“The foreigners who join
themselves to the LORD… loving the name of the LORD, and becoming his servants…
I will bring to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayer.” Is
56:6-7
Today’s readings
show how the blessings originally meant for Israel, the chosen people of God,
are now showered on the foreigner and the alien, because of the generosity of
God and the faith shown by these outsiders. We Catholics, once foreigners and
Gentiles ourselves, have become the new chosen people. The Church has been entrusted
with the great gift of the New Covenant. Within her, God is present in the
Eucharist; Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. She possesses the infinite treasure
of God’s Word in the Scripture, and has been given the authority to forgive
sin.
Our response to
God’s generosity must be one of faith and gratitude, never forgetting the great
mercy He has shown us. If we take God’s gifts for granted, forgetting to keep
the commandments and to honor the Lord in all we do, we also could lose the
graces and gifts meant for us. Do we respond with gratitude, offering God
praise and worship, expressing love for Him in all we do? Do we recognize His
presence with us at every Mass, spend time with Him in Adoration, meditate on
His Word, ask His forgiveness for our sins, pray to Him when we rise in the
morning, and remember His mercy every evening at the setting of the sun?
Every day is a
new opportunity for renewing our faith, loving God and neighbor, remembering to
show our gratitude for every blessing we receive, and our willingness to take
up every cross, appreciating the great mercy and love God our Father has for
us. Remain close to Jesus, ask every day for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and
always remember to thank God for inviting us, the stranger and the alien, into
His house of prayer.
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