August 30, 2012 
Thursday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Saint of the day
Saint Jeanne Jugan (1792-1879)
Saint Jeanne Jugan, also known as Sister Mary of the Cross, was born in France in 1792. She and two other companions formed a Catholic community of prayer, dedicated to teaching the catechism and assisting the poor. Jeanne then set out to minister to abandoned elderly women. From this ministry arose a community called The Little Sisters of the Poor. Daily, The Little Sisters went door to door requesting food, clothing, and money for the women they were caring for. By 1879, the community had 2,400 Little Sisters. That same year, Jeanne passed away. She was canonized on October 11, 2009, by Pope Benedict XVI.
Reflection
Many cultures hold their elderly in high esteem, show them profound deference, and selflessly serve them. In our culture, we often forget to tend to the needs of the elderly, let alone care for them. Saint Jeanne Jugan, who cared for abandoned elderly women, reminds us of the immense importance of the elderly and of our obligation to care for them and love them. Do you have any elderly people in your life? How do you treat them?
Prayer
Dear Jesus, please provide companionship and assistance to the forgotten and elderly and show me ways that I can contribute to their well-being.
Liturgical season information
Lectionary: 428
Place in Year: Ordinary Time
Color of decorations and priest's vestments: Green
Daily readings
Reading 1: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
Gospel: Matthew 24:42-51
View complete readings on USCCB.orgMeditations
Meditation for Gospel
Sometimes we think we will live forever and we ill have a lot of time to prepare for heaven. People asked Jesus when the end of the world would come or when the Son of Man would come to judge all people. In response, Jesus told parable that pointed to the fact that we always need to be watchful, because we do not know when God will call us to eternal life. In other words we need to live each day as if it were our last. We are sometimes reminded of the shortness of life when we hear of car accidents or the sudden death of a friend. We need to be proud of our actions toward God and others each day. Imagine that you were told you had twenty-four hours to live. What would you do with the time? Knowing that any day could be your last day, what do you wish to change in your life now? (Taken from “Take Ten – Daily Bible Reflections for Teens”)
