October 9, 2014

Luke 11: 5-13  

Jesus said to his disciples: “Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,’ and he says in reply from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’ I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.  “And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” 

Reflection: 

I remember many occasions when my children were much younger, they would go to the store with me and absolutely HAD to have something. I also recall many nights trying to get them to go to sleep. It was a battle of whose will was stronger, whose persistence would win out.  

We are called in this Gospel passage to be like that strong-willed child, to be persistent and not stop with our prayers to God.  Jesus uses the parable of a man going to his friend at midnight to teach us to be persistent in our prayers to God, to never give up. What we don't see in this Gospel is that right before this, one of the disciples had asked Jesus how to pray.  Jesus responded by giving the disciples and us the Lord's Prayer.  Jesus knew the importance of prayer. He teaches us to be bold and tireless in our prayers to God. To be shameless.  To never stop praying.  We should not stop because we have already prayed for something before, or when we feel that God has not yet answered our prayer.  God will answer our prayers in the  way and time that He knows is best for us. 

Prayer: 

Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. Everyone who asks will receive. He who searches will find. And the door will be opened to the one who knocks.”

October 8, 2014

Gospel LK 11:1-4

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,
one of his disciples said to him,
“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”
He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name,
your Kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test.”

Reflection….

I find it interesting that this is the Gospel reading for today.  In my Religion classes, we are studying prayer. The words “Lord, teach us to pray…” are so appropriate and fitting because we have spent the past week or so learning about prayer. So, as it often does, this really hits home.  I relate to Jesus as he teaches his disciples about prayer, and I attempt to teach my students about prayer too.

I have taught my students that we should praise God and thank Him.  We should apologize to Him for the times in our day where we strayed from what He intended us to do, where we were imperfect, where we were human.  We should thank Him for the many blessings He has given us. We should then ask for His help for ourselves and for those around us.  In reading the words that Jesus told the disciples to pray, he teaches them to do the same.

Jesus teaches them to pray the Our Father.  When we pray it at mass, this is one of my favorite parts.  I especially like when we hold hands and pray the words together.  This is a change for me.  I would say it has been a favorite part for me for about 6 or 7 years now, but before that, when it came time to join hands, I always felt a bit uncomfortable.  I didn’t know the “strangers” that sat next to me, and honestly, I wasn’t real sure about reaching out to take their hand.  I have to assume it was because it wasn’t something I was used to doing, and it does not feel natural to just take hold of a stranger’s hand.  Now, however, I feel such a connection to the person who is on my right.  Some member of my family is generally on my left, but I somehow feel like the person on my right is part of my family too. 

As a faculty, we join hands and pray the Our Father before we start our day. For a moment, we are all connected.  We are one.  We are powerful.  We are Catholic.  We are family.

Prayer…

Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy Kingdom come, Thy  will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen

10/7/14

Luke 10: 38-42

Jesus entered a village 
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. 
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
“Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? 
Tell her to help me.” 
The Lord said to her in reply,
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. 
There is need of only one thing. 
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her.”

Reflection

“Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her.”

Jesus concludes this passage by explaining these words to the hard working Martha. But these words have to make you wonder “How is what Mary is doing better than what Martha is doing?”

Taking a close look at the passage would tell us that Martha is preparing a meal for Jesus and the other members of her family. She is making sure everyone has everything they need, continuously checking up on her guests to see if she can get them anything else. She is moving around franticly to make sure everything is perfect for her guest, Jesus. While on the only hand, Mary is doing no more than sitting next to Jesus listening to him.

So then why would Jesus tell Martha that Mary has chosen the better route, the better option, the better path?

In any other circumstance, Martha’s service would greatly outweigh Mary’s. Her hard work and persistence to make everything perfect for her guest would be commended if not rewarded through warm verbally praise. But Jesus is not looking to be served, rather he is looking to serve. He wants to serve Martha by getting to know her and he wants her to serve him by listening to him.

What Jesus is asking of us is that we take the time ourselves to spend with him so that we can get to know him, develop a relationship with him, see his presences in our lives, and perform his will.

