Saturday - February 18, 2023
I travel, work, suffer my weak health, meet with a thousand difficulties, but all these are nothing, for this world is so small. To me, space is an imperceptible object, as I am accustomed to dwell in eternity.
-- St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
TODAY'S READINGS
February 18, 2023
Saturday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 340
Reading I
Brothers and sisters:
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for
and evidence of things not seen.
Because of it the ancients were well attested.
By faith we understand that the universe was ordered by the word of God,
so that what is visible came into being through the invisible.
By faith Abel offered to God a sacrifice greater than Cain's.
Through this, he was attested to be righteous,
God bearing witness to his gifts,
and through this, though dead, he still speaks.
By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death,
and he was found no more because God had taken him.
Before he was taken up, he was attested to have pleased God.
But without faith it is impossible to please him,
for anyone who approaches God must believe that he exists
and that he rewards those who seek him.
By faith Noah, warned about what was not yet seen,
with reverence built an ark for the salvation of his household.
Through this, he condemned the world
and inherited the righteousness that comes through faith.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (see 1) I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Generation after generation praises your works
and proclaims your might.
They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty
and tell of your wondrous works.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The heavens were opened and the voice of the Father thundered:
This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.
R. Alleluia
Gospel
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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When We Think It’s Hopeless, Here’s Why It’s Not
A sign at the entrance to Hell: “ABANDON ALL HOPE, YOU WHO ENTER HERE.”
When we lose hope, we’re believing a lie. We’re trying to be our own god, believing that we know what is best, or we’re letting someone else or even a demon tell us the lie.
There’s a direct connection between holiness and hope. It’s actually a sin to dwell in hopelessness. Of course, there are good reasons to feel discouraged about troublesome, on-going situations, even to the point of giving up our hope. But this is exactly where the devil wants to keep us.
Abba-Father wants to hold us in his arms of reassurance. When we choose holiness over hopelessness, we accept that no matter how long-suffering a problem is, God is with us, God cares about us, he cherishes our prayers, and he will make good come from every hardship if we trust him all the way to the end. We accept this truth regardless of evidence to the contrary.
The biggest enemy of hope is fear. Fear says that God will disappoint us. When you’re not thinking but you’re simply reacting to a problem, what do your actions and attitudes reveal about your understanding of God’s love? Are they triggered by the lies of fear? Or do the promises of God shine through you?
The traps of fear are rampant, but the love of the Father is always abundant.
Fear’s trap #1: If you react by taking matters into your own hands, you’re believing lies about God.
Defeat the fear: One good way to overcome this is to find scriptures that show God handling a bigger problem. Since he did that for those people in the Bible, he will certainly help you; after all, he gave his Son Jesus to you knowing full well that Jesus would have to suffer and die for you.
Fear’s trap #2: If you entrust the problem to God and then take it back by worrying about it, fear is telling you that God can’t or won’t do enough good with it.
Defeat the fear: The best way to deal with this is to see yourself as God’s partner in dealing with the problem. What can you do to help solve the problem? Pray about it. Convert the energy of worry into an action plan. Then sit with it for a while before acting upon it, waiting to find out if the Holy Spirit anoints the plan with divine energy. You’ll know when that happens, because divine energy brings with it joy and hope and opportunities to implement the plan.
Today's Prayer
Lord, give me strength and a clear conscience to follow You, to love You, and to proclaim Your Word even in the most difficult moments and situations. Amen.
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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