"Grant, O Lord,
that we may always revere and love your holy name,
for you never deprive of your guidance
those you set firm on the foundation of your love."
(Collect of Thursday of Week 12 of the year)
"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever." (Psalm 106.1)
"And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined."
(Matthew 7.26-27)
May we pray always... and without ceasing.
"Rejoice always,
pray without ceasing,
give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God
in Christ Jesus for you."
pray without ceasing,
give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God
in Christ Jesus for you."
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
How can we have unity among Christians if as Catholics we aren't united?
“In the Church, therefore, there is a variety, a diversity of tasks and functions.
"There is no dull uniformity but the richness of the gifts that the Holy Spirit distributes.
"There is communion and unity: all are in relation to one another and all combine to form a single vital body, profoundly connected to Christ.
"Let us remember this well: being part of the Church means being united to Christ and receiving from him the divine life that makes us to live as Christians."
(Pope Francis, June 19, 2013)
"There is no dull uniformity but the richness of the gifts that the Holy Spirit distributes.
"There is communion and unity: all are in relation to one another and all combine to form a single vital body, profoundly connected to Christ.
"Let us remember this well: being part of the Church means being united to Christ and receiving from him the divine life that makes us to live as Christians."
(Pope Francis, June 19, 2013)
Pope Francis Condemns Hypocrisy
Pope Francis criticized not only the vanity of the scribes and Pharisees, but also those who impose “so many precepts on the faithful.” He called them “hypocrites of casuistry... intellectuals without talent” who “don’t have the intelligence to find God, to explain God with understanding,” and so prevent themselves and others from entering into the Kingdom of God:
“But all of us also have grace, the grace that comes from Jesus Christ: the grace of joy; the grace of magnanimity, of largesse. Hypocrites do not know what joy is, what largesse is, what magnanimity is.
"They are ethicists without goodness, they do not know what goodness is. But they are ethicists, aren’t they? ‘You have to do this, and this, and this . . .’ They fill you with precepts, but without goodness. And those are some of the phylacteries, of the tassels they lengthen, so many things, to make a pretence of being majestic, perfect, they have no sense of beauty.
"They have no sense of beauty. They achieve only the beauty of a museum. They are intellectuals without talent, ethicists without goodness, the bearers of museum beauty. These are the hypocrites that Jesus rebukes so strongly. "
(Pope_Francis, June 19, 2013)
See also: Matthew 6.1-6, 16-18 (NAB or NRSV)
“But all of us also have grace, the grace that comes from Jesus Christ: the grace of joy; the grace of magnanimity, of largesse. Hypocrites do not know what joy is, what largesse is, what magnanimity is.
"They are ethicists without goodness, they do not know what goodness is. But they are ethicists, aren’t they? ‘You have to do this, and this, and this . . .’ They fill you with precepts, but without goodness. And those are some of the phylacteries, of the tassels they lengthen, so many things, to make a pretence of being majestic, perfect, they have no sense of beauty.
"They have no sense of beauty. They achieve only the beauty of a museum. They are intellectuals without talent, ethicists without goodness, the bearers of museum beauty. These are the hypocrites that Jesus rebukes so strongly. "
(Pope_Francis, June 19, 2013)
See also: Matthew 6.1-6, 16-18 (NAB or NRSV)
"Jesus tells us to love our enemies!"
"We too often we become enemies of others: we do not wish them well.
"And Jesus tells us to love our enemies!
"And this is not easy! It is not easy... we even think that Jesus is asking too much of us! We leave this to the cloistered nuns, who are holy, we leave this for some holy soul, but this is not right for everyday life. But it must be right!
"Jesus says: 'No, we must do this! Because otherwise you will be like the tax collectors, like pagans. Not Christians.'"
(Pope Francis, June 18, 2013)
"And Jesus tells us to love our enemies!
"And this is not easy! It is not easy... we even think that Jesus is asking too much of us! We leave this to the cloistered nuns, who are holy, we leave this for some holy soul, but this is not right for everyday life. But it must be right!
"Jesus says: 'No, we must do this! Because otherwise you will be like the tax collectors, like pagans. Not Christians.'"
(Pope Francis, June 18, 2013)
"Who do you say I am?"
What does Jesus mean to you?
How significantly do you allow him to influence your life?
(cf. Luke 9.20a, in the gospel of the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Yr. C)
How significantly do you allow him to influence your life?
(cf. Luke 9.20a, in the gospel of the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Yr. C)
"Go!" But where?
Jesus tells the forgiven woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." (Luke 7.50 NRSV; in the gospel of the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Yr C).
Go! But where?
Why is it tempting at times to stay in the pit of guilt and sorrow even knowing that one has been forgiven? Could it be that one still doubts that he has been forgiven? Or is there some sort of comfort or pleasure in self-pity?
Whatever the reason for not wanting to move on, it is good to remember that after forgiveness comes the renewed mandate to "go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life."
The Lord is glorified when we serve one another in perfect charity.
Go! But where?
Why is it tempting at times to stay in the pit of guilt and sorrow even knowing that one has been forgiven? Could it be that one still doubts that he has been forgiven? Or is there some sort of comfort or pleasure in self-pity?
Whatever the reason for not wanting to move on, it is good to remember that after forgiveness comes the renewed mandate to "go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life."
The Lord is glorified when we serve one another in perfect charity.
Link to: Meditations of Pope Francis
Highlights of the daily meditations of Pope Francis - during his morning Mass in the Santa Marta Chapel - are available at: http://www.news.va/en/sites/reflections.
From the reports by L'Osservatore Romano and Vatican Radio
"The subtle danger of idolatry"
"It’s not enough to say: 'But I believe in God, God is the only God.'
"That’s fine, but how do you live this out in your life’s journey?
"Because we can say, 'The Lord is the only God, there is no other', but then live as if He was not the only God and have other deities at our disposal."
(Pope Francis, June 6, 2013)
"That’s fine, but how do you live this out in your life’s journey?
"Because we can say, 'The Lord is the only God, there is no other', but then live as if He was not the only God and have other deities at our disposal."
(Pope Francis, June 6, 2013)
At Nain, a paradigm of service
In raising the widow's son, Jesus offers a model of the Christian way of life of service.
He "saw", he had "compassion", he said "rise up".
We, too, ought to engage the world to be aware of what is around us, have compassion for the pain and needs of others, then bear forth the fruits of compassion, which are acts of meaningful service.
_______________
The "Raising of the Widow's Son at Nain" (Luke 7:11-17) is the gospel on the 10th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Yr C.
He "saw", he had "compassion", he said "rise up".
We, too, ought to engage the world to be aware of what is around us, have compassion for the pain and needs of others, then bear forth the fruits of compassion, which are acts of meaningful service.
_______________
The "Raising of the Widow's Son at Nain" (Luke 7:11-17) is the gospel on the 10th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Yr C.
"Hypocrisy is the very language of corruption"
"Hypocrisy is the very language of corruption.
And when Jesus speaks to his disciples, he says: 'let your language
be,' Yes, yes! No, no '. Hypocrisy is not a language of truth, because
the truth is never given alone. Never! It is always given with love!
There is no truth without love. Love is the first truth." (Pope Francis, June 4, 2013)
"The science of tenderness"
"It’s harder to open our hearts and let God love us than to love God in return. But the only way to really love Him is to love others, especially the poor." (Pope Francis, June 7, 2013)