Friday, 15 February 2008
St Sigfrid of Vaxjo
Book of Ezekiel 18,21-28
But if the wicked man turns away from all the sins he committed, if he keeps all my statutes and does what is right and just, he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of the crimes he committed shall be remembered against him; he shall live because of the virtue he has practiced. Do I indeed derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked? says the Lord GOD. Do I not rather rejoice when he turns from his evil way that he may live? And if the virtuous man turns from the path of virtue to do evil, the same kind of abominable things that the wicked man does, can he do this and still live? None of his virtuous deeds shall be remembered, because he has broken faith and committed sin; because of this, he shall die. You say, "The LORD'S way is not fair!" Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair? When a virtuous man turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies, it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die. But if a wicked man, turning from the wickedness he has committed, does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life; since he has turned away from all the sins which he committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
Psalms 130(129),1-2.3-4.5-6.7-8
A song of ascents. Out of the depths I call to you, LORD;
Lord, hear my cry! May your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
If you, LORD, mark our sins, Lord, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness and so you are revered.
I wait with longing for the LORD, my soul waits for his word.
My soul looks for the Lord more than sentinels for daybreak. More than sentinels for daybreak,
let Israel look for the LORD, For with the LORD is kindness, with him is full redemption,
And God will redeem Israel from all their sins.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 5,20-26
I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, 'You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.'
But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.
MINISTERS OF RECONCILIATION (2 Cor 5:18)
"If you bring your gift to the altar and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift at the altar, go first to be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift." –Matthew 5:23-24
Does anyone have anything against you, even if you don't have anything against them? Immediately, go and be reconciled with this person. "Lose no time" (Mt 5:25). Because you are a follower of Christ, you are a minister of reconciliation. You put out your hand first. You apologize first. You visit or call to break the silence of the "cold war." You may have already done this and been rejected, but in imitation of Jesus, you try to reach out again and again.
Jesus prays we would be one as He and the Father are one (Jn 17:21). This means we must constantly be forgiving one another and accepting the grace to be of one heart and one mind (Acts 4:32). We will put up with injustice, and let ourselves be cheated (1 Cor 6:6-7) rather than take a Christian to court. We will even give up legitimate pleasures if they are an occasion of sin to others (1 Cor 8:9-13). We will accept one another as Christ accepted us, "for the glory of God" (Rm 15:7).
"May God, the Source of all patience and encouragement, enable you to live in perfect harmony with one another according to the Spirit of Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and voice you may glorify God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rm 15:5-6).
Thursday, 14 February 2008
Ss Cyril, monk, and Methodius, bishop, Memorial (Feast in Europ)
Book of Esther C,12.14-16.23-25
Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish, likewise had recourse to the Lord. Then she prayed to the Lord, the God of Israel, saying: "My Lord, our King, you alone are God. Help me, who am alone and have no help but you, for I am taking my life in my hand.
As a child I was wont to hear from the people of the land of my forefathers that you, O Lord, chose Israel from among all peoples, and our fathers from among all their ancestors, as a lasting heritage, and that you fulfilled all your promises to them. Be mindful of us, O Lord. Manifest yourself in the time of our distress and give me courage, King of gods and Ruler of every power.
Put in my mouth persuasive words in the presence of the lion, and turn his heart to hatred for our enemy, so that he and those who are in league with him may perish. Save us by your power, and help me, who am alone and have no one but you, O Lord. "You know all things.
Psalms 138(137),1-2.2-3.7-8
Of David. I thank you, LORD, with all my heart; before the gods to you I sing.
I bow low toward your holy temple; I praise your name for your fidelity and love. For you have exalted over all your name and your promise.
I bow low toward your holy temple; I praise your name for your fidelity and love. For you have exalted over all your name and your promise.
When I cried out, you answered; you strengthened my spirit.
Though I walk in the midst of dangers, you guard my life when my enemies rage. You stretch out your hand; your right hand saves me.
The LORD is with me to the end. LORD, your love endures forever. Never forsake the work of your hands!
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 7,7-12
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asks for a fish? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets.
