Wednesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time "Leap for Joy for Heavens"

Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. But woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way."

Introductory Prayer: God the Father, thank you for the gift of creation, including my own life. God the Son, thank you for redeeming me at the price of your own Body and Blood. God the Holy Spirit, thank you for being the sweet guest of my soul, enlightening my mind, strengthening my spirit and kindling the fire of your love in my heart.

Petition: Father, help me to seek the things that are above.

1. Because You Say It, Lord… In this passage, I can picture Jesus raising his eyes to look into the faces of his followers. Today, he looks into my eyes and engages my attention with his loving gaze. I accept what he tells me because it is he who speaks. I believe that he has the words of eternal life. Naturally, poverty, hunger, sorrow and being excluded do not appeal to me, but they are the values of my beloved Lord, and that is enough for me.

2. Seek First the Kingdom: Jesus encourages me to strive for the values of his Kingdom, to be forgetful of myself and my well-being. He will take care of me and give me recompense. Heaven awaits me – laughter and joy, a fullness that is unfathomable. It is arduous not to seek “heaven on earth” in riches and pleasure and in fitting in with the crowd. It takes a vision of faith and a spirit of perseverance.

3. Warning Signs: St. Luke transmits to us not only the Beatitudes, but also their opposites. These are like warning signs. If my path is aligned with these opposites, I had better be attentive – where does that road lead me in the long run? Where my heart is, there also is my treasure. Is heavenly, eternal happiness my heart’s desire or are earthly, temporal delights?

Conversation with Christ: Lord, give me the joy of experiencing some of the heavenly joy of being united to you here on earth. Help me to find my fulfillment in loving you, in giving my life to you.

Resolution: I will examine what motivates me in my daily duty, striving to purify my intention. I will act out of love of God and not out of self-love.

Tuesday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time "Prayer and Action"

Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground. A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured. Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all.

Introductory Prayer:  God the Father, thank you for the gift of creation, including my own life. God the Son, thank you for redeeming me at the price of your own Body and Blood. God the Holy Spirit, thank you for being the sweet guest of my soul, enlightening my mind, strengthening my spirit and kindling the fire of your love in my heart. 

Petition: Call me to you, Lord Jesus, and remind me of my personal mission.

1. A Place and a Time for Prayer  Frequently the Gospel tells me that Jesus prayed to his Father. What was his prayer like? First, he sought out a place that is appropriate for praying. Secondly, he dedicated a significant amount of time to prayer. I can see him climbing a mountain in order to spend an entire night in prayer. I can certainly learn from my Lord’s example. Imitating him, my prayer life can be enriched.

2. A Special Calling  Perhaps Jesus’ prayer is a bit longer than usual on this occasion. When there is an important decision to be made, he consults his Father to know his will. He does not improvise when calling twelve of his followers to be his apostles, his “sent ones,” his representatives. When Jesus calls me to do a special mission for his Kingdom, he also ensures that it accords with the eternal plan of the Father.

3. A Channel for God’s Grace  Having spent the night in prayer, Jesus has prepared himself to give generously of himself the following day. United to his Father, the source of all good, his actions channel this goodness towards those who are enslaved to evil spirits or in need of divine healing. Of course, Jesus is God, and he has that power in himself by his own right. However, he wants to give me an example of how to be a branch united to the vine, in order to produce fruit that will last.

Conversation with Christ:  Lord, I do not know how to pray as I ought. Teach me how to pray: to prepare a place and to set aside some time exclusively for prayer. So often I act without praying, relying only on my own ingenuity and intelligence. Make me see that I need your wisdom. Help me to ensure, through prayer, that my actions are conformed to your will.

Resolution:  I will strive to offer at least one spontaneous prayer to God today, amid the activities of my daily life. 

Monday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time "Do Good, Always and Everywhere"

On a certain Sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the Sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him. But he realized their intentions and said to the man with the withered hand, "Come up and stand before us." And he rose and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" Looking around at them all, he then said to him, "Stretch out your hand." He did so and his hand was restored. But they became enraged and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.

Introductory Prayer: God the Father, thank you for the gift of creation, including my own life. God the Son, thank you for redeeming me at the price of your own Body and Blood. God the Holy Spirit, thank you for being the sweet guest of my soul, enlightening my mind, strengthening my spirit, and kindling the fire of your love in my heart. 

