Monday, 03 March 2008

Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Reading 1
Is 65:17-21

Thus says the LORD:
Lo, I am about to create new heavens
and a new earth;
The things of the past shall not be remembered
or come to mind.
Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness
in what I create;
For I create Jerusalem to be a joy
and its people to be a delight;
I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and exult in my people.
No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there,
or the sound of crying;
No longer shall there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not round out his full lifetime;
He dies a mere youth who reaches but a hundred years,
and he who fails of a hundred shall be thought accursed.
They shall live in the houses they build,
and eat the fruit of the vineyards they plant.

Responsorial Psalm
30:2 and 4, 5-6, 11-12a and 13b

R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the nether world;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
“Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
O LORD, be my helper.”
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Gospel
Jn 4:43-54

At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee.
For Jesus himself testified
that a prophet has no honor in his native place.
When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him,
since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast;
for they themselves had gone to the feast.

Then he returned to Cana in Galilee,
where he had made the water wine.
Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum.
When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea,
he went to him and asked him to come down
and heal his son, who was near death.
Jesus said to him,
“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”
The royal official said to him,
“Sir, come down before my child dies.”
Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.”
The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.
While the man was on his way back,
his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live.
He asked them when he began to recover.
They told him,
“The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.”
The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him,
“Your son will live,”
and he and his whole household came to believe.
Now this was the second sign Jesus did
when he came to Galilee from Judea.

WHAT'S YOUR SIGN?

"This was the second sign that Jesus performed." –John 4:54

In John's Gospel, seven signs (miracles) are recorded "to help you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, so that through this faith you may have life in His name" (Jn 20:31). These signs, worked by Jesus, are:

1. changing water into wine at a wedding (Jn 2:1-12),
2. a remote healing of a royal official's son (Jn 4:46-54),
3. curing a man who was ill for thirty-eight years (Jn 5:1ff),
4. multiplying the loaves and fishes (Jn 6:1-14),
5. walking on the water (Jn 6:19),
6. giving sight to the man born blind (Jn 9:1ff), and
7. raising Lazarus from the dead (Jn 11:1ff).

After Jesus' first sign, His disciples began to believe in Him (see Jn 2:11). Then, many began to believe in His name when they saw the signs He was doing (see Jn 2:23). However, Jesus recognized an innate problem with working signs: our sinful human nature. He observed: "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you do not believe" (Jn 4:48). Many people either looked for more and more signs (Jn 6:30) or misinterpreted the signs because they were not seeking the truth (Jn 9:16). The end result was: "Despite His many signs performed in their presence, they refused to believe in Him" (Jn 12:37).

So Jesus gave a once-for-all final sign: the sign of the cross. Jesus, God Himself, set aside His power (Jn 18:6, 11), stretched out His arms, was nailed to a cross, suffered in agony, and died to atone for our sins. He rose from the dead in power and majesty, and gave us the Holy Spirit (Jn 20:22). This sign had power. This sign broke through the hard hearts. "Lift high the cross!"

Sunday, 02 March 2008

Fourth Sunday of Lent

Reading 1
1 Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a

The LORD said to Samuel:
“Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way.
I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem,
for I have chosen my king from among his sons.”

As Jesse and his sons came to the sacrifice,
Samuel looked at Eliab and thought,
“Surely the LORD’s anointed is here before him.”
But the LORD said to Samuel:
“Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature,
because I have rejected him.
Not as man sees does God see,
because man sees the appearance
but the LORD looks into the heart.”
In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel,
but Samuel said to Jesse,
“The LORD has not chosen any one of these.”
Then Samuel asked Jesse,
“Are these all the sons you have?”
Jesse replied,
“There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said to Jesse,
“Send for him;
we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here.”
Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them.
He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold
and making a splendid appearance.
The LORD said,
“There—anoint him, for this is the one!”
Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand,
anointed David in the presence of his brothers;
and from that day on, the spirit of the LORD rushed upon David.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Reading II
Eph 5:8-14

Brothers and sisters:
You were once darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of light,
for light produces every kind of goodness
and righteousness and truth.
Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness;
rather expose them, for it is shameful even to mention
the things done by them in secret;
but everything exposed by the light becomes visible,
for everything that becomes visible is light.
Therefore, it says:

“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.”

Gospel
Jn 9:1-41 or 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38

As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth.
His disciples asked him,
“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,
that he was born blind?”
Jesus answered,
“Neither he nor his parents sinned;
it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.
We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day.
Night is coming when no one can work.
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
When he had said this, he spat on the ground
and made clay with the saliva,
and smeared the clay on his eyes,
and said to him,
“Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” —which means Sent—.
So he went and washed, and came back able to see.

His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said,
“Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?”
Some said, “It is, “
but others said, “No, he just looks like him.”
He said, “I am.”
So they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”
He replied,
“The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes
and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’
So I went there and washed and was able to see.”
And they said to him, “Where is he?”
He said, “I don’t know.”

They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees.
Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath.
So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see.
He said to them,
“He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.”
So some of the Pharisees said,
“This man is not from God,
because he does not keep the sabbath.”
But others said,
“How can a sinful man do such signs?”
And there was a division among them.
So they said to the blind man again,
“What do you have to say about him,
since he opened your eyes?”
He said, “He is a prophet.”

Now the Jews did not believe
that he had been blind and gained his sight
until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight.
They asked them,
“Is this your son, who you say was born blind?
How does he now see?”
His parents answered and said,
“We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.
We do not know how he sees now,
nor do we know who opened his eyes.
Ask him, he is of age;
he can speak for himself.”
His parents said this because they were afraid
of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed
that if anyone acknowledged him as the Christ,
he would be expelled from the synagogue.
For this reason his parents said,
“He is of age; question him.”

