Monday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Readings of the day: RB 7:49-50

Mass: 2 P 1:2-7; Resp Ps 91; Mk 12:1-12

I am struck by two passages today. The first comes from the second Letter of St Peter and is fairly straightforward: Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with devotion, devotion with mutual affection, mutual affection with love. The second, not entirely unrelated, comes from the Office of Readings, by Saint Dorotheus, abbot. There, Dorotheus writes about the root of all disturbance, namely, ‘that no one finds fault with himself’. It is worthwhile to read the passage in its entirety. Provided here is the last paragraph, adapted: This is the way we are. It does not matter how many virtues a person has, even if they are beyond number and limit. If he or she has turned from the path of self-accusation, she will never find peace. She will always be troubled herself, or else she will be a source of trouble for others and all her labors will be wasted. 

Turn to me and have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am alone and poor.

See my lowliness and suffering and take away all my sins, my God.

(Entrance Antiphon, Mass)

Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo (1538-1606)

Readings of the day: RB 43:13-19

Mass: Jr 20:10-13; Resp Ps 18; Jn 10:31-42

 

Prophet Jeremiah, Michelangelo

The Lord is with me like a mighty champion.

(Jr 20:11)

In the New American Bible, today’s first reading is in a section entitled: ‘Jeremiah’s Interior Crisis.’ On the prophet’s lips are the words, ‘O Lord of hosts, you who test the just, who probe mind and heart’ (Jr 20:12). How are you interiorly this day? What is the state of your mind and heart? With Jeremiah, we ‘Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord’ (Jr 20:13), remembering the words of the psalmist:

IN MY DISTRESS I CALLED UPON THE LORD, AND HE HEARD MY VOICE.

I love you, O Lord, my strength,

O Lord, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.

My God, my rock of refuge,

my shield, the horn of salvation, my stronghold!

Praised be the Lord, I exclaim,

and I am safe from my enemies.

The breakers of death surged about me,

the destroying floods overwhelmed me;

The cords of the nether world enmeshed me,

the snares of death overtook me.

In my distress I called upon the Lord

and cried out to my God;

From his temple he heard my voice,

my cry to him reached his ears.

(Resp Ps 18)

THEN THEY TRIED TO ARREST JESUS;

BUT HE ESCAPED FROM THEIR POWER.

(Jn 10:39)

Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Readings of the day: RB 37 Care for the Elderly and the Young

Mass: Ws 2:1a, 12-22; Resp Ps 34; Jn 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

THEY WERE TRYING TO KILL HIM

The wicked said among themselves

Let us beset the just one

he is obnoxious

he is the censure of our thoughts

to see him is a hardship

his life is not like others

different are his ways

with revilement and torture

let us put him to the test

let us condemn him to a shameful death

These were their thoughts; they erred

their wickedness blinded them

SO THEY TRIED TO ARREST HIM

NO ONE LAID A HAND ON HIM

HIS HOUR HAD NOT YET COME

In what ways are you blinded from recognizing Jesus in your midst?

You know me and also know where I am from.

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Readings of the day: RB 36 The Care of the Sick in the Monastery

Mass: Ex 32:7-14; Resp Ps 106; Jn 5:31-47

This is how you will know that you are my disciples, if you have love one another.

(Jn 13:35)

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God; he who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

(1 Jn 4:7-8)

Thinking about the reading from the Book of Exodus and being ‘stiff-necked’, I reflect on St Leo the Great’s comments on the passages from the Evangelist:

The faithful should therefore enter into themselves and make a true judgment on their attitudes of mind and heart. If they find some store of love’s fruit in their hearts, they must not doubt God’s presence within them. If they would increase their capacity to receive so great a guest, they should practice greater generosity in doing good, with persevering charity.

If God is love, charity should know no limit, for God cannot be confined.

HOW GOES YOUR ATTITUDE OF MIND AND HEART THIS DAY?

THE LOVE OF GOD KNOWS NO BOUNDS.

Monday of the Third Week of Lent

Readings of the day: RB 28 The Treatment of Those Who Relapse

Mass: 2 K 5:1-15ab; Resp Ps 42-43; Lk 4:24-30 

But Jesus passed through the midst of them and went away.

