In the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign,
on the tenth day of the month,
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and his whole army
advanced against Jerusalem, encamped around it,
and built siege walls on every side.
The siege of the city continued until the eleventh year of Zedekiah.
On the ninth day of the fourth month,
when famine had gripped the city,
and the people had no more bread,
the city walls were breached.
Then the king and all the soldiers left the city by night
through the gate between the two walls
that was near the king’s garden.
Since the Chaldeans had the city surrounded,
they went in the direction of the Arabah.
But the Chaldean army pursued the king
and overtook him in the desert near Jericho,
abandoned by his whole army.

The king was therefore arrested and brought to Riblah
to the king of Babylon, who pronounced sentence on him.
He had Zedekiah’s sons slain before his eyes.
Then he blinded Zedekiah, bound him with fetters,
and had him brought to Babylon.

On the seventh day of the fifth month
(this was in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar,
king of Babylon),
Nebuzaradan, captain of the bodyguard,
came to Jerusalem as the representative
of the king of Babylon.
He burned the house of the LORD,
the palace of the king, and all the houses of Jerusalem;
every large building was destroyed by fire.
Then the Chaldean troops who were with the captain of the guard
tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem.

Then Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard,
led into exile the last of the people remaining in the city,
and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon,
and the last of the artisans.
But some of the country’s poor, Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard,
left behind as vinedressers and farmers.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ took away our infirmities
and bore our diseases.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.
And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said,
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,
“I will do it.  Be made clean.”
His leprosy was cleansed immediately.
Then Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one,
but go show yourself to the priest,
and offer the gift that Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them.”

Catechism of the Catholic Church

24 By design, this Catechism does not set out to provide the adaptation of doctrinal presentations and catechetical methods required by the differences of culture, age, spiritual maturity, and social and ecclesial condition among all those to whom it is addressed. Such indispensable adaptations are the responsibility of particular catechisms and, even more, of those who instruct the faithful:

Whoever teaches must become “all things to all men” (I Cor 9:22), to win everyone to Christ. . . Above all, teachers must not imagine that a single kind of soul has been entrusted to them, and that consequently it is lawful to teach and form equally all the faithful in true piety with one and the same method! Let them realize that some are in Christ as newborn babes, others as adolescents, and still others as adults in full command of their powers…. Those who are called to the ministry of preaching must suit their words to the maturity and understanding of their hearers, as they hand on the teaching of the mysteries of faith and the rules of moral conduct.¹⁸

Above all – Charity

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

 FRIDAY, JUNE 26^TH  Mt. 8:1-4     “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”

• We were that leper until Our Lord made us clean by washing Original Sin from our soul in the waters of Baptism. We become that leper again every time we sin until we are washed clean in the Blood of Christ in Confession!  
• Mortal sins have to be confessed! But venial sins should be confessed as well for this reason, they are like shadows in our soul that make us feel uneasy and unhappy and we don’t even know why! Examples: impatience, anger, gluttony, pride, selfishness, laziness. Also, giving into venial sin is a slippery slope that weakens our will and makes it easier to slide into mortal sin! Once the St. Peter Chanel Office is open again, you can purchase a good Examination of Conscience booklet specifying mortal and venial sins for $1.
• Given that we have not been able to go to Confession because of Covid-19 for 3 to 4 months, we can imagine our soul smelling like Noah’s Ark after being cooped up with the animals for 150 days as the waters covered the earth. Pretty foul-smelling!
• Rejoice! The Lord has taken pity upon us and a rainbow has appeared in the sky! Our Churches are open again for Mass and Confession! St. Peter Chanel currently has 24 hours of Confession time scheduled weekly!
• Let us reinvigorate our love and desire for the powerful Sacrament of Confession, the Sacrament of God’s Mercy, with the following meditation by Fr. Ed Broom. This article was featured in a homily by Fr. Wade EWTN during a livestream Mass.

TEN WAYS CONFESSION SETS US FREE By Father Ed Broom, OMV

Sadness, confusion, disorientation, darkness, anger, and often bitterness—all of these words describe the soul living in the state of mortal sin. In fact, Jesus says that sin is slavery. (cf Jn. 8:34)

Film: The Mission and an Image of Sin    

In the film The Mission one character, who is portrayed by Robert De Niro, for murdering his brother is given the penance by a Jesuit priest of carrying with him a cumbersome ball of his possessions. Wherever this man who committed fratricide goes, he has to drag with him on a rope this truly burdensome baggage. After having carried out this penance for days, even climbing a mountain with it, falling down and rising again, the priest agrees that he has done sufficient penance. The priest draws close to the sinner and with a sharp knife cuts and severs the rope with the baggage and it cascades all the way down to the bottom of the mountain floor—freedom!

This slice from the film The Mission displays in one graphic scene a powerful image of what sin is like in our lives, but also the powerful effect in the soul of the sinner who repents and turns back to God through a good sacramental Confession. One of the effects of sin is a binding slavery that is like carrying a heavy weight wherever we go. The weight becomes heavier and heavier, almost to the point of being unsupportable. But then comes the transforming moment—a good sacramental Confession. 

By making this well-prepared, honest, and sincere Confession the bonds are broken, split asunder and freedom is experienced—the freedom of the sons and daughters of God!

Mercy & Confession 
Saint Pope John Paul II, Saint Faustina Kowalska, as well as the Angelic Doctor, Saint Thomas Aquinas, unanimously agree that mercy is the greatest attribute in the Heart of Jesus the Savior. Mercy is God’s infinite love forgiving the sinner.