So a second time they called the man who had been blind
and said to him, “Give God the praise!
We know that this man is a sinner.”
He replied,
“If he is a sinner, I do not know.
One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see.”
So they said to him,
“What did he do to you?
How did he open your eyes?”
He answered them,
“I told you already and you did not listen.
Why do you want to hear it again?

Do you want to become his disciples, too?”
They ridiculed him and said,
“You are that man’s disciple;
we are disciples of Moses!
We know that God spoke to Moses,
but we do not know where this one is from.”
The man answered and said to them,
“This is what is so amazing,
that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes.
We know that God does not listen to sinners,
but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him.
It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind.
If this man were not from God,
he would not be able to do anything.”
They answered and said to him,
“You were born totally in sin,
and are you trying to teach us?”
Then they threw him out.

When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out,
he found him and said, (Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
He answered and said,
“Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”
Jesus said to him,
“You have seen him,
the one speaking with you is he.”
He said,
“I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him.
Then Jesus said,
“I came into this world for judgment,
so that those who do not see might see,
and those who do see might become blind.”

Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this
and said to him, “Surely we are not also blind, are we?”
Jesus said to them,
“If you were blind, you would have no sin;
but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.

or

As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth.
He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva,
and smeared the clay on his eyes,
and said to him,
“Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” — which means Sent —.
So he went and washed, and came back able to see.

His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said,
“Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?”
Some said, “It is, “
but others said, “No, he just looks like him.”
He said, “I am.”

They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees.
Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath.
So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see.
He said to them,
“He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.”
So some of the Pharisees said,
“This man is not from God,
because he does not keep the sabbath.”
But others said,
“How can a sinful man do such signs?”
And there was a division among them.
So they said to the blind man again,
“What do you have to say about him,
since he opened your eyes?”
He said, “He is a prophet.”

They answered and said to him,
“You were born totally in sin,
and are you trying to teach us?”
Then they threw him out.

When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out,
he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
He answered and said,
“Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”
Jesus said to him,
“You have seen him, and
the one speaking with you is he.”
He said,
“I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him.

BLIND MAN'S BLUFF

"Some of the Pharisees around Him picked this up, saying, 'You are not calling us blind, are You?' " –John 9:40

Jesus told the Pharisees they were blind. He called them blind guides and blind fools (Mt 23:16, 17, 24, 26). He called the apostles blind when He exclaimed: "Are your minds completely blinded? Have you eyes but no sight?" (Mk 8:17-18) Jesus called the whole church of Laodicea blind (Rv 3:17).

Jesus may be calling us spiritually blind right now. How will we take Jesus' diagnosis of our condition? Will we become defensive, or will we thank Jesus for telling us the truth? The Pharisees got angry at Jesus for calling them blind. They blinded themselves (see Is 29:9) to being blind. They resented the man cured of blindness and threw him out of the synagogue (Jn 9:34). They even tried to impose blindness on everyone else. The Pharisees became so blind that they became darkness (see Eph 5:8). As darkness, they hated the light (Jn 3:20). They hated Jesus, "the Light of the world" (Jn 9:5), and crucified Him.

Spiritual blindness is degenerative. It turns into darkness and violence. We must admit our spiritual blindness (2 Cor 4:4) and ask Jesus to heal us. Otherwise, we will hurt and even crucify our Healer (see Heb 6:6) and those whom He has healed of spiritual blindness. Let Jesus heal you from being blind to your spiritual blindness.

Saturday, 01 March 2008

March 1, 2008
Saturday of the Third Week of Lent

Reading 1
Hos 6:1-6

“Come, let us return to the LORD,
it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;
he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.
He will revive us after two days;
on the third day he will raise us up,
to live in his presence.
Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD;
as certain as the dawn is his coming,
and his judgment shines forth like the light of day!
He will come to us like the rain,
like spring rain that waters the earth.”

What can I do with you, Ephraim?
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your piety is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that early passes away.
For this reason I smote them through the prophets,
I slew them by the words of my mouth;
For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice,
and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Responsorial Psalm
51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21ab

R. (see Hosea 6:6) It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
Be bountiful, O LORD, to Zion in your kindness
by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem;
Then shall you be pleased with due sacrifices,
burnt offerings and holocausts.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.

Gospel
Lk 18:9-14

Jesus addressed this parable
to those who were convinced of their own righteousness
and despised everyone else.
“Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity
greedy, dishonest, adulterous or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week,
and I pay tithes on my whole income.’
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

MISPLACED CONFIDENCE

"What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah?"–Hosea 6:4

The Israelite worshipers sang a hymn which expressed their confidence that God would respond favorably to their offerings and sacrifices: "He will heal us...He will bind our wounds...He will raise us up, to live in His presence...as certain as the dawn is His coming" (Hos 6:1-3). Jesus painted a similar picture in today's Gospel reading. The Pharisee offered sacrifices of tithes, fasting, and a life of holy deeds (Lk 18:11-12). Just as his ancestors did, he prayed confidently to God, offering another splendid sacrifice of prayer and holiness. The Israelites and Pharisee in the readings were confident that God was delighted with offerings and prayers. However, God reacts to these beautiful hymns and prayers with frustration and disgust! He laments: "What can I do with you?" (Hos 6:4)

We are right to approach God confidently. The Lord approves this attitude (see 2 Cor 3:12; 5:6-8). However, when we place our confidence in the power of our own efforts to move God, we are "like a morning cloud...that early passes away" (Hos 6:4). We fade away and God is left to exclaim: "What can I do with you?" (Hos 6:4)

However, when we place all our confidence in Him and none in ourselves (Lk 18:13), then we truly have knowledge of God (Hos 6:6). Now God can say to us: "What can I do with you? I will do with you greater works than Jesus Himself did" (see Jn 14:12).

