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Wesnesday of Holy Week "Mt 26:14-25"
Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests and said, "What will you give me if I deliver him to you?" And they paid him thirty pieces of silver...When it was evening, he sat at table with the twelve disciples; and as they were eating, he said, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me...The Son of man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born." Judas, who betrayed him, said, "Is it I, Master?" He said to him, "You have said so." Oh dear! Judas! Judas!! What had happened to him? Where is the Judas who was a chosen Apostle? Where is the man whom Jesus met and told, "Come, follow me"? Judas did follow Our Lord, he heard Him, he saw His miracles, and surely, he loved Jesus for a while. Had he forgotten the days on which he saw wonders and went to sleep smiling, regardless of being exhausted and having to sleep in the open? Judas, someone so privileged! "Many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you saw, and did not see it, and to hear what you heard, and did not hear it".When did Judas start feeling disappointed? When did he start taking for granted those times he spent with Jesus? When did he become inattentive or insensitive to His Words? When did he start thinking about himself and his future, his plans, instead of thinking about what Jesus was telling him? When did he stop praying? When did he stop telling Jesus what was going on in his soul? It was then that Judas started rating Jesus in coins; it was then that his betrayal began. Because that betrayal didn't happen overnight. It was a slow distancing, a slippery slope from which Jesus could have saved him if he had only asked for help...But why didn't he come back to Jesus afterwards? It didn't matter what he had done; Jesus would have forgiven him everything. Why? Why didn't he go to Him - repentant - and kiss Him again but this time out of love and not fear? Judas did know how much Jesus loved him. He could have imagined how much Jesus cried for him! Judas! Why didn't he come back, like Peter and Mary Magdalene and Dimas (the Good Thief) and Paul... and me? If it was too difficult, he could always have asked for Our Lady's help! -
Tuesday of Holy Week
"Jn 13:21-33, 36-38"
Simon Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus answered, "Where I am going you cannot follow me now; but you shall follow afterward." Peter said to him, "Lord, why cannot I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you." Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the cock will not crow, till you have denied me three times.
Oh, Peter! You loved but you were weak. You trusted too much in yourself. You used the sword against the High Priest's guard but trembled before a little servant. Peter, the Rock, Prince of the Apostles, to save your own skin you swore and denied Jesus three times. You could say, 'I was not the only coward that night!' Certainly. Matthew and Mark's Gospels explain that the other disciples also said they would die with Jesus, but all except John took to their heels and abandoned Him.
Your conversion, Peter, comforts me. Because I have also said to Jesus many times that I love Him and I have later turned my back on Him too. At times I thought that I could overcome a vice or would never commit a particular sin again. I have told Jesus often, 'I'll never do that again!' and a little bit later I did it once more. But you, Peter, giving witness to Jesus in front of three thousand, standing before the Sanhedrin defending Jesus, locked in prison many times, persecuted... you comfort me. For you are the same Peter who had denied Jesus three times and had been afraid of a little servant - yet you became the stronghold of Christianity, the Rock!
Your conversion happened at a Look of Our Lord. You, Peter, never forgot those beautiful Eyes of Jesus looking at you with sorrow and disappointment. That Look remained with you for the rest of your life. Those Eyes which saw your own eyes weep with sorrow. Those Eyes which saw you giving witness to Jesus Crucified. Those Eyes saw you hanging on a cross upside down, faithful, firm, strong like a Rock! Those Eyes received you in Heaven with a satisfied and loving smile. Yes, Peter, you failed but your contrition made you greater than ever! Peter, going to Our Lady for consolation as you surely did, help me to learn the lesson: "Lord, You know everything," you know my miseries... but "You know that I love You!" -
Eksik bölüm mü var?