"HOW GREAT THOU ART"
"Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish, likewise had recourse to the Lord." –Esther C:12
Esther was a young, beautiful girl who had the opportunity to save the Jewish race from extermination. All she had to do was pray and obey the Lord. Could you be an Esther? You are not a queen in the Persian court as was Esther, but you are a royal, priestly, holy person in God's court (1 Pt 2:9).
Because of Jesus' love for you, you can do greater by far than He or Esther did (Jn 14:12). "When much has been given a man, much will be required of him" (Lk 12:48). The Lord expects more from you than He did from Esther. You are so important that you can't get more important. You can and must let Jesus work through you to save nations not only from death but from damnation. Your life, time, Lent, prayer, obedience, and life-style are very important.
You may feel insignificant and helpless, but in Jesus you are more than a conqueror (Rm 8:37). You are a member of the body of Christ (Rm 12:5), a sharer in His divine nature (2 Pt 1:4), and a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19). Esther was a beautiful queen who saved her people. You are far greater.
Wednesday, 13 February 2008
St. Catherine de Ricci
Book of Jonah 3,1-10
The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: "Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and announce to it the message that I will tell you." So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh, according to the LORD'S bidding. Now Nineveh was an enormously large city; it took three days to go through it. Jonah began his journey through the city, and had gone but a single day's walk announcing, "Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed," when the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth. When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes. Then he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh, by decree of the king and his nobles: "Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep, shall taste anything; they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water. Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth and call loudly to God; every man shall turn from his evil way and from the violence he has in hand. Who knows, God may relent and forgive, and withhold his blazing wrath, so that we shall not perish." When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out.
Psalms 51(50),3-4.12-13.18-19
Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness; in your abundant compassion blot out my offense.
Wash away all my guilt; from my sin cleanse me.
A clean heart create for me, God; renew in me a steadfast spirit.
Do not drive me from your presence, nor take from me your holy spirit.
For you do not desire sacrifice; a burnt offering you would not accept.
My sacrifice, God, is a broken spirit; God, do not spurn a broken, humbled heart.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 11,29-32
While still more people gathered in the crowd, he said to them, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.
TWO-TIMING
"The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time." –Jonah 3:1
God came to Jonah a second time (Jon 3:1), and a sinful city of 120,000 people repented (Jon 3:5; 4:11). Jesus came to Peter a second time (Jn 21:1ff), and soon three thousand people converted and were baptized (Acts 2:41).
We are called to spread God's word, and the Lord gives us a major role to play in getting out His word. Certainly, developing and exercising our spiritual and natural gifts, our creativity at spreading the word of God and permeating the culture with the Gospel (Catechism, 899) are important. That's why God calls us and gifts us with the Holy Spirit. That's why we write this booklet! However, the biggest issue is not our abilities, but whether we will get off the couch and get to work.
Notice the parable of the sower and the seed (Mk 4:3). Jesus doesn't mention whether the sower was emotionally distressed, bitter, happy, or skillful. The only thing Jesus says about the sower is that he "went out sowing" (Mk 4:3). That is, the sower got up that morning and put the seed out. God's word has power of its own (Is 55:10-11; Heb 4:12). It grows and spreads of itself (Mk 4:27), not because of the merits of whoever sows it.
"There is no chaining the word of God!" (2 Tm 2:9) So, Satan instead tries to persuade us to slip into some chains. If he can shackle us with chains of sin, addictions, compulsions, sloth, fear, apathy, etc., he's kept the word of God from spreading as far as it otherwise would. Have you let God down? God lets you start a second time. Get out there and get out God's word.
Tuesday, 12 February 2008
St Damian
Book of Isaiah 55,10-11.
For just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down And do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, Giving seed to him who sows and bread to him who eats, So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.
Psalms 34(33),4-5.6-7.16-17.18-19
Magnify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.
I sought the LORD, who answered me, delivered me from all my fears.
Look to God that you may be radiant with joy and your faces may not blush for shame.
In my misfortune I called, the LORD heard and saved me from all distress.
The LORD has eyes for the just and ears for their cry.
The LORD'S face is against evildoers to wipe out their memory from the earth.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears and rescues them from all distress.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted, saves those whose spirit is crushed.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 6,7-15.
In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This is how you are to pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one. If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.
