Author: diocesan-melbournebeach

Ask Boldly / Pide con valentía

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A royal official, a high-ranking Roman army soldier who had been trained to emulate confidence and persuasion, went up to Jesus and asked Him to heal his son. Would we dare go to Jesus and ask Him boldly to do a miracle? This royal official had most likely been hanging around overseeing the crowds and had witnessed the miracles Jesus and his disciples were performing, which helped him to grow in faith and courage. 

Have you ever walked into a gathering and immediately felt the tone of your surroundings?  Perhaps that’s what Jesus’ actions imply here, since He reacted not directly to the official but to the crowd by saying that without signs, they wouldn’t believe. But after the royal official insists, Jesus has a different reaction to his request. Jesus had already felt what was in his heart and perceived the spark of faith. To boldly ask Jesus to heal his son came from both his outward soldier experience and a deep stirring within his soul. Jesus understood. The royal official didn’t need a sign. He already had faith.

Today, when we go to Jesus pleading for a miracle, are our hearts closed? Or are we like a teenager who only half listens and is preoccupied with our ego? If we hear the Lord saying to us “O ye of little faith!” we can respond, “I believe Lord, help my unbelief.”

Yes, we can go to Jesus and boldly ask for a miracle. Do we have faith and conviction that He will do what we ask of Him? In a podcast I heard recently, Sr. Miriam said that when you are surrounded by doubt, anxiety, and fear, you should say, “God, I know you love me and want good. Please show me what to do.”  That is confident faith. 

The royal official had started with faith in the Roman Army and Ceasar, but God had other plans for him. He shows us that faith can make us bold when we acknowledge God; it can even move mountains. And as an added bonus his whole household came to believe. When we approach Jesus with a request, we, too, receive a bonus. We can kneel before Him in the Eucharist. Whether in Adoration or the Mass, Jesus is waiting to hear from us and acknowledge His presence. 

How long did it take the royal official to obtain this deep faith? Who knows, but growing in faith in Jesus Christ, as true God and true Man, can be very simple. In a quiet moment say to Him, “O Jesus, I surrender myself to you; take care of everything.” No matter how weak or bold our faith is, when we come to Him, He wraps us in His arms. Let’s learn a lesson from the royal official and confidently speak up with faith.

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Un oficial real, un soldado de alto rango del ejército romano que había sido entrenado para emular la confianza y la persuasión, se acercó a Jesús y le pidió que sanara a su hijo. ¿Nos atreveríamos a ir a Jesús y pedirle con valentía que hiciera un milagro? Este oficial real probablemente había estado vigilando a las multitudes y había presenciado los milagros que Jesús y sus discípulos estaban realizando, lo que lo ayudó a crecer en fe y valentía.

¿Alguna vez has entrado en una reunión y has sentido de inmediato el tono de tu entorno? Tal vez eso es lo que implican las acciones de Jesús aquí, ya que a la primera no reaccionó directamente al oficial sino a la multitud al decir que sin señales, no creerían. Pero después de que el oficial real insistiera, Jesús tiene una reacción diferente a su pedido. Jesús ya había sentido lo que había en su corazón y percibió la chispa de su fe. Pedirle con valentía a Jesús que sanara a su hijo surgió tanto de su experiencia externa de soldado como de una profunda inquietud dentro de su alma. Jesús entendió. El oficial real no necesitaba una señal. Ya tenía fe.

Hoy, cuando vamos a Jesús pidiendo un milagro, ¿nuestros corazones están cerrados? ¿O somos como un adolescente que sólo escucha a medias y está preocupado por su ego? Si escuchamos al Señor que nos dice “¡Que poca fe tienes!”, podemos responder: “Creo, Señor, ayuda mi incredulidad”.

Sí, podemos ir a Jesús y pedir con valentía un milagro. ¿Tenemos fe y convicción de que Él hará lo que le pedimos? En un podcast que escuché recientemente, la Hna. Miriam dijo que cuando estamos rodeados de dudas, ansiedad y temor, debemos decir: “Dios, sé que me amas y quieres el bien. Por favor, muéstrame qué hacer”. Esa es una fe confiada.