There has been abundant catechesis on how to prepare for Confession, booklets on the Ten Commandments, as well as books written on the Sacrament of Confession. However, possibly not enough has been said on the many wonderful effects that are produced in the person who makes a good Confession.

This short article will focus on ten wonderful and uplifting effects that are produced in the soul of a good penitent.

1. Healing   
The specific sacramental grace of the Sacrament of Confession is healing. Jesus is the Divine Physician. Sin wounds the soul! What cancer, leprosy, and disease is to the body, sin is to the soul. Every time we make a good Confession, Jesus, the Divine Physician, with His gentle, tender, and loving Hand touches our soul, pours out His Precious Blood, and there is a healing. During His public life Jesus healed the blind, deaf, mutes, paralytics, lepers, and even raised the dead. Still now, through His Mystical Body the Church, Jesus continues to heal His sick members through the priests in the confessional. It is true that Jesus saves us and heals us! Right now Jesus wants to heal your moral wounds!

2. Freedom from Slavery
As mentioned above in the scene from the movie The Mission, sin is interior slavery. Confession reverses the slavery and communicates true freedom—the freedom of the sons and daughters of God. To break the bonds of our past bad habits, our powerful addictions, our bad impulses and actions we need a powerful remedy. That remedy is direct contact with the Blood of Jesus, poured forth on Calvary that first Good Friday, but applied to every soul that makes a good Confession. Instinctively we appall physical slavery and all that this entails. Should we not have an even greater abhorrence and repugnance for the interior slavery of sin and seek freedom as soon as possible? Why not try Confession!

3. From Confusion to Peace
Another negative effect of living in sin is a real lack of peace and living in a state of constant confusion. Saint Augustine defines peace as “the tranquility of order.” Sin is total disorder—the tower of Babel within. A good Confession results in putting into practice the words of Saint Ignatius of Loyola as one of the purposes of the Spiritual Exercises, “To order the disordered.” Therefore, if you really want to experience a profound peace in the depths of your soul, why not try to make the best Confession in your life? Your disorder will give way to order, and peace will follow!

 4. Freedom from a Conscience Filled With Guilt
Living with guilt is truly hell on earth! People can go crazy or be driven to suicide due to a guilty conscience. Lady Macbeth was seen constantly washing her hands. This was an unconscious desire to be freed from the guilt of bloodshed and murder. She could not live with a guilty conscience that turned out to be a moral executioner. For that reason Shakespeare truly asserted: “Conscience does make cowards of us all.” Could it be that many people have recourse to medicine, to taking pills to try to assuage and suppress the guilt that they are bearing in their conscience? Why not try Confession and experience the purity of an innocent conscience? With respect to Confession, never forget: it is free of charge. Also, there are no negative side-effects that often come about by taking medicine.

5. Joy: Rejoice in the Lord
Saint Thomas Aquinas states that all people are called to experience happiness or joy. If we look around us—at work, at school, on the road or freeway, we find all too often a lusterless, bland, and sad environment. Why is this the case if all are called to live in joy? The reason is this: many are looking for joy in the wrong places. Still more, many confuse pleasure with joy. Pleasure can be bought; joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit! Sin produces sadness in the soul. Only God can give us true joy. For this reason Saint Paul reminds us: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I say it again, rejoice in the Lord.” (Phil. 4:4) Our Lady in her powerful hymn of praise, the Magnificat, echoes the same sentiments: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; and my spirit rejoices in God my savior.” (Lk. 1:46-47)

Catechists have told me over the years that when a child is waiting to make their first Confession, they experience fear and anxiety, but after confessing, they leave the confessional radiating joy. Do you want to experience constant joy? Why not make it a habit to go to Confession frequently!

6. The Paschal Mystery: From Death to Life
THERE IS MORE MERCY IN CHRIST THAN SIN IN US! If we have the misfortune of committing a mortal sin, we lose the grace of God and His Friendship. However, we should never give in to despair—that is the worst of sins! Like the Prodigal Son, we should return to the home of our loving Father and launch ourselves into His loving arms, and He will forgive us. Saint Therese of Lisieux stated boldly that even if she committed all the worst sins in the world, she would run and launch herself into the Father’s arms with boundless trust! The Father’s arms are like an elevator to heaven!

The great Saint Augustine, who lived a sinful life into his early thirties, stated that a good Confession is a Lazarus experience. If you remember, Lazarus died and Jesus raised him from the dead, summoning him from the tomb after he was buried for four long days. (Jn. 11:1-44) By making a good Confession we are summoned to leave the tomb of our sins and come back to a life of grace!

7. Curative and Preventive Medicine
Confession is like a medicine that heals the wounds of our soul. However, Confession can also serve as a means to prevent future falls! I remember once when I was coming down with a cold and a friend suggested that I take a couple tablets of Airborne, which I did. What a blessing! The cold that was about to overtake me for probably ten days to two weeks was halted in its tracks! The same can be said of frequent Confession! If we commit a mortal sin, then we should run to the confessional as soon as possible. Nonetheless, frequent Confession, even of venial sins, can serve as a remedy to prevent us from falling into the spiritual sickness that we call sin! We all know from experience, better to prevent a fall and a break, than to heal! 

