Jesus promises that on Judgment Day we will be judged on whether we repented at His preaching (Mt 12:41). In some sense, Jesus is preaching in the circumstances of everyday life, but most literally Jesus Himself is preaching at the Eucharistic liturgy (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1088). This does not mean that every word the priest or deacon says during the homily is straight from the Lord. Yet it does mean that, by virtue of the nature of Jesus' priesthood and the nature of the liturgy, Jesus the High Priest is working through or even despite the person reading the Scriptures or preaching. On Judgment Day, we will be held accountable for repenting as we heard God's words in the liturgy.
Also, Jesus promises that on Judgment Day we will be judged on whether we have gone to extremes to listen to His wisdom (Mt 12:42). Jesus' wisdom is available in many ways but especially in the official teaching of His Body, the Church. If we haven't tried to read the Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the second Vatican Council's documents, and the Pope's encyclicals, can we as Catholics say that we have gone to extremes to listen to Jesus' wisdom?
Let's repent of spiritual anorexia. Let us hunger for God's Word (see Mt 4:4). We need repentance and wisdom. Judgment Day draws near (Rm 2:16).
| PRAYER: | Father, I repent of stuffing myself with the things of the flesh and thereby losing my spiritual appetite (see Prv 13:19). |
| PROMISE: | "You have been told, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: only to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God." –Mi 6:8 |
| PRAISE: | As a young adult, St. Camillus led an immoral life. It eventually broke him, physically and financially. After his conversion, he selflessly worked at the Hospital for Incurables in Rome. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College