Sin No More

Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent

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Susanna (Book of Daniel) and the Elders

Gospel of John 8:1-11

“Teacher, this woman was caught 

in the very act of committing adultery.

Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women.So what do you say?”

They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him.Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him,he straightened up and said to them,

“Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

The Book of Daniel is one of my favorite books in the Old Testament.  I love the story of Susanna and the elders. (Actually, I'm always interested in the bible stories involving women, especially strong and faithful ones.) The first thing I think when I read this mini drama: "Yuck!  I wouldn't want crusty old men, however powerful they may be, spying on me, lusting after me, and wanting to have their way.  Disgusting! "  In antiquity, women were treated as property with very little rights. The fact that Daniel as well as loved ones stood up in Susanna's defense is amazing.  Of course, we can thank God for answering her prayers!

Contrast Susanna's story with the story of the adulterous woman.  According to Moses law, both women were condemned to death for the sin of adultery. However, Susanna was falsely accused  of the crime where as the adulterous woman was actually caught in the act of adultery.  Daniel the Prophet saved Susanna.  Jesus Christ, Son of God, saved the adulterous woman from stoning.  Both "prophets" made sure proper justice was observed.  In the end, God's love and mercy saved these women from premature death.

Nobody is free of sin!  All of us do stupid things.  If we were sent to the gas chamber or electric chair every time we committed a "public" sin, our whole human race would be wiped out fairly quick.  It's important for us to recognize the things that tempt us into sin and stay away.  I'm sensual by nature so I know not to be alone with an attractive man (especially in my house) because most likely something "forbidden" will happen.  Also, I know I'm prone to impatience so I stay away from peak driving times and crowded stores and shops.  Overall, I recognize my sinful weaknesses and make a strong effort to sin no more.  Of course, it's nearly impossible not to fall right back into that habitual sin.  I'm always glad Confession is available for times when my sins become overbearing.  

Jesus said:  "Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more!" 

-J.

Rise & Believe

Fifth Sunday of Lent

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Gospel of John 11:1-45
Martha said to him, "I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day."  Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.  Do you believe this?"  She said to him, "Yes, Lord.  I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world."

Raising Lazarus The raising of Lazarus from the dead is the most grandiose and amazing of Jesus' miracles.  Over the course of his ministry, the Pharisees and scribes remained skeptical. Not until after Lazarus' resurrection did the intense desire to kill Jesus become absolute.  At first they wanted him to stop the preaching and healing.  Then they threatened arrest for blasphemy.  Now killing this self-professed Son of God was the only way to remove the threat to their beliefs and livelihood. Just like people today, the Jewish people didn't want to change.  They remained stuck in their own laws and traditions.  Jesus Christ was way different!  In fact, he probably not only angered people but scared them senseless.  Clearly, Jesus rose Lazarus from the dead for "show and tell" purposes.  He knew this grand display of divine power would seal his own grave. However, by raising Lazarus from the dead he proved to disciples and followers that they, too, will be resurrected.  Their final resurrection will be an eternal one in the Kingdom of Heaven.

How is your Lenten journey progressing?  How are you doing on your Lenten journey?  We are now entering the fifth week. It's time for our final review.  Easter will be here very soon!  Have you been upholding your promises?  Have you remained prayerful?  Have you been giving your time to help others in need?  Have you been performing acts of penance?   I know for me it's been a struggle to pray consistently every day.  As a part of Lay Dominican formation, I'm asked to follow certain Dominican practices which include praying morning/evening Divine Office, saying the rosary, and attending daily mass.  Accomplishing these daily disciplines, as well as keep up with my blog meditations, has been very challenging! I know the Lord understands I'm making an honest effort.  That's what counts!  In these final weeks toward Easter I plan to work even harder at my spiritual goals.

Rise and believe! Christ is with you every step of  your Lenten journey.  When you stumble, he is there to pick you up encouraging you to stay strong.  Believe in the Lord and never forget his promises of live eternal in heaven. However, we must continually prepare ourselves by renouncing sin in our lives.  Stay away from temptation! If we do sin, ask for forgiveness.   Don't give up trying to become a holier person.

