In today's first reading, Numbers 21: 4-9, we meet the Israelites on the Red Sea road, a road taken to bypass the land of Edom. "...[W]ith their patience worn out by the journey, the people complained against God and Moses, 'Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in his desert, where there is no food or water? we are disgusted with this wretched food!" God's anger is aroused, so to speak and in "punishment sent among the people saraph serpents, which bit the people so that many of them died." Acknowledging their sin against God, the people repent and ask God to take the serpents away from them. Moses prays on their behalf and God instructs Moses to "make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and whoever looks at it after being bitten will live."
We are being "bitten" by the coronavirus throughout the world. And, no doubt, some people are complaining bitterly against God and praying: "Remove this "saraph serpent" from our midst. Let us look to Jesus upon the cross as the Israelites who looked up at the mounted serpent after being bitten and lived.With the psalmist in today's responsorial psalm, Psalm 102, we pray:
O Lord, hear my prayer,
and let my cry come to you.
Hide not your face from me
in the day of my distress.
Incline your ear to me;
in the day when I call, answer me speedily....
Let this be written for the generation to come,
and let his future creatures praise the Lord:
'The Lord looked down from his holy height,
from heaven he beheld the earth,
to hear the groaning of [those affected by the coronavirus]
to release those doomed to die.'"
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Monday, March 30, 2020
The Challenge of Living Lives of Integrity
In today's first reading, Daniel 13: 1-9, 15-17, 19=30-, 33-62, we are presented with the story of the wicked judges who had a history of unjustly accusing women of adultery and having them executed for this crime. These wicked men would trap a woman and accuse her of committing adultery unless she allowed them to have sex with them. Susanna,a "beautiful and God- fearing woman", found herself in that situation. Her husband, a wealthy man , owned a garden. "Susanna used to enter her husband's garden for a walk. When the old men saw her enter every day for her walk, they began to lust for her. They suppressed their consciences; they would not allow their eyes to look to heaven, and did not keep in mind just judgments." They gave into their evil desires and said to Susanna: "Look, the garden doors are shut, and no one can see us; give in to our desire, and lie with us. If you refuse, we will testify against you that you dismissed her maids because a young man was here with you." Susanna did not yield to these wicked men. As threatened, the wicked men brought Susanna before the court and leveled an unjust accusation of adultery against her and condemned her to death. As she was being led out of the court to be executed, God raised up a young man by the name of Daniel to defend her and confront these wicked men with their crimes of "passing unjust sentences, condemning the innocent, and freeing the guilty...." Both men committed perjury that day and were given the sentence they passed on Susanna. They were executed and Susanna saved.
The questions each of us faces is: Have I, over time, suppressed my conscience and avoided looking to heaven, not keeping the Law of God before my eyes even in small things like lying, cheating, stealing, lusting or whatever wrongful pleasure I may have been entertaining? Have I said to myself when being tempted to give in to temptation: "Don't worry! It's only a small matter"? Like the wicked judges who were in positions of power and prestige, have I allowed an exalted status to sweep me away down a path that is contrary to what God expects of me?
Who am I in this passage: Susanna who does not give into wickedness--have I stood my grounds in the face of evil? Susanna, who calls upon God to come to her aid--do I seek God's help when I feel trapped? The wicked men who unjustly accused Susanna--have I unjustly accused others? Daniel who God raised up to confront these wicked men--has God called me to confront evil?
The questions each of us faces is: Have I, over time, suppressed my conscience and avoided looking to heaven, not keeping the Law of God before my eyes even in small things like lying, cheating, stealing, lusting or whatever wrongful pleasure I may have been entertaining? Have I said to myself when being tempted to give in to temptation: "Don't worry! It's only a small matter"? Like the wicked judges who were in positions of power and prestige, have I allowed an exalted status to sweep me away down a path that is contrary to what God expects of me?
Who am I in this passage: Susanna who does not give into wickedness--have I stood my grounds in the face of evil? Susanna, who calls upon God to come to her aid--do I seek God's help when I feel trapped? The wicked men who unjustly accused Susanna--have I unjustly accused others? Daniel who God raised up to confront these wicked men--has God called me to confront evil?
Sunday, March 29, 2020
"Lazarus, Come Out"
In today's Gospel, John 11: 1-45, Jesus is informed that his friend Lazarus is ill. when Jesus hears this, he says: "This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." The same is true of the illness that has swept the world in our day. God's glory will be revealed in it! Jesus does immediately go to Bethany to comfort Mary and Martha, Lazarus' sisters and also close friends of Jesus. He waits two days. His disciples are concerned that Jesus would ever consider going to Judea, where his friends live: "Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, and you want to go back there?" Jesus not only risks his life for his friends, and for us who are also His friends, He actually surrenders his life for us on the cross and is risen from the dead for us. As with Jesus, so with us. Jesus simply and lovingly and faithfully goes before us. We will follow.
Jesus weeps for Lazarus and with Mary and Martha. He also weeps with us in our losses. He approaches the tomb in which Lazarus' body is and says: "Lazarus, come out!" Lazarus comes out wrapped in burial cloths from head to foot. "Untie him and let him and let him go," Jesus says to Martha and Mary.
As we know, Jesus is the Resurrection and, like Lazarus, enters His tomb and rises from death. He also enters whatever "tomb" you and I are in and calls us to come out of those tombs. Likewise, He asks that we become "untied" of that which interferes with us answering God's call to holiness. We are asked, as well, to "untie" anyone else that needs our assistance to be free!
Jesus/God is one with us in all things human! He cries with us, laughs with us, "dies" with us and "rises" with us. He shares our joys and sorrows! He also celebrates with us and invites us ultimately to His banquet in eternal life!
Jesus weeps for Lazarus and with Mary and Martha. He also weeps with us in our losses. He approaches the tomb in which Lazarus' body is and says: "Lazarus, come out!" Lazarus comes out wrapped in burial cloths from head to foot. "Untie him and let him and let him go," Jesus says to Martha and Mary.
As we know, Jesus is the Resurrection and, like Lazarus, enters His tomb and rises from death. He also enters whatever "tomb" you and I are in and calls us to come out of those tombs. Likewise, He asks that we become "untied" of that which interferes with us answering God's call to holiness. We are asked, as well, to "untie" anyone else that needs our assistance to be free!
Jesus/God is one with us in all things human! He cries with us, laughs with us, "dies" with us and "rises" with us. He shares our joys and sorrows! He also celebrates with us and invites us ultimately to His banquet in eternal life!
Saturday, March 28, 2020
"Be Not Afraid"--Jesus Is in the Boat with Us
Today's Entrance antiphon reads: "The waves of death rose about me; the pains of the netherworld surrounded me" (Cf Ps 18 (17): 5,7]. How true! The waves of death caused by the coronavirus rises around all of us throughout the entire world. "The pains of the netherworld [surround us]." With the psalmist, we pray: "In anguish [we call] to the Lord, and from his holy temple [God hears our voices]". As Pope Francis said to us yesterday from a live-streamed reflection at noon our time: "Be not afraid. Jesus is in the boat with us." And just as he calmed the fears of the disciples and stopped the storm that was threatening to kill them, so, too, will he calm our fears and assist us in stopping the spread of the virus that could kill us. He has power over the coronavirus just as he had power over the storm that scared the disciples to death!
In the first reading of today's liturgy, Jeremiah 11: 18-20, Jeremiah acknowledges that he knows "their plot because the Lord informed me; at that time you, O Lord, showed me their doings." We know the plot of the coronavirus. We know what the coronavirus is doing to thousands of people around the world. As those hatching plots against Jeremiah, and later against Jesus, so, too, it seems is the coronavirus determined "to destroy the tree in its vigor" and to cut us "off from the land of the living." However, the coronavirus will not have the last word any more than death had the last word in Jesus' life or the life of Jeremiah. And just as the cases of those who were healed by Jesus revealed the glory of God, so, too, will the glory of God be revealed in today's world ravaged by this evil. Good comes from evil now as it did in Jesus' time when He was with us physically. He is with us now in Spirit and in Life!
May our faith and trust be strengthened in this storm of life. May we keep our eyes on Jesus and look to Him for the help that we need!
In the first reading of today's liturgy, Jeremiah 11: 18-20, Jeremiah acknowledges that he knows "their plot because the Lord informed me; at that time you, O Lord, showed me their doings." We know the plot of the coronavirus. We know what the coronavirus is doing to thousands of people around the world. As those hatching plots against Jeremiah, and later against Jesus, so, too, it seems is the coronavirus determined "to destroy the tree in its vigor" and to cut us "off from the land of the living." However, the coronavirus will not have the last word any more than death had the last word in Jesus' life or the life of Jeremiah. And just as the cases of those who were healed by Jesus revealed the glory of God, so, too, will the glory of God be revealed in today's world ravaged by this evil. Good comes from evil now as it did in Jesus' time when He was with us physically. He is with us now in Spirit and in Life!
