Friday
January 29, 2016
The Most Difficult Fasting
“...the most difficult charity or fasting is the charity of goodness such as that practiced by the Good Samaritan who bent over the wounded man unlike the priest who hurried past, maybe out of fear of becoming infected. And this is the question posed by the Church today: ‘Am I ashamed of the flesh of my brother and sister?’
“When I give alms, do I drop the coin without touching the hand (of the poor person, beggar)? And if by chance I do touch it, do I immediately withdraw it? When I give alms, do I look into the eyes of my brother, my sister? When I know a person is ill, do I go and visit that person? Do I greet him or her with affection?
There’s a sign that possibly may help us, it’s a question: Am I capable of giving a caress or a hug to the sick, the elderly, the children, or have I lost sight of the meaning of a caress? These hypocrites were unable to give a caress. They had forgotten how to do it. . . Don’t be ashamed of the flesh of our brother, it’s our flesh! We will be judged by the way we behave towards this brother, this sister.”
~ Pope Francis, March 7, 2014
Year of Mercy Calendar for Today: “Fast from judging people today.”
Friday, January 29
Liturgical Color: Green
Today the Church honors St. Constantius,
a second century bishop in Perugia Italy.
His simple lifestyle and great concern for
the poor was an embarrassment to the
ruling class. Because of this, he was
tortured and beheaded.