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Friday in the Octave of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ST. JOSE ESCRIVA-GET OFF DRUGS DAY-CANOE DAY   Jonah, Chapter 1, verse 9-10: 9 “I am a Hebrew,” he replied; “I FEAR the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” 10 Now the men were seized with great FEAR and said to him, “How could you do such a thing!”—They knew that he was fleeing from the LORD, because he had told them.   Jonah as wise as he was tried to flee the Lord, are we any wiser. We often choose the wrong path. Jonah was motivated but not by love. He wanted justice and not mercy for Nineveh. Pope Francis in a dispute recently stated that mercy is greater than justice when confronted with the sins of mankind and the churches stance. Our Lord desires to give us his mercy and we should seek it and give it as often as possible.   “I thirst!” [1]   In the night and the day that followed the Last Supper, Jesus was betrayed by one of his own. He was delivered over to the authori...

Introduction to the book of Jonah [1] . The story of Jonah has great theological import. It concerns a disobedient prophet who rejected his divine commission, was cast overboard in a storm and swallowed by a great fish, rescued in a marvelous manner, and returned to his starting point. Now he obeys and goes to Nineveh, the capital of Israel’s ancient enemy. The Ninevites listen to his message of doom and repent immediately. All, from king to lowliest subject, humble themselves in sackcloth and ashes. Seeing their repentance, God does not carry out the punishment planned for them. At this, Jonah complains, angry because the Lord spares them. This fascinating story caricatures a narrow mentality which would see God’s interest extending only to Israel, whereas God is presented as concerned with and merciful to even the inhabitants of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire which brought the Northern Kingdom of Israel to an end and devastated Jerusalem in 701 B.C. The Lord is free to “...

Wednesday in the Octave of the Sacred Heart of Jesus   JOHN THE BAPTIST-TAKE A LAP-MIDSUMMER   Luke, Chapter 1, verse 13: But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid , Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John.   To a Pious Jew and especially a Levi priest the knowledge that God is so holy we dare not even say His name. Notice frequently in the bible the angels will use the term, “Do not be afraid”, and this is because at times we are knowing our sinfulness may not feel worthy.   Feeling unworthy is a tool the evil one often uses to discourage us from doing good works.   I have felt this fear of being unworthy often. In the mid-seventies while still a youth in my 20’s I was chosen to be a lay Eucharistic minister while working at the South Pole in Antarctica by the priest that had come 900 miles to bring our Lord to us catholic boys working I didn’t feel worthy; come on this...