Term 4 Week 33 |
14 - 20 OCTOBER
ORDINARY TIME |
Sunday
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28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mark 10:17-30 This gospel reading recounts a time when Jesus was asked by a person ‘What do I need to do to have a good life?’. Jesus replied that the person needed to follow the 10 Commandments. The young man said that he did follow the 10 Commandments but what else could he do? Jesus then told the young man to sell everything that he had and give the money to the poor. Reflection: Reflect upon the message of Jesus from this Gospel story. What do we need to give up in order to follow Jesus and live a truly good life? What things might be holding us back? Gospel Reflection Image: Photo from Labora. Used with permission. |
Monday
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Teresa of Avila (1515–1582)
Sister Teresa had a dream. She dreamed of a place dedicated to God (called a monastery) that was small, and poor, and prayerful. Finally, with God’s help, she founded her own monastery. It was called the Carmel of Saint Joseph. This was the beginning of the Order of Discalced Carmelites. (The word discalced means “without shoes,” because these new Carmelites gave up wearing shoes and wore sandals instead, as poor people did.) From this monastery came hundreds of other monasteries that still exist, all over the world! Now Teresa is known as Saint Teresa of Avila or Saint Teresa of Jesus. Reflection: Christ Has No Body “Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours, Yours are the eyes through which to look out Christ's compassion to the world Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good; Yours are the hands with which he is to bless men now.” What can you do today to be like Jesus? How will you use your hands and feet to be like Jesus? Image: Used with permission Creative Commons Licence. |
Tuesday
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The Rosary
In October there is a special devotion to the Rosary. Continue to pray the Rosary this week. Read the scripture stories associated with each of the Mysteries of the Rosary. Image: Used with permission Creative Commons Licence. |
Wednesday
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Saint Ignatius of Antioch
St. Ignatius Loyola was born in 1491, one of 13 children of a family of minor nobility in northern Spain. As a young man, Ignatius Loyola was excited by the ideals of courtly love and knighthood and dreamed of doing great deeds. But in 1521 Ignatius was gravely wounded in a battle with the French. While recuperating, Ignatius Loyola experienced a conversion. Reading the lives of Jesus and the saints made Ignatius happy and aroused desires to do great things. Ignatius realised that these feelings were clues to God’s direction for him. Over the years, Ignatius became expert in the art of spiritual direction. He collected his insights, prayers, and suggestions in his book the Spiritual Exercises, one of the most influential books on the spiritual life ever written. With a small group of friends, Ignatius Loyola founded the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits. Ignatius conceived the Jesuits as “contemplatives in action.” This also describes the many Christians who have been touched by Ignatian spirituality. (Ref. © 2009-2018 Loyola Press) One of the main messages from Ignatius was to “practice the seeking of God’s presence in all things”. This video provides some background information on Ignatian spirituality. Activity- Pray the Examen each day this week. Image: Used with permission Creative Commons Licence. |
Thursday
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Saint Luke
Luke wrote one of the major portions of the New Testament, a two-volume work comprising the third Gospel and Acts of the Apostles. In the two books he shows the parallel between the life of Christ and that of the Church. He is the only Gentile Christian among the Gospel writers. Tradition holds him to be a native of Antioch, and Paul calls him “our beloved physician.” His Gospel was probably written between 70 and 85 C.E. Luke appears in Acts during Paul’s second journey, remains at Philippi for several years until Paul returns from his third journey, accompanies Paul to Jerusalem, and remains near him when he is imprisoned in Caesarea. During these two years, Luke had time to seek information and interview persons who had known Jesus. He accompanied Paul on the dangerous journey to Rome where he was a faithful companion. (Ref. 2018 Franciscan Media) Activity Write a letter to your class telling them some of the things they need to do to live in harmony. Image: Used with permission Creative Commons Licence. |
Friday
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St Paul of the Cross- Founder of the Passionists (1694 – 1775)
St. Paul of the Cross was born on 3rd January 1694 in Ovada, Italy. Nurtured by a Christian family home and active in his local Church his prayer life developed rapidly in his teens. At 26 he left home to become a hermit and two years later was experiencing the heights of the prayer of mystical union. He believed that the troubles of the world were a result of the forgetting of the Passion of Jesus. He wanted all to keep alive the Memory of the Sufferings of the Crucified One. This, he believed, began in prayer at the foot of the Cross. Ordained a priest at 33 years of age he lived his beliefs. For the next 45 years he preached missions bringing the message of the Cross and the Love of the Crucified Jesus to people. Miracles and conversions abounded. Many learned to pray and to live a true Christian life. All his life he struggled to found a Religious Community who would accept his ideals and carry on his work. When he was 47, his first followers - the Passionists - appeared on the streets of Italy. Over the next thirty years he founded 12 houses with 176 religious priests and brothers. He died at the age of 81. Since then, his followers, including Saint Charles of Mount Argus, have continued the work of keeping alive the Memory of Christ Crucified. (Ref. passionistsglasgow.com) Image: Used with permission Creative Commons Licence. |
