“INCREASE OUR FAITH.”

The Little seeds of Faith planted within us. And let us plant these little seeds of fate in others by our words and actions.

 "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you.

If he listens to you, you have won your brother over." (Matthew 18:15)

 

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, virgin

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊  

 Wisdom of Solomon 1:1-7

Love justice, you who rule over the world!

Think rightly of God, seek him with simplicity of heart, for he reveals himself to those who do not challenge him and is found by those who do not distrust him.

 

Crooked thinking distances you from God; and his Omnipotence, put to the test, confounds the foolish.

 

Wisdom does not enter the wicked nor remain in a body that is enslaved to sin. The Holy Spirit who instructs us shuns deceit; it keeps aloof from foolishness and is ill at ease when injustice is done. 

 

Wisdom is a spirit, a friend to man, and will not leave the blasphemous unpunished, because God knows his innermost feelings, truly sees his thoughts and hears what he says. 

 

For God's spirit has filled the whole world; and he who holds together all things, knows each word that is spoken.

 

Ps 139:1b-3, 4-6, 7-8, 9-10 Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊      

Luke 17:1-6

Jesus said to his disciples, "Scandals will necessarily come and cause people to fall; but woe to the one who brings them about. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone around his neck. Truly, this would be better for that person, than to cause one of these little ones to fall.

 

Listen carefully: if your brother offends you, tell him, and if he is sorry, forgive him. And if he offends you seven times in one day, but seven times he says to you, 'I'm sorry, forgive him."

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." And the Lord said, "If you have faith, even the size of a mustard seed, you may say to this tree, 'Be uprooted, and plant yourself in the sea!' and it will obey you.

 

Gospel Reflection ：

"Seek wisdom, show mercy."

Today's readings are so filled with excellent advice that it can be difficult to parse out all the elements. But this advice can be summed up rather simply as follows: seek wisdom and show mercy. By seeking wisdom, we will grow closer to God, the source of all wisdom. We will learn how to live justly and honestly, avoiding sin and scandal. Since the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, drawing near to wisdom means that our faith will increase as we come to know God better.

 

 

Yet such wisdom should not lead us to a sense of superiority over others. Instead, those who are wiser in the eyes of God offer loving service to those in need and forgiveness to those who have hurt them. Wisdom does not mingle with sin and deceit but purifies our hearts and minds. may we grow wise in the ways of God and follow him with simple, holy hearts.