Petition: Lord, make me a magnanimous, great-hearted person, one who always desires the good of others.

1. Teaching and Doing: When Jesus speaks, he convinces those of good will who are present. The people commented that Jesus spoke convincingly, not like the Pharisees. That’s because Jesus preached only what he was willing to put into practice himself. He practices what he preaches. This is my Teacher and Master, who speaks of compassion and shows it. This is he who lowers himself to washing his followers’ feet at the Last Supper because he wants me to do the same.

2. Doing Good, Regardless of What Others Think: Jesus is omniscient, knowing even what others are thinking. He often chides the Pharisees, because he sees their nitpicking and pettiness. They are guides of the people, yet they stand aloof from their needs and constrain the people to follow many rules that they themselves do not fulfill. Jesus sees a person in need whom he can help. Although he sees around him many critics scrutinizing his words and actions, nothing will keep him from doing this good deed. When I feel the weight of others’ eyes upon me, can I still practice charity regardless of what they think?

3. Saving Life: There is a culture of death and a culture of life in this Gospel. The judgments of the Pharisees make them critical of Jesus to the point that they become enraged. Eventually, they will plot to kill Jesus. They couldn’t care less about the plight of the man Jesus heals. Jesus speaks the words of life in the synagogue. He enriches life through healing. I must learn from Jesus how to be a beacon of light and life amid the divisive culture of egoism and death that surrounds me.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, you can read my heart, as you read the hearts of the Pharisees. I also have a tendency to be critical and not always constructive. Make my heart be more like yours, desiring good, and being generous despite the criticisms that might come my way.

Resolution: I will strive to perceive the needs of another person today, someone in particular. Then, I will seek to do what I can to help that person, if possible in a way that does not draw attention to myself.

Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time "Kneel Down and Decide for Christ"

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them, "If any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, ´This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.´ Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple."

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I come to you once again in prayer. Even though I cannot see you, my faith tells me that you are present. You are ready to listen and desire to speak with me. Your presence gives me hope, because you are the all-powerful God, the creator of heaven and earth. You are the source of all that is good in my life. Nothing happens to me without your knowing and permitting it. My hope leads me to love. I want to be one with you in mind and heart, identifying myself with your will and your standards.

Petition: Lord, help me to pick up my cross and follow you.

1. The Crowd and the Disciples: “Great crowds” followed Jesus. His popularity increased. The time was ripe to win over the crowds with some promise of well-being. However, Jesus does not act like a politician. It’s not about winning votes, but about winning souls with a message of salvation. It’s not about empty promises, but about promises of eternal fulfillment for those who follow him. He calls me to be one of his few faithful disciples, who esteem all things as rubbish to attain Christ. 

2. Hate and Love: St. John tells me that “God is love.” Jesus himself tells me that the greatest commandments are to love God above all else and to love my neighbor as myself. Why then does he ask me to “hate” so many lovable people and things? Perhaps the better expression is to “renounce.” Jesus asks me to love only one thing — rather, one person — absolutely. Only God should be the absolute center of my life. All other loves come after and are at the service of this supreme love. Is there something or someone that competes with God for first place in my life? 

3. Opt for the Cross: If Jesus’ message is not softened, it is a difficult message. Carrying one’s own cross, shouldering the instrument of torture and death is the equivalent of cooperating in one’s own death. That’s what Christ asks me to “sit down and decide” if I am willing to do. It is the condition for becoming his disciple and for making it to the end of my life as a faithful friend and follower of my Lord.

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus Christ, you lead me by example. I thank and praise you, because you go before me and show me the way. You also give me strength to carry my cross every day. So, as I kneel down and consider what you ask of your followers, I decide to undertake this arduous task out of love for you.

Resolution: Looking ahead to what this day holds for me, I can identify my cross. I will resolve to carry it, asking God’s help in prayer and striving to bear it with spiritual joy.

Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church "The Heart of the Matter"

While Jesus was going through a field of grain on a sabbath, his disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. Some Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” Jesus said to them in reply, “Have you not read what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry? How he went into the house of God, took the bread of offering, which only the priests could lawfully eat, ate of it, and shared it with his companions.” Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I worship you because I came from you. I long for you because you made me for yourself. I praise you as my ever-present helper. I call on you as my powerful protector. ( Universal Prayer of Pope Clement XI )

Petition: Lord, purify my heart.

