Thursday, November 17, 2011 {St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Patroness of the Third Order (Feast)}

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
You cannot please both God and the world at the same time. They are utterly opposed to each other in their thoughts, their desires, and their actions.
 -- St. John Mary Vianney

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: Sirach 26:1-3, 15-18, 24 or 1 Timothy 5:3-10
Sirach 26:1-3, 15-18, 24
1 The husband of a good wife is a fortunate man; he will live twice as long because of her.
2 A fine wife is a joy to her husband, and he can live out his years in peace.
3 A good wife is among the precious blessings given to those who fear the Lord.

15 A modest wife has endless charm; it is a quality too precious to measure.
16 The beauty of a good wife in her well-kept home is like the noonday sun shining in the Lord's sky.
17 Her beautiful face and attractive figure are as lovely as the light from the sacred lampstand in the Temple,
18 and like its gold shaft set on its silver base are her shapely legs and strong ankles.
1 Timothy 5:3-10
3 Show respect for widows who really are all alone.
4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they should learn first to carry out their religious duties toward their own family and in this way repay their parents and grandparents, because that is what pleases God. 
5 A widow who is all alone, with no one to take care of her, has placed her hope in God and continues to pray and ask him for his help night and day.
6 But a widow who gives herself to pleasure has already died, even though she lives.
7 Give them these instructions, so that no one will find fault with them.
8 But if any do not take care of their relatives, especially the members of their own family, they have denied the faith and are worse than an unbeliever.
9 Do not add any widow to the list of widows unless she is over sixty years of age. In addition, she must have been married only once.
10 and have a reputation for good deeds: a woman who brought up her children well, received strangers in her home, performed humble duties for other Christians, helped people in trouble, and devoted herself to doing good.
Psalms: Psalm 31:4-5, 8-9, 20, 24-25
4 Keep me safe from the trap that has been set for me; shelter me from danger.
5 I place myself in your care. You will save me, Lord; you are a faithful God. 
8 You have not let my enemies capture me; you have given me freedom to go where I wish.
9 Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in trouble; my eyes are tired from so much crying; I am completely worn out. 
20 You hide them in the safety of your presence from the plots of others; in a safe shelter you hide them from the insults of their enemies. 
24 Be strong, be courageous, all you that hope in the Lord. 
Gospel: Matthew 25:31-40
(The Final Judgment)
31 “When the Son of Man comes as King and all the angels with him, he will sit on his royal throne,
32 and the people of all the nations will be gathered before him. Then he will divide them into two groups, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 He will put the righteous people at his right and the others at his left.
34 Then the King will say to the people on his right, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father! Come and possess the kingdom which has been prepared for you ever since the creation of the world. 
35 I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you received me in your homes,
36 naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me, in prison and you visited me.’
37 The righteous will then answer him, ‘When, Lord, did we ever see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink?
38 When did we ever see you a stranger and welcome you in our homes, or naked and clothe you?
39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’
40 The King will reply, ‘I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these followers of mine, you did it for me!’