My reflections for Mar. 06, 2006 - Monday

March 6, 2006

Reading I
Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18

The LORD said to Moses,
(Speak to the whole assembly of the children of Israel and tell them:
Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.

“You shall not steal.
You shall not lie or speak falsely to one another.
You shall not swear falsely by my name,
thus profaning the name of your God.
I am the LORD.

“You shall not defraud or rob your neighbor.
You shall not withhold overnight the wages of your day laborer.
You shall not curse the deaf,
or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,
but you shall fear your God.
I am the LORD.

“You shall not act dishonestly in rendering judgment.
Show neither partiality to the weak nor deference to the mighty,
but judge your fellow men justly.
You shall not go about spreading slander among your kin;
nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor’s life is at stake.
I am the LORD.

“You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart.
Though you may have to reprove him,
do not incur sin because of him.
Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
I am the LORD.”

(The Scriptures constantly come back to the fact that there needs to be qualitative change in our life when we repent and that one who follows God can and should be recognizable from the life that they lead. There is a definite connection between the religion we profess and the choices we make in life. We cannot totally divorce the two things. Our faith makes demands upon us that are directly translated into our life in the world.)

Meditation for Lent <== Click here

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15

R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart.
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart
find favor before you,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

Gospel
Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus said to his disciples:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right,
‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
And the king will say to them in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left,
‘Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
Then they will answer and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?’
He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life.”

(In this teaching Jesus affirms once again that we need to support our words with actions. It is much easier to know what we should be doing than to actually do it. Words are cheap. It is the actions that demonstrate our commitment to a particular set of values. Let us be sure that we heed today's reading and ensure that we put into place the things that Jesus is talking about.)

God's special verse/thought for me today.

To Become Poor in Spirit in Order to Fulfill God's Will

Human nature, wounded by original sin, is oriented not toward God, but toward the affirmation of one's own I. When our I is threatened, our wills create vast networks of defense mechanisms, most often subconcious, in order for our egos to maintain their positions. However, self-containment is not enough. For, when threats to our egos diminish, our wills make attempts to expand our egos' territories, and as if to infinitely widen their borders. The human heart longs for transcendence. But unfortunately, we opt for false transcendence.

By knocking on your door with His light, God wants to direct your desires and open you to the only true transcendence - Himself. When God does this, it is as if He is telling you:

Give to Me your will and its unceasing desire to go beyond itself and follow after a false light. This path leads nowhere. It can lead to your damnation.

The desire to expand the territory of one's own I is dangerous, not only for the soul, but also for the psyche. Quite often this desire is the source of disappointment, wounds, and illnesses. God invites you to give up this desire and to become poorer in spirit, more and more emptied of yourself. Only then will the desire to fulfill God's will appear in you in place of your false longings.

Poverty means to be stripped of your own desires so that the infinite will of God might reign in you. Only God's will can fulfill the longings of the human heart, which is lost, saturated, and wounded by its harmful desires. In essence, the hidden and subconscious goal of all of our desires is God Himself: "You made us for yourself" says St. Augustine. And so, we can attain self-realization only by uniting ourselves with the loving will of God.

(Section III from the book of S. C. Biela 'Open Wide the Door to CHRIST'.)

my reflections
think: Words are cheap. It is the actions that demonstrate our commitment to a particular set of values.
O Lord, help me to take actions to demonstrate my commitment to a particular set of values you want us to practice. I desire to practice these values because you want us to be holy because You my Lord my God is holy. I've been practicing these values unknowingly these are your will and I ask You Lord to give me an opportunity to practice more these values to explode your love and mercy. I've done what I could to the best of my ability and resources. Shower me Lord with abundant blessings so I could share these overflowing abundance to my brothers and sisters because I know that loving and caring for them is showing my love for you.

thank You Lord for: Your commandments so we may know what is right or wrong.

thank You Lord for asking and showing us o be holy for You our Lord and God is holy.

thank You Lord for teaching us the importance of taking actions to demonstrate our commitment to a particular set of values.

thank You Lord for giving us the courage to do what is good to the least of my brothers and sisters.

thank You Lord for showing us how to love you by loving one another.

thank You Lord for making me poor in spirit in order to fulfill Your will.