Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 03-15-19

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 03-15-19 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

March 15 2019

Friday of the First Week of Lent

Reading 1 Ez 18:21-28

Thus says the Lord GOD:
If the wicked man turns away from all the sins he committed,
if he keeps all my statutes and does what is right and just,
he shall surely live, he shall not die.
None of the crimes he committed shall be remembered against him;
he shall live because of the virtue he has practiced.
Do I indeed derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked?
says the Lord GOD.
Do I not rather rejoice when he turns from his evil way
that he may live?

And if the virtuous man turns from the path of virtue to do evil,
the same kind of abominable things that the wicked man does,
can he do this and still live?
None of his virtuous deeds shall be remembered,
because he has broken faith and committed sin;
because of this, he shall die.
You say, "The LORD's way is not fair!"
Hear now, house of Israel:
Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?
When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies,
it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die.
But if the wicked, turning from the wickedness he has committed,
does what is right and just,
he shall preserve his life;
since he has turned away from all the sins that he committed,
he shall surely live, he shall not die.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-7a, 7bc-8

R. (3) If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
My soul waits for the LORD
more than sentinels wait for the dawn.
Let Israel wait for the LORD.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?

Verse Before the Gospel Ez 18:31

Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, says the LORD,
and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.

Gospel Mt 5:20-26

Jesus said to his disciples:
"I tell you,
unless your righteousness surpasses that
of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.

"You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment,
and whoever says to his brother, Raqa,
will be answerable to the Sanhedrin,
and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there recall that your brother
has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar,
go first and be reconciled with your brother,
and then come and offer your gift.
Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court.
Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,
and the judge will hand you over to the guard,
and you will be thrown into prison.
Amen, I say to you,
you will not be released until you have paid the last penny."

[Salvation]

'. . . we should not embark on the ascetic life in the hope of seeing visions clothed with form or shape; for if we do, Satan will find it easy to lead our soul astray. Our one purpose must be to reach the point when we perceive the love of God fully and consciously in our heart - that is, "with all your heart, and with all your soul . . . and with all your mind" (Luke 10:27). For the man who is energized by the grace of God to this point has already left this world, though still present in it.'

St. Diadochos of Photiki

[Salvation]

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:  And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.  Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.  Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.  Hail Mary . . .  And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.  Hail Mary . . .  Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.  Let us pray:  Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.  "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)   "Blessed are you among women,  and blessed is the fruit of your womb" (Lk 1:42).

[Salvation]

Information: St. Louise de Marillac

Feast Day: March 15

Born: 12 August 1591 at Meux, France

Died: 15 March 1660 at Paris, France

Canonized: 11 March 1934 by Pope Pius XI

Major Shrine: Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Rue du Bac, Paris, France

Patron of: disappointing children, loss of parents, people rejected by religious orders, sick people, social workers, Vincentian Service Corps, widows

[Salvation]

Day by Day -- Saints for All, Saint Louise de Marillac, 03-15-17

[Salvation]

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Friday, March 15

Liturgical Color: Violet

Today the Church remembers St. Longinus. He
was the Roman centurion who proclaimed Christ
as the Son of God at the Crucifixion and pierced
with a lance Christ’s side from which blood and
water flowed.

[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Lent: March 15th

Friday of the First Week of Lent

MASS READINGS

March 15, 2019 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

Grant that your faithful, O Lord, we pray, may be so conformed to the paschal observances, that the bodily discipline now solemnly begun may bear fruit in the souls of all. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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Recipes (1)

• Cheese Manicotti

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Activities (1)

• Value of Fasting, The

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Prayers (6)

• Prayer for the Fourth Week of Lent
• Novena to St. Joseph
• Lent Table Blessing 4
• Novena to St. Joseph II
• Traditional Novena Prayer to St. Joseph
• Prayer in Honor of St.Louise de Marillac

Library (0)

» Enjoy our Liturgical Seasons series of e-books!

Old Calendar: St. Louise de Marillac, widow (Hist); St. Longinus (Hist)

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Louise de Marillac. She was born in 1592, and married in 1613. When her husband died she made a vow of widowhood and devoted herself entirely to works of charity. St. Vincent de Paul, who became her spiritual director, gradually initiated her into his own charitable works for the poor and afflicted, and in 1639 they founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity to which St. Louise dedicated the rest of her life. She was canonized by Pope Pius XI on March 11, 1934.

Stational Church

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St. Louise de Marillac
St. Louise de Marrillac married an official of the royal court, Antony Le Gras, and after his death in 1625 was an active supporter of the charitable work of St Vincent de Paul, who came to put more and more reliance on her. Mademoiselle Le Gras, as she was known, became the co-founder with him of the Daughters of Charity, whose 'convent is the sick-room, their chapel the parish church, their cloister the city streets'; it was she who drew up the first draft of their rule of life. Her clear intelligence and wide sympathy played a big part in the beginnings of the congregation, whose aspirants she trained and whose rapid growth involved responsibilities which largely fell on her. At the time of her death there were already over forty houses of the sisters in France, the sick poor were looked after at home in twenty-six Parisian parishes, hundreds of women were given shelter, and there were other undertakings as well. St Louise was not physically robust, but she had great powers of endurance, and her selfless devotion was a source of incalculable help and encouragement to Monsieur Vincent.

