February 19, 2018

Feb. 19

February 19, 2018:  Monday, 1st week, Lent

See 18 connections with today?
Legend below
Listen
For the gospel

Psalm 19 settings

Vatican retreat:  Jesus wants to quench our thirst
Jesus comes to us in his own incompleteness and emptiness, stands before us, invites us, “Let the one who thirsts come,” offers the water of life, unconditional love, even though he knows we're incomplete, under construction.  Since this is his final invitation, we need to recognize that we're the thirsty ones, and recognize how much we thirst.
As the dehydrated know, water is the cure.  “Water is taught by thirst” (Dickinson).  Do we allow our thirst to be a school of authentic awareness—ours and God’s?  Our thirst goes undetected because it's painful and discovered little by little.  Jesus invites us to dialogue with him about the most profound dimensions of existence, so we may meet the thirst in every person for relationship, acceptance, and love.  (Fr. José Tolentino Mendonça)
Read

  • Lv 19:1-2, 11-18  Be holy; fear the Lord.  Don't steal, lie, swear falsely, defraud or rob, withhold wages, or curse the deaf or blind.  Judge justly, not dishonestly or with bias.  Don't spread slander.  Don't hate, hold grudges, or take revenge.  Love your neighbor as yourself.  I am the Lord.
  • Ps 19:8-10, 15  "Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life."  The law of the Lord is perfect, trustworthy, clear, pure, true, and just.  May I find favor with you, O Lord, my rock.
    • Mt 25:31-46  The Son of Man will separate people, saying to the righteous, ‘Come, you blessed; inherit the kingdom, for when I was in need you fed me, gave me drink, welcomed me, clothed me, cared for me, and visited me.’ / ‘When?’ / ‘What you did for the least, you did for me.’  Then he'll say to the rest, ‘Depart from me, for when I was in need, you didn't feed me, give me drink, welcome, clothe, or care for me.’ / ‘When?’ / ‘What you didn't do for the least ones, you didn't do for me.’  They'll go to punishment; the righteous to life.
    • Creighton:  "Holiness":  I suspect it means purity, simplicity, transparency of identity and action, focused presence:  God's nature, our lifetime quest.  It can be ours only as a gift; we can only ask and open ourselves to God's action, through silence, prayer, fasting, humility, poverty, generosity, all the gifts of the Spirit.  We need to ask and prepare to receive and live the gift.
    • One Bread, One Body:  "Bread from heaven":  Jesus will judge us on how we treated him in the least of his and our brothers and sisters.  Jesus is so concerned with feeding us that he told Peter, "Feed My lambs/sheep" and became the Bread of Life, feeding us with his own body and blood.  So, giving alms to feed the hungry; be nourished by God's Word, other Church teaching, and the Eucharist; invite others to be so nourished, and pray for Christians caught up in the culture of death or spiritual anorexia.  To feed his sheep, we must receive, become like, and die with him.
    • Passionist:  Today's readings invite us to look at life from both sides, what not to do and what to do, and choose them both.  God puts before us the way of love.  We struggle every day to choose good over evil.  If we see wrongdoing in ourselves or others, do we give up?  Do we tolerate sin in ourselves and others?  May we denounce sin and accept grace!  We know what it means to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome strangers, and visit the imprisoned, and we know Jesus is there.  May we choose the way of Love.

    • DailyScripture.net:  "Eternal life, eternal punishment":  "There are two kinds of people, because there are two kinds of love.  One holy, the other selfish; one subject to God; the other endeavors to equal him" (Augustine).  Jesus came not only to fulfill the law but to transform it through his love and mercy.  Do I allow his love to transform me to think, act, and love as he taught and did?  Jesus' parable about separating goats and sheep must have startled his audience.  The parable is similar to the one of the rich man who didn't help poor Lazarus.  Lazarus hoped in God, while the rich man loved only wealth.  The parable emphasizes the chasm between the former rich man now poor and Lazarus feasting at God's table.  Judgment day will disclose how we loved in this life:  unselfishly directed to God and neighbor, or disordered, putting self above them.  When Martin of Tours met a beggar who had no clothes, he took pity, got off his horse, cut his cloak, and gave half to the stranger.  That night Martin dreamed he saw Jesus robed in that torn cloak, telling an angel, "My servant Martin gave it to me."  Consequently "Martin flew to be baptized" (biographer Severus).  "Christ is above and below:  above in himself, below in his people.  Fear Christ above; recognize him below. Here he's poor, with and in the poor; there he's rich, with and in God.  Have Christ above bestowing his bounty; recognize him here in his need" (Augustine, Sermon 123, 44).  When the Lord comes as judge, he'll ask how we loved him, his Father, and our neighbor....
    Dress legend
    • 'Money bag' tie pin:  Don't withhold your laborer's wages (1st reading)
    • 'Block' tie pin:  Don't put a stumbling block in front of the blind (1st reading)
    • 'Heart' pin: Don't bear hatred in your heart (1st reading); God's precepts rejoice the heart; let the thought of my heart find favor with you (psalm)
    • 'Scales of justice' tie:  Judge justly (1st reading); God's ordinances are just (psalm); Last Judgment (gospel)
    • 'Eyeball' pin:  The Lord's command enlightens the eye (psalm)
    • 'Car with mouth' pin:  Let the words of my mouth find favor before you (psalm)
    • 'Scroll' pin:  The Lord's law is refreshing, trustworthy, right, and clear (psalm)
    • 'Owl' pin:  The Lord's decree gives wisdom (psalm)
    • 'Rock' tie pin:  Lord, my Rock (psalm)
    • 'Angel' pin:  "When the Son of Man comes, and the angels..." (gospel)
    • 'Sheep' tie bar:  The Son of Man will separate sheep from goats (gospel)
    • Blue shirt:  I was thirsty and you gave me drink (gospel)
    • [Naked] 'skeleton' tie pin:  I was naked and you clothed me (gospel)
    • 'Fire' pin:  Depart into the eternal fire; you didn't help me when I was in need (gospel)
    • Purple suspenders:  Lenten season
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