May our faith and trust be strengthened in this storm of life. May we keep our eyes on Jesus and look to Him for the help that we need!
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Honesty with God in Prayer
In today's first reading, Exodus 32: 7-14, the Lord's wrath blares up against his people because they turned against the one true God by "making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it, sacrificing to it...The Lord said to Moses, 'I see how stiff-necked this people is. Let me alone, then, that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them. Then I will make of you a great nation.' But Moses implored the Lord, his God, saying, 'Why, O Lord, should your wrath blaze up against your own people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with such great power and with so strong a hand? .....Let your blazing wrath die down;.... So the Lord relented in the punishment he had threatened to inflict on his people."
Moses does not mince words with God. He is being brutally honest! "Lord, why would you do such a thing as kill the Israelites. Look at how you freed the people from slavery in Egypt and You did so with such great power and with a strong arm. Come on! Your not going to now use your almighty power to consume them, are You? And God relents!
Think of how you and your best friend communicate with one another. You are not afraid to share exactly what is on your mind. and sometimes what you are thinking is not very pretty. You do not coat your words in sugar when you are intensely mad about something your friend is about to do that is crazy. Moses spoke the way he did with God because God and he were the best of friends. God was madly in love with Moses and Moses with God! Being the best of friends, Moses tells God exactly what is on his mind and he does not sugar coat his words.
Is God your best friend? Are you as honest with God as Moses was? If not, why not? I had to answer that question for myself! I realized that I had been keeping God at a distance because of my belief that God was an angry God, a punishing God, a God who kept a black list of my sinfulness. when I was naughty as a child I was told that God was watching me and that he was keeping track of my naughtiness. No way could I let myself get close to this kind of God! One day when, in prayer, I expressed intense anger toward God and cowered for fear of how God would respond to me, I heard Him say to me in prayer: It is not I who has a problem with your anger; you do! Over the years, I have learned that God is a caring, loving, merciful God. I have developed a close relationship with God and am not afraid to be honest with Him in good times and "bad" times, when angry or sad or hurt or jealous or happy or joyful or grateful or delighted! I can now share all my feelings and thoughts with the Lord and the Lord lovingly responds!
How about you? If you are unable to do this, do you need to look at how you perceive God? Is your perception of God accurate or do you need to change your perception?
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
"To Do Your Will, O My God, Is My Delight" (Psalm 40)
In today's responsorial psalm, Psalm 40, we pray: "Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will....To do your will, O my God, is my delight..." In the second reading, Hebrews 10: 4-10, St. Paul reminds us that Jesus became a human being "to do [God's] will" because that is what God desired of Him, not ""[s]acrifice and offering" and that God takes "no delight in holocausts and sin offerings." St. Paul restates Jesus' response, saying: "Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings, you neither desired nor delight in. These are offered according to the law....Behold, I come to do you will." In doing do, St. Paul explains, Jesus "takes away the first to establish the second. By this 'will,' we have been consecrated through the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all." In the Gospel, Luke 1: 26-38, Mary responds to the angel announcing the Incarnation, namely, that the Son of God will take on human nature in her womb, by saying: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to your will."
Each of those Scriptures state clearly our call to carry out God's will. He desires nothing less of us! How often, however, do I not choose my will above God's will. How often do I not forget that, like Mary, I am God's handmaid and that God does not desire sacrifices or offerings, holocaust and sin offering from me. He wants me to surrender my will to Him, nothing short of that sacrifice! And that challenge to surrender my will to His comes in ordinary, mundane ways: right now, social distancing and limiting going out of my home in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus, cooperating with my spouse or with the leadership of my religious community, my government, my employer in responding to this call to do our part in efforts to stop the spread of this disease. Surrendering to God's will may also mean sacrificing my convenience to help another person in need, letting go of my way and accepting the way of another person, or changing the time that I do something in order to to assist another person to complete a different chore.
"To do your will, O Lord, is my delight" (Psalm 40) or is it really?
Each of those Scriptures state clearly our call to carry out God's will. He desires nothing less of us! How often, however, do I not choose my will above God's will. How often do I not forget that, like Mary, I am God's handmaid and that God does not desire sacrifices or offerings, holocaust and sin offering from me. He wants me to surrender my will to Him, nothing short of that sacrifice! And that challenge to surrender my will to His comes in ordinary, mundane ways: right now, social distancing and limiting going out of my home in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus, cooperating with my spouse or with the leadership of my religious community, my government, my employer in responding to this call to do our part in efforts to stop the spread of this disease. Surrendering to God's will may also mean sacrificing my convenience to help another person in need, letting go of my way and accepting the way of another person, or changing the time that I do something in order to to assist another person to complete a different chore.
"To do your will, O Lord, is my delight" (Psalm 40) or is it really?
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
A River of Graces that Flows into our Lives
In today's first reading, Ezekiel 47: 1-9, 12, an angel brings Ezekiel to the entrance of the temple, where he sees water flowing from beneath the threshold toward the east. The angel walks out into the water with a measuring cord in his hand and invites Ezekiel to walk out as well. First the water is ankle deep, then knee deep, then up to his waist and then so deep that one can only swim in it. A river is flowing through it to salt waters, which it freshens. Wherever the river flows, there is an abundant fish. "Along the banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow; their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail. Every month they shall bear fresh fruit, for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary. Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine."
This passage speaks to me of the life-flowing waters of baptism. It also speaks to me of the graces flowing to us from the altar upon which we celebrate the Eucharist and offer the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in the consecrated hosts to God our Father. By staying close to Jesus in the Eucharist and in prayer, we are staying close to the "Water" and to the "River," that is Christ Jesus, a "river" of graces that serve as spiritual food and spiritual "medicine" --a "medicine" that restores our health in Christ Jesus. In union with the Lord, we bear fruit that will last and our "leaves" never fade, that is our faith and hope and love are abundant, as the fish in the river that is spoken about in today's first reading.
In the Gospel of today's liturgy,John 5: 1-16, we are shown how waters of the pool of Bethesda act as a source of healing for the person who is first to enter the pool when it is stirred up. Jesus sees a man at Bethesda who has been ill for 38 years and asks him whether he wants to get well. Instead of answering Jesus' question with a "yes", he complains that no one puts him in the pool: "...[W]hile I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me."
Do I find excuses when I am presented with an opportunity to move from a crippled position or attitude? Do I respond to Jesus' invitations to a chance of new life by complaining about others not helping me? Or do I say "yes" to what is being offered to me?
This passage speaks to me of the life-flowing waters of baptism. It also speaks to me of the graces flowing to us from the altar upon which we celebrate the Eucharist and offer the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in the consecrated hosts to God our Father. By staying close to Jesus in the Eucharist and in prayer, we are staying close to the "Water" and to the "River," that is Christ Jesus, a "river" of graces that serve as spiritual food and spiritual "medicine" --a "medicine" that restores our health in Christ Jesus. In union with the Lord, we bear fruit that will last and our "leaves" never fade, that is our faith and hope and love are abundant, as the fish in the river that is spoken about in today's first reading.
In the Gospel of today's liturgy,John 5: 1-16, we are shown how waters of the pool of Bethesda act as a source of healing for the person who is first to enter the pool when it is stirred up. Jesus sees a man at Bethesda who has been ill for 38 years and asks him whether he wants to get well. Instead of answering Jesus' question with a "yes", he complains that no one puts him in the pool: "...[W]hile I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me."
Do I find excuses when I am presented with an opportunity to move from a crippled position or attitude? Do I respond to Jesus' invitations to a chance of new life by complaining about others not helping me? Or do I say "yes" to what is being offered to me?
Sunday, March 22, 2020
The Works of God Made Visible through the Events of Life
In today's Gospel, John 9: 1-41, Jesus sees a man who was born blind from birth. His disciples are stunned by this fact and ask Jesus: "'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 may wonder who sinned that the entire world is infested with the coronavirus. Perhaps Jesus' response to that question is the same as His response to His disciples: The pandemic of the coronavirus "is so that the works of God might be made visible through" this pandemic. God is at work through every human being tending to those who have contracted the disease and all who are taking measures to stop the spread of this disease. Good will come and is present in this evil that has affected the entire world. People all over the world have risen to the occasion in efforts to help those who have become ill. We are being transformed into better human beings, more conscious of the needs of others, of our own vulnerability and our dependence upon God as the result of this pandemic. We are being brought to our knees in prayer, begging God to have mercy, to bring healing and protection to all.