However, to many times in our lives we put so many others things before spending time with Jesus. When we wake up in the morning we may initially plan on spending more time with him. We tell ourselves that we are going to read the gospel passage, say an “Our Father”, pray the Rosary, or go to Mass. But for some reason we let other things control our plans. Before we know it, our day is over and we are yet to spend any of it with God.

He is not asking us to spend much time with him. In fact, there is no amount of time specified that we need to spend with God that will lead us to an everlasting relationship with him. What is important is that we spend whatever time we can afford daily to him. Giving of ourselves to him, no matter the length of time, will be fortified and nourished by this immeasurable amount of love for us.

Let us value a deep, intimate relationship with God and put him in the forefront of our minds. Help make it our mission to assure him that “we have chosen the better part” and that an eternal life with God will not be taken from us, but will be granted to us!

October 6, 2014

Gospel LK 10:25-37

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said,
“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law?
How do you read it?”
He said in reply,
“You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself.”
He replied to him, “You have answered correctly;
do this and you will live.”

But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, 
“And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus replied, 
“A man fell victim to robbers
as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.
A priest happened to be going down that road,
but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
Likewise a Levite came to the place,
and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him
was moved with compassion at the sight.
He approached the victim,
poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.
Then he lifted him up on his own animal,
took him to an inn, and cared for him.
The next day he took out two silver coins
and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,
‘Take care of him.
If you spend more than what I have given you,
I shall repay you on my way back.’
Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”
He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”
Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Reflection

Go and do likewise. 

Be merciful. Don't hold back your goodness. Don't wait until tomorrow to forgive or to ask for forgiveness. Don't wait for someone else to do the good entrusted for you to do. Don't expect that someone else will do it. Go and love you neighbor as yourself. Be more patient than you should be. Be humble. Serve. Give of yourself freely without expectation of reward or return. Give of yourself completely with no regard of the cost, no concern with the price. 

Go and love your God with all of your heart, with all of your being, with all of your strength, and with all of your mind. Pray when you wake up in the morning. Pray before eating meals. Pray before going to sleep. Pray. Read God's Word - there is power in It. Receive His Body - there is power in It. Sing and pray twice. Let your life act as a prayer with every deed, every word, every moment. 

Go and wake up to the needs of all around you. In your schools. In your places of work. In your own homes. Awaken to the hearts that are broken, yearning for connections not found in screen time, instant messages, feeds, status posts or downloads. Listen. Talk. Connect.  Recognize injustice, violence, perversion in the subtle passages of life on our radios, televisions and on our devices. 

And go and do something about it. 

Now. 

Empower others to empower others in turn. Light a fire with your lives that makes the world come alive. 

"Walk out on the battlefield, see that all the pain is real. Be the hands that stop the bleeding. Seeing all these wounded souls, all they really need is hope. I'll show Your great Love is healing" (Jeremy Camp, Come Alive). 

Go and do likewise. 

GO! 

October 3, 2014

Luke 10:13-16
Jesus said to them,
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would long ago have repented,
sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon
at the judgment than for you.
And as for you, Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to heaven?
You will go down to the netherworld.’
Whoever listens to you listens to me.
Whoever rejects you rejects me.
And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

Reflection:

These verses are couched in Luke 10, where Jesus sends out seventy-two more disciples and warns them of the discouragement and hardships they will likely encounter as they go ahead of him ("Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves." v. 3).  Chorazin and Bethsaida are cities where Jesus performed mighty works, but where the residents remained unconverted.  I often picture myself in Jesus's time, watching Him, listening to Him, scurrying after Him, and I can't believe that anyone could see a mighty work - with their own eyes! - and still not believe.  But these three verses are a powerful reminder that humans can come into contact with the Living God and still turn away.  These verses are an example of some of Jesus's hard teachings - namely, that unbelief is a sin.  This means I need to ask: Where am I struggling with unbelief?  Where am I holding on to something too tightly?  Where am I not trusting the Lord to provide - but in His time and in His way? 

We should not miss the encouragement - we have a Heavenly Father who loves us and knows what is best.  We have the blessing of salvation and His promises.  We have the blessing of many who go before us -- the multitude of saints and godly examples of men and women.  We have our Bibles.  And we shouldn't miss the next verse, where we are assured that, "The seventy-two returned with joy."

