Saturday October 12, 2024
Good News Reflections:
Making scripture meaningful to your daily life
by Terry Modica
“Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and observe it.” (Luke 11:28)
Good News Reflection for:
Saturday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time
October 12, 2024
Today’s Readings:
Galatians 3:22-29
Ps 105:2-7
Luke 11:27-28
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101224.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/daily-mass-reading-podcast-october-12-2024
The surprising blessing
“Observing” or “practicing” the Word of God, as Jesus describes it in this Saturday’s Gospel reading, usually begins with some sort of repentance. Biblically, repentance involves “metanoia”, a personal, absolute and unconditional surrender to God as our Sovereign Lord. To repent is to change direction or change our mind, turning toward God. And as result, we are blessed. But what does this blessing look like?
Before we repent — before we’re willing to change our minds — God’s ways can seem distasteful, unhelpful, unpleasant. Definitely not a blessing. Think of someone you know who is unpleasant or unhelpful. Jesus told us to go the extra mile for them when they ask us to do something (Matthew 5:41). Our first reaction is to say no or, at most, do it minimally. And we complain before, during and after. We need a metanoia, a transformation of our thinking. Only then will the unpleasant become blessedly enjoyable.
But oh how difficult it is to turn away from our distaste for the Word of God. We justify the sin of disobeying Jesus, telling ourselves that God’s Word doesn’t apply to our situation. We name plenty of valid reasons for doing only what feels right to us.
If we truly want to follow Christ, holy living is our priority. This is why Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit. Metanoia comes from the Holy Spirit. The transformation of our minds is empowered by the Holy Spirit. Here’s the prayer I use when I don’t feel like obeying the Word of God:
“Come Holy Spirit, fill me. Come Holy Spirit, renew me. Come Holy Spirit, You have my permission to change me.”
Oh no! I don’t really want to change, or else I wouldn’t need to ask for the Holy Spirit’s help. Ahhh, but when the Holy Spirit takes over, it doesn’t hurt. It turns out to be like flipping the switch on a lamp; the room was dark but now it’s full of light. Now I actually want to obey God’s Word. Metanoia. I have been blessed! Despite how I used to feel about the change I didn’t want to make, I feel joyfully peaceful. I feel victorious. I feel blessed, thanks be to God.
Would you like to know how I met the Holy Spirit? It happened over 40 years ago. I didn’t even know I should seek a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. But the Lord worked miraculously in my life to make it happen.
Come hear my story! Go to gnm-media.org/how-i-met-the-holy-spirit.
To view a series on the Holy Spirit to bring you some metanoia, go to gnm.org/paracletia/gods-amazing-word-on-miracles.
© 2024 by Terry A. Modica
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