Mar 12 Thu - Why are there intercessions in the Mass?

 

Mar 12 Thu
Why are there intercessions in the Mass?

Since Christ’s sacrifice is the preeminent and eternal act of intercession, the intercessory prayers form part of the Eucharistic Prayer.

In Cana, our Lady interceded for some material need.
At Mass, we not only pray for ourselves, but also join our prayer to that of our brethren. The Intercessions make it clear that we celebrate the Mass in communion with the entire Church in heaven and on earth, and that we make the offering for the Church and for all her members, living and dead.

The Church offers, in accordance with the teaching of our Lord and the apostles, not only to atone for the sins and punishments of the living faithful and to appeal for their other needs, but also to help those who have died in Christ but have not yet been completely purified.

The Intercessions are usually divided into three sections: for living Christians, for the dead, and in relation to the saints in heaven.

The first generations of Christians prayed constantly for the whole Church, following Christ’s command of mutual love.

We pray for the pope and for the bishop of our diocese. This union with them is necessary because “the Church of God is really present in all legitimate organized local groups of faithful, which, insofar as they are united to their pastors, are called churches.”

No one can make himself the Church. A group cannot simply come together, read the New Testament, and say, “Now we are the Church because the Lord is found wherever two or three are gathered in his name.”

Moreover, like the Eucharist, the Church cannot be ‘made’, but can only be ‘received’ by us. To be legitimate, each Mass presupposes union among the faithful, and of the faithful with their bishop, the pope, and the universal Church. Moreover, that solid union is made stronger with the celebration of the Eucharist and is a consequence of it.

Therefore, we feel united now with the pope’s Mass, and with that of our bishop, and pray for both of them by name, and for all who seek God with a sincere heart.

The priest tells God of us, “You know how firmly we believe in you and dedicate ourselves to you.” We want to always be his loyal children and to obey his will.

In the second section, we pray for all the dead whose faith, perhaps hidden to men’s eyes, only God knew.
How can we fail to remember here on earth this or that person so dear to us? Perhaps, during his lifetime, he did not seem to have as much faith as we would have liked to see in him. Hence, we find ourselves a bit concerned about his salvation. 

Finally, the Intercessions have a third section to invoke the help of those brothers of ours now enjoying themselves in the glory of heaven. We manifest also the desire of sharing with them the heavenly inheritance. Thus, we venerate the memory first of all of the glorious ever Virgin Mary, of the blessed Joseph, the blessed apostles and martyrs, and of all the saints.

Mar 11 Wed - Am I a son of God, really?

 

Mar 11 Wed
Am I a son of God, really?

I LOVE THIS ANALOGY:
- When GOD wanted to create fish, He spoke to the sea.
- When GOD wanted to create trees, He spoke to the earth.
- But when GOD wanted to create man, He turned to HIMSELF.
- So, GOD said: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness."

Note:
- If you take a fish out of the water, it will die; and when you remove a tree from the ground, it also dies.
- Likewise, when man disconnects himself from GOD, he dies.
- GOD* is our natural environment.  We were created to live in HIS presence.
- We must be connected to HIM because only with HIM does life exist.
- Let us remain connected with GOD.
- Let us remember that water without fish is still water, but fish without water is nothing.
- The soil without the tree is still soil, but the tree without the soil is nothing....
- God without man is still God, but man without GOD is nothing.

God sent us Jesus to suffer and die for us. Our sins and lack of correspondence made our Lord's Passion more painful and harder to bear. We ought to be fully aware of this truth and feel personally responsible for the events that happened two thousand years ago. We cannot hide in the crowd. Instead, we must make reparation and atonement: Love is paid back with love.

We must return to Him at once, quickly, like children, even if the weight of our repeated rebelliousness overwhelms us. “Awareness that God is our Father brings joy to our conversion: it tells us that we are returning to our Father's house."

Appreciate God's unfathomable mercy and compassion. “Our Father God, when we come to him repentant, draws, from our wretchedness, a treasure; from our weakness, strength. What then will He prepare for us, if we don't forsake him, if we go to him daily, if we talk lovingly to him and confirm our love with deeds, if we go to him for everything, trusting in his almighty power and mercy?" 

