#dsr is using exaltation

[zahnffxiv]

that means!! i've managed to become a—wait, they're calling it a... sexlegend?? oh, i see...

[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Fri June 07th, 2024 ... Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time, Year B/Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Reading 1

____________

Hos 11:1, 3-4, 8c-9

Thus says the LORD:

When Israel was a child I loved him,

out of Egypt I called my son.

Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,

who took them in my arms;

I drew them with human cords,

with bands of love;

I fostered them like one

who raises an infant to his cheeks;

Yet, though I stooped to feed my child,

they did not know that I was their healer.

My heart is overwhelmed,

my pity is stirred.

I will not give vent to my blazing anger,

I will not destroy Ephraim again;

For I am God and not a man,

the Holy One present among you;

I will not let the flames consume you.

Responsorial Psalm

______________

Is 12:2-3, 4, 5-6.

R. (3) You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

God indeed is my savior;

I am confident and unafraid.

My strength and my courage is the LORD,

and he has been my savior.

With joy you will draw water

at the fountain of salvation.

R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;

among the nations make known his deeds,

proclaim how exalted is his name.

R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;

let this be known throughout all the earth.

Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,

for great in your midst

is the Holy One of Israel!

R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

Reading 2

____________

Eph 3:8-12, 14-19

Brothers and sisters:

To me, the very least of all the holy ones, this grace was given,

to preach to the Gentiles the inscrutable riches of Christ,

and to bring to light for all what is the plan of the mystery

hidden from ages past in God who created all things,

so that the manifold wisdom of God

might now be made known through the church

to the principalities and authorities in the heavens.

This was according to the eternal purpose

that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,

in whom we have boldness of speech

and confidence of access through faith in him.

For this reason I kneel before the Father,

from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,

that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory

to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self,

and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;

that you, rooted and grounded in love,

may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones

what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge,

so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Alleluia

________

Mt 11:29ab

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Take my yoke upon you, says the Lord;

and learn from me, for I am meek and gentle of heart.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Or

_________

1 Jn 4:10b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

God first loved us

and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

________

Jn 19:31-37

Since it was preparation day,

in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,

for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,

the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken

and they be taken down.

So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first

and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.

But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,

they did not break his legs,

but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,

and immediately blood and water flowed out.

An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true;

he knows that he is speaking the truth,

so that you also may come to believe.

For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled:

Not a bone of it will be broken.

And again another passage says:

They will look upon him whom they have pierced.

***

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

One just has to open a newspaper today or watch the daily news to see a plethora of examples where the world’s darkness reveals that the light of God’s love needs to be shone more brightly. In the spirit that lives within all of us, we too may hold onto a heavy-hearted darkness about ourselves, or places where there may be stumbling blocks to God’s love truly finding a home in our hearts.  So, to celebrate a day of unconditional love, a sacred love, flowing forth from the heart of Jesus, is a devotion and a day of solemnity that brings hope to our world and a joy to our hearts.

I would like to reflect a bit on why this solemnity of the Sacred Heart is a dear devotion for me and a devotion to which I owe my vocation to the priesthood recall the genesis of this devotion, and why for us it is a solemn day of celebration and a transforming devotion that will change our hearts and the heart of our world for good, for God. 

First, a personal story. When I was a young boy, our home parish, Immaculate Conception in Waukegan, Illinois, had to the left of the Altar, a huge mosaic to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I used to love to sit in front of that piece of art and was mesmerized in the connection between the love that Christ had in his eyes and the love that that exposed heart symbolized.

Second, all celebrations, like this solemnity, have their beginnings. This story, is all about heart, the heart of a nun’s story, the heart of the Jesuit’s story.  heart of our story. First, the heart of a nun’s story. The place was the Visitation convent at Paray-le-Monial in France. Between 1673 and 1675, our Lord appeared three times to a contemplative nun, Margaret Mary Alacoque, showed her his heart. In the first appearance, Jesus commissioned her to spread devotion to his sacred heart. In the second, he asked for Holy Communion and a Holy Hour of Reparation.

Third, during the octave of Corpus Christi in 1675, Jesus asked her to see a special feast established in reparation to his heart for the injuries done it. He added: "Go to my servant the Jesuit Father, Claude de La Colombiére and tell him from me to do all in his power to establish this devotion and give this pleasure to my heart." And Claude did "all in his power." The young Jesuit whom Jesus identified to Margaret Mary as "my faithful servant and perfect friend" preached the devotion to the end of his short life. (source: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/the-revelation-of-the-sacred-heart-of-jesus-paral-le-monial-france-13719.

This devotion remains a devotion that is promoted and defended in the Society of Jesus to this day.  even though celebrated with remains alive in the Society.  In a more recent Jesuit General Congregation (General Congregation 35, 2008) the Jesuits stressed and emphasized promoting Christ’s sacred heart when it proclaims, “Nothing could be more desirable and more urgent today, since the heart of Christ burns with love for this world, with all its troubles, and seeks companions who can serve it with him.”

And finally, Christ’s sacred heart and us. And so, what’s wrong with a little devotion, why has it become an outmoded practice. The word devotion is a word of affection, of love, of knowing that someone is so in love with us they are devoted to us, and in return we, in our love for them, and the things that represent them, like the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we are so in love, so devoted to them.  So, the heart of Christ, as well as our own hearts, symbolizes something wonderful, something that is about the lifeblood flowing through our veins yes, but also, of what is and should be the heart of our faith, the heart of our very life, and this, this is love divine.

For love has the power to transform our very lives, to transform our world, in radical and wonderful ways, away from our own brokenness and need for healing, and into those places in this world that still live in darkness, oppression, hatred, and injustice, so that these places, these hearts of ours can feel too love’s clear promise of heaven.  We recollect this image of Christ’s sacred heart, and see there a love given freely, a love fraught with all meaning, and see Christ’s love encouraging us to be brave, to not be afraid, for it’s only love after all.

***

SAINT OF THE DAY

Bl. Franz Jagerstatter

(May 20, 1907 – August 9, 1943)

Blessed Franz Jägerstätter’s Story

Called to fight for his country as a Nazi soldier, Franz eventually refused, and this husband and father of three daughters—Rosalie, Marie and Aloisia—was executed because of it.

Born in St. Radegund in Upper Austria, Franz lost his father during World War I and was adopted after Heinrich Jaegerstaetter married Rosalia Huber. As a young man, he loved to ride his motorcycle and was the natural leader of a gang whose members were arrested in 1934 for brawling. For three years he worked in the mines in another city and then returned to St. Radegund, where he became a farmer, married Franziska and lived his faith with quiet but intense conviction.

In 1938, he publicly opposed the German Anschluss–annexation–of Austria. The next year he was drafted into the Austrian army, trained for seven months and then received a deferment. In 1940, Franz was called up again but allowed to return home at the request of the town’s mayor. He was in active service between October 1940 and April 1941, but was again deferred. His pastor, other priests, and the bishop of Linz urged him not to refuse to serve if drafted.

In February 1943, Franz was called up again and reported to army officials in Enns, Austria. When he refused to take the oath of loyalty to Hitler, he was imprisoned in Linz. Later he volunteered to serve in the medical corps but was not assigned there.

During Holy Week Franz wrote to his wife: “Easter is coming and, if it should be God’s will that we can never again in this world celebrate Easter together in our intimate family circle, we can still look ahead in the happy confidence that, when the eternal Easter morning dawns, no one in our family circle shall be missing—so we can then be permitted to rejoice together forever.” He was transferred in May to a prison in Berlin.

Challenged by his attorney that other Catholics were serving in the army, Franz responded, “I can only act on my own conscience. I do not judge anyone. I can only judge myself.” He continued, “I have considered my family. I have prayed and put myself and my family in God’s hands. I know that, if I do what I think God wants me to do, he will take care of my family.”

On August 8, 1943, Franz wrote to Fransizka: “Dear wife and mother, I thank you once more from my heart for everything that you have done for me in my lifetime, for all the sacrifices that you have borne for me. I beg you to forgive me if I have hurt or offended you, just as I have forgiven everything…My heartfelt greetings for my dear children. I will surely beg the dear God, if I am permitted to enter heaven soon, that he will set aside a little place in heaven for all of you.”

Franz was beheaded and cremated the following day. In 1946, his ashes were reburied in St. Radegund near a memorial inscribed with his name and the names of almost 60 village men who died during their military service. He was beatified in Linz on October 26, 2007. His “spiritual testament” is now in Rome’s St. Bartholomew Church as part of a shrine to 20th-century martyrs for their faith. Blessed Franz’s liturgical feast is celebrated on August 9.

***

【Build your Faith in Christ Jesus on #dailyscripturereadingsgroup 📚: +256 751 540 524 .. Whatsapp】

[ongole]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Fri Mar 29th, 2024 ... Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion , Year B

Reading I

____________

Is 52:13—53:12

See, my servant shall prosper,

he shall be raised high and greatly exalted.

Even as many were amazed at him--

so marred was his look beyond human semblance

and his appearance beyond that of the sons of man--

so shall he startle many nations,

because of him kings shall stand speechless;

for those who have not been told shall see,

those who have not heard shall ponder it.

Who would believe what we have heard?

To whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

He grew up like a sapling before him,

like a shoot from the parched earth;

there was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him,

nor appearance that would attract us to him.

He was spurned and avoided by people,

a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity,

one of those from whom people hide their faces,

spurned, and we held him in no esteem.

Yet it was our infirmities that he bore,

our sufferings that he endured,

while we thought of him as stricken,

as one smitten by God and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our offenses,

crushed for our sins;

upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole,

by his stripes we were healed.

We had all gone astray like sheep,

each following his own way;

but the LORD laid upon him

the guilt of us all.

Though he was harshly treated, he submitted

and opened not his mouth;

like a lamb led to the slaughter

or a sheep before the shearers,

he was silent and opened not his mouth.

Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away,

and who would have thought any more of his destiny?

When he was cut off from the land of the living,

and smitten for the sin of his people,

a grave was assigned him among the wicked

and a burial place with evildoers,

though he had done no wrong

nor spoken any falsehood.

But the LORD was pleased

to crush him in infirmity.

If he gives his life as an offering for sin,

he shall see his descendants in a long life,

and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.

Because of his affliction

he shall see the light in fullness of days;

through his suffering, my servant shall justify many,

and their guilt he shall bear.

Therefore I will give him his portion among the great,

and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty,

because he surrendered himself to death

and was counted among the wicked;

and he shall take away the sins of many,

and win pardon for their offenses.

Responsorial Psalm

__________________

Ps 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17, 25

R (Lk 23:46) Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

In you, O LORD, I take refuge;

let me never be put to shame.

In your justice rescue me.

Into your hands I commend my spirit;

you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.

R Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

For all my foes I am an object of reproach,

a laughingstock to my neighbors, and a dread to my friends;

they who see me abroad flee from me.

I am forgotten like the unremembered dead;

I am like a dish that is broken.

R Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

But my trust is in you, O LORD;

I say, “You are my God.

In your hands is my destiny; rescue me

from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.”

R Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

Let your face shine upon your servant;

save me in your kindness.

Take courage and be stouthearted,

all you who hope in the LORD.

R Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

Reading II

_______________

Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9

Brothers and sisters:

Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens,

Jesus, the Son of God,

let us hold fast to our confession.

For we do not have a high priest

who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,

but one who has similarly been tested in every way,

yet without sin.

So let us confidently approach the throne of grace

to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.

In the days when Christ was in the flesh,

he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears

to the one who was able to save him from death,

and he was heard because of his reverence.

Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;

and when he was made perfect,

he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

Verse Before the Gospel

________________

Phil 2:8-9

Christ became obedient to the point of death,

even death on a cross.

Because of this, God greatly exalted him

and bestowed on him the name which is above every other name.

The passion narratives are proclaimed in full so that all see vividly the love of Christ for each person. In light of this, the crimes during the Passion of Christ cannot be attributed, in either preaching or catechesis, indiscriminately to all Jews of that time, nor to Jews today. The Jewish people should not be referred to as though rejected or cursed, as if this view followed from Scripture. The Church ever keeps in mind that Jesus, his mother Mary, and the apostles all were Jewish. As the Church has always held, Christ freely suffered his passion and death because of the sins of all, that all might be saved.

Gospel

___________

Jn 18:1—19:42

Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley

to where there was a garden,

into which he and his disciples entered.

Judas his betrayer also knew the place,

because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.

So Judas got a band of soldiers and guards

from the chief priests and the Pharisees

and went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.

Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him,

went out and said to them, “Whom are you looking for?”

They answered him, “Jesus the Nazorean.”

He said to them, “I AM.”

Judas his betrayer was also with them.

When he said to them, “I AM, “

they turned away and fell to the ground.

So he again asked them,

“Whom are you looking for?”

They said, “Jesus the Nazorean.”

Jesus answered,

“I told you that I AM.

So if you are looking for me, let these men go.”

This was to fulfill what he had said,

“I have not lost any of those you gave me.”

Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it,

struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear.

The slave’s name was Malchus.

Jesus said to Peter,

“Put your sword into its scabbard.

Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?”

So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewish guards seized Jesus,

bound him, and brought him to Annas first.

He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,

who was high priest that year.

It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jews

that it was better that one man should die rather than the people.

Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus.

Now the other disciple was known to the high priest,

and he entered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus.

But Peter stood at the gate outside.

So the other disciple, the acquaintance of the high priest,

went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in.

Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter,

“You are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?”

He said, “I am not.”

Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire

that they had made, because it was cold,

and were warming themselves.

Peter was also standing there keeping warm.

The high priest questioned Jesus

about his disciples and about his doctrine.

Jesus answered him,

“I have spoken publicly to the world.

I have always taught in a synagogue

or in the temple area where all the Jews gather,

and in secret I have said nothing. Why ask me?

Ask those who heard me what I said to them.

They know what I said.”

When he had said this,

one of the temple guards standing there struck Jesus and said,

“Is this the way you answer the high priest?”

Jesus answered him,

“If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong;

but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?”

Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Now Simon Peter was standing there keeping warm.

And they said to him,

“You are not one of his disciples, are you?”

He denied it and said,

“I am not.”

One of the slaves of the high priest,

a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said,

“Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?”

Again Peter denied it.

And immediately the cock crowed.

Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium.

It was morning.

And they themselves did not enter the praetorium,

in order not to be defiled so that they could eat the Passover.

So Pilate came out to them and said,

“What charge do you bring against this man?”

They answered and said to him,

“If he were not a criminal,

we would not have handed him over to you.”

At this, Pilate said to them,

“Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law.”

The Jews answered him,

“We do not have the right to execute anyone, “

in order that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled

that he said indicating the kind of death he would die.

So Pilate went back into the praetorium

and summoned Jesus and said to him,

“Are you the King of the Jews?”

Jesus answered,

“Do you say this on your own

or have others told you about me?”

Pilate answered,

“I am not a Jew, am I?

Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.

What have you done?”

Jesus answered,

“My kingdom does not belong to this world.

If my kingdom did belong to this world,

my attendants would be fighting

to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.

But as it is, my kingdom is not here.”

So Pilate said to him,

“Then you are a king?”

Jesus answered,

“You say I am a king.

For this I was born and for this I came into the world,

to testify to the truth.

Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

When he had said this,

he again went out to the Jews and said to them,

“I find no guilt in him.

But you have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at Passover.

Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

They cried out again,

“Not this one but Barabbas!”

Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged.

And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head,

and clothed him in a purple cloak,

and they came to him and said,

“Hail, King of the Jews!”

And they struck him repeatedly.

Once more Pilate went out and said to them,

“Look, I am bringing him out to you,

so that you may know that I find no guilt in him.”

So Jesus came out,

wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak.

And he said to them, “Behold, the man!”

When the chief priests and the guards saw him they cried out,

“Crucify him, crucify him!”

Pilate said to them,

“Take him yourselves and crucify him.

I find no guilt in him.”

The Jews answered,

“We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die,

because he made himself the Son of God.”

Now when Pilate heard this statement,

he became even more afraid,

and went back into the praetorium and said to Jesus,

“Where are you from?”

Jesus did not answer him.

So Pilate said to him,

“Do you not speak to me?

Do you not know that I have power to release you

and I have power to crucify you?”

Jesus answered him,

“You would have no power over me

if it had not been given to you from above.

For this reason the one who handed me over to you

has the greater sin.”

Consequently, Pilate tried to release him; but the Jews cried out,

“If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar.

Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”

When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus out

and seated him on the judge’s bench

in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha.

It was preparation day for Passover, and it was about noon.

And he said to the Jews,

“Behold, your king!”

They cried out,

“Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!”

Pilate said to them,

“Shall I crucify your king?”

The chief priests answered,

“We have no king but Caesar.”

Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.

So they took Jesus, and, carrying the cross himself,

he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull,

in Hebrew, Golgotha.

There they crucified him, and with him two others,

one on either side, with Jesus in the middle.

Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross.

It read,

“Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.”

Now many of the Jews read this inscription,

because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city;

and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.

So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate,

“Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’

but that he said, ‘I am the King of the Jews’.”

Pilate answered,

“What I have written, I have written.”

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus,

they took his clothes and divided them into four shares,

a share for each soldier.

They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless,

woven in one piece from the top down.

So they said to one another,

“Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be, “

in order that the passage of Scripture might be fulfilled that says:

They divided my garments among them,

and for my vesture they cast lots.

This is what the soldiers did.

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother

and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,

and Mary of Magdala.

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved

he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”

Then he said to the disciple,

“Behold, your mother.”

And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

After this, aware that everything was now finished,

in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,

Jesus said, “I thirst.”

There was a vessel filled with common wine.

So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop

and put it up to his mouth.

When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,

“It is finished.”

And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.

Here all kneel and pause for a short time.

Now since it was preparation day,

in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,

for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,

the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken

and that they be taken down.

So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first

and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.

But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,

they did not break his legs,

but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,

and immediately blood and water flowed out.

An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true;

he knows that he is speaking the truth,

so that you also may come to believe.

For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled:

Not a bone of it will be broken.

And again another passage says:

They will look upon him whom they have pierced.

After this, Joseph of Arimathea,

secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews,

asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus.

And Pilate permitted it.

So he came and took his body.

Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night,

also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes

weighing about one hundred pounds.

They took the body of Jesus

and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices,

according to the Jewish burial custom.

Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden,

and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried.

So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day;

for the tomb was close by.

***

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

Today is Good Friday a holy day of remembering as Jesus demonstrates his perfect obedience to his Father’s will and his love for us. At Gethsemane, Jesus said “Sit here while I pray. My soul is sorrowful even to death…..take this cup away from Me, but not what I will but what You will” (Mark 14: 32-36). Next, Judas betrayal and Peter’s denial before Jesus is handed over to Pontius Pilate. Then beaten, scourged, dressed in purple, with a crown of thorns placed on his head (Matthew 27: 26-31; Mark 15: 1-20; John 19: 1-3). 

We witness the crowd chanting  “King of the Jews” and watch with heavy hearts as Christ picks up his cross (Matthew 27: 32; Mark 15: 21; John 19:16-17) and is whipped by Centurions on the path to The Place of the Skull or Golgotha. Along the way signs of loving mercy emerge towards Jesus Simon of Cyrene  (under orders by Centurions) assist Jesus in carrying the cross; a loving exchange occurs between Jesus and his mother as she reaches out to him; the women of Jerusalem show distress; and Veronica provides Jesus a cloth to wipe the blood and sweat from his face. The soldiers shamefully strip Jesus and secure him to the cross with nails through his hands and feet. The cross is raised. 

Christ suffering for us.  

At approximately 3 pm the skies darken and Christ crys out “Father into Your hands I commend my spirit..and when he had said this he breathed his last” (Luke  23-33-46).  Mother Mary, Mary Magdalene and other women at the cross (Matthew 27: 55-56; Mark 15:40; Luke 23: 49; John 19:25) are torn with grief; Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus assist as Jesus is removed from the cross, his body prepared, and transported to the tomb. 

We venerate the cross and pray for what is yet to come. 

Lent has been a time for us to  journey with Jesus. To silently reflect on scripture, to pray, and to deepen our understanding and faith in the risen Christ so we can open our hearts to love each other more deeply, to stay the course from sin to freedom and death to life. 

I pray we have responded to the whisperings of Jesus during these past weeks. 

***

【Build your Faith in Christ Jesus on #dailyscripturereadingsgroup 📚: +256 751 540 524 .. Whatsapp】

[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Tue May 21st, 2024 ... Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time, Year B

Reading 1

_________

Jas 4:1-10

Beloved:

Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from?

Is it not from your passions that make war within your members?

You covet but do not possess.

You kill and envy but you cannot obtain;

you fight and wage war.

You do not possess because you do not ask.

You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly,

to spend it on your passions.

Adulterers!

Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God?

Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world   

makes himself an enemy of God.

Or do you suppose that the Scripture speaks without meaning when it says,

The spirit that he has made to dwell in us tends toward jealousy?

But he bestows a greater grace; therefore, it says:

God resists the proud,

but gives grace to the humble.

So submit yourselves to God.

Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

Cleanse your hands, you sinners,

and purify your hearts, you of two minds.

Begin to lament, to mourn, to weep.

Let your laughter be turned into mourning

and your joy into dejection.

Humble yourselves before the Lord

and he will exalt you.

Responsorial Psalm

______________

55:7-8, 9-10a, 10b-11a, 23

R.    (23a)  Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.

And I say, “Had I but wings like a dove,

I would fly away and be at rest.

Far away I would flee;

I would lodge in the wilderness.”

R.    Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.

“I would wait for him who saves me

from the violent storm and the tempest.”

Engulf them, O Lord; divide their counsels.

R.    Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.

In the city I see violence and strife,

day and night they prowl about upon its walls.

R.    Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.

Cast your care upon the LORD,

and he will support you;

never will he permit the just man to be disturbed.

R.    Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.

Alleluia

_______

Gal 6:14

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

May I never boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,

through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

________

Mk 9:30-37

Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee,

but he did not wish anyone to know about it.

He was teaching his disciples and telling them,

“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men

and they will kill him,

and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.”

But they did not understand the saying,

and they were afraid to question him.

They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house,

he began to ask them,

“What were you arguing about on the way?”

But they remained silent.

For they had been discussing among themselves on the way

who was the greatest.

Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them,

“If anyone wishes to be first,   

he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”

Taking a child, he placed it in their midst,   

and putting his arms around it, he said to them,

“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;

and whoever receives me,

receives not me but the One who sent me.”

***

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

In the first reading, people are arguing, fighting, coveting, and unsatisfied with their position. They are focused on worldly things, which are unsatisfactory, instead of focusing on spiritual things. If they would ask God for what they truly need, they would be satisfied, but they go against God by coveting things of the world. They love the world and do not love God, and without God there is no satisfaction. If the Lord does not build a house, then in vain do the builders labor.  The fighting and the focus on the world actively turns them away from God, who could be their support. If they would, as the psalm suggests, throw their cares on the Lord, he would support them, but they choose instead to put their energies and focus elsewhere, and they get no support, and no satisfaction.

And the disciples themselves are no better. They fight amongst themselves over who is the greater. They are fighting with each other and coveting position and thinking of more worldly issues, even as Jesus is telling them one of the most important aspects of the religion. He is telling them that he will die and rise from the dead, but they did not understand what he was saying and what he meant, so they squabbled amongst themselves over who was most important in their group. Don’t people today still ignore the bigger issues of the faith and instead squabble over details and issues of politics and over who is most important. When Jesus finds out that his own people have been ignoring his teaching and instead fighting with each other over importance, he gives a lesson on what is important. He says that the greatest is not the richest or most powerful, the greatest is the most helpful: the opposite of the one at the top. He brings in a child – the least powerful, most vulnerable – someone who can give no benefit but requires the most help. And he says whoever helps a child, the least important of people, will be receiving Jesus and God himself.

Instead of hating each other, we should be loving God, and the best way to love God is to love his people. What better way to show God our appreciation than to appreciate and respect, even love, his creation. Loving each other, treating each other decently – even the poor, especially the poor – is the best way to have satisfaction in our lives. Those who love the lowest, least important people, those who give with no expectation of benefit, will receive the greatest benefit. The things of the world are not the most satisfying, but the love of God can satisfy all.

***

SAINT OF THE DAY

St Christobal Magallanes and Companions

(July 30, 1869-May 25, 1927; Companions d. between 1915 and 1937)

Saint Cristóbal Magallanes and Companions’ Story

Like Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro, SJ, Cristóbal and his 24 companion martyrs lived under a very anti-Catholic government in Mexico, one determined to weaken the Catholic faith of its people. Churches, schools, and seminaries were closed; foreign clergy were expelled. Cristóbal established a clandestine seminary at Totatiche, Jalisco. He and the other priests were forced to minister secretly to Catholics during the presidency of Plutarco Calles (1924-28).

