One Walk

Dear Lord God, today’s scripture and study leads me to cry out for help. For I know when You say “Follow me”, You mean leave everything behind, and as Luke explains this means a complete detachment from material possessions. Not in the literal since but spiritual; so that as You freed me from sin, You can free me from the grasp of the earthly ways under the sun which bind me and make me a slave to earthly ways, and ways of the ruthless, not the ways I seek or those I seek. For I know it is Your way that I desire, but I need your loving care to guide the penance I have begun. Help me to persevere with love and sincerity and to not let the ways of the ruthless or the vices of material processions enslave me. ‘Incline thy ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Preserve my life, for I am godly; save thy servant who trusts in thee. Thou art my God; be gracious to me, O Lord, for to thee do I cry all the day. Gladden the soul of thy servant, for to thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For thou, O Lord, art good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on thee. Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; hearken to my cry of supplication. Your love for me is great; you have rescued me from the depths of Sheol. O God, the arrogant have risen against me; a ruthless band has sought my life; to you they pay no heed. But you, Lord, are a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, most loving and true. Turn to me, have pity on me; give your strength to your servant; save this child of your handmaid. Give me a sign of your favor: make my enemies see, to their confusion, that you, LORD, help and comfort me. (Psalm 86:1-17)’. Grant this for me and all those You read this and ask for You help today through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

We must give alms. Charity wins souls and draws them to virtue.

— St. Angela Merici

Isaiah 58:9-14

9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, Here I am. “If you take away from the midst of you the yoke, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, 10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. 11 And the LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your desire with good things, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. 12 And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in. 13 “If you turn back your foot from the sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; 14 then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

Bible Study: [2-14] Merely external worship does not avail with God; it must be joined to internal sincerity.

Psalm 86:1-6

1 Incline thy ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. 2 Preserve my life, for I am godly; save thy servant who trusts in thee. Thou art my God; 3 be gracious to me, O Lord, for to thee do I cry all the day. 4 Gladden the soul of thy servant, for to thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. 5 For thou, O Lord, art good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on thee. 6 Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; hearken to my cry of supplication.

Bible Study: A prayer of David. [Psalm 86] An individual lament. The psalmist, “poor and oppressed” (Psalm 86:1), “devoted” (Psalm 86:2), “your servant” (Psalm 86:2, 4, 16), “rescued from the depths of Sheol” (Psalm 86:13), attacked by the ruthless (14), desires only God’s protection (Psalm 86:1-7, 11-17).

Luke 5:27-32

27 After this he went out, and saw a tax collector, named Levi, sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And he left everything, and rose and followed him. 29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house; and there was a large company of tax collectors and others sitting at table with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured against his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Bible Study: They left everything: in Mark 1:16-20 and Matthew 4:18-22 the fishermen who follow Jesus leave their nets and their father; in Luke, they leave everything (see also Luke 5:28; 12:33; 14:33; 18:22), an indication of Luke’s theme of complete detachment from material possessions.

/ raangulo

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Dear Lord God, as You remind me in today’s readings and study; Merely external worship does not avail with You; it must be joined to internal sincerity. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me, therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. I asks deliverance from sin, nearness to You, living by Your Holy Spirit for you do not desire sacrifice: the mere offering of the ritual sacrifice apart from good dispositions is not acceptable to You. So I will continue meditate on yesterdays Lenten Reflection and to die to myself and give up my old ways and seek to rise a new by . . .

Give up complaining. . . . . . . .focus on gratitude.

Give up pessimism. . . . . . . . . become an optimist.

Give up harsh judgments . . .think kindly thoughts.

Give up worry. . . . . . . . . . . . . trust Divine Providence.

Give up discouragement. . . . .be full of hope.

Give up bitterness. . . . . . . . . . turn to forgiveness.

Give up hatred. . . . . . . . . . . . . return good for evil.

Give up negativism . . . . . . . . .be positive.

Give up anger. . . . . . . . . . . . . .be more patient.