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Monday of Holy Week "Jn 12:1-11"
Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was to betray him), said, "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" This he said, not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box he used to take what was put into it. Jesus said, "Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial. The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me." Thank you, Mary of Bethany, for your generosity! Thank you for your example, for loving Jesus so much. Thank you for giving Him joy before His Passion, for pouring on Him all of the perfume and not just a few drops. Thank you for filling the atmosphere with the fragrance of your generosity, the scent of your love.How happy Jesus was in your home, Mary, where He knew you would do anything and give anything to keep Him happy! Thank you for your generosity - for the more you gave, the more you were given. That jar was like your heart: you poured out not just a bit of love but your whole heart. That fragrance was the perfume of your love. Thank you, Mary of Bethany, for teaching me to love Jesus Christ!Thank you, Mary, for not being intimidated by Judas, by anyone, nor even by what others might think of you. Thank you for comforting Jesus, Who would carry the fragrance of that love in His Heart during His last sorrowful week. Thank you for your courage. For there will always be people who think, like Judas, that there is too much wealth in our churches. They forget that these riches are for God. And certainly, they forget the words of Jesus praising Mary. There is not enough gold and silver in the world to hold the Body of Christ as He deserves. And whilst some spend their money on expensive holidays or possessions, we try to dignify the places where Jesus lays.Forget Judas' comment, Mary, for he has vanished; but the aroma of your love will never vanish. Oh, Mary of Bethany, I am a sinner, as you were... will you teach me to be a generous lover of Jesus, as you are? Mary, Mother of Christ, help me to grow in love for your Son. -
Saturday 5th week of Lent
"Jn 11:45-56"
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him; but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council, and said, "What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on thus, everyone will believe in him."
When someone doesn't want to believe, he won't believe, in spite of all the miracles he might see. The previous verses of St John explain the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead after being buried for four days in his tomb. Many Jews were there and saw the miracle. As a matter of fact, the miracle couldn't be denied. Therefore, the Gospel says, many people "believed in him." However, some of those who saw the miracle went to inform the Pharisees, who decided to kill Jesus for performing miracles!!! Can you believe it?
This explains the Gospel a few verses later, "the chief priests planned to put Lazarus also to death, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus." So that was it: they were losing people who were following Jesus now. They were ready to kill Jesus, Lazarus and anyone else they needed to kill in order to stop people from believing in Jesus. They did kill Jesus - and after Him they killed many of His followers, beginning with St Stephen. But the more people they killed, the more Christians converted. The truth can't be killed. Like a grain of wheat, it grows and gives fruit when it is dead and buried.
Tomorrow we start Holy Week, a week of intense prayer to be spent with Him. Jesus won't die on the Cross alone this time; you and I will be there. "My Lord and my God, under the loving eyes of our Mother, we are making ready to accompany you along this path of sorrow, which was the price for our redemption. We wish to suffer all that You suffered, to offer you our poor, contrite hearts, because you are innocent, and yet you are going to die for us, who are the only really guilty ones. My Mother, Virgin of sorrows, help me to relive those bitter hours which your Son wished to spend on earth" (St Josemaría.) -
Friday 5th week of Lent "Jn 10:31-42"
The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of these do you stone me?" The Jews answered him, "It is not for a good work that we stone you but for blasphemy; because you, being a man, make yourself God." Jesus answered them... "do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." No matter what miracle or even how many miracles they saw, they would not believe. They were blind because they didn't want to see. They wanted to stone Jesus because being a man, He made himself God, when it was exactly the opposite: being God, He made Himself a man! The truth is that these Pharisees didn't want to believe in Him. Believing in Jesus would entail changing their way of life. This happens sometimes with those who don't want to accept the moral law because it is not 'convenient' for them. They don't want to know the truth – so they can carry on doing what they want. If a driver is stopped by the police for speeding, it is no use him saying, 'sorry officer, I didn't know there was a speed limit'. Like it or not, and whether you know it or not... there is a speed limit. It isn't there to take the fun out of driving; it's there so that everyone can get to their destination safely.An old man thought that his wife was losing her hearing. To check it out he approached her from behind while she was sitting in her lounge chair, and whispered, "Honey, can you hear me?" He got no response. He moved a little closer and repeated softly, "Honey, do you hear me?" No response. Finally he moved right next to her and said, "Honey, can you hear me now?" This time she looked up with surprise in her eyes and replied, "For the third time, Henry, yes, I can hear you!" It was Henry, then, who really had the hearing problem. It was the Pharisees who were deaf, not Jesus who wasn't 'sound'. My Mother, intercede for me so that I may never become blind or deaf to the Will of God. -
. Thursday 5th week of Lent
"Jn 8:51-59"
Jesus said to the Jews: Truly, truly, I say to you, if any one keeps my word, he will never see death." The Jews said to him, "Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, as did the prophets; and you say, 'If any one keeps my word, he will never taste death.' Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you claim to be?"...Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am." So they took up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple.