Friday, 29 February 2008

Book of Hosea 14,2-10.

Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God; you have collapsed through your guilt. Take with you words, and return to the LORD; Say to him, "Forgive all iniquity, and receive what is good, that we may render as offerings the bullocks from our stalls. Assyria will not save us, nor shall we have horses to mount; We shall say no more, 'Our god,' to the work of our hands; for in you the orphan finds compassion." I will heal their defection, I will love them freely; for my wrath is turned away from them. I will be like the dew for Israel: he shall blossom like the lily; He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar, and put forth his shoots. His splendor shall be like the olive tree and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar. Again they shall dwell in his shade and raise grain; They shall blossom like the vine, and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim! What more has he to do with idols? I have humbled him, but I will prosper him. "I am like a verdant cypress tree"-- Because of me you bear fruit! Let him who is wise understand these things; let him who is prudent know them. Straight are the paths of the LORD, in them the just walk, but sinners stumble in them.


Psalms 81(80),6-11.14.17.

Who made it a decree for Joseph when he came out of the land of Egypt. II I hear a new oracle:
"I relieved their shoulders of the burden; their hands put down the basket.
In distress you called and I rescued you; unseen, I spoke to you in thunder; At the waters of Meribah I tested you and said: Selah
'Listen, my people, I give you warning! If only you will obey me, Israel!
There must be no foreign god among you; you must not worship an alien god.
I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt. Open wide your mouth that I may fill it.'
But even now if my people would listen, if Israel would walk in my paths,
But Israel I would feed with the finest wheat, satisfy them with honey from the rock."


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 12,28-34.

One of the scribes, when he came forward and heard them disputing and saw how well he had answered them, asked him, "Which is the first of all the commandments?" Jesus replied, "The first is this: 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, 'He is One and there is no other than he.' And 'to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself' is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." And when Jesus saw that (he) answered with understanding, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

ALL-CALL

"I will heal their defection, I will love them freely." –Hosea 14:5

The Christian life is all or nothing. The first commandment is: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" (Mk 12:30). This is the basis of the law and the prophets and of the whole Christian life. Because Christianity is a matter of giving our "all" to the Lord, we all can be Christians. No matter how weak and limited we are, we all have an "all."

Because the Christian life is a matter of giving our all, we all can live it right now. No matter how big a mess we've made of our lives, we all have an all, always. Christianity is available to all who will give all, always. However, if we invest any of our time, money, or energy into something other than God's will, we've squandered our all, and only have a part. Then we can't obey the first commandment of Christianity, and we can't obtain the precious pearl of God's kingdom, for it costs all that we have (Mt 13:46).

However, if we repent of giving something to anything other than the Lord, we get our all back so we can then give it to the Lord. During this Lent, look at the all of the crucified Jesus. He gave His all and wants our all because He loves us unconditionally, sacrificially, and eternally. Give Him your life in return – all of it.

Thursday, 28 February 2008

St Oswald of Worcester

Book of Jeremiah 7,23-28.

This rather is what I commanded them: Listen to my voice; then I will be your God and you shall be my people. Walk in all the ways that I command you, so that you may prosper. But they obeyed not, nor did they pay heed. They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts and turned their backs, not their faces, to me. From the day that your fathers left the land of Egypt even to this day, I have sent you untiringly all my servants the prophets. Yet they have not obeyed me nor paid heed; they have stiffened their necks and done worse than their fathers. When you speak all these words to them, they will not listen to you either; when you call to them, they will not answer you. Say to them: This is the nation which does not listen to the voice of the LORD, its God, or take correction. Faithfulness has disappeared; the word itself is banished from their speech.


Psalms 95(94),1-2.6-7.8-9.

Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD; cry out to the rock of our salvation.
Let us greet him with a song of praise, joyfully sing out our psalms.
Enter, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For this is our God, whose people we are, God's well-tended flock. Oh, that today you would hear his voice: Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as on the day of Massah in the desert.
There your ancestors tested me; they tried me though they had seen my works.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 11,14-23.

He was driving out a demon (that was) mute, and when the demon had gone out, the mute person spoke and the crowds were amazed. Some of them said, "By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons." Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven. But he knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons. If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that (I) drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

ONE HELL OF A LENT

"If it is by the finger of God that I cast out devils, then the reign of God is upon you." –Luke 11:20

Lent is imitating Jesus as He fasted forty days in the desert. Here Jesus defeated Satan by overcoming his temptations. During this Lent, we too should be overcoming Satan's temptations. Furthermore, by repentance and healing, we can be totally freed from any demonic manipulation or influences in our lives. Then we can attack Satan and drive him out of those around us (see Lk 11:14). We can disarm and despoil him (Lk 11:22). Finally, we can destroy Satan's strongholds in our society and world (2 Cor 10:4).

Every day of Lent should mark another catastrophe for Satan. Systems he has painstakingly developed for generations and centuries will be destroyed within a few hours. Satan will be furious as he sees thousands of his demons vanquished by weak human beings empowered by the very Spirit of God.

Understandably, Satan dreads Lent. It brings back memories of the "bad old days" when he was definitively defeated by Jesus Christ. Lent is not only a time for "refreshing" Satan's memory, but also an opportunity to give him new memories of defeat at the praying hands of Jesus' disciples. This Lent, "quickly crush Satan" under your feet (Rm 16:20).

Wednesday, 27 February 2008

St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows

Book of Deuteronomy 4,1.5-9.

"Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees which I am teaching you to observe, that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.
Therefore, I teach you the statutes and decrees as the LORD, my God, has commanded me, that you may observe them in the land you are entering to occupy. Observe them carefully, for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations, who will hear of all these statutes and say, 'This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.' For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him? Or what great nation has statutes and decrees that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today? "However, take care and be earnestly on your guard not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live, but teach them to your children and to your children's children.


