D
distracted
Guest
September 12, 2009
Reading 1
1 Tm 1:15-17
Beloved:
This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance:
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
Of these I am the foremost.
But for that reason*** I was mercifully treated,***
so that in me, as the foremost,
Christ Jesus might display all his patience as an example
for those who would come to believe in him for everlasting life.
To the king of ages, incorruptible, invisible, the only God,
honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 113:1b-2, 3-4, 5 and 6-7
R. (2) Blessed be the name of the Lord for ever.
Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord for ever.
From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord for ever.
Who is like the LORD, our God,
and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord for ever.
Gospel
Lk 6:43-49
Jesus said to his disciples:
“A good tree does not bear rotten fruit,
nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.
For every tree is known by its own fruit.
For people do not pick figs from thornbushes,
nor do they gather grapes from brambles.
A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good,
but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil;
for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I command?
I will show you what someone is like who comes to me,
listens to my words, and acts on them.
That one is like a man building a house,
who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock;
when the flood came, the river burst against that house
but could not shake it because it had been well built.
But the one who listens and does not act
is like a person who built a house on the ground
without a foundation.
When the river burst against it,
it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed
**
The Bible tells us not to judge pepole but we can definitely judge their behavior and we should do that, as this 2nd psg indicates.
I think its interesting that Jesus calls behavior either good or bad. Today there are too many shades of gray people want to cast on the Word of God. They make excuses for sin: well, he came from a poor background… well, she was rejected by her mother when young… he/she was poor, he/she was lonely (fornication…). Jesus knows all the hardships we can go through and He empathizes with all the aforementioned problems in our lives. But Jesus is objective truth. So he speaks objectively. We cannot go against Truth forever and make it into Heavne, no matter how many “valid” excuses we have as to why it is so hard to be good. God gave everyone a conscience… and even those born w/ the aforementioned handicaps have one of those & can discern when their behavior is “rotten” fruit…
God is no bleeding heart liberal…
And so there is no OSAS… no excuses… for not sinning.
Well there’s oldest of all excuses:
I’m human… But that only works when one is trying with all one’s heart/soul/mind/strength to follow Jesus and just… well, is sometimes “human”…
and even then the damage caused by those sins of weakness are still there… and need to be purged… Whether a man falls into a mud puddle accidentally or is pushed in or whatever, he is dirty, regardless…
Reading 1
1 Tm 1:15-17
Beloved:
This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance:
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
Of these I am the foremost.
But for that reason*** I was mercifully treated,***
so that in me, as the foremost,
Christ Jesus might display all his patience as an example
for those who would come to believe in him for everlasting life.
To the king of ages, incorruptible, invisible, the only God,
honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 113:1b-2, 3-4, 5 and 6-7
R. (2) Blessed be the name of the Lord for ever.
Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord for ever.
From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord for ever.
Who is like the LORD, our God,
and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord for ever.
Gospel
Lk 6:43-49
Jesus said to his disciples:
“A good tree does not bear rotten fruit,
nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.
For every tree is known by its own fruit.
For people do not pick figs from thornbushes,
nor do they gather grapes from brambles.
A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good,
but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil;
for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I command?
I will show you what someone is like who comes to me,
listens to my words, and acts on them.
That one is like a man building a house,
who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock;
when the flood came, the river burst against that house
but could not shake it because it had been well built.
But the one who listens and does not act
is like a person who built a house on the ground
without a foundation.
When the river burst against it,
it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed
**
The Bible tells us not to judge pepole but we can definitely judge their behavior and we should do that, as this 2nd psg indicates.
I think its interesting that Jesus calls behavior either good or bad. Today there are too many shades of gray people want to cast on the Word of God. They make excuses for sin: well, he came from a poor background… well, she was rejected by her mother when young… he/she was poor, he/she was lonely (fornication…). Jesus knows all the hardships we can go through and He empathizes with all the aforementioned problems in our lives. But Jesus is objective truth. So he speaks objectively. We cannot go against Truth forever and make it into Heavne, no matter how many “valid” excuses we have as to why it is so hard to be good. God gave everyone a conscience… and even those born w/ the aforementioned handicaps have one of those & can discern when their behavior is “rotten” fruit…
God is no bleeding heart liberal…
And so there is no OSAS… no excuses… for not sinning.
Well there’s oldest of all excuses:
I’m human… But that only works when one is trying with all one’s heart/soul/mind/strength to follow Jesus and just… well, is sometimes “human”…
and even then the damage caused by those sins of weakness are still there… and need to be purged… Whether a man falls into a mud puddle accidentally or is pushed in or whatever, he is dirty, regardless…
