For the Lectio Divina for the Second Week of Lent please click here;
Lectio Divina Second Week of Lent
This will take you to the PDF file at the site, enjoy and God Bless!
Sunday, February 25, 2018
Homily for Today
Twelve days having passed since we
entered the Lenten Season, it is now a good time to review how our
living faith and perseverance is leading us towards our eternal
glory. Today's readings from the Holy Scriptures serve that
specific purpose in our lives.
The First Reading from the Book of Genesis tells us that God tested Abraham. [Gen. 22:1] In other words, God tested his living faith. God wanted to see just how faithful Abraham would be in obedience and servitude.
In this particular Reading that speaks of Abraham and Isaac as father and son, we see a lot of images of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. When God called upon Abraham, he answered, "Here I am." The two words, "I am," echo the identity of both, God the Father and Jesus Christ. These two Words, prophetic in nature, implied the arrival of Jesus in the world as the promised Messiah.
After calling Abraham, God the Father commanded him to take his son Isaac whom he loved and to go to the land of Moriah to offer him there as a burnt offering on a mountain that will be shown to him.
As Genesis 22:3-8 tells us, Abraham obeyed God. Early in the morning, he set out towards the mountain. Genesis 22:6 tells us that "Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac." This passage echoes Jesus carrying the wooden cross to Calvary. It echoes how God the Father put the weight of the sins of the world upon His Son Jesus Christ whom He loved very much."
When Abraham came to the place that God had shown him, he built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
The action of Abraham echoes perfect obedience to God. It echoes that living faith without actions (works) is dead. [Jas. 2:26] True faith is living faith that shines in actions.
When we heard that Isaac was bound and laid on top of the wood, we were reminded of Jesus who was bound and laid on the cross to be nailed in our place so we may receive our salvation and eternal life in the Kingdom of God.
Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. [Gen. 22:10] The moment had arrived! What went through the mind of Abraham at that moment? It is obvious that the fear of God must have been great in Abraham. He had chosen to sacrifice his son versus opposing God's command. Abraham must have known that anything was possible to God. If it was the Divine Will of God, He would raise Isaac from the dead. And what went through the mind of his son? His obedience to God and to his father must have been great to allow himself to be slaughtered as a lamb at the burnt offering ceremony.
Just when Abraham was about to sacrifice his son, the angel of the Lord called him from heaven and told him not to lay his hand on the boy or do anything to him. [Gen. 22:11-2] The faith of Abraham had been tested and God knew by his actions that he had a sincere heart. Abraham obeyed God to the end.
Something of interest that many of you may not have noticed or heard before. It is the reference to the angel of the Lord. In the Old Testament, there are frequent references to the angel of the Lord. [Gen. 16:7-13; Exo. 3:2, 32:22-32; Num. 22:22-8; Judges 2:1; Zech. 12:8, etc...] In those passages, the angel of the Lord is identified as Yahweh Himself.
Knowing that God the Father is formless, being the first mover among the Three Divine Presences of the Holy Trinity, and believing in the teachings of the Holy Catholic Church that the first mover cannot be moved, these passages of the Old Testament reveal to us that the angel of the Lord was the Second Divine Presence of the Holy Trinity, Jesus Himself. These passages tell us that before the incarnation of the Lord Jesus, the eternal Word of God, Jesus manifested Himself visibly throughout the early history of the world in an angelic form.
After the angel of the Lord had stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son, Abraham saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horn. He took the animal and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. [Gen. 22:13]
Later on, God called Abraham a second time. This time, God made a promise to Abraham, that because he did not withhold his son, he would be blessed. His offsprings would become as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore.
Today, we can perceive what was meant by that promise of God. We know that Abraham was to become the spiritual father of mankind. [Rom. 4:17] He was the first of those to be saved by their living faith in God, first through the angel of God in the Old Testament and then through Jesus Christ in the New Testament.
The Lord concluded by saying that through the offspring of Abraham, all the nations of the earth shall gain blessings for themselves. [Gen. 22:18] Those word teach us that every nation of the world is privileged to have as some of its citizens the children of God who have received the Sacrament of Baptism through faith in Jesus Christ. Through the offspring of Abraham, blessings have been bestowed upon all the nations. Through the offspring of Abraham, the nations have learned the ways of God, the Christian faith, true righteousness, equal justice, human rights, all what is holy and pure, and pleasing to the Lord God.
Moving along to the Second Reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans, we perceive that perseverance moves alongside living faith. In the early days of the Church, there was much persecution and many of the converts feared losing their lives.
Addressing this issue, St. Paul told them, "If God is for us, who is against us? [Rom. 8:31] It is clear that God is on the side of the Christians. As such, there is nothing to fear. If God made the ultimate sacrifice of His only beloved Son, will He not alongside with Jesus provide the Christians with all their needs? Certainly He will!
Then, St. Paul asked two more questions. "Who will bring any charges against God's elect? Is it God who justifies? [Rom. 8:33] This affirms to us that the justification and salvation of the Christian is not a question of arbitration. In the days of Job, Satan travelled back and forth between Heaven and earth, seeking God's permission to shipwreck whoever would not persevere in the living God. [Job 1:6-12, 2:1-8] But those days are now over! Satan, the accuser of men, he who accused them day and night before our God, has been thrown down from Heaven. [Rev. 12:7-10] He can no longer bring charges against the children of God for Jesus is now our Mediator before God the Father. Jesus made the perfect sacrifice for our sins. For those who persevere in their living faith, Jesus atoned as the Lamb of God to secure their righteousness before the Heavenly Father.
Since we have Jesus on our side, who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will it be hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No, none of these things will separate us! For the love of Christ is eternal. While we may temporarily suffer in these physical bodies, our living hope in Christ is in the life to come as spiritual beings. Can the worldly ways that will come to an end separate us from our spiritual lives? No!
If we do suffer hardship, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness or even death as Christian who live their faith in Christ, let us offer it to God. For in the end, a Heavenly reward awaits all those who persevere in their living faith. Hardship, persecution and death makes us conquerors through Jesus who loves us. Through Him we have assurance of our eternal life and salvation, having overcome the worldly ways of the flesh, of self-centredness, wealth, fame, etc...
Today's Reading from the Gospel of Mark gives us a glimpse at what awaits those who persevere in their living faith. When Jesus took Peter, James and John up a high mountain, they witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus. His clothes became dazzling white such as no one on earth could bleach them.
White clothing is an image of glory. This is supported by numerous biblical passages. [Rev. 3:3-5, 3:18, 4:4, 6:11, 7:9, 12]
The presence of Elijah and Moses on the mountain is symbolic of the fulfillment of the prophets (through Elijah) and the Law (through Moses) that is found in the Old Testament. Their living presence is proof that God's children of the Old Testament who persevered in their living faith have inherited the Kingdom of God.
During that Reading, we heard when Peter offered to make three tents, one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah. Peter wanted to eternalize his joy by building three tents as was done in the Feast of Tabernacles. [Hos. 12:9]
With everything that was happening, Peter was terrified. He was terrified in the sense that he was lost for words at the mystery of Christ. His fear was his great unworthiness of being in the presence of God incarnated.
To add to this overwhelming experience, a cloud overshadowed them and God the Father spoke, "This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to him!" The cloud is symbolic of the presence of Yahweh in the Old Testament. [Ex. 16:10, 19:9 24:15-6; 32:9] The words, "my beloved son" is a repetition of the words of God that were spoken at the Baptism of Jesus. [Mt. 3:17; Mk. 1:11] The words, "listen to Him" is a command to heed to Jesus or face the consequences for rejecting the Word of God.
Overcome by the Divine presence of God, the disciples fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. [Mt. 17:6-8] Jesus went to them, touched them, told them to get up and not to be afraid. When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
As they came down the mountain, Jesus ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. Coming down the mountain echoes a new Covenant. When Moses received the Covenant of the Law, he also descended the mountain while carrying the two tablets of the Covenant. [Ex. 32:15, 34:29] Now the new and everlasting Covenant of Grace was about to begin.
Jesus commanding the disciples to tell no one echoes when Daniel received a vision and was commanded to keep the words secret until the time of the end. [Dan. 12:4, 9] Today's Gospel ends by telling us that the disciples kept the matter to themselves, this echoing how Daniel also kept the vision of things to come secret to himself. [Dan. 7:28]
As was just explained to you, living faith and perseverance leads us to eternal glory. Your presence here today is a sign of your living faith. Your Christian behaviour in the world is a sign of your perseverance in your faith. Today, we are gathered here together so we can strengthen one another to persevere in our living faith in the hope of the eternal glory that awaits us at the end of this life.
Continuing with the celebration of the Holy Mass, let us ask the Lord Jesus to strengthen and preserve our living faith through the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. This is especially important to us during the Lenten Season when we are reflecting upon our Christian lives in preparation for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ that will be celebrated on Easter Sunday.
The First Reading from the Book of Genesis tells us that God tested Abraham. [Gen. 22:1] In other words, God tested his living faith. God wanted to see just how faithful Abraham would be in obedience and servitude.
In this particular Reading that speaks of Abraham and Isaac as father and son, we see a lot of images of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. When God called upon Abraham, he answered, "Here I am." The two words, "I am," echo the identity of both, God the Father and Jesus Christ. These two Words, prophetic in nature, implied the arrival of Jesus in the world as the promised Messiah.
After calling Abraham, God the Father commanded him to take his son Isaac whom he loved and to go to the land of Moriah to offer him there as a burnt offering on a mountain that will be shown to him.
As Genesis 22:3-8 tells us, Abraham obeyed God. Early in the morning, he set out towards the mountain. Genesis 22:6 tells us that "Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac." This passage echoes Jesus carrying the wooden cross to Calvary. It echoes how God the Father put the weight of the sins of the world upon His Son Jesus Christ whom He loved very much."
When Abraham came to the place that God had shown him, he built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
The action of Abraham echoes perfect obedience to God. It echoes that living faith without actions (works) is dead. [Jas. 2:26] True faith is living faith that shines in actions.
When we heard that Isaac was bound and laid on top of the wood, we were reminded of Jesus who was bound and laid on the cross to be nailed in our place so we may receive our salvation and eternal life in the Kingdom of God.
Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. [Gen. 22:10] The moment had arrived! What went through the mind of Abraham at that moment? It is obvious that the fear of God must have been great in Abraham. He had chosen to sacrifice his son versus opposing God's command. Abraham must have known that anything was possible to God. If it was the Divine Will of God, He would raise Isaac from the dead. And what went through the mind of his son? His obedience to God and to his father must have been great to allow himself to be slaughtered as a lamb at the burnt offering ceremony.
Just when Abraham was about to sacrifice his son, the angel of the Lord called him from heaven and told him not to lay his hand on the boy or do anything to him. [Gen. 22:11-2] The faith of Abraham had been tested and God knew by his actions that he had a sincere heart. Abraham obeyed God to the end.
Something of interest that many of you may not have noticed or heard before. It is the reference to the angel of the Lord. In the Old Testament, there are frequent references to the angel of the Lord. [Gen. 16:7-13; Exo. 3:2, 32:22-32; Num. 22:22-8; Judges 2:1; Zech. 12:8, etc...] In those passages, the angel of the Lord is identified as Yahweh Himself.
