In today's first reading, Exodus 24:3-8, after Moses gave the people the ten commandments, the people promised that they would "do everything that the Lord told us." Moses ratified the people's covenant by sprinkling them with the blood of young bulls that were sacrificed to the Lord. As he sprinkled the blood upon the people, Moses said: "This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words of his."
At every Catholic Mass, the priest says, at the consecration, may "..the Holy Spirit graciously sanctify these offerings (bread and wine) that they may become the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ for the celebration of this great mystery, which he left us as an eternal covenant." Each of us, then, in Holy Communion, consume the Body and Blood of Jesus. Jesus' blood mingles with our blood in our body. We are not simply sprinkled with Jesus' blood. No, we consume it and say, in the Memorial Acclamation: "When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come." We acknowledge the New Covenant sealed for us in Jesus' death and resurrection and, ultimately, ours as well! God offers us the free gift of salvation--He held nothing back that we would come to know our union and God and embrace being disciples of the Lord according to His Word. In Holy Communion, we gratefully accept God's total gift of Himself for our salvation. Likewise, we promise to "do everything that the Lord told us" in the sacred reading of the Liturgy of the Word, which precedes the Liturgy of the Eucharist at every Catholic Mass.
Let us, with Mary, Jesus' Mother, pray, as she did in the Magnificat:
"My being proclaims your greatness,
and my spirit finds joy in you, God my Savior.
For you have looked upon me, your servant, in my lowliness;
all ages to come shall call me blessed.
God, you who are mighty, have done great things for me," in sharing your Body and Blood with me as the New Covenant. "Holy is your name."
In this holy sacrament of the Eucharist, you have "raised the lowly to high places."
Thank you, Lord, for having handed down this faith to me from my parents! I pray that my faith in the Eucharist grows ever more stronger! Thank you!
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Friday, July 26, 2019
The Seed of God's Word Sown in my Heart: Is It Bearing Fruit
In today's Gospel, Matthew 13:18-23, Jesus explains the parable of the sower. Jesus is basically asking me the following questions: Am I the "seed sown on the path," that is one who does not understand the Word of God and thus Satan "comes and steals away what was sown" in my heart? Or am I the one who gets all excited when I hear the word of God but in whom the word does not take root and thus when hardship hits I "immediately fall away" and thus the seed bears no fruit? Or, yet still, is the soil of my heart so flooded with thorns, "worldly anxiety and the lure of riches [that] choke the word" and thus no fruit is born either?
To understand the Word of God, I need to call upon the Holy Spirit to open my mind and heart and grace me with the strength to practice the discipline approach of spending regular time reflecting upon the Word of God in personal and familial prayer time as well in Liturgical, communal celebrations. If I engage in these substantive practises of seeking God in the Scriptures and praying for the grace to understand Jesus' message, my faith will be strengthened. My grip on God's Word will not a superficial, weak grip whereby when hardships occur I "immediately fall away," or abandon by faith journey but a hold that sustains me when "storms" strike!
Furthermore, I prepare the soil of my heart to be receptive to the seed of God's Word when I do not choke off this seed by "worldly anxieties and the lure of riches," by compulsive accumulation of unneeded material things and worldly pleasures, by excessive gluttonous eating and out-of-control drinking and drugging myself (my drug of choice may be sex or running from one relationship to another and another or seeking this and that and another thing to distract myself from the difficulties, the pain, the challenges of what may be going on in my life.
Lord, help me make choices that will deepen my relationship with You, increase my faithfulness to the vows I have made, whether marriage, religious life or priesthood, and become the best person you intend me to become.
To understand the Word of God, I need to call upon the Holy Spirit to open my mind and heart and grace me with the strength to practice the discipline approach of spending regular time reflecting upon the Word of God in personal and familial prayer time as well in Liturgical, communal celebrations. If I engage in these substantive practises of seeking God in the Scriptures and praying for the grace to understand Jesus' message, my faith will be strengthened. My grip on God's Word will not a superficial, weak grip whereby when hardships occur I "immediately fall away," or abandon by faith journey but a hold that sustains me when "storms" strike!
Furthermore, I prepare the soil of my heart to be receptive to the seed of God's Word when I do not choke off this seed by "worldly anxieties and the lure of riches," by compulsive accumulation of unneeded material things and worldly pleasures, by excessive gluttonous eating and out-of-control drinking and drugging myself (my drug of choice may be sex or running from one relationship to another and another or seeking this and that and another thing to distract myself from the difficulties, the pain, the challenges of what may be going on in my life.
Lord, help me make choices that will deepen my relationship with You, increase my faithfulness to the vows I have made, whether marriage, religious life or priesthood, and become the best person you intend me to become.
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Dying and Rising with Jesus
In today's first reading, 2 Corinthians 4: 7-15, St. Paul reminds us that we "hold [a] treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us...[that we are] carrying about in [our] body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body." St. Paul further reminds us that "the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and place us...in his presence."
