(1) What do you mean by quality of your Life?
(2) Is it only Catholics, can lead a quality life?
(3) How non Catholics become pleasant in the eyes of God?
(4)How to make your life to React less and Act more?
(5) Is it necessary to increase the number of name sake Catholics in the world?
Are you prepared to spend about 8 minutes(0.6%) out of 1440 minutes of today. Then pl listen!
http://www.sinhalagospel.lk/
Reflection:
Today 21st august 2016 we are in Cycle 3: celebrating 21th Ordinary Sunday mass,
Inviting us to analyze, about quality of your catholic life. (rather than be happy about number of Catholics)
Quality means you expect something and qyou experience same thing. You expect to be peaceful and be happy in your life. Are you experiencing the same?. On the other hand what God's expect from you. Are you leading a quality life,by your self or in the eyes of God?. Today church invited to reflect about quality of your life!
Today's readings:
1st reading:
Isa 66:18-21 says Isaiah foretells the universality of God's saving desire
2nd reading:
Heb 12:5-7, 11-13 says we are not to lose heart because of trials, for they are the lords way of disciplining us
3rd reading:
LK 13:22-30 says: If you are not prepared to enter the kingdom of God, thru' the narrow road,you may become last,but others will become first.
In reflecting today's readings, first we analyze What God expect from all humans?
Reading 1 says: God's Universal Will to save all people."I come to gather nations of all language;they shall come and see my glory. God gives us all sufficient grace to be saved, that Jesus died for the salvation of all and if any one is lost, it is because he or she deliberately and maliciously resist God's saving will.
Jesus today tells us being a catholic is no guarantee of salvation. That would make salvation too Mechanical,and you will not achieve it
It is a problem that troubles a lot of Catholics?
There are some fundamentalist christians who says,you will not be saved unless you are Christian. Is it true. Today reading tell us the answer is No.
TO BECOME A QULITY CATHOLIC, WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW?
You should first identify the Changing nature of your life?
Scientifically, you are each a new creation everyday. Many of your body cells replace themselves on daily basis. Therefore what appears today,may not be same to morrow. You are like a person driving a car. You do not want to loose consciousness of the car. It is all right to day dream but not to lose consciousness of your surroundings. You MUST ALWAYS BE ALERT. It is like mother sleeping; she doesn't hear the planes roaring above the house,but she hears the slightest whimper of her baby. She is alert, she is awake in that state.
Your life is always changing. Clouds come & go. Some of them are black & some white. Some of them are large,others small. when you forget who created you,what HE has asked you to do,thru out your life, you become last & others become first.
For you to manage change as a catholic& be alert
(1)reflect sunday readings
(2) have confession with priest
(3)receive Eucharist
(4) do merciful actions.
Then you REACT LESS & ACT MORE.
Then you will lead a quality life with happiness, otherwise you become last? And become Mechanical, just name sake Catholics
How other people Non Catholics over ride you?
Almost all religion in the world shows, how to make a good living without harming society, as a bee takes its nectar and flies away without harming the blossom, its color nor its fragrance.
Hence all of them says 4 major points:
(1)Love Each other
Because, every body understand the inter dependency of your living. You need another person's support for you to lead a happy life
(2) Don't Sin
Though the definition of sin, or set of guide lines or rules you have to follow, is different from religion to another religion
They promote human values to become calm,and peaceful in your life.
(3) Effect of Sin.
Almost all religions say, that Sin will cause suffering to your life. In addition God fearing religion says, God can change your life, by a way which you may not be happy, and this will further cause suffering for you. Hence suffering become God's will for God fearing religions! Not merely the effects of sin. Today's 2nd reading elaborate this theory further.
(4) Remedy for sins:
Almost all religions gives a process how to remove the effects of sin in your life. Mainly they advocate, Repentance for sin and carry out merciful actions.
Catholicism advocates that sin will cause 2 effects to your life. Guilt and punishment.
Guilt you can remove by Repentance(real sorry of your sin, identify your sin clearly
But not imagining your sin), then go to priest and have confession). Then in reducing the punishment of your sin, within 2 weeks from confession, receive Eucharist and carry out suitable merciful action, which you might think fit). Most of the religions, they have repentance and carry out merciful actions, to reduce the effects or punishment of sin.
Almost all religions, does not give the real relationship to your merciful action to how much you are going to reduce the punishment or suffering in your life. God fearing religions relates those merciful actions to love of God & allow God to decide your happiness.
In catholicism, to treat punishment is call indulgence activity. Catholic catechism 1471 to 1479 and 1498 summarizes indulgence as remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven. The faithful christian who is duly disposed gains the indulgence under prescribed conditions for either himself or the departed. Indulgences are granted thru the ministry of Church which, as the dispenser of grace of redemption, distributes the treasury of the merits of Christ and the saint.
For example how many Catholics are aware about the indulgence activity administered by Pope Francis during this mercy year!. Going thru the mercy door!. If you have not gone thru' please study what is this and go thru' mercy door before 20th nov 2016.
In summary all religions in the world, gives a process how to love others, while you lead a happy life. But one should be clear about the 4 points that he has to follow in his own religion, while not judging the other religion.
These 4 points I repeat
Love each other, don't sin, Sin will cause you to suffer in your life and process followed to reduce the punishment of you sin
As Catholic, it may be easier and you know it is truth, to adhere these 4 points, without much trouble in your life whether you live in north pole and south pole of this world. That is why you became Catholic.
Today's reading warns you about your own ignorance in refusing to reflect on these 4 points, and become last in the salvation process, leading a un happy life, though you are a church going Catholic and trying to increase the number of Catholics in the world. First understand and open your hearts to listen what God asked you to do. Then from your life example God and Holy Mary with saints will do the rest
God Bless you.
For more pl visit:
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http://www.sundayreading.net/
Or
http://holymaryreflection.
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