All of these martyrs except three, were diocesan priests. David, Manuel and Salvador were laymen who died with their parish priest, Luis Batis. They all belonged to the Cristero movement, pledging their allegiance to Christ and to the Church that he established, to spread the Good News in society—even if Mexico’s leaders had made it a crime to receive baptism or celebrate the Mass.

These martyrs did not die as a single group but over 22 years time in eight Mexican states, with Jalisco and Zacatecas having the largest number. They were beatified in 1992 and canonized eight years later. 

Reflection

_________

Every martyr realizes how to avoid execution, but refuses to pay the high price of doing so. A clear conscience was more valuable than a long life. We may be tempted to compromise our faith while telling ourselves that we are simply being realistic, dealing with situations as we find them. Is survival really the ultimate value? Do our concrete, daily choices reflect our deepest values, the ones that allow us to “tick” the way we do? Anyone can imagine situations in which being a follower of Jesus is easier than the present situation. Saints remind us that our daily choices, especially in adverse circumstances, form the pattern of our lives.

***

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[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Fri May 23rd, 2025 ... Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter, Year C 

Reading 1

---------

Acts 15:22-31

The Apostles and presbyters, in agreement with the whole Church,

decided to choose representatives

and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.

The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas,

and Silas, leaders among the brothers.

This is the letter delivered by them:

"The Apostles and the presbyters, your brothers,

to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia

of Gentile origin: greetings.

Since we have heard that some of our number

who went out without any mandate from us

have upset you with their teachings

and disturbed your peace of mind,

we have with one accord decided to choose representatives

and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So we are sending Judas and Silas

who will also convey this same message by word of mouth:

'It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us

not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities,

namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols,

from blood, from meats of strangled animals,

and from unlawful marriage.

If you keep free of these,

you will be doing what is right. Farewell.'"

And so they were sent on their journey.

Upon their arrival in Antioch

they called the assembly together and delivered the letter.

When the people read it, they were delighted with the exhortation.

Responsorial Psalm

---------------

Psalm 57:8-9, 10 and 12

R. (10a) I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.

or:

R. Alleluia.

My heart is steadfast, O God; my heart is steadfast;

I will sing and chant praise.

Awake, O my soul; awake, lyre and harp!

I will wake the dawn.

R. I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.

or:

R. Alleluia.

I will give thanks to you among the peoples, O LORD,

I will chant your praise among the nations.

For your mercy towers to the heavens,

and your faithfulness to the skies.

Be exalted above the heavens, O God;

above all the earth be your glory!

R. I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Alleluia

--------

John 15:15b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

I call you my friends, says the Lord,

for I have made known to you all that the Father has told me.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

---------

John 15:12-17

Jesus said to his disciples:

"This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.

No one has greater love than this,

to lay down one's life for one's friends.

You are my friends if you do what I command you.

I no longer call you slaves,

because a slave does not know what his master is doing.

I have called you friends,

because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.

It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you

and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,

so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.

This I command you: love one another."

***

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

This Gospel reading must be one of my favorites. Not just because the message is impactful and clear, but because there are several beautiful hymns that reference this scripture. I myself have sung one such hymn at several weddings, which brings me back to when I was learning about what love meant in marriage preparation. God calls us in this scripture to love one another as He loves us… so what does it mean to love like Christ? I remember reflecting on how there are different kinds of love. Not just the romantic love we feel for a spouse, but the platonic love we feel for friends and family or the general love/respect we have for our world and those who inhabit it. Beyond those kinds of love, however, is Christ-like love. It is a love with no conditions, and no bounds. There is nothing we could do that would stop Christ from loving us and rejoicing when we come home to Him. It is limitless- He loves every person the same, vast amount. Kind of hard to fathom… and yet, that is not even the most intense part. He loved the Church (us) so much that He chose to die painfully on a cross for our salvation. He obeyed his father in heaven when he was asked to die, and we are similarly called to obey the Lord’s commands in scripture today: “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” We are asked to lead Christian lives. Everyone knows to follow the ten commandments, sure, but beyond that, we should try to be Christ’s love in the world.

What does it look like to love in such a way?  In marriage, we are called to emulate Christ-like love towards each other. A lofty goal, and one I am sure no one completely achieves. But if I tried to love my husband today as Christ would love him, what might look different? Would I have more grace? Would I be more willing to serve? We are called to love our spouse like Christ loved the church, and Christ loved the church so much he died for it! Beyond spousal love, we are also tasked with loving our neighbor. The neighbor you get along with, but perhaps most especially, the neighbor you don’t. Let's pray ...

Today my prayer begins with all married people, that we may constantly strive to serve our spouses in love, to obey Christ’s commands, and to continually work to be closer to each other and God. But for all people, as we are called to love our most challenging neighbors, please fill us with your Christ-like love that knows no bounds, so that we may be your light to those that need it most.

***

SAINT OF THE DAY

Saint Gregory VII

(c. 1025 – May 25, 1085)

Saint Gregory VII’s Story

The 10th century and the first half of the 11th were dark days for the Church, partly because the papacy was the pawn of various Roman families. In 1049, things began to change when Pope Leo IX, a reformer, was elected. He brought a young monk named Hildebrand to Rome as his counselor and special representative on important missions. Hildebrand was to become Gregory VII.

Three evils plagued the Church then: simony–the buying and selling of sacred offices and things; the unlawful marriage of the clergy; and lay investiture—kings and nobles controlling the appointment of Church officials. To all of these Hildebrand directed his reformer’s attention, first as counselor to the popes and later as pope himself.

Gregory’s papal letters stress the role of the bishop of Rome as the vicar of Christ and the visible center of unity in the Church. He is well known for his long dispute with Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV over who should control the selection of bishops and abbots.

Gregory fiercely resisted any attack on the liberty of the Church. For this he suffered and finally died in exile. He said, “I have loved justice and hated iniquity; therefore, I die in exile.” Thirty years later the Church finally won its struggle against lay investiture. The liturgical feast of Saint Gregory VII is celebrated on May 25.

Reflection

----------

The Gregorian Reform, a milestone in the history of Christ’s Church, was named after this man who tried to extricate the papacy and the whole Church from undue control by civil rulers. Against an unhealthy Church nationalism in some areas, Gregory reasserted the unity of the whole Church based on Christ, and expressed in the bishop of Rome, the successor of Saint Peter.

***

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[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Mon April 21st, 2025 ... Monday in the Octave of Easter, Year C

Reading I

----------

Acts 2:14, 22-33

On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up with the Eleven,

raised his voice, and proclaimed:

“You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem.

Let this be known to you, and listen to my words.

“You who are children of Israel, hear these words.

Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by God

with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs,

which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know.

This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God,

you killed, using lawless men to crucify him.

But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death,

because it was impossible for him to be held by it.

For David says of him:

I saw the Lord ever before me,

with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted;

my flesh, too, will dwell in hope,

because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,

nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption.

You have made known to me the paths of life;

you will fill me with joy in your presence.

My brothers, one can confidently say to you

about the patriarch David that he died and was buried,

and his tomb is in our midst to this day.

But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him

that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne,

he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ,

that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld

nor did his flesh see corruption.

God raised this Jesus;

of this we are all witnesses.

Exalted at the right hand of God,

he poured forth the promise of the Holy Spirit

that he received from the Father, as you both see and hear.”

Responsorial Psalm

--------------

Psalm 16:1-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

R. (1) Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;

I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.”

O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,

you it is who hold fast my lot.

R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

or:

R. Alleluia.

I bless the LORD who counsels me;

even in the night my heart exhorts me.

I set the LORD ever before me;

with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,

my body, too, abides in confidence;

Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,

nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.

R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

or:

R. Alleluia.

You will show me the path to life,

fullness of joys in your presence,

the delights at your right hand forever.

R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Sequence-- optional

-----------

Victimae paschali laudes

Christians, to the Paschal Victim

            Offer your thankful praises!

A Lamb the sheep redeems;

            Christ, who only is sinless,

            Reconciles sinners to the Father.

Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous:

            The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.

Speak, Mary, declaring

            What you saw, wayfaring.

“The tomb of Christ, who is living,

            The glory of Jesus’ resurrection;

bright angels attesting,

            The shroud and napkin resting.

Yes, Christ my hope is arisen;

            to Galilee he goes before you.”

Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.

            Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!

            Amen. Alleluia.

Alleluia

---------

Psalm 118:24

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

This is the day the LORD has made;

let us be glad and rejoice in it.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

-----------

Matthew 28:8-15

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb,

fearful yet overjoyed,

and ran to announce the news to his disciples.

And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.

They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.

Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid.

Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,

and there they will see me.”

While they were going, some of the guard went into the city

and told the chief priests all that had happened.

The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel;

then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,

telling them, “You are to say,

‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’

And if this gets to the ears of the governor,

we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”

The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed.

And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day.

***

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

Each of our four Gospels share various stories about Jesus’ resurrection. We read and hear from Matthew’s account in our Eucharistic liturgy for today. There are two pictures, two differing and opposing narratives.

Two Mary’s go to the tomb and a brightly arrayed angel easily rolls back the stone blocking the tomb’s entrance and actually sits right down on it. He invites the two searchers to have a look-see and behold there was nothing to behold except nothing, no-body.

The tomb was empty, but the stone first placed there upon His burial was still there when the women arrived. It might be that the Resurrection happened without physical evidence such as His footprints, His bloody garment. Rather than stand there questioning the angel urged them to leave with fear and yet excitement. On their way, more beholding! Jesus meets and greets them, but not much time spent showing Jesus homage. “Keep going to My followers and I will spend time with them back in Galilee.”  They would, of course, want answers, but what they get is missioning. They just cannot explain what they have experienced. They are the first post-resurrection ministers!

The second little account is the post-resurrection bribery story. The two Mary’s had no explanation. The guards have their mission trip into the city to explain something they too cannot understand. The tension rises. The elders fix a plausible story and give money to the soldiers to keep their mouths shut and that was their mission. The two women are to speak of the Resurrection and the Roman soldiers are to keep it to themselves.

The Church these past two days have been doing lots of prayerful singing. The two Mary’s go off humming, “How can I keep from singing”. The guards spend their money and lives humming “Within the sound of silence”.

So here’s our Eastering. The invitation is clear, keep singing, keep wondering, keep living without clear explanations and ego-centered demands to know. We too have the option to keep Jesus in the tomb of our fears, “not being enough, what will people say, will I be successful.”

The guards lived in the silence of fear and yet wonder about what really happened back there. Easter Monday is a very good day to be untombed and freed from various forms of silence and perhaps shame. Jesus rises every time we speak with words and gestures of the love and freedom outside our tombs.

Happy singing, Alleluia.  

***

SAINT OF THE DAY

Saint Anselm

(1033 – April 21, 1109)

Saint Anselm’s Story

Indifferent toward religion as a young man, Anselm became one of the Church’s greatest theologians and leaders. He received the title “Father of Scholasticism” for his attempt to analyze and illumine the truths of faith through the aid of reason.

At 15, Anselm wanted to enter a monastery, but was refused acceptance because of his father’s opposition. Twelve years later, after careless disinterest in religion and years of worldly living, he finally fulfilled his desire to be a monk. He entered the monastery of Bec in Normandy, was elected prior three years later, and 15 years later, was unanimously chosen abbot.

Considered an original and independent thinker, Anselm was admired for his patience, gentleness, and teaching skill. Under his leadership, the Abbey of Bec became a monastic school, influential in philosophical and theological studies.

During these years, at the community’s request, Anselm began publishing his theological works, comparable to those of Saint Augustine. His best-known work is the book Cur Deus Homo (“Why God Became Man”).

Against his will, Anselm was appointed archbishop of Canterbury in 1093, at age 60. His appointment was opposed at first by England’s King William Rufus and later accepted. Rufus persistently refused to cooperate with efforts to reform the Church.

Anselm finally went into voluntary exile until Rufus died in 1100. He was then recalled to England by Rufus’ brother and successor, Henry I. Disagreeing fearlessly with Henry over the king’s insistence on investing England’s bishops, Anselm spent another three years in exile in Rome.

His care and concern extended to the very poorest people. Opposing the slave trade, Anselm obtained from the national council at Westminster the passage of a resolution prohibiting the sale of human beings.

Reflection

----------

Like every true follower of Christ, Anselm had to carry his cross, especially in the form of opposition and conflict with those in political control. Though personally a mild and gentle man and a lover of peace, he would not back off from conflict and persecution when principles were at stake.