— Dictionary of Saints by Donald Attwater.

Patron: Disappointing children, widows, loss of parents, sick people, social workers, Vincentian Service Corps, people rejected by religious orders.

Symbols: Saint Louise is depicted wearing the original Vincentian habit of grey wool with a large headdress of white linen (typical of poor women in 17th century Brittany), perhaps with an infant in her arms.

Things to Do:

• Teach your children this simple morning aspiration by St. Louise: "Grant me the grace to spend this day without offending You and without failing my neighbor."

• Begin planning a family Passion presentation or play in which all can participate. You may want to plan this for the end of Lent — Spy Wednesday or Holy Thursday would be particularly appropriate days for this.

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St. Longinus
St. Longinus was the Roman centurion who pierced the side of Christ with a lance. He is said to have converted to Christianity after experiencing the darkness after Christ's death.

St. Luke tells us that the centurion "gave praise to God", and exclaimed, "Truly this was an upright man." (Luke 23:47)

What was believed to be the Holy Lance of Longinus, was given to Innocent VIII in 1492.

Things to Do:

• Read more about the statue of St. Longinus at St. Peter's Basilica.

• Read The Life of Saint Longinus from the Golden Legend.

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Today's station is at the Church of the Twelve Apostles. Traditionally, this is the place where the Romans choose their candidates for priesthood (Rite of Election). It was erected by Julius I (337-352) over the barracks of ancient Rome's firemen and entrusted since 1463 to the Conventual Franciscans. Originally dedicated to the Apostles St. James and St. Philip, it was rededicated to all the Apostles in the 16th century.

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Matthew 5:20-26

1st Week of Lent

You will be thrown into prison. (Matthew 5:25)

J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings centers around a magical ring that gives its wearers a dark power over others. The ring is so evil that even those who don’t want to exercise that dark power find themselves falling under its spell.

What that mythical ring did to its wearer, anger can do to us. When someone has hurt us, especially someone we trusted, the anger that we feel can be so strong that it takes hold of us. We may even hold on to it because it gives us a kind of power over that person—they can’t reconcile with us as long as we remain angry at them.

That’s why we need to take Jesus’ warning about anger seriously. He describes a scenario in which anger leads to a man being thrown in prison. Tolkien’s ring has the power to, as the book says, “in the darkness bind them.” Similarly, we can bind people in darkness when we let our anger harden into bitterness and resentment. But ironically, we too are left bound up and in spiritual darkness if we persist. We end up in a kind of prison of our own making.

The only way out is to forgive. If you want to be free, then work on setting free whoever has made you angry. It’s not always easy, and it’s not always something we can do on our own. Thank God we have Jesus, whose mercy has the power to melt our hearts so that we can forgive!

If there is someone you are struggling with, try visualizing that person for a moment. Now put Jesus into the picture. Imagine he is standing with both of you and looking at each of you with love. Think about how his forgiveness extends to both of you. Then say a simple prayer, something like “Jesus, help me let go of my anger. I want to feel your love and mercy for this person so that I can forgive.”

Genuine, heartfelt forgiveness may not happen all at once. But God’s mercy always wins. If you can keep praying for the grace to forgive, he will unlock your prison door and bring you into his freedom.

“Lord, help me to live in the freedom of your Spirit and to renounce all anger and bitterness.”

Ezekiel 18:21-28
Psalm 130:1-8

[Salvation]

Daily Gospel Commentary

Saint John Chrysostom (c.345-407)
priest at Antioch then Bishop of Constantinople, Doctor of the Church “ Putting enmity to death through his cross” (Ep 2:16)

Christ gave his life for you, and do you hold a grudge against your fellow servant? How then can you approach the table of peace? Your Master did not refuse to undergo every kind of suffering for you, and will you not even forgo your anger?... He has offered me an outrageous insult, you say. He has wronged me times without number, he has endangered my life. Well, what is that? He has not yet crucified you as the Jewish elders crucified the Lord.

If you refuse to forgive your neighbor's offense your heavenly Father will not forgive your sins either (Mt 6:15). What does your conscience say when you repeat the words: “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name...,” and the rest? Christ went so far as to offer his blood for the salvation of those who shed it. What could you do that would equal that? If you refuse to forgive your enemy you harm not him but yourself... You earn for yourself eternal punishment on the Day of Judgment.

Listen to the Lord's words: “If you are bringing your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and first go and be reconciled with your brother. Then come and offer your gift.” What do you mean? Am I really to leave my gift, my offering there? Yes, he says, because this sacrifice is offered in order that you may live in peace with your brother... For the Son of Man has come into the world to reconcile humanity with its Father. As Paul says: “Now God has reconciled everything to himself” (Col 1:20) “putting enmity to death through the cross” (Eph 2:16).

[Salvation]

Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for March 15, 2019:

Tonight, gather your family to say a special prayer for your family’s continued growth, strengthening, and trust in God.

