Today's gospel turns our attention to the Lenten practice of prayer, with the model Christian prayer, the Lord's Prayer.
The prayer only appears in Matthew and Luke. Luke's version is much briefer.
Luke 11:2-4
2 ...Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread;
4 and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation."
Matthew's version is the one we usually recite
Catholic Study Bible
Matthew 6:9-13
9 ...Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread;
12 And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors;
13 And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.
Some things worth noting:
1. The prayer is mostly about God.
2. It is always "us" and never "me."
3. Most of what we ask for is spiritual. The only physical thing we ask for is "our daily bread", and even that may be understood as a reference to the Eucharist.
In short, this prayer draws our attention upward. It turns our focus outward.
Particularly when we are wounded, hurting, our tendency is to turn inward, to emotionally circle the wagons. This prayer reminds us that that is precisely the wrong thing to do. When we are hurting we need to look outward, remember that we are part of something larger, the Church. And most of all we need to look up.
Our Father, who art in heaven
He is the only source of true power. With our eyes fixed on heaven we can pass through any adversity.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Monday, February 23, 2015
Day 6: The Goal
For the person who unites their life with Christ, death is merely a passing through the door, out of this life into eternal life. Yesterday's meditation was about the moment of decision. There is also at the end of life such a final moment. Death marks end of the time we have to make the most fundamental of life's choices: to accept God's love or reject it.
Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness. (Catechism 1024)
But we must choose the path of love.
Any one who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. (1 John 3:15)
This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called “hell.” (Catechism,1033)
While we call it the last judgement. It is really less of a judgment and more the moment when God ratifies the choice we have made. Notice that the catechism refers to hell as a self-exclusion.
Does God will that all be saved? Yes. But he has also given us the freedom to choose, because love must be freely given or it is not love.
Each decision we make is a step toward eternal life or away from it. The gospel today puts before us the stark reality that our earthly existence will come to an end. And when it does, will we be facing toward God or have my back turned to him?
Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness. (Catechism 1024)
But we must choose the path of love.
Any one who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. (1 John 3:15)
This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called “hell.” (Catechism,1033)
While we call it the last judgement. It is really less of a judgment and more the moment when God ratifies the choice we have made. Notice that the catechism refers to hell as a self-exclusion.
Does God will that all be saved? Yes. But he has also given us the freedom to choose, because love must be freely given or it is not love.
Each decision we make is a step toward eternal life or away from it. The gospel today puts before us the stark reality that our earthly existence will come to an end. And when it does, will we be facing toward God or have my back turned to him?
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Day 5: Temptation
It is Sunday so while we do not fast today, we should still do the prayer and almsgiving that we decided on for Lent.
The Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent is always the story of the Temptation, either Matthew, Mark, or Luke's version. We are accustomed to the long version, the devil and the conversation, the version in either Matthew or Luke. This year we are reading the oldest gospel, Mark.
The first thing that hits you about Mark is how little is said.
Mark 1:12-13
12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.
13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to him.
That's it- no details. The later gospels expand on this, adding more detail, but there is something to be said for the brevity. It focuses our attention on the idea of temptation.
In order to understand temptation. We have to understand sin. Sin is always a choice. It is not possible to accidentally sin. It is not possible for someone else to make you sin. Sin is always a knowing, free choice.
If sin is always a choice, there is always a moment of decision. Temptation comes just before that moment of decision.
Too many of us think of temptation, as the little devil on your shoulder from the cartoons, whispering in your ear. A more modern word might be trigger.
Most of us don't have a long list of sins; we have a short list that we keep repeating. The worst thing we can do is use the excuse, "Well, that's just how I am." As Christians we believe, we can and must change.
The first step is to identify the temptation point, the trigger.
Take gluttony. I am not a sweets person but I love salty snacks. For me, potato chips only come in single serving bags. No matter how big, once I open it, I can sit in front of the TV and eat the entire bag. One little handful, then another, then another.....
So I don't buy them. If they are not in the house I don't eat them. Sometimes we have to know our limitations and not put ourselves in situations where we know we are going to sin. Why we lie to ourselves and tell ourselves that this time will be different is beyond me. Be honest. Admit your limitations. If every time you go out with this one particular friend you get drunk, then maybe you need to go out less with that friend. Or go to a movie rather than a bar.