Give up pettiness. . . . . . . . . . .become mature.

Give up gloom. . . . . . . . . . . . . .enjoy the beauty that is all around you.

Give up jealousy. . . . . . . . . . . .pray for trust.

Give up gossiping. . . . . . . . . . .control your tongue.

Give up sin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . turn to virtue.

Give up giving up. . . . . . . . . . . hang in there!

For one thing I know for sure is that ‘Whoever wishes to follow You must deny his very self, take up his cross each day, and follow in Your steps’ (Luke 9:23); For as difficult as this is for me to do under the sun, it is what I seek to be, so help me to find a place where it be, even if that place is only in me; I pray that You will lead me to where I can grow in this way and be with others who seek the same way, but it that is not Your will for me then continue to help me be this way if only in me. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Every virtue in your soul is a precious ornament which makes you dear to God and to man. But holy purity, the queen of virtues, the angelic virtue, is a jewel so precious that those who possess it become like the angels of God in Heaven, even though clothed in mortal flesh.

— St. John Bosco

Isaiah 58:1-9

1 “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. 2 Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God. 3 `Why have we fasted, and thou seest it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and thou takest no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. 4 Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. 5 Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a rush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD? 6 “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? 8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you, the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. 9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, Here I am. “If you take away from the midst of you the yoke, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,

Bible Study: [1] This command is directed to the prophet. [2-14] Merely external worship does not avail with God; it must be joined to internal sincerity.

Psalm 51:3-6, 18-19

3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in thy sight, so that thou art justified in thy sentence and blameless in thy judgment. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. 18 Do good to Zion in thy good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, 19 then wilt thou delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on thy altar.

Bible Study: For the leader. A psalm of David, [Psalm 51] A lament, the most famous of the seven Penitential Psalms, prays for the removal of the personal and social disorders that sin has brought. The poem has two parts of approximately equal length: Psalm 51:3-10 and Psalm 51:11-19, and a conclusion in Psalm 51:20-21. The two parts interlock by repetition of “blot out” in the first verse of each section (Psalm 51:3, 11), of “wash (away)” just after the first verse of each section (Psalm 51:4) and just before the last verse (Psalm 51:9) of the first section, and of “heart,” “God,” and “spirit” in Psalm 51:12, 19. The first part (Psalm 51:3-10) asks deliverance from sin, which is not just a past act but its emotional, physical, and social consequences. The second part (Psalm 51:11-19) seeks something more profound than wiping the slate clean: nearness to God, living by the spirit of God (Psalm 51:12-13), like the relation between God and people described in Jeremiah 31:33-34. Nearness to God brings joy and the authority to teach sinners (Psalm 51:15-16). Such proclamation is better than offering sacrifice (Psalm 51:17-19). The last two verses ask for the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Psalm 51:19 [20-21]). [18] For you do not desire sacrifice: the mere offering of the ritual sacrifice apart from good dispositions is not acceptable to God. Cf Psalm 50.

Matthew 9:14-15

14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

Bible Study: [15] Fasting is a sign of mourning and would be as inappropriate at this time of joy, when Jesus is proclaiming the kingdom, as it would be at a marriage feast. Yet the saying looks forward to the time when Jesus will no longer be with the disciples visibly, the time of Matthew’s church. Then they will fast: see Didache 8:1.

The Didache

The Lord’s Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations.

Chapter 8. Fasting and Prayer (the Lord’s Prayer). But let not your fasts be with the hypocrites, for they fast on the second and fifth day of the week. Rather, fast on the fourth day and the Preparation (Friday). Do not pray like the hypocrites, but rather as the Lord commanded in His Gospel, like this:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily (needful) bread, and forgive us our debt as we also forgive our debtors. And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one (or, evil); for Thine is the power and the glory for ever.

Pray this three times each day.

/ raangulo

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Dear Lord God, Almighty and everlasting God, you despise nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent. Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our brokenness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

There is no sin or wrong that gives a man a foretaste of hell in this life as anger and impatience.

