Hello everyone! Heyo! Welcome back to Scattering Flowers with Elise and Miles, a podcast where we read the daily gospels and the saint of the day.
Let’s get started!Today is Monday, December 15th.
The reading is Matthew 21, 23-27.
And the scripture to reflect on is Matthew 21, 27.
So they answered Jesus, We do not know.
And he said to them, Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.Have you ever played the game Mother May I?
In this fun game, you ask or do a command, but before obeying, you must say, Mother May I?
If they do the command without asking, they are out of the game.
The person who is the mother is the person in charge.
They have authority.
They are the boss.
Do you know what the definition of authority is?
The dictionary defines it as the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.
In the gospel today, Jesus tells us that he has authority to speak with the words of God himself.
He also reminds us that we can rely on him to do what he promises.Today’s saint of the day is Blessed Anthony Grassi.
He was born 1592 and died 1671.
He is a patron saint of Italy.
Anthony had become a priest as a young man, and with God’s grace, he had overcome an overwhelming sense of guilt that he had felt since he was a child.
What was next for him?
Well, in Anthony’s case, it was a bolt of lightning, a real one.
While Anthony prayed peacefully in the chapel, he was struck by lightning.
Everyone, including Anthony, thought he was going to die.
He was paralyzed and burned, but miraculously, in a matter of days, he recovered.
He could even walk again.
Anthony gave the burned clothes to the chapel called the Holy House of Loretto.
He lived the rest of his life grateful for the new morning that God in his great mercy had gifted to him.
Blessed Anthony Grassi was also very clever with language.
He was nicknamed the walking dictionary by professors.
Jesus often disagreed with the leaders and teachers of his time.
He often used parables to emphasize how to live, and also was a way to sneakily explain who he was.
Jesus always fulfills his promises and accepts us to live out our love as we serve one another while living under his authority and instructions.
Blessed Anthony once said, Our only desire in life should be to praise God and adore him in the holy sacrifice of the mass.
He who hears mass with devotion every morning cannot fail to be a friend of God.
Blessed Anthony was loving and concealed people.
He once was a wise listener.
We could be the same if we put our hearts and minds to it.
We should time to time really listen to others and not be too busy to pray for them.
Let’s pray.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Dear God, help us to rely on your knowledge and help us to ask you for direction when we need it.
And help me to take time to be loving to others and pray for others.
Blessed Anthony, Grassy, pray for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Thank you so much for listening.
We’ll be back tomorrow scattering more flowers.
See ya!