Readings for 20 Feb 2011

http://www.usccb.org/nab/022011.shtml

Reading 1
Lv 19:1-2, 17-18
The LORD said to Moses,
“Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them:
Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.
“You shall not bear hatred for your brother or sister in your heart.
Though you may have to reprove your fellow citizen,
do not incur sin because of him.
Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against any of your people.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
I am the LORD.”

Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13

Responsorial Psalm

R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities,
heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.

1 Cor 3:16-23

Reading 2

Brothers and sisters:
Do you not know that you are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person;
for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.
Let no one deceive himself.
If any one among you considers himself wise in this age,
let him become a fool, so as to become wise.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God,
for it is written:
God catches the wise in their own ruses,
and again:
The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise,
that they are vain.
So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you,
Paul or Apollos or Cephas,
or the world or life or death,
or the present or the future:
all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God.

Mt 5:38-48

Gospel

Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
When someone strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one as well.
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,
hand over your cloak as well.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile,
go for two miles.
Give to the one who asks of you,
and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.
“You have heard that it was said,
 You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Fr. Anthony talked about being a temple of God and what that truly means in our lives, how we can transform ourselves through humble and love-centered living, and how the understanding is found within your heart, although it can be affirmed, understood, and focused through your intellect and logic.

It is unfortunate that our world so highly praises intellect. Do not misunderstand; it is, of course, important to utilize the gifts and talents we are given. (see Matthew 5:14-16, Mark 4:21, James 2:18, Matthew 25:1-13 & Matthew 25:14-30 In encouraging that we nurture these, our world is correct. Of course we should encourage a healthy appetite for knowledge and a good expansion of our abilities. However, this is simply not enough.It is not enough to be smart. It is not enough to be talented. It is not enough to make amazing paintings and to talk about all things current and intellectual and to be awesome. It is not even the most important thing. Christ clearly spells out to us that the most important part of our lives on this earth is how we treat God and how we treat our neighbors.

This means that goodness is above our social achievements. Goodness, holiness, being a temple of God is above being smart or wealthy or fun. In a world where intelligence and "excellence" are so praised, in a world where 90% of Downs Syndrome children are aborted, in a world where stupid is a bigger insult than selfish and wherein logic is paramount, what are your priorities? Are you striving for social graces, wealth, intelligence, knowledge, greatness, physical beauty, or recognition and attention? More importantly, are you striving for goodness? Are you striving for Love? Above the things of the world, are you striving for the things of Heaven?

Readings for 6 Feb 2011

Reading 1

Is 58:7-10

Thus says the LORD:
Share your bread with the hungry,
shelter the oppressed and the homeless;
clothe the naked when you see them,
and do not turn your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your wound shall quickly be healed;
your vindication shall go before you,
and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer,
you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!
If you remove from your midst
oppression, false accusation and malicious speech;
if you bestow your bread on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
then light shall rise for you in the darkness,
and the gloom shall become for you like midday.

Ps 112:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

Responsorial Psalm

R. (4a) The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Light shines through the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.

Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice.
 

He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.
An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.

His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear.
Lavishly he gives to the poor;
His justice shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.

1 Cor 2:1-5

Reading 2

When I came to you, brothers and sisters,
proclaiming the mystery of God,
I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom.
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you
except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling,
and my message and my proclamation
were not with persuasive words of wisdom,
but with a demonstration of Spirit and power,
so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom
but on the power of God.

Mt 5:13-16

Gospel

Jesus said to his disciples:
“You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father.”

Today, Fr. Vincent talked about the term, "salt of the earth" and how much more significant it was when this passage was written rather than now. Although with the popularity of sea salt on the rise, this is changing somewhat. Think about how much one might pay for Mediterranean sea salt in the grocery store, and then think about how much more difficult it would be in Christ's time to obtain exotic flavors (even good Mediterranean sea salt would have been a substantial luxury). The best salt was used as currency frequently. Therefore, you are the salt of the earth is a complex and beautiful idea. We are all different flavors, yet all of the same clay. We are incredibly valuable to God. We enhance the earth. Or, like table salt, we lose our flavor, become bland and devalue ourselves.