El oficial real había comenzado con fe en el ejército romano y en César, pero Dios tenía otros planes para él. Nos muestra que la fe puede hacernos valientes cuando reconocemos a Dios; incluso puede mover montañas. Y como beneficio adicional, toda su familia llegó a creer. Cuando nos acercamos a Jesús con una petición, nosotros también recibimos un beneficio. Podemos arrodillarnos ante Él en la Eucaristía. Ya sea en la Adoración o en la Misa, Jesús está esperando escucharnos y que reconozcamos Su presencia.

¿Cuánto tiempo le tomó al oficial real obtener esta fe profunda? Quién sabe, pero crecer en la fe en Jesucristo, como verdadero Dios y verdadero Hombre, puede ser muy sencillo. En un momento de tranquilidad, dígale: “Oh Jesús, me entrego a Ti; encárgate de todo”. No importa cuán débil o audaz sea nuestra fe, cuando venimos a Él, nos envuelve en Sus brazos. Aprendamos una lección del oficial real y hablemos con confianza y fe.

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Marti Garcia’s passions are her retired life and growing deeper in her Catholic faith. Marti is a Sacristan/EM, facilitates small groups, and assists as a First Communion Catechist for parents. Being a parent educator and writer for 35 years, she recently published a children’s chapter book on Amazon, The Ladybugs. You can find her at her blog: MartiGarcia.org, or thewaterisshallow.com, or her cohost podcast, findingacommonthread.com, which is coming soon.

Feature Image Credit: remehernandez, cathopic.com/photo/9804-prayer

The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.

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Bl. Jane of Toulouse

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Bl. Jane of Toulouse

Feast date: Mar 31

Blessed Jane lived in the French town of Toulouse during the 13th century. A Carmelite monastery was founded in the same town in 1240 which exposed Jane to the Carmelite lifestyle and spirituality.

In 1265 when St. Simon Stock, a 13th century reformer of the Carmelites, was passing through Toulouse, Jane met him and requested to be affiliated with the Carmelites. Simon agreed and Jane became the first Third Order Carmelite.

Jane vowed herself to perpetual chastity and applied herself completely to the Carmelite Rule. In addition to many daily holy practices and penances, she reached out to the community and worked to help the sick and poor. One of Jane’s primary missions was encouraging the boys of the town to help her serve the poor and help them discern whether or not they were called to be Carmelites. 

Blessed Jane is considered to be a founder of the Carmelite tertiary order and is considered to be its first member.

She died in 1286.

Easter Sunday

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Easter Sunday

Feast date: Mar 31

Easter is the principal feast of the ecclesiastical year. Leo I (Sermo xlvii in Exodum) calls it the greatest feast (festum festorum), and says that Christmas is celebrated only in preparation for Easter. It is the centre of the greater part of the ecclesiastical year.

To have a correct idea of the Easter celebration and its Masses, we must remember that it was intimately connected with the solemn rite of baptism. The preparatory liturgical acts commenced on the eve and were continued during the night. When the number of persons to be baptized was great, the sacramental ceremonies and the Easter celebration were united. This connection was severed at a time when, the discipline having changed, even the recollection of the old traditions was lost. The greater part of the ceremonies was transferred to the morning hours of Holy Saturday.

Commemorating the slaying of the true Lamb of God and the Resurrection of Christ, the corner-stone upon which faith is built, it is also the oldest feast of the Christian Church, as old as Christianity, the connecting link between the Old and New Testaments.

 

The connection between the Jewish Passover and the Christian feast of Easter is real and ideal. Real, since Christ died on the first Jewish Easter Day; ideal, like the relation between type and reality, because Christ’s death and Resurrection had its figures and types in the Old Law, particularly in the paschal lamb, which was eaten towards evening of the 14th of Nisan. In fact, the Jewish feast was taken over into the Christian Easter celebration; the liturgy (Exsultet) sings of the passing of Israel through the Red Sea, the paschal lamb, the column of fire, etc.