Jesus didn't say, 'before Abraham was, I was', but "I AM". Moses had heard God refer to Himself as 'I AM' – and Jews, out of reverence, would thereafter never pronounce that Name. But Jesus not only said it, He said it of Himself! They had heard Him say, "I am the Bread of Life, the Light of the world, the Door, the Good Shepherd, the Resurrection and the Life, the Way, the Truth and the Life, the true Vine..." but never before had they heard anyone say 'I AM' except God Himself. No wonder they took up stones!
Some people think that Jesus was a good man, a teacher, a prophet, but that He never said He was God. However, it is clear that the Jews understood He did claim to be God. Next Sunday we will revisit His trial before the Sanhedrin. When the High Priest asked Jesus if He was indeed the Son of the Living God, Jesus answered again, "I AM". That was the end of the dialogue. Jesus was sentenced to death for blasphemy, for claiming to be God.
The first Christians understood well that Jesus was God and faced martyrdom for it. St Justin (A.D. 100-165) was a pagan philosopher who converted to Christianity. After his conversion he wrote several books arguing for the divinity of Christ. He was arrested along with four others during the persecution under Marcus Aurelius. When Rusticus - prefect of Rome - asked them to sacrifice to idols, they refused. "If you do not obey," the Prefect said, "you will be tortured without mercy." Justin replied, "That is our desire, to be tortured for Our Lord, Jesus Christ." When asked about his beliefs, Justin proclaimed that Jesus was God and the Son of God. They were all beheaded for their fidelity to these beliefs. Mary, Queen of Martyrs, may I be a true witness to the divinity of your Son. -
Wednesday 5th week of Lent "Jn 8:31-42"
Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham, and have never been in bondage to any one. How is it that you say, 'You will be made free'?" Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave to sin". There is the story of a farmer who found an egg in an eagle's nest. He took it and put it with his chickens. In time an eagle-chick hatched together with the other younglings. This eagle learned the chicken customs: walking through the yard, eating worms... Sometimes he would climb up on to a fence and crash to the ground, crying out, just as chickens do. That yard was his world and he was happy in there.Sinners are like that eagle. They are locked in their vices but they don't know they are imprisoned. They don't know there is a whole world behind the fence and they can pass over that fence because they are meant to fly. But one day, the story goes, the eagle-chick saw a bird soaring through the skies. "Who is that?" he asked. And one of the chickens beside him answered, "It is an eagle that flies majestically, without any effort. But don't look at it any more! Do not look at it, because our life is not like hers; our life is here, in the barnyard."The story can finish in two ways: 1) the eagle spent the rest of his life in the barn learning to cluck and flutter; or else 2) after trying many, many times, one day - a day he would never forget - he managed to fly, soaring up to the skies. Every sinner has those two options: to remain in their sins and defects without trying to overcome them, as if that were their only reality - or to try to fly. There is a truth that they need to know, a truth that will set them free: They are created to soar to the heights!Mary, my Mother, help me to encourage people never to settle for living a mediocre life, to remind them that (with the grace of the Sacraments) they will never "flutter about like a hen, when they can soar to the heights of an eagle" (St Josemaría). -
Tuesday 5th week of Lent
"Jn 8:21-30"
Again he said to them, "I go away, and you will seek me and die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come...You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he." They said to him, "Who are you?" Jesus said to them, "Even what I have told you from the beginning".