Our Lord's coming to earth, and his sufferings, are in themselves a sign of his infinite love. How much more love He shows by taking us as his adopted children, and making us share in his divine life, as heirs to his glory! 

See what love God the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. He adopted us as his children - we who were only his servants. He bestows favor upon favor, love upon love. And He expects specific, sincere deeds of penance, and the best penance is to do what Jesus Christ is asking of us every day, at every moment. 

God is YOUR Father. Every day, try to get closer to Him, through the word (read the Gospel) and through the bread (frequent the sacraments).

Mar 10 Tue - Is the Christian apostolate directed to all?

 

Mar 10 Tue
Is the Christian apostolate directed to all?

Our personal apostolate is always part of a universal mission.

Although Christ lived in a small corner of the world, and at a particular time in history, by his death He won salvation for all people of all races and all times.

To imitate Christ, we need a big heart, capable of beating for the salvation of all souls and loving everyone to the point of sacrifice. St. Josemaría writes: “You should feel on your shoulders -remembering the image of the Good Shepherd depicted in the catacombs - the weight of the lost sheep, which represents not just a single soul, but the entire Church, the whole of humanity. Right from the start God wanted his Work to have a catholic, universal heart."

Even though each person in Opus Dei has a particular apostolic task to attend to, we can never shut ourselves up within the limits of our specific situation and our apostolic assignment. We should always remember that our task forms part of a universal mission.

We are enabled to make our universal aspirations a reality through the help of the Holy Spirit, who gives us the authentic love of God's children. “Our love for all mankind is not to be confused with sentimentality or mere good fellowship, nor with that somewhat questionable zeal to help others in order to convince ourselves of our superiority. Rather, it means living in peace with our neighbor, venerating the image of God that is found in each and every man, and doing all we can to get them in their turn to contemplate that image, so that they may learn how to turn to Christ."

The Church's mission, the mission of every Christian, extends to all nations and peoples. A Catholic needs a big heart that transcends the limits of nation, race or group. “Your charity has to be far-reaching, universal. This attitude will lead you to pray for everyone and, to the extent of your possibilities, to help everyone."

God wants universality for his Church. “We have to strive as far as possible for unity among Catholics throughout the whole world, so that there may be a common denominator, and in this way, we can bring about the spreading of Christ's Kingdom."

This common denominator consists of the faith and morals which the Church teaches in God's name. We can never set aside this doctrine, under the false pretense that it does not fit in with the circumstances of a particular country or age. But all other matters, such as customs, fashions, or opinions in temporal matters, form the numerator, and in no way lessen unity among Christians.

“You must be a bearer of God, not because you bear his Name in vain, but because it shows in the way you act: in your faithfulness to Catholic doctrine and morals, in the serious way you carry out your human tasks, in the charity you show towards everyone. That is the way to be good servants of God and the Church."

Mar 9 Mon - Why is there purgatory?

 

Mar 9 Mon
Why is there purgatory?
Purgatory is a state of purification before entering heaven.
God our Father has promised us eternal glory, where we will be able to contemplate him face to face, in total union with him. But the dwelling of the Most High is a holy place. A soul stained by guilt cannot attain the full company of God.

Sins must be atoned. This may be done on this earth, offering the sorrows, misfortunes and trials of this life and, above all, through a holy death. Otherwise, the atonement must be made in the next life through fire and torments or "purifying" punishments. Our choice: “Pay now, or pay later.”

We must consider purgatory as a manifestation of God's paternal love for us. We can compare it to the love of “a mother who takes her little child and puts him in the bath, soaps him all over, washes him and dresses him, so that the baby ends up looking like a perfect angel!”

The Church teaches that the souls in purgatory suffer temporal punishment, with the complete certainty that these sufferings are leading to the full possession of God.

There is suffering over there, because the soul keenly desires to enjoy God but is deprived of the vision of God for a time. There is also pain, for the soul is purified by the punishment of the senses (torment). Yet there is joy too, knowing that the battle is won and the soul is destined to rejoice in God for ever.