Knowing that God the Father is formless, being the first mover among the Three Divine Presences of the Holy Trinity, and believing in the teachings of the Holy Catholic Church that the first mover cannot be moved, these passages of the Old Testament reveal to us that the angel of the Lord was the Second Divine Presence of the Holy Trinity, Jesus Himself. These passages tell us that before the incarnation of the Lord Jesus, the eternal Word of God, Jesus manifested Himself visibly throughout the early history of the world in an angelic form.
After the angel of the Lord had stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son, Abraham saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horn. He took the animal and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. [Gen. 22:13]
Later on, God called Abraham a second time. This time, God made a promise to Abraham, that because he did not withhold his son, he would be blessed. His offsprings would become as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore.
Today, we can perceive what was meant by that promise of God. We know that Abraham was to become the spiritual father of mankind. [Rom. 4:17] He was the first of those to be saved by their living faith in God, first through the angel of God in the Old Testament and then through Jesus Christ in the New Testament.
The Lord concluded by saying that through the offspring of Abraham, all the nations of the earth shall gain blessings for themselves. [Gen. 22:18] Those word teach us that every nation of the world is privileged to have as some of its citizens the children of God who have received the Sacrament of Baptism through faith in Jesus Christ. Through the offspring of Abraham, blessings have been bestowed upon all the nations. Through the offspring of Abraham, the nations have learned the ways of God, the Christian faith, true righteousness, equal justice, human rights, all what is holy and pure, and pleasing to the Lord God.
Moving along to the Second Reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans, we perceive that perseverance moves alongside living faith. In the early days of the Church, there was much persecution and many of the converts feared losing their lives.
Addressing this issue, St. Paul told them, "If God is for us, who is against us? [Rom. 8:31] It is clear that God is on the side of the Christians. As such, there is nothing to fear. If God made the ultimate sacrifice of His only beloved Son, will He not alongside with Jesus provide the Christians with all their needs? Certainly He will!
Then, St. Paul asked two more questions. "Who will bring any charges against God's elect? Is it God who justifies? [Rom. 8:33] This affirms to us that the justification and salvation of the Christian is not a question of arbitration. In the days of Job, Satan travelled back and forth between Heaven and earth, seeking God's permission to shipwreck whoever would not persevere in the living God. [Job 1:6-12, 2:1-8] But those days are now over! Satan, the accuser of men, he who accused them day and night before our God, has been thrown down from Heaven. [Rev. 12:7-10] He can no longer bring charges against the children of God for Jesus is now our Mediator before God the Father. Jesus made the perfect sacrifice for our sins. For those who persevere in their living faith, Jesus atoned as the Lamb of God to secure their righteousness before the Heavenly Father.
Since we have Jesus on our side, who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will it be hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No, none of these things will separate us! For the love of Christ is eternal. While we may temporarily suffer in these physical bodies, our living hope in Christ is in the life to come as spiritual beings. Can the worldly ways that will come to an end separate us from our spiritual lives? No!
If we do suffer hardship, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness or even death as Christian who live their faith in Christ, let us offer it to God. For in the end, a Heavenly reward awaits all those who persevere in their living faith. Hardship, persecution and death makes us conquerors through Jesus who loves us. Through Him we have assurance of our eternal life and salvation, having overcome the worldly ways of the flesh, of self-centredness, wealth, fame, etc...
Today's Reading from the Gospel of Mark gives us a glimpse at what awaits those who persevere in their living faith. When Jesus took Peter, James and John up a high mountain, they witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus. His clothes became dazzling white such as no one on earth could bleach them.
White clothing is an image of glory. This is supported by numerous biblical passages. [Rev. 3:3-5, 3:18, 4:4, 6:11, 7:9, 12]
The presence of Elijah and Moses on the mountain is symbolic of the fulfillment of the prophets (through Elijah) and the Law (through Moses) that is found in the Old Testament. Their living presence is proof that God's children of the Old Testament who persevered in their living faith have inherited the Kingdom of God.
During that Reading, we heard when Peter offered to make three tents, one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah. Peter wanted to eternalize his joy by building three tents as was done in the Feast of Tabernacles. [Hos. 12:9]
With everything that was happening, Peter was terrified. He was terrified in the sense that he was lost for words at the mystery of Christ. His fear was his great unworthiness of being in the presence of God incarnated.
To add to this overwhelming experience, a cloud overshadowed them and God the Father spoke, "This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to him!" The cloud is symbolic of the presence of Yahweh in the Old Testament. [Ex. 16:10, 19:9 24:15-6; 32:9] The words, "my beloved son" is a repetition of the words of God that were spoken at the Baptism of Jesus. [Mt. 3:17; Mk. 1:11] The words, "listen to Him" is a command to heed to Jesus or face the consequences for rejecting the Word of God.
Overcome by the Divine presence of God, the disciples fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. [Mt. 17:6-8] Jesus went to them, touched them, told them to get up and not to be afraid. When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
As they came down the mountain, Jesus ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. Coming down the mountain echoes a new Covenant. When Moses received the Covenant of the Law, he also descended the mountain while carrying the two tablets of the Covenant. [Ex. 32:15, 34:29] Now the new and everlasting Covenant of Grace was about to begin.
Jesus commanding the disciples to tell no one echoes when Daniel received a vision and was commanded to keep the words secret until the time of the end. [Dan. 12:4, 9] Today's Gospel ends by telling us that the disciples kept the matter to themselves, this echoing how Daniel also kept the vision of things to come secret to himself. [Dan. 7:28]
As was just explained to you, living faith and perseverance leads us to eternal glory. Your presence here today is a sign of your living faith. Your Christian behaviour in the world is a sign of your perseverance in your faith. Today, we are gathered here together so we can strengthen one another to persevere in our living faith in the hope of the eternal glory that awaits us at the end of this life.
Continuing with the celebration of the Holy Mass, let us ask the Lord Jesus to strengthen and preserve our living faith through the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. This is especially important to us during the Lenten Season when we are reflecting upon our Christian lives in preparation for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ that will be celebrated on Easter Sunday.
Prayer and Reflection
Lord Jesus, you revealed to Peter, James and John a glimpse of your
future glory in order to strengthen them for the cross. I know that you
also wish to strengthen me with your presence so that I may carry my
cross well and one day see you face-to-face. I entrust myself to you now
through this prayer, seeking to love you with all my mind, heart, soul
and strength.
Lord Jesus, keep me always alert and awake to you, to your word, your action, and your daily presence in my life. Let me see your glory.
The reflection is again from our friends at Kairos please read through and reflect on todays gospel message God Bless!
What can blind us or keep us from recognizing God's glory and presence in our lives?
Lord Jesus, keep me always alert and awake to you, to your word, your action, and your daily presence in my life. Let me see your glory.
The reflection is again from our friends at Kairos please read through and reflect on todays gospel message God Bless!
What can blind us or keep us from recognizing God's glory and presence in our lives?
What
can blind us or keep us from recognizing God's glory and presence in
our lives? Sin and unbelief for sure! Faith enables us to see what is
hidden or unseen to the naked eye. Through the eyes of faith Abraham
recognized God and God's call on his life. He saw from afar not only
what God intended for him, but for his descendants as well - an
everlasting covenant of friendship and peace with the living God.
Abraham is the father of faith because he put his hope in the promises
of God. Faith makes us taste in advance the light of God's glory when we
shall see him face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12; 1 John 3:2).
The Lord Jesus reveals his glory in fulfilling his Father's will
Are you prepared to see God's glory? God is eager to share his glory with us! We get a glimpse of this when the disciples see Jesus transfigured on the mountain. Jesus' face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white (Mark 9:2,3).
When Moses met with God on Mount Sinai the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God (see Exodus 34:29). Paul says that the Israelites could not look at Moses' face because of its brightness (2 Corinthians 3:7). In the Gospel account Jesus appeared in glory with Moses, the great lawgiver of Israel, and with Elijah, the greatest of the prophets, in the presence of three of his beloved apostles - Peter, James, and John.
What is the significance of this mysterious appearance? Jesus went to the mountain knowing full well what awaited him in Jerusalem - his betrayal, rejection and crucifixion. Jesus very likely discussed this momentous decision to go to the cross with Moses and Elijah. God the Father also spoke with Jesus and gave his approval: This is my beloved Son; listen to him. The Father glorified his Son because he obeyed. The cloud which overshadowed Jesus and his apostles fulfilled the dream of the Jews that when the Messiah came the cloud of God's presence would fill the temple again (see Exodus 16:10, 19:9, 33:9; 1 Kings 8:10; 2 Maccabees 2:8). Jesus is the True Temple come down from heaven who reveals the glory of God to us (John 1:14 and John 2:19, Matthew 12:6), and who opens the way for us to worship the living God in spirit and truth (John 4:21-26).
The Lord wants to share his glory with each of us
The Lord Jesus not only wants us to see his glory - he wants to share this glory with us. And Jesus shows us the way to the Father's glory: follow me - obey my words - take the path I have chosen for you and you will receive the glory and blessings of my Father's kingdom - your names will be written in heaven (Luke 10:20).
Jesus succeeded in his mission because he willingly went to Calvary (where he offered up his life for us on the cross), so that Paradise (our true dwelling place with God) would be restored to us once again. He embraced the cross to obtain the crown of glory that awaits each one of us. If we hope to share fully in his glory, we, too, must follow him in the way of the cross - by dying to sin and embracing his will for our lives. This is the only true path that leads to everlasting peace and joy with God.
Origen (185-254 AD), an early church Scripture scholar and writer, describes how we are changed and transformed into Christ's likeness as we we look to him day by day with faith and honesty and strive to walk according to the light of his truth and righteousness (moral goodness):
Luke's Gospel account tells us that while Jesus was transfigured, Peter, James, and John were asleep (Luke 9:32)! Upon awakening they discovered Jesus in glory along with Moses and Elijah. How much do we miss of God's glory and action because we are asleep spiritually? There are many things which can keep our minds asleep to the things of God: Mental lethargy and the "unexamined life" can keep us from thinking things through and facing our doubts and questions in the light of Christ's truth. The life of ease can also hinder us from considering the challenging or disturbing demands of Christ to forsake all for him and his kingdom. Prejudice can make us blind to something new the Lord may have for us. Even sorrow can be a block until we can see past it to the glory of God.
How spiritually awake are you to Christ's presence and word of life for you? Peter, James, and John were privileged witnesses of the glory of Christ. We, too, as disciples of Christ are called to be witnesses of his glory. We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Lord wants to reveal his glory to us, his beloved disciples. Do you seek his presence with expectant faith, reverence, and willing obedience?
The Lord Jesus reveals his glory in fulfilling his Father's will
Are you prepared to see God's glory? God is eager to share his glory with us! We get a glimpse of this when the disciples see Jesus transfigured on the mountain. Jesus' face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white (Mark 9:2,3).
When Moses met with God on Mount Sinai the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God (see Exodus 34:29). Paul says that the Israelites could not look at Moses' face because of its brightness (2 Corinthians 3:7). In the Gospel account Jesus appeared in glory with Moses, the great lawgiver of Israel, and with Elijah, the greatest of the prophets, in the presence of three of his beloved apostles - Peter, James, and John.
