Saturday within the Octave of Corpus Christi
Joshua, Chapter 2, Verse 24
They assured Joshua, “The LORD has
given all this land into our power; indeed, all the inhabitants of the land
tremble with FEAR because of us.”
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)
What
do you think would have happened to the pagan inhabitants of Jericho if it had
responded to the truth of God and had opened the gates to Israel before the
fall? I would think it would have been spared like the city of Nineveh when it
listened to the spirit of truth.
Jonah then
left the city for a place to the east of it, where he built himself a hut and
waited under it in the shade, to see what would happen to the city. And when
the LORD God provided a gourd plant that grew up over Jonah’s head, giving
shade that relieved him of any discomfort, Jonah was very happy over the plant.
But the next morning at dawn God sent a worm that attacked the plant, so that
it withered. And when the sun arose, God sent a burning east wind; and the sun
beat upon Jonah’s head till he became faint. Then Jonah asked for death, saying,
“I would be better off dead than alive.” But God said to Jonah, “Have you
reason to be angry over the plant?” “I have reason to be angry,” Jonah
answered, “angry enough to die.” Then the LORD said,
“You are concerned over the plant which cost you no
labor and which you did not raise; it came up in one night and in one night it
perished. And should I not be concerned over Nineveh, the great city, in which
there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot
distinguish their right hand from their left, not to mention the many cattle?”
(Jon 4:5-11)
Let
us remember that we are Sowers of the Lord’s truth and not be angered but take
on the spirit of Christ at the crucifixion when he said, “Father,
forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Lk: 23:34)
Apostolic Exhortation[1]
Veneremur
Cernui – Down in Adoration Falling
of The Most
Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix,
to Priests, Deacons, Religious and the Lay Faithful of the Diocese of Phoenix
on the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist
My beloved Brothers and
Sisters in Christ,
Part III
Loving and Adoring the
Eucharistic Lord
V. Brother priests, make the
Eucharist the source of all your priestly fruitfulness.
92. Holy Thursday is the day in
which Christ instituted the inseparable Sacraments of the Eucharist and Holy
Orders. As the Church has reminded us in countless ways, Holy Orders, in
particular the Priesthood, is ordered to the Eucharist. For this reason, I
offer this Exhortation on Holy Thursday, not only to all the faithful, but in a
special way to my brother priests.
93. From where does true
priestly fruitfulness spring? Saint John Paul II was a priest who bore much
fruit in his over fifty years of priestly ministry: his teaching, preaching,
missionary trips, social and political impact, and wise shepherding the Church
through many challenges, to name but a few. But his priestly “success” wasn’t
the result of his own natural talents or unaided work ethic. In a
teleconference, he once shared with the young people of Los Angeles that it was
his daily closeness to the Eucharistic mystery from which everything flowed. “I
am deeply grateful to God for my vocation to the priesthood. Nothing means more
to me or gives me greater joy than to celebrate Mass each day and to serve
God’s people in the Church. That has been true ever since the day of my
ordination as a priest. Nothing has ever changed it, not even becoming Pope”
(September 15, 1987). Despite the almost unimaginable demands of his schedule,
he knelt before the Eucharist in private prayer each day.
94. When a priest makes time
each day simply to be in the presence of the Eucharistic Christ, he is tapping
into the deepest source of his priesthood: Jesus himself. Even when prayer
seems dry or challenging, this time “wasted” with the Lord becomes the taproot
for pastoral charity. How the Lord’s words to His chosen Apostles at the Last
Supper penetrate the heart of us priests when we feel discouraged, alone, or a
failure: “Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit” (Jn
15:5). When we priests have the courage to spend daily time in the presence of
Christ in the Eucharist, we find ourselves surprised and even overwhelmed,
again and again, in the great mystery that He is truly and personally with us,
that He is bringing life and fruit through even our most painful experiences,
and that before He desires us to work, He wants to be with us like a father,
brother, and friend.
To be continued…
Which are the fruits of the Holy Ghost? They are the twelve following:
1. Charity.
2.
Joy.
3. Peace.
4. Patience.
5. Benignity.
6. Goodness.
7. Longsuffering.
8. Mildness.
9. Faith.
10. Modesty.
11.
Continency.
12.
Chastity.
These fruits
should be visible in the Christian, for thereby men shall know that the Holy
Ghost dwells in him, as the tree is known by its fruit.
Notice I have
placed the Fruits of the Holy Spirit in stairstep fashion so we may
reflect on them seeing that by concentrating on each step of our growth in the
spirit we may progress closer and closer to our heavenly Father. Today we will
be focusing on the Ninth step which is Peace.
Catechism of the Catholic Church
PART ONE: THE PROFESSION OF FAITH
SECTION ONE-"I BELIEVE" -
"WE BELIEVE"
CHAPTER THREE-MAN'S
RESPONSE TO GOD
142 By his Revelation, "the invisible God, from the
fullness of his love, addresses men as his friends, and moves among them, in
order to invite and receive them into his own company." The adequate
response to this invitation is faith.
143 By faith, man completely submits his intellect and his
will to God. With his whole being man gives his assent to God the
revealer. Sacred Scripture calls this human response to God, the author of
revelation, "the obedience of faith".
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Restoring
the Constitution
·
Saturday
Litany of the Hours Invoking the Aid of Mother Mary
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
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