used to evil, even if it presents itself to us behind a mask and in disguise. It is characteristic of the devil to pretend to be an “angel of light” (cf. 2 Cor 11:14), to deceive people and even to pass off evil as good. The more common and natural evil becomes to us and the more we become accustomed to it – think, for example, of abortion – the more our horror of abominations fades. But this must not happen, for we must always know how to distinguish clearly between what is evil and what is good. By adhering to the good and striving to practice it, we will grow in love. Since “No one is good but God alone” – as Jesus makes clear to us (Lk 18:19) – good works will make us increasingly sharers in God’s own way of being and acting. In other words, all the good we do will increase God’s grace in us.

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