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, forgive me for my unbelief, for the many times I hesitate and question.  Help all of us to be like "the boy's father" in Mark 9:24.  Let us exclaim, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"  Thank You that Your infinite power is paired with Your patience and love. Amen.

-Today's post by Ms. Sara Maniscalco, ICS Music teacher

October 2, 2014

October 2, 2014

Memorial of the Guardian Angels 

Gospel: Matthew 18:1-5, 10

The disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever humbles himself like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.”

Reflection

Bible 911(1)

"For to His angels He has given command about you, that they guard you in all your ways." —Psalm 91:11

Our God is a not a God of coincidences. He is a God with purpose and a plan for each on of His children. 

Today He is the master teacher quick to provide inspiration to help us learn and understand what it takes to share in His heavenly Kingdom. He offers an engaging "hook" activating prior knowledge with simplicity by eliciting a sure fire experience we have all shared-childhood. His objectives are clear. Welcome His children. Be like His children. Be His child. Committed to help us transfer His lesson to our lives, He bridges the way to the face of His Father scaffolded by no less than a ladder of supernatural support. 

So we have humility homework. But talk about tutors! His plan for our success includes the blessings of our vocation to share the day with His teachers- His children and angels- to light, to guard, to rule , to guide our way to Him. With confidence of our path enlightened by the gift of these mentors and guardians, we undertake our daily work to build His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we praise and thank you for the gift of your constant love and support to build your Kingdom with your saints and angels. Guard us against childish ways as you help us to live your love with childlike faith. Remind us often of our supernatural companions that guide us to embrace your presence with us each moment of our day. We ask this through the precious name of your Son, Emmanuel.

Amen.

October 1, 2014

October 1, 2014

Gospel LK 9:57-62

As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding
on their journey, someone said to him,
“I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus answered him,
“Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
And to another he said, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”
But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead.
But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.”
And another said, “I will follow you, Lord,
but first let me say farewell to my family at home.”
Jesus answered him, “No one who sets a hand to the plow
and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.”

Reflection

Just the other night I crawled into bed and tucked myself under the covers. I felt so tired and the bed and pillow were so comfortable. I really appreciated it and thanked the Lord for it, but at the moment I said it, I also had a prompting from the Spirit. He said, “You will still go and do what I want even if there are no pillows, won’t you?”  In today’s Gospel, Jesus ripped away the romanticism of what it meant to be with Him. He did not simply say wonderful. He was trying to help this follower understand that though it is nice to be together, share God’s love, see His power, there are rough parts to carrying out the Father’s will.

But there’s more. Another man replied to Jesus that he had things to do first. Oh yes, I’ve felt that before also. There’s a saying, “Life gets in the way.” The one willing to follow Jesus does not say, “I have this to do today, but tomorrow I can help you.” If you follow, then you go where Jesus goes. This man wanted to be a convenient follower. Convenient followers are not followers at all because they will only accompany Jesus when it is convenient for their schedules. Jesus challenged him to set his priorities in place. You might wonder how it works out practically. First comes the absolute commitment. If you mean to follow Jesus, then Jesus must come first place. The Lord wanted him and us to say an unqualified, “Yes” to Him and then follow Jesus. When we face issues in life, and they will come, we then as Christ’s disciples ask Jesus what we should do. We just need to ask, instead of making excuses. Jesus will lead the way.

I answered the Lord’s quiet reminder by knowing I would go anywhere anytime. I cannot allow any material comfort or even a busy, hectic lifestyle to keep me from going where Jesus sends. Those are the things that keep Jesus from being with us.

What about yourself? Do you share a willingness to go wherever Jesus sends you? Or is there some element of wealth, health, comfort or ease that might keep you from that commitment? 

GO: Follow!

Prayer

Dear Lord,

Please help me to listen to and follow you, to allow myself to be transformed by your words. Forgive me for being so quick to question and hesitant to follow. Help me to see with the eyes of faith, rather than from my own human point of view. Thank you for calling me often, knowing that I can take comfort in you leading the way.

Amen.

by Mrs. Jayme Finley, ICS 1st Grade Teacher