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Thursday, February 25, 2021
“Hope as “living water” enabling us to continue our journey… Hoping with Him and because of Him means believing that history does not end with our mistakes, our violence and injustice, or the sin that crucifies Love. It means receiving from His open heart the Father’s forgiveness.”
Pope Francis
“It almost always happens that interior sentiments of pride precede the commission of grievous sins. Peter was not aware of his own weakness. He preferred himself before others; he trusted in himself as though he were incapable of sinning, boasting that no temptation would separate him from Jesus. He would not even believe the assurance of his Divine Master, that he would deny him thrice. Deceived by this vain confidence in his own strength, he neglects to pray, and to have recourse to God; and God, in His justice, permits him to fall, in punishment of his pride. There is nothing more dangerous than to confide in our own strength, and trust to feelings of fervor. We are full of malice, and capable of committing the most enormous crimes, unless God supports us.”
— Fr. Ignatius of the Side of Jesus, p. 85-6
“Thus sin renders the soul miserable, weak and torpid, inconstant in doing good, cowardly in resisting temptation, slothful in the observance of God’s commandments. It deprives her of true liberty and of that sovereignty which she should never resign; it makes her a slave to the world, the flesh, and the devil; it subjects her to a harder and more wretched servitude than that of the unhappy Israelites in Egypt or Babylon. Sin so dulls and stupefies the spiritual senses of man that he is deaf to God’s voice and inspirations; blind to the dreadful calamities which threaten him; insensible to the sweet odor of virtue and the example of the saints; incapable of tasting how sweet the Lord is, or feeling the touch of His benign hand in the benefits which should be a constant incitement to his greater love. Moreover, sin destroys the peace and joy of a good conscience, takes away the soul’s fervor, and leaves her an object abominable in the eyes of God and His saints. The grace of justification delivers us from all these miseries. For God, in His infinite mercy, is not content with effacing our sins and restoring us to His favor; He delivers us from the evils sin has brought upon us, and renews the interior man in his former strength and beauty. Thus He heals our wounds, breaks our bonds, moderates the violence of our passions, restores with true liberty the supernatural beauty of the soul, reestablishes us in the peace and joy of a good conscience, reanimates our interior senses, inspires us with ardor for good and a salutary hatred of sin, makes us strong and constant in resisting evil, and thus enriches us with an abundance of good works. In fine, He so perfectly renews the inner man with all his faculties that the Apostle calls those who are thus justified new men and new creatures.”— Venerable Louis Of Grenada, p. 46
//The Catholic Company//
“We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” – 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 ESV
Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Traditionally, this was the time each year when Christians set aside the forty days (not including Sundays) that lead up to Easter for prayer, reflection, and spiritual renewal. Ash Wednesday gets its name from the practice of putting ashes on the forehead to remind Christians of the importance of humility, that we are but dust.
Forty days symbolizes the time Jesus spent fasting and seeking God in the wilderness. Following His example, Christians were to dedicate this time to search their hearts, purify themselves, and seek God in a fresh way. Instead of focusing on spiritual renewal, many use this as an excuse for hedonistic revelry through events like Mardi Gras.
How much more important to remember all that Jesus did for us and reflect on our lives. We need to humble ourselves, be forgiven, and be reconciled to God.
We can rejoice that He remembers that “we are dust” (Psalm 103:14). “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Allow God to search your heart and reveal any sin. If you have confessed your sins, you can be confident that you have been forgiven. How wonderful to be able to approach Him with a clean heart, freed from the burdens of sin and reconciled to Him!
Father, search my mind and heart. Reveal any sins in my life. Forgive my sins. And help me to please You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
2 Corinthians 5
//Inspiration Ministeries//
Let us take to ourselves from Shiloh the ark of the covenant of the Lord, that it may come among us and deliver us from the power of our enemies.” – 1 Samuel 4:3 NASB
As a nation, Israel had defied God and disobeyed His Word. But, when facing strong opposition from the Philistines, they seemed to forget these past mistakes.
They didn’t feel it was necessary to admit their sins, to repent, or to get their lives right with God. Instead, they concluded that they just needed to have the Ark with them when they went into battle. Then, they felt invincible.
Going into battle, they had complete confidence. They were so confident that they shouted so loudly that “the earth resounded” (v. 5). In the face of this superficial confidence, the Philistines initially reacted with fear but recovered to achieve victory in the ensuing battle. They realized that the Israelites just were operating on emotions.
And they experienced a horrible defeat. All the Israelites fled and “the slaughter was very great” (v. 10). Most devastating, the Ark itself was captured.
Israel had received an emotional boost from the presence of the Ark. But their lives hadn’t changed. They failed to realize that God was more concerned about their relationship with Him, their attitudes, the things they had done, and the condition of their heart.