 

The connection between the Jewish and the Christian Pasch explains the movable character of this feast. Easter has no fixed date, like Christmas, because the 15th of Nisan of the Semitic calendar was shifting from date to date on the Julian calendar. Since Christ, the true Paschal Lamb, had been slain on the very day when the Jews, in celebration of their Passover, immolated the figurative lamb, the Jewish Christians in the Orient followed the Jewish method, and commemorated the death of Christ on the 15th of Nisan and His Resurrection on the 17th of Nisan, no matter on what day of the week they fell. For this observance they claimed the authority of St. John and St. Philip. 

Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent

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Reading I Isaiah 65:17-21

Thus says the LORD:
Lo, I am about to create new heavens
    and a new earth;
The things of the past shall not be remembered
    or come to mind.
Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness
    in what I create;
For I create Jerusalem to be a joy
    and its people to be a delight;
I will rejoice in Jerusalem
    and exult in my people.
No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there,
    or the sound of crying;
No longer shall there be in it
    an infant who lives but a few days,
    or an old man who does not round out his full lifetime;
He dies a mere youth who reaches but a hundred years,
    and he who fails of a hundred shall be thought accursed.
They shall live in the houses they build,
    and eat the fruit of the vineyards they plant.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 30:2 and 4, 5-6, 11-12a and 13b

R.    (2a)  I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
    and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the nether world;
    you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
R.    I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
    and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
    a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
    but with the dawn, rejoicing.
R.    I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
“Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
    O LORD, be my helper.”
You changed my mourning into dancing;
    O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
R.    I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Verse before the Gospel Amos 5:14

Seek good and not evil so that you may live,
and the LORD will be with you.

Gospel John 4:43-54

At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee.
For Jesus himself testified
that a prophet has no honor in his native place.
When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him,
since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast;
for they themselves had gone to the feast.

Then he returned to Cana in Galilee,
where he had made the water wine.
Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum.
When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea,
he went to him and asked him to come down
and heal his son, who was near death.
Jesus said to him,
“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”
The royal official said to him,
“Sir, come down before my child dies.”
Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.”
The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.
While the man was on his way back,
his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live.
He asked them when he began to recover.
They told him,
“The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.”
The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him,
“Your son will live,”
and he and his whole household came to believe.
Now this was the second sign Jesus did
when he came to Galilee from Judea.

– – –

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

God’s Merciful Embrace / El abrazo misericordioso de Dios

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I find myself struggling to sit with this parable. As if silence and stillness aren’t difficult enough, the parable is too familiar and my interest wanes. Moreover, my soul is anxious at the thought that God might actually speak truth into my life. I’ll be honest, it terrifies me. Yet, I know God loves me so I must dive into the deep.

What jumps out at me is the prodigal’s distance. We’re all guilty of being far from God from time to time. We writhe in jealousy, we cling to plans, we pride ourselves in our good works, or we consent to serious mortal sin.  

I’ve been far from God on multiple occasions. Sometimes, to my chagrin, I’ve walked very far from God. I know this is why it pains me to read this parable. I’ve gone to confession, amended my life, sought spiritual direction, prepared speeches to the Father, yet the thought that I squandered my heavenly inheritance, and even worse, turned my back on my best friend Jesus, kills me. 

Oh, my Jesus, what do you say? “While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.” Luke 15:20.

That’s what I was afraid of. The overwhelming power of God’s mercy. It is too big for me to contain but it’s exactly what my broken heart and memory needs. My heart yearns to receive His all encompassing love and tenderness. He knows me and I know my Beloved. He knows that I long to be wrapped in garments of His affection and bedecked with his claim over me. I know He is the Father of love and He never takes His eyes off of me. 

I don’t know if you’ve ever been far from God, I pray not for your sake. If so, I hope you muster the courage to sit and receive this Gospel. Receive God’s mercy in full. If you have not, is there someone in your life who needs a return to the Father’s heart? Would you be brave and extend the merciful embrace of the Father to them?

