What about more food for the Soul? Jesus - the divine physician

Monday, 31 March 

Gospel Reading: John 4:43-54

After the two days he departed to Galilee. For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast, for they too had gone to the feast. So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Caper'na-um there was an official whose son was ill. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Jesus therefore said to him, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe." The official said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies." Jesus said to him, "Go; your son will live." The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went his way. As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was living. So he asked them the hour when he began to mend, and they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him." The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live"; and he himself believed, and all his household. This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.

Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 65:17-21

"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the child shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed. They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit."
 

Meditation

Do you approach the Lord Jesus with expectant faith for healing, pardon, and transformation in Christ-like holiness? Isaiah prophesied that God would come not only to restore his people, he would also come to recreate new heavens and a new earth (Isaiah 65:17). Jesus' miracles are signs that manifest the presence of God and the coming of his kingdom of power and glory. When a high ranking official, who was very likely from King Herod's court, heard the reports of Jesus’ preaching and miracles, he decided to seek Jesus out for an extraordinary favor. If this story happened today the media headlines would probably say: "High ranking official leaves capital in search of miracle cure from a small town carpenter."

It took raw courage for a high ranking court official to travel twenty miles in search of Jesus, the Galilean carpenter. He had to swallow his pride and put up with some ridicule from his cronies. And when he found the healer carpenter, Jesus seemed to put him off with the blunt statement that people would not believe unless they saw some kind of miracle or sign from heaven. Jesus likely said this to test the man to see if his faith was in earnest. If he turned away in irritation or with discouragement, he would prove to be insincere. Jesus, perceiving his faith, sent him home with the assurance that his prayer had been heard.

It was probably not easy for this man to return to his family with only an assuring word from Jesus that his son would be healed. Couldn't Jesus have come to this man's house and layed his hands on the dying child? Without a moment's hesitation, the court official believed in Jesus and took him at his word. He began his journey back home with renewed faith and hope - ready to face whatever might await him - whether it be the anguish of his distraught family and or the scorn of unbelieving neighbors. Before he could even make it all the way back to his home town, news reached him that his son had recovered. What astonishment must have greeted his family and friends when they heard that his son was instantly restored to health at the very moment when Jesus had pronounced the words - your son will live!

Jesus' miraculous healings show his generous kindness and extravagant love - a love that bends down in response to our misery and wretched condition. Is there any area in your life where you need healing, pardon, change, and restoration? If you seek the Lord with trust and expectant faith, he will not disappoint you. He will meet you more than half way and give you what you need. The Lord Jesus never refused anyone who put their trust in him. Surrender your doubts and fears, your pride and guilt at his feet, and trust in his saving word and healing love.

"Lord Jesus, your love never fails and your mercy is unceasing. Give me the courage to surrender my stubborn pride, fear and doubts to your surpassing love, wisdom and knowledge. Make be strong in faith, persevering in hope, and constant in love."
 

Psalm 30:2-5,11-12

O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.
O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol,
     restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.
Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime.
     Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
     you have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,
that my soul may praise you and not be silent.
     O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you for ever.

 

Daily Quote for Lent

"God sent the human race a physician, a savior, One Who healed without charging a fee. Christ also came to reward those who would be healed by Him. Christ heals the sick, and He makes a gift to those whom He heals. And the gift that He makes is Himself!" (Augustine of Hippo, 430-543 A.D., excerpt from Sermon 102,2)

Monday S.P-Lent Day 27 - Why Your Body Matters for Prayer

Christian prayer is embodied prayer. In C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters we discovered an experienced devil giving lessons to a young temptor. At one point, the veteran orders his young charge to encourage his 'client,' a budding Christian, to envision prayer as something very 'interior' and 'mystical,' having little to do with posture or the position of the body. He wants the poor Christian to think that whether he stands, slouches, sits, or kneels is irrelevant to the quality of his communication with God. This, of course, is the Cartesian voice, the belief that our bodies and souls are independent and have little to do with each other.   But then consider the view of William James. In his Principles of Psychology, James writes that it is not so much sadness that makes us cry as crying that makes us feel sad. The body in a significant sense precedes the mind.   The same dynamic occurs when we pray. It is not so much keen feelings of devotion that force us to our knees as kneeling that gives rise to keen feelings of devotion.   If you're having difficulty in prayer today, try kneeling, or bowing, or making some sort of reverent gesture. The body often leads the mind into a deeper spiritual space.

