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Monday, March 22, 2021

..He Straightened Up ... †

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Trusting God's Justice

"I entrust myself to you because you do not disappoint; I do not understand, but even without understanding, I entrust myself to your hands.—Pope Francis

The plight of Susanna in today's first reading from the Book of Daniel (13:1-62) is familiar to anyone who has been abused by someone with greater power, more authority, a high reputation in the community. The judges used their position to take advantage of someone with no power, no voice, seemingly no defense. In a similar way, the woman in our Gospel reading is brought before Jesus by those who are more interested in defending their authority than in treating her as a fellow human being. In each case, someone steps forward to defend the innocent, to raise up the oppressed, to speak for justice and righteousness. But we know all too well that this doesn't always happen. Even in the Gospel, those who drifted away at Jesus's challenge returned to kill him and so reject his law of compassion. And so we come to the pope's words. Trusting God when we are suffering, when we are being treated unjustly, when we are abused goes against everything our human instincts tell us is right. We long for a Daniel to swoop in to vanquish the villains and save the day. We want a super hero. But the Gospel reminds us that what we have is in fact a savior, an advocate. But sometimes we have to wait for the plan to unfold fully.

Call to mind an experience of injustice from your own life or the life of someone you love. Recall your response to the situation, your anger, your hopes, your fears. Take all of those feelings and offer them to God. Let your heart struggle to feel the faith and the trust that all will be well.

— from the book The Hope of Lent: Daily Reflections from Pope Francis

by Diane M. Houdek

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†Saint Quote
"We ought to speak, shout out against injustices, with confidence and without fear. We proclaim the principles of the Church, the reign of love, without forgetting that it is also a reign of justice."
— Blessed Miguel Pro

†MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"We've been taught that God did not make the world for no reason, but for the sake of the human race. As I said before, he takes pleasure in those who imitate his attributes, and is displeased with those who embrace what is worthless, whether in word or deed."
— St. Justin Martyr, p. 324
AN EXCERPT FROM
A Year with the Church Fathers

†VERSE OF THE DAY
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the holy Spirit."
Romans 15:13

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ST. NICHOLAS OWEN

St. Nicholas Owen (d.1606) was born in England, the son of an Oxford carpenter. He became a carpenter himself, and joined the Jesuits as a lay brother during the era when Catholicism was outlawed in England. After serving jail time for defending the martyred St. Edmund Campion, Nicholas began working for and traveling with the Jesuits, staying in Catholic houses where he made repairs during the day and secretly constructed well-disguised 'priest-holes', or hiding places for hunted priests, during the night. He was so skilled at his craft that his priest holes saved hundreds of lives over his 20 years of work. While on a trip to London with a Jesuit priest they were betrayed by a household servant, captured, and tortured. After Nicholas' release he masterminded the priest's escape from the Tower of London. Years later, after the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, Nicholas was again a wanted man. He hid along with a priest in one of his priest holes, and although 100 men searched for them diligently, they were not discovered. After eight days of hiding without food, Nicholas left the hole disguised as a priest in order to protect the real priest who was still concealed. He was captured and tortured on the rack in the Tower of London. Day after day he refused to give up any information about the underground Catholic Church in England. He died a martyr after his entrails burst open. St. Nicholas Owen is one of the 40 Martyrs of England and Wales. Father John Gerard wrote of him: "I verily think no man can be said to have done more good of all those who laboured in the English vineyard. He was the immediate occasion of saving the lives of many hundreds of persons, both ecclesiastical and secular." His feast day is March 22.

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Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Lectionary: 251
Reading I

Dn 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 or 13:41c-62

In Babylon there lived a man named Joakim,
who married a very beautiful and God-fearing woman, Susanna,
the daughter of Hilkiah;
her pious parents had trained their daughter
according to the law of Moses.
Joakim was very rich;
he had a garden near his house,
and the Jews had recourse to him often
because he was the most respected of them all.

That year, two elders of the people were appointed judges,
of whom the Lord said, "Wickedness has come out of Babylon:
from the elders who were to govern the people as judges."
These men, to whom all brought their cases,
frequented the house of Joakim.
When the people left at noon,
Susanna used to enter her husband's garden for a walk.
When the old men saw her enter every day for her walk,
they began to lust for her.
They suppressed their consciences;
they would not allow their eyes to look to heaven,
and did not keep in mind just judgments.