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Me cuesta mucho aceptar esta parábola. Como si el silencio y la quietud no fueran lo suficientemente difíciles, la parábola me resulta demasiado familiar y mi interés se desvanece. Además, mi alma se pone ansiosa ante la idea de que Dios pueda realmente decir la verdad en mi vida. Voy a ser honesta, esto me aterroriza. Sin embargo, sé que Dios me ama, así que debo sumergirme profundamente en ello.

Lo que me llama la atención es la distancia del hijo pródigo. Todos somos culpables de estar lejos de Dios de vez en cuando. Nos llenamos de celos, nos aferramos a los planes, nos enorgullecemos de nuestras buenas obras o nos permitimos cometer un pecado mortal grave.

He estado lejos de Dios en múltiples ocasiones. A veces, para mi disgusto, me he alejado mucho de Dios. Sé que es por eso que me duele leer esta parábola. Me he confesado, he enmendado mi vida, he buscado dirección espiritual, he preparado discursos para el Padre, pero el pensamiento de que he desperdiciado mi herencia celestial y, peor aún, que le he dado la espalda a mi mejor Amigo Jesús, me mata.

Oh, Jesús mío, ¿qué dices? “Estaba todavía lejos, cuando su padre lo vio y se enterneció profundamente. Corrió hacia él, y echándole los brazos al cuello, lo cubrió de besos.” (Lucas 15,20)

Eso era lo que temía. El poder abrumador de la misericordia de Dios. Es demasiado grande para yo poder contenerlo, pero es exactamente lo que mi corazón y mi memoria quebrantados necesitan. Mi corazón anhela recibir Su amor y ternura que todo lo abarcan. Él me conoce y yo lo conozco a mi Amado. Sabe que anhelo estar envuelta en las vestiduras de Su afecto y adornada con Su derecho sobre mí. Sé que es el Padre de amor y nunca quita Sus ojos de mí.

No sé si alguna vez has estado lejos de Dios, ojalá que no, pero si es así, espero que tengas el valor de sentarte y recibir este Evangelio. Recibe la misericordia de Dios en su plenitud. Si no es así, ¿hay alguien en tu vida que necesite volver al corazón del Padre? ¿Podrías ser valiente y extenderle el abrazo misericordioso del Padre?

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Former NPS Park Ranger, Catholic educator, and Youth Minister, Melissa Lucca now spends her days evangelizing family and neighbors as a stay-at-home mom. She holds an MA in Theology from the Augustine Institute and pursues personal study in her spare time. Melissa loves Ignatian Spirituality, Mother Mary, and rock climbing. If you don’t hear her and her kiddo laughing at home, then they are probably out on an adventure!

Feature Image Credit: Rembrant, wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Rembrandt-The_return_of_the_prodigal_son

The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.

The post God’s Merciful Embrace / El abrazo misericordioso de Dios appeared first on Diocesan.

Fourth Sunday of Lent

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Reading I Joshua 5:9a, 10-12

The LORD said to Joshua,
“Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.”

While the Israelites were encamped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho,
they celebrated the Passover
on the evening of the fourteenth of the month.
On the day after the Passover,
they ate of the produce of the land
in the form of unleavened cakes and parched grain.
On that same day after the Passover,
on which they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased.
No longer was there manna for the Israelites,
who that year ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7.

R. (9a)  Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
            his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
            the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Glorify the LORD with me,
            let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
            and delivered me from all my fears.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
            and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
            and from all his distress he saved him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Reading II 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Brothers and sisters:
Whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come.
And all this is from God,
who has reconciled us to himself through Christ
and given us the ministry of reconciliation,
namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
not counting their trespasses against them
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
So we are ambassadors for Christ,
as if God were appealing through us.
We implore you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,
so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

Verse before the Gospel Luke 15:18

I will get up and go to my Father and shall say to him:
Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.

