| MINUTE MEDITATIONS
St. Leander of Seville (c. 550-600)  Leander's own family was heavily influenced by Arianism, but he himself grew up to be a fervent Christian. He entered a monastery as a young man and spent three years in prayer and study. At the end of that tranquil period he was made a bishop. For the rest of his life he worked strenuously to fight against heresy. The death of the anti-Christian king in 586 helped Leander's cause. He and the new king worked hand in hand to restore orthodoxy and a renewed sense of morality. Leander succeeded in persuading many Arian bishops to change their loyalties. Leander died around 600. In Spain he is honored as a Doctor of the Church. PresenceDear Lord as I come to you today FreedomLord, may I never take the gift ConsciousnessKnowing that God loves me unconditionally, I look honestly over the last day, its events and my feelings. Do I have something to be grateful for? Then I give thanks. Is there something I am sorry for? Then I ask forgiveness. The Word of GodReading 1EST C:12, 14-16, 23-25Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish, had recourse to the LORD. She lay prostrate upon the ground, together with her handmaids, from morning until evening, and said: "God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, blessed are you. Help me, who am alone and have no help but you, for I am taking my life in my hand. As a child I used to hear from the books of my forefathers that you, O LORD, always free those who are pleasing to you. Now help me, who am alone and have no one but you, O LORD, my God. "And now, come to help me, an orphan. Put in my mouth persuasive words in the presence of the lion and turn his heart to hatred for our enemy, so that he and those who are in league with him may perish. Save us from the hand of our enemies; turn our mourning into gladness and our sorrows into wholeness." Responsorial Psalm PS 138:1-2AB, 2CDE-3, 7C8 R. (3a) Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me. I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth; in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise; I will worship at your holy temple and give thanks to your name. R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me. Because of your kindness and your truth; for you have made great above all things your name and your promise. When I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me. R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me. Your right hand saves me. The LORD will complete what he has done for me; your kindness, O LORD, endures forever; forsake not the work of your hands. R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me. Gospel MT 7:7-12 Jesus said to his disciples: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asked for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asked for a fish? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. "Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets." ConversationJesus, you always welcomed little children when you walked on this earth. Teach me to have a childlike trust in you. To live in the knowledge that you will never abandon me. ConclusionGlory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, 1st Week of Lent Ask ... seek ... knock. (Matthew 7:7) There are a lot of less than ideal things we do just to save time. Fast-food restaurants are convenient, but we know that they're not as nutritious as a home-cooked meal. Speed-reading courses help us get through a book quickly, but we risk coming away with less depth and clarity than if we had taken our time. If you're single, you may have even tried speed dating and ended up meeting a lot of people, but only superficially. Clearly, there are some things you shouldn't hurry! That's also true in the spiritual realm. Sometimes we want something so badly that we try to take shortcuts. Maybe we set out to find peace or fulfillment on our own, when we might do better to listen for what God has to say. Later we realize that if we had taken time out to ask, seek, and knock, we would have found something far deeper, something that doesn't ebb and flow with our circumstances. If you want to see good and lasting results, you need to exercise your faith and trust. And sometimes, that means waiting patiently for the Lord to act. When we wait on the Lord like this, it shows that we believe that he hears us. It shows that we trust that he will give us bread, not a stone. God will take care of you! He will answer you in the way that's best for you—and at the time that is most helpful for you. A good father doesn't always give his children exactly what they want when they want it. He knows it is far better to give what that child needs, when he needs it, in the way that will help him the most. What do you need the Lord to help you with? Go ahead and ask him for it. Tell him that you're willing to wait for his wisdom and his timing. As you do, you'll find him eager to fulfill your needs and to further the plan he has for you in just the way he has intended. He really does want to bless you! "Lord, open my eyes to your wisdom and generosity. Thank you for being not just a provider but a Father who wants the very best for me and for those I love." Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25; Psalm 138:1-3, 7-8 Allow me to translate today's 5minutos: "When I say: I don't know how to fix my problems...The Lord says to me: God will make straight your paths (Prov3:5-6) When I say: It is impossible...The Lord says to me: "What is impossible for human beings is possible for God." (Lk18:27) When I say: I feel alone, I don't understand anything...The Lord says to me: "I will never fail you or forsake you." (Dt31:6) When I say: How can I do what you ask of me? Who will help me?...The Lord says to me: I will shelter you with My pinions (feathers), and under his wings you may take refuge" (Ps 91:4) When I say: I am tired...the Lord says to me: "Come to me all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest" (Mt.11:28) When I say: Nobody loves me, nobody takes me into consideration...The Lord says to me: "See, upon the palms of my hands I have engraved you" (Is 49:16) When I say: What is the way I should take?...The Lord says to me: "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (Jn.14:16) I come to you, Lord, so you may give me a hand to live the way of Lent. That your eyes pose themselves for a moment on mine. That I encounter myself with the certainty that You accompany me, my Friend. Enter into me your Word, while I cross the desert of noise. May the strength of your word enter into my thoughts, my fears, my weaknesses, and that it may stop there where my life needs to be renewed. Speak Lord and I will listen... " Imagine, if you could ask anything of our Lord, what would it be? Would it be good? Ultimately, what Esther asked for, was for the greater good of God's people, and the faith. This is where we stand to knock, dare to ask. Ask for what? Because if we know how to give our little ones good things, and we are God's little ones and He bathes with good things, how much more are His gifts? Last night in bible study with coworkers, the last question of the night was "what message was transmitted today?" and we all agreed that as we finished studying about the Patriarchs, the Exodus, and the wondering in the desert, that we had to learn to trust in God and tell others to not fall back. I said "so we can agree this is important, to teach to our children, but, just HOW important is it?". What is the level of importance we put to God's word? I have to pause. I was watching TV last night, I don't remember what all I was watching, just zoned out, but I do remember my kids flocking around me vying for attention all at once it seemed. I don't know that I gave them the right attention, or even enough attention. I did tend to them, give good things to them, but I can only imagine how we millions upon millions at a time are vying for God's attention with our needs. Surely He provides better attention. Because the Way He provides often proves our faith. That is to say, the faith is strengthened by the way He answers our pleadings. For instance, my little boy "Andre the giant" LOL, he cries and fusses when he is tired and ready for bed, he likes to be carried, not rocked, not held, but carried. I've taken a cue from Nanny 911 and have started just to set put him in bed and leave the room with the boy crying heartfelt cries like no other. He did it again last night as I lay him down he woke up, started to cry, but I made it appear that I left the room, although I was right behind the door. He settled right down to a night full of rest. I did it for his own good and the good of the whole house. Tough love makes for tough children, but this tough love is a true love, not bowing down to every whim and fancy the kids think they need. This is us in the faith. Just because things didn't turn out our way, is no reason to sit there and cry about it. It means taking on faith and pray for good things, like for instance...the salvation of the world. This is where Lent is leading us to, the Passion of our Lord, the sacrifice of the lamb, the new covenant, and an eternal blessing for the greater good  adrianimage from Food for the Poor Subscribe | |||||||||
Going4th,
No comments:
Post a Comment