Today's readings: February 17, 2010
Reading One: Joel 2:12-18;
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 16:1-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11 ;
Second Reading: 2 Cor 5:20—6:2 ;
Gospel: Mt 28:8-15;
go to this page (for all three sections listed above on one page).
And here's an audio file; and a video of a priest offering reflections.
First Reading
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.
Responsorial Psalm
51:3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13, 14 and 17
R. (see 3a) Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
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.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
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.”
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
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.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
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.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Second Reading
2 Cor 5:20—6:2
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.
Gospel:
Mt 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.”
This year, I regret I do not enter Lent with the same sense of excitement as last year, when I was planning to go on an actual journey - like travels. But the time of reflection is still important to me. Going to keep it simple today - for Lent, we are asked to focus on 3 things 1) Pray 2) Give Alms 3) Fast. In addition, we are supposed to do these things quietly - not to show how wonderful we are, or to impress anyone.
The last year for me has been a wonderful year of prayer time. It has born much fruit and I am thankful. It was time well spent. I will pass on a great quote from Søren Kierkegaard - Prayer does not change God, but it changes those who pray. In my own walk through life, I have found this to be a true statement.
Giving Alms - If you are a kid, maybe that means picking up your clothes and being more helpful to your parents, quietly and without fanfare. For adults - it might mean that you smile at the homeless person on your way to work in lieu of turning your head. Better still, break bread with the person and share a meal.
As for fasting - try and give up those things in the earthly realm that are holding you back from loving God and man with all your heart. And if possible, perhaps it involves a cost ... why not give some of those savings to the poor. Usually it can be done by just going to church and putting some in the basket. again, quietly.
Showing posts with label repent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label repent. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Lenten Journey - year Two
She'll be coming 'round the mountain when she comes... yep, it is that time of year again, and at present, it is virtually upon us - time for Lent. In case you missed last year's winding road through many states and states of spiritual discovery, start at the beginning, which last year began on February 17, 2009 - with a William Yeats' poem, a prayer for my daughter. It remains a favorite poem, and I must say thank you. My daughters have grown up so much in the last year - and yes, in ways that are very pleasing to a father who loves them. And so, thanks to God who hears all of our prayers and answers them if they are in our best interest, which is another way of saying - if it is His will. Yes indeed - I have had many prayers that went unanswered, but given the passage of time, it seems these unanswered prayers were probably in my best interest... i just didn't know it or understand it at the time.
To read through last year - start at the link above, and at the end of each post.. is a link for a newer post. This way you can go through it in the order it was written.
I am totally unprepared for this year - and still haven't decided what I am even going to do. As such, please do me a favor and pray for me. That would be very nice of you.
To read through last year - start at the link above, and at the end of each post.. is a link for a newer post. This way you can go through it in the order it was written.
I am totally unprepared for this year - and still haven't decided what I am even going to do. As such, please do me a favor and pray for me. That would be very nice of you.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Tuesday - Third Week of Lent
Today's readings: March 17, 2009
Reading One: Dn 3:25, 34-43;
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 25:4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9 ;
Gospel: Mt 18:21-35; go to this page (for all three sections listed above on one page) And here's an audio file; & reflections (video)
Today is a good day to contemplate forgiveness and mercy. Well, actually - every day is a good day for this, but why not actually do soething about this today. When folks get under our skin, or do something to us where we feel wronged, we are given a choice. We can either be mad at them, and hold onto this anger - or we can do what it takes to forgive them, in spite of what transpired. If you are blessed with the wisdom that comes from getting older, and learn life's lessons along the way, you will probably gain a good understanding that being angry and spiteful toward someone who did you wrong, is very much like a gun that shoots bullets in two directions. One toward the enemy, or the offending party, and unfortunately - the other bullet aims straight for your own heart. Yes, you actually shoot yourself - but not in the foot, the bullet goes straight for your own heart.
Or perhaps you find yourself on the other side of this equation - where you did something that offends another person, and a good friend won't forgive you. For your own well being, the answer again lies in forgiveness and mercy. Do you really want to return the animus pointed in your direction? I hope not. Forgive them, and know you really are sorry for what you did that offended them, and go further and forgive them for deciding to undermine the friendship you value. So many times in life, you will see that the anger and animus of righteous indignation gets passed along, to someone other than the person you are mad at in the first place. I remember an interesting story about this from Bishop Fulton Sheen. He compared this phenomenon to a line of people, where the first person slaps the second person. And then, for no good reason, or perhaps maybe there was a reason - the second person slaps the third person in line, and then the third person slaps the fourth person. This chain of anger will continue on down the line, until someone just stops the madness. They get slapped, and forgive. They really don't want to slap anyone else. Guess what - you can be that person.
