A prayer of praise:
The First Sunday of Lent, 2024
February 18, 2024
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Genesis 9:8-15; Psalm 25; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:12-15
Our Lent begins with Jesus being sent by the Holy Spirit into the desert for tempting and purification, which is the reason we do the same as we focus upon prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It was a time when Jesus learned to depend upon his Father’s will, a practice that would help him say yes to his death on the Cross. We increase our practice of prayer in Lent as we align our life with Jesus. My question is: do we find a satisfactory way to pray that is best for us?
For Catholics, many of have prayers in which we do something, like the rosary or the Stations of the Cross. It is a visible sign that we are praying, and sometimes, silent prayer can be filled with those matters that we call distractions, and we lose concentration and confidence that we are doing it right. Where did we learn to pray anyways, and do we have to find a more meaningful way of praying? The church doesn’t quite teach people how to conduct one’s personal prayer. It teaches devotions and asks people to come to worship the Triune God in liturgical prayer.
What do we expect to happen when we ask God for something in prayer? Do we have an image of a Santa God who will give us good gifts if we are kind and nice to Him? That image will serve us for a time, but as we mature, we begin to get a different image of God, and our idea of prayer evolves. What do we expect God will do with our prayers? If we pray hard enough and say the right words, will God save the two-year old girl at Children’s Hospital suffering from cancer? What if the one-and-a-half-year-old boy in the next room does not survive? What does it say about the quality and quantity of one’s prayer? Throw in the equation race, socio-economic status, and other attributes that complicate reality. Prayer is a primal human action that is drawn from the depths of human crises. We pray when we are at the limits of our power, at the limits of our love. We bring our whole selves before God and we seek God’s mercy.
Also, I cannot pray for an end to world hunger if I do not share my food with someone who does not have enough to eat. I cannot pray that world leaders do a better job of managing climate change and then go out and buy the newest Sports Utility Vehicle. Prayer of this type must be followed with action if it is to be authentic. Prayer changes the one who asks and seeks. Our prayers ought to confront us with the will of God and make us aware that it is our duty to act in the world.
At the core of our questioning, we wonder if God actively intervenes in our lives. If God does, then how does God respect our free will, our free decision? Many people believe this while others maintain that God does not interfere with or change the course of natural principles or interrupt any physical chains of causality. They see that God has been active through people who seek God’s will, but only after the fact once we have had time to recollect and assess. Only then can we see that God is continually creating, sustaining, and maintaining the world and bring it close to the reign of God that Jesus preached.
The passage of Noah, a story to convey God’s covenant, shows us God’s power in human history and our response to praise God who wants to relate more closely to us. Each time we give thanks to God at Eucharist, we follow the pattern of Noah. We raise our gifts in praise and thanksgiving, and in turn, God sees the offering and sends us God’s grace. At Eucharist, it is no longer the bow in the clouds as the sign, but it is by faith the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. We gather in thanksgiving and praise as we recognize God as our creator and Lord. My purpose in praying is to stand before God, with the people God has called forth, to admit my dependence upon God. In Gratitude, I recognize that God is greater than I am. Our praise is our most fitting response to all that God has done for us.
Scripture for Daily Mass
Monday: (Leviticus 19) The Lord gives Moses ten commandments that he inscribes on stone tablets.
Tuesday: (Isaiah 55) God’s word will issue forth from his mouth and shall not return until it has fulfilled his will.
Wednesday: (Jonah 3) Jonah set out to Nineveh asking them to proclaim a fast and then repent. The king does repent and the Lord dropped his threat because they turned from evil.
Thursday: (Esther 3) Queen Esther appeals to God for help in converting the king’s heart for hatred of the enemy that threatens them.
Friday: (Ezekiel 18) If the wicked turns from sinfulness and keeps the Lord’s statutes, he will surely live. Likewise, if a virtuous man becomes wicked, he shall die.
Saturday: (Deuteronomy 26) Moses tells the people to observe the Lord’s statutes and decrees with their whole heart and soul. The Lord will stand by you.
Gospel:
Monday: (Matthew 25) Jesus tells his disciples about the last judgment when the goats and sheep will be separated. The measuring stick is the mercy shown to the most vulnerable.
Tuesday: (Matthew 6) The disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. He tells them not to pray like the pagans, who seek honor and glory, and then gives them the Lord’s prayer.
Wednesday: (Luke 11) Jesus chastises the crowd that seeks a sign, but none will be given to them. Because of Jonah’s preaching, the king and people repented.
Thursday: (Matthew 7) Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened. The Father is generous, especially to those who love him.
Friday: (Matthew 5) Your righteousness must surpass the levels of the scribes and Pharisees in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Show righteousness by quickly settling disputes.
Saturday: (Matthew 5) Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Heavenly Father. Be perfect as the Father is perfect.
Saints of the Week
February 21: Peter Damian, bishop and Doctor (1007-1072), was orphaned and raised by his brother, Damian, a priest in Ravenna. He began as a hermit monk and was then made abbot and cardinal. He became a reformer in the church often speaking out against clerical laxness.
February 22: The Chair of Peter is celebrated on this day. Previously, both Peter and Paul were remembered until their feast was transferred to June 29th. As the custom was ingrained in practice, Christians continued to honor the contributions Peter made to the church as the first of the apostles in continuous succession.
February 23: Polycarp, bishop and martyr (69-155), was made bishop of Smyrna and was the leader of the second generation Christians. He was a disciple of the apostle John and a friend of Ignatius of Antioch. He wrote catechesis and rites for initiation into the Christian community. He was martyred in 155 and is a Father of the early church.
This Week in Jesuit History
· February 18, 1595. St Robert Southwell, after two and a half years imprisonment in the tower, was removed to Newgate and there thrust into a dungeon known as "Limbo."
· February 19, 1581. The election of Fr. Claude Acquaviva as fifth general in the Fourth General Congregation. He was only 37 years of age and a Jesuit for only 14 years. He was general under eight popes. He had been a fellow novice with St Stanislaus.
· February 20, 1860. Pope Pius IX visits the rooms of St Ignatius.
· February 21, 1595. At Tyburn, the martyrdom of Robert Southwell after he had suffered brutal tortures in Topcliffe's house and in prison. He embraced the jailer who brought him word that he was to be executed. As he breathed his last, Lord Mountjoy, who presided over the execution, exclaimed: "May my soul be one day with that of this man."
· February 22, 1599. By order of Pope Clement VIII, the superiors general of the Jesuits and the Dominicans, assisted by others, met to settle, if possible, the controversies about grace. Nothing came of the meeting, since the Dominicans insisted on the condemnation of the writings of Fr. Molina.
· February 23, 1551. The Roman College, the major school of the Society later to become the Gregorian University, began its first scholastic year with 15 teachers and 60 students.
February 24, 1637. The death of Francis Pavone. Inflamed by his words and holy example, sixty members of a class of philosophy that he taught and the entire class of poetry embraced the religious state.
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