God will never abandon us. His Son Jesus became one of us to be in solidarity with us, to show us the Father's love and the way to the Father. He was fully human and suffered all that we suffer, including being vulnerable to that which can destroy life and, in His case, fellow human beings jealous of and threatened by Him. In suffering death He destroyed death's power. Death had no power over Him. He rose from the dead and entered the glory of heaven through death's door. Death will have no power over us either, as it will also be the door through which we enter eternal life, as Jesus did. Is death easy? Of course not. It wasn't easy for Jesus either and, humanly speaking, a source of incredible grief for His mother and closest friends! He knows how devastating the coronavirus is on those dying of the virus and those losing loved ones to this virus. He suffers with all who are suffering. Our pain is His pain. Our grief is His grief. May we keep our eyes on Jesus and depend upon Him for help through this crisis.
We may wonder who sinned that the entire world is infested with the coronavirus. Perhaps Jesus' response to that question is the same as His response to His disciples: The pandemic of the coronavirus "is so that the works of God might be made visible through" this pandemic. God is at work through every human being tending to those who have contracted the disease and all who are taking measures to stop the spread of this disease. Good will come and is present in this evil that has affected the entire world. People all over the world have risen to the occasion in efforts to help those who have become ill. We are being transformed into better human beings, more conscious of the needs of others, of our own vulnerability and our dependence upon God as the result of this pandemic. We are being brought to our knees in prayer, begging God to have mercy, to bring healing and protection to all.
God will never abandon us. His Son Jesus became one of us to be in solidarity with us, to show us the Father's love and the way to the Father. He was fully human and suffered all that we suffer, including being vulnerable to that which can destroy life and, in His case, fellow human beings jealous of and threatened by Him. In suffering death He destroyed death's power. Death had no power over Him. He rose from the dead and entered the glory of heaven through death's door. Death will have no power over us either, as it will also be the door through which we enter eternal life, as Jesus did. Is death easy? Of course not. It wasn't easy for Jesus either and, humanly speaking, a source of incredible grief for His mother and closest friends! He knows how devastating the coronavirus is on those dying of the virus and those losing loved ones to this virus. He suffers with all who are suffering. Our pain is His pain. Our grief is His grief. May we keep our eyes on Jesus and depend upon Him for help through this crisis.
Saturday, March 21, 2020
God Suffers with Us and Will Revive Us!
In today's first reading, Hosea 6: 1-6, the prophet invites us to return to the Lord, saying to us: "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...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 the day! He will come to us like the rain, like spring rain that waters the earth."
TRUST IN THE LORD! The entire world has been struck with the coronavirus. "God's judgment shines forth like the light of the day," says the prophet Hosea! It is God, in the prophet's words, who, "will heal us," "bind up our wounds" once this virus has run its course! Repent and believe in the Scriptures! "As certain as the dawn" is God's presence in our midst. God, I believe, suffers with us and it is God who "will revive us,...raise us up, to live in his presence." That presence is already here! Let us keep our focus on Jesus, or, if we have turned away our focus to other gods, let us return our focus to the Lord, our God, to Jesus our Savior.
If everything looks dark to you, let us recall the first Good Friday. Everything could not have, in my opinion, looked darker to the disciples of the Lord. Their master was being executed in the public square, so to speak. The One to whom they looked to establish an earthly kingdom and rescue them from Roman occupation was being put to death. Yes, they had it wrong. Jesus was not about building an earthly kingdom. His kingdom was of God and existed with God in eternal life and He surrendered Himself to death to raise us up with Him in eternal life to be with Him forever in a Kingdom of justice and love and peace and joy forever. That is our destiny even now!
TRUST IN THE LORD! The entire world has been struck with the coronavirus. "God's judgment shines forth like the light of the day," says the prophet Hosea! It is God, in the prophet's words, who, "will heal us," "bind up our wounds" once this virus has run its course! Repent and believe in the Scriptures! "As certain as the dawn" is God's presence in our midst. God, I believe, suffers with us and it is God who "will revive us,...raise us up, to live in his presence." That presence is already here! Let us keep our focus on Jesus, or, if we have turned away our focus to other gods, let us return our focus to the Lord, our God, to Jesus our Savior.
If everything looks dark to you, let us recall the first Good Friday. Everything could not have, in my opinion, looked darker to the disciples of the Lord. Their master was being executed in the public square, so to speak. The One to whom they looked to establish an earthly kingdom and rescue them from Roman occupation was being put to death. Yes, they had it wrong. Jesus was not about building an earthly kingdom. His kingdom was of God and existed with God in eternal life and He surrendered Himself to death to raise us up with Him in eternal life to be with Him forever in a Kingdom of justice and love and peace and joy forever. That is our destiny even now!
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Giving Evidence of our Wisdom and Intelligence!
In today's first reading, Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9, Moses reminds the people of Israel to respect the law and to cherish the greatness of its nation as one privileged in having God so close to it: "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.....Observe [these laws] 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 statues and decrees that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today?"
The author of Deuteronomy is speaking to us today, as well as to the Israelites. We, too, have been given laws and decrees that are just and wise. How carefully do we observe them? We listen to the news each night and, inevitably, are face to face with individuals who despise the law, scoff at laws, and, most likely without realizing it, put themselves above the law. The question is: Do I, do you, do the same? Do I, do you, live as though God's commandments or laws handed down by our ancestors, by the founding fathers of our nation, are obsolete and stupid! Do people observe our observance of law and say that we are "truly...wise and intelligent" persons? In knowing us, do people realize that we are privileged to have God close to us and we close to God? If not, why not? What might you or I do to draw closer to God, to know God's intimacy?
The author of Deuteronomy is speaking to us today, as well as to the Israelites. We, too, have been given laws and decrees that are just and wise. How carefully do we observe them? We listen to the news each night and, inevitably, are face to face with individuals who despise the law, scoff at laws, and, most likely without realizing it, put themselves above the law. The question is: Do I, do you, do the same? Do I, do you, live as though God's commandments or laws handed down by our ancestors, by the founding fathers of our nation, are obsolete and stupid! Do people observe our observance of law and say that we are "truly...wise and intelligent" persons? In knowing us, do people realize that we are privileged to have God close to us and we close to God? If not, why not? What might you or I do to draw closer to God, to know God's intimacy?
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
A Sacrifice Offered to God Every Day: The Body and Blood of Jesus in the Consecrated Bread
In today's first reading, Daniel 3: 25, 34-43, the Israelites say to the Lord that they "are reduced ...beyond any other nation, brought low everywhere in the world this day because of [their] sins." And that they "have in [their] day no prince, prophet, or leader, no burnt offering, 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," Israel prays, "as though it were burnt offerings 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."
What was true then in terms of being brought low everywhere in the world because of our sins is true today. Fortunately, today we do have a sacrifice to offer to the Lord in atonement for our sins and that is Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, which is offered at every Catholic Mass in response to Jesus' request: "Do this in memory of me," as we hold up the consecrated Host, the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ!
All the way back to the apostles, priests today are consecrated to the Lord and, by virtue of their ordination to the Catholic priesthood, continue doing what Jesus asks the first apostles to do at the Last Supper, the first Eucharist, when Jesus offered bread and wine to them and said: "Take and eat; this is my body which will be offered up for you" and "take and drink; this is the cup of my blood poured out for you. Do this in memory of me."
Thank you, Lord, for giving me this faith and sustaining me in the faith handed down to me from my parents and grandparents. Thank you, Lord, for feeding me with this Bread of Life and Blood of the New Covenant at every Mass, transforming me into Christ, that, purified and strengthened by this heavenly food, I can, in turn, be Christ to those I serve throughout the day.
What was true then in terms of being brought low everywhere in the world because of our sins is true today. Fortunately, today we do have a sacrifice to offer to the Lord in atonement for our sins and that is Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, which is offered at every Catholic Mass in response to Jesus' request: "Do this in memory of me," as we hold up the consecrated Host, the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ!
All the way back to the apostles, priests today are consecrated to the Lord and, by virtue of their ordination to the Catholic priesthood, continue doing what Jesus asks the first apostles to do at the Last Supper, the first Eucharist, when Jesus offered bread and wine to them and said: "Take and eat; this is my body which will be offered up for you" and "take and drink; this is the cup of my blood poured out for you. Do this in memory of me."
