Isaiah,
Chapter 41, verse 22-23
22 Let them draw near and foretell to us what
it is that shall happen! What are the things of long ago? Tell us, that we may
reflect on them and know their outcome; or declare to us the things to come, 23 tell what is to be in the future, that we
may know that you are gods! Do something, good or evil, that will put us in awe
and in fear.
This verse is Isaiah’s
indictment of Babylonian gods that is patterned on a legal trial, in which they
are challenged to prove power over events of history and so justify their
status as gods. Christ at his coming did show his power as God by his healings
and miracles but still the Jews did not believe because their mind was trapped
by wrong thinking. If we are to follow Christ we must know His thinking.
Today let us reflect on
Christ’s mind given in the gospel.
“To you who hear I say, love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who
mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one
as well, and from the person, who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your
tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is
yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. For
if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love
those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what
credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those
from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend
to sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do
good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great
and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the
ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful.
“Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be
condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to
you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be
poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be
measured out to you.”
The Devil and Temptations[1]
Curing Sickness by Superstition ("Curanderos" And "Santeros")
·
It doesn't matter if there are statues, holy water,
crucifixes, prayers to Jesus, Mary and the saints, if there is any
superstitious practice it is evil. These are some examples:
o
using charms or a tomato to wash one's body,
putting the remainder under the bed,
o
cleaning one's body with eggs or lemons and
burning the materials with charcoal,
o
Using rose water and alcohol for healing. (In
one case this was prepared by placing a skeleton in the water for six hours,
followed by singing and praying over the water.)
·
Sometimes a "curandero" gives a
special vitamin to take or even prescribes "Catholic" prayers to be
said. None of these "prayers" should be said in these circumstances
because they were prepared under the influence of evil. Other examples include:
o
Taking a special bath prepared with wine,
flowers, bread, cinnamon, black sugar, and water from a river.
o
Wrapping a person in a special bandage, cutting
off piece by piece, and burying it in a recent grave in the cemetery.
·
Sometimes people pray to God and to the saints
and then go off seeking relief through the kingdom of darkness. Many times God
does not heal through prayer or doctors because He wants the soul to be healed
first of hatred, jealousy, or some other sin. God knows what He is doing. We
have to choose either the power of God or the power of evil. If you have any
objects used in these false cures, destroy them. Renounce Satan, renounce this
sin, ask God's forgiveness and confess your sin to a priest.
I
sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
Lenten
Calendar
·
Read: Today
we read about Blessed
Francisco and Blessed Jacinta Marto, two of the three Fatima
visionaries.
·
Reflect: "No
other creature ever basked in the light of God's face as did Mary; she in turn
gave a human face to the Son of the eternal Father. Now we can contemplate her
in the succession of joyful, luminous, sorrowful and glorious moments of her
life, which we revisit in our recitation of the rosary. With Christ and Mary,
we abide in God."—Pope Francis,
Blessing of the Candles, Chapel of Apparitions, Fatima, May 12, 2017
·
Act: As
part of your prayer of the Rosary today, say this prayer in between each
decade. It was requested by the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima. "O my
Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls to
Heaven, especially those who have most need of your mercy."
Daily
Devotions
·
Please pray for me and this ministry
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