"It is not so much keen feelings of devotion that force us to our knees as kneeling that gives rise to keen feelings of devotion." - Father Robert Barron

The Saints and Lent-Day 25

When considering saintly masters for Lent, I would direct attention to St. Ignatius of Loyola. He went through an extraordinary religious conversion as a young man and then spent a year living in a cave in Manresa. He lived in extreme deprivation, fasting, in utter simplicity. He even let his hair and nails grow out.

We might say he went a little too mad. But that wasn't the case. He was experimenting with a sort of radical asceticism, trying to rid himself of the attachments that were keeping him from doing God's will. Now was his an extreme form? Sure. Many of the saints go through extreme periods of asceticism, in imitation of Jesus who spent forty days and forty nights in the desert. Does Ignatius live that way for the rest of his life? No, and he wouldn't counsel his followers to do so. But it was an important moment in his own spiritual development.

None of us are meant to live Lent all year round, but it's good for us to deny ourselves for a period, fasting, almsgiving, ridding ourselves of detachments and diversions. It's important for us to do this for a time, just like Ignatius at Manresa.

Another saint to consider during Lent is St. Robert Bellarmine, one of Ignatius's great sons in the Jesuit order. Bellarmine was a gifted theologian and respected cardinal, and very active in the world. Yet despite his activity, every Lent, every year, he completed the thirty-day Ignatian retreat. Some people complete the retreat once in the lifetime, but Bellarmine did it every single year.

There's something wise in adopting a rigorous, but healthy period of asceticism during Lent, as these two particular saints demonstrate.  

"None of us are meant to live Lent all year round, but it's good for us to deny ourselves for a period." - Father Robert Barron

Lent Day 24 - Christ at the Center

The massive rose windows of the medieval Gothic cathedrals were not only marvels of engineering and artistry; they were also symbols of the well-ordered soul. The pilgrim coming to the cathedral for spiritual enlightenment would be encouraged to meditate upon the rose of light and color in order to be drawn into mystical conformity with it. What would he or she see? At the center of every rose window is a depiction of Christ (even when Mary seems to be the focus, she is carrying the Christ child on her lap), and then wheeling around him in lyrical and harmonious patterns are the hundreds of medallions, each depicting a saint or a scene from scripture. The message of the window is clear: When one's life is centered on Christ, all the energies, aspirations, and powers of the soul fall into a beautiful and satisfying pattern. And by implication, whenever something other than Christ--money, sex, success, adulation--fills the center, the soul falls into disharmony. Jesus expressed this same idea when he said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and the rest will be given unto you" (Mt 6:33). When the divine is consciously acknowledged as the ground and organizing center of one's existence, something like wholeness or holiness is the result. Don't live your life on the rim of the circle, but rather at the center. Focus on that reliable, unchanging point where Christ resides.

"When one's life is centered on Christ, all the energies, aspirations, and powers of the soul fall into a beautiful and satisfying pattern." - Father Robert Barron

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Lent Day 23 - The One Who Fully Heals

What exactly is sin? To answer that we should first make a simple observation: we are all unhappy. By this I do not mean that we are all psychologically depressed. I mean that we are all, at a fundamental level, unsatisfied. And more to the point, we know it: "People are much sadder than they seem," concluded St. John Vianney. Our minds are hungry for truth and want it in great waves. But they get it, if it all, only in small doses and tiny drops. Likewise, our hearts hunger for goodness, and they get it, if at all, in dribs and drabs. We seem to know what to do, and what to be, but we seem fundamentally incapable of realizing it. There just seems to be something "broken" in all of us, something not as it should be. Even worse, we know in our more honest moments that there is nothing we can do about it. Our minds are flawed, and we can't think them back into health; our wills are weak and we can't will them back into strength. I realize how difficult this is for us to accept. Optimism and a can-do attitude belongs to the mythology of America, a country born of Enlightenment rationalism and confidence. But whenever we as individuals or nations try to lift ourselves up out of this problem, we make matters worse. Whenever we listen to a guru, a demagogue, a dictator, or a self-help psychologist, who tell us that all will be well either through economic, political, cultural, or interior reform, we make matters worse. This is our misery, but it is also, in an odd way, our greatness. We are broken, but since we are made in the image and likeness of God, he can fix us. One of the most important spiritual tasks then, especially in our time, is to awaken to the fact of sin--and to acknowledge our need for a savior. "Those who are healthy do not need a physician," Jesus claimed, "but the sick do." Only when we recognize our deep brokenness and dissatisfaction, neither of which we can heal on our own, can we encounter the One who fully heals.