-J.

Divisions Among Us

Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent

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Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said, “This is truly the Prophet.” Others said,“This is the Christ.” But others said, “The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he? Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David’s family and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?” So a division occurred in the crowd because of him. Some of them even wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

Divisions in Life   Divisions exist among us. It's a challenge to see eye-to-eye on sensitive issues like abortion, same-sex marriage, and religion.  Some parents no longer speak to their child who comes "out of the closet."  Islamists persecute Christians because they pose a "threat" to Allah.  A woman who desires to keep her baby is forced by a boyfriend to abort.....

Unfortunately, conflict is a part of human existence. The walls of division appear to stand firmly in place. Tensions in families, the workplace, and even places of worship leave people asking why?  

 Isn't there a way for us to better handle division? Shouldn't we love one another despite our differences? Jesus Christ has the power and the willingness to spiritually mediate for us.  We should place our trust in Him.  

No one laid a hand  We now enter the final weeks of our Lenten journey.  Jesus is undergoing more intense scrutiny. People begin to doubt the origin of Christ's amazing miracles. Noticeably the crowds take sides: believers of Jesus Christ the Messiah vs. non-believers calling Jesus the blasphemer.  Yet, nobody lays a hand on our Lord. Nicodemus attempts to mediate the issue:  “Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him and finds out what he is doing?”  Very interesting a member of the Sanhedrin stands up for  Jesus.  Again the big question is why?  Saint Thomas Aquinas explains: 

"Nicodemus said what he said because he believed in Christ and wanted to convert them to Christ; yet because he was afraid he didn't act very candidly. He thought that if they would listen to Christ, the words of Christ would be so effective that perhaps they would change like those whom they sent to Jesus....." 

It's natural for us to judge and condemn a person based on circumstantial evidence, even hearsay. Thank goodness for our own judicial system even if at times it seems unfair or unjust. Lives have been ruined by false imprisonment, and reputations have been stained by rumors and accusations.  If Nicodemus did not raise the question to his fellow Pharisees, could Jesus have been arrested that day?  Nicodemus took initiative recognizing the Truth in Jesus Christ which others found difficult to comprehend.  

Never before has anyone spoken like this   I can't help but wonder what was going on in Jesus' mind during the interchanges between the crowds, the guards, and the Pharisees/scribes. Was he scared and nervous?  Did he already know people's reactions? Did he silently pray?  Jesus's words touched hearts; surprisingly even the guards' harden hearts.  The guards could have quickly hauled Jesus away to prison, but they didn't lay one finger on him. They were simply amazed by Jesus' words.

Among the division and confusion lie tiny seeds of conversion.  A seed is planted into the soul.  Do we nourish it or allow it to wither and die?  The Jews were given a choice to either accept or reject Jesus as the the true Messiah.  Even in modern-day, each one of us is given the same choice:  believe or not-believe?

The Pharisees and scribes continued to criticize not only Jesus but now the "accursed"crowds.  Obedience to Jewish law is all they cared about until the bitter end.  Sadly, Jesus will undergo grueling crucifixion as a result of their persistence.  

As Christians, we can choose to remain divided in relationships with our fellow brothers and sisters.  Or, we can choose to work together for a common good:  spreading Christ's message of mercy to everyone no matter what state in life.  We don't need to force-feed relativized "truths" or make people think our way is the right way.  What is needed is compassion and love.  We must work through the divisions in life, taking our differences and transforming them into something good and holy.

Let us pray for one another and ask the Lord, our spiritual mediator, to guide us with his grace and mercy. 

Saint Vincent Ferrer, Pray for Us!

-J.

What's Your Molten Calf?

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent

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Exodus 32:7-14
The Lord said to Moses, "Go down at once to your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, for they have become depraved.  They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them, making themselves a molten calf and worshiping it, sacrificing to it and crying out, 'This is your God, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!"