Thank you, Lord, for giving me this faith and sustaining me in the faith handed down to me from my parents and grandparents. Thank you, Lord, for feeding me with this Bread of Life and Blood of the New Covenant at every Mass, transforming me into Christ, that, purified and strengthened by this heavenly food, I can, in turn, be Christ to those I serve throughout the day.
Monday, March 16, 2020
"Now I Know That There Is a God"
In today's first reading, 2 Kings 5: 1-15b, we encounter Naaman, the commander of King Aram's army, a man who was highly esteemed and respected by the King. So when he developed leprosy, the King was very concerned. A little child from Israel, captured during one of the wars with Israel and a servant of Naaman's wife, said to said to her master's wife: "If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria, he would be cured of his leprosy." Naaman went to the King and told him what the little girl had said. The King's response was: "Go!" He does so and presents himself to the king of Israel, who angrily tears his garment and says: "Do you think that I am a god." And in his anger believes that the king of Aram is only seeking to quarrel with him. The prophet Elisha hears of the king of Israel's reaction to Naaman and asks that the leper be sent to him. Naaman goes to Elisha and expects that the prophet himself will meet him and ostentatiously heal him but instead sends a message that he go into the Jordan and bathe 7 times and his leprosy will be healed. Naaman's ego has a fit and, only at the persuasion of his servants does he bathe in the Jordan. He is healed, as Elisha said he would be. He returns to Elisha and proclaims: "Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel."
Am I, are not you, at times, like Naaman. Our egos invariably seek extraordinary treatment. We believe, at times, that we are entitled to spectacular episodes that exalt our egos! And God says "no"! To experience the miracles of our God, the goodness of our God, God's compassion, we may simply be asked to go to a parish mission, to attend a certain liturgy or to go to confession. We could bulk like Naaman did when asked to submerge himself seven times in the Jordan or, in faith, follow the suggestion given to us by our children, our grandchildren, our spouse or a friend! Or the Spirit might be nudging us to make a phone call to someone whom we may have insulted or to stop at the flower shop on our way home from work and buy a rose for our spouse. Do we bulk and say: "No way! I can't be bothered!" Insignificant acts may well bring about a "miracle" and give a message to the recipient that God truly exists and is truly a loving, caring, forgiving, merciful God.
When have you said to yourself or to another: "Now I know that there is a God?" Be the reason another person would make that proclamation!
Am I, are not you, at times, like Naaman. Our egos invariably seek extraordinary treatment. We believe, at times, that we are entitled to spectacular episodes that exalt our egos! And God says "no"! To experience the miracles of our God, the goodness of our God, God's compassion, we may simply be asked to go to a parish mission, to attend a certain liturgy or to go to confession. We could bulk like Naaman did when asked to submerge himself seven times in the Jordan or, in faith, follow the suggestion given to us by our children, our grandchildren, our spouse or a friend! Or the Spirit might be nudging us to make a phone call to someone whom we may have insulted or to stop at the flower shop on our way home from work and buy a rose for our spouse. Do we bulk and say: "No way! I can't be bothered!" Insignificant acts may well bring about a "miracle" and give a message to the recipient that God truly exists and is truly a loving, caring, forgiving, merciful God.
When have you said to yourself or to another: "Now I know that there is a God?" Be the reason another person would make that proclamation!
Sunday, March 15, 2020
For What Are We Thirsting?
In today's first reading, Exodus 17: 3-7, the people grumble against Moses for bringing them out of Egypt. "Was it," they asked, "just to have us die here of thirst with our children and our livestock?" The people were so angry that Moses was afraid that they would stone him to death. God instructs Moses to 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."
God assures Moses that He "will be standing there in front of you on the rock of Horeb." God also stands in front of us, walks beside and behind us, and hovers above and below us. God surround us on all sides, giving us Living Water to quench our thirst, as Jesus tells the Samaritan woman in today's Gospel, John 4: 5-42. She comes to the well at noon, the hottest time of the day, to draw water from the well and meets Jesus. He tells her that He is Living Water and those who drink of this Water shall never thirst.Having met Jesus and been ministered to by Him, she leaves her bucket at the well and returns to her hometown, Samaria, to tell her people that she found the Messiah. Her country men and women rush to see Jesus for themselves and believe.
This woman tells Jesus that she does not have a husband. Jesus responds: Your current husband in fact is not your husband. You have had five husbands. Was this woman trying to quench her thirst in going from one husband to another and another and another, never being satisfied until she met Jesus? She leaves Jesus as a believer and an evangelist! Each one of us, no matter what our past, are important in Jesus' eyes to be sent forth to evangelize, to spread the faith, to be an instrument of grace, to bring people to Jesus, the only one who can truly quench people's thirst!
Wearily at times, and perhaps many times, we attempt to quench our thirst in things, events and people who are unable to satisfy. Why? Because within us is an insatiable thirst for God, for things of the spirit, and no thing or event or person here on earth is capable of relieving the thirst that originates in our spirit self. Only God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit can do that.
Am I, are you, going to the wrong sources to quench the thirst that originates deep within us, that is, from our spirit self or God-self? Are we avoiding sources that quench this thirst: prayer, meditation, solitude, spiritual reading, reflection on the Scriptures, serving others in love, responding to unmet need of a person who needs someone to talk to, to confide in, to offer compassion and understanding? Are we running from one relationship to another and another and another or engaging in other addictive behaviors that do not satisfy our insatiable thirst for God and the Divine?
God assures Moses that He "will be standing there in front of you on the rock of Horeb." God also stands in front of us, walks beside and behind us, and hovers above and below us. God surround us on all sides, giving us Living Water to quench our thirst, as Jesus tells the Samaritan woman in today's Gospel, John 4: 5-42. She comes to the well at noon, the hottest time of the day, to draw water from the well and meets Jesus. He tells her that He is Living Water and those who drink of this Water shall never thirst.Having met Jesus and been ministered to by Him, she leaves her bucket at the well and returns to her hometown, Samaria, to tell her people that she found the Messiah. Her country men and women rush to see Jesus for themselves and believe.
This woman tells Jesus that she does not have a husband. Jesus responds: Your current husband in fact is not your husband. You have had five husbands. Was this woman trying to quench her thirst in going from one husband to another and another and another, never being satisfied until she met Jesus? She leaves Jesus as a believer and an evangelist! Each one of us, no matter what our past, are important in Jesus' eyes to be sent forth to evangelize, to spread the faith, to be an instrument of grace, to bring people to Jesus, the only one who can truly quench people's thirst!
Wearily at times, and perhaps many times, we attempt to quench our thirst in things, events and people who are unable to satisfy. Why? Because within us is an insatiable thirst for God, for things of the spirit, and no thing or event or person here on earth is capable of relieving the thirst that originates in our spirit self. Only God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit can do that.
Am I, are you, going to the wrong sources to quench the thirst that originates deep within us, that is, from our spirit self or God-self? Are we avoiding sources that quench this thirst: prayer, meditation, solitude, spiritual reading, reflection on the Scriptures, serving others in love, responding to unmet need of a person who needs someone to talk to, to confide in, to offer compassion and understanding? Are we running from one relationship to another and another and another or engaging in other addictive behaviors that do not satisfy our insatiable thirst for God and the Divine?
Saturday, March 14, 2020
The Infinite Mercy of God
In today's first reading, Micah 7:L 14-15, 18-20, Micah stands in awe of our God, asking: "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 in clemency, and will again have compassion on us, treading underfoot our guilt?"
The mercy of our God is brought home to us again in today's Gospel, Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32, in the story of the Prodigal Son. That parable features a father whose son squandered his inheritance on a promiscuous lifestyle and faced starvation when a famine struck the land. So "he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. ...[H]e 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 I am dying from hunger.'" Desperate, he returns to his father's house and is determined to say to his father: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as your would one of your hired workers." His father sees him coming from afar and excitedly asks his servants to prepare a banquet for his son, to clothe him in the best of clothing, to put a ring on his finger and slaughter a fattened calf. He welcomes him back with open arms and celebrates to the chagrin of his older son, who is furious at his father for showing mercy to his brother. When his father asks him to come in and join the celebration, he angrily says to his father: ""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 you son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.'"
How many of us are into rigid obedience to laws and use the law to condemn our brothers and sisters? The law does not save us; it gives us what we think is our right to judge others. Jesus teaches otherwise. When a disciple asked Jesus what more he needed to do to enter heaven, Jesus answers him with the story of the Good Samaritan and says to him: "Go and do likewise. It is mercy that I want of you."
