Friday, October 14, 2011 (Weekday)

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
To be removed from things of the senses is to contemplate things of the spirit.
-- St. John Climacus

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Romans 4:1-8
(The Example of Abraham)
1 What shall we say, then, of Abraham, the father of our race? What was his experience? 
2 If he was put right with God by the things he did, he would have something to boast about—but not in God's sight.
3 The scripture says, “Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous.”

4 A person who works is paid wages, but they are not regarded as a gift; they are something that has been earned. 
5 But those who depend on faith, not on deeds, and who believe in the God who declares the guilty to be innocent, it is this faith that God takes into account in order to put them right with himself. 
6 This is what David meant when he spoke of the happiness of the person whom God accepts as righteous, apart from anything that person does:
7 “Happy are those whose wrongs are forgiven, whose sins are pardoned!
8 Happy is the person whose sins the Lord will not keep account of”
Psalms: Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 11
(Confession and Forgiveness)
1 Happy are those whose sins are forgiven, whose wrongs are pardoned.
2 Happy is the one whom the Lord does not accuse of doing wrong and who is free from all deceit.
5 Then I confessed my sins to you; I did not conceal my wrongdoings. I decided to confess them to you, and you forgave all my sins.
11 You that are righteous, be glad and rejoice because of what the Lord has done. You that obey him, shout for joy!
Gospel: Luke 12:1-7
(A Warning against Hypocrisy)
1 As thousands of people crowded together, so that they were stepping on each other, Jesus said first to his disciples, “Be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees—I mean their hypocrisy.
2 Whatever is covered up will be uncovered, and every secret will be made known. 
3 So then, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in broad daylight, and whatever you have whispered in private in a closed room will be shouted from the housetops.
(Whom to Fear)
4 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot afterward do anything worse. 
5 I will show you whom to fear: fear God, who, after killing, has the authority to throw into hell. Believe me, he is the one you must fear!
6 “Aren't five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one sparrow is forgotten by God. 
7 Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth much more than many sparrows!