Gospel of John 5:31-47
"You search the Scriptures, because you think you have eternal life through them; even they testify on my behalf.  But you do not want to come to me to have life...."

Testimony on his behalf Do you believe in God with all your heart, mind and strength?  Do you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?  Would you be willing to die for the faith?  What if you lived during the time of Jesus and heard him defending himself against the accusation of the Jews.  Would you believe Jesus and testify on his behalf or would you crucify him right on the spot?  Personally, I would believe in Jesus without an ounce of doubt!  In fact, I'd courageously join Mary Magdalene and other females as a disciple.  Forget those pesky Pharisees poo-pooing everything Jesus ever did or say!  I'd desire to preserve his life and teachings, spreading his good news all over antiquity....

What is your molten calf?  I find it incredibly entertaining and downright sad that the Israelites,  under the protection of not only Moses but the Lord himself, decided to worship a molten calf.  Ridiculous!  Far fetched!  Incredibly ignorant and stupid! These people just didn't  think.  I guess they got so tired of the manna, quail, and 40 long hot years in the desert that they felt the need to be protected by an inanimate object. Thank God these people (sort of) learned their lesson.  A golden calf is no substitute for God!

The "molten calf" in our life doesn't necessarily have to be a statue of a golden cow placed neatly on a prayer table. A molten calf can be anything that we treat as a god:  money, power, sex, material goods, etc.  Our "-ism" culture makes it fairly easy to "worship" the pleasures of life instead of God.  Who wants to pray all of the time to some invisible "thing" when cash awaits you, sex is easily available, and you're the most powerful person in town? Yikes!

Our "molten calf" gets boring after a while, if you think about it.  A person can only accumulate so much wealth and have so much sex until they become broke and impotent.   "Molten" calves are shallow idols.  They don't love you back.  They don't care about you.  Heck, they don't even know you exist.  God knows you're there!  He's looking after you with the help of his heavenly angels and saints! Why turn away and worship material stuff?

Let us turn away from the "molten calf" that we may cling to and start worshiping the Lord.  Sometimes we become addicted to the gold that the "molten calf" is composed of.  Why don't we join "-ism Anonymous" and make a commitment to worship Our Lord in heaven instead of material possessions/acknowledgements so popular on earth.  Trust me, it will do the eternal soul a heck of a lot of good!

-J.

The Father and The Son

Wednesday of the Fourth Sunday of Lent

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Gospel of John 5:17-30

"I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me."

Are you confused?  As I've written before in an earlier post, the Gospel of John challenges the dickens out of me!!  Not only is it difficult to follow but somewhat overwhelming to read.  I almost decided not to write.  However, today's gospel is so important to our understanding of the relationship between Jesus Christ and God the Father.  

 I need a commentary near my laptop every time I attempt to interpret John.  I can handle Saint Paul and even some of the Old Testament books but John just kills me.  I don't know why he's such a tough read.  I've heard a few men say, "Oh I love the Gospel of John.  It's my favorite. I can understand it just fine."  Good for them.  I'm glad they find it a terrific read.  I find it not- so-fun. (Hence why I'm not a theologian or biblical scholar....) In fact, when the Gospel of John seasonal readings show up I say to myself, "Oh no...Here he comes again.  What will I write without totally butchering the theological meaning?"  Sigh.....All I can do is the best I can.  Sometimes discussing the first reading is so much easier!  

 Hmmm.....I often wonder:  Did the Jews understand Jesus' speech or were they totally confused?  Did they think Jesus completely lost his marbles?  Seriously, all this talk about "Amen, Amen I say to you" "the Son and the Father"  "the hour coming" and "resurrection and condemnation" must have sounded crazy.  I can see why the Jews wanted to kill Jesus.  Not only did he not make a whole lot of sense but spoke against everything they believed in.  The Jews couldn't accept a human being on equal footing with God! How blasphemous and evil!