The mercy of our God is brought home to us again in today's Gospel, Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32, in the story of the Prodigal Son. That parable features a father whose son squandered his inheritance on a promiscuous lifestyle and faced starvation when a famine struck the land. So "he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. ...[H]e 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 I am dying from hunger.'" Desperate, he returns to his father's house and is determined to say to his father: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as your would one of your hired workers." His father sees him coming from afar and excitedly asks his servants to prepare a banquet for his son, to clothe him in the best of clothing, to put a ring on his finger and slaughter a fattened calf. He welcomes him back with open arms and celebrates to the chagrin of his older son, who is furious at his father for showing mercy to his brother. When his father asks him to come in and join the celebration, he angrily says to his father: ""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 you son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.'"
How many of us are into rigid obedience to laws and use the law to condemn our brothers and sisters? The law does not save us; it gives us what we think is our right to judge others. Jesus teaches otherwise. When a disciple asked Jesus what more he needed to do to enter heaven, Jesus answers him with the story of the Good Samaritan and says to him: "Go and do likewise. It is mercy that I want of you."
Friday, March 13, 2020
Remember the Marvels the Lord Has Done
In today's first reading, Gen 37: 3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a, we are given the story of Israel's son Joseph, who was especially favored by his father and thus hated by his brothers. Israel sends Joseph to join his brothers who are tending the sheep. They see him coming and they plot to kill. His brother Rueben, however, talks them out of doing such a thing to him and instead they sell Joseph for twenty pieces of silver as a slave to some Ishmaelites who happen to be passing by. In the responsorial psalm we pray: "Remember the marvels the Lord has done," when a seven-year famine hit the land and Joseph's family, as well as the Egyptians, were in danger of starving. It was Joseph, who, at that point, occupied an important position in Egypt, having won favor with the King and was in charge of the silos of grain that had been stored up during the seven years of plenty. Consequently, Joseph became a significant figure in saving his family from disaster.
In the horrible day when Joseph was sold as a slave, God was at work caring for His people. Many times, we experience tragedies, as Joseph did. At the time, we may, and often are not, aware of God's hand in what is happening.
There are significant similarities between Joseph and Jesus. Joseph was a favorite son of his father and Jesus of His Father. Both were sold: Joseph by his brothers for 20 pieces of silver and Jesus by Judas for 30 pieces of silver. Joseph was exiled, so to speak, to Egypt. Jesus became a refugee in Egypt when Herod was seeking to kill him. Joseph played a significant role in saving his family from physical death. Jesus played a significant role in saving us from eternal death.
As significant as Joseph was in salvation history, and, of course, Jesus as well, so, too are we. What we do or do not do brings others to Jesus, our Savior, or has the power to cause alienation from Jesus. We can be a source of nourishment for others or cause a "famine". People can be starving of love, of compassion, of understanding, of support because of us or be rich in these gifts. People can be abandoned by us to horrible situations because of our jealousy of them, as Joseph's brothers had done, or worse, kill them spiritually and/or physically because of our jealous natures. The choice is ours to be a "Joseph" or a "Judas".
In the horrible day when Joseph was sold as a slave, God was at work caring for His people. Many times, we experience tragedies, as Joseph did. At the time, we may, and often are not, aware of God's hand in what is happening.
There are significant similarities between Joseph and Jesus. Joseph was a favorite son of his father and Jesus of His Father. Both were sold: Joseph by his brothers for 20 pieces of silver and Jesus by Judas for 30 pieces of silver. Joseph was exiled, so to speak, to Egypt. Jesus became a refugee in Egypt when Herod was seeking to kill him. Joseph played a significant role in saving his family from physical death. Jesus played a significant role in saving us from eternal death.
As significant as Joseph was in salvation history, and, of course, Jesus as well, so, too are we. What we do or do not do brings others to Jesus, our Savior, or has the power to cause alienation from Jesus. We can be a source of nourishment for others or cause a "famine". People can be starving of love, of compassion, of understanding, of support because of us or be rich in these gifts. People can be abandoned by us to horrible situations because of our jealousy of them, as Joseph's brothers had done, or worse, kill them spiritually and/or physically because of our jealous natures. The choice is ours to be a "Joseph" or a "Judas".
Thursday, March 12, 2020
Blessed Are Those Who Trust in the Lord
In today's first reading, Jeremiah 17:5-10, the Lord says to us through the prophet: we pray: "Blessed is the [person] who trust in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord. [That person] 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...." Those who trust rather in human beings or who put their trust in the flesh, "whose heart turns away from the Lord" is cursed, not blessed.
Those are strong words from the Lord but are they not true? How can there be any blessing coming to me when I turn away from the Lord? I then enter a desert, a parched land, and become distressed and anxious! On the contrary when I turn to the Lord, seek His face, call upon Him for the help I need to meet the difficulties of the day, to get through the rough times, to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, I then am unafraid. Why? I then realize that the Lord takes me by the right hand, leads me to right choices, and gives success to the work of my hands. I then bear fruit. I then stay "green," that is hopeful and experience the goodness and the kindness of the Lord!
Those are strong words from the Lord but are they not true? How can there be any blessing coming to me when I turn away from the Lord? I then enter a desert, a parched land, and become distressed and anxious! On the contrary when I turn to the Lord, seek His face, call upon Him for the help I need to meet the difficulties of the day, to get through the rough times, to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, I then am unafraid. Why? I then realize that the Lord takes me by the right hand, leads me to right choices, and gives success to the work of my hands. I then bear fruit. I then stay "green," that is hopeful and experience the goodness and the kindness of the Lord!
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Plots against Jeremiah and Jesus: Different Results
In today's first reading, the citizens of Judah and Jerusalem are determined to destroy Jeremiah, saying: "Come, let us contrive a plot against Jeremiah....[L]et us destroy him by his own tongue; let us carefully note his every word." Jeremiah asks God: "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."
Like Jeremiah, Jesus, too, had people plotting to take his life. Pharisees and scribes "carefully [took] note of his every word," so as to trap Him and have something that they could use to demand his crucifixion. Jesus' life was not spared. By pouring out His blood for us and giving His life on our behalf he "stood before [our heavenly Father] to speak in [our] behalf, to turn away [God's] wrath from [us].
None of us will get through this life without, at some point, having someone plot against us, not necessarily to take our physical life, but to ruin our good name. We will go through periods of people speaking against us for whatever reason. Jesus shows us how to deal with such a situation, surrendering all to the Father and praying as He did on the cross for our persecutors: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing."
There will be times when we may ask: "Must good be repaid with evil?" At others times we will be tempted to repay evil with evil and not with good, as Jesus asks of us in the Gospel. "Do good," He says to us, "to those who hate you. Love your enemies!"
Like Jeremiah, Jesus, too, had people plotting to take his life. Pharisees and scribes "carefully [took] note of his every word," so as to trap Him and have something that they could use to demand his crucifixion. Jesus' life was not spared. By pouring out His blood for us and giving His life on our behalf he "stood before [our heavenly Father] to speak in [our] behalf, to turn away [God's] wrath from [us].
None of us will get through this life without, at some point, having someone plot against us, not necessarily to take our physical life, but to ruin our good name. We will go through periods of people speaking against us for whatever reason. Jesus shows us how to deal with such a situation, surrendering all to the Father and praying as He did on the cross for our persecutors: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing."
There will be times when we may ask: "Must good be repaid with evil?" At others times we will be tempted to repay evil with evil and not with good, as Jesus asks of us in the Gospel. "Do good," He says to us, "to those who hate you. Love your enemies!"
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Listen to God's Instructions
In today's first reading, Isaiah 1: 10, 16-20, the prophet Isaiah asks to: Hear the word of the Lord...Listen to the instruction of our God...Wash yourselves clean, the prophet Isaiah says to us, "Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan's plea, defend the widow. Come now, let us set things right...Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as show; Though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool."
"Cease doing evil," O people of the U.S., of North Korea, of Russia, of the Middle East, of North and South and Central America, of Africa and New Mexico, of Australia and New Zealand, of Iceland, Greenland and Europe, of Italy, Ireland and England, of Denmark, Switzerland, Scotland and Wales, of China and Japan and any other nation any where in the world! "Learn to do good!"
God says to you and me: "Listen to God's instruction" one day at a time and "Learn to do good" one day at a time. Every morning when you and are awakened--it is God who does the awakening--God gives us one more day to learn to do what is right, to learn to be just and holy, to learn to defend the defenseless, to speak for those who have no voice, to set things right with those we have wronged or who have wronged us! God gives us this day, the now, to find Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in the daily tasks that confront us each day! "Why," God asks us in today's responsorial psalm, "do you recite my statues, and profess my covenant with your mouth, though you hate discipline and cast my words behind you?" Why do you ignore your spouse's request to help with the children, to prepare a meal, to do the grocery shopping, to take out the garbage, to shovel the driveway, to fix that leaking faucet? Why do you not read to the elderly person who is blind, take time to comfort the person who recently lost a loved one or spend time with a someone who is lonely or who is confused because of severe dementia? "When you do [not] do these things," asks the psalmist, "shall I be deaf to it?"
