|
|
November 14th
"When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end." (Luke 21:5-19)
Spiritual writer Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) shared this reflection on today's Gospel: "Saints are as the prophets of God: they portray in their individual lives what God's purpose is for their community. The events of our day point toward an unparalleled catastrophe which marks the sudden coming of the Lord and the birth of a new epoch, known as the kingdom of God, visibly established on earth. God's people are to be the harbingers of that new age.
By contrast, the sin of this age has peculiar and definite characteristics. It is true that we still have the sins of all the other ages. But the dominant characteristic of the sin of our age is imitating the Holy Spirit; first, by attempting to impose an organized interpretation upon the gospel; second, by insisting that each individual's responsibility is based upon that interpretation; and third, by boasting about the infallible certainly of having the mind of God.
PRAYER: Deliver us, Lord, from ever attempting to usurp the ministry of Your Holy Spirit!
(from Devotions for a Deeper Life by Oswald Chambers)
SAINT OF THE WEEK
St. Elizabeth of Hungary (Nov. 17) is one of the two lay patrons of the Secular Franciscan Order (the other being St. Louis.) Born, in 1207, she was the daughter of the King of Hungary. At 14, she married her husband (another Louis!) and they enjoyed an idyllic marriage and life with their three children. When her husband died in 1227 from malaria, she was heartbroken. During their marriage, Elizabeth cared much for the poor and was generous with their wealth. As a widow, she continued this work, gave away all her possessions and received the habit of the Franciscan Third Order. She organized the building of a hospital in honor of St. Francis to care for the poor, sick and destitute, unusual at that time. Her health gave way, and she died at the age of 24, being canonized less than four years after her death.
(from Magnificat and The One Year Book of Saints)
|