Picture if you will the scene in today’s Gospel. I see this: Jesus speaks to the people. He challenges their way of thinking and doing. Not liking what Jesus has to say, the people become filled with fury—they rise up, drive him out of town, lead him to the brow of a hill ready to hurl him down headlong! Jesus calmly passes by and goes away. Meanwhile, the people are busy quarreling among themselves and don’t even notice Jesus’ absence. 

A few things to ponder during this Third Week of Lent:

How do we respond to correction? Are we indignant wanting to dismiss the messenger; drive her away from our midst? Are we busy making excuses for our behavior? Does our pride get in the way of growing in relationship with God and those with whom we live and work? Can we admit we have made mistakes or are wrong?

Boasting of God is perfect and complete when we take no pride in our own righteousness but acknowledge that we are utterly lacking in true righteousness and have been made righteous only by faith in Christ.

(St Basil the Great)

Wednesday of the First Week of Lent

Saint Peter Damian (1007-1072)

Readings of the day: RB 18:1-6 The Order for Reciting the Psalms

Mass: Jon 3:1-10; Resp. Ps 51; Lk 11:29-32

Even now, says the Lord,

return to me with your whole heart for I am gracious and merciful.

(Verse before the Gospel, Mass)

In this year’s Lenten message, Pope Francis references the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium. Before doing so, the Holy Father asks, ‘What are the signs that indicate that our love is beginning to cool?’ Some signs follow: greed for money and the rejection of God and his peace which together lead to violence against anyone we think is a threat to our own ‘certainties’, for example, the unborn child, the elderly and infirm, the migrant, the alien among us, or our neighbor who does not live up to our expectations. Pope Francis then turns to Evangelii Gaudium listing signs of love gone cold in communities: selfishness, spiritual sloth, sterile pessimism, spiritual worldliness, warring among ourselves, and lack of missionary zeal. For more thoughts on the signs, see paragraphs 76-109 of the Exhortation. One will find much to reflect upon during this Lenten journey. Para. 109 summons us: ‘Challenges exist to be overcome! Let us be realists, but without losing our joy, our boldness and our hope-filled commitment. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of missionary vigour!’ 

THERE IS SOMETHING GREATER THAN JONAH HERE!

For Pope Francis on the 17^th Anniversary of Being Named a Cardinal.

For Pope Francis and Members of the Roman Curia during their Spiritual Exercises.

Saturday after Ash Wednesday

The Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order: Mendicant Order, founded 1233 in Italy

Seven Founders of the Order of Servites, Rosselli Matteo

Readings of the Day: RB 14 The Celebration of Vigils on the Feasts of Saints

Mass: Is 58:9b-14; Resp. Ps 86; Lk 5:27-32

Jesus’ words for Levi are few: ‘Follow me.’ Tomorrow we enter the First Week of Lent. How might we prepare ourselves today in order to follow Jesus more closely during the coming weeks? 

Only those able to acknowledge their mistakes and ask pardon

receive understanding and forgiveness from others.

(Pope Francis, Twitter, Feb. 17, 2018)

Saint Ignatius of Antioch

Readings of the day: RB 13:12-14

Mass: Romans 1:16-25; Resp. Psalm 19; Luke 11:37-41

The Pharisees are exasperated with Jesus’ breach of etiquette. How dare he have such poor table manners! I picture Jesus rolling his eyes while exclaiming, “Oh, you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools!”

Lest I be too quick to judge, I reflect on how often I am as foolish the Pharisees—when am I more concerned with how I appear before others than I am with what is going on interiorly, in the depths of my heart. If I ever question why I should be more concerned about what is happening on the inside of my cup and dish than on the outside, I turn to one of my favorite scriptural passages, viz., today’s verse for the Gospel Acclamation:

The word of God is living and effective,

able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.

I also look to Saint Benedict as he concludes Ch. 13 of the Holy Rule. Benedict insists on the importance of praying the Lord’s Prayer: “Lauds and Vespers must never pass by without the Abbess reciting the entire Lord’s Prayer at the end for all to hear, because thorns of contention are likely to spring up.” What “thorns of contention” arise in my heart?

Our Father who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy name;
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us;
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
       SAINT IGNATIUS ANTIOCH, PRAY FOR US.