One day, while they were waiting for the right moment,
she entered the garden as usual, with two maids only.
She decided to bathe, for the weather was warm.
Nobody else was there except the two elders,
who had hidden themselves and were watching her.
"Bring me oil and soap," she said to the maids,
"and shut the garden doors while I bathe."

As soon as the maids had left,
the two old men got up and hurried to her.
"Look," they said, "the garden doors are shut, and no one can see us;
give in to our desire, and lie with us.
If you refuse, we will testify against you
that you dismissed your maids because a young man was here with you."

"I am completely trapped," Susanna groaned.
"If I yield, it will be my death;
if I refuse, I cannot escape your power.
Yet it is better for me to fall into your power without guilt
than to sin before the Lord."
Then Susanna shrieked, and the old men also shouted at her,
as one of them ran to open the garden doors.
When the people in the house heard the cries from the garden,
they rushed in by the side gate to see what had happened to her.
At the accusations by the old men,
the servants felt very much ashamed,
for never had any such thing been said about Susanna.

When the people came to her husband Joakim the next day,
the two wicked elders also came,
fully determined to put Susanna to death.
Before all the people they ordered:
"Send for Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah,
the wife of Joakim."
When she was sent for,
she came with her parents, children and all her relatives.
All her relatives and the onlookers were weeping.

In the midst of the people the two elders rose up
and laid their hands on her head.
Through tears she looked up to heaven,
for she trusted in the Lord wholeheartedly.
The elders made this accusation:
"As we were walking in the garden alone,
this woman entered with two girls
and shut the doors of the garden, dismissing the girls.
A young man, who was hidden there, came and lay with her.
When we, in a corner of the garden, saw this crime,
we ran toward them.
We saw them lying together,
but the man we could not hold, because he was stronger than we;
he opened the doors and ran off.
Then we seized her and asked who the young man was,
but she refused to tell us.
We testify to this."
The assembly believed them,
since they were elders and judges of the people,
and they condemned her to death.

But Susanna cried aloud:
"O eternal God, you know what is hidden
and are aware of all things before they come to be:
you know that they have testified falsely against me.
Here I am about to die,
though I have done none of the things
with which these wicked men have charged me."

The Lord heard her prayer.
As she was being led to execution,
God stirred up the holy spirit of a young boy named Daniel,
and he cried aloud:
"I will have no part in the death of this woman."
All the people turned and asked him, "What is this you are saying?"
He stood in their midst and continued,
"Are you such fools, O children of Israel!
To condemn a woman of Israel without examination
and without clear evidence?
Return to court, for they have testified falsely against her."

Then all the people returned in haste.
To Daniel the elders said,
"Come, sit with us and inform us,
since God has given you the prestige of old age."
But he replied,
"Separate these two far from each other that I may examine them."

After they were separated one from the other,
he called one of them and said:
"How you have grown evil with age!
Now have your past sins come to term:
passing unjust sentences, condemning the innocent,
and freeing the guilty, although the Lord says,
'The innocent and the just you shall not put to death.'
Now, then, if you were a witness,
tell me under what tree you saw them together."
"Under a mastic tree," he answered.
Daniel replied, "Your fine lie has cost you your head,
for the angel of God shall receive the sentence from him
and split you in two."
Putting him to one side, he ordered the other one to be brought.
Daniel said to him,
"Offspring of Canaan, not of Judah, beauty has seduced you,
lust has subverted your conscience.
This is how you acted with the daughters of Israel,
and in their fear they yielded to you;
but a daughter of Judah did not tolerate your wickedness.
Now, then, tell me under what tree you surprised them together."
"Under an oak," he said.
Daniel replied, "Your fine lie has cost you also your head,
for the angel of God waits with a sword to cut you in two
so as to make an end of you both."

The whole assembly cried aloud,
blessing God who saves those who hope in him.
They rose up against the two elders,
for by their own words Daniel had convicted them of perjury.
According to the law of Moses,
they inflicted on them
the penalty they had plotted to impose on their neighbor:
they put them to death.
Thus was innocent blood spared that day.

OR:

The assembly condemned Susanna to death.

But Susanna cried aloud:
"O eternal God, you know what is hidden
and are aware of all things before they come to be:
you know that they have testified falsely against me.
Here I am about to die,
though I have done none of the things
with which these wicked men have charged me."