I can imagine the Jews thinking, maybe even gossiping:  What is wrong with this man?  Is he on an ego trip?  Does he really think he works like God?  What the !@#$? I can't believe anybody would listen to this man as he blasphemes.  He should be locked up in jail.  Better yet, he should die.  Moses and Elijah must be turning over in their graves.  This charlatan is no Messiah!  He's just an illegitimate child of that Mary woman who's now married to a much older man.   Shouldn't this Jesus character be nailing some planks of wood and building a house instead of going around preaching blasphemy?  I just can't take much more of this Jesus Christ of Nazareth.  Maybe the sacrifice of a cow or a sheep will prompt God Almighty  to get rid of this man for good..."

Oh, if the Jews only believed and fully understood the Truth of Jesus Christ!

We need God  Pure and simple:  We need God.  We need the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  The Trinity keeps us in unity!  Jesus can't function without the Father.  The Father couldn't function without the Son.  The Holy Spirit can't function without direction from the Father and the Son.  We must seek God's Will in all of our actions.  That Will may come through God himself, through the biblical teachings of Jesus, or through the signs of the Holy Spirit.  All are intertwined in a mysterious spiritual mix that provide us with the love, strength, mercy, and grace to tackle anything life throw at us.  We need God in good times and bad.  We need God in our hearts, minds, and souls.  We need to honor God if we are to live an authentic Christian life.  


Saint John the Evangelist, Pray for Us!  

-J.

Spiritual Snippet -- Why I am Pro-Life

On Saturday, the Catholic Pro-Life Committee of the Diocese of Dallas will host The Bishop's 21st Annual Catholic Pro-Life Dinner.  It is one of my favorite charity fundraising events.  Attendance grows each year with wonderful speakers and incredible witness.  In 2013, the CPLC  saved a record of over 900 babies!  Praise God!  The message of love, compassion, and healing is clearly being heard loud and clear.  There's something so positive about being pro-life.....   


The pro-life movement is an invigorating, empowering, and compassionate mission supported by God himself. Our Lord loves all of his children no matter what the circumstances.

 Before I converted to Catholicism, I was very pro-choice. In fact, it took me a couple of years as a newbie Catholic to finally understand the realities behind the abortion business.  I erroneously thought Planned Parenthood as a harmless medical alternative for poor women who couldn't afford annual pap smears and mammograms.  For years, I donated money to the Susan G. Komen Foundation not realizing donations go to PP and the "side business" of abortions. I was shocked to learn the abortion and breast cancer connection.  Moreover, since I never knew of anyone personally who had an abortion I had a hard time empathizing with the suffering and pain post-abortive women experience.  I couldn't relate.  All of the media propaganda drilled into my head that abortion was safe with no lingering after-effects.  Boy was I ignorantly misinformed!

 Sadly, especially in my college years, I used to believe women had the right (almost a "God given right") to choose.  No government, religious group, and certainly no man, should dictate what a woman should do with her body...

 How barbaric!  How sexist!  How degrading of women not to have a right!   I certainly wouldn't want to go around barefoot and preggo all of the time cooking and cleaning for some man!  Women's lib is here to stay!  Women shouldn't be subjected to abortion in some dark backdoor alley with no proper medical care.  Legalized abortion protects women.  Abortion is for rare cases only.

(A long time ago I fell for the lies......)

It made me sick to think some woman would ruin their lives forever taking care of some illegitimate child with no spousal support, no chance at finishing school or moving up the career ladder.   At times, I even considered the abortion option if I ever was stupid enough to get myself pregnant.  (I contracepted for years.)  I selfishly didn't  think about the fetus in the womb and how maybe he or she would rather choose to live than die!  So many people are unable to have children yet I felt I had the "right" to kill my own unborn child?  It doesn't make a whole lot of sense especially when so many people are available to help a woman in a crisis pregnancy. 

A woman no longer has to hide in shame....  A woman no longer has to give into pressure to abort.... A woman no longer has to become financially incapacitated if she chooses to keep her baby... A woman no longer has to wear the stigma of being an unwed mother... .A woman can continue to live a good life with her child! 