1. The Pharisees’ Heart: Sometimes a short phrase reveals so much about what is happening inside a person’s mind and heart. One can get a glimpse into Hitler’s corrupt heart with his famous phrase: “I do not see why man should not be just as cruel as nature.” His actions were of the cruelest. Thirty years ago, when Saint John Paul II was elected pope, the simple phrase, “Be not afraid”, indicated the attitude he would have for the following 26 fearless years of his papacy. In this passage the Pharisees say so much about the state of their own hearts by saying so little: “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” The Pharisees are all caught up in the externals of the law and miss the big picture that Christ came to bring: complete love for God and heroic love of neighbor. As Christians we are not called to have a heart that calculates the cost, but rather one filled with unconditional love.

2. A King’s Heart: Another character in this passage is King David, whom Christ hails for having chosen to feed his starving army over scrupulously following some norms of the law regarding eating. From the story of David and Goliath, we learn that David had a brave heart from his youth and that he trusted in God over his own limitations. Young David’s heart was honest and humble: King Saul was trying to kill him, yet when David had the chance to kill Saul in a cave, he relented and later made amends with Saul. David’s heart was weak when he fell in love with Uriah’s wife and then had Uriah killed. Nevertheless David’s heart did not grow cold from this sin; rather, he repented deeply: “Have mercy on me, God in your goodness blot out my offenses, wash away all my guilt, from my sin cleanse me” (Psalm 51). With time and patience David formed a remarkable heart that loved God and neighbor.

3. The Sacred Heart: What love the Heart of Christ shows his apostles in this passage. Imagine the scene: Christ walking through a ripe field of grain with his closest friends, laughing, joking, talking about the town they just visited, speaking of their dreams, and also snacking on the ripe harvest. Christ’s heart was so immersed with love for these men who would be the pillars of the Church and who would bring his message to the whole world. How far his thoughts were from the littleness and pettiness of the empty details of the worn out laws! His law is the new law of love: “Behold the heart that has so loved men.” Christ looks at us the same way he looked at his apostles in the field – as friends who are called to be the pillars of the new evangelization, as apostles who are to bring his words to the end of the earth. He needs us to say “yes” to this call!

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, thank you for the unconditional love of your heart. I want to repay your love for me by loving you back with the same intensity. I know I always fall short of this, but you know my heart, and you know I want to be close to you until the day I meet you face-to-face in eternity.

Resolution: With a repentant heart, I will go to confession today.

FAMILY FIRST FRIDAY "A PURE HEART: BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART (MT 5: 8)"

Introduction

 

Jesus said in His beatitudes, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”  And this is a beautiful way for us to begin the year, because that is what the Sacred Heart of Jesus offers us…a way to “see God.”   Saint John Paul II once wrote that the beatitudes are Jesus’ “self portrait” – they are like a painting that our Lord reveals to us, showing us who He is (the virtues of His Heart). 

 

This is our third year of focusing of these virtues, and we aren’t even close to exhausting the depth and breadth of the virtues present in the Heart of Jesus.  It’s like a well that never runs dry…there is always more to discover about the Heart of Jesus.

 

This year we are going to take time each month to connect the promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to these virtues of His Heart.  There were 12 promises given to St Margaret Mary Alacoque, a French nun who our Lord called “the beloved disciple of the Sacred Heart.”   Tonight we’ll look at two of those promises…and I hope that by the end of the year in May, we will all have a deeper and richer understanding of these beautiful promises that are for US and for ALL PEOPLE.

 

The Beatitudes

 

Jesus gave us 8 beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount, which was recorded in the Gospel of Matthew.  Matthew’s gospel was directed toward an audience that was very familiar with the Hebrew tradition.  He stressed that Jesus is the Christ…the Messiah that Hebrew scripture (our Old Testament) had promised.  Matthew wanted us to see that the Kingdom Christ spoke of is the Kingdom of Heaven…the promise of eternal life with our God.

