Archive for the ‘The Cross of Christ’ Category
My Rosary Beads
A little pair of Rosary Beads, as plain as plain can be,
But only God in Heaven knows how dear they are to me.
I have them always with me at every step I take,
At evening when I slumber, at morn when I awake.
In bright and cloudy weather, in sunshine or in rain,
In happiness or sorrow, in pleasure or in pain.
It helps me in my struggle. It reproves me when in sin.
Its look of gentle patience rebukes the strife within.
In days of pain and anguish, the greatest help I knew
Was to hold my Rosary Beads until I calmer grew.
So when the time approaches when I will have to die,
I hope my little Rosary Beads will close beside me lie.
That the holy name of Jesus may be the last I say,
And kissing my sweet Rosary Beads my soul may pass away.
Eucharistic Devotion
Jesus asks:
Would you spend just one hour with Me?
We have the opportunity to be in the real presence of Jesus during Eucharistic Adoration. Don’t miss the opportunity.
As you spend your time with Jesus in prayer it is a wonderful joy to read Christian Prayer and The Liturgy of The Hours.
Divine Mercy
Yesterday, April 15 was Divine Mercy Sunday.
Let us come to God and ask for His mercy as Jesus had asked us in His vision to St. Faustina.
And, repeat to Him, “Jesus I trust in You”.
Let us pray the Divine Mercy chaplet on this beautiful Divine Mercy Rosary.
Putting on The Heart of Christ Through Forgiveness
Gospel reading for the 3rd Tuesday in Lent, Matthew 18:21-35,
Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. Matthew 18:21-22,
Then Jesus told his disciples the parable of the king who went to his servant and demanded repayment of his debt in the amount of 10,000 talents. The king ordered his children and wife to be sold to provide the payment. The servant begged for patience forgiveness to allow him time to repay it. The king not only gave him more time, but he forgave him all his debt.
This forgiven servant then went out and demanded repayment from one of his servants to repay the smaller amount that he owed him. This servant likewise begged him for patience to allow him time for repayment. But, the forgiven servant did not forgive the debt of his servant, and put him in jail. When this was reported to the king, he called his wicked servant, and said to him ´I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ (Matthew 18: 32-33.
Jesus then told his disciples “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” Matthew 18:35
Reflection: Our heavenly Father is very merciful. He has forgiven us our sins at our baptism and welcomes us as His children. However, He also commands us to give something in return. We will always be forgiven of any sins we confess to Him if we also forgive our neighbor. Thus, if we do not forgive, Our Father in heaven will not forgive us. We are given a wonderful gift in the sacrament of reconciliation. Through this sacrament we are reunited with God in His love. Lent is a time we focus on reconciliation seeking the mercy of Jesus. Putting on the Heart of Christ is a great book teaching the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius that will surely lead us to the understanding of love, mercy, and forgiveness.
We Read the Resurrection Foretold by Jesus in The Gospel
From the Gospel Reading, 3rd Sunday in Lent:
The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers at their business. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.
Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he spoke of the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken. John 2:13-15,19-25
Reflection: What a wonderful gift we were given as Catholics during this age. We have not only the promise of the resurrection of the body, but, the knowledge that The Son of God Himself was raised from the dead. We have The Word of God by the direction of The Holy Spirit. The Jews that lived prior to Christ hoped in the resurrection and coming of the Messiah. But, it was hope built on faith alone. They did not have the life and death of The Son of God as witness of God’s supreme love. The apostles were the first to share and witness The Word of God made flesh. We too may witness and share the Word of God today, in The Eucharist, and through Holy Scripture. It is our purpose on earth to know God. How can we do this if we have not read His Word. Lent is a time when we attempt to come closer to God in prayer and scripture as we read His Word and life in The Ignatius Bible.
The Parable of Lazarus And The Rich Man
Today’s Gospel reading, Luke 16: 19-31
In this parable Lazarus is a leper who suffers with his disease in poverty and pain, begging for scraps outside the door of a rich man. The rich man lived in luxury with all of the comforts that wealth can provide. When Lazarus died he went to heaven. However, when the rich man died he went to the fires of hell. The rich man saw Lazarus at the side of Abraham in heaven and asked him to send Lazarus to him to quench his thirst. Abraham responded, “’My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented”…. Then the rich man asked to have Lazarus sent from the dead to warn his brothers to repent so they wouldn’t also go to hell. But, Abraham told them that if they did not listen to Moses and the prophets in the Word of God, they would “not be persuaded if someone would rise from the dead.”
Reflection: As we read this parable we would like to compare ourselves to the leper who would be rewarded in heaven. But, are we not more like the rich man who enjoyed all of the pleasures and comfort of wealth, possessions, and good health during our lifetime. For, as we hear this parable we are all very much aware of someone who warned us to repent, showed us how to live according to God’s will, and rose from the dead. We have the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus for our example, and yet we fail to live according to God’s will. Let us begin today to read, study, and listen to The Word of God.