"One of the most important spiritual tasks then, especially in our time, is to awaken to the fact of sin--and to acknowledge our need for a savior." - Father Robert Barron

And and Share Lent Day 22

Lent Day 22 - What We Carry When We Die

In 1932, just as the Great Depression was getting underway, an itinerant philosopher named Peter Maurin found himself in New York City. There he met a young woman, a spiritual seeker and social activist who had just converted to Catholicism. Her name was Dorothy Day. Together Maurin and Day founded the Catholic Worker Movement, at the heart of which lay a newspaper and several houses of hospitality, places where poor and hungry people could receive a meal or a place to sleep. Their goal was to create a society where it was "easier to be good," changing modern America from being "a society of go-getters to a society of go-givers." How did they go about making this change? By following the practical precepts of the church, which flow directly from Matthew 25, namely, the corporal and spiritual works of mercy: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, shelter the homeless, bury the dead, counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, pray for the living and the dead. When these are practiced, they realized, one's concern for "peace and justice" is no longer an abstraction or a harmless velleity. It becomes real and impactful. Upon our death we can take no earthly treasures with us. We leave behind our wealth, our power, our social status, our degrees, and our titles. Yet paradoxically, in Maurin's own words, "what we give to the poor for Christ's sake is what we carry with us when we die."

"What we give to the poor for Christ's sake is what we carry with us when we die." - Peter Maurin

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Read AND Share Lenten Reflection 21

Across almost all cultures and religions, fasting has been an ancient spiritual practice. Its main rationale is that by detaching ourselves from certain desires, we awaken deeper hungers.

It's hard for us to experience that. Most of the time, we're dominated by our sensual desires--our desires for food, drink, sex, and pleasure. Yet it's by fasting from these admittedly good things that we allow deeper hungers to emerge. That includes, perhaps most of all, the desire for God, the desire for intimacy and communion with him.

Today, choose one shallow desire to detach yourself from--not by suppressing it, but by distancing yourself from it. In doing so you'll awaken your deeper hunger for God.  

"By detaching ourselves from certain desires, we awaken deeper hungers." - Father Robert Barron

Sad News

Analysis Shows Flight 370 'Ended' In Indian Ocean, Malaysia Says

by SCOTT NEUMAN

March 24, 2014 

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Relatives of passengers of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 embrace each other in a Beijing hotel after learning of news today that the flight ended in the southern Indian Ocean.

Rolex Dela Pena/EPA/Landov

This post was updated at 8:14 p.m. ET.

Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak said Monday that new analysis of the flight path of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 showed that it "ended in the southern Indian Ocean."

Speaking at a news conference in Kuala Lumpur, Razak said the U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch and the U.K.-based satellite company Inmarsat had used a first-of-its-kind analysis to determine the course of the Boeing 777 and the 239 passengers and crew aboard. Most of the people aboard the Beijing-bound flight from Kuala Lumpur were Chinese nationals.

"Based on their new analysis, Inmarsat and the AAIB have concluded that MH370 flew along the southern corridor and that its last position was in the middle of the Indian Ocean, west of Perth," the prime minister said.

"This is a remote location, far from any possible landing sites," Razak added. "It is therefore that with deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that with this new data, Flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean."

He said Malaysia Airlines had informed the families of the news.

In a statement, the airline said it "regrets that we have to assume beyond any reasonable doubt that MH370 has been lost and that no one aboard survived."

"The ongoing multinational search operation will continue, as we seek answers to the questions which remain. Alongside the search for MH370, there is an intensive investigation, which we hope will also provide answers," the statement read.

The airline also tweeted: "We humbly offer our sincere thoughts, prayers and condolences to everyone affected by #MH370 tragedy."

If the analysis proves correct, it would put to rest part of the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the airliner on March 8. That event launched the largest-ever air-and-sea search and spawned numerous theories about why the aircraft's communications went silent just as it made a radical course change and disappeared from radar scopes.

Even if wreckage from the plane is found, however, it could be some time before the plane's flight data recorder could be recovered from the Indian Ocean. If it is recovered, it could take weeks or months more before details of what happened in the airplane are learned.

The Associated Press quotes Wang Zhen, whose father and mother were aboard the plane, as saying he received a text message in English from the airline advising him of the findings and Razak's pending news conference.

Hours after the Malaysian prime minister's announcement, China's foreign ministry demanded all information related to the missing airliner.