Second, take responsibility. No one can make you mad. They do something, and you get mad. There are many situations we cannot control but we can control how we react.
This gospel challenges us to take this first full week of Lent and monitor our behavior. Identify the sins we fall into over and over. And then identify the temptation points, the triggers. Pray for God to help you respond differently, to help you take control of your life.
Sin is not inevitable. At the moment before every sin, there is a moment when we can choose the other path. Identify the moment of temptation. When we can see the temptation as temptation, we are half way home.
The Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent is always the story of the Temptation, either Matthew, Mark, or Luke's version. We are accustomed to the long version, the devil and the conversation, the version in either Matthew or Luke. This year we are reading the oldest gospel, Mark.
The first thing that hits you about Mark is how little is said.
Mark 1:12-13
12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.
13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to him.
That's it- no details. The later gospels expand on this, adding more detail, but there is something to be said for the brevity. It focuses our attention on the idea of temptation.
In order to understand temptation. We have to understand sin. Sin is always a choice. It is not possible to accidentally sin. It is not possible for someone else to make you sin. Sin is always a knowing, free choice.
If sin is always a choice, there is always a moment of decision. Temptation comes just before that moment of decision.
Too many of us think of temptation, as the little devil on your shoulder from the cartoons, whispering in your ear. A more modern word might be trigger.
Most of us don't have a long list of sins; we have a short list that we keep repeating. The worst thing we can do is use the excuse, "Well, that's just how I am." As Christians we believe, we can and must change.
The first step is to identify the temptation point, the trigger.
Take gluttony. I am not a sweets person but I love salty snacks. For me, potato chips only come in single serving bags. No matter how big, once I open it, I can sit in front of the TV and eat the entire bag. One little handful, then another, then another.....
So I don't buy them. If they are not in the house I don't eat them. Sometimes we have to know our limitations and not put ourselves in situations where we know we are going to sin. Why we lie to ourselves and tell ourselves that this time will be different is beyond me. Be honest. Admit your limitations. If every time you go out with this one particular friend you get drunk, then maybe you need to go out less with that friend. Or go to a movie rather than a bar.
Second, take responsibility. No one can make you mad. They do something, and you get mad. There are many situations we cannot control but we can control how we react.
This gospel challenges us to take this first full week of Lent and monitor our behavior. Identify the sins we fall into over and over. And then identify the temptation points, the triggers. Pray for God to help you respond differently, to help you take control of your life.
Sin is not inevitable. At the moment before every sin, there is a moment when we can choose the other path. Identify the moment of temptation. When we can see the temptation as temptation, we are half way home.
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Day 4: How we see others?
Hopefully, we all woke up hungry this morning. Today the gospel turns us outward. It is so easy for us to judge the Pharisees and their scribes. But how different are we really?
We all know today's gospel where Jesus is eating with tax collectors and sinners. You should note that tax collectors and sinners are two different groups. Two despised but different groups.
We know that the Pharisees are in the wrong to condemn Jesus but we repeat the behavior and worst of all we repeat it in the church. Jesus says "I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners." But do we really want those people sitting next to us in Church? Do we want them on our parish council or teaching in our religious ed?
Yesterday I watched one of the most amazing people I know sit in open court and talk about her history as a drug addict, felon, and prostitute. The part that always amazes me is her ability to do shamelessly. She knows you cannot undo the past. God has forgiven her, and, because "all things work together for good for those who love God", God has used the painful, sinful part of her past to enable her to help others.
Sadly, I suspect in many dioceses of the Catholic Church, we would run her background check and then tell her the list of ministries she can't do in our parishes. We preach forgiveness better than we practice it. We tell people that they should go to confession and their sins are absolved, but do we truly forgive? Or do we always treat our sinners are not quite forgiven? Sure, there are some crimes where the risk of recidivism is too high to risk, but not most.
Today Jesus reminds us that the Church exists for sinners, not just little sins like saying bad words but the big ones, the ones we tell ourselves we can't imagine committing,the ones that are sins and crimes.
Lent is a time for taking a hard look at ourselves and acknowledging our own sins. It also a time to stop judging others. Today is a day to look into our own hearts and ask, who are the people I still judge? Who are those people I most often criticize? How can I love them?
We all know today's gospel where Jesus is eating with tax collectors and sinners. You should note that tax collectors and sinners are two different groups. Two despised but different groups.