Psalms 147,12-13.15-16.19-20.

Glorify the LORD, Jerusalem; Zion, offer praise to your God,
Who has strengthened the bars of your gates, blessed your children within you,
The LORD sends a command to earth; his word runs swiftly!
Thus snow is spread like wool, frost is scattered like ash,
The LORD also proclaims his word to Jacob, decrees and laws to Israel.
God has not done this for other nations; of such laws they know nothing. Hallelujah!


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 5,17-19.

Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

LAW-LOVE

"Whoever breaks the least significant of these commands and teaches others to do so shall be called least in the kingdom of God. Whoever fulfills and teaches these commands shall be great in the kingdom of God." –Matthew 5:19

We often view God's laws in a stupid, adolescent way. We see them as mere prohibitions or burdens. However, His laws are lifesaving insights into life. For example, we can learn that contraceptive marital sexual relations will undermine a marriage by causing alienation between the spouses and often divorce. We can learn this from God's law and use this revelation to protect and nurture marriage (Catechism, 2370), or we can learn this by having our hearts broken through many years of marital conflict. How many people have proven the truth of God's law by not following it, and thereby turned their lives into experiments that have failed miserably?

How precious is God's law! It is worth more than thousands of gold and silver pieces (Ps 119:72). It is a lamp to our feet and light to our path (Ps 119:105). Even the smallest part of a letter of God's law is to be cherished and lovingly obeyed (see Mt 5:18).

Observe God's law "carefully, for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations, who will hear of all these statutes and say, 'This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people' " (Dt 4:6).

Tuesday, 26 February 2008

St Alexander of Alexandria

Book of Daniel 3,25.34-43.

In the fire Azariah stood up and prayed aloud: For your name's sake, do not deliver us up forever, or make void your covenant. Do not take away your mercy from us, for the sake of Abraham, your beloved, Isaac your servant, and Israel your holy one, To whom you promised to multiply their offspring like the stars of heaven, or the sand on the shore of the sea. For we are reduced, O Lord, beyond any other nation, brought low everywhere in the world this day because of our sins. We have in our day no prince, prophet, or leader, no holocaust, sacrifice, oblation, or incense, no place to offer first fruits, to find favor with you. But with contrite heart and humble spirit let us be received; As though it were holocausts of rams and bullocks, or thousands of fat lambs, So let our sacrifice be in your presence today as we follow you unreservedly; for those who trust in you cannot be put to shame. And now we follow you with our whole heart, we fear you and we pray to you. Do not let us be put to shame, but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy. Deliver us by your wonders, and bring glory to your name, O Lord:


Psalms 25(24),4-5.6-7.8-9.

Make known to me your ways, LORD; teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior. For you I wait all the long day, because of your goodness, LORD.
Remember your compassion and love, O LORD; for they are ages old.
Remember no more the sins of my youth; remember me only in light of your love.
Good and upright is the LORD, who shows sinners the way,
Guides the humble rightly, and teaches the humble the way.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 18,21-35.

Then Peter approaching asked him, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.' Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, 'Pay back what you owe.' Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?' Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart."

"THE PATH TO PEACE" (Lk 19:42)

"Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me Your paths." –Psalm 25:4

God first taught His ways to His people by giving them His Ten Commandments (Ex 20:1ff). His people lost their way, so God "tried again" (Jer 18:4). He sent them prophets to teach them His ways, and promised to write His laws and ways upon their hearts (Jer 31:33). God's people struggled to grasp His ways (Is 55:8).

God's next step was to send Jesus as a Teacher to teach us His ways and paths (Jn 3:16). Jesus taught us that God's way is to forgive repeatedly from the heart (Mt 18:35). Next, Jesus personally made known to us God's paths. He shouldered His cross and walked up the path to Calvary. In so doing, Jesus taught us God's path, the path of forgiveness, and God's way, the way of the cross. Like all good teachers, Jesus then summarized His lesson on God's way of forgiveness as He hung from His cross, saying, "Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing" (Lk 23:34). Jesus forgave those who were hurting Him far more than seventy times seven times (Mt 18:22). He forgives all sinners for all time.

The lesson "is finished" (Jn 19:30). Now it's time for the final exam. The Lord is testing you in the heat of the Lenten desert to determine if you are sincere about following His ways and His paths (see Dt 8:2; 13:4). As part of the forgiveness test, the Lord sends into your life people close enough to be able to hurt you more than seven times, such as a family member, associate, relative, or boss (Mt 18:21). Will you forgive them repeatedly from your heart? Follow the narrow path and pass the forgiveness test.

Monday, 25 February 2008

St Ethelbert of Kent

2nd book of Kings 5,1-15.

Naaman, the army commander of the king of Aram, was highly esteemed and respected by his master, for through him the LORD had brought victory to Aram. But valiant as he was, the man was a leper. Now the Arameans had captured from the land of Israel in a raid a little girl, who became the servant of Naaman's wife. "If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria," she said to her mistress, "he would cure him of his leprosy." Naaman went and told his lord just what the slave girl from the land of Israel had said. "Go," said the king of Aram. "I will send along a letter to the king of Israel." So Naaman set out, taking along ten silver talents, six thousand gold pieces, and ten festal garments. To the king of Israel he brought the letter, which read: "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy." When he read the letter, the king of Israel tore his garments and exclaimed: "Am I a god with power over life and death, that this man should send someone to me to be cured of leprosy? Take note! You can see he is only looking for a quarrel with me!" When Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his garments, he sent word to the king: "Why have you torn your garments? Let him come to me and find out that there is a prophet in Israel." Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. The prophet sent him the message: "Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean." But Naaman went away angry, saying, "I thought that he would surely come out and stand there to invoke the LORD his God, and would move his hand over the spot, and thus cure the leprosy. Are not the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be cleansed?" With this, he turned about in anger and left. But his servants came up and reasoned with him. "My father," they said, "if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, would you not have done it? All the more now, since he said to you, 'Wash and be clean,' should you do as he said." So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. He returned with his whole retinue to the man of God. On his arrival he stood before him and said, "Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel. Please accept a gift from your servant."


