 From: MorningOffering Website | Quote: "Prayer purifies us, reading instructs us. Both are good when both are possible. Otherwise, prayer is better than reading." -St. Isidore of Seville Today's Meditation "As a result of the virtue of temperance, the body and our senses find the right place which pertains to them in our human condition. A temperate man is one who is master of himself. One in whom passions do not prevail over reason, will, and even the 'heart'. A man who can control himself! If this is so, we can easily realize what a fundamental and radical value the virtue of temperance has." –Thomas J. Olmsted, p.104
An excerpt from Manual for Men Daily Verse "But who can discern his errors? Clear thou me from hidden faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression." -Psalm 19: 12-13 |  EWTN Daily Saint | | St Katharine Drexel St. Katharine Drexel (1858-1955) was a wealthy heiress from a prominent family in Philadelphia. From a young age she felt called to serve the spiritual and temporal needs of the underprivileged, particularly the African American and Native American communities. She learned the virtue of charity from her parents, who often opened their home to the poor. She began by donating money, but quickly realized this would not bring the lasting change these communities desperately needed. During an audience with Pope Leo XIII she requested that a religious order be sent to manage the institutions she was funding. In response, the Pope suggested that she herself enter the religious life for this purpose. St. Katharine then founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People. From the age of 33 until her death in 1955, Katharine invested her personal fortune of 20 million dollars in this cause. She helped build the first missions school for Native Americans in Santa Fe, and founded Xavier University in New Orleans. At the time of her death, more than 500 sisters of her order taught in over 60 schools which had been founded throughout the country. Katharine Drexel was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II in the year 2000, making her the second American-born saint. Her feast day is March 3rd. | Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent Lectionary: 231 Reading 1 Isaiah 1:10, 16-20 Hear the word of the LORD,
princes of Sodom!
Listen to the instruction of our God,
people of Gomorrah! Wash yourselves clean!
Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes;
cease doing evil; learn to do good.
Make justice your aim: redress the wronged,
hear the orphan's plea, defend the widow. Come now, let us set things right,
says the LORD:
Though your sins be like scarlet,
they may become white as snow;
Though they be crimson red,
they may become white as wool.
If you are willing, and obey,
you shall eat the good things of the land;
But if you refuse and resist,
the sword shall consume you:
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken! Responsorial Psalm Psalm 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23 R. (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold."
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?"
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God."
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God. Verse Before the Gospel Ezekiel 18:31 Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, says the LORD,
and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Gospel Matthew 23:1-12 Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,
"The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry
and lay them on people's shoulders,
but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen.
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.'
As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.'
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called 'Master';
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! |  From Word Among Us WAU.org | Daily Meditation: Isaiah 1:10, 16-20 Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. (Isaiah 1:16-17) Speaking in direct, convicting words from the Lord, the prophet Isaiah urges the people of Jerusalem to turn from their sinful ways. God has seen how the wealthy and the powerful have failed to "hear the orphan's plea" or to "defend the widow," and Isaiah is clear that such neglect needs to be addressed (1:17). But his tone is carefully balanced by the promise that if the people do repent, God will make the stain of their sins as "white as snow" (1:18). Isaiah is clear: turning away from sin in repentance requires more than just asking God's forgiveness and ceasing from "doing evil." It also involves learning "to do good" (Isaiah 1:16, 17). It involves reaching out to those, like the widow and the orphan, who have no one to care for them. It involves making sure that we are acting with justice and mercy toward everyone in our lives—especially the people we look down on or try to avoid. That's how we "learn to do good." Dorothy Day once said, "I really only love God as much as I love the person I love the least." That could make for a good examination of conscience—both for Isaiah's audience and for us. Whom do you love the least? It's a challenging question! Not just "Whom do I hate?" but "Whom do I care about the least? Whom am I most indifferent to? Whose needs make the least impression on my heart?" Maybe a name popped into your head right away. Or maybe you need to think more deeply about which person, or which type of person, it might be. Whoever comes to mind, lift him or her up to the Lord in prayer. Ask God to help you love them, or at least to help you understand them a little better. Pray for them! It's hard to be indifferent about someone you are holding up to the Lord. Keep them in your prayers over the next few days, and see if you sense the Lord asking you to do something to love them as he loves you. Remember: he wants you to "learn to do good" just as much as he wants you to "cease doing evil" (Isaiah 1:16, 17)! "Lord, help me to love you more by showing love to the people around me." Psalm 50:8-9, 16-17, 21, 23
Matthew 23:1-12 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "... As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.'