 

The beatitudes are a series of brief little descriptions Jesus gives, that describe the “blessed life”…or in other words, they describe the basic dispositions or attitudes of the heart that we need to have in order to reach true holiness.  So Jesus is really describing Himself…because it is when we become more and more like Him that we become more and more holy.  More perfectly than anyone else, Jesus is “poor in spirit,” “merciful,” “meek”….and He is also perfectly “PURE IN HEART.”

 

By emphasizing purity of heart, Jesus isn’t taking away from the importance of being pure in mind and body as well, but He focuses on the HEART because it is the center of who we are.  It is above all other things our LOVE that must be pure.  That means that our love needs to be untainted by anything that is not of God…anything that is unworthy of God.

 

 

 

 

Authenticity

 

That is what PURITY means…to be untainted and free from all impurities or foreign elements that would diminish the authenticity of something.  We can think of gold, for example.  Pure, 24-karat gold doesn’t contain any foreign elements.  It is just pure gold…what you see is what you get.  The same can be said of pure maple syrup or pure single-malt Scotch…they are 100% pure…100% what they claim to be.

 

So we can say that purity means AUTHENTICITY.  Maybe that’s not the first thing that pops into our head when we hear the word “pure” though…it really has nothing to do with Puritan ideas or hatred of the human body.  It is authenticity...and that is what we see in the life of Jesus.  He was 100% pure…100% what He claimed to be.

 

He wasn’t pure of heart just because He was celibate.  His heart was pure because His love was pure and true and real…it wasn’t selfish or tainted by varied intentions.  Jesus’ love was pure because He looked at others not as OBJECTS from whom He could gain something for Himself…but as PERSONS.  He didn’t desire to PLEASE HIMSELF through others, but He loved them for their own sake. 

 

The Sinful Woman

 

That’s why when Jesus approached others and really looked at them, His gaze didn’t bring shame or embarrassment…but a sense of peace and security…a sense of being loved.  Look at the way He treated the woman who was known as a “sinner” by everyone in the town [Lk 7: 36-50].  Remember that Jesus was at the home of Simon the Pharisee when this sinful woman (some say it was Mary Magdalene) came in and sat at His feet.  She weeps so much that she washes His feet with her tears.  And then she dries them with her hair.  She kisses the feet of Jesus and she anoints them with ointment.  Simon the Pharisee is appalled by this and thinks to himself that Jesus couldn’t be a prophet or He would know what kind of woman was touching Him…a SINNER.

 

Let’s think for a minute about what must have been going on in this woman’s heart.  How did she experience Jesus?  Usually, in Jesus’ time, when women were referred to as “sinners” it meant that they were prostitutes or adulteresses.  Surely this woman knew what it was to be USED by men.  She could easily distinguish between a sensual sneer and a gaze of love.  In Jesus, she found acceptance for who she was as a PERSON, which lead her to real conversion.  She found love and forgiveness rather than self-interest and lust.  And she poured out her own love in return…so much so that Jesus said to Simon that it was precisely because this woman had experiences great MERCY that she showed such great love.

 

No Additives

 

Jesus loved His Father with a pure heart…free from mixed intentions.  He loved all people…men, women, children…with this same purity.  His love was simple and untainted…we could say it was CLEAN.  He didn’t allow anything to stain His love.

 

I’ve heard these phrases, especially hear in Minnesota.  You say, “Pure as the driven snow,” for example.  Or the bottled water says, “mountain spring water.”  Especially in today’s health-conscious culture, we are suspicious of additives…we don’t want any preservatives or artificial coloring or hormones.  Fr Adam is always trying to get us to drink soda without artificial sweeteners or caffeine.  This was Jesus…the Savior without any artificial anything!  Jesus was pure and simple.  Little children were attracted to Him.  The weak and the broken were attracted to Him.  He didn’t take advantage of people or threaten them.  He was just there for them.

 

The Need for Purification

 

This is the sort of purity of heart to which we are each called.  It isn’t easy, because self interest always seems to sneek its way in to our relationships...even when we try our best to keep it out.  Even when our primary motive is good, we can often discover secondary motives that are less pure (additives that stain our love).  Relationships that start out pure can become tainted and corrupted over time.  Surely this is why Jesus tells us to PRAY and WATCH, to work at keeping our love pure.