Psalms 42,2.3.43,3.4.

As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God.
My being thirsts for God, the living God. When can I go and see the face of God?
Send your light and fidelity, that they may be my guide And bring me to your holy mountain, to the place of your dwelling,
That I may come to the altar of God, to God, my joy, my delight. Then I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 4,24-30.

And he said, "Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH

"Now I know..." –2 Kings 5:15

As sovereign ruler of the nation, King Joram of Israel was in the right position to know God's power. He had access to any information he needed. Maybe he had too much information: when Naaman approached him to find God's healing, Joram presumed the king of Aram wanted to provoke him (2 Kgs 5:7). As a captured slave, the little orphaned, pre-teen girl was seemingly not in a position to know the power and strength of God. Guess which of the two knew that there was a healing prophet in the land of Israel? God reveals to the childlike what He hides from the wise and the learned (Lk 10:21).

As commander of the Aramean army, Naaman had the intellect and resources to understand the regional geography and the probability of pure water in Aram and Israel (2 Kgs 5:12). Naaman's servants probably knew only what they needed to know to perform menial tasks. Guess who understood the relationship between humility and healing?

Certainly God wants our minds to develop and be renewed (Rm 12:2), since He wants us to love Him with all our mind (Lk 10:27). However, God's ways are not our ways (Is 55:8-9). If a person with terminal cancer or AIDS asked you to pray with them for God's healing today, how would you react? Would you be flustered and threatened like Joram, angered like Naaman, or would you be as ready as Naaman's servants? Get humble. Get ready. Receive "the mind of Christ" (1 Cor 2:16).

St. Ethelbert

Sunday, 24 February 2008

Book of Exodus 17,3-7.

Here, then, in their thirst for water, the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "Why did you ever make us leave Egypt? Was it just to have us die here of thirst with our children and our livestock?" So Moses cried out to the LORD, "What shall I do with this people? A little more and they will stone me!" The LORD answered Moses, "Go over there in front of the people, along with some of the elders of Israel, holding in your hand, as you go, the staff with which you struck the river. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb. Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it for the people to drink." This Moses did, in the presence of the elders of Israel. The place was called Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled there and tested the LORD, saying, "Is the LORD in our midst or not?"


Psalms 95(94),1-2.6-7.8-9.

Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD; cry out to the rock of our salvation.
Let us greet him with a song of praise, joyfully sing out our psalms.
Enter, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For this is our God, whose people we are, God's well-tended flock. Oh, that today you would hear his voice: Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as on the day of Massah in the desert.
There your ancestors tested me; they tried me though they had seen my works.


Letter to the Romans 5,1-2.5-8.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access (by faith) to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God. and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us. For Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly. Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 4,5-42.

So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there. Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well. It was about noon. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, "How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?" (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."(The woman) said to him, "Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water." Jesus said to her, "Go call your husband and come back." The woman answered and said to him, "I do not have a husband." Jesus answered her, "You are right in saying, 'I do not have a husband.' For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true." The woman said to him, "Sir, I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem."Jesus said to her, "Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth." The woman said to him, "I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Anointed; when he comes, he will tell us everything."Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking with you."At that moment his disciples returned, and were amazed that he was talking with a woman, but still no one said, "What are you looking for?" or "Why are you talking with her?"The woman left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people, Come see a man who told me everything I have done. Could he possibly be the Messiah? They went out of the town and came to him. Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat." But he said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know." So the disciples said to one another, "Could someone have brought him something to eat?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, 'In four months the harvest will be here'? I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest. The reaper is already receiving his payment and gathering crops for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together. For here the saying is verified that 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the work, and you are sharing the fruits of their work." Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me everything I have done."When the Samaritans came to him, they invited him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. Many more began to believe in him because of his word, and they said to the woman, "We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world."

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997), foundress of the Missionary Sisters of Charity
Letter to all her community, called her “Spiritual Testament”

"Give me a drink"

Jesus’ words “I thirst” (Jn 19,28), written on the wall of all our chapels, are not something from the past but are alive, here and now; they are spoken for you. Do you believe this? If you do, you will understand and feel his presence. Let him be as intimately within you as he is in me; that is the greatest joy you could give me. I will try and help you to understand this but Jesus himself is the only one who can say to you “I thirst!” Listen to your own name. And not just once. Every day. If you listen with your heart, you will hear, you will understand.

Why did Jesus say: “I thirst”? What is its meaning? It is very difficult to explain it in words… Nevertheless, if you could grasp one, single thing from this letter, let it be this: “I thirst” is an even more profound word than if Jesus had simply said “I love you”. So long as you fail to realise, and in a deeply intimate way, that Jesus thirsts for you, you cannot possibly know what it is he wants to be for you, nor what he wants you to be for him. The heart and soul of the Missionaries of Charity consists entirely in this: the thirst of Jesus’ heart, hidden in the poor. This alone is at the origin of all that makes up our life. It sets before us both the goal … and the spirit of our Congregation. To quench the thirst of Jesus living among us is the entire justification for our existence and our exclusive goal. Is there anything more than this we could say about ourselves, namely, that this is our sole motive for living.

