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Sunday, November 17, 2002

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33rd Sunday Ordinary Time


Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31
1 Thessalonians 5:1-6
Psalm 128
Matthew 25:14-30

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you are called to greatness

"Since you were dependable in a small matter I will put you in charge of larger affairs." —Matthew 25:21, 23

Some of you are burning with love for God and, therefore, with love for all people. You want all to be saved (1 Tm 2:4), families to be holy, neglected children to be loved, peace for the world, justice for the poor, and babies in the womb to be rescued from abortion. You want to do great things for love of God and man.

The Lord wants to entrust great things to us, but we must first be faithful in small matters. For example, we must tithe and give alms before we are given greater things to do, such as save lives and save souls (see Lk 16:10-12). If we don't pray everyday, why should the Lord make us peacemakers? If we waste our time by sitting in front of the TV, why would God choose us to change our culture of death into a civilization of love and life?

St. Therese, the "Little Flower," did the little things well. Then the Lord made her a Doctor of the Church and the patroness of the world-wide mission work of the Church. She was entrusted with great things. By love and faithfulness in small matters, become great.

Prayer:  Father, make me great, royal, and priestly (see 1 Pt 2:9).

Promise:  "All of you are children of light and of the day. We belong neither to darkness nor to night; therefore let us not be asleep like the rest, but awake and sober!" —1 Thes 5:5-6

Praise:  Praise the risen Jesus, Who emptied Himself to become a slave.

Reference:  (For a related teaching, order our tape Pride and Faith on audio AV 64-1 or video V-64.)

Nihil Obstat:  Reverend Richard L. Klug, April 10, 2002


Imprimatur:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, April 18, 2002