Daily Thought

  Arise! If you have lost your inner vitality, your dreams, your enthusiasm, your optimism and your generosity, Jesus stands before you as once he stood before the dead son of the widow, and with all the power of his resurrection he urges you: “Young man, I say to you, arise!”  Pope Francis

Called By Name & Working With God's Grace TUESDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF LENT       Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;          I have called you by name, you are mine.       When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;          and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;       when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,          and the flame shall not consume you.       For I am the LORD your God,          the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Isaiah 43:1–3 God is saying your name right now. God is interested in the circumstances of your life. God does not just want to save you, God is saving you right now. God liberated the Chosen People, but only with their help. They had to trust that this voice was truly God’s. They had to make the break from the land of Egypt. They had to walk into the deser...

  Beautiful Words on the Prodigal Son Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday, buongiorno! The Gospel for this Sunday’s Liturgy recounts the so-called Parable of the Prodigal Son (cf. Lk 15:11-32). It leads us to God’s heart who always forgives compassionately and tenderly. Always, God always forgives. We are the ones who get tired of asking for forgiveness, but he always forgives. It [the parable] tells us that God is a Father who not only welcomes us back, but rejoices and throws a feast for his son who has returned home after having squandered all his possessions. We are that son, and it is moving to think about how much the Father always loves us and waits for us. But there is also the older son in the same parable who goes into a crisis in front of this Father. It can put us into crisis as well. In fact, this older son is also within us and, we are tempted to take his side, at least in part: he had always done his duty, he had not left home, and so he becomes indignant on seei...

  On The Solemnity of the Annunciation First Reading: Is 7:10–14; 8:10 Responsorial Psalm: Ps 40:7–8a, 8b–9, 10, 11 Second Reading: Heb 10:4–10 Gospel: Lk 1:26–38 The Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore once observed that the birth of every child is a sign that God has not given up on the world. In a sense, that is the meaning of the oracle with which the prophet Isaiah confronts King Ahaz in today’s first reading. The birth of a child, perhaps even a royal son, will be a sign that God remains with the people of Judah in their present crisis that is exacerbated by the faithlessness of their king. Therefore, the child will be named “Immanuel,” meaning “God with us” (Mt 1:23; see Is 7:14). The angel Gabriel announces the same news to Mary in today’s Gospel. The message contains two parts. The first renews God’s firm promise to David’s house by announcing the birth of a royal son: “The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father … and of his Kingdom there will be no end” (Lk 1:3...

  Avoiding Divisions In the Church Fraternity among Catholics is wounded! Divisions between Churches have torn Christ’s tunic to shreds, and worse still, each shredded strip has been cut up into even smaller snippets. I speak of course of the human element of it, because no one will ever be able to tear the true tunic of Christ, his mystical body animated by the Holy Spirit. In God's eyes, the Church is "one, holy, catholic and apostolic", and will remain so until the end of the world. This, however, does not excuse our divisions, but makes them more guilty and must push us more forcefully to heal them. What is the most common cause of the bitter divisions among Catholics? It is not dogma, nor is it the sacraments and ministries, none of the things that by God’s singular grace we fully and universally preserve. The divisions that polarize Catholics stem from political options that grow into ideologies taking priority over religious and ecclesial considerations and leading...

  God Our Refuge My deliverance and honor are with God, my strong rock; my refuge is with God. Trust God at all times, my people! Pour out your hearts to God our refuge! Psalm 62:8 (NABRE)

  Prayer Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts. St. Teresa of Calcutta

  Reflection & Providing Help Amidst Tragedies In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus is questioned on certain distressing events: the killing of several Galileans in the temple, on the orders of Pontius Pilate, and the collapse of a tower on some passersby (cf. Lk 13: 1-5). In the face of the easy conclusion of considering evil as an effect of divine punishment, Jesus restores the true image of God who is good and cannot desire evil. And guarding us against believing that misfortunes are the immediate effect of the personal sins of those whom they afflict, says: “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered thus? I tell you, No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Lk 13: 2-3). Jesus asks us interpret these events differently, putting them in the perspective of conversion: misfortunes, sorrowful events must not awaken curiosity in us or the quest for presumed sins; instead they must be opportunities for refl...

  A MAN SHOULD NOT BE TOO DOWNCAST WHEN HE FALLS INTO DEFECTS THE VOICE OF CHRIST MY CHILD, patience and humility in adversity are more pleasing to Me than much consolation and devotion when things are going well. Why are you saddened by some little thing said against you? Even if it had been more you ought not to have been affected. But now let it pass. It is not the first, nor is it anything new, and if you live long it will not be the last. You are manly enough so long as you meet no opposition. You give good advice to others, and you know how to strengthen them with words, but when unexpected tribulation comes to your door, you fail both in counsel and in strength. Consider your great weakness, then, which you experience so often in small matters. Yet when these and like trials happen, they happen for your good. Put it out of your heart as best you know how, and if it has touched you, still do not let it cast you down or confuse you for long. Bear it patiently at least, if you ...

  What Do You Wish?  Lectio Matthew 20:17–28 Meditatio “What do you wish?” Throughout the Gospels Jesus knows what people are thinking or saying among themselves without having to ask them. Why then does he ask the mother of Zebedee’s sons what she wants? Surely he already knows that she wishes honor for her sons. I think Jesus asks her so that she can voice her desire. Then this becomes a way he can enter into conversation with her so as to guide her to a different way of thinking. The exchange begins by this simple woman telling Jesus what she wants for her children. She is not concerned about what will happen to Peter or Nathaniel—her concern revolves around what pertains to her. Jesus’ response will help her to stretch her mind and heart. The “all about me” attitude that is prevalent in our day and age is not new. Here it is played out among the disciples of Jesus. To this mother’s request Jesus responds that he is guided by the will of the Father. Jesus always defers and ...

  Let Us Be Thankful

Humility    

  Blessings & Generosity Recognize to whom you owe the fact that you exist, that you breathe, that you understand, that you are wise, and, above all, that you know God and hope for the kingdom of heaven and the vision of glory, now darkly as in a mirror but then with greater fullness and purity. You have been made a son of God, co-heir with Christ. Where did you get all this, and from whom? Let me turn to what is of less importance: the visible world around us. What benefactor has enabled you to look out upon the beauty of the sky, the sun in its course, the circle of the moon, the countless number of stars, with the harmony and order that are theirs, like the music of a harp? Who has blessed you with rain, with the art of husbandry, with different kinds of food, with the arts, with houses, with laws, with states, with a life of humanity and culture, with friendship and the easy familiarity of kinship? Who has given you dominion over animals, those that are tame and those that ...

  We Matter To God   God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” God also said to Moses … “This is my name forever,  and this my title for all generations.” Exodus 3:14, 15 God is always present to what we are experiencing—not distant, aloof, or impotent, but close and powerful. We really matter to God because we belong to him. God is concerned about our safety and our future, so much so that God is completely invested, so to speak, in the reality of his people. God delivered the Israelites from Egypt, walked with them through the desert, gave them a land, made of them a nation, and purified them when their hearts were lured by idols and seduced by the wealth of other nations. God was right in their midst, present to the reality of the Israelites, as he took their destiny into his own hands and delivered them again and again from oppression. Prayer: Lord, thank you for being in my daily life. Kat...

  Come Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit comes where he is loved, where he is invited, where he is expected. St. Bonaventure

  Entrance Antiphon For Mass When I cried to the Lord, he heard my voice; he rescued me from those who attack me. Entrust your cares to the Lord, and he will support you. Cf. Ps 55 (54):17-20, 23