Gospel Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So to them Jesus addressed this parable:
“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,
‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’
So the father divided the property between them.
After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings
and set off to a distant country
where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.
When he had freely spent everything,
a severe famine struck that country,
and he found himself in dire need.
So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens
who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.
And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,
but nobody gave him any.
Coming to his senses he thought,
‘How many of my father’s hired workers
have more than enough food to eat,
but here am I, dying from hunger.
I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be called your son;
treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’
So he got up and went back to his father.
While he was still a long way off,
his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
His son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;
I no longer deserve to be called your son.’
But his father ordered his servants,
‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him;
put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.
Then let us celebrate with a feast,
because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;
he was lost, and has been found.’
Then the celebration began.
Now the older son had been out in the field
and, on his way back, as he neared the house,
he heard the sound of music and dancing.
He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.
The servant said to him,
‘Your brother has returned
and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf
because he has him back safe and sound.’
He became angry,
and when he refused to enter the house,
his father came out and pleaded with him.
He said to his father in reply,
‘Look, all these years I served you
and not once did I disobey your orders;
yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.
But when your son returns
who swallowed up your property with prostitutes,
for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’
He said to him,
‘My son, you are here with me always;
everything I have is yours.
But now we must celebrate and rejoice,
because your brother was dead and has come to life again;
he was lost and has been found.'”

– – –

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

St. John Climacus

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St. John Climacus

Feast date: Mar 30

St. John Climacus was born around the year 525 in Palestine. As a youth, he excelled in his studies and was highly regarded by his peers for his knowledge. At the age of 16, John decided to leave the world and retired to a hermitage near the base of Mount Sinai. For the next four years, John spent his time in prayer, fasting, meditation and discernment while preparing to take solemn vows to the religious life. Through the direction of Martyrius, John curbed his vices and worked to perfect his virtues.

After professing his solemn vows, John began to spend more of his time studying scriptures and the early fathers of the Church. He became very knowledgeable in these subjects but his humility caused him to hide his talents and not presume to share them with others. Near the end of his life, he was encouraged to share his knowledge with others and wrote the “Climax” also known as “The Ladder of Paradise.” This work was a collection of sayings and examples to illustrate how to live the monastic life. From this work, he received the name Climacus, a derivative from the Latin root for climax or ladder.

As John progressed in years and wisdom, many of the religious living on Mount Sinai began to seek his advice in spiritual matters. He freely offered his advice and was highly regarded for his wisdom and holiness. Around the year 600 the abbot of all the religious in the region of Mount Sinai died and John was chosen to replace him. John ruled until his death in 605 and always tried to lead through his own example.

Easter Vigil

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Easter Vigil

Feast date: Mar 30

The Easter Vigil is the high point of the Easter triduum celebrating the passion and resurrection of Jesus. With a rich display of symbols, rites and readings, the church in worship expresses her faith in the mystery that brings her into being.

Light conquers darkness

The vigil opens with a service of light. Like the Jewish Passover, our Easter celebration coincides with the beginning of spring, when the sun offers new warmth and earth is ready to flower again. Our words “lent” (from the Middle-English word for spring,”lengthening days”) and “Easter” (possibly Germanic or Anglo-Saxon in origin, signifying “the east”,”the rising sun”) point to the long tradition of seeing this holy mystery through signs of the natural world.

The lighting of the fire and the Easter candle go back to rites that long preceded Christianity. The candle, carried with loving reverence and lyrically praised in word and song, is a sign of Christ, “the light of the world,” and celebrates the victory of light over darkness that humanity has ever longed for.

God’s love endures forever

A series of readings recalls the great interventions of God in history, from creation to the the redemption of Israel from Egypt, and ends with the story of Jesus’ resurrection. The great “alleluia” proclaims with quiet joy the triumph of God’s Son. Those preparing for Batpism then receive the sacraments of initiation. The blessed water sprinkled over others signifies the blessing of new life.

Rejoice! This night says as it brings before us the deepest symbols of our hopes and fears. The darkness, sign of evil and death, has been overcome by light. A lamp, a candle has been lit; a fire is enkindled in our hearts; a nourishing water flows through our lives; a baptism destroys what is unclean and brings to life again.

Rejoice! this night says to all creation. The Word who made all things, as a new Adam, freshly proclaims God’s promise of life. All creation celebrates God’s love. 

