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).

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: February 28th

Thursday of the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time

MASS READINGS

February 28, 2019 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, always pondering spiritual things, we may carry out in both word and deed that which is pleasing to you. 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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St. Peter's Fish with Herbs

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Old Calendar: St. Hilary, pope (Hist); St. Romanus, abbot (Hist); Shove Tuesday (Hist)

Historically today is the feast of St. Hilary, pope from 461 to 468 and guardian of Church unity and St. Romanus of Condat who founded the abbeys of Condat and Leuconne, and the convent of La Beaume, among others.

St. Hilary
To replace a man like Leo was not easy, but the next pope was a man after Leo's heart, the archdeacon Hilary. Hilary was a Sardinian who had joined the Roman clergy and had been sent by St. Leo as one of the papal legates to the council at Ephesus in 449. This council, intended to settle the Monophysite affair, got out of hand. Packed with Monophysites and presided over by Dioscorus, the patriarch of Alexandria, the assembly refused to listen to the protests of the papal legates. Dioscorus steam-rollered through the council a condemnation of the orthodox and saintly Flavian, patriarch of Constantinople, and an approval of the Monophysite leader Eutyches. In vain Hilary protested. He had to fly in fear for his life and hide in a chapel of St. John the Evangelist. It was only with difficulty that he got back to Rome. No wonder St. Leo called this Ephesus council a gathering of robbers!

As pope, Hilary worked hard to foster order in the Gallic hierarchy. When a certain Hermes illegally made himself archbishop of Narbonne, two Gallic delegates came to Rome to appeal to Pope Hilary. He held a council at Rome in 462 to settle the matter. He also upheld the rights of the see of Arles to be the primatial see of Gaul. From Spain also came appeals of a similar nature. To settle these Hilary held a council at Rome in 465. This is the first Council at Rome whose acts have come down to us. According to the "Liber Pontificalis" he sent a letter to the East confirming the ecumenical councils of Nicaea, Ephesus, and Chalcedon, and the famous dogmatic letter of his predecessor St. Leo to Flavian. He also publicly in St. Peter's rebuked the shadow-emperor Anthemius for allowing a favorite of his to foster heresy in Rome.

St. Hilary deserves great credit for his work in building and decorating churches in Rome. Of especial interest is the oratory he built near the Lateran, dedicated to St. John the Evangelist. The Pope attributed his escape from the wild Monophysites at Ephesus to the intercession of the Beloved Disciple, and to show his gratitude he built this beautiful oratory. Over its doors may still be seen the inscription, "To his deliverer, Blessed John the Evangelist, Bishop Hilary, the Servant of Christ." Hilary built two more churches and spent freely in decorating still others. The gold and silver and marble used so lavishly by this Pope in adorning the Roman churches indicate that the wealthy families of Rome must have saved something from the grasping hands of Goths and Vandals.

St. Hilary died on February 29. His feast is kept on February 28.

Excerpted from Defending the Faith

Saint Romanus of Condat
Saint Romanus of Condat (c. 390 - c. 463) is a saint of the fifth century. At the age of thirty five he decided to live as a hermit in the area of Condat. His younger brother Lupicinus followed him there. They became leaders of a community of monks that included Saint Eugendus.

Romanus and Lupicinus founded several monasteries. These included Condat Abbey, which was the nucleus of the later town of Saint-Claude, Jura), Lauconne (later Saint-Lupicin, as Lupicinus was buried there), La Balme (Beaume) (later Saint-Romain-de-Roche), where Romanus was buried, and Romainmôtier (Romanum monasterium) in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.

Romanus was ordained a priest by St. Hilary of Arles in 444.

Excerpted from Wikipedia

Bl. Daniel Brottier
Blessed Daniel Brottier was a French Spiritan born in France in 1876 and ordained priest 1899. His zeal for spreading the Gospel beyond the classroom or the confines of France made him to join the Spiritan Congregation.

He was sent to Senegal, West Africa. After eight years there, his health suffered and he went back to France where he helped raise funds for the construction of a new cathedral in Senegal.

At the outbreak of World War I Daniel became a volunteer chaplain. He attributed his survival on the front lines to the intercession of Saint Therese of Lisieux, and built a chapel for her at Auteuil when she was canonized.

After the war he established a project for orphans and abandoned children "the Orphan Apprentices of Auteuil" in the suburb of Paris.

He gave up his soul to God on the 28th of February, 1936 and was beatified only 48 years later in 1984 by Pope John Paul II.