God also purifies us during our life on earth. By accepting life's sufferings in penance for our sins, we can in a certain sense have our purgatory here on earth, and thus be prepared to enter heaven quickly. Saint Josemaría wrote: “The great Christian revolution has been to convert pain into fruitful suffering, and to turn a bad thing into something useful. We have deprived the devil of this weapon; and with it we can conquer eternal happiness.”

In this life, our suffering freely accepted and sought for love of God, pain and penance, are instruments of penance: they are our purgatory on earth. “Are you afraid of penance?... Of penance, which helps you to obtain life everlasting? And yet, in order to preserve this poor present life, don't you see how men will submit to the cruel torture of a surgical operation?”

And there is much to purify in ourselves. There are venial sins; there are omissions in love; and concessions to the inclination to sin that our nature inherited from the first fall.

Furthermore, every sin, even after it has been forgiven, leaves a debt outstanding in the soul, which must be paid either in this life or in the next. So, shouldn’t we ask the Lord: Cleanse me in this life and make me such that I do not need to be chastened by fire?

Let us ask our Blessed Lady to foster in us a healthy filial fear of God, and to strengthen us so that we make generous penance, here on earth, for all our sins.

Mar 8 Sun - What is the "living water" Jesus promised?

 

Mar 8 Sun
What is the "living water" Jesus promised?

Jesus asked the Samaritan woman to give him a drink. She was amazed by this. How can He, a Jew, ask a Samaritan woman for anything? For centuries, Jews and Samaritans had lived in implacable enmity. But Jesus showed himself superior to this prejudice. For Him, the distinctions of nation and race do not count, nor does the distinction between man and woman.

"But tired though His body is, Jesus' thirst for souls is even greater. So, when the Samaritan woman -the sinner- arrives, Christ, with His priestly heart, turns eagerly to save the lost sheep, forgetting His tiredness, hunger, and thirst."

From natural water, Jesus elevated the conversation to the higher plane of revelation, the truly living water.

The woman said to Him, "Give me this water, so that I will no longer thirst, nor will I have to come here to draw it."

Then Jesus revealed to the woman that He is, in fact, the very source of living water. This shows that the journey of faith in Him begins with the recognition of His divine mission, sent by God.

Our Lord knows that human beings are thirsting for God, and that the waters of this earth cannot quench that thirst. The things of the earth can only provide temporary satisfaction, and they leave a bitter aftertaste.

Jesus Christ has come to bring us the water of life, grace, happiness, and joy. Thus, He promised her living water.

Water signifies the Holy Spirit's action in Baptism. Our birth into the divine life is granted to us through the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Spirit is also personally the living water welling up from Christ crucified as its source and rising in us to eternal life.

The woman bursts into an emotional act of faith: "Lord, I see that you are a prophet." She then went and told the inhabitants of her city that she had found the Messiah and invited them to "come unto Jesus."

After the words, "Give me that water," Jesus does not hesitate to indicate the way of conversion and good works. "Go, call your husband." This is an invitation to examine one's conscience, to search the depths of one's heart.

Jesus helped this woman discover her need for salvation and prompted her to ask about the path that leads to it. This is a true and proper "examination of conscience." He helped her name the sins of her life. That is why the Lord urged her: "You are right; you have no husband. You have already had five, and the one whom you have now is not your husband."

The five husbands symbolize the five senses; material or scientific knowledge alone does not lead us to faith. The present husband represents our reason; faith is above reason, but not in contradiction.

Believing in God (faith) means receiving His revelation with full obedience, accepting the plan of God, and allowing ourselves to be guided by His Wisdom.

Mar 7 Sat - Is it good to use one’s freedom?

 

Mar 7 Sat
Is it good to use one’s freedom?

If God didn’t want Adam and Eve to eat of the tree, why did He put it there? Since He is all Wisdom, He must have had a reason to place that forbidden tree in the garden.

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil reminds us of the limits that man, as a creature, must freely accept and respect with trust.

Now, to “freely accept and respect with trust” is something the Devil cannot do. He wants all created gifts to have no limits, without a Creator or Giver. He refuses to recognize or respect his limits as a creature. I will not serve; I will not observe limits.

Thus, the Devil always divides us from others and us from ourselves.

