Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop
Intention: That all citizens will learn how to come together to end the anger and mistrust that are debilitating the moral strength and community spirit of our nation.
Today’s Gospel | Luke 17:26-37
Jesus said to his disciples: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man; they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building; on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all. So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, someone who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down to get them, and likewise one in the field must not return to what was left behind. Remember the wife of Lot. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it. I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. And there will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken, the other left.” They said to him in reply, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will gather.”
From the Meditation on Saint Martin | Saint John Baptist de La Salle
This saint had a tireless vigilance for all the needs of his church, considering himself responsible before God to provide what was needed. He knew that a bishop must do two things: beg God for the salvation of souls and carry out God’s commands in order to procure this salvation.
…Let all your time, following the example of Saint Martin, be spent in these two things: asking God insistently for the salvation of those who are under your guidance and seeking and helping them use these means.
Prayer
Eternal Father, forgiveness does not always come easily for us. It can be hard for us to let go of our anger or to trust someone’s apology, to believe that forgiveness is an act of strength and not a sign of weakness. It takes faith to be forgiving. Lord, help our lack of faith. Teach us to live our hopes rather than our fears and to reach out to others as brothers and sisters. In this healing may we find redeeming paths to one another and to you. We ask this of you who lives and reigns with your Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.