Humility

Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. "Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, 'O God, I thank you that I am not the rest of humanity-greedy, dishonest, adulterous-or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I pay tithes on my whole income.' But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.' I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for the one who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

​Lord Jesus, it is only through humility that we will find our way to your heart; and finding our way there, your grace will guide us to seek out forgiveness for our sinfulness, with humility. Amen.

Loving God First

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, "Which is the first of all the commandments?" Jesus replied, "The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these." The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than he. And to love him with all of your heart, with all of your understanding, with all of your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." And when Jesus saw he answered with understanding, he said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Consideration: Love your neighbor as yourself. Easier said than done. By loving those who have hurt or wronged us in any way, we are loving God first by living out his commandments.

Minions of Darkness

Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute, and when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke and the crowds were amazed. Some of them said, "By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons." Others, to test him, asked for a sign from heaven. But he knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and the house will fall against the house. And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drove out demons. If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out? Therefore, they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters."

Consideration: If we, the children of God, heed the words of Jesus, then we will become one with him, and live in his truth. Being united, and not divided, the demons of falsehoods will have no grip on us. May we always place our trust in the Lord, never falling prey to the physical and verbal attacks of the minions of darkness.

The Law of the Prophets

Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law of the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven."

​Lord Jesus, grant us the grace of perseverance so that we will boldly proclaim the truth of your laws with conviction. Amen.

Seventy Times

Peter approached Jesus and asked him, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the kingdom of God may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, children, and all of his property, in payment for the debt. At this the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.' Moved with compassion, the master of that servant let him go and forgave the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants that owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, 'Pay back what you owe.' Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' But he refused. Instead, he had him put into prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?' Then in his anger he handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart." 

Lord Jesus, bless us with a forgiving heart. From your Most Sacred Heart upon the cross, you forgave the thief that asked for mercy, saying, "This day you shall be with me in Paradise." So too we must forgive our brother. not seven times, but seventy-times. Amen.

Perfectly

With your hands, you created the earth and the sky, and the heavens above vast and wide, the moon and the sun shining bright, with your hands…perfectly!

With your hands, you molded the land and the sea, and the mountains, rivers, and streams, the trees, the valleys, rain and snow, with your hands…perfectly!

You are the Creator of all that has ever came to be; there is no other than your majesty, everything there is, and will ever be, created with your hands…perfectly!

Father, in heaven, great is your name, I Am 
Father, majestic Deity, of all eternity, and truth
Father, power and dominion over all things 
Creation came to be, with your hands…perfectly!

Father, transform all things anew, with your hands…perfectly! Amen.

Angered by Truth

Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth: Amen I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

​Consideration: Words of truth, spoken by Jesus, pierce the hearts of those in the synagogue at Nazareth. They were so angry and filled with fury that they sought to do him harm. 

This is also true today. Just speaking the name of Jesus causes irritation to those who oppose him and his teachings. We must remain faithful to the truth and to the Gospel, even if we are ridiculed or confronted by those who are angered by the truth. Amen.