Jesus' disciples had been with Him a long time by then. They have heard His Words and seen His miracles. And after all that they are still asking, "Who are You?" We have the special task of praying for those who still don't know Who He is. Many souls are looking for the answer that can give meaning to their lives.
All the saints have had that passion (some call it 'zeal') to reach out to everyone and explain to them who Jesus Christ is, and where He is to be found so that they can go to Him. We also have that apostolic mission, to tell them that Jesus has died for them and that it is, in actual fact, He who is looking for each one of them.
On September 10, 1946, St Teresa of Calcutta felt that Jesus was asking her to take His Love to all the abandoned, the sick and the poor. In order to do that, she had to overcome many difficulties and had to take the final step of leaving her convent walls; but Jesus was in a hurry to reach many souls, and was spurring her on to reach out to those who weren't finding Jesus and didn't know Him yet. Then she heard these words from Him: "You have come to India for me. Are you now afraid to take one more step for me? Has your generosity cooled down? Am I only secondary for you? You did not die for souls; that's why you don't care what happens to them. Your heart was never drowned in sorrow as was my Mother's heart. We both gave ourselves up totally for souls. What about you? ... Will you refuse?"
St Teresa of Calcutta didn't refuse, as you know, and brought Jesus to thousands of those souls. Now, what about you and me? We have a similar mission... will we refuse? Mary, Handmaid of the Lord, you didn't refuse your mission either; help me to be faithful to mine and never refuse it. -
Saturday 4th week of Lent "Jn 7:40-53"
The officers then went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why did you not bring him?" The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this man!" The Pharisees answered them, "Are you led astray, you also? Have any of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, who do not know the law, are accursed." There is a joke about an optician testing a lady's eyesight. He asks, "Madam, which letter do you see on the screen?" "A", answers the lady. "Please, concentrate", insists the optician. "Which letter do you see there, madam?" "A", replies the lady again. 'Come on, Madam!' the exasperated optician asks once more, "Try again!" "A", she insists. The optician, totally frustrated, turns around to the screen to point at the letter with his finger and, looking at it, he exclaims, "Gosh! You were right! It's 'A'."Pharisees, like the optician, didn't check before jumping to conclusions. They 'knew better'. Why didn't the Pharisees believe in Jesus? Because they didn't listen to Him. They never bothered to find out about His message. But those officers did listen to Him; and their lives would never be the same. What good was all their 'knowledge' if they couldn't recognise the Truth?Good reading leads to the truth: the life of Jesus and the lives of the saints transform people. Edith Stein was a German philosopher. By her teenage years, she no longer practiced her Jewish faith and considered herself an atheist. She was reading all sorts of books by philosophers and psychologists. In the summer of 1921 she spent several weeks with some friends. One evening, a bit bored, Edith picked up an autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila and couldn't put it down, reading for the whole night. "When I had finished the book," she wrote years later, "I said to myself: This is the truth." St Edith Stein became a Catholic and a Carmelite nun. On 7 August 1942, she was deported to Auschwitz where she died in a gas chamber two days later. It all started with good reading!Holy Mary, our Hope, Seat of Wisdom, pray for me to be always consistent in my spiritual reading. -
Thursday 4th week of Lent "Jn 5:31-47"
Jesus said to the Jews: "You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony which I receive is from man; but I say this that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But the testimony which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father has granted me to accomplish, these very works which I am doing, bear me witness that the Father has sent me." St John the Baptist had told his disciples who Jesus was, calling Him 'the Lamb of God'. Many followed Jesus because of John the Baptist, but when they got to know Him, they didn't need testimony from anyone else: they saw with their own eyes what Jesus did. And it was His works which explained Who He was.Do you remember the encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman? She discovered who Jesus was, went back to her village and brought everyone to see Him. When they had met Our Lord they said to her, "It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Saviour of the world." When they saw Him they understood.We Christians have been given the same task – to give witness to Him with our works. Jesus urged us: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Mt 5:16). People follow 'examples' more than 'words'. With our Christian works we give witness to Him. People know that you are Christian not because of what you say or because you wear an 'I-love-Jesus' T-shirt, but because of how you behave. One day an artist was trying to enter an art gallery. All the artists from his academy had been given a free ticket but he had forgotten his. The booking clerk thought he was lying and asked him to pay for a ticket. Instead, the painter took a piece of paper and started drawing a marvellous portrait of him – to the admiration of the people in the queue and the embarrassment of the clerk. The conclusion was evident: he was an artist. By his works they knew him. In the same way, by our Christian works we will help others to know Jesus. Holy Mary, help me to be recognised as a Christian by my good works! -