What is the significance of this mysterious appearance? Jesus went to the mountain knowing full well what awaited him in Jerusalem - his betrayal, rejection and crucifixion. Jesus very likely discussed this momentous decision to go to the cross with Moses and Elijah. God the Father also spoke with Jesus and gave his approval: This is my beloved Son; listen to him. The Father glorified his Son because he obeyed. The cloud which overshadowed Jesus and his apostles fulfilled the dream of the Jews that when the Messiah came the cloud of God's presence would fill the temple again (see Exodus 16:10, 19:9, 33:9; 1 Kings 8:10; 2 Maccabees 2:8). Jesus is the True Temple come down from heaven who reveals the glory of God to us (John 1:14 and John 2:19, Matthew 12:6), and who opens the way for us to worship the living God in spirit and truth (John 4:21-26).
The Lord wants to share his glory with each of us
The Lord Jesus not only wants us to see his glory - he wants to share this glory with us. And Jesus shows us the way to the Father's glory: follow me - obey my words - take the path I have chosen for you and you will receive the glory and blessings of my Father's kingdom - your names will be written in heaven (Luke 10:20).
Jesus succeeded in his mission because he willingly went to Calvary (where he offered up his life for us on the cross), so that Paradise (our true dwelling place with God) would be restored to us once again. He embraced the cross to obtain the crown of glory that awaits each one of us. If we hope to share fully in his glory, we, too, must follow him in the way of the cross - by dying to sin and embracing his will for our lives. This is the only true path that leads to everlasting peace and joy with God.
Origen (185-254 AD), an early church Scripture scholar and writer, describes how we are changed and transformed into Christ's likeness as we we look to him day by day with faith and honesty and strive to walk according to the light of his truth and righteousness (moral goodness):
"When he is transfigured, his face also shines as the sun that he may be manifested to the children of light who have put off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light, and are no longer the children of darkness or night but have become the sons of day, and walk honestly as in the day. Being manifest, he will shine unto them not simply as the sun, but as demonstrated to be the sun of righteousness." [ Commentary on Matthew 12:37 by Origen]Stay awake spiritually - Don't miss God's glory and action
Luke's Gospel account tells us that while Jesus was transfigured, Peter, James, and John were asleep (Luke 9:32)! Upon awakening they discovered Jesus in glory along with Moses and Elijah. How much do we miss of God's glory and action because we are asleep spiritually? There are many things which can keep our minds asleep to the things of God: Mental lethargy and the "unexamined life" can keep us from thinking things through and facing our doubts and questions in the light of Christ's truth. The life of ease can also hinder us from considering the challenging or disturbing demands of Christ to forsake all for him and his kingdom. Prejudice can make us blind to something new the Lord may have for us. Even sorrow can be a block until we can see past it to the glory of God.
How spiritually awake are you to Christ's presence and word of life for you? Peter, James, and John were privileged witnesses of the glory of Christ. We, too, as disciples of Christ are called to be witnesses of his glory. We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Lord wants to reveal his glory to us, his beloved disciples. Do you seek his presence with expectant faith, reverence, and willing obedience?
Second Sunday of Lent
Reading 1 Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
God put Abraham to the test.
He called to him, "Abraham!"
"Here I am!" he replied.
Then God said:
"Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,
and go to the land of Moriah.
There you shall offer him up as a holocaust
on a height that I will point out to you."
When they came to the place of which God had told him,
Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.
Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
But the LORD's messenger called to him from heaven,
"Abraham, Abraham!"
"Here I am!" he answered.
"Do not lay your hand on the boy," said the messenger.
"Do not do the least thing to him.
I know now how devoted you are to God,
since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son."
As Abraham looked about,
he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.
So he went and took the ram
and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son.
Again the LORD's messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said:
"I swear by myself, declares the LORD,
that because you acted as you did
in not withholding from me your beloved son,
I will bless you abundantly
and make your descendants as countless
as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore;
your descendants shall take possession
of the gates of their enemies,
and in your descendants all the nations of the earth
shall find blessing—
all this because you obeyed my command."
He called to him, "Abraham!"
"Here I am!" he replied.
Then God said:
"Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,
and go to the land of Moriah.
There you shall offer him up as a holocaust
on a height that I will point out to you."
When they came to the place of which God had told him,
Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.
Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
But the LORD's messenger called to him from heaven,
"Abraham, Abraham!"
"Here I am!" he answered.
"Do not lay your hand on the boy," said the messenger.
"Do not do the least thing to him.
I know now how devoted you are to God,
since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son."
As Abraham looked about,
he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.
So he went and took the ram
and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son.
Again the LORD's messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said:
"I swear by myself, declares the LORD,
that because you acted as you did
in not withholding from me your beloved son,
I will bless you abundantly
and make your descendants as countless
as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore;
your descendants shall take possession
of the gates of their enemies,
and in your descendants all the nations of the earth
shall find blessing—
all this because you obeyed my command."
Responsorial Psalm Ps 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19
R. (116:9) I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
I believed, even when I said,
"I am greatly afflicted."
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people,
In the courts of the house of the LORD,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare his own Son
but handed him over for us all,
how will he not also give us everything else along with him?
Who will bring a charge against God's chosen ones?
It is God who acquits us, who will condemn?
Christ Jesus it is who died—or, rather, was raised—
who also is at the right hand of God,
who indeed intercedes for us.
This is my beloved Son, listen to him.
I believed, even when I said,
"I am greatly afflicted."
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people,
In the courts of the house of the LORD,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
Reading 2 Rom 8:31b-34
Brothers and sisters:If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare his own Son
but handed him over for us all,
how will he not also give us everything else along with him?
Who will bring a charge against God's chosen ones?
It is God who acquits us, who will condemn?
Christ Jesus it is who died—or, rather, was raised—
who also is at the right hand of God,
who indeed intercedes for us.
Verse Before the Gospel Cf. Mt 17:5
From the shining cloud the Father's voice is heard:This is my beloved Son, listen to him.
Gospel Mk 9:2-10
Jesus took Peter, James, and Johnand led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them,
and his clothes became dazzling white,
such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses,
and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
"Rabbi, it is good that we are here!
Let us make three tents:
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;
from the cloud came a voice,
"This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them.
As they were coming down from the mountain,
he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,
except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So they kept the matter to themselves,
questioning what rising from the dead meant.
Monday, February 19, 2018
Pope at Angelus: God Alone Can Give Us True Happiness
Read this at Zenit this morning from our Holy Father's address on the first Sunday of Lent really inspiring and have decided to share here as well but this and other articles are at Zenit.
God alone can give us true happiness.
This first Sunday of Lent, Pope Francis gave this powerful reminder to those gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his traditional Sunday Angelus at noon, as he reflected on our constant need for conversion.
The Pontiff highlighted this stressing that this season is of penance, but is not of sadness and mourning, but of joy and of returning to grace.
Have Courage to Convert & Reject All That Leads Us Astray
“In our life, we are always in need of conversion — every day! –, and the Church makes us pray for this. In fact, we are never sufficiently oriented to God and we must constantly direct our mind and heart to Him. To do this, it’s necessary to have the courage to reject all that leads us outside the way, the false values that deceive us, attracting our egoism in a sly way.”
Instead, he said, we must trust the Lord, His goodness and His plan of love for each one of us.
“Lent is a time of penance, yes, but it’s not a sad time, of mourning,” he said, noting: “It’s a joyful and serious commitment to strip ourselves of our egoism, of the old man in us, and of renewing ourselves according to the grace of our Baptism.”
“God alone can give us true happiness: it’s useless for us to waste time seeking it elsewhere, in riches, in pleasures, in power, in a career . . . The Kingdom of God is the realization of all our aspirations because it is, at the same time, salvation of man and glory of God.
Invitation 1st Sunday of Lent: Take up Jesus’ Appeal to Convert
“In this first Sunday of Lent,” the Pope said, “we are invited to listen attentively and to take up this appeal of Jesus to convert ourselves and to believe in the Gospel. We are exhorted to undertake with commitment the path to Easter, to receive ever more the grace of God, who wants to transform the world into a kingdom of justice, of peace and of fraternity.”
The Jesuit Pontiff’s aforementioned advice had been inspired by today’s Gospel according to St. Mark, which recalls the themes of temptation, of conversion and of the Good News (Mk 1:12-13), telling how Jesus goes into the desert to prepare Himself for His mission in the world.
“He has no need of conversion but, in as much as man, He must pass through this test, be it for Himself, to obey the will of the Father, be it for us, to give us the grace to overcome temptations. This preparation consists in fighting against the spirit of evil, namely, against the devil.”
Living Faithfully to the Gospel ‘Is Not Impossible’
The Holy Father concluded, praying: “May Mary Most Holy help us to live this Lent with fidelity to the Word of God and with incessant prayer, as Jesus did in the desert.
“It’s not impossible!” he said, “It’s about living the days with the ardent desire to receive the love that comes from God and who wants to transform our life and the whole world.”
In his closing remarks and greetings, the Pope encouraged young people around the world to participate along with the some 300 who will be in Rome this month for the pre-synodal convocation. He also gave words of comfort and prayer to prisoners during this Lenten Season.
Asking all those present to remember him and his collaborators in the Roman Curia in prayer, who begin a week of Spiritual Exercises, Pope Francis concluded, as usual, wishing them a happy Sunday and good lunch.
This 1st Sunday of Lent, Reminds Lent Is Time of Penance, Conversion, Joy & Grace, Not Mourning
Angelus / PHOTO.VA - OSSERVATORE ROMANO
This first Sunday of Lent, Pope Francis gave this powerful reminder to those gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his traditional Sunday Angelus at noon, as he reflected on our constant need for conversion.
The Pontiff highlighted this stressing that this season is of penance, but is not of sadness and mourning, but of joy and of returning to grace.
Have Courage to Convert & Reject All That Leads Us Astray
“In our life, we are always in need of conversion — every day! –, and the Church makes us pray for this. In fact, we are never sufficiently oriented to God and we must constantly direct our mind and heart to Him. To do this, it’s necessary to have the courage to reject all that leads us outside the way, the false values that deceive us, attracting our egoism in a sly way.”
Instead, he said, we must trust the Lord, His goodness and His plan of love for each one of us.
“Lent is a time of penance, yes, but it’s not a sad time, of mourning,” he said, noting: “It’s a joyful and serious commitment to strip ourselves of our egoism, of the old man in us, and of renewing ourselves according to the grace of our Baptism.”
“God alone can give us true happiness: it’s useless for us to waste time seeking it elsewhere, in riches, in pleasures, in power, in a career . . . The Kingdom of God is the realization of all our aspirations because it is, at the same time, salvation of man and glory of God.
Invitation 1st Sunday of Lent: Take up Jesus’ Appeal to Convert
“In this first Sunday of Lent,” the Pope said, “we are invited to listen attentively and to take up this appeal of Jesus to convert ourselves and to believe in the Gospel. We are exhorted to undertake with commitment the path to Easter, to receive ever more the grace of God, who wants to transform the world into a kingdom of justice, of peace and of fraternity.”