***

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[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Fri April 18th, 2025 ... Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion, Year C

Reading I

-------------

Isaiah 52:13—53:12

See, my servant shall prosper,

            he shall be raised high and greatly exalted.

Even as many were amazed at him--

            so marred was his look beyond human semblance

            and his appearance beyond that of the sons of man--

so shall he startle many nations,

            because of him kings shall stand speechless;

for those who have not been told shall see,

            those who have not heard shall ponder it.

Who would believe what we have heard?

            To whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

He grew up like a sapling before him,

            like a shoot from the parched earth;

there was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him,

            nor appearance that would attract us to him.

He was spurned and avoided by people,

            a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity,

one of those from whom people hide their faces,

            spurned, and we held him in no esteem.

Yet it was our infirmities that he bore,

            our sufferings that he endured,

while we thought of him as stricken,

            as one smitten by God and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our offenses,

            crushed for our sins;

upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole,

            by his stripes we were healed.

We had all gone astray like sheep,

            each following his own way;

but the LORD laid upon him

            the guilt of us all.

Though he was harshly treated, he submitted

            and opened not his mouth;

like a lamb led to the slaughter

            or a sheep before the shearers,

            he was silent and opened not his mouth.

Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away,

            and who would have thought any more of his destiny?

When he was cut off from the land of the living,

            and smitten for the sin of his people,

a grave was assigned him among the wicked

            and a burial place with evildoers,

though he had done no wrong

            nor spoken any falsehood.

But the LORD was pleased

            to crush him in infirmity.

If he gives his life as an offering for sin,

            he shall see his descendants in a long life,

            and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.

Because of his affliction

            he shall see the light in fullness of days;

through his suffering, my servant shall justify many,

            and their guilt he shall bear.

Therefore I will give him his portion among the great,

            and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty,

because he surrendered himself to death

            and was counted among the wicked;

and he shall take away the sins of many,

            and win pardon for their offenses.

Responsorial Psalm

---------------

Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17, 25

R   (Lk 23:46) Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

In you, O LORD, I take refuge;

            let me never be put to shame.

In your justice rescue me.

            Into your hands I commend my spirit;

you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.

R   Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

For all my foes I am an object of reproach,

            a laughingstock to my neighbors, and a dread to my friends;

they who see me abroad flee from me.

            I am forgotten like the unremembered dead;

I am like a dish that is broken.

R  Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

But my trust is in you, O LORD;

            I say, “You are my God.

In your hands is my destiny; rescue me

            from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.”

R  Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

Let your face shine upon your servant;

            save me in your kindness.

Take courage and be stouthearted,

            all you who hope in the LORD.

R Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

Reading II

--------------

Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9

Brothers and sisters:

Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens,

Jesus, the Son of God,

let us hold fast to our confession.

For we do not have a high priest

who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,

but one who has similarly been tested in every way,

yet without sin.

So let us confidently approach the throne of grace

to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.

In the days when Christ was in the flesh,

he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears

to the one who was able to save him from death,

and he was heard because of his reverence.

Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;

and when he was made perfect,

he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

Verse Before the Gospel

-----------

Philippians 2:8-9

Christ became obedient to the point of death,

even death on a cross.

Because of this, God greatly exalted him

and bestowed on him the name which is above every other name.

The passion narratives are proclaimed in full so that all see vividly the love of Christ for each person. In light of this, the crimes during the Passion of Christ cannot be attributed, in either preaching or catechesis, indiscriminately to all Jews of that time, nor to Jews today. The Jewish people should not be referred to as though rejected or cursed, as if this view followed from Scripture. The Church ever keeps in mind that Jesus, his mother Mary, and the apostles all were Jewish. As the Church has always held, Christ freely suffered his passion and death because of the sins of all, that all might be saved.

 

Gospel

-----------

John 18:1—19:42

Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley

to where there was a garden,

into which he and his disciples entered.

Judas his betrayer also knew the place,

because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.

So Judas got a band of soldiers and guards

from the chief priests and the Pharisees

and went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.

Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him,

went out and said to them, “Whom are you looking for?”

They answered him, “Jesus the Nazorean.”

He said to them, “I AM.”

Judas his betrayer was also with them.

When he said to them, “I AM, “

they turned away and fell to the ground.

So he again asked them,

“Whom are you looking for?”

They said, “Jesus the Nazorean.”

Jesus answered,

“I told you that I AM.

So if you are looking for me, let these men go.”

This was to fulfill what he had said,

“I have not lost any of those you gave me.”

Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it,

struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear.

The slave’s name was Malchus.

Jesus said to Peter,

“Put your sword into its scabbard.

Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?”

So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewish guards seized Jesus,

bound him, and brought him to Annas first.

He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,

who was high priest that year.

It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jews

that it was better that one man should die rather than the people.

Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus.

Now the other disciple was known to the high priest,

and he entered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus.

But Peter stood at the gate outside.

So the other disciple, the acquaintance of the high priest,

went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in.

Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter,

“You are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?”

He said, “I am not.”

Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire

that they had made, because it was cold,

and were warming themselves.

Peter was also standing there keeping warm.

The high priest questioned Jesus

about his disciples and about his doctrine.

Jesus answered him,

“I have spoken publicly to the world.

I have always taught in a synagogue

or in the temple area where all the Jews gather,

and in secret I have said nothing.  Why ask me?

Ask those who heard me what I said to them.

They know what I said.”

When he had said this,

one of the temple guards standing there struck Jesus and said,

“Is this the way you answer the high priest?”

Jesus answered him,

“If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong;

but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?”

Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Now Simon Peter was standing there keeping warm.

And they said to him,

“You are not one of his disciples, are you?”

He denied it and said,

“I am not.”

One of the slaves of the high priest,

a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said,

“Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?”

Again Peter denied it.

And immediately the cock crowed.

Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium.

It was morning.

And they themselves did not enter the praetorium,

in order not to be defiled so that they could eat the Passover.

So Pilate came out to them and said,

“What charge do you bring against this man?”

They answered and said to him,

“If he were not a criminal,

we would not have handed him over to you.”

At this, Pilate said to them,

“Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law.”

The Jews answered him,

“We do not have the right to execute anyone, “

in order that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled

that he said indicating the kind of death he would die.

So Pilate went back into the praetorium

and summoned Jesus and said to him,

“Are you the King of the Jews?”

Jesus answered,

“Do you say this on your own

or have others told you about me?”

Pilate answered,

“I am not a Jew, am I?

Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.

What have you done?”

Jesus answered,

“My kingdom does not belong to this world.

If my kingdom did belong to this world,

my attendants would be fighting

to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.

But as it is, my kingdom is not here.”

So Pilate said to him,

“Then you are a king?”

Jesus answered,

“You say I am a king.

For this I was born and for this I came into the world,

to testify to the truth.

Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

When he had said this,

he again went out to the Jews and said to them,

“I find no guilt in him.

But you have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at Passover.

Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

They cried out again,

“Not this one but Barabbas!”

Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged.

And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head,

and clothed him in a purple cloak,

and they came to him and said,

“Hail, King of the Jews!”

And they struck him repeatedly.

Once more Pilate went out and said to them,

“Look, I am bringing him out to you,

so that you may know that I find no guilt in him.”

So Jesus came out,

wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak.

And he said to them, “Behold, the man!”

When the chief priests and the guards saw him they cried out,

“Crucify him, crucify him!”

Pilate said to them,

“Take him yourselves and crucify him.

I find no guilt in him.”

The Jews answered,

“We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die,

because he made himself the Son of God.”

Now when Pilate heard this statement,

he became even more afraid,

and went back into the praetorium and said to Jesus,

“Where are you from?”

Jesus did not answer him.

So Pilate said to him,

“Do you not speak to me?

Do you not know that I have power to release you

and I have power to crucify you?”

Jesus answered him,

“You would have no power over me

if it had not been given to you from above.

For this reason the one who handed me over to you

has the greater sin.”

Consequently, Pilate tried to release him; but the Jews cried out,

“If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar.

Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”

When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus out

and seated him on the judge’s bench

in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha.

It was preparation day for Passover, and it was about noon.

And he said to the Jews,

“Behold, your king!”

They cried out,

“Take him away, take him away!  Crucify him!”

Pilate said to them,

“Shall I crucify your king?”

The chief priests answered,

“We have no king but Caesar.”

Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.

So they took Jesus, and, carrying the cross himself,

he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull,

in Hebrew, Golgotha.

There they crucified him, and with him two others,

one on either side, with Jesus in the middle.

Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross.

It read,

“Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.”

Now many of the Jews read this inscription,

because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city;

and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.

So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate,

 “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’

but that he said, ‘I am the King of the Jews’.”

Pilate answered,

“What I have written, I have written.”

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus,

they took his clothes and divided them into four shares,

a share for each soldier.

They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless,

woven in one piece from the top down.

So they said to one another,

“Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be, “

in order that the passage of Scripture might be fulfilled that says:

            They divided my garments among them,

                        and for my vesture they cast lots.

This is what the soldiers did.

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother

and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,

and Mary of Magdala.

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved

he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”

Then he said to the disciple,

“Behold, your mother.”

And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

After this, aware that everything was now finished,

in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,

Jesus said, “I thirst.”

There was a vessel filled with common wine.

So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop

and put it up to his mouth.

When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,

“It is finished.”

And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.

■ Here all kneel and pause for a short time.

Now since it was preparation day,

in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,

for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,

the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken

and that they be taken down.

So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first

and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.

But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,

they did not break his legs,

but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,

and immediately blood and water flowed out.

An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true;

he knows that he is speaking the truth,

so that you also may come to believe.

For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled:

            Not a bone of it will be broken.

And again another passage says:

            They will look upon him whom they have pierced.

After this, Joseph of Arimathea,

secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews,

asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus.

And Pilate permitted it.

So he came and took his body.

Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night,

also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes

weighing about one hundred pounds.

They took the body of Jesus

and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices,

according to the Jewish burial custom.

Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden,

and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried.

So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day;

for the tomb was close by.

***

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

Good Friday presents a paradox like no other in the Church year.  Our readings recount profound injustice, in which a good and innocent man – indeed, the God-Man – is sentenced to crucifixion by a Roman governor named Pontius Pilate, who suppressed the truth to placate a petulant mob.  It is a day of brutality, cruelty, and suffering.  Raw power is deployed in a way that is almost unthinkable, except we know that such power is still at work in this world.  And yet we call this day Good.

Behold, behold, the wood of the cross

On which is hung our salvation

O come, let us adore.

We are called to pause and behold that which causes us to look away.  Behold our God, who enters into our earthly life in its totality, including the horror of death, to bring the gift of life to those unworthy of this gift.  Behold the separation and abandonment He suffered, so that we may may not suffer separation and abandonment in the grave.  Behold His meekness and courage in choosing love instead of wielding earthly power against inferior and unworthy adversaries.  Behold the stronger power of Truth, which lays bare the empty promises of the Adversary.   Behold Mercy, instead of a severe justice, toward us – those who cause such affliction.  Love is at work, which the world cannot understand. 

For there can be no greater love shown upon this land than

In the one who came to die that we might live.

Behold, behold, the wood of the cross

On which is hung our salvation

O come, let us adore.

***

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[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Wed April 09th, 2025 ... Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent, Year C

Reading 1

--------------

Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95

King Nebuchadnezzar said:

"Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,

that you will not serve my god,

or worship the golden statue that I set up?

Be ready now to fall down and worship the statue I had made,

whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet,

flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe,

and all the other musical instruments;

otherwise, you shall be instantly cast into the white-hot furnace;

and who is the God who can deliver you out of my hands?"

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar,

"There is no need for us to defend ourselves before you

in this matter.

If our God, whom we serve,

can save us from the white-hot furnace

and from your hands, O king, may he save us!

But even if he will not, know, O king,

that we will not serve your god

or worship the golden statue that you set up."

King Nebuchadnezzar's face became livid with utter rage

against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times more than usual

and had some of the strongest men in his army

bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

and cast them into the white-hot furnace.

Nebuchadnezzar rose in haste and asked his nobles,

"Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?"

"Assuredly, O king," they answered.

"But," he replied, "I see four men unfettered and unhurt,

walking in the fire, and the fourth looks like a son of God."

Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed,

"Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,

who sent his angel to deliver the servants who trusted in him;

they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their bodies

rather than serve or worship any god

except their own God."

