A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good,
but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil;
for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.
Luke 6

The Seventh Week of Ordinary Time

On the Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time in Luke we hear Jesus follow up on the Beatitudes by telling his disciples to love their enemies and to do good to those who persecute them. "Do to others as you would have them do to you." He says "Stop judging and you will not be judged." "Forgive and you will be forgiven."

Tuesday is the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, Apostle. Wednesday is the Memorial of Saint Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr.

We continue to read from the Letter of James. This is pastoral letter to many Christian churches focuses on good behavior. This week has a daily guide to better living in this Christ-like way of life.

During the week, we continue with the Gospel of Mark. Jesus drives out a demon his disciples are unable to, saying it requires prayer to do so. The disciples want to stop someone - not of their group - driving out demons in Jesus' name. Jesus tells them, "For whoever is not against us is for us." Jesus warns of severe punishment for scandalizing little ones, and he calls us to rid ourselves of everything that leads us to sin. The Pharisees try to trap Jesus by asking him about divorce. He defends marriage. People try to stop people from bringing children to Jesus. He insists "Let them come to me," and adds, "whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it."

On the Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time in Luke we hear Jesus give us some important teaching. He challenges "blind guides." He warns against seeing the spinter in someone else's eye without noticing our our blindness. Jesus tells us that it the fruit we produce that is important. "For every tree is known by its own fruit."

Daily Prayer This Week

We can find much to pray with from James this week. We can reflect on "bitter jealousy and selfish ambition," and how divisive it is. If we know what to do, he says, we should do it. Riches can truly lead to all kinds of sadness. We are not to "complain about one another." James says we should pray if we are suffering, sing songs of praise if we are in good spirits, and if we are sick, we should ask to be anointed with healing and the forgiveness of our sins. James is like an examination of conscience for our continuing to grow in closeness with our Lord and for a community to continue to grow in his Spirit.

We could spend the whole week reflecting on Jesus' calling us to not judge one another. We can turn to the one who drove out evil spirits and ask for his help, his grace, to be freer to let go of those judgements and the habit of being critical and severe. We can ask for the grace to get rid of everything that leads us to sin. Most of all, we can keep asking to let our hearts be touched by his love for us - as imperfect as we ourselves are - so that we can learn the kind of compassionate and mercifuly love he desires we share with others. He loves us because we need loving and he wants us to love others who need loving. He wants us to be healers, where healing is needed.

Where we feel most resistant, we can pray all the more earnestly for his healing of our hearts. Old habits can be healed. It takes openness to his grace and practicing new patterns of behavior - doing it a different way. So, if I feel I can't, or don't know how to change, I can turn to him and ask for the healing I need for a fresh start, a new beginning in reacting differently, and treating others differently. I can ask for the grace to trust his grace as I practice greater patience, forgiveness, compassion and love. We can trust that asking for these gifts will be successful because we are asking for what he wants to give us.