Daily Scriptures Reflection for 10/16/12

Daily Scripture Reflections for Tuesday

Scripture: Lectionary # 468. Galatians 5:1-6. Psalm 119:41,43,44,45, 47,48. Luke 11:37-41:

The Gospel means Good News! With such a positive proclamation we are motivated to have a positive attitude each day. We know that when we feel positive about things, we are happier and probably more effective in what we do. In the Scriptures we always have such a positive perspective even about our repentance and conversion experiences. Life is to be lived according to the Good News.

Each day when we take the time to read the Scriptures for the liturgy of the day, we can be confident that there will be a message there for us that will make the day better for having meditated on the word of God. We are confident that God will help us throughout the day to take and embrace a positive approach to the events that will unfold this day.

Paul tells us in this letter to the Galatians a lot about faith as our center. Today he tells us that faith expresses itself through love. He is the one who mentions faith, hope, and love for the first time. Paul develops these virtues in his epistles and we learn to be strong in faith, unwavering in hope, and steadfast in love. We receive these virtuous gifts at our Baptism. It is up to us to keep developing them as each day moves us closer to the goal of these virtues which is union with God. We need to develop and practice these “theological” virtues. This is never a via negative ( a negative way) but a very positive one for the spiritual life.

Our Psalm praising the Torah and thereby appropriated by us to speak of the person of the Word, Jesus, is a positive psalm throughout its 176 verses. We learn to see God’s laws, precepts, commandments, and statutes as positive ways of living a spiritual life. One of the verses is especially connected with our theme of looking at life positively: “Let your loving kindness come to me, Lord, and I will delight in your commands which I love.”

Jesus tells us to look deeply into our hearts and to have them cleansed and purified so that we may see what really are the important things in life. He is telling us that our interior life in the Spirit is what is essential and what makes us blessed people of faith. By our giving of self (almsgiving) our hearts are made clean. Amen.