8. An Act of Humility to Crush Your Pride
As a result of Original Sin we are all infected with the Capital Sin of Pride and we often are motivated by pride and self-love. Making a good Confession can help us grow in the opposite virtue that is essential for holiness and so pleasing to God: humility. In the Diary Divine Mercy in My Soul, Jesus revealed to St. Faustina the three essential qualities of a good Confession: transparency (total sincerity and openness), humility, and obedience to the Confessor who represents Christ. It is important that when we confess, we do not confess the sins of our husband (or wife), neighbor, or others! Nor should we rationalize, justify, or gloss over our sins. Rather, humility means we tell it exactly like it is!

9. Growth in Self-Knowledge
Another huge blessing that flows from a well-prepared and well-confessed Confession is an increase in self-knowledge. The Greek philosopher Socrates stated: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” A noteworthy historian interjects: “He who does not know history is condemned to repeat the same errors.” Ignatian spirituality insists constantly on the importance of self-knowledge, knowing oneself and the movement of the spirits in one’s life.

Saint Ignatius asserted that one should never, ever leave off the daily Examen Prayer, which is directed at self-knowledge and the awareness of God’s constant presence in our life. The desert Fathers had a short but extremely important axiom: “Know thyself.” For that reason, the person who examines their conscience well, confesses well, and consults the priest-confessor sincerely, will definitely grow in self-knowledge. By knowing themselves—their virtues as well as their sins—they can avoid falling into many future sins and avoid future tragedies!

10. Fervent and Efficacious Holy Communions
Another exceedingly important effect of a good Confession is more efficacious and fervent Holy Communions. These two Sacraments that we should receive frequently are intimately interconnected. A simple analogy could be useful: try to imagine your front room glass window pane. You have failed to clean it for more than a year. Consequently, the window has become smeared and sullied by dust, dirt, and smog, put simply, the polluted environment. So the day comes when you decide to do house cleaning and on the list is to clean that front window. You go to the store to buy Windex—a powerful and efficacious window spray. There you are, generously spraying the window, then with a dry newspaper you rub and rub. What do you notice? The window is now clear and sunlight is pouring through the window! Before, the window was half opaque; now it is completely transparent and the full light of the sun can penetrate and inundate the house!

The same can be said with our soul which is like a window pane. Sin sullies, besmirches, and dirties our soul. With Confession, our dirty soul is cleansed with the Precious Blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Our soul becomes pure, clean and transparent. Then when we receive Holy Communion, Jesus who is truly the Light of the world, like an atomic bomb explodes and radiates light so that the light of Jesus’ Presence inundates the entire room of our soul. For that reason Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world” (Jn. 8:12); then He said, “You are the light of the world.” (Mt. 5:14) Thus the end result of frequent and worthy reception of these two sacraments, Confession and Holy Communion, is holiness! We are able to obey and put into practice Jesus’ command: “Be holy as your heavenly Father is holy.” (Mt. 5:48) And, with Jesus, we become a light to others!

Conclusion

Saint Pope John Paul II made this comment with respect to Our Lady and the Sacrament of Confession. He said that the Marian Sanctuaries—Lourdes, Fatima, Guadalupe, etc.—are spiritual clinics. In other words, we go to Marian Sanctuaries to meet Jesus, the Bread of Life, in Mass and Holy Communion, but also we meet Jesus who is the Healer of our heart, mind, and soul in Confession!

Let us turn to Our Lady whom we invoke as “Mother of Mercy” and “Health of the Sick” to help us live out life to the max by having frequent recourse to the Sacrament of Confession, the true expression of the loving and merciful Heart of Jesus!

 

Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign,
and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
His mother’s name was Nehushta,
daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
He did evil in the sight of the LORD,
just as his forebears had done.

At that time the officials of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,
attacked Jerusalem, and the city came under siege.
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,
himself arrived at the city
while his servants were besieging it.
Then Jehoiachin, king of Judah, together with his mother,
his ministers, officers, and functionaries,
surrendered to the king of Babylon, who,
in the eighth year of his reign, took him captive.
And he carried off all the treasures
of the temple of the LORD and those of the palace,
and broke up all the gold utensils that Solomon, king of Israel,
had provided in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had foretold.
He deported all Jerusalem:
all the officers and men of the army, ten thousand in number,
and all the craftsmen and smiths.
None were left among the people of the land except the poor.
He deported Jehoiachin to Babylon,
and also led captive from Jerusalem to Babylon
the king’s mother and wives,
his functionaries, and the chief men of the land.
The king of Babylon also led captive to Babylon
all seven thousand men of the army,
and a thousand craftsmen and smiths,
all of them trained soldiers.
In place of Jehoiachin,
the king of Babylon appointed his uncle Mattaniah king,
and changed his name to Zedekiah.

R. (9) For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
O God, the nations have come into your inheritance;
they have defiled your holy temple,
they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
They have given the corpses of your servants
as food to the birds of heaven,
the flesh of your faithful ones to the beasts of the earth.

R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
They have poured out their blood like water
round about Jerusalem,
and there is no one to bury them.
We have become the reproach of our neighbors,
the scorn and derision of those around us.
O LORD, how long? Will you be angry forever?
Will your jealousy burn like fire?

R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.

R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name’s sake.

R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him
and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day,
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?
Did we not drive out demons in your name?
Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’
Then I will declare to them solemnly,
‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’

“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

When Jesus finished these words,
the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority,
and not as their scribes.