I absolutely love that mass always has a central theme. Today's mass could be summed up with the old cliche, "Let your light shine." In other words, be bold, use your talents to His glory, and proclaim God's goodness with all you have. And yes, I have come to believe (after struggling with this issue quite a bit) that your words must be a part of this. When you are blessed, do you recognize God's hand in your life? Do you make an effort to sow goodness in your life?

I struggle with this in many ways. I struggle to praise Him when I know it will not be embraced wholeheartedly. I struggle to actively make Him a part of all of my life. I struggle to use the talents I am given to Glorify Him.

Lord, help me to humble myself to Your Will. Cultivate in me a heart which rejects the worldliness and lies of the Enemy, and help me to foster and embrace a love of Your Divine Plan. When I falter, God, pick me up and remind me of Your Saving Grace. Help me to be the salt of the Earth, and to Glorify you in word, thought, and deed. I make this prayer in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

RealChoice has an excellent post with some responses to the recent LifeReport podcast on Gosnell.


Among other subjects, she addresses the concept that we (the anti-abortion/pro-life crowd) are somehow anti-women in a fight between women and their offspring:

"We don't oppose abortion because we are taking the baby's side in some sort of baby versus mother conflict. We're taking the mother-and-child side in a mother-and-child versus abortionist conflict. An abortionist is no more helping a woman than a drug dealer is helping an addict. Instead, he is making money from somebody else's self-destructive behavior."

I know I know, this is my mantra of late. What can I say? It seems self-evident to me that the abortion industry has resulted in some incredibly heinous things. I have seen very little evidence, all of which is subjective and questionable (first-person testimonies about how abortion saved them from poverty, etc), to support the concept that the legalization of abortion is a positive thing in the world. On the other hand, I've seen a great deal of pain, damage, hurt, and violence in many forms come from out of the world of abortion.

We must reach out to women. Young women, pregnant women, mothers, single women, married women, all women. We must let them know that there is hope, and help. When they're pregnant, but also before they become pregnant. We must become stronger advocates for the organizations that offer free & low-cost services to pregnant women. We must reach out with a helping hand.

And of course, pray. We must must must pray.

 

7 Fri-er-Saturday Quick Takes

My thanks to Jen at Conversion Diary for hosting!

-1-

I am new to the 7 Quick Takes community, and am therefore a day late and a dollar short. Sorry, folks. I'm glad to be joining you all, though!

-2-

N has started using his words while crying for me at naptime. Let me be clear. He always cried for me at nap time, but now it's things like, "Mommy don't leave me! Mommy I'm lonely! I can't wanna sleep, Mommy! I'm not tired! Please I wanna hug you, Mommy!" Anything and everything to stall nap/get up. There is very little that I have experienced which wrenches my heart quite the way my 2 1/2 year old crying for hugs and that he's lonely does.

-3-

Learning to recognize when my emotions are damaging my relationship with God. For various reasons this morning, I found myself angry at D. It started to brew and then fizzed out with the distractions of the household while he slept in (not actually why I was mad at him, for the record). During a moment of peace, and with both boys secured in high chairs, I made my way upstairs to hug & kiss him good morning, but on the way, found that anger resurfacing as resentment. Funny, though, it hit me as I was walking that the resentment was a trick of Satan's. So, I offered up a quick prayer for grace, and found myself happily embracing my husband soon thereafter. Funny how evil works in our lives, carving out little pits of emotion and dwelling & digging in....

-4-

Filed our taxes. Woo-hoo! :) Yes, I know it's a silly thing to celebrate.

-5-

N's sweater now has a body piece, an arm, and the beginning of a second arm. I have intended to knit it for over a year now. I did not follow directions perfectly but I don't care because I think it looks great, aside from the fact that my tension leaves much to be desired.

-6-

Though I advocate thanking God for every day, strong dislike is a mild expression of how I feel about the phrase "TGIF"... Friday is my first or second workday. It usually signifies the start of a lot of running on empty for me.