Jesus says to you and to me:
Dorothy Ann (insert your name), you carry within you, as does everyone and all of creation, my dying and my rising. A dying is at work in you all of the time so that a resurrection to new life here on earth and eventually in heaven can take place. All of this is of God, a treasure from above planted within each person and every other living thing, plant and animal. Why? To give glory to each one's Creator God from whom and for whom each exists!
My response: Lord, may I honor and respect this reality. May I die to all that is not of You so as to rise to the fullness of life that You have promised us in Christ Jesus! May I, and every human being, die to sin--to selfishness, bigotry, misogyny, hatred, promiscuity, gluttonous attitudes, idolatry, abusive behaviors of any sort--and rise to holiness: to loving and serving others generously, compassionately and unselfishly, to sharing of this earth's goods and wealth so that all thrive and become the persons God intends them to be. May we enhance life for all, not destroy it! May we create unity, not promote divisiveness in Jesus' name. Amen!
Jesus says to you and to me:
Dorothy Ann (insert your name), you carry within you, as does everyone and all of creation, my dying and my rising. A dying is at work in you all of the time so that a resurrection to new life here on earth and eventually in heaven can take place. All of this is of God, a treasure from above planted within each person and every other living thing, plant and animal. Why? To give glory to each one's Creator God from whom and for whom each exists!
My response: Lord, may I honor and respect this reality. May I die to all that is not of You so as to rise to the fullness of life that You have promised us in Christ Jesus! May I, and every human being, die to sin--to selfishness, bigotry, misogyny, hatred, promiscuity, gluttonous attitudes, idolatry, abusive behaviors of any sort--and rise to holiness: to loving and serving others generously, compassionately and unselfishly, to sharing of this earth's goods and wealth so that all thrive and become the persons God intends them to be. May we enhance life for all, not destroy it! May we create unity, not promote divisiveness in Jesus' name. Amen!
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
God Fights for Us against Satan
God Fights for Us against Satan
In yesterday's reading from Exodus 14: 21-15:1, "the Egyptians sounded the retreat before Israel, because the Lord was fighting for them against the Egyptians." The same is true for us. Enemies may be pursuing us on every side and especially from within our own beings: pride, selfishness, gluttony, idolatry (God substitutes such as compulsive use of alcohol, drugs, food, pleasure, relationships, sex or whatever we use to distract ourselves or as sole means to meet insatiable needs, calm excessive fears, and avoid feeling whatever pain is beckoning us to look at the truth of what is going on in our lives). As with the Israelites, God fights for us as well.
By our use of God substitutes, we are likely to deafen ourselves to God's voice and develop a blindness to God's presence and action in our lives. How do we keep our ears and eyes open? How do we maintain our focus on God, realizing and discovering that God is on our side and that God is enough for us? By calling upon the Holy Spirit or reverently uttering Jesus' name, asking God to help us. It is at those times that Satan sounds his "retreat" from us, because he knows then that the Lord is fighting for us against him in the same way as the Lord fought for the Israelites, His Chosen People.
By our use of God substitutes, we are likely to deafen ourselves to God's voice and develop a blindness to God's presence and action in our lives. How do we keep our ears and eyes open? How do we maintain our focus on God, realizing and discovering that God is on our side and that God is enough for us? By calling upon the Holy Spirit or reverently uttering Jesus' name, asking God to help us. It is at those times that Satan sounds his "retreat" from us, because he knows then that the Lord is fighting for us against him in the same way as the Lord fought for the Israelites, His Chosen People.
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Liberation from Slavery to Oppressive Behaviors, that is from Sin
Liberation from Slavery to Oppressive Behaviors, that is from Sin
In today's first reading, Exodus 14: 21-15:1, we are given the story of the Israelites being freed from the oppression of the Egyptians. God divides the waters of the sea, "with the water like a wall to their right and to their left," the Israelites are able to cross the sea on dry land. Once safely across, God instructs Moses to stretch out his hand over the sea, "that the water may flow back upon the Egyptians." None of them survive. "When Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore and beheld the great power that the Lord had shown against the Egyptians, they feared the Lord and believed in him and in his servant Moses."
This story is not only about the Israelites. It is about you and me, as well! God also frees us from our oppressors: the oppression of selfishness, prejudice and hatred that holds us back from being a true disciple of Jesus. It is about the ways, through baptism and the other sacraments that Jesus frees us from the oppressing blindness and deafness that deprives us of the ability to recognize Jesus in others and from hearing the voice of the Spirit guiding us to do good and avoid evil.
The story of God freeing the Israelites from the slavery of Egypt is a precursor of Jesus freeing us from sin as He offered His life for our salvation and rose from the dead, death and sin having absolutely no power over Jesus. In baptism we died with Christ and rose with Him to new life, a life in which we are empowered to live as brothers and sisters and mothers of Jesus, that is as persons doing what the Father wills of us (see today's gospel, Matthew 12: 46-50).