Prayer in the Midst of Suffering / La Oración en medio del sufrimiento

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“God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer.” – St. Mother Teresa

How is it possible that I always find it such a struggle to pray?  While the Catholic Church offers some fundamental prayers as examples, what is most important is that we express ourselves to God from the innermost places of our hearts and listen to Him.  

However, the majority of us don’t know how to unlock our hearts, so instead we just go through the motions. To truly hear God’s Word, we must be enlightened by the Holy Spirit; we first must have awareness and clarity that He is the reason for each action we take. 

If we start teaching our children from a young age how to share our real thoughts and unfiltered feelings with Christ, both positive and negative, how empowered the world would be to trust in the Lord and change for the good! 

From today’s Gospel, we recognize that the most sincere prayers often come when we are down, when we need God the most. Like the sinful tax collector, we recognize our reliance on our Father for forgiveness and love when we make mistakes. As St. Paul declared, let us rejoice in our suffering, for through suffering, we recognize our littleness and can ask God for healing.

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“Dios habla en el silencio del corazón. Escuchar es el comienzo de la oración.” – Santa Madre Teresa

¿Cómo es posible que siempre me resulte tan difícil orar? Si bien la Iglesia Católica ofrece algunas oraciones fundamentales como ejemplos, lo más importante es expresarnos a Dios desde lo más profundo del corazón y escucharlo.

Sin embargo, la mayoría de nosotros no sabemos cómo abrir nuestros corazones, así que nos limitamos a simplemente hacer lo que hacemos. Para escuchar verdaderamente la Palabra de Dios, debemos ser iluminados por el Espíritu Santo; primero debemos tener conciencia y claridad de que Él es la razón de cada acción que realizamos.

Si comenzamos a enseñar a nuestros hijos desde una edad temprana cómo compartir nuestros pensamientos verdaderos y sentimientos sin filtro con Cristo, tanto positivos como negativos, ¡cuán empoderado estaría el mundo para confiar en el Señor y cambiar para bien!

Del Evangelio de hoy, reconocemos que las oraciones más sinceras a menudo surgen cuando estamos deprimidos, cuando más necesitamos a Dios. Al igual que el recaudador de impuestos pecador, reconocemos cuánto necesitamos al Padre para recibir perdón y amor cuando cometemos errores. Como declaró San Pablo, alegrémonos en nuestro sufrimiento, porque a través del sufrimiento reconocemos nuestra pequeñez y podemos pedirle a Dios que nos sane.

Comunicarse con la autora

Dr. Alexis Dallara-Marsh is a board-certified neurologist who practices in Bergen County, NJ. She is a wife to her best friend, Akeem, and a mother of four little ones on Earth and two others in heaven above.

Feature Image Credit: Jack Sharp, unsplash.com/photos/man-praying-OptEsFuZwoQ

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Saturday of the Third Week of Lent

Posted on by diocesan-melbournebeach

Reading I Hosea 6:1-6

“Come, let us return to the LORD,
    it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;
    he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.
He will revive us after two days;
    on the third day he will raise us up,
    to live in his presence.
Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD;
    as certain as the dawn is his coming,
    and his judgment shines forth like the light of day!
He will come to us like the rain,
    like spring rain that waters the earth.”

What can I do with you, Ephraim?
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your piety is like a morning cloud,
    like the dew that early passes away.
For this reason I smote them through the prophets,
    I slew them by the words of my mouth;
For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice,
    and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21ab

R.    (see Hosea 6:6)  It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
    in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
    and of my sin cleanse me.
R.    It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
    should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
    a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R.    It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
Be bountiful, O LORD, to Zion in your kindness
    by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem;
Then shall you be pleased with due sacrifices,
    burnt offerings and holocausts.
R.    It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.

Verse before the Gospel Psalm 95:8

If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.

Gospel Luke 18:9-14

Jesus addressed this parable
to those who were convinced of their own righteousness
and despised everyone else.
“Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity — 
greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week,
and I pay tithes on my whole income.’
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

– – –

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.