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Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Who Are Recognized

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Minute Meditations

Feeling Forgotten
When we go through pain it is easy to feel abandoned or forgotten, but suffering doesn't mean God doesn't love us, He does. Even Jesus suffered, and He was completely without sin.
— from Ask The Bible Geek

St. Augustine of Canterbury
(d. 605?)Listen to Audio

In the year 596, some 40 monks set out from Rome to evangelize the Anglo-Saxons in England. Leading the group was Augustine, the prior of their monastery in Rome. Hardly had he and his men reached Gaul (France) when they heard stories of the ferocity of the Anglo-Saxons and of the treacherous waters of the English Channel. Augustine returned to Rome and to the pope who had sent them—St. Gregory the Great (September 3 )—only to be assured by him that their fears were groundless.

Augustine again set out. This time the group crossed the English Channel and landed in the territory of Kent, ruled by King Ethelbert, a pagan married to a Christian, Bertha. Ethelbert received them kindly, set up a residence for them in Canterbury and within the year, on Pentecost Sunday, 597, was himself baptized. After being consecrated a bishop in France, Augustine returned to Canterbury, where he founded his see. He constructed a church and monastery near where the present cathedral, begun in 1070, now stands. As the faith spread, additional sees were established at London and Rochester.

Work was sometimes slow and Augustine did not always meet with success. Attempts to reconcile the Anglo-Saxon Christians with the original Briton Christians (who had been driven into western England by Anglo-Saxon invaders) ended in dismal failure. Augustine failed to convince the Britons to give up certain Celtic customs at variance with Rome and to forget their bitterness, helping him evangelize their Anglo-Saxon conquerors

Laboring patiently, Augustine wisely heeded the missionary principles—quite enlightened for the times—suggested by Pope Gregory the Great: purify rather than destroy pagan temples and customs; let pagan rites and festivals be transformed into Christian feasts; retain local customs as far as possible. The limited success Augustine achieved in England before his death in 605, a short eight years after he arrived in England, would eventually bear fruit long after in the conversion of England. Augustine of Canterbury can truly be called the "Apostle of England."



Comment:

Augustine of Canterbury comes across today as a very human saint, one who could suffer like many of us from a failure of nerve. For example, his first venture to England ended in a big U-turn back to Rome. He made mistakes and met failure in his peacemaking attempts with the Briton Christians. He often wrote to Rome for decisions on matters he could have decided on his own had he been more self-assured. He even received mild warnings against pride from Pope Gregory, who cautioned him to "fear lest, amidst the wonders that are done, the weak mind be puffed up by self-esteem." Augustine's perseverance amidst obstacles and only partial success teaches today's apostles and pioneers to struggle on despite frustrations and be satisfied with gradual advances.

Quote:

In a letter to Augustine, Pope Gregory the Great wrote: "He who would climb to a lofty height must go by steps, not leaps."

Patron Saint of:

England

 

Saint of the Day
Lives, Lessons and Feast
By Leonard Foley, O.F.M.; revised by Pat McCloskey, O.F.M.
  
  

 

Daily Prayer - 2015-05-27

Presence

"Come to me all you who are burdened
and I will give you rest"
Here I am, Lord.
I come to seek your presence.
I long for your healing power.

Freedom

If God were trying to tell me something, would I know?

If God were reassuring me or challenging me, would I notice?

I ask for the grace to be free of my own preoccupations

and open to what God may be saying to me.

Consciousness

My soul longs for your presence, Lord.
When I turn my thoughts to you,
I find peace and contentment.

The Word of God

Wednesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 349

Reading 1SIR 36:1, 4-5A, 10-17

Come to our aid, O God of the universe,
look upon us, show us the light of your mercies,
and put all the nations in dread of you!
Thus they will know, as we know,
that there is no God but you, O Lord.

Give new signs and work new wonders.

Gather all the tribes of Jacob,
that they may inherit the land as of old,
Show mercy to the people called by your name;
Israel, whom you named your firstborn.
Take pity on your holy city,
Jerusalem, your dwelling place.
Fill Zion with your majesty,
your temple with your glory.

Give evidence of your deeds of old;
fulfill the prophecies spoken in your name,
Reward those who have hoped in you,
and let your prophets be proved true.
Hear the prayer of your servants,
for you are ever gracious to your people;
and lead us in the way of justice.
Thus it will be known to the very ends of the earth
that you are the eternal God.

Responsorial PsalmPS 79:8, 9, 11 AND 13

R. (Sirach 36:1b) Show us, O Lord, the light of your kindness.
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
R. Show us, O Lord, the light of your kindness.
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name's sake.
R. Show us, O Lord, the light of your kindness.
Let the prisoners' sighing come before you;
with your great power free those doomed to death.
Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise.
R. Show us, O Lord, the light of your kindness.

AlleluiaMK 10:45

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Son of Man came to serve,
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelMK 10:32-45

The disciples were on the way, going up to Jerusalem,
and Jesus went ahead of them.
They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.
Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them
what was going to happen to him.
"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man
will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, 
and they will condemn him to death
and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him,
spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death,
but after three days he will rise."
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
came to Jesus and said to him,
'Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."
He replied, 'What do you wish me to do for you?"
They answered him,
"Grant that in your glory
we may sit one at your right and the other at your left."
Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I drink
or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?"
They said to him, 'We can."
Jesus said to them, "The chalice that I drink, you will drink,
and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;
but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared."
When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John.
Jesus summoned them and said to them,
"You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles
lord it over them,
and their great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.
For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many."
 

