March 6, 2017

March 6

March 6, 2017:  Monday, 1st week, Lent

See 16 connections with today?
Legend below
Listen
For the gospel

    Psalm 19 settings

    Read
    • Lv 19:1-2, 11-18  Be holy; fear the Lord.  Don't steal, lie, swear falsely, defraud or rob, withhold wages, or curse the deaf or blind.  Judge justly, not dishonestly or with bias.  Don't spread slander.  Don't hate, hold grudges, or take revenge.  Love your neighbor as yourself.  I am the Lord.
    • Ps 19:8-10, 15  "Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life."  The law of the Lord is perfect, trustworthy, clear, pure, true, and just.  May I find favor with you, O Lord, my rock.
      • Mt 25:31-46  The Son of Man will separate people, saying to the righteous, ‘Come, you blessed; inherit the kingdom, for when I was in need you fed me, gave me drink, welcomed me, clothed me, cared for me, and visited me.’ / ‘When?’ / ‘What you did for the least, you did for me.’  Then he'll say to the rest, ‘Depart from me, for when I was in need, you didn't feed me, give me drink, welcome, clothe, or care for me.’ / ‘When?’ / ‘What you didn't do for the least ones, you didn't do for me.’  They'll go to punishment; the righteous to life.
      Reflect
        • Creighton:  We can agree with God's commands but have trouble living them out.  My daily examen helps me see when I succeed and fail.  Looking at missed opportunities or times I was neglectful or retributive can leave me overwhelmed and unsure of how to proceed.  Rather than worry whether I'll be judged as a goat or a sheep, I can pray for the wisdom and insight. When I realize I'm a loved sinner, I can more easily live as God is asking me to; engaging from a point of compassion for self and others sets a foundation for loving my neighbor.
        • One Bread, One Body:  "A big 'to do'":  We can waste our lives doing nothing or the wrong thing.  Lent is the time to make sure we spend our life doing God's will, not fulfilling human desires,
        • Passionist:  Jesus never quoted the Ten Commandments or held them up as central truths of our faith; he spoke of love of God and neighbor as the highest commandments, and he tells the story about serving the least of God’s people to illustrate how to show that love.  The command to love your neighbor is the ending statement of a section that begins like the Ten Commandments, but the text expands the instruction, telling us not to show partiality, take revenge, hold grudges, harbor hatred, gossip, or stand idly by when another's life is at stake.  That challenges me, especially because I "stand idly by":
          • Millions go to bed hungry every night.  How can I waste less and give more?
          • Many have to carry water jugs for miles to stay alive, but I don't think much of conservation.  How can I change my habits and also support organizations dedicated to providing clean, safe water?
          • Congress keeps trimming “safety net” programs.  Can I write a letter?  Volunteer?
          • The US has the world's highest incarceration rates, and 34 states still have the death penalty.  Can I become an inmate's pen-pal?  Drive children to visit incarcerated parents?  Advocate for humane treatment of prisoners?
          • Immigrants often experience discrimination.  Can I reach out with patience, a smile, and a kind word, treating them with respect?  Encourage the blending of cultures at my parish, welcome and learn from those from other cultures?
        It's easy to get complacent.  Lord, soften my heart, open my arms, and show me how I can more faithfully live out your precepts....
          The Last Judgment/ Michelangelo
        • DailyScripture.net:  "Eternal life versus eternal punishment":  "There are two kinds of people, because there are two kinds of love.  One holy, the other selfish; one subject to God; the other endeavors to equal him" (Augustine).  Jesus came not only to fulfill the law but to transform it through his love and mercy.  Do I allow his love to transform me to think, act, and love as he taught and did?  Jesus' parable about separating goats and sheep must have startled his audience.  The parable is similar to the one of the rich man who didn't help poor Lazarus.  Lazarus hoped in God, while the rich man loved only wealth.  The parable emphasizes the chasm between the former rich man now poor and Lazarus feasting at God's table.  Judgment day will disclose how we loved in this life:  unselfishly directed to God and neighbor, or disordered, putting self above them.  When Martin of Tours met a beggar who had no clothes, he took pity, got off his horse, cut his cloak, and gave half to the stranger.  That night Martin dreamed he saw Jesus robed in that torn cloak, telling an angel, "My servant Martin gave it to me."  Consequently "Martin flew to be baptized" (biographer Severus).  "Christ is above and below:  above in himself, below in his people.  Fear Christ above; recognize him below. Here he's poor, with and in the poor; there he's rich, with and in God.  Have Christ above bestowing his bounty; recognize him here in his need" (Augustine, Sermon 123, 44).   When the Lord comes as judge, he'll ask how we loved him, his Father, and our neighbor....
        Dress legend
        • 'Coin' button:  Don't withhold your laborer's wages (1st reading)
        • 'Block' tie pin:  Don't put a stumbling block in front of the blind (1st reading)
        • 'Heart' pin: Don't bear hatred in your heart (1st reading); God's precepts rejoice the heart; let my heart find favor with you (psalm)
        • 'Scales of justice' pin:  Judge justly (1st reading); God's ordinances are just (psalm); Last Judgment (gospel)
        • 'Eyeball' pin:  The Lord's command enlightens the eye (psalm)
        • 'Scroll' pin:  The Lord's law is refreshing, trustworthy, right, and clear (psalm)
        • 'Owl' pin:  The Lord's decree gives wisdom (psalm)
        • 'Rock' tie pin:  Lord, my Rock (psalm)
        • 'Angel' pin:  "When the Son of Man comes, and the angels..." (gospel)
        • 'Sheep' tie bar:  The Son of Man will separate sheep from goats (gospel)
        • Blue shirt:  I was thirsty and you gave me drink (gospel)
        • [Naked] 'skeleton' tie pin:  I was naked and you clothed me (gospel)
        • 'Fire' pin:  Depart into the eternal fire, for you didn't help me when I was in need (gospel)
        Posted by at

        No comments:

        Post a Comment

        Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)