The Jesuit Pontiff’s aforementioned advice had been inspired by today’s Gospel according to St. Mark, which recalls the themes of temptation, of conversion and of the Good News (Mk 1:12-13), telling how Jesus goes into the desert to prepare Himself for His mission in the world.
“He has no need of conversion but, in as much as man, He must pass through this test, be it for Himself, to obey the will of the Father, be it for us, to give us the grace to overcome temptations. This preparation consists in fighting against the spirit of evil, namely, against the devil.”
Living Faithfully to the Gospel ‘Is Not Impossible’
The Holy Father concluded, praying: “May Mary Most Holy help us to live this Lent with fidelity to the Word of God and with incessant prayer, as Jesus did in the desert.
“It’s not impossible!” he said, “It’s about living the days with the ardent desire to receive the love that comes from God and who wants to transform our life and the whole world.”
In his closing remarks and greetings, the Pope encouraged young people around the world to participate along with the some 300 who will be in Rome this month for the pre-synodal convocation. He also gave words of comfort and prayer to prisoners during this Lenten Season.
Asking all those present to remember him and his collaborators in the Roman Curia in prayer, who begin a week of Spiritual Exercises, Pope Francis concluded, as usual, wishing them a happy Sunday and good lunch.
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Stations of The Cross
Another important prayer during Lent is The Stations of the Cross. Generally recited every Friday during Lent and on Good Friday. As I promised I have found a few sites for you to be able to do The Stations at your will or just to have for reference. List is below just click on them and go to the site. Please enjoy.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops site
Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church ( Picayune, MS 39466) site is interactive
Our Catholic Prayers
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops site
Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church ( Picayune, MS 39466) site is interactive
Our Catholic Prayers
Homily
As I reviewed today's readings
during the week in preparation for my sermon, I remembered that the
Old Covenant of God goes far beyond the days of Abraham or Moses.
The Old Covenant had its beginning in the days of Noah.
As we heard earlier, the rainbow in the clouds is the sign of God's Covenant with us! Nowadays, whenever we see a rainbow in the clouds, we should remember that it is God's prophetic sign of the triumph of Jesus over Satan who was the ruler of this world.
Today's message from the Word of God clearly speaks of this triumph. The triumph of Jesus is a perfect message during the Lenten Season. It tells us that because of the triumph of Jesus by His death on the Holy Cross, through Him and with Him, we can also be triumphant in our battle against evil.
In the days of Noah, the people throughout the world had become very evil, practicing all kinds of abominations that offended the Lord God. Because of this, God told Noah to build an ark and to gather his family and two of every kinds of animals. When the ark was completed, Noah and his family, eight persons in total, entered the ark with all the animals. Then, as we know from what the Holy Bible teaches us, God flooded the world.
When the days of the flooding were over and the ark had touched land, Noah, his family and all the animals left the ark. Then, God spoke to Noah and to his sons.
God promised to establish a Covenant with Noah and all his descendants. God promised that never again would He flood the entire world to destroy every living thing on the earth. As a sign of His promise, He gave the rainbow to the world for all to see in the sky.
Now, the flooding of the world is symbolic of the Sacrament of Baptism. Also, the flooding of the world was prophetic of our Baptism that was to come by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is especially noticeable by the Words of God when He said, 'never again' would He flood the world. The Words 'never again' are a sign that God is appeased through the Sacrament of Baptism. For through this Church Sacrament, we triumph over Satan by the grace of God the Father, the power of the Holy Spirit and our faith in the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.
During the Second Reading from the First Letter of Peter, we heard Peter speaking to the believers. Peter was comparing the sufferings of the Gentiles who had become Christians versus the sufferings of Jesus. Peter was telling them that since Jesus had triumphed, they would also triumph. Their Baptism was the pledge of their triumph for it gave them a share in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Just as Noah was saved by passing through the waters of the flood, so also, Christians receive their first installment towards salvation through faith in Jesus and their passage through the water of Baptism.
Peter told the Gentiles that Jesus suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring us to God. The sacrifice of Jesus was not just for a few, but for all of us, from the beginning of time until the end of time. He who was sinless, took upon Himself the weight of our sins and allowed Himself to be crucified in our place so God the Father may be appeased. Christ died for us!
Having died on the cross, Jesus resurrected. He was raised to Heaven and glorified by God the Father above all living creations. Having been glorified, Jesus no longer enjoys a physical body. He has been made alive in the Spirit.
In His Spirit, Jesus went to make a proclamation to the spirits [1 Pet. 3:19] of those in prison. Jesus went and announced to them His glorious triumph over evil.
In the Gospel of Mark, when Jesus was accused of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul, He spoke of this triumph. He said, "But not one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered." [Mk. 3:27]
In other words, Jesus was announcing that Satan would be tied down. The Kingdom of God would begin its growth on earth. We, God's baptized children, are living proof of the presence of the spiritual Kingdom of God on earth. Through the Holy Catholic Church, we as living stones, God's chosen people, a holy priesthood, are united as one in the Body of Christ.
But there will come a time when Satan will no longer be tied down. The Book of Revelations tells us that after Satan has been bound for an indefinite period of time, "he must be let out for a little while." [Rev. 20:2-3]
By that time, the Body of Christ will have grown so large, there being millions and millions of baptized children of God, that Satan will be powerless in his last days.
Through Baptism, the door to our salvation is opened. Through this Sacrament, we receive the seal of Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as our first instalment towards salvation. [2 Cor. 1:22]
The Sacrament of Baptism does not remove the dirt from our physical bodies for our bodies are called to die. But, it is an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ who has completed His work on earth and who is now sitting at the right hand of the Father. There, all the angels, the authorities and the powers are subject to Him, He who has all authority over all of creation.
Jesus triumphed over disobedience, rebellion and persecution. Through His triumph, we can also be triumphant.
During today's Gospel, we heard how Jesus was triumphant over Satan. While in the wilderness for forty days (this being a symbolic number), Satan tempted Him. Jesus did not allow Himself to be seduced by Satan. He came on earth to overthrow the worldly kingdom of Satan that had its beginning when Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. Jesus came on earth to reclaim God's Kingdom that was rightfully His, but stolen by Satan through sin.
Today's Gospel Reading finished with Jesus announcing in Galilee, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.'
As members of the Kingdom of God, during the Lenten Season, we are called to repent of our sins that offend God. We are called to frequently remember the triumph of Jesus. We are called to triumphantly live our faith in Christ as baptized children of God. We are called to go forward and shine by our obedience, our servitude, our charity towards others, through prayers, sacrifices, all in the love of God.
Doing so, we know that in the end, our triumph shall also be glorious through the salvation that we shall inherit as children of God.
As we heard earlier, the rainbow in the clouds is the sign of God's Covenant with us! Nowadays, whenever we see a rainbow in the clouds, we should remember that it is God's prophetic sign of the triumph of Jesus over Satan who was the ruler of this world.
Today's message from the Word of God clearly speaks of this triumph. The triumph of Jesus is a perfect message during the Lenten Season. It tells us that because of the triumph of Jesus by His death on the Holy Cross, through Him and with Him, we can also be triumphant in our battle against evil.
In the days of Noah, the people throughout the world had become very evil, practicing all kinds of abominations that offended the Lord God. Because of this, God told Noah to build an ark and to gather his family and two of every kinds of animals. When the ark was completed, Noah and his family, eight persons in total, entered the ark with all the animals. Then, as we know from what the Holy Bible teaches us, God flooded the world.
When the days of the flooding were over and the ark had touched land, Noah, his family and all the animals left the ark. Then, God spoke to Noah and to his sons.
God promised to establish a Covenant with Noah and all his descendants. God promised that never again would He flood the entire world to destroy every living thing on the earth. As a sign of His promise, He gave the rainbow to the world for all to see in the sky.
Now, the flooding of the world is symbolic of the Sacrament of Baptism. Also, the flooding of the world was prophetic of our Baptism that was to come by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is especially noticeable by the Words of God when He said, 'never again' would He flood the world. The Words 'never again' are a sign that God is appeased through the Sacrament of Baptism. For through this Church Sacrament, we triumph over Satan by the grace of God the Father, the power of the Holy Spirit and our faith in the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.
During the Second Reading from the First Letter of Peter, we heard Peter speaking to the believers. Peter was comparing the sufferings of the Gentiles who had become Christians versus the sufferings of Jesus. Peter was telling them that since Jesus had triumphed, they would also triumph. Their Baptism was the pledge of their triumph for it gave them a share in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Just as Noah was saved by passing through the waters of the flood, so also, Christians receive their first installment towards salvation through faith in Jesus and their passage through the water of Baptism.
Peter told the Gentiles that Jesus suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring us to God. The sacrifice of Jesus was not just for a few, but for all of us, from the beginning of time until the end of time. He who was sinless, took upon Himself the weight of our sins and allowed Himself to be crucified in our place so God the Father may be appeased. Christ died for us!
Having died on the cross, Jesus resurrected. He was raised to Heaven and glorified by God the Father above all living creations. Having been glorified, Jesus no longer enjoys a physical body. He has been made alive in the Spirit.
In His Spirit, Jesus went to make a proclamation to the spirits [1 Pet. 3:19] of those in prison. Jesus went and announced to them His glorious triumph over evil.
In the Gospel of Mark, when Jesus was accused of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul, He spoke of this triumph. He said, "But not one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered." [Mk. 3:27]
In other words, Jesus was announcing that Satan would be tied down. The Kingdom of God would begin its growth on earth. We, God's baptized children, are living proof of the presence of the spiritual Kingdom of God on earth. Through the Holy Catholic Church, we as living stones, God's chosen people, a holy priesthood, are united as one in the Body of Christ.
But there will come a time when Satan will no longer be tied down. The Book of Revelations tells us that after Satan has been bound for an indefinite period of time, "he must be let out for a little while." [Rev. 20:2-3]
By that time, the Body of Christ will have grown so large, there being millions and millions of baptized children of God, that Satan will be powerless in his last days.
Through Baptism, the door to our salvation is opened. Through this Sacrament, we receive the seal of Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as our first instalment towards salvation. [2 Cor. 1:22]
The Sacrament of Baptism does not remove the dirt from our physical bodies for our bodies are called to die. But, it is an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ who has completed His work on earth and who is now sitting at the right hand of the Father. There, all the angels, the authorities and the powers are subject to Him, He who has all authority over all of creation.
Jesus triumphed over disobedience, rebellion and persecution. Through His triumph, we can also be triumphant.
During today's Gospel, we heard how Jesus was triumphant over Satan. While in the wilderness for forty days (this being a symbolic number), Satan tempted Him. Jesus did not allow Himself to be seduced by Satan. He came on earth to overthrow the worldly kingdom of Satan that had its beginning when Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. Jesus came on earth to reclaim God's Kingdom that was rightfully His, but stolen by Satan through sin.
Today's Gospel Reading finished with Jesus announcing in Galilee, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.'