Seek to be clean in God’s sight. Be honest with Him and allow Him to convict you of any sin. Humble yourself before Him, and accept His forgiveness. Faithfully seek to keep His Word to be sure that you have His blessing.
Father, give me a sensitivity to know Your Word. I focus on You. Help me to be clean and pure in Your sight. In Jesus’ name, amen.
1 Samuel 4
//Inspiration Ministeries//
“Sin — above all the sin of worldliness which is like air, it permeates everything — brought about a mentality that tends toward the affirmation of oneself against others and against God… What is your identity? And so often we hear that one’s identity is expressed in terms of “opposition”. It is difficult to express one’s identity in the worldly spirit, in positive terms and in those of salvation: it is against oneself, against others and against God… This is the mentality of deceit that definitely has its origins in the father of deceit, the great pretender, the devil. He is the father of lies, as Jesus defines him.“
Pope Francis
“God cannot cease to love me. That is the most startling fact that our doctrine reveals. Sinner or saint He loves and cannot well help Himself. Magdalen in her sin, Magdalen in her sainthood, was loved by God. The difference between her position made some difference also in the effect of that love on her, but the love was the same, since it was the Holy Spirit who is the love of the Father and the Son. Whatever I do, I am loved. But then, if I sin, am I unworthy of love? Yes, but I am unworthy always. Nor can God love me for what I am, since, in that case, I would compel His love, force His will by something external to Himself. In fact, really if I came to consider, I would find that I was not loved by God because I was good, but that I was good because God loved me. My improvement does not cause God to love me, but is the effect of God’s having loved me.”— Fr. Bede Jarrett, p. 51
“A Peaceful Protest Against Sin”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
August 22-23, 2020
Scripture: Matthew 16: 13-20
You’ve heard me tell you many times that if you are going to study scripture, you must first study it as a First Century Jew. You must go back to the first century, to the beginning, when Christ first came so that you can understand and get a greater sense of the impact of His works and His culture. Certain words will scream out at you – very important words – words that won’t need much explanation. Our Lord was setting up His plan for redemption which, in theology, is called the Economy of Salvation. We are to continue His work of redemption throughout the generations. Our Lord introduced two new words and a whole new concept. The Jews understood them and it was if they had been smacked in the face with a baseball bat. So, if you study scripture, you have to learn how to study it in the original language it was written – whether in Greek, Latin, or Aramaic. I have to tell you…it’s not a whole lot of fun and giggles. My advice is to get a good Catholic Bible.
Our Lord took the apostles aside and said, “Simon bar Jonah (Simon son of John), you are now Peter” (in Greek: Petros, meaning the rock). If you were a Jew, you immediately understood that as going back to Genesis in the Pentateuch. In Genesis 17:5, God said, “Abram, you are now Abraham and the father of holy Jews. In Deuteronomy 28:9, He introduced the Greek term, “qahal” meaning a religious assembly. He said, “I will make you a holy people.” In ancient times, holy people were called qahal, but now they were the holy people of the Church…not a small Christian community and not a body of believers, but the Church. In Matthew 16:18, our Lord uses another Greek term that had never been used before in scripture – “ecclesia” meaning church. “You are My church. I will build on you My church.” He was speaking to Peter directly. The original Greek word used for “you” was singular.
In English, our words are not very precise like other languages, and the word “you” can be singular or it can be plural. “Upon you, I will build my church.” Was he talking to all of the apostles? No, he wasn’t. You have to read it in the original Greek. If you learned French, remember the variation of the word “you” is “tu” and “vous.” “Tu” is used to address a particular person, and “Vous” to address a crowd. “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church.” He wasn’t talking to the other apostles or anybody else there. He was speaking to Peter. “Upon you, Peter, I will build My church. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.” The other apostles may have been thinking, “Whoa, I’m brighter than that bozo; why is he getting all the praise!”
“Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.” So, what does this binding and loosing authority include? It includes forgiveness of sin, governance of the Church, and discipline. However, even with this binding and loosing power, we cannot change the Commandments as almost every other Christian organization has done. No matter who the Pope is, he cannot change Divine Law. He cannot change the word of God. He can only change Disciplinary Law. That is all. We cannot marry a male to a male or a female to a female. We cannot change the Commandments. We will bestow mercy, but we cannot change the Word of God. The binding and loosening authority is meant only for the well-being of the Church and not to change Divine Will. Disciplinary laws such as fasting promote the building up of the Church. They provide guidance to the faithful, preservation from sin, and the increase of virtue.
Our Lord talked about the power of sin and God’s forgiveness. He bestowed the great gifts of His grace and His consolation. He provided the means of salvation to all who came and who wanted to hear. Although we were not born in the First Century, Our Lord wants to make sure we have the same opportunity for salvation as the people who lived during His lifetime. His words shocked the Jews when they heard them. They were awestruck by His teaching, as we all should be.
How will you apply this message to your life? Are you awestruck by the teachings of Christ?