Saturday - February 19, 2022A double-minded person is one who kneels down to ask God for things and beseeches Him to grant them, and yet feels so accused by his conscience that he distrusts his ability to pray. A double-minded person is also one who, when he does good deeds, looks for external approval rather than interior reward. The wise man is right when he says, "Woe to the sinner who walks along two ways!" (Sirach 2:12) People of this type are inconstant in all their ways, for they are very easily overpowered by adverse circumstance and entrapped by favorable ones, with the result that they stray from the true path.
-- St. Bede the Venerable
TODAY'S READINGS
SATURDAY OF THE SIXTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Lectionary: 340
Jas 3:1-10
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters,
for you realize that we will be judged more strictly,
for we all fall short in many respects.
If anyone does not fall short in speech, he is a perfect man,
able to bridle the whole body also.
If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us,
we also guide their whole bodies.
It is the same with ships:
even though they are so large and driven by fierce winds,
they are steered by a very small rudder
wherever the pilot’s inclination wishes.
In the same way the tongue is a small member
and yet has great pretensions.
Consider how small a fire can set a huge forest ablaze.
The tongue is also a fire.
It exists among our members as a world of malice,
defiling the whole body
and setting the entire course of our lives on fire,
itself set on fire by Gehenna.
For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature,
can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species,
but no man can tame the tongue.
It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
With it we bless the Lord and Father,
and with it we curse men
who are made in the likeness of God.
From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.
My brothers and sisters, this need not be so.
Responsorial Psalm 12:2-3, 4-5, 7-8
R. (8a) You will protect us, Lord.
Help, O LORD! for no one now is dutiful;
faithfulness has vanished from among the children of men.
Everyone speaks falsehood to his neighbor;
with smooth lips they speak, and double heart.
R. You will protect us, Lord.
May the LORD destroy all smooth lips,
every boastful tongue,
Those who say, “We are heroes with our tongues;
our lips are our own; who is lord over us?”
R. You will protect us, Lord.
The promises of the LORD are sure,
like tried silver, freed from dross, sevenfold refined.
You, O LORD, will keep us
and preserve us always from this generation.
R. You will protect us, Lord.
Alleluia Mk 9:6
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The heavens were opened and the voice of the Father thundered:
This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mk 9:2-13
Jesus took Peter, James, and John
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them,
and his clothes became dazzling white,
such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses,
and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
“Rabbi, it is good that we are here!
Let us make three tents:
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;
then from the cloud came a voice,
“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
Suddenly, looking around, the disciples no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them.
As they were coming down from the mountain,
he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,
except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So they kept the matter to themselves,
questioning what rising from the dead meant.
Then they asked him,
“Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
He told them, “Elijah will indeed come first and restore all things,
yet how is it written regarding the Son of Man
that he must suffer greatly and be treated with contempt?
But I tell you that Elijah has come
and they did to him whatever they pleased,
as it is written of him.”
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Words That Make a Difference
My first spiritual director frequently taught that "what you say is what you get." She wanted everyone to pay attention to the words we use, because our choice of words can impact us emotionally and spiritually. In her healing ministry, she had discovered that when people came to her saying, "I'm sick," they were less likely to receive a miracle than if they said, "I've been diagnosed with or have the symptoms of a sickness."
We can either own the illness or take ownership of God's concern and compassion for us in our illness. By choosing our words carefully as we describe what we're seeking from him, our focus shifts from the limitations of the illness to the potential of the healing.
To say, "I have ___," is to admit ownership of it. Which is truer for you? "I have faith" or "I have fear"? Do you have a fear that if your prayers are not answered, disaster will strike? Do you have a fear of God disappointing you? Or any other fear that's based on a misconception about God?
I'm sure you want to say, "I have faith," but when you react to situations that challenge your trust in God, reacting so spontaneously that you don't have time to choose your words carefully, what comes out of your mouth? For example: "I'm feeling very worried about this situation. I'm afraid it's going to get worse." This does not mean you have no faith. It simply means that you're routing out a misconception that's been controlling you.
Write a letter to Father God. Name your toughest prayer request—that situation that has been going on for far too long. Include: "I trust You, Father, but I wish You would ____." Write it fast, unfiltered. Be honest. Be brutally honest. Describe your feelings. Don't hold anything back.
Then read it looking for what you're taking ownership of. For example: "I have fear that this terrible situation will last forever." Turn any negatives into holy words. For example: "I have faith that You care, Father God. I have faith that You want to intervene in this situation. I have faith that You can intervene. I have faith that You are already intervening."
If necessary, use your holy words as a mantra, stating them repeatedly and daily until fear is completely gone and old, negative thinking has been replaced by inner peace.
Today's Prayer
Jesus, with my sight on You, may I walk towards
Your reign doing the deeds that You want me to do. Help me to discern Your
will. Amen.
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The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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