MASS-EVANGELIZATION

"Through His own spoken word many more came to faith." –John 4:41

Jesus stayed in a Samaritan town for two days and dramatically transformed that town. Many people believed in Jesus "on the strength" of the Samaritan woman's word and "many more came to faith" through Jesus' own spoken word (Jn 4:39, 41). Jesus wants to convert not only individuals but whole cities, countries, races, populations, businesses, schools, and neighborhoods.

This is difficult for us in the USA to believe. We don't even see many individuals converted, let alone towns, villages, or countries. Nevertheless, 120,000 Ninevites repented in one day (Jon 4:11). A second Samaritan town was converted to the Lord at the preaching of the apostles (Acts 8:14ff). Three thousand people were baptized on the first Pentecost (Acts 2:41). "All the inhabitants of Lydda and Sharon...were converted to the Lord" (Acts 9:35).

Jesus has converted, is converting, and will convert large numbers to Himself. In Africa and China today, it's common to see large numbers and whole villages come to the Lord. We must walk by faith in His word and not by our sight or our limited and limiting experience (see 2 Cor 5:7). We must focus on God's sovereignty and grace and not on our problems or our weaknesses. Jesus promised: "I – once I am lifted up from earth – will draw all men to Myself" (Jn 12:32). Jesus is still doing this with all His perfect love and awesome power.

St. Polycarp

Saturday, 23 February 2008

Book of Micah 7,14-15.18-20.

Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, That dwells apart in a woodland, in the midst of Carmel. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old; As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt, show us wonderful signs. Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance; Who does not persist in anger forever, but delights rather in clemency, And will again have compassion on us, treading underfoot our guilt? You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins; You will show faithfulness to Jacob, and grace to Abraham, As you have sworn to our fathers from days of old.


Psalms 103(102),1-2.3-4.9-10.11-12.

Of David. Bless the LORD, my soul; all my being, bless his holy name!
Bless the LORD, my soul; do not forget all the gifts of God,
Who pardons all your sins, heals all your ills,
Delivers your life from the pit, surrounds you with love and compassion,
God does not always rebuke, nurses no lasting anger,
Has not dealt with us as our sins merit, nor requited us as our deeds deserve.
As the heavens tower over the earth, so God's love towers over the faithful.
As far as the east is from the west, so far have our sins been removed from us.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 15,1-3.11-32.

The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." So to them he addressed this parable. Then he said, "A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.' So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming to his senses he thought, 'How many of my father's hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers."' So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.' But his father ordered his servants, 'Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.' Then the celebration began. Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, 'Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in reply, 'Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.' He said to him, 'My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.'"

Saint Andrew of Crete (660-740), monk and Bishop
Grand canon of the Orthodox Lenten liturgy, 1st ode

"Here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father"

How shall I begin to weep for the works of my life?
What shall be the first notes of my mourning chant?
In your mercy, O Christ, grant me the forgiveness of my sins…

As the potter who moulds the clay
So you have given me, O my Creator, flesh and bones, breath and life.
O Lord who created me, my judge and Saviour,
Take me back to you this day.

O my Saviour, before you I confess my sins.
I have fallen beneath the blows of the Adversary;
Behold the wounds with which my death-dealing thoughts
Have wounded, like brigands, my soul and body (Lk 10,30f.).

I have sinned, my Lord, yet I know that you love mankind.
It is in tenderness you chastise us
And in your ardent compassion.
You see me weeping and come towards me
Like the Father welcoming the prodigal son.

Since my youth, O my Saviour, I have despised your commandments.
I have spent my life in obsession and heedlessness.
I call to you: Before I die,
Save me…

I have dissipated in emptiness the inheritance of my soul.
I lack the fruits of fervour and now I feel hunger.
I cry out: Father, full of compassion, come to me,
Take me in your mercy.

The one whom the robbers attacked (Lk 10,30f.)
Is myself in the midst of the wandering of my thoughts.
They strike me and wound me.
But you, O Christ my Saviour, bend down to me and heal me.

The priest sees me and turns away.
The Levite sees me, naked and in distress, but passes by on the other side.
But you, O Jesus born of Mary,
You stop to help me.

Jesus, I cast myself at your feet;
I have sinned against your love.
Free me from this burden for it is too heavy for me
And, in your mercy, take me to yourself.

Do not enter into judgement with me,
Do not uncover my deeds,
Nor inspect my motives and desires.
But in your compassion, All-Powerful one,
Close your eyes to my sins and save me.

Now is the time of repentance. I come to you.
Free me from the heavy burden of my sins
And, in your gentleness, grant to me tears of repentance.

GUILT RIDDANCE

"Who is there like You, the God Who removes guilt?" –Micah 7:18

In today's eucharistic Scriptures, the Lord throws our repented sins far into the ocean, into the very depths of the sea (Mi 7:19). Then He puts up a huge sign marked: "No Swimming!" Yet some of us don't really understand God's amazing love. We put on a spiritual wetsuit, dive into the ocean to retrieve our guilt, and spend years feeling guilty for having caused God and others so many problems. We're more comfortable in our prison of guilt than in being set free by Jesus.

The Lord doesn't want us to move back into prison after He's set us free. He grabs the guilt we recovered from the sea and tramples it under His feet (Mi 7:19). Jesus is serious. He really doesn't want us to take back that guilt. At this point, some of us are tempted to feel guilty about feeling guilty. This is why Jesus tells the story about the prodigal son. Jesus wants to see the guilty party – with music and celebration (Lk 15:23, 25).

When we're truly set free from our prison of guilt, however, not everyone rejoices. People want to put us back into our prison cell. When Jesus removes and tramples our guilt, we are free indeed! (Jn 8:36) Don't pay attention to what others think. Instead, focus on what Jesus thinks. We must "fix [our] eyes on Jesus" (Heb 3:1). If He is for us, who can be against us? (Rm 8:31) If Jesus alone rejoices to see us free from guilt, then our opponents are outnumbered. "So stand firm, and do not take on yourselves the yoke of slavery" and guilt "a second time" (Gal 5:1).

