ASH WEDNESDAY

Readings of the day: RB 12 The Celebration of Solemn Lauds

Mass: Joel 2:12-18; Resp. Ps 51; 1 Co 5:20-6:2; Mt 6:1-6, 16-18

 

If the soul is always joyful, it is a good day.

(Pope Francis, General Audience, Feb. 14, 2018)

St Benedict outlines ‘The Observance of Lent’ in Ch. 49 of the Holy Rule. One of my favorite lines, somewhat a summary of the chapter and related to Pope Francis’s words delivered today in the ‘wind and rain….to a small crowd of pilgrims who braved the inclement Roman winter weather’ (Vatican Radio), reads: ‘In other words, let each one deny herself some food, drink, sleep, needless talking and idle jesting, and look forward to holy Easter with joy and spiritual longing’ (RB 49:7). Lent is not a time for gloom and doom and dour demeanor. As St Matthew tells us: ‘Whenever you fast, do not look dismal like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting.’ Instead, ‘put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret.’ These questions come to mind: Will my Lenten practices be cause for joy? Will my Lenten practices be means that lead to greater intimacy with Jesus and deepen my love for my sisters and brothers with whom I live, work, and encounter on a daily basis? Let the people say: ‘We know they are Christians by their joy!’

Your father who sees in secret will reward you.

Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time: MARDI GRAS

Readings of the day: RB 11 Vigils or Night Office on Sunday

Mass: Jm 1:12-18; Resp. Ps 94; Mk 8:14-21

Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above,

coming down from the Father of lights.

(Jm 1:17)

Like the disciples in today’s Gospel account, we forget the gifts God has bestowed upon us. The disciples had forgotten about Jesus feeding five thousand people on five loaves and four thousand people on seven—with leftovers! We see the disciples behaving like the Pharisees: wanting signs, making demands upon Jesus, being rebellious and skeptical. Jesus questions them: have your hearts hardened; have your eyes not seen; your ears not heard? What is our attitude to the presence of Jesus in our midst? Do we recognize His enduring love and mercy showered upon us day in and day out, in gifts great, namely, the Eucharist, and small alike—in a smile, a gesture of thanks, an act of courtesy, a helping hand, a word of encouragement, a warm embrace. Let us remember. Let us be thankful.

The ate and had their fill, and what they craved the Lord gave them;

they were not disappointed in what they craved.

(Communion Antiphon, Mass)

Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

Readings of the day: RB 10 The Night Office in Summertime

Mass: Jm 1:1-11; Resp. Ps 119; Mk 8:11-13

Whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy,

because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

Welcome to Monday. The above words from St James may bring comfort as we begin a new work week, or not. In my experience, when I face trials, I forget I knew they were going to come. Alas, they are not the trials I expected; never the ones I made up in my mind. Therefore, I am not necessarily considering the challenges nothing but joy! Were things really going to be this trying and difficult? My faith begins to waver; doubt creeps in. More wisdom from St James: ‘the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.’ Furthermore, ‘the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.’ That’s me, getting all worked up and wondering what on earth I am doing and what is going to become of it all.

Patience, dear Lord, grant us patience. Strengthen our faith, dear Jesus. Please God, grant us the wisdom to persevere and not get tossed about by the uncertainties of daily life. Help us to endure. Amen. 

May we keep the words of the psalmist in our hearts and on our lips throughout this day.

BE KIND TO ME, LORD, AND I SHALL LIVE.

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time: WORLD DAY OF THE SICK

In other years: Our Lady of Lourdes

Readings of the day: RB 9 The Number of Psalms at the Night Office

Mass: Lv 13:1-2, 44-46; Resp. Psalm 32; 1 Co 10:31-11:1; Mark 1:40-45

Mother Teresa ministering to the sick

Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets;

I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.

(Mt 5:17).

Jesus spoke the words above shortly after teaching the Beatitudes to the gathered crowds: ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.’ We see his words manifest in our readings from Leviticus and the Gospel of Mark. First, we are presented with the man with a leprous disease on the skin of his body. The law is followed: the man must be brought to Aaron or to one of the priests and be declared unclean. Unclean, the man shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head be disheveled, cover his upper lip while crying out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ As long as the disease is present, the man is outcast, made to live alone in a dwelling outside the camp.

Second, we are presented with a leper who comes to Jesus—the leper kneels down and begs Jesus: ‘If you wish, you can make me clean.’ In the words of Hans Urs von Balthasar: ‘Jesus permits the leper to approach and then does the unthinkable for a Jew: he touches him.’ Moved with pity, Jesus stretches out his hand and touches the man: ‘I will do it. Be made clean.’ What about the law? Jesus follows it. The disease-free man is told to say nothing to anyone; to show himself to the priest, and offer for his cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.

There is progression in these accounts. Jesus’ post-Beatitude line bears repeating: ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.’ Enter the law of LOVE. Jesus fulfills the law with LOVE—LOVE that touches, heals, comforts—accepting each one of us in whatever condition the Lord find us. LOVE does not cast out; LOVE does the unthinkable. LOVE embraces. LOVE is not about moral rectitude that forsakes those we find undesirable. Jesus tells us that our righteousness should exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. Otherwise, we will not enter the kingdom of heaven (see Mt 5:20). Jesus calls the sick—the leprous, the sinner—all in need of affection and acceptance no matter their physical or emotional state.  LOVE touches the untouchable, embraces those made to dwell apart; even those with a swelling or an eruption or a spot on the skin of their body. LOVE calls us to extend mercy and love to the sick in mind and body. The touch of LOVE makes us clean.