The Lord heard her prayer.
As she was being led to execution,
God stirred up the holy spirit of a young boy named Daniel,
and he cried aloud:
"I will have no part in the death of this woman."
All the people turned and asked him,
"What is this you are saying?"
He stood in their midst and continued,
"Are you such fools, O children of Israel!
To condemn a woman of Israel without examination
and without clear evidence?
Return to court, for they have testified falsely against her."

Then all the people returned in haste.
To Daniel the elders said,
"Come, sit with us and inform us,
since God has given you the prestige of old age."
But he replied,
"Separate these two far from each other that I may examine them."

After they were separated one from the other,
he called one of them and said:
"How you have grown evil with age!
Now have your past sins come to term:
passing unjust sentences, condemning the innocent,
and freeing the guilty, although the Lord says,
'The innocent and the just you shall not put to death.'
Now, then, if you were a witness,
tell me under what tree you saw them together."
"Under a mastic tree," he answered.
Daniel replied, "Your fine lie has cost you your head,
for the angel of God shall receive the sentence from him
and split you in two."
Putting him to one side, he ordered the other one to be brought.
Daniel said to him, "Offspring of Canaan, not of Judah,
beauty has seduced you, lust has subverted your conscience.
This is how you acted with the daughters of Israel,
and in their fear they yielded to you;
but a daughter of Judah did not tolerate your wickedness.
Now, then, tell me under what tree you surprised them together."
"Under an oak," he said.
Daniel replied, "Your fine lie has cost you also your head,"
for the angel of God waits with a sword to cut you in two
so as to make an end of you both."

The whole assembly cried aloud,
blessing God who saves those who hope in him.
They rose up against the two elders,
for by their own words Daniel had convicted them of perjury.
According to the law of Moses,
they inflicted on them
the penalty they had plotted to impose on their neighbor:
they put them to death.
Thus was innocent blood spared that day

Responsorial Psalm

23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

R. (4ab) Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.

Verse before the Gospel

Ez 33:11

I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, says the Lord,
but rather in his conversion, that he may live.

Gospel

Jn 8:1-11

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area,
and all the people started coming to him,
and he sat down and taught them.
Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman
who had been caught in adultery
and made her stand in the middle.
They said to him,
"Teacher, this woman was caught
in the very act of committing adultery.
Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women.
So what do you say?"
They said this to test him,
so that they could have some charge to bring against him.
Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.
But when they continued asking him,
he straightened up and said to them,
"Let the one among you who is without sin
be the first to throw a stone at her."
Again he bent down and wrote on the ground.
And in response, they went away one by one,
beginning with the elders.
So he was left alone with the woman before him.
Then Jesus straightened up and said to her,
"Woman, where are they?
Has no one condemned you?"
She replied, "No one, sir."
Then Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you.
Go, and from now on do not sin any more."

agosp
ANF

Daily Meditation: John 8:1-11

Neither do I condemn you. (John 8:11)

Take some time to place yourself in this dramatic scene. The scribes and Pharisees had just brought a woman to Jesus. She had been caught in adultery and was forced to stand in the midst of a crowd. People milled about and buzzed with excitement, wondering what would happen.

This scene played out in the courtyard of the Temple, which was right under a Roman guard tower. Perhaps you are a soldier standing by to see what develops, hoping you won't have to take a stand. Capital punishment is reserved to the occupying army, but you'd much rather have the Jews deal with their own religious and moral squabbles without you having to get involved.

Perhaps you are one of the accusers, dragging the woman in front of Jesus to make trouble for him. If Jesus tries to extend mercy to her, you'll accuse him of condoning sin and being soft on the sacred Law of Moses. Then, of course, he wouldn't be a trustworthy teacher or spiritual guide. If he condemns her to death, he both contradicts his message of mercy and risks the wrath of the occupying Romans. Yes, you've got Jesus where you want him. The woman is only a means to your end.

Or perhaps you are the woman herself, profoundly aware not only of your adultery but of everything that led you to this moment. You know you've done wrong, but you feel helpless and trapped. Why did these men choose you to challenge Jesus? Are you going to be killed? Is there any way out?

As usual, Jesus has the last word, and it surprises everyone. He challenges her accusers' motives. He refuses to condemn the guilty woman. Instead, he forgives her and offers her the grace to start anew. That's what he has come to do.

Imagining yourself in the midst of the commotion, wait quietly as Jesus writes on the ground. Watch as he lifts his head and looks into your eyes. What life-giving word is he speaking to you today?