The Chair of St Peter, apostle

Friday, 22 February 2008

First Letter of Peter 5,1-4.

So I exhort the presbyters among you, as a fellow presbyter and witness to the sufferings of Christ and one who has a share in the glory to be revealed. Tend the flock of God in your midst, (overseeing) not by constraint but willingly, as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly. Do not lord it over those assigned to you, but be examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.


Psalms 23(22),1-3.3-4.5.6.

A psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack.
In green pastures you let me graze; to safe waters you lead me;
you restore my strength. You guide me along the right path for the sake of your name.
you restore my strength. You guide me along the right path for the sake of your name.
Even when I walk through a dark valley, I fear no harm for you are at my side; your rod and staff give me courage.
You set a table before me as my enemies watch; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Only goodness and love will pursue me all the days of my life; I will dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 16,13-19.

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Saint Leo the Great (?-461), Pope and Doctor of the Church
4th sermon for the anniversary of his ordination, PL54, 14a

"Upon this rock I will build my church"

Nothing escaped the wisdom and power of Christ: the natural elements were at his service, spirits obeyed him, angels ministered to him… And yet, out of the whole universe, Peter alone was chosen to preside over the calling of all peoples and the supervision of all the apostles and Fathers of the Church. Thus, even though there were among the People of God many priests and pastors, Peter would rule over them all in person even as Christ also rules over them as their head…

The Lord asks all the apostles what men say about him. And they all say the same thing insofar as they reveal the doubts originating from human ignorance. But when the Lord demands to know what the disciples themselves think, the first to confess the Lord is he who is first in rank of the apostles. Since he was the one to say: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God”, Jesus responds to him: “Blessed are you Simon, son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.” That is to say: Blessed are you because it is my Father who has taught this to you. Your earthly point of view did not deceive you, but heavenly inspiration is what has taught you. It is not flesh and blood that have allowed you to see me, but he of whom I am the only Son.”

“And so I say to you”: that is to say, just as my Father has manifested my divinity to you, so I, too, will make you understand your superiority. “You are Peter”: that is to say, I am the solid rock, the cornerstone who, of two peoples, has made both one (Eph 2,14), the foundation stone besides which none can be laid (1Cor 3,11), but you, too, are a rock, for you are firm through my strength and that which belongs to me by my power you share with me by participation. “On this rock I will build my Church”. On the firmness of this foundation, he says, I will build an eternal temple, and my Church, whose top is to enter heaven, will rise up upon the solidity of this faith.

A HOUSE BUILT ON SAND

" 'You are the Messiah,' Simon Peter answered, 'the Son of the living God!' " –Matthew 16:16

Every denomination has a "pope." Every denomination, no matter how large or small, has someone who occupies a prime position of authority. The Catholic Church has a Pope. In fact, she has an unbroken succession of pontiffs stretching all the way back to St. Peter, her first Pope.

Just as the patriarchs Abram and Jacob received new names to signify their special mission, so Jesus gives the name of Cephas (or Peter), which means 'Rock,' to Simon. This name change clearly illustrates to Jesus' followers that Peter occupies a place of primacy among the apostles.

Jesus gives Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Mt 16:19). The significance of this action is rooted in Isaiah in the passage where Eliakim receives the keys of the office of prime minister held by Shebna. Isaiah prophesies God's word to Eliakim: "I will place the key of the house of David on his shoulder; when he opens, no one shall shut, when he shuts, no one shall open" (Is 22:22). Peter is also commissioned with the power to bind and loose.

Doubters have tried for centuries to deny that Jesus founded a visible Church under the leadership of St. Peter. However, an honest study of Scripture and history causes their best efforts to crumble like a house built on sand (see Mt 7:26-27).

St. Peter Damian

Thursday, 21 February 2008

Book of Jeremiah 17,5-10.

Thus says the LORD: Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the LORD. He is like a barren bush in the desert that enjoys no change of season, But stands in a lava waste, a salt and empty earth. Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD. He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: It fears not the heat when it comes, its leaves stay green; In the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit. More tortuous than all else is the human heart, beyond remedy; who can understand it? I, the LORD, alone probe the mind and test the heart, To reward everyone according to his ways, according to the merit of his deeds.


Psalms 1,1-2.3.4.6.

Happy those who do not follow the counsel of the wicked, Nor go the way of sinners, nor sit in company with scoffers.
Rather, the law of the LORD is their joy; God's law they study day and night.
They are like a tree planted near streams of water, that yields its fruit in season; Its leaves never wither; whatever they do prospers.
But not the wicked! They are like chaff driven by the wind.
The LORD watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 16,19-31.

There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.' Abraham replied, 'My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented. Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.' He said, 'Then I beg you, father, send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.' But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.' He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'"

Saint John Chrysostom (c.345-407), Bishop of Antioch then of Constantinople, Doctor of the Church
Homily on Lazarus 2,5; PG 48, 988-989 (trans. Friends of Henry Ashworth)

"Do not neglect hospitality"

It is worthwhile inquiring why the rich man saw Lazarus in Abraham's arms, and not in the company of some other righteous person. The reason is that Abraham was hospitable, and so the sight of Lazarus with Abraham was meant to reproach the rich man for his own inhospitality. Abraham used to pursue even passers-by and drag them into his home (Gn 18,1f.), whereas the rich man disregarded someone lying in his own doorway. Although he had within his grasp so great a treasure, such an opportunity to win salvation, he ignored the poor man day after day. He could have helped him but he failed to do so.
The patriarch was not like that but just the opposite. He would sit in his doorway and catch all who passed by. And just as a fisherman casting a net into the sea hauls up fish, yes, but also quite often gold and pearls, so Abraham whilst catching people in his net finished by catching angels, though strangely enough without knowing it.