"China has already demanded that Malaysia further provides all information and evidence about how it reached this conclusion," the ministry said in a statement.

Updated at 8:02 p.m. ET. Search Operations On Hold:

Australia suspended Monday's search for the missing jetliner because of "poor weather conditions."

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said they expect the search to continue tomorrow "if weather conditions permit."

Our original post continues:

Australian and Chinese planes spotted several floating objects in the southern Indian Ocean that could be wreckage from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, missing since March 8. Ships have been dispatched to investigate.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott described one object observed by an Australian P-3 Orion as circular and gray and another as rectangular and orange. Both were reported to be floating just below the surface. Malaysia's Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein says the objects could be recovered in the next few hours.

The Australian navy supply ship HMAS Success arrived in the area Monday and was trying to locate the objects, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Meanwhile, China's Xinhua News Agency reports that a Chinese IL-76 aircraft that's been combing the search zone located two other large objects and several small ones spread out over several square kilometers of ocean.

The Associated Press says:

"At least one of the items — a white, square-shaped object — was captured on a camera aboard the plane, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said.

" 'We are still racing against time,' Hong said at a ministry briefing. 'As long as there is a glimmer of hope, our search efforts will carry on.'

"China has redirected the icebreaker Snow Dragon toward the latest find, and that ship was due to arrive early Tuesday. Six other Chinese ships have been directed toward the search zone along with 20 fishing vessels that have been asked to help, Lei said."

The visual sightings follow satellite images of objects suspected of being possible wreckage that were reported over the weekend.

Tropical Cyclone Gillian is bearing down on the Indian Ocean. Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said "forecasts ahead are not all that good" for the search area. But the Australian Maritime Safety Authority tweeted that the search would not be affected by the storm system.

As a "precautionary measure in case a debris field is located," the U.S. Navy has ordered its "Towed Pinger Locator 25," or TPL-25, into the search area.

According to a Navy statement:

The TPL-25 Towed Pinger Locator System is able to locate black boxes on downed Navy and commercial aircraft down to a maximum depth of 20,000 feet anywhere in the world. Commercial aircraft pingers are mounted directly on the flight recorder, the recovery of which is critical to an accident investigation.

The Pinger Locator is towed behind a vessel at slow speeds, generally 1-5 knots, depending on the depth. The tow array carries a passive listening device for detecting pingers that automatically transmit an acoustic pulse.

Lent Day 19 - Rolling Away the Stone of Death

In all of the Gospel accounts, mention is made of the huge stone rolled across the entrance of Jesus' tomb after his burial. This seems to stand for the awful finality of death, the irreversible, dense facticity of it. But in Jesus' victorious resurrection, that stone is effortlessly rolled away. This subtle but important action highlights why each Sunday is our victory day. The power that held us ransom has been overthrown; the dark cloud that has brooded over our lives, turning us in on ourselves and outward in violence and sin, has been removed. Now we can sing, "Death and sorrow, earth's dark story, to the former days belong." And, "Where the Paschal blood is poured, Death's dark angel sheaths his sword." With Paul, we can mock the former lord of the world: "Death where is thy sting?" And with the psalmist we can say-now at full pitch-"If God is for us, who can be against us?" Jesus rolls away the stone of death and brings to that dark place the light of God.

"Jesus rolls away the stone of death and brings to that dark place the light of God." - Father Robert Barron

Lent Day 18 - The Diversity of Saints

One thing that strikes you first about the saints is their diversity. It would be very difficult to find one pattern of holiness, one way of following Christ. There is Thomas Aquinas, the towering intellectual, and the Curé d'Ars who barely made it through the seminary. There is Vincent de Paul, a saint in the city, and there is Antony who found sanctity in the harshness and loneliness of the desert. There is Bernard kneeling on the hard stones of Clairvaux in penance for his sins, and there is Hildegard of Bingen singing and throwing flowers, madly in love with God. There is Albertus Magnus, the quirky scientist, half-philosopher and half-wizard, and there is Gerard Manley Hopkins, the gentle poet. There is Peter, the hard-nosed and no-nonsense fisherman, and there is Edith Stein, secretary to Edmund Husserl and colleague to Martin Heidegger, the most famous philosopher of the twentieth century. There is Joan of Arc, leading armies into war, and there is Francis of Assisi, the peacenik who would never hurt an animal. There is the grave and serious Jerome, and there is Philip Neri, whose spirituality was based on laughter. How do we explain this diversity? God is an artist, and artists love to change their style. The saints are God's masterpieces, and he never tires of painting them in different colors, different styles, and different compositions. We might say God is a pure white light that, when refracted in the prism of creation, breaks into countless colors, each unique and each an aspect of the light. These colors are the saints, each one reflecting some aspect of the divine reality. What does this mean for us? It means we should not try to imitate any one saint exactly. Look to them all, study their unique holiness, but then find that specific color God wants to bear through you. St. Catherine of Siena was right: "Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire."

