WEDNESDAY OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

MASS READINGS:

Reading 1

1 Cor 12:31-13:13

Brothers and sisters:

Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.

But I shall show you a still more excellent way.

If I speak in human and angelic tongues

but do not have love,

I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.

And if I have the gift of prophecy

and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge;

if I have all faith so as to move mountains,

but do not have love, I am nothing.

If I give away everything I own,

and if I hand my body over so that I may boast

but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind.

It is not jealous, love is not pompous,

it is not inflated, it is not rude,

it does not seek its own interests,

it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,

it does not rejoice over wrongdoing

but rejoices with the truth.

It bears all things, believes all things,

hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.

If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing;

if tongues, they will cease;

if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.

For we know partially and we prophesy partially,

but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.

When I was a child, I used to talk as a child,

think as a child, reason as a child;

when I became a man, I put aside childish things.

At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror,

but then face to face.

At present I know partially;

then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.

So faith, hope, love remain, these three;

but the greatest of these is love.

REFLECTION

So faith, hope, love remain, these three;

but the greatest of these is love.

What is your purpose in life? There are countless of ads on social media and delivered to your email telling you that if you subscribe to them you will be helped in finding your purpose. Is it a fancy home, the latest car/van that you want? It is implied that your purpose in life is love of money, material goods and getting more without much effort.

Perhaps you will hit it big and have all that the world can offer, but without God, all these self help programs and tutorials can’t help you find your purpose. There are basic needs that we want for ourselves and family. The pleasures, however, that go with honor and praise are tempting.

Our purpose is what the basic Baltimore catechism taught us as we were growing up. It is to know, love, and serve God. No one can really show you how to do it because it is truly very personal. Our talents and gifts can help us but how does one get that fire ablaze for God?

Our priests can show us what our purpose is. They should correct, teach how to pray, lead us to God, admonish how we dress, how we speak, and show us how to love by their example.

1 Corinthians reminds us that the greatest of the spiritual gifts is love. Though we may have talents and gifts that we share with the church, do we speak kindly to others, do we do for them out of love and not because we like one person over another or our actions are to impress? Are we patient when our best laid plans cannot be accomplished? Are we pompous and rude, thinking only about our needs, our desires and our wants? Do we gossip, slander, and rejoice when others lives are in ruin as we remember how they treated us when our luck was down?

Every time I read this passage, I am reminded of my many faults, failures and selfishness. I am always encouraged by St Paul to persevere. Daily we should examine ourselves both in the morning and evening. For our daily scrutiny, meditating on the morning prayers and Mass readings will help us work on growing in love for God and neighbor. The evening prayers, with daily examination of conscience, will elucidate if we were successful in living in love and God’s Will.

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.” Attributed to St Francis of Assisi

Have a great day!!

God Bless You