"IF I HAD A HAMMER"
"[My word] shall not return to Me void, but shall do My will, achieving the end for which I sent it." –Isaiah 55:11
Many pray the rosary regularly in front of abortion mills. The rosary is a Scriptural prayer from today's Gospel reading (Mt 6:9-13) and also from Luke 1:42. As these intercessors pray the word of God, they wield His word like a weapon. In Cincinnati, the long-term faithful prayers of these prayer-warriors has resulted in the closing of one abortion mill on several Saturdays each month.
God's word is a means to victory. Jesus used God's word to defeat the devil in the desert (Mt 4:4, 7, 10). "Is not My word like fire, says the Lord, like a hammer shattering rocks?" (Jer 23:29) "Indeed, God's word is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword" (Heb 4:12). The word of God gets the job done; it always achieves His purpose (Is 55:11). God's word can't be stopped (2 Tm 2:9; Mk 4:26-29).
One of the purposes of this booklet, One Bread, One Body, is to teach and encourage Catholics, and anyone else, to read, pray, study, live, teach, and wield God's word for victory, particularly in the context of Holy Mass. You are disciples of Jesus, the Word (Jn 1:1, 14). Therefore, "speak God's word with confidence" (Acts 4:31). "Spread" the Word of God "with influence and power" (Acts 19:20).
Monday, 11 February 2008
Our Lady of Lourdes
Book of Leviticus 19,1-2.11-18
The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them: Be holy, for I, the LORD your God, am holy. "You shall not steal. You shall not lie or speak falsely to one another. You shall not swear falsely by my name, thus profaning the name of your God. I am the LORD. "You shall not defraud or rob your neighbor. You shall not withhold overnight the wages of your day laborer. You shall not curse the deaf, or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but you shall fear your God. I am the LORD. "You shall not act dishonestly in rendering judgment. Show neither partiality to the weak nor deference to the mighty, but judge your fellow men justly. You shall not go about spreading slander among your kinsmen; nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor's life is at stake. I am the LORD. "You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. Though you may have to reprove your fellow man, do not incur sin because of him.
Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
Psalms 19,8.9.10.15
The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The decree of the LORD is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart. The command of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eye.
The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The statutes of the LORD are true, all of them just;
Let the words of my mouth meet with your favor, keep the thoughts of my heart before you, LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 25,31-46
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.' Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?'
He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.' And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
LOVING THOSE WHO HURT YOU
"Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord." –Leviticus 19:18
Jesus was asked: "Teacher, which commandment of the law is the greatest?" (Mt 22:36) Jesus surprised His questioner by mentioning not one commandment but two. He surprised all of Judaism by maintaining that loving one's neighbor as oneself is the second commandment, and together with the first commandment forms the basis of the law and the prophets (Mt 22:40).
The Biblical context for the second commandment isn't merely about generally helping out our neighbors or being friendly to them. In Leviticus 19:18, to love our neighbor specifically means not bearing hatred toward them, not taking revenge on them, and not cherishing a grudge against them. So when Jesus was asked to name the greatest commandment, He did not merely add to the first commandment the command to love our neighbor; He also implied a prohibition against hating, taking revenge, and cherishing grudges.
Is there anyone you hate? Do you want to get back at someone? Are you holding a grudge? Have you forgiven from your heart everyone for everything? (Mt 18:35) Do you love your neighbor as yourself by God's standards? This Lent, be reconciled, forgive, and love your neighbor.
Sunday, 10 February 2008
St. Scholastica
Book of Genesis 2,7-9.3,1-7
The LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being. Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and he placed there the man whom he had formed. Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow that were delightful to look at and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and bad. Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the LORD God had made. The serpent asked the woman, "Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?" The woman answered the serpent: "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, 'You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.'" But the serpent said to the woman: "You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is bad." The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
Psalms 51(50),3-4.5-6.12-13.14.17
Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness; in your abundant compassion blot out my offense. Wash away all my guilt; from my sin cleanse me. For I know my offense; my sin is always before me. Against you alone have I sinned; I have done such evil in your sight That you are just in your sentence, blameless when you condemn. A clean heart create for me, God; renew in me a steadfast spirit. Do not drive me from your presence, nor take from me your holy spirit. Restore my joy in your salvation; sustain in me a willing spirit. Lord, open my lips; my mouth will proclaim your praise.