Catechism of the Catholic Church

VI. Necessary Adaptations

23 The Catechism emphasizes the exposition of doctrine. It seeks to help deepen understanding of faith. In this way it is oriented towards the maturing of that faith, its putting down roots in personal life, and its shining forth in personal conduct.17

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

THURSDAY, JUNE 25^TH  Mt. 7:21-29 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”

• They might well say that He teaches with authority! Jesus is telling them He is the one who will decide who enters the Kingdom of heaven! He’s revealing Himself as Sovereign Judge on the day of our judgment!
• St. Catherine of Siena said the two most important moments in our life are the present moment and the moment of our death, for we want to be faithful to Christ to the end. Pope Francis adds the moment after we die for that is when we will stand before Christ in judgment.
• Jesus is very clear and to the point! It is not enough to say to Him, “Lord, Lord!” Rather, our prayer must be accompanied by a compete surrender of our will to the will of our heavenly Father! This is how Jesus lived and died! ^“Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’” (Mt. 26:39)
• Let us examine ourselves… Is there consistency between the truths of Christ as preserved and taught by His holy Church and what we say and do? “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (Jas 1:22)
• Are we faithful to our state in life – as a single person, married person, religious or priest? If we’re married, are we faithful to the vows we made before God to our spouse? Do we work through our problems in marriage or seek help from a priest or counselor when we are at an impasse? Do we accept each other’s imperfections? Are we quick to forgive and even quicker to ask for forgiveness? Are we pure and chaste in our marital relations? Do we follow the Church’s teachings on openness to life? With our children, do we attend Sunday Mass (in person or live stream in this time of Covid-19), go to confession monthly, pray the Rosary as a family daily? “The family that prays together, stays together!” (Ven. Fr. Patrick Peyton)
• As a vowed religious, are we obedient to our Superior? Obedient to the Charism and Rules of our Community? Do we foster a deep prayer life and sacramental life? Do we participate fully, actively, and joyfully in the work of our community? Do we strive to live in fraternal charity?
• As a single person do we foster a deep prayer and sacramental life? Do we live chaste lives, with particular attention to our choice of friends and activities? Do we use the gift of availability to serve our family, our neighbor, and God’s people?
• Whatever our state in life, do we take our spiritual life seriously? This is spiritual warfare – are we prepared for daily battle? Do we fortify ourselves with frequent Confession, and Mass and Holy Communion? Our daily holy hour? Other daily prayers and penances? Do we fight vigorously against sin and our seven capital tendencies? Do we strive to overcome even our faults and imperfections? Do we pray to Our Blessed Mother daily for her help, protection, and encouragement? Mary is Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! Praying the Rosary daily is holding Mary’s hand so she can lead us safely to heaven!
• Love covers a multitude of sins. Are we charitable with others in our own home? In our Church? In our Community? Moving out of ourselves to touch others with patience, kindness, and good works is an antidote to pride and selfishness!
• Do we seek direction from a confessor/spiritual director at least monthly, distrustful of our darkened intellect, weakened will, and infinite capacity for self-deception?
• Even when we experience personal difficulties, even when we experience dissent within the Church, even when we are surrounded by an erroneous and sinful society… if we are faithful and persevere in doing the will of the Father, we are standing on the Rock that is Jesus Christ and we will be saved! What a promise!
• “The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Ps 18:2)
• When, oh when, will I let You lead, Lord, and be content to follow? When, oh when, will I let You give, Lord, and be content to receive? When, oh when, Lord, will I let You possess me entirely, until there is nothing left of me that is not part of You!

Doing the Will of God… A Reflection by Pope Francis

We must ask God for the desire to do His will. The opposite began in Paradise with Adam’s failure to obey. And that disobedience brought evil to the whole of humanity. And sins too are acts of disobedience towards God, of not doing God’s will. 

The Lord teaches us instead that this is the path, there is no other one. And it begins with Jesus in Heaven, in His desire to obey the Father. But here on earth it begins with Our Lady: what did she say to the Angel? “Let it be done to me according to your word,” namely that God’s will is carried out. And with that “Yes” to the Lord, our Lord began His journey amongst us.

Do I pray that the Lord gives me the desire to do His will, or do I look for compromises because I’m afraid of God’s will? There are so many things. The way in which we handle things. Praying for the desire to do God’s will and praying to know God’s will. And when I know God’s will, praying again for the third time, to follow it. To carry out that will, which is not my own, it is His will. And all this is not easy.

Following God’s will is not easy. Even for Jesus it wasn’t easy when He faced temptations in the wilderness or in the Garden of Olives. And it wasn’t easy either for His disciples, and neither is it easy for us, when each day we are faced with so many different options, and that’s why we need the gift of God’s grace.

The Lord grants His grace to all of us so that one day He can say about us the same thing that He said about that group, that crowd who followed Him, those who were seated around Him, just as we have heard in the Gospel: “Here is my mother and my brothers and sisters. Whoever does the will of God is my brother, my sister and my mother.” Doing God’s will makes us become part of Jesus’ family, it makes us His mother, sister, brother.

End of Reflection by Pope Francis

1 Peter 4: 7-11   The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.  If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Hear me, O coastlands,
listen, O distant peoples.
The LORD called me from birth,
from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.
He made of me a sharp-edged sword
and concealed me in the shadow of his arm.
He made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me.
You are my servant, he said to me,
Israel, through whom I show my glory.

Though I thought I had toiled in vain,
and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength,
yet my reward is with the LORD,
my recompense is with my God.
For now the LORD has spoken
who formed me as his servant from the womb,
that Jacob may be brought back to him
and Israel gathered to him;
and I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD,
and my God is now my strength!
It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the survivors of Israel;
I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

R. (14)  I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.
O LORD, you have probed me, you know me:
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar.