 

Our little human hearts need CONSTANT PURIFICATION.  Scripture compares this purification to the refining of gold or silver, or to the bleaching of white garments.  And I don’t need to tell you…this process is always PAINFUL.  Do you know what it takes to refine gold?  It has to be heated to very high temperatures so that the impurities will float to the top, so that they can be skimmed off.  To bleach garments, lye is used…a highly concentrated chemical that BURNS the stains away.  There is pain in purification, but over and over again our Lord tells us that the pain leads to our peace and happiness…and to eternal life.

 

Examining our Conscience

 

One way to work toward our purification is to be diligent in examining our conscience every day (in our community, we do it twice a day…at lunch and before we go to bed).  When we examine our conscience, asking the Holy Spirit to help us, we unearth the impurities that can stain our love.  But above all else we need the purifying power of God’s GRACE…the FIRE of His love.  He will purify us if we ask Him with sincerity to do it.

 

Promises of the Sacred Heart

 

And this leads us to the first two promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which connect very beautifully with this quality of having a pure heart.  As you may know, Margaret Mary Alacoque was a French nun who lived in the 1600’s.  When she was 11, she became very sick and was bedridden for four years.  During her suffering, she developed an intimate relationship with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.  After being healed and entering religious life, our Lord appeared to Mary and revealed devotions to His Sacred Heart.  She received many apparitions.  In one of them, Jesus said to her, “Look at this Heart which has loved people so much, and yet they do not love me in return.  Through you, My Divine Heart wishes to spread it’s love to all people.”  Jesus made at least 12 promises to her, telling her how He would help those who honor His Sacred Heart.

 

The first promise was: “I will give them all of the graces necessary in their state in life.”  Jesus promises to help us to obtain the pure heart we want so much.  He promises us His grace…which means that we are not alone and we will have all the help we need to become a saint.

The second promise was:  “I will establish peace in their homes.”  Peace always comes from living the will of God.  A Heart that is pure and authentic…a heart that is what it was made to be…will be a heart at peace.  And when there is peace in our hearts, there will be peace in our relationships with one another…in our relationship with God and in our relationship with the members of our family and our friends.  Peace does not mean the lack of contradiction and difficulty, but rather it means a peaceful and calm heart in the midst of struggle.  Our Lord faced many difficulties and contradictions but was always at peace. 

 

Conclusion

 

Let’s end with a prayer, as we prepare our hearts for the Mass and the renewal of our consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  As the year progresses we’ll talk more about consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and there will be a special Mass in May when those who want to can have an image of the Sacred Heart blessed, for their homes, and can consecrate themselves to the Sacred Heart.  But each of us can participate in this consecration tonight at the Mass, asking our Lord to show us more and more deeply what it means to belong to His Sacred Heart.

 

We pray:

 

Lord, I admire the purity of your Sacred Heart.  You were able to love to intensely, so passionately, and yet so purely.  You never looked for personal gain or to see what was in it for you.  You loved others for their sake.  Blessed be Your Holy Name.

 

I love too Lord.  You know that I do.  But You also know how desperately I need You to purify my love.  I want a clean heart like Yours.  Grant me a pure heart…a free heart…a heart that is filled with love for God and for all souls.

 

Jesus, pure and clean of heart, make my heart more like Yours!

Songs:

Psalm 139 Alena Moore

https://youtu.be/NA-VzM5Sbc

Lyrics:

At the feet of Jesus my world changed,
Everything is brighter
I see a picture of what I can be
My life will never flee from what I've seen,
Your heart is my desire
I want to know You like the child You see

Where can I run from Your love?
You search me and know all my heart
If I climb to the heights, You'll be there
If I make my bed in Hell, You'll lead me home

Before the earth existed You knew me,
You called me to be holy
I will praise You for the way I'm made
How precious are the thoughts You think of me,
Could anybody count them?
They are greater than the sands by the sea

Where can I run from Your love?
You search me and know all my heart
If I climb to the heights, You'll be there
If I make my bed in Hell, You'll lead me home
You'll lead me home, lead me home

I open up my heart, please search me through
Does anything displease You?
Lead me in the way of Your cross

Where can I run from Your love?
You search me and know all my heart
If I climb to the heights, You'll be there
If I make my bed in Hell, You'll lead me home

"Unwavering" Matt Maher

https://youtu.be/uUxzGF5RGZg

Lyrics:

Blessed are the poor
The kingdom is theirs
Alive in the promise
To be dead to the world
Blessed are the meek
In honor of your Father
The Word at your right hand
The Spirit of truth

Unwavering is your voice
Unwavering is your hand
Unwavering is the heart that bled for the sins of men
Unwavering is your will
Unwavering is your plan
The fount of salvation on which we will stand

Blessed are the poor
The kingdom is theirs
Alive in the promise
To be dead to the world
Blessed are the meek
In honor of your Father
The Word at your right hand
The Spirit of truth

Unwavering is your voice
Unwavering is your hand
Unwavering is the heart that bled for the sins of men
Unwavering is your will
Unwavering is your plan
The fount of salvation on which we will stand

Blessed are the righteous
On bended knee
Found in this freedom
Committed to you
Blessed are those who see
The heights of glory
Found in the valley
And suffering for you

Unwavering is your voice
Unwavering is your hand
Unwavering is the heart that bled for the sins of men
Unwavering is your will
Unwavering is your plan
The fount of salvation on which we will stand

Send us out to be your hands and feet
Send us out to be your hands and feet
Send us out to be your hands and feet

Unwavering is your voice
Unwavering is your hand
Unwavering is the heart that bled for the sins of men
Unwavering is your will
Unwavering is your plan
The font of salvation on which we will stand

The font of salvation on which we will stand

Send us out to be your hands and feet
Send us out to be your hands and feet
Send us out to be your hands and feet
Send us out to be your hands and feet
Send us out to be your hands and feet
Send us out to be your hands and feet

Friday of the Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time "Spare No Expense"

Then they said to him, "John´s disciples, like the disciples of the Pharisees, frequently fast and pray, but your disciples eat and drink." Jesus said to them, "You cannot make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? The days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days." He also told them a parable: "No one tears a piece from a new garment and sews it on an old garment; otherwise the new will be torn, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new wine, but says, ´The old is good.´"

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe in you: Help me to believe more firmly. I trust in you: Help me to trust more surely. I love you: Help me to love you more ardently. I am sorry for my sins: Help me to deepen my sorrow. (Universal Prayer of Pope Clement XI)

Petition: Lord, rejuvenate my love for you, and grant me the grace to spread this love to those I encounter today.

1. Misunderstood

In this passage Christ’s interlocutors do not comprehend the differences between his way of life and that of the Pharisees and the followers of John the Baptist. His contemporaries’ misunderstanding is usually due to two reasons: They don’t really know who he is, and they don’t understand his mission. When Our Lord seems far away from us, when his message seems too difficult to put into practice in our daily lives, and when his plans do not seem to fit with our plans, we need to go back to the basics and shed light anew onto who Jesus is and what his mission is.

2. Spare No Expense

If you have ever helped in planning a wedding, you are aware of the blood, sweat and tears needed to make it a success. Months or even a year can be invested in choosing the church, the priest, the dresses, the reception hall, etc. Oftentimes no expense is spared, and rightly so, because a wedding celebrates the love between a man and a woman who are becoming one, new creation. In this passage Jesus wishes to compare his attitude to that of a bridegroom at a wedding feast. Our Lord wishes to spare no expense with his new wife and family – the Church. Christ’s apparent flamboyance is really about his love for his apostles, disciples and each person he came in contact with during his thirty-three-year wedding feast. As we experience this love of Christ for us in this prayer, let us respond by sparing no expense for what Christ asks of us.

3. Fresh Wineskins

Throughout the centuries billions of men have been bridegrooms with the mission of cherishing their wives and providing for their families. But only one bridegroom had the mission of saving the world from sin and opening the gates of heaven to all people. The mission of Christ on earth was to inaugurate a new and joyful time of redemption by uniting himself to all of humanity. The newness of his message could not fit into the worn-out religious structures of the time: He founded the “fresh wineskins” of the Catholic Church. As baptized Catholics, we, too, share in Christ’s mission to save souls and preach the gospel to the whole world.

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are my best friend. I am so happy because of what you did for me 2000 years ago on the cross. You give me so much hope amidst all types of difficulties, misunderstandings and persecutions. The thought that you are looking over me brightens my day and gives me the confidence I need to be your untiring apostle.

Resolution: I will pray the Stations of the Cross today for the reparation of the sins of the world.