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

March 15, 2019 – Pretending to Be and Truly Being Holy

15 Mar 2019

Friday of the First Week of Lent

Father Alex Yeung, LC

Matthew 5:20-26

 

“I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”

 

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for this time I can now spend with you. You constantly fill my life with so many blessings. How ungrateful I am at times! I wish to collaborate more perfectly in establishing your Kingdom on earth. I love you Lord, and with the help of your grace I will strive to become someone to whom any soul can come in order to discover your truth, your life, your love. Take my life, take this day and make it yours. Amen.

Petition: Father, help me to shun hypocrisy and seek true holiness.

1. Subjective Impressions: How much righteousness would it take to surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees? Not much, we suspect. Theirs was holiness in appearance only, which is to say no holiness. And what would one discover on the “inside” of such a soul? Plenty of self-deception; plenty of self-indulgent complacency in a subjective impression of holiness; a repugnant holier-than-thou demeanor. It’s easy enough for us to read the Gospel and wrinkle our noses at those bad ol’ Pharisees. In fact, it’s about as easy as telling ourselves that we could never come under the spell of our own subjective impression of holiness. That is why we must always be ready to examine ourselves, before Christ and with an acute awareness of our misery and limitations. Do I live my life engaged in a genuine pursuit of holiness or in a genuine pursuit of my own vanity and self-glorification?

2. Humility is the True Test of Holiness: Pride and personal holiness mix about as well as oil and water. Where our ego is, little if any room is left for God. What does it mean to be a disciple of Christ but to be someone who fills himself totally with God in order to bring him within the reach of everyone. But what union, grace or friendship with God can there be in a proud soul? What fervor, what degree of holiness? There is no possible compromise between God and a proud soul – either the soul would have to let go of itself, or God would have to stop being God.

3. Integrity is the Heart of the Matter: At the heart of genuine holiness is the virtue of integrity, a virtue rich in nuances and meaning. Integrity means being a person with only one face, a person who is the same on the inside and on the outside: “what you see is what you get”. Indeed, integrity is foundational for holiness, because it constitutes the very essence of personal honesty and sincerity, which are fundamental for the moral life and the seedbeds for a host of other virtues. In our pursuit of holiness, we should never tolerate duplicity of any kind in our behavior. We should avoid like the plague the least hint of ambivalence in our motivations, or incongruity between our thoughts, judgments, choices and actions. There can be no holiness without integrity. In fact, there can be no genuine human happiness unless it lies on the bedrock virtue of integrity.

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, I want you to be the meaning and center of my entire life. Let me disappear and you appear more and more in my life so that, with a holiness that is genuine, humble and true, I will always be an instrument for the salvation of all people. Amen.

Resolution: I will take a hard look at my life to identify the areas where duplicity manifests itself and take a concrete step toward living with more integrity.

[Salvation]

Homily of the Day

March 15, 2019

In the Gospel reading, Jesus instructs us on our dealings with one another, with those against us. Even friends have disagreements: it has been said it may take time, even years, to build a bond among people; in seconds, the bond can be destroyed.

We have to be very careful in our words and actions with other people. Impatience and anger can make us do things we would regret later: cursing and bad impolite language can cause collateral damage for relationships.

We need to speak truthfully, perhaps softly but firmly. We cannot allow our bad temper or hot emotions to get the better of us and ruin close relationships and friendships. Let us always pray for the grace of a more peaceful and patient demeanor.

Dear Lord, when our tempers flare, please help us to calm down. Let us be more conscious that we all live in glass houses. Harmful statements become rocks that break our windows and the windows of others. May our words be always filled with healing and hope. Help us to let go of hate and bring in more of love.

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Espanol

All Issues > Volume 35, Issue 2

<< Friday, March 15, 2019 >>

Ezekiel 18:21-28
View Readings

Psalm 130:1-8

Matthew 5:20-26
Similar Reflections

FAIR TO MIDDLIN'?

"The Lord's way is not fair!" �Ezekiel 18:25

When someone, even God, acts in a way contrary to our standards, we claim that the person is unfair. When we begin to see how God does things, we move toward the conclusion that God's thoughts and ways are very different than ours (Is 55:8-9). Then we are tempted to "say, 'The Lord's way is not fair!' " (Ez 18:25)

One of our standards is to "rest on our laurels," to take it easy after we've already worked hard. This standard may be acceptable in some cases, but it is never acceptable in our relationship with the Lord. Those in love are not content with merely having given love; rather, they want to love more deeply in the present and even more and more deeply in the future. Those in love are never satisfied with the depth of their love. They are not complacent. They consider it almost neglectful merely to maintain the status quo in giving love.

The nature of love is to break new ground, strive for excellence, and go to extremes. In effect, the nature of love is the cross of Jesus. "The Lord's way is not fair!" (Ez 18:25) It is beyond "fair;" it is the way of love and mercy. It is the way of the cross.

Prayer: Father, teach me to love You with abandon.

Promise: "If you bring your gift to the altar and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift at the altar, go first to be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift." —Mt 5:23-24

Praise: Tom and Mark reconciled, and thus Jesus brought peace to both families.

[Salvation]

"We have the duty to protect the life of an unborn child." ~Ronald Reagan