R. I praise you for I am wonderfully made.
Truly you have formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother’s womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works.

R. I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.
My soul also you knew full well;
nor was my frame unknown to you
When I was made in secret,
when I was fashioned in the depths of the earth.

R. I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.

In those days, Paul said:
“God raised up David as king;
of him God testified,
I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;
he will carry out my every wish.
From this man’s descendants God, according to his promise,
has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.
John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance
to all the people of Israel;
and as John was completing his course, he would say,
‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he.
Behold, one is coming after me;
I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.’

“My brothers, sons of the family of Abraham,
and those others among you who are God-fearing,
to us this word of salvation has been sent.”

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You, child, will be called prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child
she gave birth to a son.
Her neighbors and relatives heard
that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her,
and they rejoiced with her.
When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,
they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,
but his mother said in reply,
“No. He will be called John.”
But they answered her,
“There is no one among your relatives who has this name.”
So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.
He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,”
and all were amazed.
Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,
and he spoke blessing God.
Then fear came upon all their neighbors,
and all these matters were discussed
throughout the hill country of Judea.
All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,
“What, then, will this child be?”
For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.
The child grew and became strong in spirit,
and he was in the desert until the day
of his manifestation to Israel.

Catechism of the Catholic Church

19 The texts of Sacred Scripture are often not quoted word for word but are merely indicated by a reference (cf.). For a deeper understanding of such passages, the reader should refer to the Scriptural texts themselves. Such Biblical references are a valuable working-tool in catechesis.

20 The use of small print in certain passages indicates observations of an historical or apologetic nature, or supplementary doctrinal explanations.

21 The quotations, also in small print, from patristic, liturgical, magisterial or hagiographical sources, are intended to enrich the doctrinal presentations. These texts have often been chosen with a view to direct catechetical use.

22 At the end of each thematic unit, a series of brief texts in small italics sums up the essentials of that unit’s teaching in condensed formulae. These “IN BRIEF” summaries may suggest to local catechists brief summary formulae that could be memorized.

 

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24^TH   Lk. 1: 57-66, 80   Solemnity of Nativity of John the Baptist “The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel.”

 CCC 523:

St. John the Baptist is the Lord’s immediate precursor or forerunner, sent to prepare his way. “Prophet of the Most High”, John surpasses all the prophets, of whom he is the last.

He inaugurates the Gospel, already from his mother’s womb welcomes the coming of Christ, and later rejoices in being “the friend of the bridegroom”, whom he points out as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

Going before Jesus “in the spirit and power of Elijah”, John bears witness to Christ in his preaching, by performing his Baptism of conversion, and through his martyrdom.  

• Besides Jesus and Mary – John the Baptist is the only other person whose nativity is commemorated by the Church!
• John leaps for Joy in the presence of Jesus in Mary’s womb! Jesus is the Gospel – the Good News – bringing Joy to those who receive Him!
• The life of John the Baptist teaches us how to receive Jesus with Joy! It is simply this. When we persevere in doing all the Lord asks us to do with good will and sincere effort; when we’re willing to possess nothing in this life, not even God, except as He so chooses; then we are assured of possessing Him for all eternity!
• “You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows! I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Ps 23) 

PART I:

• To honor this great Saint on the Solemnity of his Nativity, let us recall and reflect on the Scripture Passages referring to John the Baptist – his miraculous conception, his holiness of life, his work preparing the people to receive Jesus as Messiah, and his martyrdom for the sanctity of marriage, like Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More!
• Furthermore, let us treasure these words of scripture in our heart as preparation to receive Jesus worthily in every Eucharist – sacramental or spiritual! Then continue the work of John the Baptist in the world today. “Prepare the way of the Lord!”
• ^“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Heb 4:12)  

PART II:

• “John the Baptist’s work is our work!” Reflection by Cardinal Jean Danielou

PART I:

LUKE 1: 11-17
The angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.

He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

LUKE 1: 39-45
At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

 LUKE 3: 2-19
The word of God came to John, son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
And all people will see God’s salvation.’”

John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

“What should we do then?” the crowd asked. John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.

Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.

Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. 

John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”  

And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them. But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done, Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.

MARK 1: 4-8
And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

JOHN 1: 6-8
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

JOHN 1: 15
John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”

JOHN 1: 19-35
Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”

They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”

Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know.  He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”  When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.

JOHN 3: 26-37
They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’”

“The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must increase; I must decrease.”

MATTHEW 14: 3-13
Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.” Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.

On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”

The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted and had John beheaded in the prison. His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother.

John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus. When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.