Responsorial Psalm

--------------

Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56

R. (52b)  Glory and praise for ever!

"Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,

praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;

And blessed is your holy and glorious name,

praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages."

R. Glory and praise for ever!

"Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,

praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.

R. Glory and praise for ever!

"Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,

praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."

R. Glory and praise for ever!

"Blessed are you who look into the depths

from your throne upon the cherubim;

praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."

R. Glory and praise for ever!

"Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,

praiseworthy and glorious forever."

R. Glory and praise for ever!

Verse Before the Gospel

---------

See Luke 8:15

Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart

and yield a harvest through perseverance.

Gospel

---------

John 8:31-42

Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him,

"If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,

and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham

and have never been enslaved to anyone.

How can you say, 'You will become free'?"

Jesus answered them, "Amen, amen, I say to you,

everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.

A slave does not remain in a household forever,

but a son always remains.

So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free.

I know that you are descendants of Abraham.

But you are trying to kill me,

because my word has no room among you.

I tell you what I have seen in the Father's presence;

then do what you have heard from the Father."

They answered and said to him, "Our father is Abraham."

Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children,

you would be doing the works of Abraham.

But now you are trying to kill me,

a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God;

Abraham did not do this.

You are doing the works of your father!"

So they said to him, "We were not born of fornication.

We have one Father, God."

Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me,

for I came from God and am here;

I did not come on my own, but he sent me."

***

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

The truth shall set you free.

The truth in these readings hit me like a ton of bricks today. I am not sure I would say do your worst to the king when I could see the heat of the white-hot flames. In the first reading from Daniel, the faith of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the face of threats and retribution is so solid. Even if God did not rescue them from the flames, they were willing to make that sacrifice. I get cranky when Sunday Mass times don’t really fit my schedule. God doesn’t ask me to face a fiery furnace, but he does ask me to find him in all things, to live out the Gospel in large and small ways.

I have to face the truth in my everyday life that my sins of omission and commission are weighing me down. It is those small sins that add up: an unkind word here, paying more attention to things than people, being too busy to pray or fast or abstain, holding back my forgiveness to satisfy some grudge. My own furnace is little flames of turning away from God and my best self because it’s convenient or easier or satisfies some petty urge.

The truth is that it is the small things that animate the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself and make up the mosaic of our lives: To take the time to listen, to care, to do the right thing, to stand up for what’s right, to take the time for thanks, for a kind word.

The truth is we face the tests of our faith every day. We won’t pass all of the tests, but we can work on being and doing more than we are now.

My prayer today is from the verse before the Gospel: Let me keep the word with a generous heart and with perseverance.

***

SAINT OF THE DAY

Saint Casilda

(d. c. 1050)

Saint Casilda’s Story

Some saints’ names are far more familiar to us than others, but even the lives of obscure holy persons teach us something.

And so it is with Saint Casilda. Her father was a Muslim leader in Toledo, Spain, in the 10th century. Casilda was a devout Muslim but was kind to Christian prisoners. She became ill as a young woman but did not trust that any of the local Arab doctors could cure her. So she made a pilgrimage to the shrine of San Vicenzo in northern Spain. Like so many other people who made their way there—many of them suffering from hemorrhages—Casilda sought the healing waters of the shrine. We’re uncertain what brought her to the shrine, but we do know that she left it relieved of illness.

In response, she became a Christian and lived a life of solitude and penance not far from the miraculous spring. It’s said that she lived to be 100 years old. Her death likely occurred around the year 1050.

Reflection

----------

Tensions between Muslims and Christians have often existed throughout history, sometimes resulting in bloody conflict. Through her quiet, simple life Casilda served her Creator—first in one faith, then in another.

***

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[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Tue Mar 18th, 2025 ... Tuesday of The Second Week of Lent, Year C

Reading 1

-----------

Isaiah 1:10, 16-20

Hear the word of the LORD,

princes of Sodom!

Listen to the instruction of our God,

people of Gomorrah!

Wash yourselves clean!

Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes;

cease doing evil; learn to do good.

Make justice your aim: redress the wronged,

hear the orphan's plea, defend the widow.

Come now, let us set things right,

says the LORD:

Though your sins be like scarlet,

they may become white as snow;

Though they be crimson red,

they may become white as wool.

If you are willing, and obey,

you shall eat the good things of the land;

But if you refuse and resist,

the sword shall consume you:

for the mouth of the LORD has spoken!

Responsorial Psalm

--------------

Psalm 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23

R. (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

"Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,

for your burnt offerings are before me always.

I take from your house no bullock,

no goats out of your fold."

R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

"Why do you recite my statutes,

and profess my covenant with your mouth,

Though you hate discipline

and cast my words behind you?"

R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

"When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?

Or do you think that I am like yourself?

I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.

He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;

and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God."

R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

Verse Before the Gospel

---------

Ezekiel 18:31

Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, says the LORD,

and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.

Gospel

-----------

Matthew 23:1-12

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,

"The scribes and the Pharisees

have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.

Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,

but do not follow their example.

For they preach but they do not practice.

They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry

and lay them on people's shoulders,

but they will not lift a finger to move them.

All their works are performed to be seen.

They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.

They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,

greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.'

As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.'

You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.

Call no one on earth your father;

you have but one Father in heaven.

Do not be called 'Master';

you have but one master, the Christ.

The greatest among you must be your servant.

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;

but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

***

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

What does it mean to be washed clean? Sometimes the world feels so complex that a good, clean option is inconceivable. Today’s first reading invites me to reflect on one of my particularly complicated roles in the human family—that of consumer.

I used to agonize over all the tiny moral decisions that make up every day. The thought of personal sin, and the interweaving of personal sins into social structures of sin, nearly paralyzed me. I remember on one occasion trying to buy sports socks and walking empty handed out of a store filled with options. None of them could meet ethical standards of care for the environment or care for workers. I simply couldn’t make a decision apart from those concerns. This was not an infrequent occurrence.

After years of indecision I moved in the other direction. I threw up my hands and told myself my little choices don’t really have an impact. I stopped checking information about products at all. During the pandemic I retreated into a degree of consumerism my lifestyle allows. I justified my fairly modest indulgences by comparison with the excess that could be. It’s so easy to make quick decisions when the click of a button delivers the things I want right to my door.

When my parents-in-law moved in with us a few years ago I started seeing our frequent package deliveries through their eyes. What could we possibly need that required multiple deliveries in a week? What impact did this have on me as a person, and on the world around me? I realized that in trying to be free from moral paralysis I had abdicated any responsibility I had as a consumer. In recent days I have been challenged to rebalance the scales.

Lent is a time for introspection, simplicity, and sacrifice. It is a time to ask God to help me turn my heart yet again, and reform me in God’s own ways. In this season I am reminded that a middle ground is more difficult than an extreme. It doesn’t have the gratifying self-righteousness of absolute discipline, or the gratifying luxury of self-indulgence. The middle doesn’t feel “washed clean.” Yet this is where I believe God meets us.

The historical Jesus himself didn’t heal every person in his region, he didn’t resuscitate all the dead. Though free from sin, he had to live his human life in the complexity of a finite world in which not every moral good is possible. If I am to live like Jesus, I have to inhabit the same world. This means taking responsibility for the choices I do have (both in quantity of consumption, and in standards of production), and not allowing the things truly beyond my control to torment me into giving up. Looking ahead to Holy Week I will let Jesus wash my feet, knowing I will go back out into the streets, knowing they will need to be washed again. Lord, wash me clean, help me to put away misdeeds, teach me to do good, and all of this in the beautiful, tragic, complex world in which you yourself learned to live.

***

SAINT OF THE DAY

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem

(c. 315 – March 18, 386)

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem’s Story

The crises that the Church faces today may seem minor when compared with the threat posed by the Arian heresy, which denied the divinity of Christ and almost overcame Christianity in the fourth century. Cyril was to be caught up in the controversy, accused of Arianism by Saint Jerome, and ultimately vindicated both by the men of his own time and by being declared a Doctor of the Church in 1822.

Raised in Jerusalem and well-educated, especially in the Scriptures, he was ordained a priest by the bishop of Jerusalem and given the task during Lent of catechizing those preparing for Baptism and catechizing the newly baptized during the Easter season. His Catecheses remain valuable as examples of the ritual and theology of the Church in the mid-fourth century.

There are conflicting reports about the circumstances of his becoming bishop of Jerusalem. It is certain that he was validly consecrated by bishops of the province. Since one of them was an Arian, Acacius, it may have been expected that his “cooperation” would follow. Conflict soon rose between Cyril and Acacius, bishop of the rival nearby see of Caesarea. Cyril was summoned to a council, accused of insubordination and of selling Church property to relieve the poor. Probably, however, a theological difference was also involved. He was condemned, driven from Jerusalem, and later vindicated, not without some association with and help from Semi-Arians. Half his episcopate was spent in exile; his first experience was repeated twice. He finally returned to find Jerusalem torn with heresy, schism and strife, and wracked with crime. Even Saint Gregory of Nyssa, who was sent to help, left in despair.

They both went to the Council of Constantinople, where the amended form of the Nicene Creed was promulgated in 381. Cyril accepted the word consubstantial—that is, Christ is of the same substance or nature as the Father. Some said it was an act of repentance, but the bishops of the Council praised him as a champion of orthodoxy against the Arians. Though not friendly with the greatest defender of orthodoxy against the Arians, Cyril may be counted among those whom Athanasius called “brothers, who mean what we mean, and differ only about the word consubstantial.”

Reflection

----------

Those who imagine that the lives of saints are simple and placid, untouched by the vulgar breath of controversy, are rudely shocked by history. Yet, it should be no surprise that saints, indeed all Christians, will experience the same difficulties as their Master. The definition of truth is an endless, complex pursuit, and good men and women have suffered the pain of both controversy and error. Intellectual, emotional, and political roadblocks may slow up people like Cyril for a time. But their lives taken as a whole are monuments to honesty and courage.

***

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[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Mon Jan 13th, 2025 ... Monday of The First Week In Ordinary Time, Year C

Reading I

----------

Hebrews 1:1-6

Brothers and sisters:

In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways 

to our ancestors through the prophets; 

in these last days, he spoke to us through the Son,     

whom he made heir of all things

and through whom he created the universe,

    who is the refulgence of his glory, 

        the very imprint of his being,

    and who sustains all things by his mighty word.

    When he had accomplished purification from sins,

    he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

    as far superior to the angels

    as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

For to which of the angels did God ever say:

    You are my Son; this day I have begotten you?

Or again:

    I will be a father to him, and he shall be a Son to me?

And again, when he leads the first born into the world, he says:

    Let all the angels of God worship him.

Responsorial Psalm

--------‐-------

Psalm 97:1 and 2b, 6 and 7c, 9

R.    (see 7c) Let all his angels worship him.

The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;

    let the many isles be glad.

    Justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne. 

R.    Let all his angels worship him.

The heavens proclaim his justice,

    and all peoples see his glory.

Let all his angels worship him.

R.    Let all his angels worship him.

Because you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth,

    exalted far above all gods.

R.    Let all his angels worship him.

Alleluia

-------

Mark 1:15

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The Kingdom of God is at hand;

repent and believe in the Gospel.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

---------

Mark 1:14-20

After John had been arrested,

Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God:

“This is the time of fulfillment.

The Kingdom of God is at hand.

Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”

As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,

he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;

they were fishermen.

Jesus said to them,

“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Then they left their nets and followed him.

He walked along a little farther

and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.

They too were in a boat mending their nets.

Then he called them.

So they left their father Zebedee in the boat

along with the hired men and followed him.

***

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

As I prepare this January 13th reflection, I am writing at the time of year when many of us draft our personal resolutions for a new year . . . so I had that in mind as I read the Scriptures for this reflection.  For me, this year, my resolutions relate to the question, “what should my life’s purpose be?”  There is a line in a song I like that states “the purpose of life is to live a life filled with purpose,” and today’s readings bring to mind that, for those of us who are Christians, the purpose that should fill our lives is to worship and follow God.

So in that context, here are some of the resolutions I am making for 2025:

Live so that I reflect God in my life.  Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Christ is the refulgence of His glory, the very imprint of His being.  I confess that the word “refulgence” was unfamiliar to me.  I looked at a couple dictionaries for definitions – bright, shining, radiant – and then I looked at other Bible translations to see how they render this verse.  The Amplified version offers the fullest:  The Son is the radiance and only expression of the glory of [our awesome] God [reflecting God’s [a]Shekinah glory, the Light-being, the brilliant light of the divine], and the exact representation and perfect imprint of His [Father’s] essence.