Wednesday 4th week of Lent "Jn 5:17-30"
Jesus said, "My Father is working still, and I am working...Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever he does, that the Son does likewise...I can do nothing on my own authority; as I hear, I judge; and my judgement is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me." Today's Gospel follows immediately on from yesterday's account of the healing of the crippled man by the pool. Apparently some Jews thought that healing on the Sabbath was a bad idea. But Jesus answered them that His Father was working on the Sabbath and so was Jesus, because He does what the Father does. Jesus is a Good Son, always doing what His Father wants, in perfect unity with Him. Like Father like Son. That's what good children do: they learn everything from their parents. They take after their father and mother in the way they move, speak, or act... It may have happened to you sometimes that someone recognises in you some features or gestures of your mother or father and says: 'you remind me a lot of your mother' or 'your father does the same thing'. Do I remind people of my Father God with my bearing?Jesus' mission was "to remind us of His Father" so that we become good children of God, because we learn from Jesus, our Brother, to take after Our Father: 'birds of a feather'... If we are like Jesus Christ, we will be like the Father. And that's what He commanded us: "be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Mt 5:48).A protestant man was asking a priest about some points of our Faith that he didn't understand: the devotion to Mary, priestly celibacy, the practice of mortification, obedience... The prudent priest said: "I love Mary because Jesus loves Mary; I'm celibate because Jesus is celibate; I mortify myself because Jesus mortified Himself, I obey because Jesus obeyed... I want to be like Him, I want to say what He says, I want to do what He does, I want to love what He loves, I want to be where He is, I want to go where He went... so I do what He did: I follow in His footsteps." Mary, my Mother, help me to do the same. -
Tuesday 4th week of Lent "Jn 5:1-16"
One man was there, who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew that he had been lying there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be healed?" The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is troubled, and while I am going another steps down before me." Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your pallet, and walk." And at once the man was healed, and he took up his pallet and walked. Thirty-eight years persistently trying to get into that pool but no one helped him. We understand the man's complaint: "Sir, I have no man." No one ever told him 'Listen, forget the pool. I know a better solution: go to Jesus. He can and would love to help you...' We have friends to help, people who need our assistance to go to God. Lent is a time to bring people to God. It doesn't matter how bad they are or how long they have been in that state. They need a push.During a retreat, a man heard this piece of advice: "Never let a day pass without talking to someone about God," and he decided to put it into practice. One night, arriving home, he remembered that he hadn't talked to anyone about God that day. At that moment he met a neighbour in the elevator. He hesitated for a moment because he wasn't very familiar with that man, but then he thought, 'This is going to be my last chance.' He turned to him and said: "Good night! I am going to say the rosary with my family in a few minutes; do you want me to pray for anything in particular?" The neighbour was shocked for an instant; then he said, "Please pray for my fiancée." He explained that they were going through a difficult patch in their relationship. They chatted a bit more and agreed to meet again. That was the beginning of a long friendship. Ten months later, in a ceremony in the parish, that neighbour – by now a close friend – and his fiancée became Catholic, received their first Holy Communion and Confirmation and got married all in one go! What would have happened if he hadn't decided to talk to that unknown person that God had placed in front of him in the elevator that night? The neighbour could have complained, 'No one has ever talked to me about God!' Holy Mary, Queen of Apostles, may I never miss any opportunities to bring people to your Son. -
Monday 4th week of Lent "Jn 4:43-54"