"Jesus, help me see myself with the eyes of love that you turn upon me in this moment."

Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62
Psalm 23:1-6

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Detachment, inner freedom, absence of illusory desires are a condition for detecting the gentle inspirations of the Spirit of Jesus.
— Fr. Thomas Dubay
from his book Authenticity: A Biblical Theology of Discernment

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2cts

my2cents:
"Thus was innocent blood spared that day."
How was it spared? Someone spoke up. Someone let the Holy Spirit speak. And then Mercy enters the scene. Think about the unborn. Think about daily those who are being atrocious, brutal with their words behind others' backs. Who can speak up for the innocent? You can. And you shall. And it can begin with a fire in your heart. And then the dark reveals what it was hiding, and there is a person there...in dire need.

psalms

We pray: "He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side With your rod and your staff that give me courage. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side."
Have you ever walked in the dark? In complete darkness? And I'm talking about walking out in the wilderness. It is a daunting task, where every sound, every touch becomes something you have to worry about or calculate, that is...to judge. But when you walk in the light, everything is different. You walk with confidence, and you don't worry as much about noises or things your feet touch or things that touch you, because you can see right there what is going on. But there are moments where we have to walk in the dark...and trust in Him only.

2cents2

Our Lord, the light of the world enters our world: ""Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." And there is a joke that a stone was flung at the adulterous woman, and our Lord turns and says "Come on now Mom!" Mother Mary. Lord help us if there was no mercy. What would the world look like if there was no mercy? Scary. Dark. There wouldn't be much to see, no hope, not anything. But, even with Christ in our lives, supposedly, we prefer darkness to light. We prefer sin over life. Why? We prefer anxiety and fear over confidence, and why? We prefer depression over the joy of the Lord, and why is that? Why are we "ye of little faith" as our Lord calls it? And what did our Lord mean to cast a stone if you are without sin? Modernists like to twist this scripture and throw it in our face saying "see? DON'T YOU JUDGE". But that's not what Scripture is saying.

What is our Lord saying? Do not kill? Do not lay a finger on her!? What is He saying? That sin is ok? Because all involved in sex outside of marriage are involved in this sin that calls for a stoning. And this nowadays would cover upwards of 80% of couples (mostly unmarried) out there and those living single supposedly.

What is our Lord saying? Firstly, let's notice how our Lord always turns the bad into good. Just like out of dung heaps and dirt, a beautiful creation is made, He changes the doom and gloom into a new day of spring. This is what happens when our Lord enters the scene, yes.
Our Lord had asked a man, a man to fess up, to take the beating with the adulterous woman, and no man did...and so He was left alone to take the beating, and He saved her from taking a beating....and instead, offered Himself in her place.
Protestants love this and there is a beauty in this scene, but can you imagine yourself in her place? Being protected by a real man? Because in those days, the adulterous affair called for both the man and the woman to take a beating. So can you imagine if we lived in those holier days?

Today, there aren't stonings in most parts of the world, although they still exist.
If there were stonings, there would be less affairs, less sex outside of marrige, less...sin, wouldn't there?

But, there's a problem there.
People would not do that sin in order to avoid physical beatings to death, not necessarily to love God better.
That's where our Lord enters the scene.
He calls the sinner out. He does what a priest normally does every day in Holy Confession. He forgives. And commands the penitent, to go and sin no more.
What is not preached today, is that there is going to be a blood bath for sin. Sin calls for death. And now we are speaking about immortal realms. Every sin, every bad word that spewed out of your heartless soul will call for a royal beating. We cannot escape it. Our Lord speaks of such beatings many times, fair warnings to all.
He didn't step up to the plate for no reason.

He was calling on a new world order.
This is what we know as the Kingdom of God.

He is King. And We need the King of Mercy in our every day lives. Without Him, there is no salvation. But do you want Him just to be "Saved"? Saved from a beating?
The whole of the story was to express God's true identity...love, not just mercy.
And so it is a love for His creation. The Woman is from Man. And Man is called to give life for WoMan.

LORD, You are the Messiah. Your love is amazing. Help us love with all our strength of mind, body, and soul. Perhaps in this love, the world will see You are truly among us, ever living and breathing life into every moment we exist....

from your brother in Christ our Lord,
adrian

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Random online bible verse from a random verse generator:

Matthew 18:20
20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."

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God Bless You! Peace

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