PART II 

JOHN THE BAPTIST’S WORK IS OUR WORK!   Reflection by Cardinal Jean Danielou

• John the Baptist’s essential work, then, was to give testimony of the Light, to show Christ. He had a most important part to play in the preparation for Christ’s coming and Christ’s work itself.
• He it was who laid the ground for our Lord’s public life, and for His teaching, by making people’s souls ready for it. He was to some extent educating souls, taking the first steps towards laying them more open to receive what Christ was to tell them.
• Christ’s words would have been too much for souls not prepared for them. They had to have some previous education. Their interests had to be given a new twist away from their earthly concerns and customs; they must be made to feel that all was not well.
• That was John the Baptist’s task. Among people totally unconcerned with the things of God, it was his work to awaken their interest, unsettle them from their complacency, and arouse in them enough good will to understand Christ when He came.
• In this he was in the same position as all who had earlier shared in the work of preparing for the Lord’s coming; they, too, were separated from earthly things by God, and mysteriously given to see His plans, so that they might trace His ways to people.
• St. John came in his turn to trace the Lord’s ways to people, to make the rough ways plain, to bring the mountains low. But in order to do this, he must first be completely caught up by his inward vision, he must belong to the Lord utterly, for the ground he had to break was hard: he was coming amongst the people of his day, who were mainly engaged, like those of our own, as St. Luke tells us, the soldiers in doing violence and spreading calumny, the publicans in taking more than their due (3: 2-14).
• Human beings are like that – they were then, and they are now. They are busy about earthly affairs. They are completely heedless of God, and our chief feeling as we move among them is one of anguish at seeing the world’s utter indifference to anything higher.
• To shake the world out of this indifference we need prophets, that is to say, people whose souls are captivated by the divine vision of things and who can shake the mass of people out of their inertia, and be, in truth, “witnesses.”
• Now a witness is someone to whom it is granted to see things as God does, and who has this inner vision himself in such a way that he can hand it on to mankind. Such a man was John the Baptist.  

End of Reflection by Cardinal Jean Danielou (+1974)

• Truly today we are called to be like John the Baptist – witnesses to Christ. Do we belong totally to Christ? Are we captivated by the divine vision of things? Can we see that for greater things we were born? Do we give witness to Christ with our lives? Are we living icons of Christ’s Light and Truth in a world living in the darkness of ignorance and error, the lies and deceits of the enemy? Are we living icons of His goodness, love, and mercy?
• Let us not become discouraged by our failures, but rather beg more earnestly for the grace to live the dignity and nobility of our calling! AMDG – All for the honor and glory of God!!!
• Jesus said, “I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

 

 

Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sent envoys to Hezekiah
with this message:
“Thus shall you say to Hezekiah, king of Judah:
‘Do not let your God on whom you rely deceive you
by saying that Jerusalem will not be handed over
to the king of Assyria.
You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done
to all other countries: they doomed them!
Will you, then, be saved?’”

Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it;
then he went up to the temple of the LORD,
and spreading it out before him,
he prayed in the LORD’s presence:
“O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned upon the cherubim!
You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth.
You have made the heavens and the earth.
Incline your ear, O LORD, and listen!
Open your eyes, O LORD, and see!
Hear the words of Sennacherib which he sent to taunt the living God.
Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations
and their lands, and cast their gods into the fire;
they destroyed them because they were not gods,
but the work of human hands, wood and stone.
Therefore, O LORD, our God, save us from the power of this man,
that all the kingdoms of the earth may know
that you alone, O LORD, are God.”

Then Isaiah, son of Amoz, sent this message to Hezekiah:
“Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel,
in answer to your prayer for help against Sennacherib, king of Assyria:
I have listened!
This is the word the LORD has spoken concerning him:

“‘She despises you, laughs you to scorn,
the virgin daughter Zion!
Behind you she wags her head,
daughter Jerusalem.

“‘For out of Jerusalem shall come a remnant,
and from Mount Zion, survivors.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.’

“Therefore, thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria:
‘He shall not reach this city, nor shoot an arrow at it,
nor come before it with a shield,
nor cast up siege-works against it.
He shall return by the same way he came,
without entering the city, says the LORD.
I will shield and save this city for my own sake,
and for the sake of my servant David.’”

That night the angel of the LORD went forth and struck down
one hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp.
So Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, broke camp,
and went back home to Nineveh.

R. (see 9d) God upholds his city for ever.
Great is the LORD and wholly to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain, fairest of heights,
is the joy of all the earth.

R. God upholds his city for ever.
Mount Zion, “the recesses of the North,”
is the city of the great King.
God is with her castles;
renowned is he as a stronghold.
R. God upholds his city for ever.
O God, we ponder your mercy
within your temple.
As your name, O God, so also your praise
reaches to the ends of the earth.
Of justice your right hand is full.

R. God upholds his city for ever.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine,
lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.

“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the Law and the Prophets.

“Enter through the narrow gate;
for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction,
and those who enter through it are many.
How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.
And those who find it are few.”

Catechism of the Catholic Church

V. Practical Directions for Using this Catechism

18 This catechism is conceived as an organic presentation of the Catholic faith in its entirety. It should be seen therefore as a unified whole. Numerous cross-references in the margin of the text (numbers found at the end of a sentence referring to other paragraphs that deal with the same theme), as well as the analytical index at the end of the volume, allow the reader to view each theme in its relationship with the entirety of the faith.

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

TUESDAY, JUNE 23^RD  Mt. 7:6, 12-14   “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction.”

Quotes from St. Faustina…

“God never violates our free will. It is up to us whether we want to receive God’s grace or not. It is up to us whether we will co-operate with it or waste it.” (Diary, 1107)

“One day, I saw two roads. One was broad, covered with sand and flowers, full of joy, music and all sorts of pleasures. People walked along it, dancing and enjoying themselves. They reached the end without realizing it. And at the end of the road there was a horrible precipice; that is, the abyss of hell. The souls fell blindly into it; as they walked, so they fell. And their number was so great that it was impossible to count them.

