Catholic Daily Liturgical Guide 12.11.2022
3RD JOHN 5 – 8
Beloved [Gaius], it is a loyal thing you do when you render any service to the brethren, especially to strangers, who have testified to your love before the Church. You will do well to send them on their journey as befits God’s service. For they have set out for his sake and have accepted nothing from the heathen. So we ought to support such men, that we may be fellow workers in the truth.
The Word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 112: 1b – 2, 3 – 4, 5 – 6 (R.) 1b
R/. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
Or:
Alleluia.
Blessed the man who fears the Lord,
who takes great delight in his commandments.
His descendants shall be powerful on earth;
the generation of the upright will be blest. R/.
Riches and wealth are in his house;
his justice stands firm forever.
A light rises in the darkness for the upright;
he is generous, merciful and just. R/.
It goes well for the man who deals generously and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice.
He will never be moved;
forever shall the just be remembered. R/.
ALLELUIA
2nd Thessalonians 2: 14
Alleluia.
God has called us through the Gospel, to obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL
“God will vindicate his elect, who cry to him.”
LUKE 18: 1 – 8
At that time: Jesus told his disciples a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man; and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Vindicate me against my adversary.’ “For a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.”’ And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will vindicate them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
The Gospel of the Lord.
GOSPEL REFLECTION: Faith
November 12, 2022
“When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8b)
This is a good and interesting question that Jesus poses. He poses it to each one of us and asks us to answer it in a personal way. The answer is contingent upon whether or not we each have faith in our hearts.
So what is your answer to Jesus? Presumably the answer is “Yes.” But it’s not just a yes or no answer. It’s hopefully a “yes” that continually grows in depth and certitude.
What is faith? Faith is a response from each one of us to God speaking in our hearts. In order to have faith we must first listen to God speak. We must let Him reveal Himself to us within the depths of our conscience. And when He does this, we manifest faith by responding to all that He reveals. We enter into a belief in His Word spoken to us and it is this act of believing that changes us and forms faith within us.
Faith is not just believing. It’s believing in what God speaks to us. It’s the belief in His very Word and in His very Person. Interestingly, when we do enter into the gift of faith, we grow in certainty about God and all He says to a radical degree. That certainty is what God is looking for in our life and will be the answer to His question above.
Reflect, today, upon how authentic and how certain your faith is. Reflect upon Jesus asking you this question. Will He find faith in your heart? Let your “Yes” to Him grow and commit yourself to a deeper embrace of all that He reveals to you each and every day. Don’t be afraid to seek out His voice so that you can say “Yes” to all He reveals.
PRAYER:
Lord, I desire to grow in faith. I desire to grow in my love and in my knowledge of You. May faith be alive in my life and may You find that faith as a precious gift I offer to You. Jesus, I trust in You.
