[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: June 14, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, from whom all good things come, grant that we, who call on you in our need, may at your prompting discern what is right, and by your guidance do it. 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.

ACTIVITIES

• Religion in the Home for Preschool: June

PRAYERS

• June Devotion: The Sacred Heart
• Devotion to the Sacred Heart
• Efficacious Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
• Novena to the Sacred Heart

Ordinary Time: June 14th

Thursday of the Tenth Week of Ordinary Time

Old Calendar: St. Basil the Great, confessor, bishop and doctor

According to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Basil the Great. His feast in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is celebrated on January 2.

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Meditation - The Eucharistic Presence of the Sacred Heart
In the Holy Eucharist the incarnate Son of God is present whole and entire — soul and body, divinity and humanity. In every consecrated Host, therefore, His Sacred Heart is present, an integral part of His glorified body, that living organ which for all the years of His mortal life pulsed His precious blood through artery and vein, and faithfully responded to every joy and every sorrow of His soul in both its Christ-life and its Jesus-life. After the consecration at every Holy Mass, in every Host received in Holy Communion, and in every tabernacle wherein the Blessed Sacrament is actually housed, there is present the Heart which is the most magnificent sanctum of the Holy Trinity and the universal instrument for the realization of all the Savior designs of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; there is present the Heart by whose wisdom, mercy, and love those Savior designs were so gloriously executed; there is the Heart which is the living source and symbol of His whole life and work, both as the Christ of God and as the Jesus of the world, and therefore the source and symbol of the floods of light and streams of energy poured out to souls after that fatal hour in Paradise; yes, there is present on the altar the Heart which accounts even for this Eucharistic Presence itself, since it was from the love fountains of this Heart that came His desire to eat that Pasch with His beloved Apostles on Holy Thursday night and to speak those mysteriously sweet and mighty words: "Do ye this in commemoration of Me!" — Our Way to the Father by Rev. Leo M. Krenz, S.J.

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Matthew 5:20-26

“Whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.” (Matthew 5:22)

At first glance, these words seem very harsh. Surely Jesus wouldn’t put my anger on the same level as murder! Wouldn’t he understand if I received Communion today, but put off reconciling with my brother or sister for a while longer?

For the answer, we have to look inside our hearts. Anger is a normal human emotion, but as with all other emotions, we should never let it con­trol us. Just a brief look at the conse­quences of unchecked anger shows us how destructive it can be: domes­tic abuse, divorce, road rage, even murder. Even hidden anger can be deadly. Concealed beneath the façade of a smile and a pleasant demeanor, it can lead to patterns of pride, jeal­ousy, judgment, and gossip.

We can’t afford to overlook the resentments we may be holding against other people. We can try to keep these feelings within us and even dismiss them as not really threatening anyone. But sooner or later, we will have to deal with them, even if the person against whom we have these feelings has long left our lives. The anger we have ignored can be like a poison meant for someone else—which we’ve swallowed our­selves! This poison of bitterness and hostility can cast a shadow over us, contaminating our relationships, and even becoming the darkened lenses through which we view the whole world.

Jesus is very clear about asking us to reconcile with one another. He is the God of peace, and he wants us to bring that peace to others (Philip­pians 4:9). As we let the Holy Spirit work in us, healing us and resolving our inner conflicts, we will find it easier to live in harmony with every­one, even those who have hurt us in the past.

So try your best to forgive. If there is an offense that you just can’t forgive, try taking a small step toward that goal. And take another step tomorrow. And then another, and another. Spend time with the Lord each day, and let his great gift of time slowly heal you. Jesus really can make us whole and bring us all to reconciliation!

“Lord, shine your light into my heart, and show me where I am wounded by anger and resentment. Come, Holy Spirit, and burn away all bitterness in the fire of your love!”

1 Kings 18:41-46; Psalm 65:10-13