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March 2, 2009 -  Monday in the 1st Week of Lent     LITURGICAL/THEME MEDITATION: “As you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me” UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENT(S): Lent Called a Time to Strip Away Masks SAINT OF THE DAY St. Agnes of Bohemia  GENERAL MARIOLOGY POPE JOHN PAUL II ON BLESSED MARY Mary’s mediation derives from Christ’s DIVINE MERCY On God's Will Joining our Will to the Will of God  TEACHING/TESTIMONY/CONVICTION: On the Role of Angels

DAILY LITURGICAL MEDITATION

“As you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me” Gospel Reading:  Matthew 25:31-46 31 "When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. 34 Then the King will say to those at his right hand, `Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? 38 And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? 39 And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?' 40 And the King will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, `Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44 Then they also will answer, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?' 45 Then he will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' 46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Old Testament Reading: Leviticus 19:1-2,11-18 17 "You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason with your neighbor, lest you bear sin because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the  LORD. Meditation: Do you know God's love and do you allow the love of God to rule in your heart – in all of your thoughts, intentions, and attitudes – and in the way you relate to others? How we treat our neighbor – both those who bring us joy and friendship and those who cause us grief and trouble – has consequences both for the present and the future. If we harbor ill thoughts towards others and allow the root of bitterness to grow in our hearts, it will keep us from seeking their good and relating to them with selfless concern for their welfare. True love seeks the good of others regardless of how they treat us in kind. God loved us first – even when we were his enemies – when we ignored him, rejected him, and refused to believe and obey his word. That is why the Father sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world but to save it through the sacrifice of his son 's atoning death on the cross for our sins (John 3:16-17). Only God's purifying love and grace can free our hearts of pride, envy, selfishness, bitterness, greed, and hatred. Paul the Apostle tells us that "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us" (Romans 5:5). God's love has power to change and heal us and makes us whole. Do you believe that God is at work in you to change and transform you into the likeness of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18)? God will judge us, not on how much we have acquired or accomplished in this life, but on how much we have loved and forgiven others and shared with them God's mercy, kindness, and goodness. The one and only test that really counts is the measure to which we loved God in his truth and goodness and how much we shared that love with our neighbor as well. If we tolerate sinful attitudes and behavior, our hearts will become cold and hardened and unable to love and forgive others. The ultimate consequence of sin is eternal separation from God and the community of redeemed sinners who have been washed clean in the blood of the spotless lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ who gave his life for us upon the cross for our salvation. Just as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats at night so they can rest in peace, so God will separate those who have accepted his love and grace from those who have rejected it through unbelief and disobedience. Separation is an inevitable consequence of sin and judgment. The Day of Judgment will reveal who showed true love, compassion, and mercy toward their neighbor. This parable is similar to the parable about Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31). The rich man, who let Lazarus die on his doorstep, was doomed to a life of eternal misery. Separated by the abyss of hell, he craved for drops of cold water he had not thought of giving to the poor man who had begged at his door. When Martin of Tours (who lived in the 4th century), a young Roman soldier and seeker of the Christian faith, met an unclothed man begging for alms in the freezing cold, he stopped and cut his coat in two and gave half to the stranger. That night he dreamt he saw the heavenly court with Jesus robed in a torn cloak. One of the angels present asked, "Master, why do you wear that battered cloak?" Jesus replied, "My servant Martin gave it to me." Martin’s disciple and biographer Sulpicius Severus states that as a consequence of this vision Martin “flew to be baptized.” God is gracious and merciful; his love compels us to treat others with mercy and kindness. When we do something for one of Christ's little ones, we do it for Christ himself. Do you treat your neighbor with mercy, kindness, and compassion as Christ has treated you? "Lord Jesus, be the Ruler of my heart and the Master of my possessions. May your love burn away every selfish thought and bitter root that I may only think and act with charity and generosity towards all.” Psalm 19:8-10, 14 8 The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever;  the ordinances of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey  and drippings of the honeycomb. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.   www.dailyscripture.net   RETURN TO TOP

UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENTS

Lent Called a Time to Strip Away Masks Vatican Spokesman Says It Is a Season for Truth   VATICAN CITY, MARCH 1, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Lent is a good time for self-discovery -- a season to live "without masks," says a Vatican spokesman. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, made this proposal during the most recent edition of Vatican Television's "Octava Dies." He was drawing from a reflection made by Benedict XVI during his meeting with the clergy of Rome last week. On that occasion, the Pope considered how a pastor of souls has a special role, since people come to him "without masks," in their truth, without hiding behind the role they have in society. "[The Holy Father] insisted on the fact that the faith can be effectively proclaimed to men and women if it passes through the lived experience of the one who proclaims it, and if it is proclaimed in its essential simplicity, without weighing it down too much with erudite considerations," Father Lombardi explained. "Lent should be lived in this spirit," he stressed. "It is a time for presenting ourselves to God without masks, to try to put our relationship with him back at the center of each of our lives and to simplify our interests and words, returning them to what is truly important." The spokesman recalled how on Ash Wednesday, the Pontiff said that "Jesus is in the depths of our heart. Our relationship with him is present even when we speak and act in our professional duties. ... This relationship sometimes becomes explicit prayer." And in his Lenten message, Father Lombardi added, the Bishop of Rome recalled the value of fasting, inviting the faithful to find appropriate forms for it in daily life, as an exercise of freeing ourselves from attachment to ourselves to open ourselves to the love of God and charity in solidarity with others. "Thus," Father Lombardi concluded, "this is a time to rediscover the right place for God and attention to others with the help of simple concrete and daily gestures: prayer, fasting, almsgiving. It is a time to rediscover ourselves too and our truth, without masks. Let us not miss these opportunities!"   RETURN TO TOP

DAILY LITURGICAL SAINT

March 2, 2009 St. Agnes of Bohemia (1205-1282)   Agnes had no children of her own but was certainly life-giving for all who knew her. Agnes was the daughter of Queen Constance and King Ottokar I of Bohemia. At the age of three, she was betrothed to the Duke of Silesia, who died three years later. As she grew up, she decided she wanted to enter the religious life. After declining marriages to King Henry VII of Germany and Henry III of England, Agnes was faced with a proposal from Frederick II, the Holy Roman Emperor. She appealed to Pope Gregory IX for help. The pope was persuasive; Frederick magnanimously said that he could not be offended if Agnes preferred the King of Heaven to him. After Agnes built a hospital for the poor and a residence for the friars, she financed the construction of a Poor Clare monastery in Prague. In 1236, she and seven other noblewomen entered this monastery. Saint Clare sent five sisters from San Damiano to join them, and wrote Agnes four letters advising her on the beauty of her vocation and her duties as abbess. Agnes became known for prayer, obedience and mortification. Papal pressure forced her to accept her election as abbess; nevertheless, the title she preferred was "senior sister." Her position did not prevent her from cooking for the other sisters and mending the clothes of lepers. The sisters found her kind but very strict regarding the observance of poverty; she declined her royal brother’s offer to set up an endowment for the monastery. Devotion to Agnes arose soon after her death on March 6, 1282. She was canonized in 1989. Comment: Agnes spent at least 45 years in a Poor Clare monastery. Such a life requires a great deal of patience and charity. The temptation to selfishness certainly didn’t vanish when Agnes walked into the monastery. It is perhaps easy for us to think that cloistered nuns "have it made" regarding holiness. Their route is the same as ours: gradual exchange of our standards (inclination to selfishness) for God’s standard of generosity. Quote: "Have nothing to do with anyone who would stand in your way and would seek to turn you aside from fulfilling the vows which you have made to the Most High (Psalm 49:14) and from living in that perfection to which the Spirit of the Lord has called you" (Clare to Agnes, Letter II in Murray Bodo, O.F.M., Clare: A Light in the Garden, p. 118). http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/SaintofDay RETURN TO TOP