Help is available!

So, why am I pro-life?  What made me change my position?  As I've grown closer to  Christ, I've developed a love for everyone no matter if she or he is a microscopic human newly implanted in the womb, suffers from mental retardation, or is elderly and bedridden in a nursing home. 

I cannot simply choose who should live or who should die.  It's up to Our Lord to make that decision!  He created us in his image and likeness so he chooses if and when we will die.  

I think about the future doctors who'd make incredible advances in medicine today if their mothers didn't turn to abortion.  I think of geniuses who'd invent even more amazing things technology-wise if their mothers had allowed their babies to live.  I think of political figures, gifted musicians, artists, writers, etc. etc. who'd all make amazing contributions to society if their mothers had only chosen life instead of death.

Let us continue to pray for the pro-life movement!  Join a pro-life group at your parish.  Attend a fundraising event for a local crisis pregnancy center.  Sidewalk counsel in front of an abortion center.  Pray for the unborn.  Show love and compassion for pregnant women who may be confused and don't know what to do!

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you..."  (Jeremiah 1:5)

-J.

Signs and Wonders

Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent

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Gospel of John 4:43-54

Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum.

When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea,

he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, who was near death. Jesus said to him,“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” The royal official said to him,“Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.”The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.

Signs Yesterday, my mother and I briefly chatted on the phone about the 5.1 magnitude earthquake that shook the Los Angeles area last Friday followed by hundreds of aftershocks. Having lived in the Bay area for many years, my mom experienced a couple of quakes herself!  We discussed "signs" of when an earthquake is about to happen.  Even with advanced technology it's still difficult to predict.  Sometimes the only indication is when wild life suddenly behave erratically.  Since nobody knows with 100% accuracy when the next major earthquake will happen, preparation is key.  Buildings are constructed to withstand severe earth movement.  People are drilled on emergency evacuation procedures.  How foolish if Californians all of the sudden said:  "We don't believe in earthquakes.  They won't ever happen again in our life time.  Show me a sign one will happen this instant!" Yikes!  Well, I think past history says a lot about the future especially when millions of people live right on a fault line.  

Wonders  The Pharisees, scribes, and others constantly want to see "signs" in order to believe Jesus is the Messiah.  What if they had blind faith?  What if they just took the word of the crowds and immediately became believers, too?  No, that would be too easy!  We know conflict and dissension is part of God's plan. 

 What's interesting about Jesus healing the royal official's child is that he goes no where near the child.  He doesn't enter the house, touch or speak to the child.  All Jesus says to the royal official is, "You may go; your son will live."  This is sharp contrast to Sunday's gospel reading where Jesus rubs blind man's eyes with his saliva and clay paste.  Jesus is physically present and performing his miracle in front of others.  It appears as if Jesus is beginning to distance himself  knowing his life is about to dramatically change.  People will no longer flood to him with kindness and compassion seeking miracles.  They will want to seek his flesh and blood instead.  

What if Jesus lived beyond his 33 years?  What more could he have accomplished?  We will always wonder "what if?"

Let us recognize God's gifts and blessings in ourselves as well as others.  Let us use a little bit of imagination and wonder when it comes to building a better relationship with our Lord.  Always believe no matter how bad circumstances get in life.  There's something comforting about knowing God is with us through every step of the way.  When the big and small tremors of everyday life hit, Our Lord is there to save us no matter what magnitude!

-J.

Blind And Now I See!

Fourth Sunday of Lent  

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Gospel of John 9:1-38

As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth. He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes,and said to him, “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” — which means Sent —. So he went and washed, and came back able to see.

Anointing of the Sick   My parish celebrated the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick at the early morning mass.  How appropriate considering the gospel reading talks about Jesus giving sight to a blind man since birth.  As each sick parishioner received a blessing, I wondered the nature of the illness. Not everyone coming up to the altar appeared elderly or disabled. Some looked perfectly healthy.  Then I thought:  "How many other people sitting in the pews may be sick but are too embarrassed to stand at the altar? It takes a lot of courage to recognize our own sickness and ask for God's healing!"  