Letter to the Romans 5,12-19
Therefore, just as through one person sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all, inasmuch as all sinned -- for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world, though sin is not accounted when there is no law. But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass of Adam, who is the type of the one who was to come. But the gift is not like the transgression. For if by that one person's transgression the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one person Jesus Christ overflow for the many.
And the gift is not like the result of the one person's sinning. For after one sin there was the judgment that brought condemnation; but the gift, after many transgressions, brought acquittal. For if, by the transgression of one person, death came to reign through that one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of justification come to reign in life through the one person Jesus Christ.
In conclusion, just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so through one righteous act acquittal and life came to all. For just as through the disobedience of one person the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one the many will be made righteous.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 4,1-11
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread." He said in reply, "It is written: 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.'"Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: 'He will command his angels oncerning you and 'with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'" Jesus answered him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.'" Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me." At this, Jesus said to him, "Get away, Satan! It is written: 'The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.'" Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.
LENT AND SATAN
"Jesus was led into the desert by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil." –Matthew 4:1
At the first Lent, Jesus routed Satan by overcoming three temptations. In the final three years of His life, Jesus continued His total mastery of the devil. He healed "all who were in the grip of the devil" (Acts 10:38) and destroyed "the devil's works" (1 Jn 3:8). Finally, Jesus totally and definitively conquered the evil one when He hung three hours on the cross, died in perfect love, and rose from the dead on the third day. When Jesus fasted for forty days in the desert, He won one of His major victories over Satan. As we imitate Jesus' forty-day fast this Lent, we also can claim a major victory over Satan, all his works, and all his empty promises. We can break out of sins which have plagued us for years. We can demolish Satan's strongholds, sophistries, and pretenses (2 Cor 10:4-5). In Christ, we can triumph over Satan and his demons, lead them off captive, and make "a public show" of them (Col 2:15).
This Lent we are called to resist the devil, attack the gates of hell (Mt 16:18), and force Satan to flee (Jas 4:7). Repent! Obey! Charge!
Saturday, 09 February 2008
St Teilo
Book of Isaiah 58,9-14
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am! If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday; Then the LORD will guide you always and give you plenty even on the parched land. He will renew your strength, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails. The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake, and the foundations from ages past you shall raise up; "Repairer of the breach," they shall call you, "Restorer of ruined homesteads." If you hold back your foot on the sabbath from following your own pursuits on my holy day; If you call the sabbath a delight, and the LORD'S holy day honorable; If you honor it by not following your ways, seeking your own interests, or speaking with malice-- Then you shall delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob, your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
Psalms 86(85),1-2.3-4.5-6
A prayer of David. Hear me, LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and oppressed. Preserve my life, for I am loyal; save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God; pity me, Lord; to you I call all the day. Gladden the soul of your servant; to you, Lord, I lift up my soul. Lord, you are kind and forgiving, most loving to all who call on you. LORD, hear my prayer; listen to my cry for help.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 5,27-32
After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post. He said to him, "Follow me." And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.
Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were at table with them. The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" Jesus said to them in reply, "Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners."
GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER?
"Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and non-observers of the law?" –Luke 5:30
Jesus spent much of His public ministry eating good meals with sinful people. We can learn a great deal about Jesus by simply observing the people with whom He ate. Jesus' eating was "catholic," that is, universal. He ate with: sinners (Mt 9:10), the lost (Lk 19:5-10), crowds (Jn 6:10ff), the poor (see Lk 14:13), the rich (Lk 14:1), those who loved Him (Jn 12:1-2), those who disagreed with Him (Lk 14:1-5), those who denied Him and doubted Him (Jn 21:12ff), and His betrayer (Lk 22:21). Eating a meal means more than sharing food. It also means sharing fellowship and sharing lives. Jesus stands knocking at your door, wanting to eat with you, and ardently waiting for you to open the door and invite Him in (Rv 3:20).
Jesus wants to eat with you. However, there's company at His table. In Lent, the Lord is teaching about His kind of fasting, which involves abstaining from food (Mt 4:2), "sharing your bread with the hungry" (Is 58:7, 10), and not separating yourself from Jesus' body as you eat and drink (1 Cor 11:20-22, 29, 33-34).
With whom would you rather not eat? Jesus wants to eat with them. Do you still want to eat with Jesus?