And I saw the other road, or rather, a path, for it was narrow and strewn with thorns and rocks; and the people who walked along it had tears in their eyes, and all kinds of suffering befell them. Some fell down upon the rocks, but stood up immediately and went on. At the end of the road there was a magnificent garden filled with all sorts of happiness, and all these souls entered there. At the very first instant they forgot all their sufferings.” (Diary, 153)

• Saints seek the narrow gate because they choose to follow Christ. St. Ignatius called it the Three Degrees of Humility. Do we remember what they are?
• First Degree of Humility: This is necessary for salvation. It consists in this, that as far as possible I so subject and humble myself to obey the law of God Our Lord in all things, so that not even were I made lord of all creation, or to save my life here on earth, would I consent to violate a commandment, whether divine or human, that binds me under pain of mortal sin.
• Second Degree of Humility: This is more perfect than the first. I possess it if my attitude of mind is such that I neither desire nor am I inclined to have riches rather than poverty, to seek honor rather than dishonor, to have health rather than sickness, to desire a long life rather than a short life, provided only in either alternative I would promote equally the service of God our Lord and the salvation of my soul. Besides this indifference, this second kind of humility supposes that not for all creation, nor to save my life, would I consent to commit a venial sin. (Even venial sin is a sign of a disordered attachment to something or someone other than God.)
• Third Degree of Humility. This is the most perfect kind of humility. It consists in this. If we suppose the first and second kind attained, then whenever the praise and glory of the Divine Majesty would be equally served, in order to imitate and be in reality more like Christ our Lord, I desire and choose poverty with Christ poor, rather than riches; insults with Christ loaded with them, rather than honors. I desire to be accounted as worthless and a fool for Christ, rather than to be esteemed as wise and prudent in this world. So Christ was treated before me.
• Yesterday, we celebrated the feast day of St. John Fisher, Bishop and St. Thomas More – both martyred for the same reason!
• King Henry VIII had become by act of Parliament, “Supreme Head of the Church in England.” Other bishops chose the wide gate and broad path that leads to destruction by affirming King Henry VIII as head of the Church in England, thereby usurping the authority of the Pope. St. John Fisher chose the narrow gate and narrow path by denying the king’s supremacy over the Church.
• There was an underlying issue. King Henry VIII had determined to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon, who had not borne him children, and marry Anne Boleyn. Fisher became the Queen’s chief supporter. As such, he appeared on the Queen’s behalf in the legates’ court, where he startled the audience by his directness and strong language declaring that, like St. John the Baptist, he was ready to die on behalf of the indissolubility of marriage.
• In May 1535, the newly elected Pope Paul III named Fisher a Cardinal, apparently in the hope of inducing King Henry to mitigate Fisher’s punishment. The effect was precisely the reverse: Henry forbade the cardinal’s hat to be brought into England, declaring that he would send Fisher’s head to Rome instead.
• In all of England, St. Thomas More was second in power only to the king. He had to choose between allegiance to an earthly king and Christ the King! Like Fisher, he chose the narrow gate and the narrow path of loyalty to Christ and His vicar on earth, the Pope. He defended the indissolubility of marriage, opposing the King’s divorce of Catherine of Aragon and marriage to Anne Boleyn. He refused to sign an oath of loyalty to the King as Supreme Head of the Church in England, at one point resigning as Chancellor. Even the pleadings of his beloved daughter Margaret could not persuade him to save his life by denying God’s truth.
• Bishop Fisher and Thomas More exchanged communications while in the Tower of London waiting for trial and execution. It is reported that at one point Fisher wrote to More saying that the way they had chosen was certainly straight and narrow enough to be the way to heaven!!!
• How easy it would have been for both men to take the path of least resistance by capitulating to the King’s demands thereby preserving their life and high social standing… in which case no one would have ever heard of them again! We honor them today because they chose the narrow gate of the Third Degree of Humility, preferring to be “accounted as worthless and a fool for Christ, rather than to be esteemed as wise and prudent in this world.”
• Are we willing to defend the truth of Christ and His holy Church under the direction of our Holy Father and guidance of our good priests? Even if it costs us the good opinion of others? Even if it costs us our job? Even if it costs us our life???
• In this present darkness that day may come! Let us pray for the grace of martyrdom if God so wills!  “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Eph 6:12)
• This is our battle cry, these are our weapons! Let us put on the Armor of God by faithfulness to our daily holy hour, daily sacramental or spiritual Communions, frequent Confession, and the daily Rosary – more than one whenever possible!

Ephesians 6: 10-18

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

 

Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, occupied the whole land
and attacked Samaria, which he besieged for three years.
In the ninth year of Hoshea, king of Israel
the king of Assyria took Samaria,
and deported the children of Israel to Assyria,
setting them in Halah, at the Habor, a river of Gozan,
and the cities of the Medes.

This came about because the children of Israel sinned against the LORD,
their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt,
from under the domination of Pharaoh, king of Egypt,
and because they venerated other gods.
They followed the rites of the nations
whom the LORD had cleared out of the way of the children of Israel
and the kings of Israel whom they set up.

And though the LORD warned Israel and Judah
by every prophet and seer,
“Give up your evil ways and keep my commandments and statutes,
in accordance with the entire law which I enjoined on your fathers
and which I sent you by my servants the prophets,”
they did not listen, but were as stiff-necked as their fathers,
who had not believed in the LORD, their God.
They rejected his statutes,
the covenant which he had made with their fathers,
and the warnings which he had given them, till,
in his great anger against Israel,
the LORD put them away out of his sight.
Only the tribe of Judah was left.

