Today my journey leads me to reflect on penance and the need for me to request forgiveness.
According to the United States Conference of Bishops, "Penance is an experience of the gift of God's boundless mercy." God is merciful and yet, it is the act of penance that gives access for accepting the gift of His forgiveness. It is up to me as the gift is already there. So, what is it I am called to "do"? What is this "act" I might perform so as to accept God's gift? The call suggests I repent. The call to take a holy moment in which I place myself in His presence and honestly acknowledge my sins. This evening our church is hosting reconciliation and my wife and I will participate. Lord, help me consciously recognize my sins and confess them in a plea for Your forgiveness. I am a sinner and am sorry for what I have done, what I have failed to do and for all I have done that distracts or lessens from Your great Glory! AMEN!
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Praying for my cousin, Mark today. He had severe chest pain this weekend and it appears he will need to undergo quadruple bypass surgery later today or early tomorrow.
Today's Gospel are great reminder to refrain from "condemning" (throwing the first stone). GospelJn 8:1-11Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.” Today we celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph.
Below is a simple but helpful devotion for this special day. It was published by Creighton University: "Joseph is not a major part of the New Testament and is not mentioned after Jesus’ infancy except for the story of finding Jesus in the Temple. We know only that he was a carpenter in Nazareth, that he had a quiet life with Jesus and Mary, and we assume that he died before Jesus left home for his public ministry. It seems comforting to think of St. Joseph living this ordinary and humble life with Mary and Jesus, doing things families do, with no fanfare or special attention. His role on earth was to love and nurture Mary and Jesus and the assumption that a loving Jesus and Mary were both with him as he died led to devotion of Joseph as the Patron Saint of a Happy Death. The Collect for this day’s Eucharist makes clear that Jesus was placed in the very human and very loving care of St. Joseph. “Grant that by Saint Joseph’s intercession, your Church may constantly watch over the unfolding mysteries of human salvation, whose beginnings you entrusted to his faithful care.” My journey today begins by reading on page 206 of Neuhaus' "Death on a Friday Afternoon." Here Neuhaus writes, "Those who enter into the heart of darkness with love following love to the very end are participants in the cross point of all time. On the night before the end that began the world anew, he gave his followers the Eucharist as the rite of their continuing companionship with him. In the Eucharist as sacrifice, the sufferings of all time are gathered to his suffering. It is not Christ's sacrifice repeated, but his once-for-all sacrifice reaching out to embrace, complete and make whole every human moment of the horror. All those on the long mourner's bench of the eternal pity, all who have this day received the dread news of cancer, all victims of genocides beyond number, all the old and forgotten hovering in the dark corners of shabby nursing homes - for all, their suffering need not be 'senseless,' but is caught up by faith in the once-for-all-time sacrifice of which it is said, 'It is finished.'"
Lord, at am at the "cross point", now here in love. I put my sins in Christ knowing that his sacrifice, Your sacrifice, is the "once-for-all-time" sacrifice and that "It is finished." Amen! Today I spend my journey time with the Gospel reading from St. John.
GOSPEL OF THE DAYFrom the Gospel according to John Jonn 5:17-30 Jesus answered the Jews: “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” For this reason they tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God. Jesus answered and said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for what he does, the Son will do also. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything that he himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes. Nor does the Father judge anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life. Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself. And he gave him power to exercise judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation. “I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.” While there is much to consider with this Gospel reading, it was the last paragraph and words from Jesus that held my strongest attention and led to quiet reflection. It is not the part about "judging" and "judgment" but, the last part, "I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me." In reflecting I ponder on how weak I seem to be for being "self-less" and for seeking to do the will of the one who created me. Lord, please forgive me for my self concern and for wasting much time seeking to do my own will. Help guide me into a new habit of thinking about Your will and about the mentor you provided in Jesus. AMEN! My journey today is in Neuhaus' "Death on a Friday Afternoon", Chapter 6, "The Sacrifice".
Here, the sixth Word from the cross is "It's finished." Now we have the Truth, the Truth about everything. Christ's life is brought to completion. Neuhaus proposes that this is the "cross point in the Great Story...from the beginning of creation to the last words of the Bible." "At the cross point, everything is retrieved from the past and everything is anticipated from the future, and the cross is the point of entry to the heart of God from whom and for whom, quite simply, everything is." Here I pause to reflect, pray, and ponder on the "cross point." I think of Neuhaus' choice of words for this chapter...He chose "sacrifice" and this sparks fresh insight for me. Dictionary.com defines "sacrifice" as "something important or precious that is given up for the sake of gaining something or allowing something to happen that is considered more important." To me, Jesus gave up his human life so that something more important could happen. That "something more important" that could happen was the creation of salvation with God...not only for Jesus' sake but for all who believe. This "sacrifice" was a gift, and by the grace of God, a gift of unconditional love there for the acceptance by all who believe. I believe in our God and in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. I thank God for the gift of Jesus' sacrifice and for His love. AMEN! This morning as I continue my lenten journey, I quickly come upon a special challenge. Neuhaus, on page 182 of "Death on a Friday Afternoon", writes: "There is the perfect liberty of the followers of Christ. I do not even judge myself. Let no one judge before the time. Christ thirsts for those who throw away their lives in the everydayness of duties discerned and duties done."
My challenge is to refrain from judging myself, especially judging myself utilizing secular measures. Oh what a challenge for me. I have such a habit of measuring by things done. Lord, thank you for the blessing of "perfect liberty". Please help me to change and measure more by "proposing" the "good news" of your Son Jesus than by how many "things" I get done. AMEN! Lord, as I continue on this spiritual journey this morning, I begin by asking, "What would you have me do?" Whatever it is that I need do by your grace it shall be done!
May I do what needs done in freedom and with "reckless abandon" that is holy 'insouciance' (casually indifferent as to what it is to be done)." May I "live out my salvation by thinking and living differently with a martyr's resolve, in a world marked by falsehood, baseness, injustice, impurity, and mediocrity." AMEN! Lord, I pray to you to please touch our grandson Solomon's life with your peace and love. He is struggling to find his way in this world and has "left" his family and the source of support he needs to find his way back toward you. And please guide his mother and us to know "what you would have us do" to help Solomon and serve You. AMEN! As I continue my journey today, I focus on the daily Gospel reading:
GospelMk 12:28-34One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than he. And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions. As I read this scripture and spend a few seconds pondering, I decide to review just what "love" is. This, in turn, leads me to scripture: 1 Corinthians 13 1 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. As my love for God goes, I need to be more patient and refrain from being self-seeking. Lots of work to do here for me. Lord, please share your patience with me and nudge me to be more patient with you and with others. As for my love for my "neighbors", I seem to choose to leave them alone mostly. Perhaps I can grow here by at least including more of my "neighbors" in my daily praying. Lord, help me be more aware and alert of the needs of others and may I respond with love (kindness, respect, forgiveness, etc.). AMEN! This morning, while reading in "Death on a Friday Afternoon", I am reminded that "the Church does not have a mission. The Church is the mission who works to save the lost who do not know their story. Their story is Christ, the way, the truth, and the life of all."
So, I am clearly reminded that my responsibility is to share what I have been given. To share with others the gift of God's love and the truth of Christ! Amen! |
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