GENERAL MARIOLOGY

POPE JOHN PAUL II ON BLESSED MARY GENERAL AUDIENCE Wednesday, 1 October 1997 Mary’s mediation derives from Christ’s 1. Among the titles attributed to Mary in the Church’s devotion, chapter eight of Lumen gentium recalls that of "Mediatrix". Although some Council Fathers did not fully agree with this choice of title (cf. Acta Synodalia III, 8, 163-164), it was nevertheless inserted into the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church as confirmation of the value of the truth it expresses. Care was therefore taken not to associate it with any particular theology of mediation, but merely to list it among Mary’s other recognized titles. Moreover the conciliar text had already described the meaning of the title "Mediatrix" when it said that Mary "by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation" (Lumen gentium, n. 62). As I recalled in my Encyclical Redemptoris Mater: "Mary’s mediation is intimately linked with her motherhood. It possesses a specifically maternal character, which distinguishes it from the mediation of the other creatures" (n. 38). From this point of view it is unique in its kind and singularly effective. 2. With regard to the objections made by some of the Council Fathers concerning the term "Mediatrix", the Council itself provided an answer by saying that Mary is "a mother to us in the order of grace" (Lumen gentium, n. 61). We recall that Mary’s mediation is essentially defined by her divine motherhood. Recognition of her role as mediatrix is moreover implicit in the expression "our Mother", which presents the doctrine of Marian mediation by putting the accent on her motherhood. Lastly, the title "Mother in the order of grace" explains that the Blessed Virgin co-operates with Christ in humanity’s spiritual rebirth. 3. Mary’s maternal mediation does not obscure the unique and perfect mediation of Christ. Indeed, after calling Mary "Mediatrix", the Council is careful to explain that this "neither takes away anything from nor adds anything to the dignity and efficacy of Christ the one Mediator" (Lumen gentium, n. 62). And on this subject it quotes the famous text from the First Letter to Timothy: "For there is one God and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all" (2:5-6). In addition, the Council states that "Mary’s function as mother of men in no way obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power (Lumen gentium, n. 60). Therefore, far from being an obstacle to the exercise of Christ's unique mediation, Mary instead highlights its fruitfulness and efficacy. "The Blessed Virgin’s salutary influence on men originates not in any inner necessity but in the disposition of God. It flows forth from the superabundance of the merits of Christ, rests on his mediation, depends entirely on it and draws all its power from it" (Lumen gentium, n. 60). 4. The value of Mary’s mediation derives from Christ and thus the salutary influence of the Blessed Virgin "does not hinder in any way the immediate union of the faithful with Christ but on the contrary fosters it" (ibid.). The intrinsic orientation to Christ of the "Mediatrix's" work spurred the Council to recommend that the faithful turn to Mary "so that, encouraged by this maternal help they may the more closely adhere to the Mediator and Redeemer" (Lumen gentium, n. 62). In proclaiming Christ the one mediator (cf. 1 Tm 2:5-6), the text of St Paul’s Letter to Timothy excludes any other parallel mediation, but not subordinate mediation. In fact, before emphasizing the one exclusive mediation of Christ, the author urges "that supplications prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all men" (2:1). Are not prayers a form of mediation? Indeed, according to St Paul, the unique mediation of Christ is meant to encourage other dependent, ministerial forms of mediation. By proclaiming the uniqueness of Christ’s mediation, the Apostle intends only to exclude any autonomous or rival mediation, and not other forms compatible with the infinite value of the Saviour’s work. 5. It is possible to participate in Christ’s mediation in various areas of the work of salvation. After stressing that "no creature could ever be counted along with the Incarnate Word and Redeemer" (n. 62), Lumen gentium describes how it is possible for creatures to exercise certain forms of mediation which are dependent on Christ. In fact, "just as the priesthood of Christ is shared in various ways both by his ministers and the faithful, and as the one goodness of God is radiated in different ways among his creatures, so also the unique mediation of the Redeemer does not exclude but rather gives rise to a manifold co-operation which is but a sharing in this one source" (Lumen gentium, n. 62). This desire to bring about various participations in the one mediation of Christ reveals the gratuitous love of God who wants to share what he possesses. 6. In truth, what is Mary’s maternal mediation if not the Father's gift to humanity? This is why the Council concludes: "The Church does not hesitate to profess this subordinate role of Mary, which it constantly experiences and recommends to the heartfelt attention of the faithful" (ibid.). Mary carries out her maternal role in constant dependence on the mediation of Christ and from him receives all that his heart wishes to give mankind. On her earthly pilgrimage the Church "continuously" experiences the effective action of her "Mother in the order of grace".  http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/audiences/1997/index.htm    RETURN TO TOP

