One Walk

When: Friday, February 08, 2008 12:00 AM to Saturday, February 09, 2008 12:00 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).

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Words of Jesus

"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. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face 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."

Matthew 6:16-18

Without discretion, virtue becomes vice, and the natural impulses serve only to upset and wreck the personality.

— St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Abba, Father, Lord God, O how we deceive ourselves – I see why You despise pride and how easily it can lead us astray. That thing that we think we need to get going, to compete, to endure, and to succeed. It is the thing that separates us from You. Such a fine line it is, with the only difference being the source. Pride has as its source human nature and is driven by the ways and values under the sun. Thus it has a source that by its nature is temporary and cannot last. But in Jesus we have the example, the way and the light to see and feel our Source, and connect to that Source; You. For in Jesus is our only hope, through faith, to learn how to replace pride with gratitude. For gratitude has as its source spiritual nature and is driven by the ways and virtues above in Your heavenly Kingdom. Thus it has You as its Source, our Source of Source, an eternal Source. O my Jesus forgive me of my sins, save me from the fires of hell that dwell within, lead me to heaven, and all those who are in need of Your divine mercy. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Isaiah 58:1-9<http://www.ewtn.com/vbible/search.asp?abbr=Is_&ch=58&bv1=1&ev1=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,

Psalm 51:3-6:18-19<http://www.ewtn.com/vbible/search.asp?abbr=Ps&ch=51&bv1=3&ev1=6&bv2=18&ev2=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.

Matthew 9:14-15<http://www.ewtn.com/vbible/search.asp?abbr=Matt&ch=9&bv1=14&ev1=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.

Lenten Reflections<http://origin.ewtn.com/faith/lent/>

Pope Benedict XVI Encyclical Letter<http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20071130_spe-salvi_en.html>

When: Thursday, February 07, 2008 12:00 AM to Friday, February 08, 2008 12:00 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).

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Words of Jesus

If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

Luke 9:23-25

What is the mark of love for your neighbor? Not to seek what is for your own benefit, but what is for the benefit of the one loved, both in body and in soul.

— St. Basil the Great

Abba, Father, Lord God, O Lord I put my faith, hope and love in You, asking that in Jesus through the Spirit to direct me according to Thy will by showing me and convicting me to that end. For all I have and all I am and I will do is because of You, a gift, while all I have done has not always been with this mind set and as my heart wondered, today my mind is on You and my heart seeks Your heart. So save me from those that seek to ridicule me and use me as an excuse to justify themselves through my misfortune and tribulations; for in faith with hope I stumble and fall forward, only seeking that in Christ Jesus I will be there to catch them when they stumble and lift them up when they fall. Heeding the words of St. Basil and never again seeking what is for my benefit, but what is for the benefit of my neighbor and loved one. This I ask in the name of Jesus Christ, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Deuteronomy 30:15-20<http://www.ewtn.com/vbible/search.asp?abbr=Deut&ch=30&bv1=15&ev1=20>

15 "See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil. 16 If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you this day, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his ordinances, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you are entering to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you this day, that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land which you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live, 20 loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice, and cleaving to him; for that means life to you and length of days, that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them."

Psalm 1:1-4, 6<http://www.ewtn.com/vbible/search.asp?abbr=Ps&ch=1&bv1=1&ev1=4&bv2=6&ev2=6>

1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff which the wind drives away. 6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Luke 9:22-25<http://www.ewtn.com/vbible/search.asp?abbr=Luke&ch=9&bv1=22&ev1=25>

22 saying, "The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised." 23 And he said to all, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

Lenten Reflections<http://origin.ewtn.com/faith/lent/>

Pope Benedict XVI Encyclical Letter<http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20071130_spe-salvi_en.html>

When: Wednesday, February 06, 2008 12:00 AM to Thursday, February 07, 2008 12:00 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).

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Words of Jesus

It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

John 6:63

When the temptation is violent, it is useful to renew our purpose of never consenting to any sin, saying: My God I wish to die rather than offend thee. My Jesus, help me; Mary pray for me.

— Alphonsus Liguori

Abba, Father, Lord God, during this Lenten season help me to talk by faith with hope and in love with You, all Your creations. Help me to use this time of discipline and meditation to strengthen my spirit, my mind and my body; likening my heart to Christ Jesus in all I think, see, say and do…In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Joel 2:12-18<../vbible/search.asp?abbr=Joel&ch=2&bv1=12&ev1=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.

Psalm 51:3-6, 12-14, 17<../vbible/search.asp?abbr=Ps&ch=51&bv1=3&ev1=6&bv2=12&ev2=14&bv3=17&ev3=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.

2 Corinthians 5:20<../vbible/search.asp?abbr=_2Cor&ch=5&bv1=20&ev1=21> – 6:2<../vbible/search.asp?abbr=_2Cor&ch=6&bv1=1&ev1=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.

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18<../vbible/search.asp?abbr=Matt&ch=6&bv1=1&ev1=6&bv2=16&ev2=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.

What is Lent? Lent is the forty day period before Easter, excluding Sundays, which gebins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. CLICK to learn more: http://origin.ewtn.com/faith/lent/

Pope Benedict XVI Encyclical Letter

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20071130_spe-salvi_en.html

When: Tuesday, February 05, 2008 12:00 AM to Wednesday, February 06, 2008 12:00 AM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).

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Words of Jesus

There came a woman of Samar'ia to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samar'ia?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, `Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." The woman said to him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?" Jesus said to her, "Every one who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."

John 4:7-15

"Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal."

John 6:27

It is His breath that is in us, and when He wants to, He will take it away. Fear of death is for those who are not willing to go to Christ.

— St. Cyprian of Carthage

Abba, Father, Lord God, feed my spirit, quench the thirst in my heart for oneness with You in Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit that lives within me. Help me to do that which I must and to avoid the distractions that only serve to disconnect me from You; my source of source. Show me Thy will! In the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.

1 Corinthians 1:26-31<../vbible/search.asp?abbr=_1Cor&ch=1&bv1=26&ev1=31>

26 For consider your call, brethren; not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth; 27 but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption; 31 therefore, as it is written, "Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord."

Psalm 31:3-4, 6, 8, 16, 17<../vbible/search.asp?abbr=Ps&ch=31&bv1=3&ev1=4&bv2=6&ev2=6&bv3=8&ev3=8&bv4=16&ev4=16&bv5=17&ev5=17>

3 Yea, thou art my rock and my fortress; for thy name's sake lead me and guide me, 4 take me out of the net which is hidden for me, for thou art my refuge. 6 Thou hatest those who pay regard to vain idols; but I trust in the LORD. 8 and hast not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; thou hast set my feet in a broad place. 16 Let thy face shine on thy servant; save me in thy steadfast love! 17 Let me not be put to shame, O LORD, for I call on thee; let the wicked be put to shame, let them go dumbfounded to Sheol.

Luke 9:23-26<../vbible/search.asp?abbr=Luke&ch=6&bv1=23&ev1=26>

23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. 24 "But woe to you that are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25 "Woe to you that are full now, for you shall hunger. "Woe to you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 26 "Woe to you, when all men speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

What is Lent? Lent is the forty day period before Easter, excluding Sundays, which gebins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. CLICK to learn more: http://origin.ewtn.com/faith/lent/

Pope Benedict XVI Encyclical Letter

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20071130_spe-salvi_en.html