Some thoughts on today's scripture

  • 'The cup that I drink, you will drink'. I am astonished at this story, Lord. You had tried to prepare your friends for the passion and death you foresaw. But could they hear you? James and John could not hear or imagine the fate of which you were speaking, so they gravitated back to their own fantasies of the kingdom, where they were sitting on thrones.
  • My own fantasies sometimes go the same way: to the short-term satisfactions in my life, forgetting your call, Lord. Only you know if I can drink the cup that you drink. But if you offer it to me, I will try to recognise where it comes from.

Conversation

Remembering that I am still in God's presence, I imagine Jesus himself standing or sitting beside me, and say whatever is on my mind, whatever is in my heart, speaking as one friend to another.

Conclusion

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,

world without end.


Catholic Meditations

Meditation: Mark 10:32-45

 

Saint Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop

You do not know what you are asking. (Mark 10:38)

 

The old woman was gravely ill. The family had gathered round the bedside where, ashen and comatose, she breathed shallowly and irregularly. Off to the side, a mother explained gently to her four-year-old daughter that grandma would probably die very soon. After a brief pause, the little girl raised a sober-looking face and asked, "Mom?" Taking a deep breath, the mother steeled herself to answer the difficult question that was sure to follow. "May I have the last popsicle?"

Today's Gospel reading describes a similarly off-topic response to a grave situation. Jesus had just outlined what awaited him in Jerusalem: arrest, beating, humiliation, torture, and an excruciating death—followed by a resurrection three days later. Alarming, unnerving, and puzzling as his words should have seemed, James and John were focused on one thing: sitting beside Jesus one day in heaven. Everything else Jesus had said was just background noise to them. Or perhaps they simply could not comprehend Jesus' words just yet.

Sometimes we just don't get it. Or we are so focused on what we are thinking about that we fail to grasp what Jesus is saying to us. But see how Jesus responds to these two disciples. He shifts his attention to what they are focused on and begins teaching, encouraging, and moving forward from there. He gives no criticism, no condemnation, no sharp words. Because he loves them so much, he is patient as he seeks to propel them toward the truth and life that he has for them.

This is how he deals with you as well. Don't worry about whether you understand everything. Don't worry if there are days when you aren't thinking along the same lines as the Lord. Trust that he will meet you wherever you are. He will lead, guide, and steer you in the direction he wants you to go. He loves you always and wants only that you embrace more of the life he has for you.

"Jesus, forgive me for the times you've offered me life, and all I want is a popsicle. Open my ears today to hear you and my heart to extend your grace to the people around me."

 

 

Sirach 36:1, 4-5, 10-17; Psalm 79:8-9, 11, 13


my2cents:
Today's 5 minutos said:
 "When God is revealed to us in prayer who He is, the beneficiaries are us, because only in Him we find our happiness in its fulness.  The manifestation of the Divine Glory is the revelation of Divine Mercy...It was late Saturday afternoon in a parish, the priest waits for the faithful that will come to confess.  There arrives a young woman, very perfumed, with provocative clothing and a doubting speech: she is a Magdalene.  He invites her to confess but she refuses: "No. I'm only here to satisfy my mother.  She wants me to convert, the poor old woman...", and he insists.  She leaves rapidly, but he says "You'll be back.  If it is necessary, I will wait the whole night.  Yes, the whole night, before the Blessed Sacrament", but the woman didn't understand much of that.  Confessions began.  He asked for a particular intention.  After everyone left, he told the sacristan not to close the door, and he went to kneel before the Blessed Sacrament.  The hours passed by; at about 3 in the morning, he heard footsteps.  It was her.  She changed her tone and the topic of prayer: "Thank you sir" she said haltingly, and she told him her story, sufferings, oppressions, and social abandonment.  Outside, little by little the darkness diminished.  It was the dawn that rose joyfully, full of hope and beautiful.  More beautiful than all the mornings was that born in her heart by the power of prayer."
  Today's 1st Holy Scripture ended with "Thus it will be known to the very ends of the earth that you are the eternal God."  And the Psalms pray "Show us O Lord, the Light of your Kindness".
Jesus enters in the Holy Gospel.  And the Gospel ends today with the words of our most precious Lord and Savior showing the Way, the "Light" with,
 "whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.
For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Somehow, in our world, we live off of appreciation/love.  Somehow we have to feel appreciated/loved.  Apparently, we are designed in God's image.  Apparently, then, our Lord loves to be loved/appreciated.  So many of our prayers are like rakes, we just want to pull stuff in, never pushing stuff out. 
What if I told you that those that are going to Heaven are not all those taking the Eucharist?  What if I told you that the ones going to Heaven are the ones in Confession?  There is a small line to confession, maybe if we are lucky, one out of a 100.  This scary line is not meant to dissuade you or make you feel bad, because I'm speaking of myself.  How much do I really put out for the Lord?  Because the sons of Thunder in the Gospel today had the wrong idea of glory.  Jesus would turn backwards His flesh for them and for the world to convert.  Will I turn myself inside out for Him?  This guts is glory.  The strongest men I know in my life are those who live holy lives or at the least are trying hard.  The others?  Simply those that are in need of God's mercy.  I read a quote today ""Treat sinners as a good mother treats her sick child; she lavishes more caresses on him than when he is well." -St. Ignatius of Loyola
We are in a world that needs appreciation and love.  True love is one way...outwards.  We have to find an eternal spring to quench the thirst of a dry world.  It is Jesus.  Our only source for everything we need...

adrian


 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Going4th,