Spit and Clay - Yuck?!   Once the blind man sees, he is asked by people "How are you able to see?"  He's not only asked this question once but several additional times.  I'm sure the poor man found this very annoying!  Why can't these people get it?  Why all the questioning?  Why the drama?  Why can't the people just celebrate the miracle and believe Jesus Christ as the Prophet?  Unfortunately, the blind man's healing only intensified controversy among the Jews and Pharisees. Jesus was stirring up too much dust.

I found this beautiful quote from Saint Thomas Aquinas featured in the book "A Lenten Journey with Jesus Christ and St. Thomas Aquinas"  by Rev. Paul Keller O.P.  It explains the significance of Jesus using spittle, clay and the pool of Solam to heal the blind man:

Augustine gives the mystical and allegorical explanation.  He says that the spittle, which is saliva that descends from the head, signifies the Word of God, who proceeds from the Father, the head of all things:  "I came forth from the mouth of the Most High" (Sir 24:3).  Therefore, the Lord made clay from the spittle and the earth when the Word was made flesh.  He anointed the eyes of the blind man, that is, of the human race.  And the eyes are the eyes of the heart, anointed by faith in the incarnation of Christ.  But the blind man did not yet see, because the anointing produced a catechumen, who has faith but has not yet been baptized  So he sends him to the pool of Siloam to wash and receive his sight, i.e., to be baptized, and in baptism to receive full enlightenment.

WOW! This makes so much sense to me.  I don't think I will ever read this passage the same way again!  The idea of clay and spit in the eyes sounds pretty disgusting, but the theological significance is quite amazing. How anybody could ever doubt the authenticity of Jesus Christ as the Messiah will always be a mystery and paradox.  The evidence was real and very compelling.  Yet, the enemies of Jesus chose to remain blind and closed-minded. They didn't want to admit that this strange man among them had the power to heal:  A power no follower of Moses could ever possess.  

Are you blind?  Are you blind when it comes to your faith?  Do you question everything about God to the point of failing to listen to the Truth?  Do you like to debate and critique those who believe in God and worship him devoutly?  Don't be like a Pharisee!  Don't turn your back away from God!  He loves you so much.  Yes, he challenges us in life but in ways to make us grow stronger and more resilient. I think about the atheists who love to fuel the fire with nasty comments and outlandish statements on the Internet.  I try to stay away from such filth because I know in my heart these "atheists" could not be possibly happy with their lives.  If they were happy and content without a God wouldn't they leave the religious folks alone?  They are clearly blind to the Gospel truth.  They rather live in darkness attempting to "convert" others into their party of disillusionment, ignorance, and negativity.  Christ is a bright light that will always circumvent darkness.  People can choose to acknowledge God seeing the light or they can choose to push away God remaining blind in the dark.  It's a choice.  I pray the people will choose to see and believe.  

-J.

Oh God, Be Merciful to A Sinner Like Me!

Saturday of the Third Week of Lent

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Gospel of Luke 18:9-14

The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity — greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’

We are all sinners  No bones about it - we are all sinners!  We may try to "act" like we are perfect.  We go to mass every Sunday.  We say our prayers daily.  We tithe to the church and regularly commit our time to volunteering.  But, do these actions automatically exempt us from sinful behavior or its consequences?  No way!  We will still say the occasional cuss word, little white lie, or spread gossip.  There's absolutely no way for us to become completely sinless. This is why the Church gives us the Penitential rite at Mass for the forgiveness of venial sins and then the Sacrament of Reconciliation for more serious sins.  God opens his door to us at all times willing to grant sinners his infinite mercy.