May the sick always be shown love in their fragility and

in their inviolable dignity.

(Pope Francis, Twitter, Feb. 22, 2018)

Saint Scholastica (c. 480-547)

Readings of the day: RB 8 The Divine Office at Night

Mass: 1 Kings 12:26-32; 13:33-34; Resp. Psalm 106; Mark 8:1-10

St Scholastica with St Benedict

Today we celebrate St Scholastica, the twin sister of St Benedict of Nursia (c. 480-547). Together, they are known as the ‘holy twins’. What we know about Scholastica is contained in Book Two of the Dialogues of St Gregory the Great, Life and Miracles of St Benedict. In Ch. 33 of the Dialogues, Pope St Gregory writes about Scholastica, who was consecrated to God in early childhood and who used to visit with her brother once a year. It was in the meeting detailed by St Gregory that Scholastica’s prayer was even mightier than her brother’s. After the siblings had already ‘spent the whole day singing God’s praises and conversing about the spiritual life’, Scholastica asked her brother to stay the night so they could continue their holy conversation. Adamant about returning to his own monastery, Benedict refused. Even though the sky was clear, Scholastica ‘folded her hands on the table and rested her head upon them in earnest prayer.’ Just then a torrential downpour began and Benedict was unable to leave. Asking his sister what on earth she had done, Scholastica replied, ‘When I appealed to you, you would not listen to me. So I turned to my God and He heard my prayer.’ God answering Scholastica’s prayer is not surprising to St Gregory who remarks, ‘Do we not read in St John that God is Love? Surely it is not more than right that [Scholastica’s] influence was greater than [Benedict’s], since hers was the greater love.’ Because of the love that Scholastica had for her brother, she and Benedict profited greatly from continuing their spiritual discussion all through the night. Ch. 34 continues with three days after their visit when Benedict ‘stood in his room looking up toward the sky…beheld his sister’s soul leaving her body and entering the heavenly court in the form of a dove.’ Benedict subsequently had his sister’s body brought to his abbey [Monte Cassino in Italy] and placed in the tomb which had already been prepared for him.

When recalling this story, one saying comes to mind, ‘Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.’ So important when we are talking about building and maintaining our relationships with those we love. It may be that we are unable to be near our loved ones, or at least close enough to visit regularly. We can still call, write a letter, and most importantly, pray for him or her. The same holds for maintaining and strengthening our relationship with Jesus. Pray. Today may be a good day to spend a little extra time visiting with Jesus.

The Lord is present in our lives showing us all His love and

encouraging us to respond with generosity.

(Pope Francis, Twitter, Feb. 10, 2018)

Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Readings of the day: RB 7:62-70

Mass: 1 Kings 11:29-32; 12:19; Resp. Psalm 81; Mark 7:31-37

Sr Veronique on her daily walk

Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one;

but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.

Here we have the people’s reaction to Jesus opening the ears and releasing the tongue of a deaf man with a speech impediment. With the touch of the Lord’s fingers and the spittle from his tongue, the man spoke plainly. How could the people not be astounded beyond measure exclaiming: ‘He has done everything well; He even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak!’ Still, Jesus has worked to do. He will undergo great suffering, be rejected, killed, and rise again. If we want to be Jesus’ disciples, we must follow him with our own suffering, with our own crosses—daily aches and pains, physical and emotional infirmities, irritations, and moods. At the same time, though, we reflect on the Mirabilia Dei, the marvelous things God has done for us and through us. Herein lies the paradox of our faith. With Jesus, we have work to do. Together, let us sing God’s praises.

O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name,

make known his deeds among the peoples.

Sing to him, sing praise to him;

tell of all his wonderful works.

Glory in his holy name;

let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

Seek the Lord and his strength;

seek his presence continually.

Remember the wonderful works he has done,

his miracles, and the judgments he uttered.

(Psalm 105:1-5)

Christians are called to keep alive the memory of how much God has done through them.

(Pope Francis, Twitter, Feb. 9, 2018)

Saint Josephine Bakhita (1869-1947): Former Slave, Canossian Sister

Saint Josephine Bakhita (1869-1947): Former Slave, Canossian Sister, Nurse during WWI and WWII

Saint Jerome Emiliani (1486-1537): Universal Patron of Abandoned Children and Orphans

Sr Bakhita, center

Readings of the day: RB 7:60-61

Mass: 1 Kings 11:4-13; Resp. Psalm 106; Mark 7:24-30

Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.

ALLELUIA.

(Gospel Acclamation, Mass)

I recently attended a Memorial Mass for a woman who died not long ago. There, a young man spoke articulately about how his ‘granny’ taught him the difference between attachment and unconditional love. One could hear a pin drop in the assembly. His words were moving; his message sincere. Even so, after speaking for several minutes, the young man concluded with something else he learned from his granny: ‘Too many words fall on deaf ears.’ 

The eleventh step of humility is that we speak gently and without laughter, seriously and with becoming modesty, briefly and reasonably, but without raising our voices, as it is written: ‘The wise are known by few words.’

(RB 7:60-61)