Friday, 08 February 2008
St. Jerome Emiliani
Book of Isaiah 58,1-9
Cry out full-throated and unsparingly, lift up your voice like a trumpet blast; Tell my people their wickedness, and the house of Jacob their sins. They seek me day after day, and desire to know my ways, Like a nation that has done what is just and not abandoned the law of their God; They ask me to declare what is due them, pleased to gain access to God.
"Why do we fast, and you do not see it? afflict ourselves, and you take no note of it?" Lo, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits, and drive all your laborers. Yes, your fast ends in quarreling and fighting, striking with wicked claw. Would that today you might fast so as to make your voice heard on high! Is this the manner of fasting I wish, of keeping a day of penance: That a man bow his head like a reed, and lie in sackcloth and ashes? Do you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD? This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; Your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am! If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech;
Psalms 51(50),3-4.5-6.18-19
Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness; in your abundant compassion blot out my offense. Wash away all my guilt; from my sin cleanse me. For I know my offense; my sin is always before me. Against you alone have I sinned; I have done such evil in your sight That you are just in your sentence, blameless when you condemn. For you do not desire sacrifice; a burnt offering you would not accept. My sacrifice, God, is a broken spirit; God, do not spurn a broken, humbled heart.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 9,14-15
Then the disciples of John approached him and said, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast (much), but your disciples do not fast?" Jesus answered them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
GONE-FAST
"When the day comes that the Groom is taken away, then they will fast." –Matthew 9:15
Jesus said His disciples would fast when He was taken away from them. This means they would fast after His Ascension, and this the early Church did (i.e., Acts 13:2; 14:23; 2 Cor 6:5). An extended meaning of this verse could be that fasting is especially beneficial when we feel Jesus, the Bridegroom, has been taken away from us. For example, some pastors periodically go on extended fasts, usually when they notice their zeal to preach the gospel diminishing. During these fasts, they experience a recharging of their enthusiasm for serving the Lord.
Fasting may be especially beneficial when our prayer time is "dry." Fasting can bring us through what seems a communication breakdown to the communion of the wedding feast of Jesus, the Bridegroom. Fasting is particularly appropriate in the desert, where the Spirit led Jesus to fast for forty days (Lk 4:1-2). When the Lord calls us into the desert of drastically simplifying our lives, we should not eat to try and compensate for lack of diversions, but should fast and enter into the spirit of poverty and simplicity.
When our evangelization is flagging, our prayer "dry," and our lives "desert-ed," it's a good time to fast. When Jesus seems to have been taken away from us on earth, then fasting takes us in Spirit to heaven with Jesus.
Thursday, 07 February 2008
St Mel
Book of Deuteronomy 30,15-20
"Here, then, I have today set before you life and prosperity, death and doom. If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I enjoin on you today, loving him, and walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments, statutes and decrees, you will live and grow numerous, and the LORD, your God, will bless you in the land you are entering to occupy. If, however, you turn away your hearts and will not listen, but are led astray and adore and serve other gods, I tell you now that you will certainly perish; you will not have a long life on the land which you are crossing the Jordan to enter and occupy. I call heaven and earth today to witness against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the LORD, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him. For that will mean life for you, a long life for you to live on the land which the LORD swore he would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."
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 9,22-25
He said, "The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised." Then he said to all, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?
THE DECISION
"I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse." –Deuteronomy 30:19
This Lent, the Lord says to His people: "I have today set before you life and prosperity, death and doom" (Dt 30:15). We must choose Life (Jn 14:6; Dt 30:19) and decide to give our lives to Jesus (Lk 9:24). However, most people don't like to make decisions. We naturally try to avoid making them, but life forces us to decide. We cannot escape making decisions; we can only postpone it.
Therefore, "delay not your conversion to the Lord, put it not off from day to day" (Sir 5:8). "Delay not to forsake sins, neglect it not till you are in distress" (Sir 18:21). "Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the Lord, your God, heeding His voice, and holding fast to Him. For that will mean life for you" (Dt 30:19-20).
We will eventually make a definite and final decision for or against Jesus. If we postpone deciding for the Lord, we refuse His love and treat Him as if He's not worth an immediate decision of total love. Therefore, choose life; choose Jesus, Who is Life (Jn 11:25, 14:6). Decide for Jesus now!
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