As members of the Kingdom of God, during the Lenten Season, we are called to repent of our sins that offend God. We are called to frequently remember the triumph of Jesus. We are called to triumphantly live our faith in Christ as baptized children of God. We are called to go forward and shine by our obedience, our servitude, our charity towards others, through prayers, sacrifices, all in the love of God.
Doing so, we know that in the end, our triumph shall also be glorious through the salvation that we shall inherit as children of God.
Prayer and Reflection
Lord
Jesus, your word is life, joy, wisdom, and strength for me. Fill me
with your Holy Spirit that I may have the strength and courage to
embrace your will in all things and to renounce whatever is contrary to
your will for me.
Lord Jesus, I believe that you are leading me and that when I go astray it’s because I take my eyes off you and cease to follow you. I know that you will never abandon me. Thank you for your unconditional and restoring love. I place all my trust in you, and I long to love you in return with all my mind, heart soul and strength.
What is the significance of Jesus spending 40 days and nights in solitude in the wilderness?
Lord Jesus, I believe that you are leading me and that when I go astray it’s because I take my eyes off you and cease to follow you. I know that you will never abandon me. Thank you for your unconditional and restoring love. I place all my trust in you, and I long to love you in return with all my mind, heart soul and strength.
What is the significance of Jesus spending 40 days and nights in solitude in the wilderness?
What
is the significance of Jesus spending 40 days and nights of solitude,
prayer and fasting in the Judean wilderness? In the Old Testament 40
days was often seen as a significant period of testing and preparation
for entering into a covenant relationship with God. In the days of Noah,
God judged the earth and destroyed its inhabitants in a great flood
because of their idolatry and total rejection of God. Noah and his
family were spared because they obeyed God and took refuge in the ark
for 40 days. When the flood subsided God made a covenant with Noah and
promised that he would not destroy the human race again. Jesus came to
fulfill that promise.
Forty days of retreat to seek the face of God
When God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt he brought them into the wilderness of Sinai. Moses went to the mountain of the Lord at Sinai and remained there in prayer and fasting for 40 days (Exodus 24:18). At the conclusion of this 40 day encounter God made a covenant with Moses and the people. After the prophet Elijah had confronted the sin of idolatry (the worship of false gods) in the land of Israel and destroyed the 400 priests of Baal (1 Kings 18:20-40), he fled into the wilderness and journeyed for 40 days to the mountain of God at Sinai (1 Kings 19:8). There God spoke with Elijah and commissioned him to pass on the work of restoring the worship of the one true God in the land. After Jesus was anointed by the Spirit in the waters of the Jordan River, he journeyed to the wilderness of Judea for 40 days to prepare himself for the mission which the Father sent him to accomplish - to offer up his life as the perfect atoning sacrifice for our sins. Through the shedding of his blood on the cross he won for us a new and everlasting covenant which fulfilled and surpassed all the previous covenants which God had made with his people.
God's Word and Spirit sustains those who seek God's will
Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell us in their Gospel accounts that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. Mark states it most emphatically: "The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness" (Mark 1:12). Why was Jesus compelled to seek solitude for such a lengthy period? Was it simply a test to prepare him for his ministry? Or did Satan want to lure him into a trap? The word tempt in English usually means to entice to sin or wrong-doing. The scriptural word here also means test in the sense of proving and purifying someone to see if there are ready for the task at hand. We test pilots to see that they are fit to fly. Likewise God tests his servants to see if they are fit to be used by him.
God tested Abraham to prove his faith. The Israelites were sorely tested in Egypt before God delivered them from their enemies. Jesus was no exception to this testing. Satan, in turn, did his best to entice Jesus to chose his own will over the will of his Father in heaven. Despite his weakened condition, due to fatigue and lack of food for 40 days, Jesus steadfastly rejected Satan's subtle and not so subtle temptations. Where did Jesus find his strength to survive the desert's harsh conditions and the tempter's seduction? He fed on his Father's word and found strength in doing his will. Satan will surely tempt us and will try his best to get us to choose our will over God's will. If he can’t make us renounce our faith or sin mortally, he will then try to get us to make choices that will lead us, little by little, away from what God wants for us.
As soon as John the Baptist had finished his ministry, Jesus began his in Galilee, his home district. John's enemies had sought to silence him, but the Gospel cannot be silenced. Jesus proclaimed that the time of restoration proclaimed by the prophets was now being fulfilled in his very person and that the kingdom of God was at hand. What is the kingdom of God? The word "kingdom" means something more than a territory or an area of land. It literally means "sovereignty" or "reign" and the power to "rule" and exercise authority. The prophets announced that God would establish a kingdom not just for one nation or people but for the whole world. God sent us his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, not to establish an earthly kingdom but to bring us into his heavenly kingdom - a kingdom ruled by justice, truth, peace, and holiness. The kingdom of God is the central theme of Jesus' mission. It's the core of his Gospel message.
Two conditions for the kingdom - repent and believe
How do we enter the kingdom of God? In announcing the good news of the Gospel Jesus gave two explicit things each of us must do in order to receive the kingdom of God: repent and believe. Repent means to turn away from sin and wrong-doing in order to follow God's way of love, truth, and moral goodness. When we submit to God's rule in our lives and believe in the Gospel message the Lord Jesus gives us the grace and power to live a new way of life as citizens of his kingdom. He gives us grace to renounce the kingdom of darkness ruled by pride, sin, and Satan, the father of lies (John 8:44) and the ruler of this present world (John 12:31). Repentance is the first step to surrendering my will and my life to God.
Repentance means to change - to change my way of thinking, my attitude, my disposition, and the way I choose to live my life - so that the Lord Jesus can be the Master and Ruler of my heart, mind, and will. Whatever stands in the way of God's will and plan for my life must be surrendered to him - my sinful pride, my rebellious attitude, and stubborn will to do as I please rather than as God pleases. If I am only sorry for the consequences of my own sinful ways, I will very likely keep repeating the same sins that control my thoughts and actions. True repentance requires a contrite heart and true sorrow for sin (Psalm 51:17) and a firm resolution to avoid the near occasion of sin. The Lord Jesus gives us the grace to see sin for what it really is - a rejection of his love, truth, and wisdom for our lives and a refusal to do what he says is right and good for us. His grace brings pardon and freedom from guilt, and breaks the power of bondage to sin in our lives through the strength and help of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. If we yield to the Holy Spirit and not to our sinful inclinations, we will find the strength and help we need to turn away from all wrong-doing and whatever else might keep us from living in his truth and love.
To believe is to take Jesus at his word and to recognize that God loved us so much that he sent his only begotten Son to free us from bondage to sin and harmful desires. God made the supreme sacrifice of his Son on the cross to bring us back to a relationship of peace, friendship, and unity with our Father in heaven. He is our Father and he wants us to live in joy and freedom as his beloved sons and daughters. God loved us first and he invites us in love to surrender our lives to him. Do you believe in the Gospel -the good news of Jesus Christ - and in the power of the Holy Spirit who transforms each one of us into the likeness of Christ?
Forty days of retreat to seek the face of God
When God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt he brought them into the wilderness of Sinai. Moses went to the mountain of the Lord at Sinai and remained there in prayer and fasting for 40 days (Exodus 24:18). At the conclusion of this 40 day encounter God made a covenant with Moses and the people. After the prophet Elijah had confronted the sin of idolatry (the worship of false gods) in the land of Israel and destroyed the 400 priests of Baal (1 Kings 18:20-40), he fled into the wilderness and journeyed for 40 days to the mountain of God at Sinai (1 Kings 19:8). There God spoke with Elijah and commissioned him to pass on the work of restoring the worship of the one true God in the land. After Jesus was anointed by the Spirit in the waters of the Jordan River, he journeyed to the wilderness of Judea for 40 days to prepare himself for the mission which the Father sent him to accomplish - to offer up his life as the perfect atoning sacrifice for our sins. Through the shedding of his blood on the cross he won for us a new and everlasting covenant which fulfilled and surpassed all the previous covenants which God had made with his people.
God's Word and Spirit sustains those who seek God's will
Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell us in their Gospel accounts that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. Mark states it most emphatically: "The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness" (Mark 1:12). Why was Jesus compelled to seek solitude for such a lengthy period? Was it simply a test to prepare him for his ministry? Or did Satan want to lure him into a trap? The word tempt in English usually means to entice to sin or wrong-doing. The scriptural word here also means test in the sense of proving and purifying someone to see if there are ready for the task at hand. We test pilots to see that they are fit to fly. Likewise God tests his servants to see if they are fit to be used by him.
God tested Abraham to prove his faith. The Israelites were sorely tested in Egypt before God delivered them from their enemies. Jesus was no exception to this testing. Satan, in turn, did his best to entice Jesus to chose his own will over the will of his Father in heaven. Despite his weakened condition, due to fatigue and lack of food for 40 days, Jesus steadfastly rejected Satan's subtle and not so subtle temptations. Where did Jesus find his strength to survive the desert's harsh conditions and the tempter's seduction? He fed on his Father's word and found strength in doing his will. Satan will surely tempt us and will try his best to get us to choose our will over God's will. If he can’t make us renounce our faith or sin mortally, he will then try to get us to make choices that will lead us, little by little, away from what God wants for us.
As soon as John the Baptist had finished his ministry, Jesus began his in Galilee, his home district. John's enemies had sought to silence him, but the Gospel cannot be silenced. Jesus proclaimed that the time of restoration proclaimed by the prophets was now being fulfilled in his very person and that the kingdom of God was at hand. What is the kingdom of God? The word "kingdom" means something more than a territory or an area of land. It literally means "sovereignty" or "reign" and the power to "rule" and exercise authority. The prophets announced that God would establish a kingdom not just for one nation or people but for the whole world. God sent us his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, not to establish an earthly kingdom but to bring us into his heavenly kingdom - a kingdom ruled by justice, truth, peace, and holiness. The kingdom of God is the central theme of Jesus' mission. It's the core of his Gospel message.
Two conditions for the kingdom - repent and believe
How do we enter the kingdom of God? In announcing the good news of the Gospel Jesus gave two explicit things each of us must do in order to receive the kingdom of God: repent and believe. Repent means to turn away from sin and wrong-doing in order to follow God's way of love, truth, and moral goodness. When we submit to God's rule in our lives and believe in the Gospel message the Lord Jesus gives us the grace and power to live a new way of life as citizens of his kingdom. He gives us grace to renounce the kingdom of darkness ruled by pride, sin, and Satan, the father of lies (John 8:44) and the ruler of this present world (John 12:31). Repentance is the first step to surrendering my will and my life to God.
Repentance means to change - to change my way of thinking, my attitude, my disposition, and the way I choose to live my life - so that the Lord Jesus can be the Master and Ruler of my heart, mind, and will. Whatever stands in the way of God's will and plan for my life must be surrendered to him - my sinful pride, my rebellious attitude, and stubborn will to do as I please rather than as God pleases. If I am only sorry for the consequences of my own sinful ways, I will very likely keep repeating the same sins that control my thoughts and actions. True repentance requires a contrite heart and true sorrow for sin (Psalm 51:17) and a firm resolution to avoid the near occasion of sin. The Lord Jesus gives us the grace to see sin for what it really is - a rejection of his love, truth, and wisdom for our lives and a refusal to do what he says is right and good for us. His grace brings pardon and freedom from guilt, and breaks the power of bondage to sin in our lives through the strength and help of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. If we yield to the Holy Spirit and not to our sinful inclinations, we will find the strength and help we need to turn away from all wrong-doing and whatever else might keep us from living in his truth and love.