An official whose son was ill...went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Jesus therefore said to him, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe." The official said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies." Jesus said to him, "Go; your son will live." The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went his way. As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was living. It is true that many people loved to see Your signs, Lord: they were spectacular! Blind people started to see, deaf people recovered their hearing, paralytics could walk again, loaves and fish were multiplied... But these signs always happened in front of You. The miracle in today's Gospel is different.It is as if You, Jesus, are telling the crowd: 'Those of you who came looking for miracles are going to be disappointed. However, this man has faith and is not seeking any display of power; just the healing of his child'. You, Lord, said: "your son will live" and he believed You, even if he didn't see it. That is the faith that I'm asking for, Lord.Have you watched Indiana Jones in 'The Last Crusade'? Indiana has to get across a seemingly bottomless chasm. All he sees is an insurmountable gap separating him from the other side with no logical way to get across. The 'historical guidebook', which he refers to, says crossing over will be 'a leap of faith' and his dying father (Sean Connery) whispers "You must believe, boy, you must believe." And so Indiana Jones does: he courageously extends his foot and then, thud, his foot lands on solid ground. The camera pans around to show a bridge that had been invisible to him before. You see? He summoned up enough faith to take a first step and then he could see the bridge. Our trust in God is always expressed in that first faithful step that we take. Although it's only a film, it provides an example of how we should trust in God, especially when we don't see what God sees.Our Lady is a great example of Faith. She said 'Yes' to her vocation without knowing what was coming, with absolute trust in God. May we take after Our Mother in trust. -
Friday 3rd week of Lent "Mk 12:28-34"
One of the scribes asked him, "Which commandment is the first of all?" Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." The man asked for "the first" commandment, but Jesus answered quoting 'the first and the second'. There is a poem written by Leigh Hunt about a man called Abou Ben Adhem who woke from his sleep one night and saw an Angel writing the names of those who love God in a book. "And is mine there?" inquired Abou. "Nay, not so," replied the Angel. "I pray thee, then," said Abou, "write me as one who loves his fellow men." The following night the Angel came again and displayed the names of those who love God and Abou's name topped the list, making the point that true love of God and true love of our neighbour are like two sides of the same coin.But this charity has to be lived in practical ways. We need to take to our prayer the people who are around us and think of particular acts of charity that they would appreciate. Some are things that you 'can do'. Some are things that you 'shouldn't do'. It can help to write down a list of things that we can do for others and check it in our examination of conscience to see if we have loved our 'neighbour' with deeds.In 1940 a train was taking some Jews to a concentration camp. A 15-year-old girl was travelling with her little brother who was 8. Separated from their parents, they were scared. Suddenly the girl realised that her brother had lost his shoes and burst out in anger, "For goodness' sake! Couldn't you be responsible for once in your life and take care of your shoes?!" Almost 80 years later she was telling the story in tears. She never saw her little brother again. Those were the last words she said to him. She made the resolution to never say anything that she would regret if they were to be the last words that someone would ever hear from her. Mary, my Mother, help me to always be charitable in my words, to take care of what I say and how I say it... -
Thursday 3rd week of Lent "Lk 11:14-23"
Some people said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons"... But Jesus said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?...When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace; but when one stronger than he assails him and overcomes him, he takes away his armour in which he trusted, and divides his spoil." Evil is not an impersonal force that just happens. It has a name (actually it has many: 'Satan', 'Beelzebul, the prince of demons', 'the deceiver', 'the father of lies', 'Lucifer', 'the fallen angel') and it seeks to master every heart and soul through sin. He who habitually gives in to temptation leaves the door of his soul unlocked and allows the devil to come in and 'make himself at home'. It is easy then for the enemy to defend himself from the inside; especially if he is fully armed as the devil always is. But we live with the conviction that Jesus is stronger: stronger than doors, locks, walls and windows, and stronger than the devil and his weapons. Let's repeat it often: the devil has no chance against me if Jesus is with me!We need to go to Him in time of temptation and ask for help; otherwise we will have no chance. A Christian facing temptation