In today's Gospel acclamation, the Lord asks us to "[c]ast away from you all [selfish and sloth-some ways]...and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit" (Ez 18:31) and promises "those who go the right way" that they will be shown "the salvation of God" (today's responsorial psalm, Psalm 50).
"Cease doing evil," O people of the U.S., of North Korea, of Russia, of the Middle East, of North and South and Central America, of Africa and New Mexico, of Australia and New Zealand, of Iceland, Greenland and Europe, of Italy, Ireland and England, of Denmark, Switzerland, Scotland and Wales, of China and Japan and any other nation any where in the world! "Learn to do good!"
God says to you and me: "Listen to God's instruction" one day at a time and "Learn to do good" one day at a time. Every morning when you and are awakened--it is God who does the awakening--God gives us one more day to learn to do what is right, to learn to be just and holy, to learn to defend the defenseless, to speak for those who have no voice, to set things right with those we have wronged or who have wronged us! God gives us this day, the now, to find Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in the daily tasks that confront us each day! "Why," God asks us in today's responsorial psalm, "do you recite my statues, and profess my covenant with your mouth, though you hate discipline and cast my words behind you?" Why do you ignore your spouse's request to help with the children, to prepare a meal, to do the grocery shopping, to take out the garbage, to shovel the driveway, to fix that leaking faucet? Why do you not read to the elderly person who is blind, take time to comfort the person who recently lost a loved one or spend time with a someone who is lonely or who is confused because of severe dementia? "When you do [not] do these things," asks the psalmist, "shall I be deaf to it?"
In today's Gospel acclamation, the Lord asks us to "[c]ast away from you all [selfish and sloth-some ways]...and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit" (Ez 18:31) and promises "those who go the right way" that they will be shown "the salvation of God" (today's responsorial psalm, Psalm 50).
Monday, March 9, 2020
Acknowledging Evil and Seeking God's Mercy
In today's first reading, Daniel 9": 4b-10, the people of Israel acknowledge their sinful ways before the Lord, saying: "We have sinned, been wicked and done evil; we have rebelled and departed from your commandments and your laws. We have not obeyed your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers, and all the people of the land. Justice, O Lord, is on your side; we are shamefaced even to this day: we, the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem, and all Israel, near and far, in all the countries to which you have scattered them because of their treachery toward you."
This is our confession today, Lord. We have sinned. We have been wicked and done evil: sold children into the slavery of human trafficking, drug trafficking, slave labor. We have sacrificed children, denying them the faith as we engaged in hedonistic pleasures and past times. We have coveted our neighbor's wife and material possessions. We have cheated the poor and denied justice to the needy. We have destroyed Mother Earth by pouring toxic poisons into the universe, causing global warming and destruction of the environment. We have turned to false gods for security and walked away from You in our churches and synagogues. Yes, Lord, "we the men and women of _______________, the residents of ____________________, and all of ______________________, near and far, in all the countries where your children are scattered have departed from and rebelled against your commandments and laws." Lord, have mercy! Christ, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Forgive me the times that I have contributed to the wickedness in the world, its corruption, its deception, its evil ways or denied the existence of evil or the truth that Satan is prowling the world seeking someone to devour.
This is our confession today, Lord. We have sinned. We have been wicked and done evil: sold children into the slavery of human trafficking, drug trafficking, slave labor. We have sacrificed children, denying them the faith as we engaged in hedonistic pleasures and past times. We have coveted our neighbor's wife and material possessions. We have cheated the poor and denied justice to the needy. We have destroyed Mother Earth by pouring toxic poisons into the universe, causing global warming and destruction of the environment. We have turned to false gods for security and walked away from You in our churches and synagogues. Yes, Lord, "we the men and women of _______________, the residents of ____________________, and all of ______________________, near and far, in all the countries where your children are scattered have departed from and rebelled against your commandments and laws." Lord, have mercy! Christ, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Forgive me the times that I have contributed to the wickedness in the world, its corruption, its deception, its evil ways or denied the existence of evil or the truth that Satan is prowling the world seeking someone to devour.
Sunday, March 8, 2020
Going to the "Mountaintop" to Listen to God
In today's Gospel, Matthew 17: 1-9, Jesus takes Peter, James and John up a high mountain by themselves. Jesus is transfigured before them, his face bright as the sun and his clothes white as a bright light. they see Jesus in His glory and in conversation with Moses and Elijah. Peter is so excited that he says to Jesus: Lord, let us build three tents here: one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah. Suddenly a cloud covers them and they hear a voice say: This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him. Hearing the voice of God, the disciples fall to their knees frightened. Jesus touches then and says: "Rise, and do not be afraid." they look up and see only Jesus.
Like Peter, James, John and Jesus, this mountaintop experience was to bolster their spirits, as the time was nearing for Jesus to go up to Jerusalem, where He would be crucified. We need and are given these "mountaintop" experiences in order that we, too, will be strengthened to pick up our crosses and go "up" to the Calvaries of our lives.
Just as Jesus invited Peter, James and John to the mountaintop with Him, so, too, does He invite us to come away with him to a high mountain. Every day, however we choose to seek God's face, we need to take time out for prayer, be that in the solitude of nature, in a quiet place at work, or dropping into an empty church on our way home from work. Or, possibly, while at work, we might slip away
at lunch time to speak to the Lord, thanking Him for the graces of the morning and asking for guidance before we take up our responsibilities for the afternoon. Jesus wants to touch our hearts and speak to us, just as He spoke to the apostles. Just as the three apostles heard the Spirit say to them: "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; listen to him," so, too,do we need to listen to Jesus. It is important to create that kind of quiet in our lives to hear God's voice.
When was the last time, you or I sought the kind of solitude in which God's voice can be heard?
Like Peter, James, John and Jesus, this mountaintop experience was to bolster their spirits, as the time was nearing for Jesus to go up to Jerusalem, where He would be crucified. We need and are given these "mountaintop" experiences in order that we, too, will be strengthened to pick up our crosses and go "up" to the Calvaries of our lives.
Just as Jesus invited Peter, James and John to the mountaintop with Him, so, too, does He invite us to come away with him to a high mountain. Every day, however we choose to seek God's face, we need to take time out for prayer, be that in the solitude of nature, in a quiet place at work, or dropping into an empty church on our way home from work. Or, possibly, while at work, we might slip away
at lunch time to speak to the Lord, thanking Him for the graces of the morning and asking for guidance before we take up our responsibilities for the afternoon. Jesus wants to touch our hearts and speak to us, just as He spoke to the apostles. Just as the three apostles heard the Spirit say to them: "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; listen to him," so, too,do we need to listen to Jesus. It is important to create that kind of quiet in our lives to hear God's voice.
When was the last time, you or I sought the kind of solitude in which God's voice can be heard?
Saturday, March 7, 2020
The Seriousness of Our Covenant with God
In today's first reading, Deuteronomy 26: 16-19, Moses reminds the people that they have made a covenant with the Lord. "Be careful, then," he reminds them, "to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. Today you are making this agreement with the Lord; he is to be your God and you are to walk in his ways and observe his statues, commandments and decrees, and to hearken to his voice. And today the Lord is making this agreement with you: you are to be a people peculiarly his own, as he promised you; and provided you keep all his commandments, he will then raise you high in praise and renown and glory above all other nations he has made, and you will be a people sacred to the Lord, your God, as he promised."
Take note of the seriousness of this covenant and that it is a mutual agreement between the Chosen People and God Himself. You and I have entered into that same agreement with God at our baptism. It was then that we were made "sacred to the Lord," our God. If we are faithful to our part of the agreement, that is, keeping God's commandments, statues and decrees and heeding God's voice, then, God Himself " will...raise [us] on high in praise and renown and glory" now and when we enter eternal life. Note: God does the raising, not us in boastful pride of our accomplishments. Furthermore, it is not about our accomplishments, though those please God, but that we are made children of God and rich in grace, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who took our sins upon Himself and restored us to our right relationship with God. We rose on high with Him in His resurrection from the dead.