-7-

Fruit smoothies are the new fad in our household. It strikes me as odd that I hadn't thought more about making the little ones a smoothie on occasion. I just use frozen fruit, 100% juice, and yogurt. No sweetener necessary, because the fruits they love the most are blueberries, bananas, and strawberries. It is an easy, mindless breakfast beverage that I can make while chomping on a quick breakfasty food like cereal or toast, and then I can worry about getting them some protein or grains as they suck down the drinks.

Warning: Graphic Video

The video to which I am linking is incredibly graphic. It juxtaposes a reassuring video encouraging women to consider abortion against footage of actual abortion. The woman speaking is representing Northland Family Planning.

If you have young children in the room, I would discourage watching this video. In all honesty, I wouldn't watch it without informing those in the room with you that you are about to watch a rather graphic and horrific video. To be quite blunt, this is abortion from an abortionist's perspective (visually, not conceptually).

Pro-Life Tube video

That baby deserved to be cared for, and loved. That baby did not will his or herself into the world, but was rather created through the miracle of God's work and through the reproductive act. When you and I were born, we were weighed and measured, wrapped in blankets, and welcomed into the world. When that baby was born, he or she was already dead, torn to pieces inside his or her mother. The second baby in the video was wrapped in paper, packaged like beef tenderloin. This is the horrific and brutal truth about abortion. This is what abortion does. Every day. Over 52 million recorded times since Roe vs. Wade.

Lord, I have been too complacent. Forgive me, God, for my inadequacies. While thousands of Your children are killed daily, I waste my time worrying about my hair. When I could be praying outside of clinics, I waste my time online. Father in Heaven, have mercy on me, and on all of Your children. In Your goodness, open our eyes to Your Truth and guide our actions. Send upon us Your Holy Spirit to be our eternal compass. Jesus, protect and save the unborn. Savior of the World, save America.
I make this prayer in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Blessings

In times of greatest trial and tribulation, it is only necessary to open your heart and submit, and God reveals himself most openly.

I am in North Carolina right now; the Knights of Colombus at the Air Force Academy paid for N, T, and me to fly out here on 03/16 to be at the funeral of my baby sister, who was stillborn at 8 1/2 months of gestation. Hearts in my family break for the loss of DMN, who we were excited to meet and welcome fully into our lives. Grandma M went in on Th, 03/11 after noticing a lack of movement, and was told that she experienced something called placenta abruptio in which the placenta implodes, sometimes resulting in the death of the unborn child. Unfortunately, DMN was below the placenta and when the blood from the implosion pooled, my mom didn't know because the baby blocked the blood from escaping.

We buried DMN on Wed, 03/17. The funeral was beautiful but heartbreaking. Her casket was tiny. The attendance was much greater than expected, and many friends and family members sent condolences and flowers. My sisters NN, 18, and EN, 14, were the pallbearers. NN is in the Air Force Academy and she wore her dress blues for the funeral.

The cemetary was far from the church, and as we followed the hearse, we discussed how surreal it all felt.... Grandma M put it very eloquently, "I feel numb, and then I want to say, 'Give me back that pain! I want that pain!'" The grave was tiny, and didn't seem terribly deep. It was hard to see. Grandpa D began covering her casket, and we then took turns covering her up... N helped Mommy when it was her turn.

Then the church invited the guests to a small reception which was very tastefully done. Tablecloths, flowers, small sandwiches, and a buffet of other general reception foods.

We've received gifts of many varieties, from homemade and purchased foods to flowers to financial gifts to donations made in honor of DMN... We have been shown great love by many many people. DMN was allowed into a cemetary that's all but impossible to get into, on the graces of the Abbot. NN's Academy friends rallied and gifted a sum of money that will be used for DMN's headstone. My Uncle R, Aunt K and cousin L sent a beautiful nightlight of the Blessed Mother holding the baby Jesus.

As Father Buettner pointed out, there are two primary realities in motherhood: the reality of bringing life into the world and caring for that life, and the reality of surrendering and trusting that life to God. Just...most mothers don't experience the second in the sense of their son's or daughter's life in this world being extinguished. I hurt for my mother, but I know that her strength and her faith in God will pull her through this, though it will never be entirely gone.

