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Tuesday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time

JEROME:

There certainly is much truth in a certain saying of a philosopher, “Every rich man is either wicked or the heir of wickedness.” That is why the Lord and Savior says that it is difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Someone may raise the objection, “How did wealthy Zacchaeus enter the kingdom of heaven?” He gave away his wealth and immediately replaced it with the riches of the heavenly kingdom. The Lord and Savior did not say that the rich would not enter the kingdom of heaven but that they will enter with difficulty. read more

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Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

“The end of all things,” is not something we need to fear.  In the vision of God, the end is also always the beginning.  By His Words, Jesus is able to destroy what is earthly and lay bare the bases of our heart.  How have we built our lives?  What criteria has been the ultimate deciding factor in our decisions?  When we are tested, how do we respond?  The Lord has not created us to crumple in fear, He has not created us so that our weakness might be our downfall.  The Lord’s Words to us are sometimes a clear summons to stand firm in the face of evil, of sin, of temptation, and of confusion.  We may be afraid that we will not have what it takes to come out victorious.  We have seen great men fall: they have been beaten in battle, they have succumbed to the pressures of temptation and brought shame upon themselves and upon us all.  Great warriors and heroes of goodness have become slaves to their own passion and lust. read more

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Friday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time

AUGUSTINE:

In all our trials, each one must take care not to be overcome or to come down from a spiritual height to a carnal life. He who had progressed should not look back by turning toward the past or failing to reach out to the future. This is true of every trial. How much greater care must be prescribed in a trial such as that foretold for the city as “Such as has not been from the beginning, neither will be”? How much more this is true for that final tribulation which is to come on the world, that is, the church spread through the whole world? read more