The Memorial of St Martin of Tours

2 Jn 1:4-9, Lk. 17:26-37. The good gifts of nature could sometimes distract us from thinking about our Creator. Since they are so good, they can negatively influence our desire to think beyond the pleasures of the present moment, to worship the One who sustains the beautiful world. By contrast, today's first reading delighted to find some Christians showing sincere love for each other because they remained focus on the Creator. The Christian way of life involves sincere desire to improve on our relationship with God and others, where our home and communities can become a place where we can practise compassion, forgiveness, joy and hope. If we keep our Creator in mind, in our appreciation of the created world, we will find more ways to deepen our appreciation of life. If we forget the One who made us, our love can grow shallow and wither, drowned out as in the days of Noah, by eating and drinking, buying and selling and the many recreational activities that claim our attention.

In today's Gospel, Jesus recalls how there were good and evil persons at the times of Noah and Lot. While the good were protected and saved by God, the evil faced the judgment of God. Jesus warns that same thing continues to happen in the Reign of God.  Those who have desired to be in relationship with God and who have lived a life of faith will experience the salvation of God, while those who have not obeyed the commandment of God will experience the judgement of God. In obedience to God St Martin of Tours became hospitable to the poor. He was born in the Roman province of Pannonia about 316 and was educated at Pavia in Italy. He was baptised, left the army and after spending some time as a hermit on an island off the Ligurian coast, founded a monastery at Ligugé in western France, where he lived a monastic life guided by St Hilary. Later he was ordained Priest and became Bishop of Tours. He founded other monasteries, educated the clergy and preached the Gospel to the poor. He died in 397. The famous story about St Martin is that while a soldier in Amiens he gave half of his military cloak to a beggar and later had a dream in which the beggar revealed himself as Christ.

May the Lord bless us with every grace and blessing, so that we may continue to build our lives on the teaching of Christ! Amen!! Good morning and have a fruitful day!!!