To believe is to take Jesus at his word and to recognize that God loved us so much that he sent his only begotten Son to free us from bondage to sin and harmful desires. God made the supreme sacrifice of his Son on the cross to bring us back to a relationship of peace, friendship, and unity with our Father in heaven. He is our Father and he wants us to live in joy and freedom as his beloved sons and daughters. God loved us first and he invites us in love to surrender our lives to him. Do you believe in the Gospel -the good news of Jesus Christ - and in the power of the Holy Spirit who transforms each one of us into the likeness of Christ?
First Sunday of Lent
Reading 1 Gn 9:8-15
God said to Noah and to his sons with him:
"See, I am now establishing my covenant with you
and your descendants after you
and with every living creature that was with you:
all the birds, and the various tame and wild animals
that were with you and came out of the ark.
I will establish my covenant with you,
that never again shall all bodily creatures be destroyed
by the waters of a flood;
there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth."
God added:
"This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come,
of the covenant between me and you
and every living creature with you:
I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign
of the covenant between me and the earth.
When I bring clouds over the earth,
and the bow appears in the clouds,
I will recall the covenant I have made
between me and you and all living beings,
so that the waters shall never again become a flood
to destroy all mortal beings."
"See, I am now establishing my covenant with you
and your descendants after you
and with every living creature that was with you:
all the birds, and the various tame and wild animals
that were with you and came out of the ark.
I will establish my covenant with you,
that never again shall all bodily creatures be destroyed
by the waters of a flood;
there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth."
God added:
"This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come,
of the covenant between me and you
and every living creature with you:
I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign
of the covenant between me and the earth.
When I bring clouds over the earth,
and the bow appears in the clouds,
I will recall the covenant I have made
between me and you and all living beings,
so that the waters shall never again become a flood
to destroy all mortal beings."
Responsorial Psalm Ps 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9.
R. (cf. 10) Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.
Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your love are from of old.
In your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.
R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.
Good and upright is the LORD,
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
and he teaches the humble his way.
R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.
Christ suffered for sins once,
the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous,
that he might lead you to God.
Put to death in the flesh,
he was brought to life in the Spirit.
In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison,
who had once been disobedient
while God patiently waited in the days of Noah
during the building of the ark,
in which a few persons, eight in all,
were saved through water.
This prefigured baptism, which saves you now.
It is not a removal of dirt from the body
but an appeal to God for a clear conscience,
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
who has gone into heaven
and is at the right hand of God,
with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.
Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your love are from of old.
In your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.
R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.
Good and upright is the LORD,
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
and he teaches the humble his way.
R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.
Reading 2 1 Pt 3:18-22
Beloved:Christ suffered for sins once,
the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous,
that he might lead you to God.
Put to death in the flesh,
he was brought to life in the Spirit.
In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison,
who had once been disobedient
while God patiently waited in the days of Noah
during the building of the ark,
in which a few persons, eight in all,
were saved through water.
This prefigured baptism, which saves you now.
It is not a removal of dirt from the body
but an appeal to God for a clear conscience,
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
who has gone into heaven
and is at the right hand of God,
with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.
Verse Before the Gospel Mt 4:4b
One does not live on bread alone,but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
Gospel Mk 1:12-15
The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert,and he remained in the desert for forty days,
tempted by Satan.
He was among wild beasts,
and the angels ministered to him.
After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:
"This is the time of fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel."
Saturday, February 17, 2018
More Lenten Resources
So how is Lent going so far? Have you been able to set aside time from your busy days to get in some prayer, reflection some reading of material? I due to the Chemo Therapy I am undergoing have the luxury of time and bounce around daily between 4- 5 sites to read and pray and deepen my faith.
I have found a couple of good sites to add so here they are take a look and see if they work for you.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops not only has the daily readings but this good little Lenten Calendar where you can click on the date and it has prayers and reflection there.
Just click on this link;
USCCB Lenten Calendar:
Another site comes through my Hungarian church and is through the Jesuists in Scotland again an easy follow along but more group oriented so it could be used at your parish but I found it is good for individual use as well.
It is found at this link;
Lent Retreat 2018
Yes there are many resources available and time is not always on our side or at least we tend to find reasons not to make time but best to look around and see which one we can fit into our lives and use it or them as you wish.
Take care and God Bless!
I have found a couple of good sites to add so here they are take a look and see if they work for you.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops not only has the daily readings but this good little Lenten Calendar where you can click on the date and it has prayers and reflection there.
Just click on this link;
USCCB Lenten Calendar:
Another site comes through my Hungarian church and is through the Jesuists in Scotland again an easy follow along but more group oriented so it could be used at your parish but I found it is good for individual use as well.
It is found at this link;
Lent Retreat 2018
Yes there are many resources available and time is not always on our side or at least we tend to find reasons not to make time but best to look around and see which one we can fit into our lives and use it or them as you wish.
Take care and God Bless!
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Lent is Here
So it starts as today is Ash Wednesday and we have come to Lent. Please take a look around as to lenten material and what maybe available for you at your parish or here on the internet. Remember to take part and attend The Stations of the Cross during this Lenten Season.
Take part in whatever is out there to get closer to our Lord Jesus. Unfortunately I am stuck due to my illness as I have started Chemotherapy so with side effects it is not that easy to be out and about. So I am confined to the internet option and will try to provide you all with info of sites offering up great material.
Until then God Bless and may you have a wonderful Lenten Journey!
Take part in whatever is out there to get closer to our Lord Jesus. Unfortunately I am stuck due to my illness as I have started Chemotherapy so with side effects it is not that easy to be out and about. So I am confined to the internet option and will try to provide you all with info of sites offering up great material.
Until then God Bless and may you have a wonderful Lenten Journey!
Prayers and Reflection for Today
Lord Jesus, give me a lively faith, a firm hope, a fervent charity, and a great love of you. Take from me all lukewarmness in the meditation of your word, and dullness in prayer. Give me fervor and delight in thinking of you and your grace, and fill me with compassion for others, especially those in need, that I may respond with generosity.
Lord, you know how much I need you and depend on you. You know my weakness and my faults. I put all my confidence in your love and mercy in my daily actions. I hope to learn to trust more in your power, your promise, and your grace. Lord, I wish to start this season of Lent with a sincere desire to grow in love, preparing myself worthily to celebrate the mysteries of your passion, death and resurrection.
Lord, you know how much I need you and depend on you. You know my weakness and my faults. I put all my confidence in your love and mercy in my daily actions. I hope to learn to trust more in your power, your promise, and your grace. Lord, I wish to start this season of Lent with a sincere desire to grow in love, preparing myself worthily to celebrate the mysteries of your passion, death and resurrection.
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Ash Wednesday
Book of Joel 2:12-18.
Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;
Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God. For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment.
Perhaps he will again relent and leave behind him a blessing, Offerings and libations for the LORD, your God.
Blow the trumpet in Zion! proclaim a fast, call an assembly;
Gather the people, notify the congregation; Assemble the elders, gather the children and the infants at the breast; Let the bridegroom quit his room, and the bride her chamber.
Between the porch and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep, And say, "Spare, O LORD, your people, and make not your heritage a reproach, with the nations ruling over them! Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"
Then the LORD was stirred to concern for his land and took pity on his people.
Perhaps he will again relent and leave behind him a blessing, Offerings and libations for the LORD, your God.
Blow the trumpet in Zion! proclaim a fast, call an assembly;
Gather the people, notify the congregation; Assemble the elders, gather the children and the infants at the breast; Let the bridegroom quit his room, and the bride her chamber.
Between the porch and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep, And say, "Spare, O LORD, your people, and make not your heritage a reproach, with the nations ruling over them! Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"
Then the LORD was stirred to concern for his land and took pity on his people.
Psalms 51(50):3-4.5-6ab.12-13.14.17.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
"Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight."
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
"Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight."
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Second Letter to the Corinthians 5:20-21.6:1-2.
Brothers and sisters: We are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
Working together, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
For he says: "In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you." Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
Working together, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
For he says: "In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you." Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 6:1-6.16-18.
Jesus said to his disciples: "Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you."
When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you."
Sunday, February 11, 2018
Formulating a Plan of Life for Lent and Beyond
With Lent on the horizon and starting this coming week I read this article at The National Catholic Register and decided it is worth sharing with everyone;
Formulating a Plan of Life for Lent and Beyond
COMMENTARY
The season of Lent will begin Feb. 14, and it’s a special time for Catholics to be formulating Lenten resolutions.
In almost every sphere of life, those who take something seriously come up with a plan. Championship sports teams, flourishing businesses, triumphant political campaigns and successful individuals all teach us a powerful lesson: Those who get results are generally the ones with better strategies implemented with perseverance.
That’s true, too, of the spiritual life, which is too important to wing. So much of our happiness, in this world and in the next, depends on whether we have a plan, whether it’s adequate to form us in holiness, and whether we make and keep the commitment to follow that plan.
Lent is a time for Catholics to get back to the basics and make resolutions to prioritize what is truly important. We need to ensure, however, that our resolutions are commensurate to the task.
Pope Benedict used to stress that Lent is not about making minor course corrections in our lives, but about experiencing a radical and total conversion. It’s a moral exodus in which we give up the easy superficiality in which we live and resolve to adopt faithfully, step by step, Christ’s own path. It’s meant to be a Passover from mediocrity to sanctity; from being a part-time disciple to inserting ourselves fully into Christ’s paschal mystery; dying to ourselves so that Christ can truly live within us.
Lent, in short, is meant to help us recalibrate our entire existence and propel us toward becoming the Christians that our faith calls us to be.
Our resolutions ought to reflect this. Will giving up candy for 40 days really make us holy? What about filling up a rice bowl with loose change or adding three extra Hail Marys at the end of the day? Such resolutions are, I think, equivalent to a professional athlete’s thinking he can train for the upcoming season by lifting five-pound barbells and watching Richard Simmons’ videos!
Lent, rather, is the “acceptable time” to get radical and put out into the deep, to overcome the temptation to become spiritual sissies in the resolutions we make, because if we’re wimps in the annual “spiritual boot camp” of Lent, then it’s almost impossible for us to have the spiritual discipline to live by Christ’s high standards throughout the rest of the year.
On Feb. 1, Pauline Books & Media published a book I wrote entitled, Plan of Life, in which I tried to give an overview of the training for holiness to which St. John Paul II challenged the Church in his pastoral plan for the third Christian millennium. (See review here.) It’s an adaption of what future priests receive in seminaries, religious are given during novitiate, and members of the more recent movements and ecclesiastically-approved institutions for lay faithful gain through their ongoing formation.
It tries to cover everything from getting up to going to bed and making the most of the time in between.
At the beginning of Lent, we can focus on the basic Christian plan, what Jesus emphasizes for us every Ash Wednesday in the Gospel: praying, fasting and giving alms.
