Wednesday - February 13, 2019
One must not think that a person who is suffering is not praying. He is offering up his sufferings to God, and many a time he is praying much more truly than one who goes away by himself and meditates his head off, and, if he has squeezed out a few tears, thinks that is prayer.
--St. Teresa of Avila
One must not think that a person who is suffering is not praying. He is offering up his sufferings to God, and many a time he is praying much more truly than one who goes away by himself and meditates his head off, and, if he has squeezed out a few tears, thinks that is prayer.
--St. Teresa of Avila
February 13 2019
Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 331
Reading 1GN 2:4B-9, 15-17
At the time when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens --
while as yet there was no field shrub on earth
and no grass of the field had sprouted,
for the LORD God had sent no rain upon the earth
and there was no man to till the soil,
but a stream was welling up out of the earth
and was watering all the surface of the ground --
the LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground
and blew into his nostrils the breath of life,
and so man became a living being.
Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east,
and he placed there the man whom he had formed.
Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow
that were delightful to look at and good for food,
with the tree of life in the middle of the garden
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The LORD God then took the man
and settled him in the garden of Eden,
to cultivate and care for it.
The LORD God gave man this order:
"You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden
except the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
From that tree you shall not eat;
the moment you eat from it you are surely doomed to die."
while as yet there was no field shrub on earth
and no grass of the field had sprouted,
for the LORD God had sent no rain upon the earth
and there was no man to till the soil,
but a stream was welling up out of the earth
and was watering all the surface of the ground --
the LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground
and blew into his nostrils the breath of life,
and so man became a living being.
Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east,
and he placed there the man whom he had formed.
Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow
that were delightful to look at and good for food,
with the tree of life in the middle of the garden
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The LORD God then took the man
and settled him in the garden of Eden,
to cultivate and care for it.
The LORD God gave man this order:
"You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden
except the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
From that tree you shall not eat;
the moment you eat from it you are surely doomed to die."
Responsorial PsalmPS 104:1-2A, 27-28, 29BC-30
R. (1a) O bless the Lord, my soul!
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
All creatures look to you
to give them food in due time.
When you give it to them, they gather it;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
All creatures look to you
to give them food in due time.
When you give it to them, they gather it;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
AlleluiaSEE JN 17:17B, 17A
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your word, O Lord, is truth:
consecrate us in the truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your word, O Lord, is truth:
consecrate us in the truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 7:14-23
Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them,
“Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile.”
When he got home away from the crowd
his disciples questioned him about the parable.
He said to them,
“Are even you likewise without understanding?
Do you not realize that everything
that goes into a person from outside cannot defile,
since it enters not the heart but the stomach
and passes out into the latrine?”
(Thus he declared all foods clean.)
“But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.
From within the man, from his heart,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile.”
“Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile.”
When he got home away from the crowd
his disciples questioned him about the parable.
He said to them,
“Are even you likewise without understanding?
Do you not realize that everything
that goes into a person from outside cannot defile,
since it enters not the heart but the stomach
and passes out into the latrine?”
(Thus he declared all foods clean.)
“But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.
From within the man, from his heart,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile.”
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MOVING FORWARD ON THE JOURNEY OF SAINTHOOD
Too often, we readily take short-cuts to holiness. That's what the people were doing in today's Gospel story when Jesus challenged them to think more deeply. Religious laws told them what not to eat, and they thought that simple obedience was enough.
Obeying the letter of the law doesn't get us anywhere, not really. To make spiritual progress, we must understand and obey the spirit of the law.
To dig past the words and find the spirit of the law, we need a personal relationship with the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is not some esoteric, intangible force, but a friend, a guide, a teacher, a comforter, and an encourager on the journey of holy living.
It's Christ's Holy Spirit who helps us figure out what to do with the natural inclinations within us that tempt us to give in to the evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, and folly that Jesus said is what defiles us.
We are all called to be saints. Right here, right now, in our daily experiences. A saint is anyone who wants to spend eternity with Christ in heaven. You are a holy saint if you want to imitate Christ a little better today than you succeeded in doing yesterday. Because of this, you work at purifying your heart so that what comes out of you is the goodness of God.
A canonized saint is a holy saint, living in heaven, whom the Church officially proclaims as a role model for the rest of us. They are not canonized just so we can seek their help when we need extra prayer support. They are given to us as spiritual supports who will teach us how to live like Christ.
What's holding you back from your sainthood today? To grow in holiness, we must first identify what is impure within us and seek God's supernatural help in overcoming it through the special grace provided in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and at Mass. Then, we have to consciously work at resisting new infections that make the heart impure.
The way of Christ is not easy. The moment we feel content with how much we've already improved, that is when we start slipping backwards, because such contentment is arrogance. However, it is good to appreciate how much the Lord has helped us improve. This gives glory to God and moves us forward even while we sit still and rest for awhile.
What are you doing today that's moving you forward on the journey of ever-increasing holiness?
Today's Prayer:
Lord, please give me a strong conscience to discover the evil that springs from my heart. Thank You for forgiving me and washing away my sins. Amen.
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God Bless You.....
Rosary Family
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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