R. (7b) Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.
O God, you have rejected us and broken our defenses;
you have been angry; rally us!

R. Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.
You have rocked the country and split it open;
repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering.
You have made your people feel hardships;
you have given us stupefying wine.

R. Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.
Have not you, O God, rejected us,
so that you go not forth, O God, with our armies?
Give us aid against the foe,
for worthless is the help of men.

R. Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged,
and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother,
‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’
while the wooden beam is in your eye?
You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”

Catechism of the Catholic Church

Part Four: Prayer in the Life of Faith

17 The last part of the Catechism deals with the meaning and importance of prayer in the life of believers (Section One). It concludes with a brief commentary on the seven petitions of the Lord’s Prayer (Section Two), for indeed we find in these the sum of all the good things which we must hope for, and which our heavenly Father wants to grant us.

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

 MONDAY, JUNE 22^ND   Mt. 7:1-5   “You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.” 

To help us “remove the wooden beam from our eye”, let us pray earnestly the following prayer of the noble saint and martyr, Thomas More. May we reflect on each phrase and profit thereby, 1) to acknowledge my own wretched sins and throw myself on the mercy and love of God to remove them far from me; 2) to replace them with all the virtues necessary for holiness, 3) and to beg for great love of God for His own sake, such as burned in the heart of Saint Thomas More!

Prayer of Saint Thomas More…

Almighty God, take from me all vainglorious attitudes, all appetites of my own praise, all envy, covetousness, gluttony, sloth, and lechery, all wrathful affections, all appetite of revenging, all desire or delight of other folks’ harm, all pleasure in provoking any person to wrath and anger, all delight of rebuking or insulting any person in their affliction and calamity.

And give me, good Lord, a humble, lowly, quiet, peaceable, patient, charitable, kind, tender, and merciful mind, with all my works and all my words and all my thoughts to have a taste of your holy blessed Spirit.

Give me, good Lord, a full faith, a firm hope, and a fervent charity; a love for you, good Lord, incomparably above the love of myself; and that I love nothing to your displeasure, but everything for the sake of you.

Give me, good Lord, a longing to be with you, not for the avoiding of the calamities of this wretched world, nor so much for the avoiding of the pains of purgatory, nor of the pains of hell either, nor so much for the attaining of the joys of heaven in respect to my own benefit, but for a genuine love for you.

And bear me, Lord, your love and favor, which my love for you (no matter how great) could not deserve, but for your great goodness.

And pardon me, good Lord, that I am so bold to ask such great petitions, being such a vile and sinful wretch and so unworthy to attain the lowest. But yet, good Lord, such I am bound to wish for, and should be nearer the effectual desire of them if my many sins were not the hindrance.

From which, O glorious Trinity, grant in your goodness to wash me with that blessed blood that issued out of your tender body (O sweet Savior Christ) in the diverse torments of your most bitter Passion.

End of Prayer of Saint Thomas More

We can see that God answered this earnest prayer of his servant Thomas More with an outpouring of graces by the letter he wrote to his daughter Margaret from prison, where he was being held for refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy of King Henry VIII over the Church in England. May we beg for the nobility of this Lover of God and the Church!

Letter by Saint Thomas More to his daughter Margaret…

Although I know well, Margaret, that because of my past wickedness I deserve to be abandoned by God, I cannot but trust in His merciful goodness. His grace has  strengthened me until now and made me content to lose goods, land, and life as well, rather than to swear against my conscience. God’s grace has given the king a gracious frame of mind toward me, so that as yet he has taken from me nothing but my liberty. In doing this his Majesty has done me such great good with respect to spiritual profit that I trust that among all the great benefits He has heaped so abundantly upon me I count my imprisonment the very greatest.

I cannot, therefore, mistrust the grace of God. Either He shall keep the king in that gracious frame of mind to continue to do me no harm, or else, if it be His pleasure that for my other sins, I am to suffer in this case as I shall not deserve, then His grace shall give me the strength to bear it patiently, and perhaps even gladly.

By the merits of His bitter passion joined to mine, and far surpassing in merit for me all that I can suffer myself, His bounteous goodness shall release me from the pains of purgatory and shall increase my reward in heaven besides.

I will not mistrust Him, Meg, though I shall feel myself weakening and on the verge of being overcome with fear. I shall remember how Saint Peter at a blast of wind began to sink because of his lack of faith, and I shall do as he did: call upon Christ and pray to Him for help. And then I trust He shall place His holy hand on me and in the stormy seas hold me up from drowning.

And if He permits me to play Saint Peter further and to fall to the ground and to swear and forswear, may God our Lord in His tender mercy keep me from this, and let me lose if it so happen, and never win thereby! Still, if this should happen, afterward I trust that in His goodness He will look on me with pity as He did upon Saint Peter, and make me stand up again and confess the truth of my conscience afresh and endure here the shame and harm of my own fault.

And finally, Margaret, I know this well: that without my fault He will not let me be lost. I shall, therefore, with good hope commit myself wholly to Him. And if He permits me to perish for my faults, then I shall serve as praise for His justice. But in good faith, Meg, I trust that His tender pity shall keep my poor soul safe and make me commend His mercy.

And, therefore, my own good daughter, do not let your mind be troubled over anything that shall happen to me in this world. Nothing can come but what God wills. And I am very sure that whatever that be, however bad it may seem, it shall indeed be the best.

End of Letter by Saint Thomas More

Saint Thomas More, Pray for us!