In these practices of prayer, self-discipline and self-giving, Jesus summons us to follow him by imitating his bold example of praying and fasting in the desert for 40 days and nights and in giving himself to others to the last drop of his blood.
Just as the devil tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden and Jesus in the desert, so he seeks to tempt us to disorder our relationship with ourselves, others and God.
Fasting, almsgiving and prayer are the respective antidotes. The more we fast and prioritize spiritual nourishment over material food, the less vulnerable we will be to being tempted by bread and earthly pleasures.
The more we sacrifice ourselves and our belongings for others’ good, the less prone we will be to giving in to the devil’s seductions to seek power or control over them.
The more we pray to God and hunger to know and do his will, the less assailable we will be to the devil’s trap presumptuously to force God’s hand.
In addition to being a great remedy against the seductions of the Evil One, these three traditional practices are also a great means to help us reorder our relationship to God, our neighbor and appetites.
First, prayer. If God is truly first in our lives, we will want to commit to making the loving dialogue with God our foremost priority.
Rather than squeezing him into our day when we have time, we resolve to center our whole lives on him. Some Lenten resolutions to do this would be to come to daily Mass, “stay awake” with him in Gethsemane through Eucharistic adoration or a daily Holy Hour, pray the Stations of the Cross on Fridays, or try to attend a Lenten mission or retreat.
Second, fasting. Many of us, though believers, live like materialists, laboring harder to stock our refrigerators than to nourish ourselves spiritually.
Fasting helps us to say No to the devil’s temptations to prioritize our stomachs over our souls. It allows us to subordinate our bodily desires and needs to those of the Spirit, to control our desires rather than let them control us. The fast I ordinarily recommend is threefold: to drink mainly water throughout Lent, give up condiments on food (salt, pepper, sugar, butter, ketchup, salad dressing), and forsake sweets and snacks between meals. That’s a type of fast that not only is healthy, but at the end of 40 days will fill you with the discipline that it takes to be a disciple!
Third, almsgiving. Our biggest spiritual cancer often flows from selfishness or egocentrism. That is why the Lord commands us to give alms; to look toward others’ needs, not just our own; to love others in deeds and not just wish them well; and to take responsibility for others’ welfare, for as often as we fail to do something for them, we fail to care for Christ (Matthew 25:45).
How charitable should we be? We should try to give more than our surplus time or resources, but extend ourselves like the widow with her mite, something that will conform us to Christ’s standard of loving generosity. We should also be deliberate about our charity, not just engaging in “random acts of kindness,” but having a concerted game plan of self-sacrifice, just as Jesus had one toward us from before the world’s foundation.
Like baseball players have spring training to get back to the basics after a winter off, so Lent is the time for Christians to get back to the building blocks of a life built on Christ.
Championships often depend on the work done to form the habits that lead to greatness. Catholics would similarly profit from using Lent to jump-start the plan to form the habits that lead to virtue and ultimately to the eternal “Hall of Fame.”
In almost every sphere of life, those who take something seriously come up with a plan. Championship sports teams, flourishing businesses, triumphant political campaigns and successful individuals all teach us a powerful lesson: Those who get results are generally the ones with better strategies implemented with perseverance.
That’s true, too, of the spiritual life, which is too important to wing. So much of our happiness, in this world and in the next, depends on whether we have a plan, whether it’s adequate to form us in holiness, and whether we make and keep the commitment to follow that plan.
Lent is a time for Catholics to get back to the basics and make resolutions to prioritize what is truly important. We need to ensure, however, that our resolutions are commensurate to the task.
Pope Benedict used to stress that Lent is not about making minor course corrections in our lives, but about experiencing a radical and total conversion. It’s a moral exodus in which we give up the easy superficiality in which we live and resolve to adopt faithfully, step by step, Christ’s own path. It’s meant to be a Passover from mediocrity to sanctity; from being a part-time disciple to inserting ourselves fully into Christ’s paschal mystery; dying to ourselves so that Christ can truly live within us.
Lent, in short, is meant to help us recalibrate our entire existence and propel us toward becoming the Christians that our faith calls us to be.
Our resolutions ought to reflect this. Will giving up candy for 40 days really make us holy? What about filling up a rice bowl with loose change or adding three extra Hail Marys at the end of the day? Such resolutions are, I think, equivalent to a professional athlete’s thinking he can train for the upcoming season by lifting five-pound barbells and watching Richard Simmons’ videos!
Lent, rather, is the “acceptable time” to get radical and put out into the deep, to overcome the temptation to become spiritual sissies in the resolutions we make, because if we’re wimps in the annual “spiritual boot camp” of Lent, then it’s almost impossible for us to have the spiritual discipline to live by Christ’s high standards throughout the rest of the year.
On Feb. 1, Pauline Books & Media published a book I wrote entitled, Plan of Life, in which I tried to give an overview of the training for holiness to which St. John Paul II challenged the Church in his pastoral plan for the third Christian millennium. (See review here.) It’s an adaption of what future priests receive in seminaries, religious are given during novitiate, and members of the more recent movements and ecclesiastically-approved institutions for lay faithful gain through their ongoing formation.
It tries to cover everything from getting up to going to bed and making the most of the time in between.
At the beginning of Lent, we can focus on the basic Christian plan, what Jesus emphasizes for us every Ash Wednesday in the Gospel: praying, fasting and giving alms.
In these practices of prayer, self-discipline and self-giving, Jesus summons us to follow him by imitating his bold example of praying and fasting in the desert for 40 days and nights and in giving himself to others to the last drop of his blood.
Just as the devil tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden and Jesus in the desert, so he seeks to tempt us to disorder our relationship with ourselves, others and God.
Fasting, almsgiving and prayer are the respective antidotes. The more we fast and prioritize spiritual nourishment over material food, the less vulnerable we will be to being tempted by bread and earthly pleasures.
The more we sacrifice ourselves and our belongings for others’ good, the less prone we will be to giving in to the devil’s seductions to seek power or control over them.
The more we pray to God and hunger to know and do his will, the less assailable we will be to the devil’s trap presumptuously to force God’s hand.
In addition to being a great remedy against the seductions of the Evil One, these three traditional practices are also a great means to help us reorder our relationship to God, our neighbor and appetites.
First, prayer. If God is truly first in our lives, we will want to commit to making the loving dialogue with God our foremost priority.
Rather than squeezing him into our day when we have time, we resolve to center our whole lives on him. Some Lenten resolutions to do this would be to come to daily Mass, “stay awake” with him in Gethsemane through Eucharistic adoration or a daily Holy Hour, pray the Stations of the Cross on Fridays, or try to attend a Lenten mission or retreat.
Second, fasting. Many of us, though believers, live like materialists, laboring harder to stock our refrigerators than to nourish ourselves spiritually.
Fasting helps us to say No to the devil’s temptations to prioritize our stomachs over our souls. It allows us to subordinate our bodily desires and needs to those of the Spirit, to control our desires rather than let them control us. The fast I ordinarily recommend is threefold: to drink mainly water throughout Lent, give up condiments on food (salt, pepper, sugar, butter, ketchup, salad dressing), and forsake sweets and snacks between meals. That’s a type of fast that not only is healthy, but at the end of 40 days will fill you with the discipline that it takes to be a disciple!
Third, almsgiving. Our biggest spiritual cancer often flows from selfishness or egocentrism. That is why the Lord commands us to give alms; to look toward others’ needs, not just our own; to love others in deeds and not just wish them well; and to take responsibility for others’ welfare, for as often as we fail to do something for them, we fail to care for Christ (Matthew 25:45).
How charitable should we be? We should try to give more than our surplus time or resources, but extend ourselves like the widow with her mite, something that will conform us to Christ’s standard of loving generosity. We should also be deliberate about our charity, not just engaging in “random acts of kindness,” but having a concerted game plan of self-sacrifice, just as Jesus had one toward us from before the world’s foundation.
Like baseball players have spring training to get back to the basics after a winter off, so Lent is the time for Christians to get back to the building blocks of a life built on Christ.
Championships often depend on the work done to form the habits that lead to greatness. Catholics would similarly profit from using Lent to jump-start the plan to form the habits that lead to virtue and ultimately to the eternal “Hall of Fame.”
Father Roger Landry, a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, works
for the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York.
He is the author of Plan of Life: Habits to Help You Grow Closer to God (Pauline).
Homily for Today
Welcome faithful children of the
Lord Jesus to the House of God where by the grace of the Heavenly
Father and the power of the Holy Spirit, one finds the strength to
dwell in the Presence of the Lord Jesus in the fullness of
righteousness.
Today's readings from the Holy Scriptures echoed the progressive history of what was required in the days of Moses in the Presence of the Heavenly Father versus what is required today to live in the Presence of the Lord Jesus. As you will hear during my homily, while some things have dramatically changed, our loving God making it easier for us to approach Him and to dwell in His Divine Presence, not all things have changed.
During today's First Reading from the Book of Leviticus, [Lev. 13:1-2, 45-46] we heard of society's treatment towards those who suffered temporary skin disorders. Being called unclean because of their afflictions, they were isolated from the community. And also, they were expected to behave in a certain way.
It is important to point out that in this particular reading and throughout Chapter 13:1-44 of the Book of Leviticus, reference is not made to leprosy but to temporary disorders that are curable. This is based on the fact that the Hebrew word "sara'at" is used versus the Latin Vulgate Bible word that states "lepra" which means "leprosy." (The Jerome Biblical Commentary, Page 75, #28C)
Although primitive hygiene considered such diseases as highly contagious, therefore requiring isolation from the community, it was the religious and social ostracism that dictated that those who were stricken by these skin disorders lacked the necessary bodily integrity to worship Yahweh.
To ensure that those who worshipped Yahweh were clean, when someone was suspected of having a skin disorder, he was sent before the priest who would examine the person to determine the status of his condition. The priest did not do this as a physician but as a judge who interprets the Law of Moses.
The signs to be observed were the spreading of the disease, [Lev. 13:7, 22, 27, 35] sores that penetrated the skin and discoloured the surrounding hair [Lev. 13:3, 20, 25, 30] and open sores [Lev. 13:10, 15, 42] If the priest was unsure of the condition of the person, the individual was quarantine, sometimes for a week. [Lev. 13:21, 26]
Once it was determined that a person was unclean, that person was expected to move outside the community, wear torn clothes, leave their hair disarranged, cover their lip and cry out, "Unclean, unclean!" This would last as long as the person was inflicted with the skin disease.
Spiritually speaking, this reading is symbolic of how the Holy Sacraments are administered by the Church. Things have not changed! If one is not in a state of grace, not having repented of his sins, nor received the Sacrament of Reconciliation, he is not permitted to receive the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. For one to enjoy communion with the Presence of the Lord today, he is expected to be clean, in a state of grace.
Today, the Holy Catholic Church does not mistreat those who choose to live in sin by isolating them from the Body of Christ. While the Church condemns their actions, it loves and prays for the sinners as Jesus loved them and died for their salvation. This is in the hope that the sinners will be healed by the grace of God as those of the days of Moses were healed from their temporary skin disorders.
br> Today's Second Reading from the First Letter to the Corinthians [1 Cor. 10:23-11:1] is summarized by saying that charity is the first spiritual Law by which Christians must live. Charity must govern the behaviours of each and every Christian.