The Pharisee arrogance In the gospel reading, I can't help but laugh at the Pharisee's prayer to God.  His arrogance, pride and judgment just proves how truly sinful he is.  He can fast and tithe until he's starved and penniless but that won't make him any holier! If confession was available during Jesus' time, I doubt the Pharisee would speak to a priest.  In his mind, he has nothing to confess.  He's done nothing wrong.  In fact, he deserves praise for being such a good Jewish parishioner.  Not so fast.....Obeying every facet of the Jewish law does not mean that the Pharisee is a good person.  The fact that he criticizes and condemns instead of offering compassion and mercy is not all that pleasing to God.  Yet, this man doesn't recognize this.  His prayers are said in vain.

The Tax Collector's humility  The tax collector is so shameful of his sin that he beats his breast and cannot even raise his eyes.  He stands at a distance.  I think we've all been like this.  We feel so guilty for our sins that we stop going to church.  We become gloomy and withdrawn. We feel like nobody could possibly love us because we committed such a heinous act!  Maybe we aborted a child, stopped speaking to a loved one, or committed a crime.  The fact we recognize that we've sinned and seek God's mercy is a great act in itself.  This is when the healing begins!  Our Lord is ready and willing to pour out his love and forgiveness.  No matter how big or little our sin is, God is ready to listen!

Let us recognize the sin in our hearts and ask for God's pardon and forgiveness!

-J.

Heart + Soul + Mind + Strength

Friday of the Third Week of Lent

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Gospel of Mark 12:28-34

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,

“Which is the first of all the commandments?”

Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

24 Hours of Forgiveness On March 28th through the 29th, Pope Francis has designated a special "24 Hours of a Forgiveness."  All faithful have been asked to reflect on their lives. Examine our consciences.  Pray for mercy and forgiveness.  

Do you have mortal sin within your heart?  

Make an appointment with God in confession.  

Have you hurt someone's feelings through harsh words?  

Make an effort to apologize and make amends.

Have you been jealous of someone lately?  
Turn that jealousy into love.  

Have you turned away from God for one reason or another?  
Pray and meditate seeking Christ's consolation.  

The Great Commandment   In today's beautiful gospel reading, a lawyer asks Jesus a poignant question:  "Which is the first of all the commandments?"  Being a lawyer, was he trying to interrogate Jesus?  I often wonder if a lawyer during antiquity was classified into the group of tax collectors or Pharisees.  Did they uphold the law or did they cheat others who broke the law?  Maybe both? Hmmmmm....One thing different about this young lawyer is that he understands Jesus.  He stops the questioning. Even Our Lord says the young man isn't too far away from the Kingdom of God.  It appears a new conversion has taken place.  This lawyer and those around him will understand the importance of love:  love for others as well as love for God.

How can we better love God and follow his Great Commandment?  

With our heart   Pray for the conversion of hearts to God. So many people live in the world without knowledge of God.  They either choose not to believe or have been discouraged by tragedy.  When we pray for others' conversions, our own hearts change for the better.  In many ways, our hearts connect to one another since we've been created in the image and likeness of God. 

With our soul   Pray for individuals who have died and in a state of purgatory.  Their souls may not be completely at rest.  They are in the midst of a cleansing process.  Sometimes people haven't died physically, but they are emotionally dead.  Their souls have become so harden by poor choices and circumstances that God has a tough time reaching out to them.  That's where he needs our help in ministering to those in need, rather living or already passed over the rainbow bridge.

With our mind  Read and meditate on daily scripture.  Study more about the lives of the Saints and our Church fathers.  Take enrichment classes related to the bible , church history, theology, or even apologetics.  Make an effort to engage the mind in God's message of love, mercy, and forgiveness.  Nothing better says "I love you, Jesus!" than learning more about him and his Church.

With all our strength  Take the time to volunteer in a church ministry or missionary effort.  Courageously fight for the sanctity of life and for social justice.  With confidence, defend the Church's teachings.  Don't be afraid to take what you've learned and apply it to everyday life.  Evangelize God's message wherever you go.  Don't keep it locked up within parish walls.  Love Jesus by spreading his message with vigor.

Heart + Soul + Mind + Strength = Love!

-J.