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called 'Master';
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted." ..." Word of the Lord.
From Roberto Juarez:
"Jesus introduces a profound theological affirmation: "Do not allow yourselves to be called teacher... Not even father... no boss." He is not forbidding titles in the literal sense, but recalling that all authority in the Church is a participation in the one authority of God. The center is not us. The only Teacher is Christ. The only Father is God. The only definitive Guide is the Lord. When someone in the community occupies the place that belongs to God, a spiritual deformation occurs. Every mission in the Church is delegated and provisional.
Here is the core of the text. Greatness, according to the Gospel, is not measured by power, but by service. This is the Christian revolution: reversing the criteria of the world. The world admires those who impose themselves; Christ exalts the one who gives himself. The world seeks to ascend; the disciple learns to lower himself. It is no coincidence that these words anticipate the gesture of the washing of the feet. Service is not a pastoral strategy; it is the concrete form of Christian love.
Jesus concludes with a spiritual law that runs through all of Scripture: "He who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Pride contains; humility opens.
Pride isolates us; Humility puts us in true relationship. T
o humble oneself is not to degrade oneself, but to recognize one's own truth before God: we are beloved creatures, but we are not the center of the universe.
In the spiritual tradition, humility is the foundation of all virtues, because it allows grace to work.
This Gospel invites us to three concrete attitudes: Coherence: that our words are backed by life; Mercy: not burdening others with demands that we do not live; Humble service: seek the last place without resentment.
It is a particularly strong call for those who exercise some kind of responsibility – in the Church, in the family, in society – but also for every baptized person. Because we can all fall into the temptation of spiritual pride.
Brethren, today's Gospel is not a historical criticism of the Pharisees; it is a mirror for us. Jesus does not seek to humiliate, but to purify. It invites us to move from appearance to authenticity, from protagonism to service, from pride to humility. Let us ask for the grace of a simple heart, free from the need for recognition, capable of serving in the hidden.
May our greatness not be in applause, but in love. And when the Lord looks at our life, may he say, "He has served humbly." end quote.
From Bishop Barron:
"Another classic problem with religious people and especially religious leaders: they use the law and morality as a means of inflating the ego. The trouble is that this drug wears off rather quickly, and then we want more of it. We need a greater title, more respect, more recognition. What is Jesus's recommendation for those caught in this dilemma? To be great is to be a servant: lowly, simple, often forgotten. Eschew marks of respect; don't seek them. Be satisfied with doing your work, whatever it is, on behalf of God's kingdom. " end quote.
Our Lord said not to call anyone Rabbi, Master, or a father, right? Yet, these are common names still used every day. Protestants love to attack Catholics with this one liner. So what do we say? We are to say simply what our Lord said "we have only ONE FATHER in Heaven", amen? And if a protestant really wants to know sincerely the answer, then, they will have to take a few catholic courses to know why we call a priest a father. Namely, because of what has been authorized in the faith...authority, yes, priests and bishops, to be in the person of Christ in certain occasions, to father children in baptism into the body of Christ.
And really, this is how things will boil down. The scribes and Pharisees took the chair of Moses imposing huge burdens and laws on the people, nit picking the 600 plus laws they had come up with. What did our Lord say about that? He did not say to revolt or to hate them. He said to obey them but do not act like they do.
It is sad to see in our day though, the opposite. Hatred. Revolts. Disgusting attitudes towards authority. And the saddest part, those who spit hatred are casting heaping coals into their own hearts and throats. This is not God's Holy will.
Our Lord knows the heart, unlike any man on earth ever can. He is the greatest Master. He is the true Rabbi. He is Lord, and in the Heavenly Father.
Therefore..as God called from Heaven at His baptism, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"
And, the last words of our Mother in Heaven "do whatever He tells you".
All the heavens are pointing to Jesus. He is going to be the way out. Out of our pride. Out of our sinfulness. Out of our weakness.
He is going to show the way of humble obedience.
We are all going to have to learn this one way or another...if we truly desire Him, to love and to hold...forever. |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1 Proverbs 17:17 " A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
