Sunday<\/p>\n
Luke 18:15\u00a0<\/sup>Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it,<\/i> they rebuked them. <\/span> 16\u00a0<\/sup>But Jesus called them to Him<\/i> and said, \u201cLet the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for<\/span> of such is the kingdom of God.<\/span> <\/span> 17\u00a0<\/sup>Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n 18\u00a0<\/sup>Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, \u201cGood Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n 19\u00a0<\/sup>So Jesus said to him, \u201cWhy do you call Me good? No one is<\/i> good but<\/span> One, that is,<\/i> God.<\/span> <\/span> 20\u00a0<\/sup>You know the commandments:<\/span> \u2018Do not commit adultery,\u2019 \u2018Do not murder,\u2019 \u2018Do not steal,\u2019 \u2018Do not bear false witness,\u2019<\/span> \u2018Honor your father and your mother.\u2019<\/span> \u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n 21\u00a0<\/sup>And he said, \u201cAll these things I have kept from my youth.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n 22\u00a0<\/sup>So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, \u201cYou still lack one thing.<\/span> Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n 23\u00a0<\/sup>But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.<\/span><\/p>\n Prayer:\u00a0 We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee, for by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Monday<\/p>\n Navarre Commentary Luke 18 and blessing children:<\/p>\n 15 The adverb \u201ceven\u201d or \u201calso\u201d suggests that mothers were bringing little children to meet our Lord at the same time as others brought sick people to him.<\/p>\n \u201cThat he might touch them\u201d: the sight of the curing of the sick naturally led the people to bring their children to Jesus, to be assured of good health by being touched by him; in the same way as the lady with the issue of blood thought she could be cured by touching him (cf. Mt 9:20-22). The parallel text in St Matthew is a little more specific: \u201cChildren were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray\u201d, that is, to have him bless them.<\/a>15-17 The episode of Jesus and the children corroborates the teaching about humility contained in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. \u201cWhy, then, does he say that children are fit for the Kingdom of heaven? Perhaps because usually they are without malice, nor are they deceptive, nor do they dare to avenge themselves; they have no experience of lust, do not covet riches and are not ambitious. But the virtue of all this does not lie in ignorance of evil, but in its rejection; it does not consist in not being able to sin but rather in not consenting to sin. Therefore, the Lord is not referring to childhood as such, but to the innocence which children have in their simplicity\u201d (St Ambrose, Expositio Evangelii sec. Lucam, in loc.).<\/p>\n Receiving the Kingdom of God like children, becoming children before God, means \u201crenouncing our pride and self-sufficiency, recognizing that we can do nothing by ourselves. We must realize that we need grace, the help of God our Father, to find our way and keep to it. To be little, you have to abandon yourself as children do, believe as children believe, beg as children beg\u201d (J. Escriv\u00e1)<\/p>\n Prayer:<\/p>\n O Lord and Master of my life, a spirit of idleness, despondency, ambition, and idle talking give me not.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tuesday<\/p>\n Navarre Commentary on Rich Young Ruler…The story of this man (Mt 19:20 tells us he was a young man) is a sad one; he trades his vocation as an apostle for material possessions. So too today, if the Lord calls us to complete self-giving, we can answer \u201cNo” and give preference to money, honour, comfort, professional prestige, in a word, to selfishness.<\/p>\n The words \u201cCome, follow me\u201d are much more expressive in the original. A more exact translation might be: \u201cCome on, follow me\u201d: Jesus does not offer him a gentle invitation: he imperiously calls him to follow him immediately.<\/p>\n Prayer:<\/p>\n But rather a spirit of chastity, humble-mindedness, patience, and love bestow upon me Thy servant.<\/p>\n Yea, O Lord King, grant me to see my failings and not condemn my brother; for blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.<\/p>\n Wednesday<\/p>\n Luke 18:24\u00a0<\/sup>And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, \u201cHow hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!<\/span> <\/span> 25\u00a0<\/sup>For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n 26\u00a0<\/sup>And those who heard it said, \u201cWho then can be saved?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n 27\u00a0<\/sup>But He said, \u201cThe things which are impossible with men are possible with God.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n