Rejoice in the truth that the Lord is King!  The Psalmist decares The Lord is king; let the earth rejoice! (Psalm 97:1)  My pessimistic nature often leads me away from being joyful or delighted, which means I miss the full gift of God’s joy and delight.  In my self-centeredness, I too often fail to recognize God as sovereign in all aspects of my life.  Too often I am a spectator, when I should be joining with the angels and all of creation to worship God.

Turn from sin and toward God.  Our Alleluia verse, taken from today’s Gospel reading, commands us to repent and believe in the Gospel. (Mark 1:15)  I sometimes find the repentance part of that sentence particularly difficult.  Repentance is more than just feeling regret, also more than asking forgiveness.  Those things I don’t find too problematic.  It is the last bit, though, where my heart and mind must change so that I stop repeating certain sins.  For example, I know the commands “Do not worry” and “Do not be afraid;” but my default has been to worry and fear instead of placing my trust in God.  So I will ask for the grace to trust and to change.

Follow better.  Mark 1 tells us that when Jesus called, Andrew, Simon, James and John immediately dropped everything to follow.  They prioritized following Jesus over work and familial responsibilities.  Too often I have been ready to follow on my own terms, willing to do what Jesus calls when it did not conflict with my other plans.  In fact, I may not even have listened for Jesus calling until after finishing work and taking some “me” time in front of the television.   My song for 2025 will be Lead Me, Lord and I will follow.

***

SAINT OF THE DAY

Saint Hilary of Poitiers’

(c. 315 – c. 368)

Saint Hilary of Poitiers’ Story

This staunch defender of the divinity of Christ was a gentle and courteous man, devoted to writing some of the greatest theology on the Trinity, and was like his Master in being labeled a “disturber of the peace.” In a very troubled period in the Church, his holiness was lived out in both scholarship and controversy. He was bishop of Poitiers in France.

Raised a pagan, he was converted to Christianity when he met his God of nature in the Scriptures. His wife was still living when he was chosen, against his will, to be the bishop of Poitiers in France. He was soon taken up with battling what became the scourge of the fourth century, Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ.

The heresy spread rapidly. Saint Jerome said “The world groaned and marveled to find that it was Arian.” When Emperor Constantius ordered all the bishops of the West to sign a condemnation of Athanasius, the great defender of the faith in the East, Hilary refused and was banished from France to far off Phrygia. Eventually he was called the “Athanasius of the West.”

While writing in exile, he was invited by some semi-Arians (hoping for reconciliation) to a council the emperor called to counteract the Council of Nicea. But Hilary predictably defended the Church, and when he sought public debate with the heretical bishop who had exiled him, the Arians, dreading the meeting and its outcome, pleaded with the emperor to send this troublemaker back home. Hilary was welcomed by his people.

Reflection

Christ said his coming would bring not peace but a sword (see Matthew 10:34). The Gospels offer no support for us if we fantasize about a sunlit holiness that knows no problems. Christ did not escape at the last moment, though he did live happily ever after—after a life of controversy, problems, pain and frustration. Hilary, like all saints, simply had more of the same.

•

***

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[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Sun Dec 15th, 2024 ... Third Sunday Of Advent, Year C

Reading I

---------

Zep 3:14-18a

    Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!

        Sing joyfully, O Israel!

    Be glad and exult with all your heart,

        O daughter Jerusalem!

    The LORD has removed the judgment against you

        he has turned away your enemies;

    the King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,

    ��   you have no further misfortune to fear.

    On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:

        Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!

    The LORD, your God, is in your midst,

        a mighty savior;

    he will rejoice over you with gladness,

        and renew you in his love,

    he will sing joyfully because of you,

        as one sings at festivals.

Responsorial Psalm

--------------

Is 12:2-3, 4, 5-6.

R. (6)  Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

God indeed is my savior;

    I am confident and unafraid.

My strength and my courage is the LORD,

    and he has been my savior.

With joy you will draw water

    at the fountain of salvation.

R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;

    among the nations make known his deeds,

proclaim how exalted is his name.

R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;

    let this be known throughout all the earth.

Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,

    for great in your midst

    is the Holy One of Israel!

R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

Reading II

---------

Phil 4:4-7

Brothers and sisters:

Rejoice in the Lord always.

I shall say it again:  rejoice!

Your kindness should be known to all.

The Lord is near.

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, 

by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, 

make your requests known to God.

Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding 

will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Alleluia

----------

Is 61:1 (cited in Lk 4:18)

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to bring glad tidings to the poor.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

--------

Lk 3:10-18

The crowds asked John the Baptist,

“What should we do?”

He said to them in reply,

“Whoever has two cloaks

should share with the person who has none. 

And whoever has food should do likewise.”

Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him,

“Teacher, what should we do?”

He answered them, 

“Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.”

Soldiers also asked him,

“And what is it that we should do?”

He told them,

“Do not practice extortion, 

do not falsely accuse anyone, 

and be satisfied with your wages.”

Now the people were filled with expectation, 

and all were asking in their hearts 

whether John might be the Christ.

John answered them all, saying, 

“I am baptizing you with water,

but one mightier than I is coming.

I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor

and to gather the wheat into his barn, 

but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Exhorting them in many other ways, 

he preached good news to the people.

***

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

I LOVE Christmas music. I know some will argue that the liturgical season of Christmas doesn’t begin until Christmas Day and that listening to Christmas music in early December limits the importance of Advent. Even so, I soak up all the Christmas music I can get, in part because many of the traditional Christmas songs can teach us something vital about our upcoming celebrations. For example, O Come All Ye Faithful tells us that people are “joyful and triumphant” at their arrival in Christ’s birth town of Bethlehem. O Come O Come Emmanuel implores the people to “rejoice, rejoice” because captive Israel is ransomed. Joy to the World expresses the inherent excitement of the reign of the new Savior. It isn’t often that religious truth is so blatantly and openly expressed to the masses.

This is perhaps best expressed in the famous God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. While the gentlemen celebrate “tidings of comfort and joy,” they don’t do so because of some vague Christmas season or a generic hope for friendship amongst mankind. No, they have comfort and joy because Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day “to save us all from Satan’s power when we were gone astray.” We celebrate on Christmas not because the power of the season will get me through another year, but because Jesus Christ has entered the battle against my ancient enemy, Satan. While modern Christmas songs gloss over this, the traditional hymns highlight that it is the Son of God entering the fight that leads to the joy of the season.

It is for this reason that the priest wears pink, or rose, on this third Sunday of Advent. Known as “Gaudete,” (rejoice) Sunday, the pink candle in the Advent Wreath is a reminder of the explosive power of the season. We receive reminders of the reason for this joy all throughout the readings this weekend, and it is always connected with the presence of the Savior. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all…Cry out with joy and gladness; for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel…The Lord is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear. Yes, this is a season joy and celebration, but only because Jesus Christ has become a human to save us from “Satan’s power.” Our modern world attributes all the joy of this season to some generic good feeling that comes this time of year. Nothing could be less helpful or further from the truth. Christmas is only a season of celebration because Jesus Christ has entered the arena against His ancient enemy, and we know who comes out on top.

What comes next for us? The great C.S. Lewis touches on this in his magnificent Mere Christianity: “Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.” Jesus Christ was born on a dark, lonely night in Bethlehem, behind enemy lines, and now is ready to fight the ancient evil. This deserves a grand celebration. But He has invited me into the fight, into the sabotage against the ancient enemy who had reign over the earth since Adam and Eve. Yes, this season brings rejoicing, leads to us being joyful and triumphant, and grants us comfort and joy. But we still have a role in the fight. The pink candle and vestment invite me into the great battle, where the Word became flesh and “saved us all from Satan’s power.” Between now and Christmas, what do I need to do to more fully enter the battle? Invite someone to Confession or Mass? Get myself to Confession? Be generous with someone in need? Whatever the case may be, may our celebrations this weekend and this entire season lead us into greater appreciation for the Word Made Flesh and our entry into the battle next to Him.

***

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[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Sat Oct 19th, 2024 ... Saturday of The Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time, Year B/Memorial of Saint John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests,and Companions, Martyrs

Reading 1

---------

EPH 1:15-23

Brothers and sisters:

Hearing of your faith in the Lord Jesus

and of your love for all the holy ones,

I do not cease giving thanks for you,

remembering you in my prayers,

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,

may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation

resulting in knowledge of him.

May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,

that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call,

what are the riches of glory

in his inheritance among the holy ones,

and what is the surpassing greatness of his power

for us who believe,

in accord with the exercise of his great might,

which he worked in Christ,

raising him from the dead

and seating him at his right hand in the heavens,

far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion,

and every name that is named

not only in this age but also in the one to come.

And he put all things beneath his feet

and gave him as head over all things to the Church,

which is his Body,

the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.

Responsorial Psalm

---------------

PS 8:2-3AB, 4-5, 6-7

R. (7) You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.

O LORD, our LORD,

how glorious is your name over all the earth!

You have exalted your majesty above the heavens.

Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings

you have fashioned praise because of your foes.

R. You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.

When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars which you set in place—

What is man that you should be mindful of him,

or the son of man that you should care for him?

R. You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.

You have made him little less than the angels,

and crowned him with glory and honor.

You have given him rule over the works of your hands,

 putting all things under his feet.

R. You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.

 

Alleluia

-----------

JN 15:26B, 27A

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord,

and you also will testify.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

--------

LK 12:8-12

Jesus said to his disciples: 

 “I tell you,

everyone who acknowledges me before others

the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God.

But whoever denies me before others

will be denied before the angels of God.

“Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,

but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit

will not be forgiven.

When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities,

do not worry about how or what your defense will be

or about what you are to say. 

For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.”

***

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

It is difficult to write about the North-American martyrs close to five hundred years after their martyrdom. Looking at events of the 1640s with a lens crafted in our own time is a mismatch and runs the risk of incurring in revisionism. Progress made in ecumenism and pluralism since that time was simply not available to those missionaries.

Because it may be difficult to judge fairly the things they did, it becomes important to value their desire and generosity, even if mistakes could be recognized today from our own point of view. It is because of their desire that they were canonized, that they are canon for us. There are canons for a number of activities, such as Michelangelo for classical sculpture and Beethoven or Mozart for classical music, even if artists today do those things differently. A canon is something we can measure performance against and our martyrs’ desire is canon for us, not because of historical limitations of the actual implementation of their desires, but because they were guided by a deep faith conviction.

When we “put our money where our mouth is”, our credibility increases. When we put our lives where our mouth is, we gain maximum credibility. The Greek word martyr translates into English as witness and indeed, in the case of martyrdom, a most credible witness. The value of martyrdom lies in the fact of accepting for a cause what we would not spontaneously accept. Jesus accepted in the garden something he did not spontaneously want to undergo and his martyrdom is supreme witness.

***

SAINT OF THE DAY

St Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brébeuf, and Companions

(d. 1642 – 1649)

Saints Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brébeuf, and Companions’ Story

Isaac Jogues and his companions were the first martyrs of the North American continent officially recognized by the Church. As a young Jesuit, Isaac Jogues, a man of learning and culture, taught literature in France. He gave up that career to work among the Huron Indians in the New World, and in 1636, he and his companions, under the leadership of Jean de Brébeuf, arrived in Quebec. The Hurons were constantly warred upon by the Iroquois, and in a few years Father Jogues was captured by the Iroquois and imprisoned for 13 months. His letters and journals tell how he and his companions were led from village to village, how they were beaten, tortured, and forced to watch as their Huron converts were mangled and killed.

An unexpected chance for escape came to Isaac Jogues through the Dutch, and he returned to France, bearing the marks of his sufferings. Several fingers had been cut, chewed, or burnt off. Pope Urban VIII gave him permission to offer Mass with his mutilated hands: “It would be shameful that a martyr of Christ not be allowed to drink the Blood of Christ.”

Welcomed home as a hero, Father Jogues might have sat back, thanked God for his safe return, and died peacefully in his homeland. But his zeal led him back once more to the fulfillment of his dreams. In a few months he sailed for his missions among the Hurons.

In 1646, he and Jean de Lalande, who had offered his services to the missioners, set out for Iroquois country in the belief that a recently signed peace treaty would be observed. They were captured by a Mohawk war party, and on October 18, Father Jogues was tomahawked and beheaded. Jean de Lalande was killed the next day at Ossernenon, a village near Albany, New York.

