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Monday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
II Peter 1:2-7
Psalm 91:1-2, 14-15b, 15c-16
Mark 12:1-12
S
UMMARY
Both the first reading and the Gospel calls us to avoid corruption that might
rear its evil head with the lure for power and prestige. The psalm asks us
to put our trust in God.
R
EFLECTION
How do we avoid being like the evil tenants? There are so many opportu-
nities to choose to power over servanthood. Some of us, well me, choose
to dwell on the hundreds of small annoyances every day caused by either
our carelessness or inattention, or by the inconsideration or spite of other
people, or by pure accident. Our lives are made up of these incidents. It is
what we do with the feelings that become the issue; feelings of dislike,
aversion, envy, fear and impatience. Sometimes an unkind word slips from
our mouths and we wish we had not said it; someone says something often
a tiny little thing, and we give it to them one mean word after another.
So how do we rid ourselves of this less than flattering impulse? Give it to
God. Oh so easy said, and believe it or not, easily done. One of my hero-
ines is Saint Theresa of the Little Flower. Therese Martin was the last of
nine children. Her mother died when she was four years old. As a result,
her father and sisters babied young Therese. She had a spirit that wanted
everything.
At the age of 14, on Christmas Eve in 1886, Therese had a conversion that
transformed her life. From then on, her powerful energy and sensitive spirit
were turned toward love, instead of keeping herself happy. At 15, she en-
tered the Carmelite convent in Lisieux to give her whole life to God. Living a
hidden, simple life of prayer, she was gifted with great intimacy with God.