STEP #1: LECTIO / READMatthew 9:1-8 After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town. And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.” At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, “Why do you harbor evil thoughts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”– he then said to the paralytic, “Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.” He rose and went home. When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to men. STEP #2: MEDITATIO / MEDITATEEveryone wants to be liked and loved, especially by their peers. I still remember the first time I heard someone had said something bad about me. While I honestly can’t remember anymore what exactly that person said, what I do remember is the feelings of hurt and sadness upon hearing it. In today’s Gospel, Jesus goes to his home town and cures this paralytic man who is brought to him. Then it is his own friends and neighbors who say and think these evil thoughts about him. Sometimes the hardest people for us to share the Gospel message with are those that we love the most, our family and friends, the people we have grown up around. The fear of rejection is very real, and the message we have to share isn’t always popular. Christ shows us how to respond to rejection and opposition with love. He is confident in his mission and in the message he has to share. He knows that he is the Son of God. We too should be confident in our identity as sons and daughters of God and in the message he has given us to share with the world, but sometimes our sins get in the way. We see miracles happen all around us, yet we have such a hard time believing that our sins can actually be forgiven. All sin is ultimately rooted in a lack of trust in God and in his goodness and mercy. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it says, “Man, tempted by the devil, let his trust in his Creator die in his heart and, abusing his freedom, disobeyed God's command. This is what man's first sin consisted of. All subsequent sin would be disobedience toward God and lack of trust in his goodness” (376). We might know in our minds that God’s goodness and mercy are real, but we so often doubt that truth in our hearts, especially when we are forced to face our own sins and wrongdoings. We find it hard to trust that God actually wants to forgive us because often our sins seem too big or too many. The first thing Christ says to the paralytic is “courage.” This word is what Christ says to us too, every time we come to him with our sins and suffering. Christ gives us the courage and the strength to face our fears and overcome our sins. This courage also gives us the power and confidence to go out and preach the Gospel message and to bring Christ’s healing power and love to others. The truth is there is not much point to physical healing if we do not receive spiritual healing as well. Our bodies are only temporary, but our souls are meant for eternity. While doctors can help heal physical sickness and disease, only Christ can heal the hurt in our hearts caused by sin. Trust that God’s mercy and goodness are real and that he wants to heal you too. STEP #3: ORATIO / PRAY“Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?” What are you afraid of? What is holding you back from embracing God’s love and mercy? What are some areas of your life where you need Christ’s love and healing? Invite him into those parts of your life. STEP #4: CONTEMPLATIO / CONTEMPLATE“Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.” “Jesus, I trust in you.” “Christ, heal my heart.” FOR THE REST OF YOUR DAY...Bring your fears, hurt, and sins to the Lord. Invite him into those parts of your life where you are most in need of his love and mercy. Trust that the Lord wants to meet you there and bring you healing and peace. SMARTPHONE LOCK SCREEN Today's prayer was prepared by Maggie Overbeck.
Step #1: Lectio / ReadMatthew 16:13-19 When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Step #2: Meditatio / MeditateIt was once said by a great man of God, Blessed John Henry Newman that one of the strongest supports for “assenting” to the faith of Jesus Christ is through its witnesses that have gone before us. In other words, we can learn to say a firm and convicted “YES” to Christianity by the powerful examples and testimonies of our fathers in faith. Today the Church universal honors the two pillars of Christianity, Saints Peter and Paul. In the opening prayer of the Mass for this feast we hear some powerful words... “Give us the noble and holy joy of this day, grant we pray, that your Church may in all things follow the teaching of those through whom she received the beginnings of right religion.” We could write a ten-page paper on this prayer, with so many words to reflect on, but the one phrase for us to look at today is this... “May your Church in all things follow the teaching of those through whom she received the beginnings of right religion.” Here it is... Follow the Witnesses! Follow those who received the Good News of Jesus Christ and don’t look anywhere else. Our lives can often be in a state of confusion and misdirection because we follow quacks. Yes I said quacks! A quack is someone who pretends to know what they are talking about. They quack, quack, quack their ideologies and self-interests; simply put, they are frauds! They have motives that promote themselves and agendas rather than proclaiming Jesus Christ. The temptation is always there to follow voices that lead us in the wrong direction. Saints Peter and Paul experienced an encounter with God himself and then made an incredible act of charity...they passed on what they experienced even when a brutal death was imminent. If we want to do anything that can help Jesus’ message reach the hearts of others, simply follow the lead of the witnesses who personally met Jesus and died for Him and then don’t keep this to yourself...share the Good News. Do not be afraid to give your life to this cause for it has eternal implications of great joy. Follow the Witnesses!!! Step #3: Oratio / PrayWho do I follow? Quacks or Jesus Christ? Do I follow all teachings of the Church? they are founded on those who personally met Jesus. What inspires me about the lives of Saints Peter and Paul? Think of 1 quality that I can challenge myself to live more fervently. How can I become a great witness to the Gospel message? STep #4: Contemplatio / Contemplate"May the Church in all things follow the teaching of those through whom she received the beginnings of right religion." "Follow all things in Christ." "Follow those Witnesses." For the Rest of Your Day...Give one person today a prayer card, or some sort of invitation to a relationship with Jesus Christ. Be a Missionary like Peter and Paul! Smartphone Lock SCreen Today's prayer was prepared by Fr. John McNamara.