The first of the Jesuit missionaries to be martyred was René Goupil who with Lalande, had offered his services as an oblate. He was tortured along with Isaac Jogues in 1642, and was tomahawked for having made the sign of the cross on the brow of some children.

Father Anthony Daniel, working among Hurons who were gradually becoming Christian, was killed by Iroquois on July 4, 1648. His body was thrown into his chapel, which was set on fire.

Jean de Brébeuf was a French Jesuit who came to Canada at the age of 32 and labored there for 24 years. He went back to France when the English captured Quebec in 1629 and expelled the Jesuits, but returned to his missions four years later. Although medicine men blamed the Jesuits for a smallpox epidemic among the Hurons, Jean remained with them.

He composed catechisms and a dictionary in Huron, and saw 7,000 converted before his death in 1649. Having been captured by the Iroquois at Sainte Marie, near Georgian Bay, Canada, Father Brébeuf died after four hours of extreme torture.

Gabriel Lalemant had taken a fourth vow—to sacrifice his life for the Native Americans. He was horribly tortured to death along with Father Brébeuf.

Father Charles Garnier was shot to death in 1649 as he baptized children and catechumens during an Iroquois attack.

Father Noel Chabanel also was killed in 1649, before he could answer his recall to France. He had found it exceedingly hard to adapt to mission life. He could not learn the language, and the food and life of the Indians revolted him, plus he suffered spiritual dryness during his whole stay in Canada. Yet he made a vow to remain in his mission until death.

These eight Jesuit martyrs of North America were canonized in 1930.

Reflection

-----------

Faith and heroism planted belief in Christ’s cross deep in our land. The Church in North America sprang from the blood of martyrs, as has been true in so many places. The ministry and sacrifices of these saints challenges each of us, causing us to ask just how deep is our faith and how strong our desire to serve even in the face of death.

Saints Isaac Jogues, Jean de Brébeuf, and Companions are the Patron Saints of:

North America

Norway

***

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[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Sat Sept 14th, 2024 ... Saturday of The Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time, Year B/Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Reading 1

----------

NM 21:4B-9

With their patience worn out by the journey,

the people complained against God and Moses,

“Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert,

where there is no food or water?

We are disgusted with this wretched food!”

In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents,

which bit the people so that many of them died.

Then the people came to Moses and said,

“We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you.

Pray the LORD to take the serpents from us.”

So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses,

“Make a saraph and mount it on a pole,

and if any who have been bitten look at it, they will live.”

Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole,

and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent 

looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.    

Responsorial Psalm

---------------

PS 78:1BC-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38

R. (see 7b)  Do not forget the works of the Lord!

Hearken, my people, to my teaching;

incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

I will open my mouth in a parable,

I will utter mysteries from of old.

R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!

While he slew them they sought him

and inquired after God again,

Remembering that God was their rock

and the Most High God, their redeemer.

R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!

But they flattered him with their mouths

and lied to him with their tongues,

Though their hearts were not steadfast toward him,

nor were they faithful to his covenant.

R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!

But he, being merciful, forgave their sin

and destroyed them not;

Often he turned back his anger

and let none of his wrath be roused.

R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!

Reading II

------‐----

PHIL 2:6-11

Brothers and sisters:

Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.

Rather, he emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave,

coming in human likeness;

and found human in appearance,

he humbled himself,

becoming obedient to death,

even death on a cross.

Because of this, God greatly exalted him

and bestowed on him the name

that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,

of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that

Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Alleluia

-------------

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,

because by your Cross you have redeemed the world.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

---------

JN 3:13-17

Jesus said to Nicodemus:

“No one has gone up to heaven

except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.

And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,

so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,

so that everyone who believes in him might not perish

but might have eternal life.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,

but that the world might be saved through him.

***

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

Pope Benedict XVI wrote, “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea but the encounter with an event.” The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross celebrates the profound significance of the Cross as a symbol of our faith and redemption. This feast invites us to encounter and embrace the transformative power of the Cross, recognizing it as a source of strength and inspiration in our spiritual journey. Let us look at the readings to help us understand how different communities encountered God and its meaning in their lives.

In the first reading, the people of Israel encountered God as their Redeemer. They grumbled about their immediate needs, forgetting the grander narrative of their liberation from Egyptian bondage. Similarly, in our lives, we often get bogged down by daily struggles and lose sight of the bigger picture. Yet, in these moments of challenge, we are called to remember God’s redeeming grace. Just as God redeemed Israel, He extends His help to us in our times of need. The Cross of Christ is not merely a symbol of suffering but a radiant beacon of hope and life. It embodies Christ’s extraordinary love and sacrifice, a love that transcends history and touches our present reality. The Cross is a powerful reminder that no matter how deep our trials or how heavy our burdens are, redemption is always within our grasp. It is a testament to Christ’s victory over despair, continually offering His boundless grace to every heart willing to receive it, transforming our lives.

In Philippians 2:7, Saint Paul writes, “He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” This emptying, or “kenosis,” is central to the mystery of the Cross, and that is the meaning St. Paul wishes to convey to the Philippians that Christ did not cling to His divine privilege but chose to become one like us, experiencing our limitations and suffering in full measure. His emptying then was an act of profound humility and love. Through this act of self-emptying, we genuinely become vessels of God’s love and grace. When we relinquish our agendas and embrace a spirit of humility and service, we become co-workers with Christ in His mission of love and salvation.

Finally, we celebrate the Cross as the source of eternal life. In John 3:14-15, Jesus says, “Just as Moses lifted the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.” Though an instrument of suffering, the Cross is also the channel through which eternal life is made available to us. Jesus’ death and resurrection is the keys to a new life, a life that transcends earthly existence and enters into the fullness of God’s promise. The promise of eternal life is a future hope and a present reality. Through the Cross, Christ extends a personal invitation to each of us, inviting us into an eternal and unbreakable relationship with Him. This invitation calls us to live in the light of His promise, embracing a life that reflects His love and grace. The Cross reminds us that we are destined for more than this world can offer. It challenges us to live each day with the assurance that our lives have been transformed and redeemed by Christ’s sacrifice and to respond to His invitation with our hearts.

***

SAINT OF THE DAY

The Story of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Early in the fourth century, Saint Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, went to Jerusalem in search of the holy places of Christ’s life. She razed the second-century Temple of Aphrodite, which tradition held was built over the Savior’s tomb, and her son built the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher on that spot. During the excavation, workers found three crosses. Legend has it that the one on which Jesus died was identified when its touch healed a dying woman.

The cross immediately became an object of veneration. At a Good Friday celebration in Jerusalem toward the end of the fourth century, according to an eyewitness, the wood was taken out of its silver container and placed on a table together with the inscription Pilate ordered placed above Jesus’ head: Then “all the people pass through one by one; all of them bow down, touching the cross and the inscription, first with their foreheads, then with their eyes; and, after kissing the cross, they move on.”

To this day, the Eastern Churches, Catholic and Orthodox alike, celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on the September anniversary of the basilica’s dedication. The feast entered the Western calendar in the seventh century after Emperor Heraclius recovered the cross from the Persians, who had carried it off in 614, 15 years earlier. According to the story, the emperor intended to carry the cross back into Jerusalem himself, but was unable to move forward until he took off his imperial garb and became a barefoot pilgrim.

Reflection

-----------

The cross is today the universal image of Christian belief. Countless generations of artists have turned it into a thing of beauty to be carried in procession or worn as jewelry. To the eyes of the first Christians, it had no beauty. It stood outside too many city walls, decorated only with decaying corpses, as a threat to anyone who defied Rome’s authority—including Christians who refused sacrifice to Roman gods. Although believers spoke of the cross as the instrument of salvation, it seldom appeared in Christian art unless disguised as an anchor or the Chi-Rho until after Constantine’s edict of toleration.

***

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[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Mon Aug 12th, 2024 ... Monday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year B

Reading 1

------------

Ez 1:2-5, 24-28c

On the fifth day of the fourth month of the fifth year,

that is, of King Jehoiachin's exile,

The word of the LORD came to the priest Ezekiel,

the son of Buzi,

in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar.—

There the hand of the LORD came upon me.

As I looked, a stormwind came from the North,

a huge cloud with flashing fire enveloped in brightness,

from the midst of which (the midst of the fire)

something gleamed like electrum.

Within it were figures resembling four living creatures

that looked like this: their form was human.

Then I heard the sound of their wings,

like the roaring of mighty waters,

like the voice of the Almighty.

When they moved, the sound of the tumult was like the din of an army.

And when they stood still, they lowered their wings.

Above the firmament over their heads

something like a throne could be seen,

looking like sapphire.

Upon it was seated, up above, one who had the appearance of a man.

Upward from what resembled his waist I saw what gleamed like electrum;

downward from what resembled his waist I saw what looked like fire;

he was surrounded with splendor.

Like the bow which appears in the clouds on a rainy day

was the splendor that surrounded him.

Such was the vision of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.

Responsorial Psalm

----------------

PS 148:1-2, 11-12, 13, 14

R. Heaven and earth are filled with your glory.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Praise the LORD from the heavens;

praise him in the heights;

Praise him, all you his angels;

praise him, all you his hosts.

R. Heaven and earth are filled with your glory.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Let the kings of the earth and all peoples,

the princes and all the judges of the earth,

Young men too, and maidens,

old men and boys,

R. Heaven and earth are filled with your glory.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Praise the name of the LORD,

for his name alone is exalted;

His majesty is above earth and heaven.

R. Heaven and earth are filled with your glory.

or:

R. Alleluia.

And he has lifted up the horn of his people.

Be this his praise from all his faithful ones,

from the children of Israel, the people close to him.

Alleluia.

R. Heaven and earth are filled with your glory.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Alleluia

-----------

See 2 Thes 2:14

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

God has called you through the Gospel

To possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

---------

Mt 17:22-27

As Jesus and his disciples were gathering in Galilee,

Jesus said to them,

"The Son of Man is to be handed over to men,

and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day."

And they were overwhelmed with grief.

When they came to Capernaum,

the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said,

"Does not your teacher pay the temple tax?"

"Yes," he said.

When he came into the house, before he had time to speak,

Jesus asked him, "What is your opinion, Simon?

From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax?

From their subjects or from foreigners?"

When he said, "From foreigners," Jesus said to him,

"Then the subjects are exempt.

But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook,

and take the first fish that comes up.

Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax.

Give that to them for me and for you."

***

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

I had to do some homework for this reflection. I didn’t know the details of the Gospel situation about the temple tax and how it impacted the disciples. It turns out that all adult Jewish males were supposed to pay the temple tax for use of the temple. This is for the use of the religious building; it is not a civil tax. When the temple tax collector asks Peter if Jesus pays the tax, Peter says yes, he does.

But Jesus has just warned the disciples that things are not going to go well. He tells them that he will be betrayed and will die, but it’s sort of ok because he will be raised from the dead. The disciples do not really understand what will happen and they are overwhelmed with grief that he would die.  There has already been a lot of controversy, with others trying to discredit Jesus, trying to find things to arrest him for, to put him down and get rid of him. 

Before Peter even has a chance to tell Jesus about his conversation with the temple tax collectors, Jesus is aware that there is a problem. It turns out the priests and rabbis do not have to pay the temple tax because they work there. They are the religious and exempt from the temple tax. Jesus asks about who pays taxes. He says the kings on earth take taxes from foreigners, not their own people. The intimates of the house do not pay. The religious do not pay the temple tax. Of course, Jesus is an intimate of his father’s house, the temple. Jesus is saying that he is obviously exempt from the temple tax, but he will make sure the tax gets paid anyway, to avoid more controversy.

This seems to me that he is showing his true dual nature here. He is wholly God, and wholly man, son of God and son of Man. As son of God he would be exempt from the temple tax, but as son of Man he should pay it. So he tells Peter he will pay it, and tells Peter to go to the sea and drop in a hook (not a net) and the first fish he will catch will have in its mouth the coin they need to pay the tax.

This is a little miracle you don’t hear much about. I think the layers in this story are interesting. As God he is exempt from the tax but as man he will pay it, with miracle money. It’s a little bit of, let’s not make any more waves, things will go bad soon enough on their own. It is also a reflection of Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s and render unto God that which is God’s. While Jesus is here, he’s still subject to man’s laws and to human nature, even though he is really God.