Even Paul marvels at this and gives the advice: "Remember to welcome strangers into your homes, for some by so doing have entertained angels without knowing it," (Heb 13,2). And he did well to say "without knowing it", for if Abraham had welcomed his guests with such kindness because he knew who they were he would have done nothing remarkable. He is praiseworthy only because, without knowing who the passers-by were and taking them to be simply human wayfarers, he yet invited them in with so much good will. And this is true of you also. If you show much eagerness in welcoming some famous and distinguished person you do nothing remarkable... But we do something truly great and admirable when we give a most courteous welcome to all, even the outcasts of society or people of humble condition.

OUR HEART CONDITION

"More tortuous than all else is the human heart, beyond remedy; who can understand it?" –Jeremiah 17:9

We all have learned that many people are not reliable. You can't trust them. We may have even come to the conclusion that we ourselves are not completely trustworthy. However, we probably don't consider ourselves so untrustworthy that we are cursing ourselves if we trust ourselves (see Jer 17:5). We don't think of our hearts as "more tortuous than all else" (Jer 17:9). We don't see our hearts as so twisted and deceitful that they are "beyond remedy" (Jer 17:9). We would be shocked by the words of Abraham that our hearts are so hard that even a man risen from the dead would not faze us (Lk 16:31).

What is the condition of our hearts? We may feel that our hearts are in relatively good condition, but the Lord disagrees. Let's listen to Dr. Jesus (see Mk 2:17). He alone can understand and test the heart (Jer 17:10). He alone is well aware of what is in our hearts (Jn 2:25). Jesus has already given us a new heart in Baptism. Now He will purify our hearts (see Acts 15:9) and make them like His heart (Mt 11:29). Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!

St Wulfric

Wednesday, 20 February 2008

Book of Jeremiah 18,18-20.

"Come," they said, "let us contrive a plot against Jeremiah. It will not mean the loss of instruction from the priests, nor of counsel from the wise, nor of messages from the prophets. And so, let us destroy him by his own tongue; let us carefully note his every word." Heed me, O LORD, and listen to what my adversaries say. Must good be repaid with evil that they should dig a pit to take my life? Remember that I stood before you to speak in their behalf, to turn away your wrath from them.


Psalms 31(30),5-6.14.15-16.

Free me from the net they have set for me, for you are my refuge.
Into your hands I commend my spirit; you will redeem me, LORD, faithful God.
I hear the whispers of the crowd; terrors are all around me. They conspire against me; they plot to take my life.
But I trust in you, LORD; I say, "You are my God."
My times are in your hands; rescue me from my enemies, from the hands of my pursuers.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 20,17-28.

As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve (disciples) aside by themselves, and said to them on the way, Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day." Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached him with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, "What do you wish?" She answered him, "Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom." Jesus said in reply, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?" They said to him, "We can." He replied, "My cup you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left (, this) is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus summoned them and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
Discourse on Psalm 121

"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem"

In the “Psalms of the Ascents” the psalmist longs for Jerusalem and says that he wishes to go up. Go up where? Is he trying to reach the sun, the moon, the stars? No. In heaven we find the everlasting Jerusalem where the angels, our fellow citizens, have their habitation (Heb 12,22). Here on this earth we are in exile, far away from them. Along exile’s road we sigh; once in the city, we tremble for joy.

While on our journey, we find companions who have already seen the city and encourage us to run towards it. They have taken hold of the psalmist’s cry of joy: “I rejoiced when they said to me: “We will go up to the house of the Lord,” (Ps 122[121].1)… “We will go up to the house of the Lord”: let us run, then; let us run, since we are to reach the house of the Lord. Let us run without wearying; there is no weariness above. Let us run to the house of the Lord and tremble for joy with those who have summoned us, those who beheld our homeland first. They cry out from afar to those who follow them: “We will go up to the house of the Lord. Step up! Run!” The apostles have seen that house and call out to us: “Make haste! Run! Follow us! We will go up to the house of the Lord!”

And what does each of us reply? “I rejoice in those who said to me: We will go up to the house of the Lord.” I rejoiced in the prophets, I rejoiced in the apostles, for they have all said to us: “We are going up to the house of the Lord.”

THE CUP

"Such is the case with the Son of Man Who has come, not to be served by others, but to serve, to give His own life as a ransom for the many." –Matthew 20:28

Jesus asked James, John, and their mother: " 'Can you drink of the cup I am to drink of?' 'We can,' they said" (Mt 20:22). They did not understand what cup Jesus was referring to, but they assumed they could drink it. James did eventually drink of the cup of martyrdom (Acts 12:2) and John the cup of being persecuted (Rv 1:9). However, they refused this cup at first. James and John were chosen by Jesus to be with Him in His agony in the garden of Gethsemani, but as Jesus suffered and prayed to His Father about "the cup," James and John fell asleep (see Mt 26:38-40). Later that evening, James, John, and the other apostles refused to drink of the cup of suffering by abandoning Jesus as he was arrested (Mk 14:50).

This Lent, Jesus is asking us: "Can you drink of the cup?" (Mt 20:22) We know that by the grace of our Baptisms we can and must drink of the cup of suffering and of crucified love. Yet will we decide and are we deciding to drink of the cup? Naturally, no one wants to suffer. Supernaturally, however, love is more important than avoiding pain. May the love of Christ impel us to live no longer for ourselves (2 Cor 5:14-15) but to suffer and die for Him. "There is no greater love than this: to lay down one's life" for Jesus (see Jn 15:13).