Excerpted from Evangelizo.org

Things to Do:

Read more about Bl. Daniel Brottier at The Catholic in Me and at CityDesert.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Mark 9:41-50

7th Week in Ordinary Time

Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another. (Mark 9:50)

It’s difficult to underestimate the value of salt. This common substance not only flavors and preserves our foods and melts ice on the roads in winter; it is also a very effective cleanser. Massage therapists will often use salt scrubs to unclog a person’s pores and rub away dead, hardened skin.

Just before Jesus talked to his disciples about the value of being salted, they had been arguing about who was the greatest among them. Jesus reminded them that whoever wants to be first must be last and the servant of all (Mark 9:33-37). He taught them that humility and self-giving are the pathway to true greatness. Why is this so? Because humble service acts as a salt scrub. It rubs away selfishness, self-promotion, and boasting. It unclogs in us what pride and sin have covered over. More than anything else, humility can cleanse and purify us of everything that pollutes or degrades the life of God in us. It seems ironic, but humility lifts us up; it reveals our true beauty as children of God.

You don’t have to look far to find opportunities to humble yourself and serve other people. According to St. Francis de Sales, “Great occasions for serving God seldom come, but little ones surround us daily.” Kindness to an irritable spouse, patience with a slow driver, and encouragement to a struggling coworker are all little acts of service. Offering to empty the dishwasher, pick up the dry cleaning, and pour someone a second cup of coffee—these small personal acts can help you keep “salt” in yourself—and they can promote peace with those around you. Through them, you are offering your life to God and to his people—and that’s always a beautiful sight!

Today, ask the Holy Spirit to lead you into three different situations in which you can be of humble service. Then let God direct your steps to those places where you are most needed. Don’t dismiss anything he leads you to, even if it seems insignificant or distasteful. You never know; it just might be the thing that cleanses you the most.

God wants you to grow in his life. There’s no better way than being “scrubbed” with the salt of service!

“Father, show me how I can serve your people today.”

Sirach 5:1-8
Psalm 1:1-4, 6

Daily Gospel Commentary

Saint Paul VI
Pope from 1963-1978
Apostolic Constitution “ Paenitemini ” (© Libreria Editrice Vaticana)

The salt of repentance

Following the Master, every Christian must renounce himself, take up his own cross and participate in the sufferings of Christ (Mt 16:24). Thus transformed into the image of Christ's death, he is made capable of meditating on the glory of the resurrection. Furthermore, following the Master, he can no longer live for himself, but must live for Him who loves him and gave Himself for him. He will also have to live for his brethren, completing "in his flesh that which is lacking in the sufferings of Christ...for the benefit of his body, which is the church” (Ga 2:20; Col 1:24).

In addition, since the Church is closely linked to Christ, the penitence of the individual Christian also has an intimate relationship of its own with the whole ecclesial community. In fact, not only does he receive in the bosom of the Church through baptism the fundamental gift of "metanoia," namely the transformation and renewal of the whole person, but this gift is restored and reinvigorated in those members of the Body of Christ who have fallen into sin through the sacrament of penance. "Those who approach the sacrament of penance receive from the mercy of God forgiveness for offences committed against Him and at the same time become reconciled with the Church on which they have inflicted a wound by sinning, and the Church cooperates in their conversion with charity, example and prayer” (Vatican II : LG 11). And in the Church, finally, the little acts of penitence imposed each time in the sacrament become a form of participation in a special way in the infinite expiation of Christ.

Regnum Christi

February 28, 2019 – Price of the Kingdom

Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Father Edward Hopkins, LC

Mark 9:41-50

Jesus said to his disciples: “Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose their reward. If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another.”

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe in your presence in my life. I believe that you consider those around me your children and that you ardently desire to possess them with love for all eternity. I trust that you will help me treat others as your brothers and sisters. I love you now with my prayer. May this prayer increase my desire to honor and serve you with my life.

Petition: Jesus, help me to set a good example for others out of love.

You Are Priceless: Jesus leaves us with no doubt: We are valuable. We all carry within us a God-given dignity. And this dignity is identified and enhanced when we bear his name. Every human being has an intrinsic dignity because every human being is created in God’s image. But this image of God is perfectly incarnated in Christ, God made man. So, a baptized Christian—a Christ bearer—carries a more perfect image: Christ, in whom we are made children of God. It is little wonder, then, that Jesus assures a reward to anyone who serves us for his sake!

