Jeremiah,
Chapter 30, verse 10-11
10 But
you, my servant Jacob, do not fear!—oracle
of the LORD—do not be dismayed, Israel! For I will soon deliver you from places
far away, your offspring from the land of their exile; Jacob shall again find
rest, secure, with none to frighten
him, 11 for I am with you—oracle of the LORD—to save you. I will
bring to an end all the nations among whom I have scattered you; but you I will
not bring to an end. I will chastise you as you deserve, I will not let you go
unpunished.
Secularist and pagans still
tremble with fear because of God.
Why? People fear what they do not
understand or have to compete with. Every person is born with the spirit of God
within them; it is the spirit of truth which they have lost or suppressed.
Christ referred to this
when he told the parable of the sower. The seed is the spirit of truth (spirit
of God) that the sower sows. Christ tells us, “A sower went out to sow. and as he sowed, some seed
fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell
on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the
soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among
thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some
seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.” (Mt. 13:3-9)
God Punishes with Bad
Leaders, Rewards with Good Ones[1]
Jeremiah declares that God’s way of punishing His people is to give them
band leaders, (Jer. 30:10-11) while His way of rewarding them is to give them
good leaders (Jer. 30: 21-22). Everything rises and falls on leadership. As the
leader goes, so go the people. Why is this true?
·
Leaders
represent the people they lead.
·
People
reflect the leader they follow.
·
Leaders
are the most influential individuals among the people.
·
When God
starts a movement, He uses one person to spearhead it.
·
People
look to leaders for models
Monday of Holy Week[2]
The Gospel for the Mass gives an account of
Judas' character, foreshadowing his act of betrayal.
Spring Cleaning Just
as the Hebrews cleaned and swept the whole house in preparation for the Pasch
(Passover), so too is there an ancient custom in Christianity that the first
three weekdays of Holy Week be a time for the year's most thorough cleaning.
Everything is to be scrubbed and polished, and all work is to be completed by
Wednesday evening (in time for Tenebrae).
Tenebrae. Tenebrae consists
of the divine office of Matins and Lauds for Maundy Thursday. It is generally
held on the night of "Spy Wednesday" of Holy Week, so-called because
it is believed to be the night on which Judas Iscariot betrayed our Lord.
Attend the Chrism Mass
which is conducted on this day when the bishop blesses the holy oils to be used
for the year.
Anointing of the Sick[3]
The Apostles must have been astonished at their power to heal the bodies
of the faithful while on the road when Christ sent them out before His death.
Yet, the greatest power was to come after His death and resurrection. Jesus
made it perfectly clear that the power to forgive sins is far greater than the
power to heal. (Mk. 2:9) Jesus healed people of every disease as a sign of the
greater work of forgiveness of sins. For in the gospel he states, “That you may know that the Son of man has
authority on earth to forgive sin.” (Mk 2:10) The physical signs were there
for the sake of a spiritual reality. “Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the
church, and they should pray over him and anoint [him] with oil in the name of
the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person,
and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be
forgiven.” (Jas. 5:14-15) This is the sacrament we know as the Anointing
of the Sick. It must be noted
that grave physical suffering is often accompanied by a great spiritual trial.
Sacramental anointing gives us the grace we need to face our trials. Oils have
been used for millennia to convey the grace and health of God. Anointing helps
us transform physical suffering into something more deeply curative, something
truly releasing. Don’t wait! At the first sign of serious ailment seek the aid
of Christ through this sacrament.
Comments
Post a Comment