***

SAINT OF THE DAY

Saint Jane Frances de Chantal

 (January 28, 1572 – December 13, 1641)

Saint Jane Frances de Chantal’s Story

Jane Frances was wife, mother, nun, and founder of a religious community. Her mother died when she was 18 months old, and her father, head of parliament at Dijon, France, became the main influence on her education. Jane developed into a woman of beauty and refinement, lively and cheerful in temperament. At 21, she married Baron de Chantal, by whom she had six children, three of whom died in infancy. At her castle, she restored the custom of daily Mass, and was seriously engaged in various charitable works.

Jane’s husband was killed after seven years of marriage, and she sank into deep dejection for four months at her family home. Her father-in-law threatened to disinherit her children if she did not return to his home. He was then 75, vain, fierce, and extravagant. Jane Frances managed to remain cheerful in spite of him and his insolent housekeeper.

When she was 32, Jane met Saint Francis de Sales who became her spiritual director, softening some of the severities imposed by her former director. She wanted to become a nun but he persuaded her to defer this decision. She took a vow to remain unmarried and to obey her director.

After three years, Francis told Jane of his plan to found an institute of women that would be a haven for those whose health, age, or other considerations barred them from entering the already established communities. There would be no cloister, and they would be free to undertake spiritual and corporal works of mercy. They were primarily intended to exemplify the virtues of Mary at the Visitation—hence their name the Visitation nuns—humility and meekness.

The usual opposition to women in active ministry arose and Francis de Sales was obliged to make it a cloistered community following the Rule of Saint Augustine. Francis wrote his famous Treatise on the Love of God for them. The congregation consisting of three women began when Jane Frances was 45. She underwent great sufferings: Francis de Sales died; her son was killed; a plague ravaged France; her daughter-in-law and son-in-law died. She encouraged the local authorities to make great efforts for the victims of the plague, and she put all her convent’s resources at the disposal of the sick.

During a part of her religious life, Jane Frances had to undergo great trials of the spirit—interior anguish, darkness, and spiritual dryness. She died while on a visitation of convents of the community.

Reflection

----------

It may strike some as unusual that a saint should be subject to spiritual dryness, darkness, interior anguish. We tend to think that such things are the usual condition of “ordinary” sinful people. Some of our lack of spiritual liveliness may indeed be our fault. But the life of faith is still one that is lived in trust, and sometimes the darkness is so great that trust is pressed to its limit.

Saint Jane Frances de Chantal is a Patron Saint of:

Mothers

Widows

Wives

***

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[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Tue July 16th, 2024 ... Tuesday of The Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year B

Reading 1

----------

Is 7:1-9

In the days of Ahaz, king of Judah, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah,

Rezin, king of Aram,

and Pekah, king of Israel, son of Remaliah,

went up to attack Jerusalem,

but they were not able to conquer it.

When word came to the house of David that Aram

was encamped in Ephraim,

the heart of the king and the heart of the people trembled,

as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind.

Then the LORD said to Isaiah: Go out to meet Ahaz,

you and your son Shear-jashub,

at the end of the conduit of the upper pool,

on the highway of the fuller’s field, and say to him:

Take care you remain tranquil and do not fear;

let not your courage fail

before these two stumps of smoldering brands

the blazing anger of Rezin and the Arameans,

and of the son Remaliah,

because of the mischief that

Aram, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah,

plots against you, saying,

“Let us go up and tear Judah asunder, make it our own by force,

and appoint the son of Tabeel king there.”

Thus says the LORD:

This shall not stand, it shall not be!

Damascus is the capital of Aram,

and Rezin is the head of Damascus;

Samaria is the capital of Ephraim,

and Remaliah’s son the head of Samaria.

But within sixty years and five,

Ephraim shall be crushed, no longer a nation.

Unless your faith is firm

you shall not be firm!

Responsorial Psalm

---------------

PS 48:2-3a, 3b-4, 5-6, 7-8

R. (see 9d) God upholds his city for ever.

Great is the LORD and wholly to be praised

in the city of our God.

His holy mountain, fairest of heights,

is the joy of all the earth.

R. God upholds his city for ever.

Mount Zion, “the recesses of the North,”

is the city of the great King.

God is with her castles;

renowned is he as a stronghold.

R. God upholds his city for ever.

For lo! the kings assemble,

they come on together;

They also see, and at once are stunned,

terrified, routed.

R. God upholds his city for ever.

Quaking seizes them there;

anguish, like a woman’s in labor,

As though a wind from the east

were shattering ships of Tarshish.

R. God upholds his city for ever.

Alleluia

--------

Ps 95:8

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

If today you hear his voice,

harden not your hearts.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

---------

Mt 11:20-24

Jesus began to reproach the towns

where most of his mighty deeds had been done,

since they had not repented.

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!

For if the mighty deeds done in your midst

had been done in Tyre and Sidon,

they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.

But I tell you, it will be more tolerable

for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

And as for you, Capernaum:

Will you be exalted to heaven?

You will go down to the nether world.

For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom,

it would have remained until this day.

But I tell you, it will be more tolerable

for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

***

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

Jesus invites us to reimagine leadership in a different way. A leadership that begins with care of the soul, for both the ones who lead, and the ones being led. Now, this might be controversial, but I don’t necessarily mean religion as the starting point. What I mean is to place the attention on the part of a person or a nation that converges to the center. That is where we feel the most vulnerable. That is where we store fears, hide hope, and build courage and faith. That is where God resides in a quiet way, whether we are aware of God’s presence or not.

So, what does that look like for us? What does that look like for those who lead, willingly or reluctantly? Well, Jesus gives us the blueprint in the readings. In the first reading, he encourages and empowers, but in the gospel, he sounds like a leader who has had enough. He admonishes and puts his foot down. He even sounded a bit angry, and that is all right. The leadership of Jesus is an example of balanced value-based leadership.

The readings today brought to mind the art and the complexity of leadership. Although important, it is not enough to be a transformational leader who does great things. It is not necessary to be strong all the time. It is not enough to just be the leader who takes charge and tells everyone what to do. It is not enough to just show kindness as a leader but never have the courage to reprimand or tell the truth when problems surface. It is not enough to be the fun laid back leader but never have the courage to take the reins when necessary. It is not enough to just show up and expect that one or two great moments would be enough to make every trust you.

Leadership is a complex adventure into the unknown and the uncertain. So, maybe we could begin from within; reflecting on our sins, forgiving others, and feeling forgiven, so we can hear the voice of God and be led by God. When we are led by God, we can then lead ourselves forward, and then, lead others the best we can, especially in times of crisis. “Take care you remain tranquil and do not fear…...let not your courage fail…...unless your faith is firm, you shall not be firm.” Maybe we could use these words of Jesus to encourage a leader, or even help us stay grounded when we lead.

Let's pray ...

Lord, please soften my heart so I may clearly hear your voice as you faithfully lead me.

***

SAINT OF THE DAY

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

The Story of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Hermits lived on Mount Carmel near the Fountain of Elijah in northern Israel in the 12th century. They had a chapel dedicated to Our Lady. By the 13th century they became known as “Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.” They soon celebrated a special Mass and Office in honor of Mary. In 1726, it became a celebration of the universal Church under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. For centuries the Carmelites have seen themselves as specially related to Mary. Their great saints and theologians have promoted devotion to her and often championed the mystery of her Immaculate Conception.

Saint Teresa of Avila called Carmel “the Order of the Virgin.” Saint John of the Cross credited Mary with saving him from drowning as a child, leading him to Carmel, and helping him escape from prison. Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus believed that Mary cured her from illness. On her First Communion day, Thérèse dedicated her life to Mary. During the last days of her life she frequently spoke of Mary.

There is a tradition—which may not be historical—that Mary appeared to Saint Simon Stock, a leader of the Carmelites, and gave him a scapular, telling him to promote devotion to it. The scapular is a modified version of Mary’s own garment. It symbolizes her special protection and calls the wearers to consecrate themselves to her in a special way. The scapular reminds us of the gospel call to prayer and penance—a call that Mary models in a splendid way.

Reflection

----------

The Carmelites were known from early on as “Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.” The title suggests that they saw Mary not only as “mother,” but also as “sister.” The word sister is a reminder that Mary is very close to us. She is the daughter of God and therefore can help us be authentic daughters and sons of God. She also can help us grow in appreciation of being sisters and brothers to one another. She leads us to a new realization that all human beings belong to the family of God. When such a conviction grows, there is hope that the human race can find its way to peace.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the Patron Saint of:

Chile

***

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[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Mon July 15th, 2024 ... Monday of The Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year B/ Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, bishop and doctor of the Church

Reading 1

----------

Eph 3:14-19

Brothers and sisters:

I kneel before the Father,

from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,

that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory

to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self,

and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;

that you, rooted and grounded in love,

may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones

what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,

so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Responsorial Psalm

---------------

Ps 119:9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

R.    (12)  Lord, teach me your statutes.

How shall a young man be faultless in his way?

By keeping to your words.

R.    Lord, teach me your statutes.

With all my heart I seek you;

let me not stray from your commands.

R.    Lord, teach me your statutes.

Within my heart I treasure your promise,

that I may not sin against you.

R.    Lord, teach me your statutes.

Blessed are you, O LORD;

teach me your statutes.

R.    Lord, teach me your statutes.

With my lips I declare

all the ordinances of your mouth.

R.    Lord, teach me your statutes.

In the way of your decrees I rejoice,

as much as in all riches.

R.    Lord, teach me your statutes.

Alleluia

----------

Mt 23:9b, 10b

R.    Alleluia, alleluia.

You have but one Father in heaven;

you have one master, the Christ.

R.    Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

---------

Mt 23:8-12

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples:

"Do not be called 'Rabbi.'

You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.

Call no one on earth your father;

you have but one Father in heaven.

Do not be called 'Master';

you have but one master, the Christ.

The greatest among you must be your servant.

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;

but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

***

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

When questioned about the opposing parties who were unhappy with his work among the poor and marginalized, a Jesuit who worked for the tribals in India said, “The tree that bears the most fruits attracts more stones.”

We find something similar in the passage today. In the Gospel, Jesus articulates a profound vision of discipleship, outlining the challenges and sacrifices inherent in following him. Rather than painting a simplistic or idealized picture of discipleship, Jesus emphasizes the reality of suffering, hardship, and opposition that his followers may encounter. He presents a clear roadmap for navigating the trials and tribulations of discipleship, offering his disciples a glimpse into what their lives may entail. Despite these challenges, the rewards of discipleship are great, offering us hope and encouragement in our journey with Jesus.

Jesus, in the present text, emphasizes the paramount importance of loyalty. When Jesus stated that "he who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me” or “he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (v.37), it may appear conflicting; however, the underlying message is clear: Jesus wants us to prioritize Him above all else, including our most cherished relationships. By referencing the care and devotion we provide to our parents and children, Jesus acknowledges the deep emotional and practical investment we make in our families. He does not ask us to forsake this love and care but rather to extend the same dedication to our relationship with Him if not more. This is the defining characteristic of a Christian disciple: placing Jesus above all else.

Moreover, Jesus wanted his disciples to take up their cross and follow him. Rather than associating the phrase "bearing one's cross" with our commonplace understanding of everyday cares and burdens, Jesus alluded to this to mean a profound willingness to endure extreme sacrifice, even at the cost of one's life.

Let us ask for the grace to commit ourselves to Jesus in every way possible. Let us be selfless in our service to Him and our neighbor, remembering that our love for God is best expressed through our love for others. This is the essence of discipleship, a life of service and sacrifice that mirrors the love and selflessness of our Lord Jesus Christ.

***

SAINT OF THE DAY

Saint Bonaventure Bagnoregio

1221- July 15, 1274

• Seraphic Doctor of the Church

• the Devout Doctor

Healed from a childhood disease through the prayers of Saint Francis of Assisi. Bonaventure joined the Order of Friars Minor at age 22. Studied theology and philosophy in Paris, France, and later taught there. Friend of Saint Thomas Aquinas. Doctor of Theology. Friend of King Saint Louis IX. General of the Franciscan Order at 35. Bishop of Albano, Italy, chosen by Pope Gregory X. Cardinal. Wrote commentaries on the Scriptures, text-books in theology and philosophy, and a biography of Saint Francis. Doctor of the Church. Pope Clement IV chose him to be Archbishop of York, England, but Bonaventure begged off, claiming to be inadequate to the office. Spoke at the Council of Lyons, but died before its close.

Canonized

14 April 1482 by Pope Sixtus IV

Patronage

• against intestinal problems

• Bagnoregio, Italy

• Cochiti Indian Pueblo

• Saint Bonaventure University, New York

***

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