Good News Reflection
Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week of Ordinary Time
July 27, 2010

Today's Readings:
Jer 14:17-22
Ps 79:8,9,11,13
Matt 13:36-43
http://www.usccb.org/nab/072710.shtml
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/10_07_27.mp3

How can we shine like the sun?

Do you know if you're going to reach heaven? Many Catholics say that while they hope so, they're not sure. They're afraid they will ruin their salvation between now and the day they die. But Jesus says in today's Gospel reading, "The righteous will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom." This is a promise you can count on.

God isn't going to remove all the weeds from the earth just yet, but he certainly wants to remove their influence on us. This is why he has given us his own Holy Spirit. Plus, we can ask Jesus to give us angels who will help us reach heaven. Angels can help us sort right from wrong, truth from deception, good seed from bad seed. We don't have to be aware of their presence to be guided by them. They are quite capable of protecting us from the infections of evildoers as long as we remain humbly correctable.

Here's a wonderful prayer that can help with this:

The Litany of Humility
(written by Cardinal Merry del Val)

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved , Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honored, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being maliciously or falsely accused, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me, Jesus.
That others may be loved more than I, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That in the opinion of the world, others may increase, and I may decrease, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
Amen!