Step #1: Lectio / ReadMatthew 8:23-27 As Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him. Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep. They came and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?” Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm. The men were amazed and said, “What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?” Step #2: Meditatio / MeditateWhere are we upon the seas of this world? Some days it may seem that we are just like the Lord’s disciples as they followed Him into the boat. Calm. Assured. At peace. Other times it may seem that the waters of our lives begin raging, without warning or provocation. How interesting it is that Saint Matthew accounts that Jesus was asleep after the troubling weather started, and not that He had fallen asleep before the storm began. Is this how we treat our relationship with Him? Do we turn to Him only when the going gets rough? If we treated our friends like this, we can’t blame them if they fall asleep once and a while when they’re with us. Today is the Feast of Saint Irenaeus of Lyons, a bishop of the young Church from the late second and early third centuries. Saint Irenaeus wrote against some of the errors in the early Church, as a shepherd would defend against the wolves that would harm his flock. He was martyred in a time of great persecution in the Church. His final thoughts were probably similar to those of the disciples in the boat with Jesus, yet with a different disposition: “Lord, save me! I am perishing!” Unlike the disciples in the boat at the time, Saint Irenaeus knew of the ultimate victory the Lord had accomplished via His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. “‘Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?’ Then He got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm.” He got up. The original Greek could be read as He rose again. The power of the earth, the winds and the sea, the power of death, all were submitted to Jesus, the Lord of Heaven and Earth by His Resurrection from the dead. What sort of Man is this, Whom even life and death obey? Dominus est! It is the Lord! Step #3: Oratio / Pray“The men were amazed and said, ‘What sort of Man is this, Whom even the winds and the sea obey?’” How often do we wonder and have awe at the power of God? Do we have doubts in our limited minds about the unlimited power of Almighty God Who lowered Himself to our humble state? What then can we do with this beautiful grace of this revelation of God’s power? Step #4: Contemplatio / Contemplate"Lord, let me not fall asleep in my life of prayer." "Lord, rebuke the raging winds and seas of my heart." "Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!" For the Rest of Your Day...Take all the troubles, large and small, as a passing thing like a passing summer storm. Then let the heavy rains help grace and trust in the Lord's power to blossom in your soul. Smartphone Lock Screen Today's prayer was prepared by Kevin Poynton.
Step #1: Lectio / ReadMatthew 8:18-22 When Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other shore. A scribe approached and said to him, “Teacher, 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.” Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But Jesus answered him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.” Step #2: Meditatio / MeditateJesus has just come down from the mountain where He gave the Sermon on the Mount, almost certainly His most famous series of teachings. Now, as He travels, incredible things are happening; crowds are following Him everywhere and seeing healings, miracles, and all sorts of incredible things. Then, in the midst of all of that, Jesus is approached by people who are talking to Him about what it means to be a follower, and Jesus has some difficult things for them to hear. To the first, who says He is ready to follow Jesus, He responds that, while animals and birds have places to rest, He does not. In this gentle but stern rebuke of the man's desire to follow Jesus, we can learn a truth of discipleship: it's not going to be easy. Sometimes, if you're following Christ, you'll realize that everyone around you has nicer stuff than you do. Maybe, you'll even be tempted to look at their lives and doubt your own choice to follow Christ. What Jesus was doing here was preparing us for this; He is even saying that we might, at times, get jealous of foxes and birds because they have things Jesus doesn't have. This does not make Jesus not worth following - not by a long shot - but it does prepare us to know what it will take to truly be a follower. Then, in the next conversation which seems much more harsh than the previous one, a man says that he wants to follow Jesus, but first He has to go and bury his father. Jesus responds by telling the man that his job is to follow Jesus, and that the dead can bury the dead. Unlike Jesus, we don't know the situation of the man who was saying that; we can guess, though from Jesus' response, that the man's father was probably not even sick yet. The question the man asked was not because he was grieving and needed to take care of that grief first, because Jesus would have allowed that. Rather, we can be fairly sure that the man was just hoping to have a little more time before truly becoming a follower of Jesus. These man were ready in theory to follow Jesus, but following Him can never be a theory; as G.K. Chesterton once said, it needs to be a "love affair." Overall, this Gospel passage today helps remind us of the depth, difficulty, and ultimately the beauty of following Jesus. It will be hard, and there will be things we have to leave behind, but in the end this Man, Jesus, the Savior of the World, is worth more than all of the pearls and riches in the world. In the end, the pleasures, fame, and success of this world are nothing compared to joy of a relationship of love with the One who created each of us. This is what it means to be a follower: choosing Him without regard for what we're giving up, not because it sounds nice in theory but because we know that falling in love with Christ is the greatest adventure in the world and is worth whatever we have to lose. Step #3: Oratio / Pray"Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair." -G.K. Chesterton The actual followers in Jesus' day would have walked so closely to Him that they would have been covered in the dust He kicked up. If you describe how you are doing as a follower, are you covered in dust? Can you only see Him in the distance? When you think of what it means to be a follower, what are the characteristics you think of? Step #4: Contemplatio / ContemplateJesus, I long to follow you. I choose You over everything else. Teach me to be a disciple. For the Rest of Your Day...As you go about your normal day - work, hanging out with friends, working out, whatever you do - take note of all of your moments and interactions. Do they reflect that you're a follower of Christ in reality? If not, how can you improve? Smartphone Lock Screen Today's prayer was prepared by Jason Theobald.
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