This story is not only about the Israelites. It is about you and me, as well! God also frees us from our oppressors: the oppression of selfishness, prejudice and hatred that holds us back from being a true disciple of Jesus. It is about the ways, through baptism and the other sacraments that Jesus frees us from the oppressing blindness and deafness that deprives us of the ability to recognize Jesus in others and from hearing the voice of the Spirit guiding us to do good and avoid evil.
The story of God freeing the Israelites from the slavery of Egypt is a precursor of Jesus freeing us from sin as He offered His life for our salvation and rose from the dead, death and sin having absolutely no power over Jesus. In baptism we died with Christ and rose with Him to new life, a life in which we are empowered to live as brothers and sisters and mothers of Jesus, that is as persons doing what the Father wills of us (see today's gospel, Matthew 12: 46-50).
Saturday, July 20, 2019
Freed from slavery!
In today's first reading, Exodus 12: 37-42, we are told about the night that the Israelites rushed out of Egypt. To this very day, this night is remembered by the Israelites as "a night of vigil for the Lord". God kept watch over His people and, at the right time, freed them from the slavery of the Egyptians. God also keep vigil for us. He knows the chaos or the slavery into which we have fallen or could fall each day. He watches. His timing of freedom for us is the perfect timing. God is not turned back by what He sees. The turmoil, the chaos, the sinfulness, the divisiveness, the deficits in our lives do not cause God to distance Himself from us. No! On the contrary, God draws near to us. God is always near, watching and waiting for the right moment to set us free, to draw us closer and closer to Himself and to others in love.
For 430 years, the Israelites stayed in Egypt! That certainly is a long time! Where was God, you may ask? God was at their side, empowering them to rise up to the occasion and do what had to be done as slaves. Was God pleased that they were slaves? Of course not! God, in no way, wishes us evil or rejoices when life is difficult for us. God is the liberator, the One who reconciles us with those who bring us harm or frees us from those who hurt us! Our freedom may come in a variety of ways. Sometimes as dramatic as with the Israelites' passage out of Egypt. Most times, in less dramatic ways and sometimes we are not even immediately aware that we are being led to freedom. We simply start making choices by which we let go of attitudes that enslave us to others or that allow others to abuse us. We begin making choices that give us peace or we keep company with persons who are supportive of us and give us the courage to be our true selves, not another person's slave!
Am I, are you, choosing ways that limit our authentic freedom to be the best person we can be? What behavioral changes do I, do you, need to make to experience greater freedom to serve God with joy and in peace? What attitudes do I, do you, need to change that will lead us more deeply into the truth of who we are, who God is and how to become our better selves?
For 430 years, the Israelites stayed in Egypt! That certainly is a long time! Where was God, you may ask? God was at their side, empowering them to rise up to the occasion and do what had to be done as slaves. Was God pleased that they were slaves? Of course not! God, in no way, wishes us evil or rejoices when life is difficult for us. God is the liberator, the One who reconciles us with those who bring us harm or frees us from those who hurt us! Our freedom may come in a variety of ways. Sometimes as dramatic as with the Israelites' passage out of Egypt. Most times, in less dramatic ways and sometimes we are not even immediately aware that we are being led to freedom. We simply start making choices by which we let go of attitudes that enslave us to others or that allow others to abuse us. We begin making choices that give us peace or we keep company with persons who are supportive of us and give us the courage to be our true selves, not another person's slave!
Am I, are you, choosing ways that limit our authentic freedom to be the best person we can be? What behavioral changes do I, do you, need to make to experience greater freedom to serve God with joy and in peace? What attitudes do I, do you, need to change that will lead us more deeply into the truth of who we are, who God is and how to become our better selves?
Thursday, July 18, 2019
I AM Sent Moses to Lead His people to Freedom; I AM Sends You and Me into our World!
In today's first reading, Exodus 3: 13-20, Moses asks the Lord what he is to tell the Israelites if they ask him what is His name. "I am who am," God tells Moses. God is the I AM! God amplifies his answer by saying to Moses: "This is what you shall tell the children of Israel: I AM sent me to you." God is existence, the existence of who I am, who you are, who all living beings are! "I AM" put me, and you, here, in this place, at this time and sustains you and me in existence for His divine purposes! Our lives are no accident. We are not here by chance! We are one with God in the very essence of our being!
God's being, the I AM, is purity, love, justice, holiness, peace! In our essence, so are we! When we do not obstruct grace, we radiate these virtues; we radiate God, though we are not God! As children naturally are created in the image and likeness of their biological parents, so, too, are we reflections of God, created in the image and likeness of God, to do the works of God as God empowers us to do!
WOW! My Lord and my God! What an incredible reality concerning who God is and who we are! How blessed are we and how awesome is our God!
God's being, the I AM, is purity, love, justice, holiness, peace! In our essence, so are we! When we do not obstruct grace, we radiate these virtues; we radiate God, though we are not God! As children naturally are created in the image and likeness of their biological parents, so, too, are we reflections of God, created in the image and likeness of God, to do the works of God as God empowers us to do!
WOW! My Lord and my God! What an incredible reality concerning who God is and who we are! How blessed are we and how awesome is our God!
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