DIVINE MERCY

Dairy from St. Faustina On God's Will Joining our Will to the Will of God † From today on, I do the will of God everywhere, always, and in everything (Diary, 374). Now I understand well that what unites our soul most closely to God is self-denial; that is, joining our will to the will of God. This is what makes the soul truly free, contributes to profound recollection of the spirit, and makes all life's burdens light, and death sweet (Diary, 462). RETURN TO TOP

CATHOLIC  TEACHING/CONVICTION/TESTIMONY

On the Role of Angels "Let Us Call Upon Them Often"   VATICAN CITY, MARCH 1, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today before praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in St. Peter's Square. * * * Dear Brothers and Sisters! Today is the First Sunday of Lent, and the Gospel, with the sober and concise style of St. Mark, introduces us to the climate of this liturgical season: "The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for 40 days, tempted by Satan" (Mark 1:12). In the Holy Land, west of the Jordan and the oasis of Jericho, there is the desert of Judah, which ascends to a height of over 1,000 meters through rocky valleys, stretching all the way to Jerusalem. After having received baptism from John, Jesus enters that empty place, led by the Holy Spirit himself, which had descended upon him, consecrating him and revealing him as the Son of God. In the desert, the place of trial -- as the experience of the people of Israel shows -- there appears the dramatic reality of the "kenosis," the emptying of Christ, who is stripped of the form of God (cf. Philippians 2:6-7). He, who did not sin and cannot sin, submits himself to trial and thus can have compassion for our infirmities (cf. Hebrews 4:15). He lets himself be tempted by Satan, the adversary, who had opposed himself to God's salvific plan for men from the very beginning. In the brevity of the account, in the face of this obscure and darksome figure who dares to tempt the Lord, the angels, luminous and mysterious figures, fleetingly appear. The Gospel says that the angels "serve" Jesus (Mark 1:13); they are the counterpoint to Satan. "Angel" means "one who is sent." We find these figures throughout the Old Testament who help and guide men in the name of God. Just consider the Book of Tobit, in which the figure of the angel Raphael appears to assist the protagonist through many vicissitudes. The reassuring presence of the angel of the Lord accompanies the people of Israel through every event, good and bad. On the threshold of the New Testament, Gabriel is sent to announce to Zachariah and Mary the joyous happenings that are the beginnings of our salvation; and an angel, whose name is not mentioned, warns Joseph, directing him in that moment of uncertainty. A chorus of angels reports the glad tidings of Jesus' birth to the shepherds, as the glad tidings of his resurrection will also be announced by angels to the women. At the end of time the angels will accompany Jesus in his glorious return (cf. Matthew 25:31). The angels serve Jesus, who is certainly superior to them, and this dignity of his is proclaimed in a clear though discreet way here in the Gospel. Indeed, even in the situation of extreme poverty and humility, when he is tempted by Satan, he remains the Son of God, the Messiah, the Lord. Dear brothers and sisters, we would take away a significant part of the Gospel if we left aside these beings sent by God to announce his presence among us and be a sign of that presence. Let us call upon them often, that they sustain us in the task of following Jesus to the point of identifying ourselves with him. Let us ask them, especially today, to watch over me and my co-workers in the Roman Curia as we begin our retreat this week, as we do every year. Mary, Queen of Angels, pray for us! [Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic] [The Holy Father then greeted the people in several languages. In English, he said:] I am happy to greet all the English-speaking visitors present at today's Angelus prayer. On this First Sunday of Lent, the Gospel of Saint Mark speaks of Jesus being lead into the desert by the Holy Spirit, tempted by Satan and assisted by the angels. Let us pray that our Lenten journey will strengthen us in the struggle against all forms of temptation. Upon all of you I invoke God's abundant blessings, and I wish you a pleasant Sunday and a happy stay in Rome! © Copyright 2009 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana   RETURN TO TOP

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