Friday of the First Week of Lent

"Joy is the noblest human act." St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Paul Miki and Companions

Paul was a Japanese Jesuit martyred in Japan with twenty-five companions in Nagasaki on this day in 1527. We know that his companions were clergy, religious, and lay persons. They were suspended on crosses and killed by spears thrust through their hearts. After that Japan was closed to the rest of the world until 1865. The faith survived; Paul Miki said when dying, "I hope my blood might fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain."

the Gospel tells us how Herod thought that Jesus was John whom he had beheaded. Mark tells us the terrible story of the beheading of John. I will not repeat it here, but let us reflect on how much evil we can do and beg Jesus to purify our motives.

Thursday - Preparing for Sunday

It is going to be the Second Sunday of Lent and here are the readings:

Preparing for Sunday

The opening prayer for this Sunday's Liturgy is: "Father, watch over your family and keep us safe in your care, for all our hope is in you." I like the simplicity of this prayer; with all the bad news we get everyday about the economy, the unrest, violence, and fighting in so many places, it is good to realize that indeed, all our hope is in God!

The Gospel, Mark 1:29-39, has several points to reflect on:
1. Jesus goes from the Synagogue to the house of Simon and Andrew. James and John are with them so the five of them arrive and find that Simon's mother-in-law is sick with a fever. They immediately turn to Jesus and he takes her by the hand and helps her up. The fever left her and she waited on them. I suspect that she helped serve them a simple Sabbath meal that had been prepared ahead of time.

2. After sunset, when the Jews could travel, the whole town gathered at the door bringing all who were ill or possessed by demons. Jesus cured many and drove out many demons. We know his compassionate heart that went out to those in need. He still wants to heal us and cast out our demons.

3. "Rising very early before dawn, Jesus left and went off to a deserted place where he prayed. This was so important for Jesus to have time to be with his Father. I think that just as we do not know exactly what the day will bring and how God wants us to spend it, Jesus needed to be in touch in a deeper way with his Father in his humanity. Since he was like us in all things, Jesus had to discern where he should go, what he should do and that is one reason he went off to pray alone. I am sure he needed to draw light and strength from his Father.

4. "Simon and those who were with him pursued him and on finding him said,'Everyone is looking for you.'" Jesus said, "Let us go to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose I have come." So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons. When everyone is looking for him, Jesus moves on to let others know about the Kingdom of God. He is a man with a mission! It is well to remember his need though to go off and pray in quiet places. We all need to do that or at least find some silence so we can hear the voice of God who speaks to our innermost being.

Thursday of the First Week of Lent

Now this picture really makes you think of Spring. I remember as a novice waiting for the dogwood to bloom and knowing that winter was finally over. Here is Miami we do not have much difference as everything stays green all year, but new leaves do appear and just push the old ones off some of the trees.


Here is a quote for the day from Teilhard de Chardin: "You are not a human being in search of a spiritual experience. You are a spiritual being immersed in a human experience. " I keep going back to that and finding new meanings for my own life.

Thursday - today and preparing for Sunday

The Gospel is Matthew 7:7-12 when Jesus tells his disciples, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."
This is always consoling to remember that Jesus said this so we would realize that God wants to give us gifts; he wants to be found; and he wants to come into our hearts and dwell there!

The readings for the Second Sunday of Lent are: Genesis 22: 1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18;
Romans 8:31b-34; and the Gospel is Mark 9:2-10 which is again the Transfiguration of Jesus that we discussed recently.
The Response for the Psalm is "I will walk before the LOrd, in the land of the living."
I am on Spring Break so not able to reflect but will take the first reading on Abraham being tested by God to sacrifice his son and comment on it for Sunday.

A Miscellaneous Day

A Miscellaneous Day for miscellaneous quotes.

"How small a thought it takes to fill a whole life" This is a quote from Ludwig Wittgenstein, a Philosopher. It needs a bit of reflection, but we all have some of those "small thoughts" that take a whole life to fill. When I thought of this, I had a Scripture quote pop into my head: "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Actually, it jumped into my mind in Spanish first and then I thought that this is a quote that can fill my whole life. There is an exercise that one can do to brainstorm about any other quotes, words, phrases, sentences, or Scripture passages that somehow relate to the original small thought you chose to work with - think about how these other quotes or words relate to, expand, or illuminate your understanding of the quote and then maybe think how to paraphrase the verse or see how I can deepen my understanding of it and see how it is having an influence on the way I act in the world...lots to reflect on from one small thought!

I read another quote this morning that I do not want to forget as it may be one to help others. This is from a wise priest who said: "People are like photographs: they develop in the dark."