While all things are lawful, not all things are beneficial. It may be lawful to indulge in alcohol in one's home, but such behaviour surely does not lead to spiritual growth. It may be lawful to get married before a Justice of the Peace versus receiving the Sacrament of Marriage within the Holy Catholic Church, but such action does not have the blessing of God or the Church. It may be lawful to have a divorce or an abortion, but such actions oppose the holiness of God and His intended Divine Plan for His children.
The Christian behaviour ordains that those who shine in the light of Christ be servants of others, not offending anyone by their actions. They must not seek their own advantage, but that of the others. For example, one may be comfortable going to Church while being improperly dressed in the Presence of the Lord. But, because such a behaviour may disturb the conscience of others, Christian behaviour ordains that it not be done. The Christian behaviour ordains that because the conscience of the person who is acting this way may not be disturbed, it is no reason for saying, "It is nobody's business how I dress!" One must love and respect his neighbours in who resides the indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit.
The Christian who embraces a spirit mind, he is always concerned with the well-being of his brothers and sisters in Christ and the building up of the Holy Catholic Church. The Christian who has a spiritual heart, he is always ready to sacrifice himself in the interest of the others and the Church.
Why does the true Christian act this way? It is because he does everything for the glory of God so that he may dwell in the Divine Presence of the Lord Jesus. The true Christian is ready to sacrifice his ways in service to the others so that they may be saved.
Contrary to this, one can decide to have his own way and behave in an unacceptable way that scandalizes others. Resulting from such behaviours, those who are scandalized may leave the Body of Christ because their consciences are bothered. In such cases, the persons who have committed the scandalous acts will be made accountable to God for their behaviours that have led to the lost of souls.
Today's Reading from the Gospel of Mark [Mk. 1:40-45] echoed three messages related to dwelling in the Presence of the Lord.
First of all, the miraculous healing of the leper echoes the Divine power and mercy of the Lord Jesus that includes everyone, even the lepers who were excluded from society under the Mosaic Law. Jesus came to save the lost sheep, not those who were already saved. He opens His arms to all, drawing them to His Sacred Heart that radiates with infinite healing love.
Secondly, we heard Jesus telling the cured leper not to say anything to anyone. Now, why would Jesus say something like that? It is because in those days, many believed in the coming of a worldly Kingdom, a secular messianism. Just like what happens today, when some hear of apparitions and miracles, thousands flood the alleged site in the hope of seeing the manifestation of the power of God. They hope and pray for something drastic to happen, for God to suddenly descend from Heaven and to bring peace in the world. Such shall not happen! The messages of Jesus and Mary, at Lourdes, at Fatima and at all the holy places have always been to pray and live one's Christian faith in righteousness in the hope of inheriting the Kingdom of God through the Blood of Christ.
The third message that is found in the Gospel is that once one is cleansed by Christ through the Sacrament of Baptism, he is expected to "freely proclaim" the Gospel and "spread the Word." This is exactly what the cured leper did! He was excited. He had found the truth, the way and the life in Jesus. He went forward and shared it with others for the glory of God the Father.
At the same time, it should be noted that the actions of the leper, contrary to Jesus' command to say nothing to anyone, made it difficult for Jesus to openly speak in the towns because the people would have tried to make Him their leader, their King. As such, Jesus had to distance Himself in the country in order to continue His work.
As St. Paul said in the Second Reading, all things are lawful but not all things are beneficial. It was spiritually right what the leper did but it was not beneficial. It was not according to the Divine Plan of God.
There is a lesson to be learned here for all of us. In our spiritual work for the glory of God, we must be of one mind. We must work together, not against each other. There is no need to compete for glory in the work of the Lord for all glory goes to the Lord Himself. If one seeks glory in his Christian work, then he is not of the Spirit of Christ!
To fully dwell in the Presence of the Lord, we must be one in mind. We must respects our neighbours. We must be committed wholeheartedly to sacrificing ourselves so that we will not offend our brothers and sisters in Christ. We must enjoy a spirit of ecumenism in the hope of drawing to the Lord Jesus those who have fallen from grace and those who have separated themselves from the Holy Catholic Church. My brothers and sisters, that is today's message from God to you! May His Words enrich your spiritual growth in Christ!
Today's readings from the Holy Scriptures echoed the progressive history of what was required in the days of Moses in the Presence of the Heavenly Father versus what is required today to live in the Presence of the Lord Jesus. As you will hear during my homily, while some things have dramatically changed, our loving God making it easier for us to approach Him and to dwell in His Divine Presence, not all things have changed.
During today's First Reading from the Book of Leviticus, [Lev. 13:1-2, 45-46] we heard of society's treatment towards those who suffered temporary skin disorders. Being called unclean because of their afflictions, they were isolated from the community. And also, they were expected to behave in a certain way.
It is important to point out that in this particular reading and throughout Chapter 13:1-44 of the Book of Leviticus, reference is not made to leprosy but to temporary disorders that are curable. This is based on the fact that the Hebrew word "sara'at" is used versus the Latin Vulgate Bible word that states "lepra" which means "leprosy." (The Jerome Biblical Commentary, Page 75, #28C)
Although primitive hygiene considered such diseases as highly contagious, therefore requiring isolation from the community, it was the religious and social ostracism that dictated that those who were stricken by these skin disorders lacked the necessary bodily integrity to worship Yahweh.
To ensure that those who worshipped Yahweh were clean, when someone was suspected of having a skin disorder, he was sent before the priest who would examine the person to determine the status of his condition. The priest did not do this as a physician but as a judge who interprets the Law of Moses.
The signs to be observed were the spreading of the disease, [Lev. 13:7, 22, 27, 35] sores that penetrated the skin and discoloured the surrounding hair [Lev. 13:3, 20, 25, 30] and open sores [Lev. 13:10, 15, 42] If the priest was unsure of the condition of the person, the individual was quarantine, sometimes for a week. [Lev. 13:21, 26]
Once it was determined that a person was unclean, that person was expected to move outside the community, wear torn clothes, leave their hair disarranged, cover their lip and cry out, "Unclean, unclean!" This would last as long as the person was inflicted with the skin disease.
Spiritually speaking, this reading is symbolic of how the Holy Sacraments are administered by the Church. Things have not changed! If one is not in a state of grace, not having repented of his sins, nor received the Sacrament of Reconciliation, he is not permitted to receive the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. For one to enjoy communion with the Presence of the Lord today, he is expected to be clean, in a state of grace.
Today, the Holy Catholic Church does not mistreat those who choose to live in sin by isolating them from the Body of Christ. While the Church condemns their actions, it loves and prays for the sinners as Jesus loved them and died for their salvation. This is in the hope that the sinners will be healed by the grace of God as those of the days of Moses were healed from their temporary skin disorders.
br> Today's Second Reading from the First Letter to the Corinthians [1 Cor. 10:23-11:1] is summarized by saying that charity is the first spiritual Law by which Christians must live. Charity must govern the behaviours of each and every Christian.
While all things are lawful, not all things are beneficial. It may be lawful to indulge in alcohol in one's home, but such behaviour surely does not lead to spiritual growth. It may be lawful to get married before a Justice of the Peace versus receiving the Sacrament of Marriage within the Holy Catholic Church, but such action does not have the blessing of God or the Church. It may be lawful to have a divorce or an abortion, but such actions oppose the holiness of God and His intended Divine Plan for His children.
The Christian behaviour ordains that those who shine in the light of Christ be servants of others, not offending anyone by their actions. They must not seek their own advantage, but that of the others. For example, one may be comfortable going to Church while being improperly dressed in the Presence of the Lord. But, because such a behaviour may disturb the conscience of others, Christian behaviour ordains that it not be done. The Christian behaviour ordains that because the conscience of the person who is acting this way may not be disturbed, it is no reason for saying, "It is nobody's business how I dress!" One must love and respect his neighbours in who resides the indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit.
The Christian who embraces a spirit mind, he is always concerned with the well-being of his brothers and sisters in Christ and the building up of the Holy Catholic Church. The Christian who has a spiritual heart, he is always ready to sacrifice himself in the interest of the others and the Church.
Why does the true Christian act this way? It is because he does everything for the glory of God so that he may dwell in the Divine Presence of the Lord Jesus. The true Christian is ready to sacrifice his ways in service to the others so that they may be saved.
Contrary to this, one can decide to have his own way and behave in an unacceptable way that scandalizes others. Resulting from such behaviours, those who are scandalized may leave the Body of Christ because their consciences are bothered. In such cases, the persons who have committed the scandalous acts will be made accountable to God for their behaviours that have led to the lost of souls.
Today's Reading from the Gospel of Mark [Mk. 1:40-45] echoed three messages related to dwelling in the Presence of the Lord.
First of all, the miraculous healing of the leper echoes the Divine power and mercy of the Lord Jesus that includes everyone, even the lepers who were excluded from society under the Mosaic Law. Jesus came to save the lost sheep, not those who were already saved. He opens His arms to all, drawing them to His Sacred Heart that radiates with infinite healing love.
Secondly, we heard Jesus telling the cured leper not to say anything to anyone. Now, why would Jesus say something like that? It is because in those days, many believed in the coming of a worldly Kingdom, a secular messianism. Just like what happens today, when some hear of apparitions and miracles, thousands flood the alleged site in the hope of seeing the manifestation of the power of God. They hope and pray for something drastic to happen, for God to suddenly descend from Heaven and to bring peace in the world. Such shall not happen! The messages of Jesus and Mary, at Lourdes, at Fatima and at all the holy places have always been to pray and live one's Christian faith in righteousness in the hope of inheriting the Kingdom of God through the Blood of Christ.
The third message that is found in the Gospel is that once one is cleansed by Christ through the Sacrament of Baptism, he is expected to "freely proclaim" the Gospel and "spread the Word." This is exactly what the cured leper did! He was excited. He had found the truth, the way and the life in Jesus. He went forward and shared it with others for the glory of God the Father.
At the same time, it should be noted that the actions of the leper, contrary to Jesus' command to say nothing to anyone, made it difficult for Jesus to openly speak in the towns because the people would have tried to make Him their leader, their King. As such, Jesus had to distance Himself in the country in order to continue His work.
As St. Paul said in the Second Reading, all things are lawful but not all things are beneficial. It was spiritually right what the leper did but it was not beneficial. It was not according to the Divine Plan of God.
There is a lesson to be learned here for all of us. In our spiritual work for the glory of God, we must be of one mind. We must work together, not against each other. There is no need to compete for glory in the work of the Lord for all glory goes to the Lord Himself. If one seeks glory in his Christian work, then he is not of the Spirit of Christ!
To fully dwell in the Presence of the Lord, we must be one in mind. We must respects our neighbours. We must be committed wholeheartedly to sacrificing ourselves so that we will not offend our brothers and sisters in Christ. We must enjoy a spirit of ecumenism in the hope of drawing to the Lord Jesus those who have fallen from grace and those who have separated themselves from the Holy Catholic Church. My brothers and sisters, that is today's message from God to you! May His Words enrich your spiritual growth in Christ!
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