We know that the Pharisees are in the wrong to condemn Jesus but we repeat the behavior and worst of all we repeat it in the church. Jesus says "I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners." But do we really want those people sitting next to us in Church? Do we want them on our parish council or teaching in our religious ed?
Yesterday I watched one of the most amazing people I know sit in open court and talk about her history as a drug addict, felon, and prostitute. The part that always amazes me is her ability to do shamelessly. She knows you cannot undo the past. God has forgiven her, and, because "all things work together for good for those who love God", God has used the painful, sinful part of her past to enable her to help others.
Sadly, I suspect in many dioceses of the Catholic Church, we would run her background check and then tell her the list of ministries she can't do in our parishes. We preach forgiveness better than we practice it. We tell people that they should go to confession and their sins are absolved, but do we truly forgive? Or do we always treat our sinners are not quite forgiven? Sure, there are some crimes where the risk of recidivism is too high to risk, but not most.
Today Jesus reminds us that the Church exists for sinners, not just little sins like saying bad words but the big ones, the ones we tell ourselves we can't imagine committing,the ones that are sins and crimes.
Lent is a time for taking a hard look at ourselves and acknowledging our own sins. It also a time to stop judging others. Today is a day to look into our own hearts and ask, who are the people I still judge? Who are those people I most often criticize? How can I love them?
Friday, February 20, 2015
Day 3: Fasting
Today's readings address what would have been the traditional practice of fasting on Fridays. Traditionally, Fridays were a day of penance, a day of fasting for Christians in remembrance of thar great Friday on which Jesus gave his life on the cross for our salvation.
Fridays remain for us a day of penance, but now for those who are 14 and older the minimum requirement is that we abstain from meat. There is of course nothing preventing us from maintaining the more ancient tradition of fasting.
The first reading today, poses only one question. To what end?
The prophet Isiaiah is not condemning fasting per se he is condemning the result, the accompanying behavior.
Lo, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits, and drive all your laborers. Yes, your fast ends in quarreling and fighting, striking with wicked claw.
The fasting is empty in the worst way if you then take it out on everyone around you. As the Ash Wednesday gospel from Mt. 6 reminded us, it is possible for us to do good things like almsgiving, prayer, and fasting for the wrong reason. And a good thing done for the wrong reason looses it merit. It becomes an empty gesture.
Today I would encourage you to consider taking the extra step, if your health allows it. At least consider reducing by half the amount of food you consume. Offer your sacrifice, remembering the sacrifice of Jesus. Allow your body to experience physical hunger and recall your spiritual hunger.
Fridays remain for us a day of penance, but now for those who are 14 and older the minimum requirement is that we abstain from meat. There is of course nothing preventing us from maintaining the more ancient tradition of fasting.
The first reading today, poses only one question. To what end?
The prophet Isiaiah is not condemning fasting per se he is condemning the result, the accompanying behavior.
Lo, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits, and drive all your laborers. Yes, your fast ends in quarreling and fighting, striking with wicked claw.
The fasting is empty in the worst way if you then take it out on everyone around you. As the Ash Wednesday gospel from Mt. 6 reminded us, it is possible for us to do good things like almsgiving, prayer, and fasting for the wrong reason. And a good thing done for the wrong reason looses it merit. It becomes an empty gesture.
Today I would encourage you to consider taking the extra step, if your health allows it. At least consider reducing by half the amount of food you consume. Offer your sacrifice, remembering the sacrifice of Jesus. Allow your body to experience physical hunger and recall your spiritual hunger.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Day 2: Everyday living
Being a relatively new Catholic when I entered Catholic University I did not have all of the traditional Catholic prayers down. Fr, Carl Peter always began class with the same prayer, the opening prayer for today's mass
Prompt our actions with your inspiration, we pray, O Lord,
and further them with your constant help,
that all we do may always begin from you
and by you be brought to completion.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
When I got to Rome the now Cardinal Valasio DiPaolis began with the same prayer but in Latin
Actiónes nostras, quaesumus, Dómine,
aspirándo praeveni et adiuvándo proséquere,
ut cuncta nostra operátio
a te semper incípiat,
et per te copta finiátur. Per Dóminum...
This ancient prayer truly summarizes the Christian life. Every action that we take, should be inspired by the Lord. Only with his help should we carry out any project. Our every work should be begun not by us, but by him. And only through him brought to completion.
