Reading One: Ez 18:21-28 ;
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-7a, 7bc-8 ;
Gospel: Mt 5:20-26 ; go to this page (for all three sections listed above on one page) And here's an audio file; & reflections (video)
Today's readings are especially difficult. Frankly, very few people cut the mustard here. Are we not all guilty of what is brought to light? Are we perfectly charitable to everyone, even to those who mistreated us? In politics? At work? At play? At home? When no one is hearing our inner thoughts? Isn't there someone who you have said a bad word about recently, or felt anger in your heart because you felt poorly treated? The only way out of this, is to raise your eyes to the truth, and to acknowledge it, feel sorry, and seek to change your ways. Lent is not easy, as we are all called to seek to be perfect, and the words in today's reading show how far we have to go. Like all long journeys, the first step is often the hardest. Acknowledge your guiltiness, and the rest of the journey is much easier. The best part is, if we have faith in Jesus, he will help us over this chasm and show us the way. But we need to make the first step on our own, and admit we have room for improvement. If we refuse to hear the words, and know He is telling the truth about some things we need to fix, we condemn ourselves in our pride.
Try it for a day, and see how hard it is. Don't let one bad word about a brother or a sister, or a parent or a child, a friend or foe leave your mouth. One of the best ways to start on this road, is to be eager to listen, and slow to speak. But you first need to accept the reality, that this is something we all need to focus on, and amend our ways. And then, after a successful day, try to make it a habit. Our goal is to make that - who we are.
Just got back from mass at St. Patrick's in Charlotte and feel much, much better today. I also had a chance to go to reconciliation, which is indeed a sacrament, though it is unfortunately not very widely accepted as such by many in the Catholic faith. It really is a wonderful blessing, in that one is allowed to take the first, and vital step to ridding yourself from what ails you. My problem yesterday, was feeling sadness about so many friends who for some reason have felt the need to tell me I am crazy. And also, hearing a lot of people saying they didn't care about the weakness in the stock market, because it doesn't matter to them. They are already poor, they assured me, so what. But also, and this is really the big part of my sorrow, is how we are heading for disaster and civil unrest, and no one seems to be making changes to face up to the reality. For me, I have only one issue that really matters, not that other things do not, but the gravity of my one issue burns so deeply into my heart, that I have no choice. That issue - is abortion. How is it possible that we can say, fine - no problem, to kill thousands of innocent people each day, and go on with our day as if nothing happened. During Lent, we remember how we killed the kindest and gentlest of men, for no good reason. How is abortion any different. As a nation, our heart has become so covered in stone, we use excuses like - oh, I agree abortion is bad, but we can't legislate morality. (ok, let someone kill your children, and then say, no problem). We are all God's children, and we allow to process to go on day after day as if our hearts are not effected. In truth, stone builds around your hearts, and from this one monster sized evil - our moral compass has no direction left. It is like trying to navigate a ship with no magnetic north. Mother Teresa said it better than me, ponder on her words today, and I hope at least one of you has a change of heart.
America needs no words from me to see how your decision in Roe v. Wade has deformed a great nation. The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships. It has aggravated the derogation of the father's role in an increasingly fatherless society. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts a child as a competitor, an intrusion, and an inconvenience. It has nominally accorded mothers unfettered dominion over the independent lives of their physically dependent sons and daughters.Abortion makes the preamble of our constitution a joke. Life is not an inalienable right, if we can kill our children. And now there is a move to make abortion a constitutional right. (called the FOCA amendment in case you are uninformed, and President Obama has promised he would sign it if it came to his desk. Pray for him to have a change of heart). The issue is coming to a head, and how deep our wounds will be if it passes. Here's an article today from St. Louis. To people of faith, passing this would be the same as asking us to kill our own children, our own families, because we feel we are all brothers and sisters. As God's children, there is little difference between my own kids, and your kids. I share this so you might better understand our hearts
The good news for me, is that I went to reconciliation today, and asked for forgiveness concerning the profound sorrow and despair I felt, knowing in my heart, we were inviting the full wrath of God to beset our nation. I know, very few understand what fear of the Lord means anymore, but if you read scripture, you would be scared. Really scared. Thank God for my faith, mostly a gift, though I have also tried to do what I can on my own to increase, including offering prayers and songs asking to increase my faith. (A prayer for Sara).
God is so good to me, as this morning I read some amazing words offered Saint Aelred in Mirror of Love. The words soothed my troubled mind, and gave me the strength I had lost by the sorrow I feel for every child that is lost due to the horror of abortion. It is my hope, it has the same effect on my friends who share this grief with me, and that it brings you peace of mind, just as the words did for me this morning.
The perfection of brotherly love lies in the love of one’s enemies. We can find no greater inspiration for this than grateful remembrance of the wonderful patience of Christ. He who is more fair than all the sons of men offered his fair face to be spat upon by sinful men; he allowed those eyes that rule the universe to be blindfolded by wicked men; he bared his back to the scourges; he submitted that head which strikes terror in principalities and powers to the sharpness of the thorns; he gave himself up to be mocked and reviled, and at the end endured the cross, the nails, the lance, the gall, the vinegar, remaining always gentle, meek and full of peace.Please pray for the people we elected to office to do the right thing. And also I ask you to continue your prayers for Charlotte, Peter, Jim and his family, Frank, Christopher, and if time allows, please say a prayer for me. Thanks.
In short, he was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb before the shearers he kept silent, and did not open his mouth.
Who could listen to that wonderful prayer, so full of warmth, of love, of unshakable serenity – Father, forgive them – and hesitate to embrace his enemies with overflowing love? Father, he says, forgive them. Is any gentleness, any love, lacking in this prayer?
Yet he put into it something more. It was not enough to pray for them: he wanted also to make excuses for them. Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. They are great sinners, yes, but they have little judgment; therefore, Father, forgive them. They are nailing me to the cross, but they do not know who it is that they are nailing to the cross: if they had known, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory; therefore, Father, forgive them. They think it is a lawbreaker, an impostor claiming to be God, a seducer of the people. I have hidden my face from them, and they do not recognize my glory; therefore, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.
If someone wishes to love himself he must not allow himself to be corrupted by indulging his sinful nature. If he wishes to resist the promptings of his sinful nature he must enlarge the whole horizon of his love to contemplate the loving gentleness of the humanity of the Lord. Further, if he wishes to savor the joy of brotherly love with greater perfection and delight, he must extend even to his enemies the embrace of true love.
But if he wishes to prevent this fire of divine love from growing cold because of injuries received, let him keep the eyes of his soul always fixed on the serene patience of his beloved Lord and Savior.