Misery loves company, so the Devil wants to reproduce his mindset in others. His first victims were Adam and Eve. He asked, “Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” 

He’s not asking to get an answer. He’s suggesting that limits are absurd and anyone who sets them is an enemy. 

Adam and Eve took the bait. They reached beyond their boundaries, and in so doing, they fell.

The Devil had the same game plan when he approached Jesus in the desert. If the Devil cannot understand the blessing of being a creature of God, then the limitations of the Incarnation were absolutely incomprehensible to him.
 
Yet we believe that the Incarnation is not a fiction or make-believe. God really did confine and limit Himself to our human nature – to be born of a woman, to experience exhaustion, hunger, thirst, and sorrow, and even to be tempted.

The Devil cannot grasp the eternal Son’s joyful dependence on God the Father. Nor can he understand the Son’s joyful embrace of our created human nature. For Satan, divine power means doing whatever you want – not serving anybody. It certainly doesn’t mean setting limits for yourself through humility.

We live in a culture that rejects limits and embraces the demonic concept of freedom. Some think that to be free, we must break all limitations, even those of our human nature. For these individuals, freedom requires that a husband and wife be released from their union, a mother be liberated from her unborn child, a boy become a girl, and our souls be uploaded into machines.

In the desert, the Incarnate Lord shows us the true path. By humbling – limiting – Himself in our human nature and trusting in His Father, He overcomes the Devil’s temptations. He has done so for us to enjoy the “glorious freedom of the children of God.” 

Why, my Lord, have you granted us freedom, this privilege which we can use to follow in your footsteps but also to offend you? 

We must understand that when we use freedom properly, it directs us towards the good; and when misused, it turns us away from the Love of loves. 

Personal freedom should lead us to ask: 'What do you want from me, Lord, so that I may freely do it?'

With some excerpts from Fr. Paul D. Scalia

Mar 6 Fri - Does love include sacrifice?

 

Mar 6 Fri
Does love include sacrifice?

“Lent should suggest to us these basic questions: Am I advancing in my faithfulness to Christ, in my desire for holiness, in a generous apostolate in my daily life, in my ordinary work among my colleagues?" 

God expects our free response. Each one of us, silently, should answer these questions, and see that we need to change if Christ is to live in us, if Jesus' image is to be reflected in our behavior. “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Christ is saying this again to us, whispering it in our ears: the cross each day. Not only in time of persecution or when we have the chance of martyrdom, but in all circumstances.

“Conversion is the task of a moment; sanctification is the work of a lifetime. The divine seed, which God planted in our souls, needs to grow, to yield results which coincide with what God wants. Therefore, we must be ready to begin again, to find again - in new situations - the light of our first conversion. And that is why we must prepare with a deep examination of conscience, asking our Lord for his help, so that we'll know him and ourselves better. If we want to be converted again, there's no other way."

To be transformed into Christ, we must know and love him.
So, let us always pray, seeking a divine dialogue that makes us one with Jesus Christ.

“When you love someone a lot, you want to know things about them. We meditate on the life of our Lord, from his Birth in a manger to his Death on the Cross, and then his Resurrection. And we hold our Lord's life in our memory as if it were a film. So, without needing a book, just by closing our eyes at any moment, we can contemplate him, and live with him and with our Blessed Lady, who is his Mother and ours, and with the holy women, and the Apostles. We call up his image, not as if we were watching a film, but as if we ourselves were actually part of that film, by virtue of our love."

To set out and follow Jesus, we must meditate on all that our Lord has done for us, and fill ourselves with a desire to respond, and follow him without hesitation or indecision. 

Love is paid back with love; we must give our life for Jesus Christ, who came down from heaven by the weight of his Love.

True love leads to joyous sacrifice. “Love is sacrifice; and sacrifice for Love is joy."
Does my love possess these qualities? Do I gladly bear small difficulties for love of Jesus Christ? In times of weariness or suffering, do I trust our Lord? Do I endure small but real sufferings in good spirit? If not, I have yet to fall in love with Christ. I need to speak more with him and prove my good dispositions through small acts of love.

Mar 5 Thu - What do we offer in the Mass?