"The saints are God's masterpieces, and he never tires of painting them in different colors, different styles, and different compositions." - Father Robert Barron

"Lazarus was carried to Abraham's bosom"

Gospel Reading: Luke 16:19-31

"There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.  And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, full of sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried; and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus in his bosom. And he called out, `Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.' But Abraham said, `Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he  is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.' And he said, `Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.' But Abraham said, `They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.'  And he said, `No, father Abraham; but if some one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' He said to him, `If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead.'"

Old Testament Reading: Jeremiah 17:5-10

Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm, whose heart turns away from the LORD. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come.  He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit." The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt;  who can understand it? "I the LORD search the mind and try the heart, to give to every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings."
 

Meditation

What sustains you when trials and affliction come your way? The prophet Jeremiah tells us that whoever relies on God will not be disappointed or be in want when everything around them dries up or disappears (Jeremiah 17:7-8). God will not only be their consolation, but their inexhaustible source of hope and joy as well. Jesus' parable about the afflictions of the poor man Lazarus brings home a similar point. In this story Jesus paints a dramatic scene of contrasts – riches and poverty, heaven and hell, compassion and indifference, inclusion and exclusion. We also see an abrupt and dramatic reversal of fortune. Lazarus was not only poor, but sick and unable to fend for himself.  He was “laid” at the gates of the rich man’s house. The dogs which licked his sores probably also stole the little bread he got for himself. Dogs in the ancient world symbolized contempt. Enduring the torment of these savage dogs only added to the poor man’s miseries and sufferings. The rich man treated the beggar with contempt and indifference, until he found his fortunes reversed at the end of his life! In God's economy, those who hold on possessively to what they have, lose it all in the end, while those who share generously receive back many times more than they gave way.

The name Lazarus means God is my help. Despite a life of misfortune and suffering, Lazarus did not lose hope in God. His eyes were set on a treasure stored up for him in heaven. The rich man, however, could not see beyond his material wealth and possessions. He not only had every thing he needed, he selfishly spent all he had on himself. He was too absorbed in what he possessed to notice the needs of those around him. He lost sight of God and  the treasure of heaven because he was preoccupied with seeking happiness in material things. He served wealth rather than God. In the end the rich man became a beggar! Do you know the joy and freedom of possessing God as your true and lasting treasure? Those who put their hope and security in heaven will not be disappointed (see Hebrews 6:19)?

"Lord Jesus, you are my joy and my treasure. Make me rich in the things of heaven and give me a generous heart  that I may freely share with others the spiritual and material treasures you have given to me."

Lent Day 16 Reflection with Fr. Baron - Turning Over Your Tables

From very early on, Christian theologians and spiritual writers made a comparison between Jesus' cleansing of the temple in Jerusalem and Jesus' cleansing of our hearts and bodies. St. Paul refers to the body as a "temple of the Holy Spirit." Your self, your body, your whole person is meant to be a temple, a holy place where God dwells and where prayer and union with God is central. It's a beautiful image: rightly ordered, we become temples of the Holy Spirit.

This image leads to an important question: what goes wrong within the temple of our souls? The same thing that went wrong with the Temple in Jerusalem--what's meant to be a house of prayer becomes a den of thieves. All kinds of distractions came into the Temple, money changers and corrupt influences, those who turned people away from worshiping God.

Today, we should ask, what distractions and corruptions have come into the temple of my heart and body?

Lent is a terrific time to allow Jesus Christ to make a whip of cords and come into the temple of our hearts, and, while there, to turn some tables over, to flip things upside down if he has to.

What would Jesus chase out of your heart if he had a chance? If you let him in, with all the wonderful fury displayed in the Gospels, what would he cleanse?

