One Walk

04152009

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The Words of Jesus of Nazareth by Lee Cantelon

This Generation

Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in these days of sin and non-belief of that person, the Son of Man will be ashamed when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Still non-believing, this obstinate generation clamours for a sign; but no sign will be granted other than the sign that was given to the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was in the great deep for three days and nights, so the Son of Man will be three days and nights entombed in the earth.

There will come a day when the inhabitants of Nineveh , called the City of Thieves , will stand and pass judgment on this generation and condemn it. For they repented because of the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah stands before you.

The Queen of Sheba will also rise to pass judgment on this generation and condemn it; for she traveled a great distance to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, one greater than Solomon has come.

How can I describe this generation? They are like children sitting in the market place, calling to their friends: "We have played merrily on our flutes; but you would not dance or sing. We have played a dirge; but you have refused to be sad."

John, the forerunner, came and lived among you in great austerity. Everyone said: "He must be possessed of a demon."

Now the Son of Man has come to you, enjoying life, and you say: "He is a drunkard and a glutton, and the friend of sinners!" With such brilliance, you justify your own inconsistency.

Oh generation, who live your lives based on lies: how can you, being without truth, say anything worth hearing? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

When it is evening, you say: "It will be fair weather, for the sky is red."

In the morning you say: "It will be foul weather today, for the sky is threatening."

With accuracy you forecast a change in the weather. How is it that you have failed to discern the signs of the times?

Come unto me all who are tired, oppressed, and sick of life, and I will give you wonderful rest! Receive my words and let me teach you, for I am gentle and kind. You will find rest for your souls. That which I ask of you is for your benefit, and that which I demand of you is light.

Those who have chosen to follow me in this generation will one day sit upon thrones and judge kingdoms and kings who have hardened their hearts and turned away from these righteous words.

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Lord God, Abba Father, surrounded by reminders of my mistakes I find peace with You, and in the calm of that peace my faith is clear to me, and hope replaces the memory of what was without You with the hope in what is possible with You, and I feel Your love, the love that enables me to love the way I am loved by You. Thank You Lord God, I see each and every blessing, and keep looking to You for guidance with each new day and all that day brings. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

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The spirit of the Lord is upon me. Wherefore he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the contrite of heart.

— Luke iv. 18

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Reading 1
Acts 3:1-10
Peter and John were going up to the temple area
for the three o’clock hour of prayer.
And a man crippled from birth was carried
and placed at the gate of the temple called "the Beautiful Gate" every day
to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple.
When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple,
he asked for alms.
But Peter looked intently at him, as did John,
and said, "Look at us."
He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.
Peter said, "I have neither silver nor gold,
but what I do have I give you:
in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk."
Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up,
and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong.
He leaped up, stood, and walked around,
and went into the temple with them,
walking and jumping and praising God.
When all the people saw him walking and praising God,
they recognized him as the one
who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple,
and they were filled with amazement and astonishment
at what had happened to him.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9
R. (3b) Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.

Gospel
Lk 24:13-35
That very day, the first day of the week,
two of Jesus’ disciples were going
to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them,
"What are you discussing as you walk along?"
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
"Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?"
And he replied to them, "What sort of things?"
They said to him,
"The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning
and did not find his Body;
they came back and reported
that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the tomb
and found things just as the women had described,
but him they did not see."
And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?"
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, "Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over."
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
"Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?"
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together
the Eleven and those with them who were saying,
"The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!"
Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

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MP3 audio link to today’s readings:

http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/09_04_16.mp3

Moody Radio Online http://www.moodyradio.org/

   Today in the Word            http://www.moodyradio.org/brd_ProgramToday.aspx?id=35654

Audio books I am listening to and other books or readings I am reading:

http://www.richardangulo.com/reading

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