WHO THEN CAN BE SAVED…

Ezekiel 28:1-10 
1 The word of the LORD came to me:
2 “Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of the gods, in the heart of the seas,’ yet you are but a man, and no god, though you consider yourself as wise as a god–3 you are indeed wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you;4 by your wisdom and your understanding you have gotten wealth for yourself, and have gathered gold and silver into your treasuries;
5 by your great wisdom in trade you have increased your wealth, and your heart has become proud in your wealth–
6 therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Because you consider yourself as wise as a god,
7 therefore, behold, I will bring strangers upon you, the most terrible of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom and defile your splendor.8 They shall thrust you down into the Pit, and you shall die the death of the slain in the heart of the seas.
9 Will you still say, ‘I am a god,’ in the presence of those who slay you, though you are but a man, and no god, in the hands of those who wound you?10 You shall die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of foreigners; for I have spoken, says the Lord GOD.”

Matthew 19:23-30 

23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.24 Again I tell you, 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.”
25 When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”27 Then Peter said in reply, “Lo, we have left everything and followed you. What then shall we have?”
28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of man shall sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 And every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.30 But many that are first will be last, and the last first.

MEDITATION

EZEKIEL Deliver a prophecy that spell out the doom and gloom that shall befall the princes who think themself to be wise as they bask in their wealth and riches. The princes are put on notice that strangers; foreign nations shall test their wisdom,  humble and defile their grandeur and cast then into a Pit, a place where sinners and Satan shall suffer. Ezekiel hope that the people will come to their senses and prevent their certainty of death, because they refused to be circumcised and saved by the true word of God.

THE GOSPEL READING: Our Lord explain that the journey of a disciple shall not be a blisful life where all their needs and wants shall be satisfied. Moreover, their commitment to follow Him pressupose that they not only give up riches, but also leave their parents brothers and sisters to exclusively commit to take His word to all the world! 

To put it another way, the disciples were called to be a consecrated priestly men who primerily focus on saving His people who have ended up in a pit, because of sin and worldliness. Herein we adduce that celibacy and the detachment from children and family members frees these men to focus on the throne of God. We are called to not give up, but to continuesly pray for loved ones and especially our priests who have embraced worldly lifestyles provoked by Satan who sullied their vocation, pleading with the Father to save and lift them from the pit of darkness. 

LET US PRAY:Deuteronomy 32:26-28,30,35-36 

26 I would have said, “I will scatter them afar, I will make the remembrance of them cease from among men,”
27 had I not feared provocation by the enemy, lest their adversaries should judge amiss, lest they should say, “Our hand is triumphant, the LORD has not wrought all this.”‘
28 “For they are a nation void of counsel, and there is no understanding in them.
30 How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had given them up?
35 Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.
36 For the LORD will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their power is gone, and there is none remaining, bond or free.

Commentary. Henry R SYLVESTER Note: The daily scripture readings are taken from the Roman Missal which the Catholic Church use in the daily Celebration of the Holy Eucharist throughout the world.Some weekly readings may differ because of the celebration of local feast days.