So now I am here until the 31st. We didn't want to waste the time and money spent on getting N,T, and me to the funeral, so we are staying to spend some quality time with the family. D couldn't get the time off of work, and we're sorry that he couldn't, but sometimes that is how things happen.

Hopefully I'll be able to blog while I'm here, but I am focusing on family right now.

Lord, please grant my family healing in our time of need. Be with us and continue to reveal yourself to your servants. Please give us peace and humility. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. DMN, pray for us.

Lent: Why it's Not Just for Catholics

A few days ago, my (non-Catholic) husband surprised me with a bit of insight about Lent.

Every year, he joins me in making a sacrifice for the 40 days of Lent. This year, he has given up reading web comics and devoted that time to family interactions. I have given up soda and highly caffeinated foods and drinks (coffee, black tea, etc) in favor of milk, water, and juice. Apparently, his carpooling coworker (J) has also been convinced into making a Lenten commitment (to not insult others).

D described to me a conversation with another coworker. Apparently, he wasn't understanding the concept behind Lent. D & J explained that, "It's a time to prove that you are in control of your impulses. That your vices don't rule you."

What a wonderful way of describing Lent from a secular viewpoint!

Lent is a wonderful time to glorify Our Lord Jesus Christ, by making extra commitments at mass, by fasting on Holy Days, and by exercising our self-control. Do you find yourself tempted by the deception that willpower is overrated, and that worldly pleasures are ultimately fulfilling? How can you better work to 'tone' your self-control 'muscles'? In this time before the joyous Easter season, how are you preparing your life for Christ? What vices would you like to work on?

Father God, You in Your Infinite Wisdom have created me in Your image and likeness. You have crafted my life and world. Help me now, Lord, to glorify You by using my life for righteousness and goodness. Christ, you overcame temptation in the desert. Help me in my commitment to control my impulses, and enrich my life. I thank and praise You, Ever God, for Your ultimate sacrifice, and while I prepare for the season of Easter, I ask You to be with me and strengthen me. Lord, continue to bless my family with Your presence. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Mommy's Birthday

I turned 24 today. Mid-twenties. Very strange to consider.

It might be motherhood, or a shift in priorities, or just terrible memory, but I haven't been able to keep track of the days lately. This morning it took until I was reaching into the fridge to pull out N's milk before I realized that it was my birthday.

Last year I made this cake for my birthday ------->

Because I share a birthday with the late great Dr. Seuss, I went with a Seussical cake. We brought it to Uncle L's house and showed off my newly learned made decorating skillz.

This year, Uncle L bought a cake a surprised us with it on Sunday. As we have left-overs, I'm not decorating a new cake.

Usually my birthday has me feeling very entitled and lavish, as though I want and deserve more, always. I remember my 21st birthday and how many people canceled or didn't show. I remember feeling like my friends should rearrange their schedules and shouldn't get sick because it's my birthday, after all. Oh, not that I really blamed those who weren't feeling well.

This year, I have been continually reminded of the blessings in my life. I have a loving and supportive husband, a clean house that I really do consider a home, and the two most well-behaved, loving, adorable little boys a mother could ask for. I have friends and family who love me and who I love. Our cats are well-behaved, clean and quiet. We're beginning to develop a community at church. We have a modest but steady income, and somehow even in the worst of times, we manage to get bills paid. Our car works.

As I type this, I have a cat purring on my lap. T is smiling while he naps in his bouncer. N is napping in his crib (he went down with only one cry for me, and that was because I was on the phone-sorry, love!). I can smell beef shortribs cooking in the oven. Cucumber salad is marinating in the refrigerator. And, on top of all that, I have time to sit here and type up this reflection.

I've been particularly influenced by this Proverb lately:

"The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands." -Proverbs 14:1

Lord, guide me in my quest to be a wise woman. Teach me to build my house on Your solid foundation, and help me in my struggles not to tear it down. When I stray from the righteous path, help me, God, to find my way back. Keep me forever in Your sight.