Take note of the seriousness of this covenant and that it is a mutual agreement between the Chosen People and God Himself. You and I have entered into that same agreement with God at our baptism. It was then that we were made "sacred to the Lord," our God. If we are faithful to our part of the agreement, that is, keeping God's commandments, statues and decrees and heeding God's voice, then, God Himself " will...raise [us] on high in praise and renown and glory" now and when we enter eternal life. Note: God does the raising, not us in boastful pride of our accomplishments. Furthermore, it is not about our accomplishments, though those please God, but that we are made children of God and rich in grace, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who took our sins upon Himself and restored us to our right relationship with God. We rose on high with Him in His resurrection from the dead.
Friday, March 6, 2020
Choosing Virtue and Rejecting Wickedness
In today's first reading, Ezekiel 19: 21-28, God reminds us, through the prophet, that, "if a wicked [person] turns away from all the sins he/[she] has committed, if [this person] keeps all my statues and does what is right and just, he/[she] shall surely live, ...not die. None of the crimes he/[she] committed shall be remembered...; [this person] shall live become of the virtue he/[she] practiced." And the opposite is true of the person who abandons living a virtuous life and resorts to a life of wickedness. None of the good that person has done shall be remembered and such a person shall die as a consequence of turning to evil and abandoning the good.
Those are strong words that speaks of God's justice. Good leads to an abundance of life while evil leads to death, the absence of life! Abandoning doing what is right grieves God, who does not rejoice in any one of His sons or daughters walking away from a life of virtue. God, I believe, weeps when we turn toward evil, lured to such by Satan's lies that such is rewarding, wise, pleasurable and a producer of happiness and security. Satan could not be further from the truth that Jesus teaches when He says: Those who save their lives will lose it and those who lose their lives in goodness, in virtue, in denial of self and in self-sacrificing love will save it! At another place in the Gospels, Jesus reminds us that when we pour out their lives in full measure, we will receive the same in return. In another passage, Jesus says to us: Do unto others as you would have them do to you!
May you and I heed Jesus' words and trust His promises of fullness of life to those who follow His way!
Those are strong words that speaks of God's justice. Good leads to an abundance of life while evil leads to death, the absence of life! Abandoning doing what is right grieves God, who does not rejoice in any one of His sons or daughters walking away from a life of virtue. God, I believe, weeps when we turn toward evil, lured to such by Satan's lies that such is rewarding, wise, pleasurable and a producer of happiness and security. Satan could not be further from the truth that Jesus teaches when He says: Those who save their lives will lose it and those who lose their lives in goodness, in virtue, in denial of self and in self-sacrificing love will save it! At another place in the Gospels, Jesus reminds us that when we pour out their lives in full measure, we will receive the same in return. In another passage, Jesus says to us: Do unto others as you would have them do to you!
May you and I heed Jesus' words and trust His promises of fullness of life to those who follow His way!
Thursday, March 5, 2020
The Power of Prayer
In today's first reading, Esther C: 12, 14,-16, 23-25, Queen Esther, an orphaned Jew, feels obligated to intervene for her fellow Israelites, whom her husband, the King, has given orders to be put to death. Seized with incredible fear, Esther, with her handmaidens, prostrate themselves in prayer day and night begging for help. Esther begs for the courage to approach the King, praying: "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 from the hand of our enemies; turn our mourning into gladness and our sorrows into wholeness." And God grants her request and the Israelites are spared execution. Obviously, without God's intervention and help, Queen Esther, in no way, would have had the courage to approach her husband. He was bent on getting rid of all the Israelites who dwelt in his land. On the other hand, her faith in Yahweh was solid. She was convinced that God would give her the courage she needed to stand up to the King. And He did not disappoint her.
Queen Esther reminds me of King David, who has a little boy, possibly an adolescent, approached Goliath with the same faith. We see this same faith lived out by Jesus, a human being like us in all things but sin. When faced with incredible evil, he did not flinch. He confronted demons, raised the dead to life, cast out diseases of all kinds, including leprosy, and challenged the Pharisees and scribes who plotted to kill him. Evil forces did not stop Jesus from carrying out the mission God had given Him, as was so evident when He told His apostles that He was going up to Jerusalem, where He knew He would be put to death. Jesus did not hide from life's difficulties, not even death. He showed us that the powers of evil do not have the last say. He triumphed over death and all other evils that plagued Him during His active ministry.
Lord, we need the courage of Queen Esther, King David and You Yourself, so as to confront evil in our day. How many times do I not cower in fear and do nothing. How often do I not pretend that the evil is not happening around me or, worse, join others in doing what is absolutely wrong and against Your holy will. Have mercy, Lord! Please give me the courage that you gave Queen Esther to do what I know you are calling me to do for the welfare of others.
Queen Esther reminds me of King David, who has a little boy, possibly an adolescent, approached Goliath with the same faith. We see this same faith lived out by Jesus, a human being like us in all things but sin. When faced with incredible evil, he did not flinch. He confronted demons, raised the dead to life, cast out diseases of all kinds, including leprosy, and challenged the Pharisees and scribes who plotted to kill him. Evil forces did not stop Jesus from carrying out the mission God had given Him, as was so evident when He told His apostles that He was going up to Jerusalem, where He knew He would be put to death. Jesus did not hide from life's difficulties, not even death. He showed us that the powers of evil do not have the last say. He triumphed over death and all other evils that plagued Him during His active ministry.
Lord, we need the courage of Queen Esther, King David and You Yourself, so as to confront evil in our day. How many times do I not cower in fear and do nothing. How often do I not pretend that the evil is not happening around me or, worse, join others in doing what is absolutely wrong and against Your holy will. Have mercy, Lord! Please give me the courage that you gave Queen Esther to do what I know you are calling me to do for the welfare of others.
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Call to Conversion
In today's first reading, Jonah 3: 1-10, God asked Jonah to "'set out for the great city of Nineveh, and announce to it the message that I will tell you' so Jonah [after being asked a second time] made ready and went to Nineveh, according to the Lord's bidding....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 God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he relented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them.
Several things of which to take note: Number one, that Jonah did God's bidding and what was being asked of him was no small task. Nineveh was a large city and it would take three days to get through it. Number two, the message Jonah was asked to deliver was a harsh one: "Nineveh, in 40 days you will be destroyed if you do not turn from your evil ways." Number three, the people listened and repented of their evil ways. Number four, God changed His mind and showed the people mercy once they repented of their sinful ways!
What would you or I do if God sent us a messenger to let us know that, in forty days,
we will be destroyed if we do not turn from our evil ways? Would we listen? Would we do penance, admit our wrongdoing and turn from our mediocrity, our selfishness, our divisiveness, our prejudicial and judgmental ways of relating to people who are different from us, smarter than us, more successful than us? Would we turn from our lazy and undisciplined ways of living our faith, from the lackadaisical attitudes that "anything goes these days"? Would we stop idolizing those who are brazenly wicked, covering up the truth of corruption in high places,lying for ourselves and others so as to avoid the price of discipleship?
Finally, would you or I simply, vehemently and boastfully dismiss the messenger, saying: "What foolishness!" "This person does not know what he/she is talking about!" "I can't be bothered with persons who think they are better than most of us!" "I'm doing nothing wrong but only following what everyone else is doing. So why should I change my thinking or choosing?"
Several things of which to take note: Number one, that Jonah did God's bidding and what was being asked of him was no small task. Nineveh was a large city and it would take three days to get through it. Number two, the message Jonah was asked to deliver was a harsh one: "Nineveh, in 40 days you will be destroyed if you do not turn from your evil ways." Number three, the people listened and repented of their evil ways. Number four, God changed His mind and showed the people mercy once they repented of their sinful ways!
What would you or I do if God sent us a messenger to let us know that, in forty days,
we will be destroyed if we do not turn from our evil ways? Would we listen? Would we do penance, admit our wrongdoing and turn from our mediocrity, our selfishness, our divisiveness, our prejudicial and judgmental ways of relating to people who are different from us, smarter than us, more successful than us? Would we turn from our lazy and undisciplined ways of living our faith, from the lackadaisical attitudes that "anything goes these days"? Would we stop idolizing those who are brazenly wicked, covering up the truth of corruption in high places,lying for ourselves and others so as to avoid the price of discipleship?
Finally, would you or I simply, vehemently and boastfully dismiss the messenger, saying: "What foolishness!" "This person does not know what he/she is talking about!" "I can't be bothered with persons who think they are better than most of us!" "I'm doing nothing wrong but only following what everyone else is doing. So why should I change my thinking or choosing?"
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
The Effectiveness of God's Word
In today's first reading, Isaiah 55: 10-11,the Lord says to us that just like snow and rain do not return to heaven without doing the task for which it was sent, namely watering the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats so neither does my word return to Me void without doing the task for which I sent it.