who doesn't ask Jesus for help is like a gladiator in the arena, surrounded by ten hungry and angry lions, and armed... with a tea spoon! He has no chance. However, with the help of Jesus we are like the same gladiator but armed with a tank: the lions have no chance. Jesus, do not leave me alone when the enemy comes; and if I ever forget to ask you to help me, help me anyway!Once St Faustina was suffering some dreadful temptations. She went to the Tabernacle and said: "Do what You will with me, O Jesus." Suddenly she saw Our Lord saying to her: "Fear nothing: I am always in your heart." If Jesus is there... the devil can't get in! Furthermore, beside Jesus we always find Our Mother, and she is the spouse of St Joseph, who will certainly be with her; she is also the Queen of Angels, so Angels are also there; and Queen of Martyrs, Patriarchs, Saints... the whole of Heaven is in your heart in Grace! -
Wednesday 3rd week of Lent "Mt 5:17-19"
"Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." How easy it is to water down the Gospel and make it a bit less demanding! How easy it would be to get disciples if you only taught the nice bits of the Gospel and took out any reference to the Cross or the demands of becoming a real disciple of Jesus! But the Gospel is the Word of God: the whole Gospel, and no one has the right to change so much as one letter of it. An African bishop returned to his home town – which was mostly non-Christian – soon after ordination. In the welcome speech, the people expressed how happy they were that one of them now had 'direct access' to God. Then they promised him they would all embrace Christianity if he would use his episcopal power to suppress one of the Ten Commandments for them. Before they could say which of the Commandments they had in mind, the young bishop shocked them by explaining that the Commandments are from God and, therefore, unchangeable. The celebratory mood turned into disappointment and the bishop had to make a hasty departure from his own people.People may ask for a reduction of their moral responsibilities as they ask for a reduction of taxes. It would be like someone who wants to change doctor because the physician has put him on a diet. He could think that tablets would certainly be easier to take... Taking medicine can be less demanding than following a diet, but tablets aren't what that patient needs. Imagine that a government wanted to change the law of gravity for its country because the one 'still in use' is old fashioned or doesn't take into account our 'national identity'. Well, he can try, but he definitely cannot change the Law of God. Mary, Mother of Justice, help me to love God's Law and fulfil His Commandments to the full. -
The Annunciation of Our Lord "Lk 1:26-38"
The angel said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus". Today we celebrate the Annunciation, which is also the Incarnation: God becoming a human being, like you and me. He was already in the world nine months before Christmas but only Mary and St Joseph knew it. Jesus was not in a hurry, you see? He didn't have to spend all those months in Mary's womb but He wanted to. Jesus didn't want to be an exception. Today is a good day to pray for all those children who are still in their mothers' wombs, called to be the saints of the 21st century with you and me. St Gabriel announced to Mary the Name of her Son, Jesus; that Name which was going to be pronounced billions of times and which we try to keep on our lips frequently every day. A Name that is often associated with that other name, 'Mary', in the lovely prayer that the Angel taught us. Every time we say the Hail Mary we remind Our Lady of the happiest moments of her existence. She always listens to her children through this prayer.A priest was asked by a hospital sister to visit a patient in Ward 3. On entering he found the man dying, surprised to see the priest since he hadn't received the Sacraments for many years. "Nevertheless," he explained to the priest, "I have always kept up a promise I made to my mum on her deathbed: to pray three Hail Marys every night." After a long conversation, the man made his Confession and received the Eucharist with great devotion. Leaving the Ward, the priest met the sister and found that he had been in Ward 4, and patient number 7 in Ward 3 was still waiting for him! This was soon put right, but the priest felt thankful for the mistake. He felt still more thankful when the following day he found out that the man in Ward 4 had died suddenly that night. The man had kept his promise... and Our Lady kept hers! Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and at the hour of our death. -
Monday 3rd week of Lent "Lk 4:24-30"
Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country...there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and put him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw him down headlong. But passing through the midst of them he went away. Many fellow Nazarenes didn't believe Jesus to be a prophet. 'Because if You were a prophet', they might say, 'we would know'. In other words these people were saying something like: 'We decide who is and who isn't a prophet here'.Imagine the 'Poets' Society of Stratford-upon-Avon' suing Shakespeare for publishing his work without their approval: it would have been ridiculous! The people of Nazareth were about to throw Jesus off the cliff just because He was chosen by God without their permission. Perhaps they told Jesus: 'Listen, it is fine if You perform miracles here... we love that stuff... but do not try to lecture us, because we know You are the Son of Joseph, the artisan'. But Jesus' attitude here is remarkable. He didn't waste a second trying to argue or convince them. Their problem wasn't a lack of faith but an excess of pride. There is a classic Greek saying that reads: "The worst deaf person is the one who doesn't want to hear." Until they get rid of their pride they will never receive the supernatural virtue of Faith. Charles de Foucauld was a young rich playboy who had done whatever he wanted throughout his whole life. He even had a lover he didn't intend to marry. One day he met a priest, Fr. Huvelin, and asked him to explain the Catholic Faith to him. The priest, instead of explaining anything, "made me kneel down," wrote Foucauld, "made me go to Confession, and sent me to Communion right away." St Charles de Foucauld, as he is known now, could then understand the Faith. Without grace, how difficult it is to be humble; without humility, how difficult it is to know the truth! Let's ask Our Lady for the grace that many may come to the Truth in this Season of Lent. -
Saturday 2nd week of Lent "Lk 15:1-3, 11-32"
"There was a man who had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of property that falls to me.' And he divided his living between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in loose living. And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want. So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine ... But when he came to himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants."' And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him..." There is common agreement that this is one of the most beautiful parables told by Our Lord. Because not all of us are always moved by seed, darnel, fish, leaven, fig trees, good soil or lost sheep... But all of us are moved by this father, all of us have been at times - and still are - prodigal sons. Are you not moved by the last line of today's Gospel quote?Jacques Fesch (1930 – 1957) was a young French lad who gave up a position at his father's bank and left his wife and their daughter to live the life of a playboy. Disillusioned with his life, he decided to rob a money changer of his gold coins. During the escape he killed a police officer; he was arrested and condemned to death by guillotine. At first Fesch was indifferent and mocked his lawyer's Catholic faith. However, after a year in prison he experienced a profound conversion and bitterly regretted his crime. He asked for forgiveness and started to pray, attend Mass and go regularly to Confession as well as help his mates get close to God. He kept a spiritual journal. His last journal entry was "In five hours, I will see Jesus!" When his journal was published after his death he became an inspiration to many. His process of beatification is now open. He was an example of repentance and redemption. It's never too late to come back to God! Holy Mary, our Hope, Refuge of sinners, pray for us who are so much in need of conversion. -
Friday 2nd week of Lent "Mt 21:33-43, 45-46"
"There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to get his fruit; and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to them. Afterward he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.' And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him." This is called 'breach of contract'. When God gave them the vineyard, He gave them a mission: to produce grapes. Vineyard and mission came together. The tenants liked the vineyard; it was kitted out with everything they needed to produce fruit. But they rejected their mission. So they decided to keep the vineyard and its fruit for themselves. They didn't want to obey. They preferred to be their own masters, 'appropriating' something that wasn't theirs. The same can happen in our lives. God has given us everything we need to bear fruit. He has given us our lives, our family, our talents, our formation... and our mission. But some love all that so much that instead of being grateful for it, they decide to keep it for themselves: 'It's my life!', they say, 'I do with it what I like.' And they guard it jealously, taking hold of it as a child grasps his ice cream and licks it slowly with a look that says, 'It's mine; only mine!'But we know that it is not. Life, and all it brings with it, is given by God. We are tenants and have to render fruit. We have been given life, family, friends, talents, formation... but also a mission! That was the problem of the rich young man (Mk 10:17-31), do you remember him? "He went away sorrowful" (v. 22) says the Gospel. He kept his possessions - but lost his joy, his enthusiasm, his mission, his Lord..."Cast yourself with confidence into the arms of God," recommends St Phillip Neri, "and be very sure of this, that if he wants anything of you he will fit you for your work and give you strength to do it." - Daha fazla göster