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"Whoever humbles himself will be exalted"

Gospel Reading: Matthew 23:1-12

Then said Jesus to the crowds and to his disciples, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice. They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, and salutations in the market places, and being called rabbi by men. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called masters, for you have one master, the Christ. He who is greatest among you shall be your servant; whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 1:10,16-20

Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom!  Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomor'rah! Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. "Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
 

Meditation

Who doesn't desire the praise and respect of others? We want others to see us at our best with all of our strengths and achievements – rather than at our worst with all of our faults and shortcomings. God sees us as we truly are – sinners and beggars always in need of his mercy, help, and guidance. The prophet Isaiah warned both the rulers and the people of Sodom and Gomorrah to listen to God's teaching so they could learn to do good and to cease from evil (Isaiah 110,17). Jesus warned the scribes and Pharisees, the teachers and rulers of Israel, to teach and serve their people with humility and sincerity rather than with pride and self-promotion. They went to great lengths to draw attention to their religious status and practices. In a way they wanted to be good models of observant Jews. "See how well we observe all the ritual rules and regulations of our religion!" In their misguided zeal for religion they sought recognition and honor for themselves rather than for God. They made the practice of their faith a burden rather than a joy for the people they were supposed to serve. True respect for God inclines us to humble ourselves and to submit to his teaching. We cannot be taught by God unless we first learn to listen to his word and then obey his instruction.

Was Jesus against calling anyone a rabbi, the Jewish title for a teacher of God's word (Matthew 23:7-8), or a father? The law of Moses commanded fathers to teach their children to obey God's instructions (Deuteronomy 6:7). Or was he just directing this sharp rebuke to the scribes and Pharisees? Jesus seemed to be warning both his disciples and the religious leaders about the temptation to seek titles and honors to increase one's own reputation and admiration by others. The scriptures give ample warning about the danger of self-seeking pride: Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18). God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6; Proverbs 3:24). Origen, a Christian teacher and bible scholar writing in the 3rd century, reminds those who teach and lead to remember that "you have one teacher, and you are all brothers to each other...Whoever ministers with the divine word does not put himself forward to be called teacher, for he knows that when he performs well it is Christ who is within him. He should only call himself servant according to the command of Christ, saying, Whoever is greater among you, let him be the servant of all."

Respect for God and for his ways inclines us to Godly humility and simplicity of heart. What is true humility and why should we embrace it? True humility is not feeling bad about yourself, or having a low opinion of yourself, or thinking of yourself as inferior to others. True humility frees us from preoccupation with ourselves, whereas a low self-opinion tends to focus our attention on ourselves. Humility is truth in self-understanding and truth in action. Viewing ourselves truthfully, with sober judgment, means seeing ourselves the way God sees us (Psalm 139:1-4). A humble person makes a realistic assessment of oneself without illusion or pretense to be something one is not. A truly humble person regards oneself neither smaller nor larger than one truly is. True humility frees us to be ourselves as God sees us and to avoid despair and pride. A humble person does not want to wear a mask or put on a facade in order to look good to others. Such a person is not swayed by accidentals, such as fame, reputation, success, or failure. Do you know the joy of Christ-like humility and simplicity of heart?

Humility is the queen or foundation of all the other virtues because it enables us to see and judge correctly, the way God sees. Humility helps us to be teachable so we can acquire true knowledge, wisdom, and an honest view of reality. It directs our energy, zeal, and ambition to give ourselves to something greater than ourselves. Humility frees us to love and serve others selflessly, for their sake, rather than our own. Paul the Apostle gives us the greatest example and model of humility in the person of Jesus Christ, who emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, and ...who humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:7-8). Do you want to be a servant as Jesus served and loved others? The Lord gives grace to those who humbly seek him.

"Lord Jesus, you became a servant for my sake to set me free from the tyranny of selfish pride and self-concern. Teach me to be humble as you are humble and to love others generously with selfless service and kindness."

Teamwork

Working in teams is the best

Having a Bad Day?

Part of the challenges of life is to always have to deal with all kinds of problems on a daily basis. Sometimes our worries kicks in immediately when we get out of bed and run throughout the day. Well, I have news of good intentions for you. 

Whenever you get up in the morning, pray and if you are the type who doesn't believe in the power of prayer, then listen to this amazing song by the great Legend who once lives. Robert Nesta Marley. I will elevate your spring and give you the energy you need to face the bulls of the day by their horns. By the way, it doesn't mean if you believe in the power of prayer you don't have to listen to the song. I just want to clarify that.

As a matter of fact, you do both just like I usually do. Have a wonderful day and always remember, everything is gonna be alright! 

Learn Your Heart Sounds in 20 minutes Pals

We all know how important it is to keep track of our health. Please I recommend that you watch this 20 minutes YouTube video which is well explained by this your physician. It will help you in understanding how one of the major and most important organs of the body functions.

Thanks for watching.