 

Mar 5 Thu
What do we offer in the Mass?

In the Offertory, the priest asked the Lord to accept the bread and wine as a token of the gift of our persons. Now, the Consecration has taken place, and the bread and wine are no longer there (only the looks remain); they have been changed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. This Christ we offer to God.

The Roman Canon formulates the oblation or offering with words that echo the biblical sacrifices:

“[Father,] Look with favor on these offerings and accept them as once you accepted the gifts of your servant Abel, the sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith, and the bread and wine offered by your priest Melchizedek. 

Abel offered the first born of his flock and God looked with favor on Abel and his offering. His brother Cain could not stand his attitude and thus slew him, like Jesus put to death on the Cross by his brothers out of hatred. 

God was also well pleased with the sacrifice offered by Melchizedek. The Church has always recognized in this sacrifice a figure of Christ’s sacrifice.

We ask God to look favorably on this holy sacrifice, the purest of all victims, and one of much greater value.

“Take your son,” God told Abraham, “your only child Isaac, and offer him as a burnt offering.” Abraham and his son Isaac set out together. Isaac spoke to Abraham, “Father, here are the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “My son, God himself will provide the lamb.” 

When they arrived at the place, Abraham put Isaac on the altar on top of the wood. Abraham took his knife to kill his son. But the angel of the Lord stopped him, “Abraham, do not harm the boy. God knows you have not refused your son, your only son.” Then looking up, Abraham saw a ram caught by its horns in a bush. He took it and offered it in place of his son. 

Another day, a different son, the Son of God, will offer himself on the cross, and He will not be spared. 

A note of doubt comes when we focus on the human side of our personal offering which is added to Christ’s and is incorporated into it. The Victim offered is infinitely holy, but what about the hands that offer it? We will be more or less pleasing to God, depending on whether we are saints or mediocrities. It is by our correspondence to his grace through personal struggle that we humbly attract God’s merciful gaze. We ask him to give us his grace to foster in ourselves those dispositions that He wants to find in each of us. 

The efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice on our own souls depends on our dispositions and perseverance. In this prayer, God’s adoration on earth is united to that in heaven. It is a reminder that what we celebrate here in signs will find its fulfillment in heaven, our true homeland. We ask God to receive our sacrifice so that our participation through Communion may be fruitful.

Mar 4 Wed - Why do we say that the Church is the mystery or sacrament of salvation?

 

Mar 4 Wed

Why do we say that the Church is the mystery or sacrament of salvation?

The Church’s universal mission is born from the command of Jesus Christ, and is fulfilled in the course of the centuries in the proclamation of the mystery of God and the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son, as saving event for all humanity. 

The Church is what God wanted her to be: the people of God the Father, the Mystical Body of God the Son, and the temple of God the Holy Spirit. She is a “mystery,” the visible sign of the invisible reality of God’s salvation. The Church is not a dark or incomprehensible reality, but the visible manifestation of God’s plan for humanity.

The term “mystery” does not mean something hidden or enigmatic, but a reality that was previously concealed and has now been revealed. 

The invisible side of the mystery is the divine plan to unite all creatures in Jesus Christ, accomplished in his death on the cross.

Yet the Church is the mystery made perceptible; this is experienced especially in the liturgical assembly, where diversities are irrelevant and what prevails is unity in the same love of Christ.

In this analogical sense, the Church is also called “a sacrament.” Christ instituted his Church as the universal sacrament of salvation. Through her, He joins all people closer to himself. Nourishing them with his own body and blood, He makes them partakers of his glorious life.

Thus, Christ, our salvation, acts through the seven sacraments of his Church. These are the signs and instruments of the Holy Spirit to distribute the grace of Christ (the Head) onto the Church (his Mystical Body). Thus, the Church contains and distributes the grace that she signifies. 

The Church is both invisible and visible at the same time. As an invisible reality, the Church is the communion of each human being with the Father through Christ in the Holy Spirit, and with all others, who equally participate in the:

- divine nature,
- Passion of Christ,
- the same faith, and
- the same spirit.

The Church on earth is also a visible reality, a visible communion of faithful who converge in the:

- teaching of the apostles,
- the sacraments, and
- the same hierarchical order.