Every word of the Scriptures is a Living Word. It is sent to prepare the soil of my heart to bear fruit that lasts. God's word is sent to nourish me in the faith, to deepen my trust in Jesus, to bring alive the love in the depth of my being, to open my mind to know Jesus, my heart to love Him and my will to follow Him. The Word of God in the Scriptures and/or in any other vessel in which God send it contains the power to heal me, to excise the spiritual "cancers" within me, to remove obstacles to grace, that is, my pride and covetousness, my ego's need to be in control and to lord it over others, my lack of forgiveness and those attitudes that block me from growing in wisdom and prudence and that throw me into turmoil!
The responsorial psalm, Psalm 34, shares this Good News in another way, reminding us that God rescues us from all our distress. And what is more stressful than having our hearts hardened in such a way that the "rain" and the "snow" of grace sent from heaven are unable to make our hearts fertile. How stressful it is to have the "cancers" of pride and self-righteousness, lust for power and control, and a compulsion to be popular and materially wealthy beyond our needs suffocate us from breathing in the fresh air of the Holy Spirit that is necessary for us to bear the fruits of the Spirit!
Every word of the Scriptures is a Living Word. It is sent to prepare the soil of my heart to bear fruit that lasts. God's word is sent to nourish me in the faith, to deepen my trust in Jesus, to bring alive the love in the depth of my being, to open my mind to know Jesus, my heart to love Him and my will to follow Him. The Word of God in the Scriptures and/or in any other vessel in which God send it contains the power to heal me, to excise the spiritual "cancers" within me, to remove obstacles to grace, that is, my pride and covetousness, my ego's need to be in control and to lord it over others, my lack of forgiveness and those attitudes that block me from growing in wisdom and prudence and that throw me into turmoil!
The responsorial psalm, Psalm 34, shares this Good News in another way, reminding us that God rescues us from all our distress. And what is more stressful than having our hearts hardened in such a way that the "rain" and the "snow" of grace sent from heaven are unable to make our hearts fertile. How stressful it is to have the "cancers" of pride and self-righteousness, lust for power and control, and a compulsion to be popular and materially wealthy beyond our needs suffocate us from breathing in the fresh air of the Holy Spirit that is necessary for us to bear the fruits of the Spirit!
Monday, March 2, 2020
God's Laws of Love
In both of the readings today, Leviticus 19: 1-2, 11-18 and Matthew 25: 31-46 we are given what God expects of us. Leviticus spells out the 10 commandments. The Gospel tells us that if we minister to, or do not minister to, those who are hungry, sick, naked, in prison, do not welcome a stranger, or give drink to the thirsty we do minister to, or do not minister, to Jesus. In God's Kingdom, those who did not minister to Jesus here on earth will be separated from God in heaven, that is, they will be imprisoned in hell. To those who helped those in need, the doors to heaven will be opened.
It is the clear! We are here to minister to others, to serve others, to make life bearable for others, to lift burdens, to treat others with justice and kindness and love. And in doing so, we are serving God, lifting God's burdens, treating God with kindness and love. The Trinity, Christ himself with the Spirit and the Father, live in each person and what we do that person we do to God. The love and the justice we withhold from others we withhold from God. Love and justice triumph in heaven and those of us who failed here on earth to heed Jesus' world will suffer the consequences in heaven: separation or alienation from God for all eternity, an eternity of hell!
You and I, all humankind, are empowered to treat others with respect, to be just, to love others as God loves us, to respect others as brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. How did that come about? Jesus became sin for us and suffered the consequences of sin on the cross. In dying for our sake, for our salvation, Jesus rose to new life. Death had no power over Him and has no power over us. In rising to new life, destroying the death of sin, Jesus took us with Him in His resurrection so, in cooperation with grace, we, too, are empowered to rise above sin and live for God and for others!
What an awesome God! What a caring God! What a forgiving God. What a merciful God!
It is the clear! We are here to minister to others, to serve others, to make life bearable for others, to lift burdens, to treat others with justice and kindness and love. And in doing so, we are serving God, lifting God's burdens, treating God with kindness and love. The Trinity, Christ himself with the Spirit and the Father, live in each person and what we do that person we do to God. The love and the justice we withhold from others we withhold from God. Love and justice triumph in heaven and those of us who failed here on earth to heed Jesus' world will suffer the consequences in heaven: separation or alienation from God for all eternity, an eternity of hell!
You and I, all humankind, are empowered to treat others with respect, to be just, to love others as God loves us, to respect others as brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. How did that come about? Jesus became sin for us and suffered the consequences of sin on the cross. In dying for our sake, for our salvation, Jesus rose to new life. Death had no power over Him and has no power over us. In rising to new life, destroying the death of sin, Jesus took us with Him in His resurrection so, in cooperation with grace, we, too, are empowered to rise above sin and live for God and for others!
What an awesome God! What a caring God! What a forgiving God. What a merciful God!
Sunday, March 1, 2020
Following Jesus Example of Confronting Satan
In today's first reading, Gen 2: 7-9,; 3: 1-7. we reread the story of Adam and Eve being told by the Lord that they could eat the fruit of all of the trees in Paradise except the one in the middle of the garden, which was "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." They weren't even to touch it, "lest you die!" Along comes Satan hidden in the snake. He tempts Eve, asking her: "Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?" Eve repeats God's instructions and Satan replies: "You certainly 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 evil."
What a temptation! To be like gods and to know good from evil! Who does not want to be godlike and to discern good from evil. Anyone would want that! and what is wrong with that desire! So, sure enough, Eve falls for Satan's lies and invites her husband to also give in to the temptation! Consequently, both feel naked, ashamed of having disobeyed God's directions! Both hide from God as He comes to looking for them. "Adam/Eve, where are you? And Adam steps up and takes responsibility this time and says: "I was hiding!" God says to him: "You must have eaten of the fruit that I forbade you to eat!"
Temptation always involves a temptation to something that looks good, feels good, is "advertised" as something we must have because it will make us happy, increase our security, render us mature! We'd have no problem staying away from something that is evil, unpleasant, dangerous. But, good? Pleasant? Pleasing to the eye and to the taste; something that will enhance our well-being, decrease our gloominess, fill our emptiness! We are right there, chopping at the bit to participate in such a "good"!
Satan even tempts Jesus, as we are told in today's Gospel: Mt 4: 1-11. "You'll never go hungry, Jesus, if you turn these stones into bread! You won't hurt yourself if you throw yourself off this building; you are the Son of God. Come on, use your power to your advantage! And, if you worship me, I will give you all of the kingdoms of the world. What more could you want, Jesus? Satan seems to ask! And Jesus replies: One does not live by bread alone, is not to test the Lord, his God, and is to worship only God, nothing or no one else! Get away, Satan!"
Lord, please help us recognize Satan's cunning lies and resist his temptations to abuse power, to live on bread alone, to worship him, and to want more and more and more of this world's "kingdoms" when I already have all I need!s
What a temptation! To be like gods and to know good from evil! Who does not want to be godlike and to discern good from evil. Anyone would want that! and what is wrong with that desire! So, sure enough, Eve falls for Satan's lies and invites her husband to also give in to the temptation! Consequently, both feel naked, ashamed of having disobeyed God's directions! Both hide from God as He comes to looking for them. "Adam/Eve, where are you? And Adam steps up and takes responsibility this time and says: "I was hiding!" God says to him: "You must have eaten of the fruit that I forbade you to eat!"
Temptation always involves a temptation to something that looks good, feels good, is "advertised" as something we must have because it will make us happy, increase our security, render us mature! We'd have no problem staying away from something that is evil, unpleasant, dangerous. But, good? Pleasant? Pleasing to the eye and to the taste; something that will enhance our well-being, decrease our gloominess, fill our emptiness! We are right there, chopping at the bit to participate in such a "good"!
Satan even tempts Jesus, as we are told in today's Gospel: Mt 4: 1-11. "You'll never go hungry, Jesus, if you turn these stones into bread! You won't hurt yourself if you throw yourself off this building; you are the Son of God. Come on, use your power to your advantage! And, if you worship me, I will give you all of the kingdoms of the world. What more could you want, Jesus? Satan seems to ask! And Jesus replies: One does not live by bread alone, is not to test the Lord, his God, and is to worship only God, nothing or no one else! Get away, Satan!"
Lord, please help us recognize Satan's cunning lies and resist his temptations to abuse power, to live on bread alone, to worship him, and to want more and more and more of this world's "kingdoms" when I already have all I need!s
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