— St.Catherine of Sienna

1 Peter 5:1-4

1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker in the glory that is to be revealed. 2 Tend the flock of God that is your charge, not by constraint but willingly, not for shameful gain but eagerly, 3 not as domineering over those in your charge but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd is manifested you will obtain the unfading crown of glory.

Bible Study: [1-4] In imitation of Christ, the chief shepherd, those entrusted with a pastoral office are to tend the flock by their care and example.

Psalm 23:1-6

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want; 2 he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; 3 he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Bible Study: [Psalm 23] God’s loving care for the psalmist is portrayed under the figures of a shepherd for the flock (Psalm 23:1-4) and a host’s generosity toward a guest (Psalm 23:5-6). The imagery of both sections is drawn from traditions of the exodus (Isaiah 40:11; 49:10; Jeremiah 31:10).

Matthew 16:13-19

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare’a Philip’pi, he asked his disciples, “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli’jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Bible Study: [13-20] The Marcan confession of Jesus as Messiah, made by Peter as spokesman for the other disciples (Mark 8:27-29; cf also Luke 9:18-20), is modified significantly here. The confession is of Jesus both as Messiah and as Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16). Jesus’ response, drawn principally from material peculiar to Matthew, attributes the confession to a divine revelation granted to Peter alone (Matthew 16:17) and makes him the rock on which Jesus will build his church (Matthew 16:18) and the disciple whose authority in the church on earth will be confirmed in heaven, i.e., by God (Matthew 16:19).

[13] Caesarea Philippi: situated about twenty miles north of the Sea of Galilee in the territory ruled by Philip, a son of Herod the Great, tetrarch from 4 B.C. until his death in A.D. 34 (see the note on Matthew 14:1). He rebuilt the town of Paneas, naming it Caesarea in honor of the emperor, and Philippi (“of Philip”) to distinguish it from the seaport in Samaria that was also called Caesarea. Who do people say that the Son of Man is?: although the question differs from the Marcan parallel (Mark 8:27: “Who . . . that I am?”), the meaning is the same, for Jesus here refers to himself as the Son of Man (cf Matthew 16:15).

[16] The Son of the living God: see Matthew 2:15; 3:17. The addition of this exalted title to the Marcan confession eliminates whatever ambiguity was attached to the title Messiah. This, among other things, supports the view proposed by many scholars that Matthew has here combined his source’s confession with a post-resurrectional confession of faith in Jesus as Son of the living God that belonged to the appearance of the risen Jesus to Peter; cf 1 Cor 15:5; Luke 24:34.

[17] Flesh and blood: a Semitic expression for human beings, especially in their weakness. Has not revealed this . . . but my heavenly Father: that Peter’s faith is spoken of as coming not through human means but through a revelation from God is similar to Paul’s description of his recognition of who Jesus was; see Gal 1:15-16, “. . . when he [God] . . . was pleased to reveal his Son to me. . . .”

[18] You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church: the Aramaic word kepa – meaning rock and transliterated into Greek as Kephas is the name by which Peter is called in the Pauline letters (1 Cor 1:12; 3:22; 9:5; 15:4; Gal 1:18; 2:9, 11, 14) except in Gal 2:7-8 (“Peter”). It is translated as Petros (“Peter”) in John 1:42. The presumed original Aramaic of Jesus’ statement would have been, in English, “You are the Rock (Kepa) and upon this rock (kepa) I will build my church.” The Greek text probably means the same, for the difference in gender between the masculine noun petros, the disciple’s new name, and the feminine noun petra (rock) may be due simply to the unsuitability of using a feminine noun as the proper name of a male. Although the two words were generally used with slightly different nuances, they were also used interchangeably with the same meaning, “rock.” Church: this word (Greek ekklesia) occurs in the gospels only here and in Matthew 18:17 (twice). There are several possibilities for an Aramaic original. Jesus’ church means the community that he will gather and that, like a building, will have Peter as its solid foundation. That function of Peter consists in his being witness to Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the living God. The gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it: the netherworld (Greek Hades, the abode of the dead) is conceived of as a walled city whose gates will not close in upon the church of Jesus, i.e., it will not be overcome by the power of death.