Just as Christ is one in two natures, the Church is also one single reality with a dual composition. She is essentially both human and divine, visible but endowed with invisible realities; present in the world, but as a pilgrim; her human side is directed toward and subordinated to the divine, the visible to the invisible, and in this present world, she looks forward to that celestial city yet to come.

This social organization of the Church is in line with man’s nature and deepest needs as a social being that is essentially dependent on others.

In a world marked by fragmentation and division—where humanity is fractured, and human beings are unable to get together on their own—the Church presents herself as the concrete expression of God’s plan: she unites people with God and with one another through the action of Christ.

Mar 3 Tue - Does the Law of God fit human nature?

 

Mar 3 Tue
Does the Law of God fit human nature?

Yes, the Law of God perfectly fits human nature, as it is rooted in the rational structure and inclinations of that nature itself, guiding humanity toward its true fulfillment, while grace elevates it to supernatural ends. Pope Leo emphasized: God’s commandments are not oppression, but liberation.

Catholic teaching holds that the Eternal Law—God's wisdom governing all creation—is participated in by men through the natural law, which aligns seamlessly with human inclinations toward the good. Thus, human virtues are "rooted in human nature," and reason discerns the natural moral law to achieve happiness and the common good.

"Although grace is more efficacious than nature, yet nature is more essential to man, and therefore stronger."

The natural law is not imposed externally but emerges intrinsically from what it means to be human—preserving life, seeking truth, fostering society, and striving to follow God. It is accessible to all through reason, even without faith, enabling common moral ground. 

The revealed Divine Law perfects, without contradicting, nature. The positive divine law (Scripture's Old and New Covenants) builds upon and clarifies the natural law, respecting its order while healing sin's misrepresentations. 

Grace does not destroy nature but fulfills it: "The life of grace must respect the structure of nature and its diversity of goods." Revelation aids knowledge obscured by vice or habit, as "vicious customs and corrupt habits" can blot out precepts from the heart. For instance, basic precepts like "do not kill" are immediately evident, while others require wise instruction or divine teaching.

"The supernatural end must speak to the aspirations of the natural end... [and] fulfill and elevate the whole teleological edifice of human behavior."

Jesus' teaching on marriage refers to creation's "beginning," invoking this natural law inscribed in nature.

Yet man faces challenges in fulfilling himself: sin and ignorance.
Human nature, wounded by sin, can obscure natural law's clarity, leading to moral blindness. Yet, this does not mean the law ill-fits nature; rather, revelation and grace restore vision: "Apart from grace, we will not keep the moral law. Not keeping the moral law impedes us from seeing God." Christ reveals human nature fully, enabling self-knowledge and friendship with God.

Pope Leo emphasized that God’s commandments are not a source of oppression but rather a condition of liberation and flourishing.

The Ten Commandments thus appear, in the long journey through the desert, as the light that shows the way; their observance is understood and fulfilled not so much as a formal adherence to precepts but as an act of love toward the Lord of the covenant. Therefore, the law given by God to His people is not in contrast with their freedom; on the contrary, it is the condition for its flourishing.

The Lord's commandments are not oppressive laws but His method for humanity to find fullness of life and freedom.

Mar 2 Mon - Will I ever read these headlines?

 

Mar 2 Mon

Will I ever read these headlines?

Jesus says, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.”

You may have missed some of the biggest stories about the Ten Commandments this week. Astute Catholics will make the connection.

Our top story tonight: Child straightens up room and puts away his toys without being told.

This just in: Baby shares toy with sister.

First grader caught on video saying, “I’m sorry, Mommy.”

A teenager reported to having turned down the mobile phone at a meal.

11-grader football star passes the ball to a 'nerd'. Public astonished.

Husband skips sports bar. Goes straight home for dinner with family.

Breaking news: Mother and father hold family meeting. Tell kids: “I can’t force Confession. But under this roof, you’re at Mass on Sunday.”

Husband buys wife roses after ten years of marriage. On sale.

Top story: Wife stops complaining, realizing: “I must give good example, too.”

Stranger than fiction: Father teaches children to pray.

