Good News ReflectionFOR NEXT SUNDAY: October 17, 201029th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Parish bulletins, faith-sharing groups, RCIA: For professionally published, printable copies of this reflection,please go to Catholic Digital Resources:http://catholicdr.com/calendar/October/29thC.htm - Preview a sample
Next Sunday's Readings:Exodus 17:8-13Psalm 121:1-82 Tim 3:14 – 4:2Luke 18:1-8http://www.usccb.org/nab/101710.shtmlUSCCB Podcast of the Readings: http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/10_10_17.mp3
In next Sunday's Gospel reading, God promises to secure the rights of his faithful ones if we seek his justice. When we're abused, neglected, rejected, abandoned, or falsely accused, God comes to our rescue. And speedily, he says! What? He's not standing up for you fast enough? Is he breaking his promise with you?
Although God often seems way too slow, whether it takes months or years (and it often does) before your problem gets resolved, Jesus is in fact at your side immediately delivering you from evil, in the very moment you begin to cry out to him.
The real question is not "Where is Jesus?" nor "Why doesn't he care enough to help me sooner?" The question that matters – for our personal growth – is stated in the last sentence of this Gospel passage: As he's arriving to help us, do we greet him with faith? Or is fear spinning our minds in such turmoil that we don't see him as he stands right next to us offering a helping hand?
If we're not living by faith, we inadvertently extend our problems. Are you feeling miserable after calling upon God for help? Look! Jesus is at your side begging for your trust. Are you feeling frustrated because God is not removing the obstacles you're facing? Look! Jesus wants you to follow him in a direction that's different than where you think you should go.
We all have adversaries. Jesus is wielding his sword of truth against the spirits of darkness who are working against you; he is driving them away. But if we reject that same truth, his sword is of no help to us.
What about the troublemakers who continually annoy you? When our eyes are on them instead of on Jesus, we miss the vindication that he's offering to us.
When we live by faith, we experience God's vindication every day, even while injustices continue. We experience it in our hearts as we receive his peace and his patience and his endurance.
Questions for Personal Reflection:What injustices are frustrating you today? What evil is being done against you? What will you do right now to be a faith-filled follower of Christ? What action will you take to conquer your fears and choose to give God your trust?
Questions for Family & Community Faith Sharing:Describe an injustice that you recently witnessed or experienced. What shocked and dismayed you the most about it? What does fear say about it? And what does trust for the Lord encourage you to believe about it?
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