Weekly Bulletin - October 2007
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- 07 - Twenty-seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time
- Many twelve-step programs use the phrase “Let go and let God.” In all their simplicity, these five words are the heart of today’s readings. For people who struggle with addictive behavior, these words plainly remind us that we can’t manage, control, or manipulate certain areas of our lives. How many times can we look back in our lives and find evidence of some plan at work other than our own? These are the moments when, for whatever reasons, we let someone greater than ourselves work the plan.
We probably didn’t even recognize at the time that we were letting go of anything, but in retrospect, we see God’s hand and loving presence. It is our awareness of these moments that gives us the courage and initiative to let go again later on. It is this courage and initiative that are highlighted in today’s readings. We come to call it “faith.”
© Copyright, J. S. Paluch Co. - 14 - Twenty-eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time
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Surely we can all recall at least a few days in our lives when things were going so well that nothing could put us in a bad mood. Maybe it was the day a very special person asked us to the senior prom, or perhaps it was our wedding day. Maybe it was the day we learned that we were expecting a long-awaited child, or the day we got an overdue promotion. There was elation in our hearts and lightness in our step, an extraordinary vitality throughout the day. We probably got on the phone right away to tell at least a few key people about our good fortune.
This is surely how Naaman and the leper must have felt when they were rid of their terrible diseases. They were hard-pressed to contain their gratitude, and although they were both unfamiliar with the customs of a foreign land, they had the good manners to thank the people responsible for their cures.© Copyright, J. S. Paluch Co. - 21 - Twenty-ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time
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“Getting by with a little help from our friends” is not an idea that began with the Beatles. Certainly the idea of “getting by with a little help from God” goes back at least to the first reading today from Exodus. How we get that help, however, is the key to this weekend’s scriptures.
No matter how inadequate Moses felt to the task God had given him, he persevered—even though he needed help from the people around him. The Israelites especially depended on God for freedom. The woman in the Gospel, desperate and destitute, had no one to depend on, but still she would not give up. She could not afford to bribe the unscrupulous judge, but she pestered him into weariness until finally he met her demands.
We sometimes need to turn to others to help us through difficult times; but if we always turn to God, we won’t be disappointed, for our help, the psalm assures us, is from the Lord.
© Copyright, J. S. Paluch Co. - 28 - Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time
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How many times have we read or heard about someone who’s gotten into trouble—maybe even fired from a job—because of a brush with the law? While our “Christian” minds tell us to be sorry and even pray for the person, a little voice inside our heads may also be saying, “I’m glad I would never do anything like that.”
And perhaps we wouldn’t. But are there some things we do that are still not pleasing in God’s eyes? Today’s readings caution us not to look so intently at someone else’s wrongdoing that we overlook our own weaknesses and shortcomings. When we measure ourselves against the worst people we can think of, we come out looking pretty good. There is a danger, however, in using someone else’s behavior as a way of reflecting our own goodness.© Copyright, J. S. Paluch Co.