CCTV surveillance footage reveals regular visits of high school boys to the school chapel.

Investigation reveals that class funds were used to buy food for the homeless.

News update: Parents warn teens to avoid occasions of sin with members of the opposite sex.

Here’s the latest: Young man resists the impulse to click on an immodest picture. Instead skips the trash.

Developing story: Young couple breaks up relationship after hearing long-lost phrase: lewd and lascivious conduct.

An anonymous shopper thanked the cashier who served her, informed the supermarket chain spokesman.

Young lady slaps boy who made untoward advance. More at eleven.

Young father of a child born out of wedlock flips hamburgers to support him.

Young couple enjoys dinner and a movie. Go home separately.

Happening now: Young person afflicted with chronic temptations self-identifies as a child of God.

Man allows another employee to take credit for his success.

In continuing coverage: Cut off in traffic. Man does not curse or retaliate.

Employee speaks honestly with boss.

Stock Exchange broker avoids insider trading.

In the headlines: Congressman votes against legislation because it violates the Constitution. Alienates constituents.

Journalist reports the facts of a news story without spin.

Unfolding story: Congressman loses election because of pro-life stance. Explains: “They did not want me. They needed me.”

Late-breaking details: Man goes to Confession after 50 years.

Making headlines today: Man faithful to his wife in marriage until death.

Followed by this story: Priest celebrates 50 years of sacred ministry.

Finally, a miracle: Priest prays Divine Office on schedule. Hears Confessions on time.

Now, on to our main story: Holiness is ordinary fidelity. Grace makes the ordinary heroic.

And this is what holiness looks like:

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32)

This Lent, make fidelity your headline—by quietly living the Commandments. 

With some excerpts from Fr. Jerry Pokorsky

Mar 1 Sun - Why the Transfiguration?

 

Mar 1 Sun
Why the Transfiguration?

With the Transfiguration, Christ wanted to strengthen the apostles’ faith in the face of his coming Passion.

By extension, Christ’s glory, briefly revealed on the mountain, shows the hidden glory of his Body the Church that radiates in the sacraments.

When we receive the sacraments of the Church, we participate in the Transfiguration. Peter, James, and John saw the radiance of the Son of God. In the sacraments, we receive that radiance, God’s grace. With the apostles, we have “the hope of glory.”

The voice of the Father bids the apostles to “listen” to his beloved Son. To listen to Christ means both to grasp what He says and to carry it out. We can do so with the help of grace, bestowed on us in Jesus Christ.
Grace is the help God gives us to respond to our vocation of becoming his adopted sons, as children of God. It introduces us into the intimacy of the Trinitarian life. 

The first effect of grace is a ‘new identity’: it makes us children of God. The holy life God calls us to is not any life we may wish. His design or plan is that we should become “his adopted sons” sharing in “the intimacy of the Trinitarian life.” That is our divine vocation. This is impossible to attain without God’s help. And that help is grace.

Grace precedes, and prepares the free response of man. Grace responds to the deepest yearnings of human freedom, calls freedom to cooperate with it, and perfects freedom. 

What does my freedom yearn for? Does it want to choose perfect happiness forever?
Yet we know from experience from our fallen human nature that our freedom is not that free. It needs to be healed and helped.

This is why God’s grace does not replace our freedom or overpower our freedom. Instead, grace guides our freedom, if we say yes to it. Grace is there before we make a choice, gets us ready to make that choice, and draws that choice out of us.

What is my response to grace?

Recall St. Paul’s advice: “Bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.”

In our ordinary life, we will experience some hardship without looking for it. And we will bear some additional hardship if we are faithful to our Lenten resolutions.

Let us be very aware that we have the strength that comes from God to bear these difficulties through the sacraments we have received: Baptism, Confirmation (if we have received it), Matrimony (if we are married), Holy Orders (in the case of a priest or deacon), the Holy Eucharist, and Confession, if we need it.

Our lives will be conformed to the will of God,  
- if we bear the small hardships that come our way 
- if we cooperate with God’s grace.

For a little while, we are under a kind of dark cloud, but God’s “own design” is for us to be gloriously transformed, like Christ on the mountain, forever.