Every Little One Is Priceless: To carry his image is also a responsibility. We must live up to this dignity and show to others a life worthy of the image we carry within. Others may be “little” due to their age, the newness and immaturity of their Christian life, or even their weakness and struggle. We put a stumbling block in their way, we scandalize them, when our behavior causes them to doubt or become discouraged about living the ideals of faith. A “millstone” suggests that anything would be better for us than this. How damaging then are my bad examples given to “little ones”! Damaging for them and for me! What can I do to avoid such scandal? On the other hand, what a great reward awaits those who do the contrary, giving these little ones good example! If I loved “these little ones” just half as much as Jesus does, would it not be much easier to avoid giving bad example?

Better to Lose Anything Else: In today’s world, the value of something is measured in comparison to other items of the same kind: stocks, food, clothes, even music and films are judged against each other. Yet, there are some things that have absolute value: the value of a soul. Nothing compares! Jesus paints this total non-comparison in terms of cutting off whatever becomes an obstacle. You are so valuable that you must be ready to deny, subdue, silence and even sacrifice your own body, or any of its members, rather than risk losing your soul. Do I value my immortal soul, my vocation to eternal life? If so, do I show this by the self-denial I exert in controlling what makes me (and eventually others through me) stumble? How often do I prefer my “things” to the loved ones who depend on my example of Christ? How radical is my faith?

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, open my eyes to understand a little more just how valuable I am to you, how priceless my eternal life is. Make me sensitive to value each and every person in my life. I know you want me to help save them. Never allow me to become a stumbling block for anyone. If I have, may my love and efforts of faith be used by you now to restore what was lost.

Resolution: I will repair a past act of “scandal” (outburst of anger, foul language, gossip or slander, dishonesty, etc.) with a period of quality time given to the “little ones” so as to rebuild the trust and Christ-like behavior they expect from me.

Homily of the Day

February 28, 2019

Causing the little ones to commit sin is so grave that it merits drowning with a millstone around the neck to make sure that the tempter really perishes in the depths. The evangelist also presents the catechesis of the gravity of sin telling us to cut off the part of our body that causes us to commit sin. It is not that easy since we all know that it is not the part that commits the sin but the person himself or herself. But the Lord emphasizes to us that we can avoid committing sin by doing something. Yes, as the hand is part of the body like the foot and the eye, we can refer to these as necessary means of going against God, yet we as persons are the culprit. Cutting a part of one’s body is painful enough but the pain is rewarded with getting into the kingdom of God. Humanly speaking, this cutting off is difficult but with God’s grace we can do it. It will cause us pain but we will have life with God.

Again the comparison with the salt is presented. What are believers for in this world if we cannot give taste? The challenge of being the one to give taste in our society today is seemingly meaningless. Though our churches are full on Sundays and Lenten days, still the call of the Lord goes in the daily living we make. Are we always aware of this?

One Bread, One Body

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All Issues > Volume 35, Issue 2

<< Thursday, February 28, 2019 >>

Sirach 5:1-8
View Readings

Psalm 1:1-4, 6

Mark 9:41-50
Similar Reflections

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

"Rely not on your strength in following the desires of your heart." �Sirach 5:2

How many times have we said: "No problem," "I have the power," "Everything's under control," "Who can prevail against me?" (see Sir 5:1, 3) Those are famous last words. We don't have it together, and we never will.

"You have no idea what kind of life will be yours tomorrow. You are a vapor that appears briefly and vanishes. Instead of saying, 'If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that,' all you can do is make arrogant and pretentious claims" (Jas 4:14-16).

Sometimes we also say: "I got away with it," "I have sinned, yet what has befallen me?", "Great is His mercy; my many sins He will forgive" (see Sir 5:4, 6). But let's not be presumptuous. "Make no mistake about it, no one makes a fool of God!" (Gal 6:7) Jesus is serious about sin; repentance is the only alternative to eternal punishment. Therefore, "delay not your conversion to the Lord, put it not off from day to day" (Sir 5:8).

Famous last words often result in tragedy. But we have some truly famous last words from Jesus. "Well done," good and faithful servant. "Come, share your Master's joy" (Mt 25:21). May these be God's last words to you.

Prayer: Father, may I not be presumptuous or unrealistic about life, love, sin, and damnation.

Promise: "Any man who gives you a drink of water because you belong to Christ will not, I assure you, go without his reward." —Mk 9:41

Praise: Six-year-old Brian gave up his bedtime drink as a fast for the healing of his baby brother's ears.

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