And one more quote from St. Madeleine Sophie:
Ah! If only it were possible, if I were not unworthy, if God would give me the grace, to speak to you of the happiness of the person who gives herself over to the Holy Spirit… completely… whole and entire… with no reservations! If only I could tell you what takes place in her… if I could describe her happiness; it is no longer herself who acts, it is God… every step she takes is by the inspiration of the Spirit… everything becomes easy… she no longer knows difficulty, she meets no more obstacles… The Holy Spirit holds this person captive; the Spirit possesses her, binds her, establishes communication between her and heaven; it is like Jacob’s ladder on which the angels continuously ascend and descend; the good actions, desires, sacrifices of this faithful person mount towards heaven, and the Holy Spirit comes down laden with the new graces that God is pleased to bestow on her. I regret that it is time to end; but if the happiness of the individual open to the Spirit is so great, what would be the happiness of a group of people, of a whole Society that would allow itself to be guided unreservedly by the Holy Spirit. That would be a foretaste of heaven! What peace, what union and, at the same time, what good we would be able to produce.
Let us live under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, one day at a time.
I am glad I am making this a miscellaneous day and think I should do this more often!

Feast of St. Blaise

St. Blaise was a Bishop in Armenia who suffered martyrdom in the early 4th century. He was supposed to have miraculously cured a boy who was choking to death on a fish bone. Because of this legend, he is associated with cures for afflictions of the throat; the blessing of our throats with the blessed candles takes place on this day in his memory.
The Gospel today has Jesus first meeting one of the synagogue officials, Jairus, who fell at the feet of Jesus and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, "My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live." Jesus starts off with him with a large crowd around him. There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She came up behind Jesus in the crowd and touched his cloak. Jesus turned around and asked who had touched him. The woman then approached Jesus and fell down before him and told him the truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction."
While he was still speaking they came to tell him that the daughter has died; Jesus said to him, "Do not be afraid; just have faith." He did not let anyone accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John. He put everyone else out but took the parents with him and entered the room where the child was and took her by the hand. He said to her, "Talitha koum", which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!" The girl arose immediately and walked around. Jesus gave orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat.

These two miracles show Jesus healing through compassion and also show a very human side to him. He also is again letting us know how important it is to have faith.

Monday, First Week in Lent

My quote today is from Tertullian: "In Greek, the root meaning of repentance is not the confession of a sin but a change of mind." What do I need to change?

Feast of the Presentation

For forty days after a new mother gave birth she was ritually "unclean" and then would need to enter the temple with an offering for her purification. This Feast has had several names, but is now know as the Presentation of the Lord for Mary took her son to present him in the temple according to the law. We are also told of the meeting with Simeon and Anna. The feast began in the 4th century; in the Middle Ages, the feast was called Candlemas and we still bless the candles on this day.
My mother always kept blessed candles in the house and would light them when there was a storm. I never seem to think of that now, but remember feeling so safe in the house as soon as my mother lit the candles.

The Gospel for today begins: "When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord... It is forty days since we celebrated the birth of Jesus and he goes to the temple for the first time; later Jesus will identify himself with the temple: he is God's dwelling place among people. Let us follow Mary as she and Joseph go into the temple...

"Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying, 'Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory for your people Israel.'"

Simeon was attentive to the Holy Spirit and so was in the temple when Jesus was brought there by his parents. Such faith though to see immediately in this tiny infant the salvation of all! Now he is ready to die. In the longer version of the Gospel we have the prophecy of Simeon who tells Mary that this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted -"and you yourself a sword will pierce-so that the thoughts of many heart may be revealed."

Anna, advanced in years and a widow who never left the temple, came forward and gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. Then, the Holy Family, having "fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth."

The Preface for the feast says: "Father, all powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Today your Son, who shares your eternal splendor, was presented in the temple, and revealed by the Spirit as the glory of Israel and the light of all peoples.
Our hearts are joyful, for we have seen your salvation, and now with the angels and saints we praise you for ever."

I wonder what Mary and Joseph thought as they left the temple and started their journey home. I hope their hearts were joyful but Mary would be reflecting on the words of Simeon and would ponder them in her heart.

Monday of the First Week of Lent

The Gospel for today is Matthew 25:31-40 when Jesus telss his disciples that;
"When the Son of Man comes in his golry, and all the angels with him, he will sit upong his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink...'"

I think this Gospel reminds of us what we are to do during Lent - all the corporal works of mercy...Jesus still says to us today, "Amen I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me."
I am on Spring Break but hope and pray that this Lent will help me to be a sheep and not a goat when the Son of Man comes in his glory!

Oh, that today you would hear his voice; harden not your hearts...

As you know by now, I am very fond of Jesus as the Good Shepherd and so pick up on the fact that this Sunday"s Psalm 95 has the verses: "Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the Lord who made us. For he is our God, and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice: Harden not your hearts..."
How do I hear the voice of Jesus? Where do I find his voice? He speaks to us in so many ways: nature, the quiet movement in the depth of our hearts, the voices of others as they come to us even in e-mails, the inspiration that pops into our heads while waiting for the light to turn green, etc. The important thing is to hear his voice and harden not our hearts!