Why don't you try and be that person today. Perhaps you have a friend that you at odds with, or perhaps a neighbor who you are annoyed with for making your dog crazy. Whatever it is - STOP being annoyed, and actually do something to repair the relationship. Step out of your box of anger, and rise above the madness that slaps back or worse - teaches your beautiful children to share the animus you feel toward your friend or neighbor. The anger you feel inside is a prison of your own making. You do have a choice. Choose to be a person who forgives and doesn't choose to hold onto the anger. Even if you have to forgive 77,000 times - the price of lugging around the animus, will not only weigh you down, it can even make you sick or kill you. And there's no time like now to make that choice. Put the key into the lock of your prison door, and let yourself be free. Trust Jesus on this - He knows what He is talking about. Forgive and you will be forgiven too. By the way, it feels great when you make this choice. But it your choice, stay angry if that is the path you want walk on. If you think about it however, you will what is best for you. Anger and animus - or forgiveness and freedom from the stress of hate. This isn't really rocket science here folks. Go with the choice that makes your burden light, or fill up your soul with a bunch of heavy rocks.
Reading One: Dn 3:25, 34-43;
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 25:4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9 ;
Gospel: Mt 18:21-35; go to this page (for all three sections listed above on one page) And here's an audio file; & reflections (video)
Today is a good day to contemplate forgiveness and mercy. Well, actually - every day is a good day for this, but why not actually do soething about this today. When folks get under our skin, or do something to us where we feel wronged, we are given a choice. We can either be mad at them, and hold onto this anger - or we can do what it takes to forgive them, in spite of what transpired. If you are blessed with the wisdom that comes from getting older, and learn life's lessons along the way, you will probably gain a good understanding that being angry and spiteful toward someone who did you wrong, is very much like a gun that shoots bullets in two directions. One toward the enemy, or the offending party, and unfortunately - the other bullet aims straight for your own heart. Yes, you actually shoot yourself - but not in the foot, the bullet goes straight for your own heart.
Or perhaps you find yourself on the other side of this equation - where you did something that offends another person, and a good friend won't forgive you. For your own well being, the answer again lies in forgiveness and mercy. Do you really want to return the animus pointed in your direction? I hope not. Forgive them, and know you really are sorry for what you did that offended them, and go further and forgive them for deciding to undermine the friendship you value. So many times in life, you will see that the anger and animus of righteous indignation gets passed along, to someone other than the person you are mad at in the first place. I remember an interesting story about this from Bishop Fulton Sheen. He compared this phenomenon to a line of people, where the first person slaps the second person. And then, for no good reason, or perhaps maybe there was a reason - the second person slaps the third person in line, and then the third person slaps the fourth person. This chain of anger will continue on down the line, until someone just stops the madness. They get slapped, and forgive. They really don't want to slap anyone else. Guess what - you can be that person.
Why don't you try and be that person today. Perhaps you have a friend that you at odds with, or perhaps a neighbor who you are annoyed with for making your dog crazy. Whatever it is - STOP being annoyed, and actually do something to repair the relationship. Step out of your box of anger, and rise above the madness that slaps back or worse - teaches your beautiful children to share the animus you feel toward your friend or neighbor. The anger you feel inside is a prison of your own making. You do have a choice. Choose to be a person who forgives and doesn't choose to hold onto the anger. Even if you have to forgive 77,000 times - the price of lugging around the animus, will not only weigh you down, it can even make you sick or kill you. And there's no time like now to make that choice. Put the key into the lock of your prison door, and let yourself be free. Trust Jesus on this - He knows what He is talking about. Forgive and you will be forgiven too. By the way, it feels great when you make this choice. But it your choice, stay angry if that is the path you want walk on. If you think about it however, you will what is best for you. Anger and animus - or forgiveness and freedom from the stress of hate. This isn't really rocket science here folks. Go with the choice that makes your burden light, or fill up your soul with a bunch of heavy rocks.
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