Readings of the Day
RB: Ch 47 Announcing the Hours for the Work of God
Mass: Jer 13:1-11; Resp Ps (Dt 32); Mt 13:31-35
It is today's Responsorial Psalm that seems to plant itself. It comes from the Book of Deuteronomy and is pretty clear: You have forgotten God who gave you birth (Dt 32:18). Perhaps it is at times when one is ungrateful that he or she forgets about God. So I reached for a little book referred to before, The Way of Gratitude: Readings for a Joyful Life. A random opening revealed p. 51 with a short reflection by the founder of the Marynoll Sisters, Mother Mary Joseph Rogers, MM (d. 1955). I include it here followed by the Holy Father's not unrelated tweet of the day.
We find the motive for such a life as ours expressed in the beautiful prayer of love and gratitude: "God, I love you not simply to be saved. I love you because you are my God."
How lovely such gratitude! Gratitude is a rare virtue and one which most surely should be ours because so much has been and is given to us. We should express our gratitude for all favors. Christ knew the proportion of grateful hearts. Cultivate the virtue of gratitude for supernatural reasons.
We get everything because we are the servants of God-not our ourselves!
(Mother Mary Joseph Rogers, MM)
When someone offers us a service, we should not think that we deserve everything. Gratitude, appreciation, is first of all good manners, but it is also a characteristic of a Christian. It is a simple but genuine sign of the Kingdom of God.
(Pope Francis)
BLESSED TITUS BRANDSMA,
PRAY FOR US.
Today's photo: A fascinating flower on Tire Mountain Trail, near Oakridge, OR.
© Gertrude Feick 2020
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