[19] The keys to the kingdom of heaven: the image of the keys is probably drawn from Isaiah 22:15-25 where Eliakim, who succeeds Shebnah as master of the palace, is given “the key of the house of David,” which he authoritatively “opens” and “shuts” (Isaiah 22:22). Whatever you bind . . . loosed in heaven: there are many instances in rabbinic literature of the binding-loosing imagery. Of the several meanings given there to the metaphor, two are of special importance here: the giving of authoritative teaching, and the lifting or imposing of the ban of excommunication. It is disputed whether the image of the keys and that of binding and loosing are different metaphors meaning the same thing. In any case, the promise of the keys is given to Peter alone. In Matthew 18:18 all the disciples are given the power of binding and loosing, but the context of that verse suggests that there the power of excommunication alone is intended. That the keys are those to the kingdom of heaven and that Peter’s exercise of authority in the church on earth will be confirmed in heaven show an intimate connection between, but not an identification of, the church and the kingdom of heaven.

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2/21/07

Dear Lord God, this Lent, I feel as if it is my first real surrender to You with a heightened awareness and realization of meaning as to just how I must continue die to myself so I can rise again in and with You; so as the daily reflection reminds me I come to Your with praise and to worship, but humbly seeking Your divine forgiveness, mercy, grace, healing and help for without you I can do nothing. But in and with You all things are possible, so help me to die to the ways and things under the sun, and rise with You on this coming Easter Sunday, so I can finish my walk under the sun with true eyes of faith, filled with the hope that comes from true belief and confidence in You and Your promises so that I may produce the fruits of perfect unconditional love and be a light on the hill that leads to Your Kingdom of Heaven. In the name of my Holy Lord and Savior Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.

Daily Reflection: http://www.atlanticvideo.com/clients/ccom/playreal_b.php?file=brockman0221.rpm&desc=Fr.%20David%20Brockman%20(2:35)&cat=1

You ask me a method of attaining perfection. I know of love – and only love. Love can do all things.

— St Therese of Lisieux

Joel 2:12-18

12 “Yet even now,” says the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and repents of evil. 14 Who knows whether he will not turn and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, a cereal offering and a drink offering for the LORD, your God? 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; 16 gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber. 17 Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, “Spare thy people, O LORD, and make not thy heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, `Where is their God?'” 18 Then the LORD became jealous for his land, and had pity on his people.

Dear Lord God, I ask for Your help and guidance this lent to help to bring my physical body under control and disciplined by a strengthened spiritual soul filled with faith, hope and love; let each of my love ones that read this know that I lift them up to You with thanksgiving for being blessed with them in my life and in prayer for You to blessings, grace and mercy.

Psalm 51:3-6, 12-14, 17

3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in thy sight, so that thou art justified in thy sentence and blameless in thy judgment. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. 12 Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners will return to thee. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of thy deliverance. 17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Dear Lord God, Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world; for the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

2 Corinthians 5:20 — 6:2

20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

1 Working together with him, then, we entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says, “At the acceptable time I have listened to you, and helped you on the day of salvation.” Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that with out You I would not be able to come now before You and my Lord God, for it is only through Your Passion that I am made presentable to Him and yet I am humbled and humiliated by Your sacrifice and the knowledge of all I have chosen to do wrong, and more so all that I failed to do; yet for Your sake I know that I must overcome my weaknesses and guilt ,and return to You in praise and to worship, strengthened by Your presence in me and fruitful because I reflect Your image in all I think, say and do.

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

1 “Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 16 “And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Dear Lord God, help me to be pure in my intent, protect me from myself, reminding me always that I all have is because of You and that all the glory, honor and praise belongs to You. Let me be a light that shines for You and never seeks anything but to fulfill Your will and purpose. Help to be servant minded I all I do.

/ raangulo

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