There is a reason these and hundreds of other priests and religious memorized this prayer, and recited it each day. From listening to Cardinal DiPaolis repeatedly I memorized it and this lent I will return to reciting it, and hopefully living it.
Prompt our actions with your inspiration, we pray, O Lord,
and further them with your constant help,
that all we do may always begin from you
and by you be brought to completion.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
When I got to Rome the now Cardinal Valasio DiPaolis began with the same prayer but in Latin
Actiónes nostras, quaesumus, Dómine,
aspirándo praeveni et adiuvándo proséquere,
ut cuncta nostra operátio
a te semper incípiat,
et per te copta finiátur. Per Dóminum...
This ancient prayer truly summarizes the Christian life. Every action that we take, should be inspired by the Lord. Only with his help should we carry out any project. Our every work should be begun not by us, but by him. And only through him brought to completion.
There is a reason these and hundreds of other priests and religious memorized this prayer, and recited it each day. From listening to Cardinal DiPaolis repeatedly I memorized it and this lent I will return to reciting it, and hopefully living it.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Spring Cleaning in the Temple
Mardi Gras is finally here. But we should keep in mind that the Gras of Mardi Gras refers to fat not as obese , but fat as in grease. According to the older tradition no meat or meat products could be eaten during the entirety of Lent, so cooking with fat was forbidden. Mardi Gras was your last chance to eat those foods fried in lard. (Good bye Grandma Utz!)
Today we have what could be called the two extremes in the East and in the West.
For us in the Latin Rite fast is only required on two days, tomorrow and Good Friday, and only for people 18-59. Again, if you are into minimalism, fasting is defined as one meal, and then the sum total of everything else you eat should not equal another meal. That is the minimum required. Plus we abstain from meat on Fridays.
At the other end of the spectrum you have the eastern practice of the Great Lent which would include our Orthodox brothers and sisters. The great Lent is 6 weeks long, preceded by four weeks of preparation.
Two weeks before the First Sunday of Lent is Meat Fare (мясопуст-in Russian), your last chance to eat meat. One Week before the First Sunday of Lent is Cheese Fare (сыропуст), the last chance to eat cheese and other dairy products including eggs, because they come from animals—Imagine, no meat no dairy for the rest of Lent. Lent officially begins the next day, "clean Monday" as it is sometimes called.
Perhaps somewhere between the Great Lent and the minimalist Lent is the place that we should each find for ourselves. The Latin Rite Catholic Church after Vatican II put the responsibility squarely in our hands. The law establishes only a bare minimum and then leaves it to us as adults to decide the level of fasting that is appropriate and healthy for us. Not everyone can do the Great Lent. And the Church exempts from fasting those who for health reasons must eat on a determined schedule.
What is the purpose anyway? We are not merely souls but also bodies. We should cleanse our bodies as well as our souls. We are told our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. It's time to clean the temple.
Today we have what could be called the two extremes in the East and in the West.
For us in the Latin Rite fast is only required on two days, tomorrow and Good Friday, and only for people 18-59. Again, if you are into minimalism, fasting is defined as one meal, and then the sum total of everything else you eat should not equal another meal. That is the minimum required. Plus we abstain from meat on Fridays.
At the other end of the spectrum you have the eastern practice of the Great Lent which would include our Orthodox brothers and sisters. The great Lent is 6 weeks long, preceded by four weeks of preparation.
Two weeks before the First Sunday of Lent is Meat Fare (мясопуст-in Russian), your last chance to eat meat. One Week before the First Sunday of Lent is Cheese Fare (сыропуст), the last chance to eat cheese and other dairy products including eggs, because they come from animals—Imagine, no meat no dairy for the rest of Lent. Lent officially begins the next day, "clean Monday" as it is sometimes called.
Perhaps somewhere between the Great Lent and the minimalist Lent is the place that we should each find for ourselves. The Latin Rite Catholic Church after Vatican II put the responsibility squarely in our hands. The law establishes only a bare minimum and then leaves it to us as adults to decide the level of fasting that is appropriate and healthy for us. Not everyone can do the Great Lent. And the Church exempts from fasting those who for health reasons must eat on a determined schedule.
What is the purpose anyway? We are not merely souls but also bodies. We should cleanse our bodies as well as our souls. We are told our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. It's time to clean the temple.
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