Wednesday
of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial
of Saint Teresa of Avila
October 15,
2014 6:30am
Here at Mass, the priest or
deacon introduces the gospel by saying: “A
reading from the holy Gospel according to _____.
As I say this, I and all of us make
the Sign of the Cross on our forehead, lips, and heart.
The triple signing of ourselves
is meant to express our desire that the gospel will affect our entire being:
that it will enlighten our minds,
that it will affect what we say
and how we say it,
and that it will so touch our
hearts that it be seen in what we do.
In other words, this signing with
the cross expresses our desire that the gospel and our practice of faith will
not be just a superficial thing, but that it will affect our entire person.
It expresses our desire for a
spiritual integrity and wholeness.
In that way, this practice is a
good response to what Jesus is so worked up about in today’s gospel.
He is citing some of the people
of his day for what he calls their hypocrisy: saying one thing, but not really
meaning it and probably doing something else.
Jesus is calling them and us to a
spiritual integrity and wholeness.
Our triple signing of ourselves
before the gospel expresses our desire for this in our own lives.
