TYPOLOGY THE PROMISE OF A SAVIOR

SCRIPTURE, THE STORY OF OUR SALVATION

JESUS READS FROM THE SCROLLS

 When reading the Bible, you may have noticed some people and events seem familiar like you have already read something similar.  Well, that is true if you read from both the Old Testament and the New Testament and there is a name for this experience.

In the New Testament the Old is perfectly fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ The technical name for seeing the New Testament in the Old Testament is called typology. Typology is the study of the Bible as a unified whole with Christ at the center.

 I will now share with you a few of the types found in the Old Testament. There are many more if you wish to search ie. David on donkey, Jesus on donkey…

 ADAM

 Jesus is the New Adam giving us life rather than death.  Early Christian writers spoke of Jesus as the New Adam. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans:

 The first Adam was disobedient which resulted in original sin and death. Jesus was obedient which resulted in salvation and life. Just as through one person sin entered the world, and the many died…, how much more did   the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one person, Jesus Christ, overflow for the many… Romans 5:8.

 

 ABRAHAM

 The LORD said to Abram: Go forth* from your land, your relatives, and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing Genesis 12:1-2

 Abraham was a type of Christ in that he was the prototypical stranger and foreigner. Like the Redeemer, He functionally “had nowhere to lay his head.”  Abraham was to be the Father of many nations.  Jesus came to call all nations, the everlasting Father of all.

 

 ISAAC

 Sometime afterward, God put Abraham to the test and said Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. And there offer him up as a burnt offering on one of the heights that I will point out to you Genesis 22:1-2

Isaac was a type of Christ in that he was the promised “son of Abraham.” The promises of God were given directly to Abraham with respect to His son . Just as Isaac’s birth was the result of the supernatural power of God so too was it true of Jesus. Isaac carried the wood on his back for the sacrifice as Jesus carried his cross. Do not lay your hand on the boy,” said the angel

 

MELCHIZEDEK

Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine, and being a priest of God Most High, he blessed Abram with these words:  Blessed be Abram by God Most High, the creator of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your foes into your hand.” Genesis 14:18-19

“The Lord has sworn, and he will not repent: ‘You are a priest forever'”-in the order of –  Melchizedek …. It was fitting that we should have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners…Hebrews 7:17-22

Melchizedek offers bread and wine to Abraham as Jesus offered bread and wine in thanksgiving at Last Supper

Moses receives Ten Commandments

Moses’ mission was to free Israel from slavery to Egypt.  Jesus delivers us from the slavery of sin.

 Then the LORD said to Moses: Come up to me on the mountain and, while you are there, I will give you the stone tablets on which I have written the commandments intended for their instruction. Genesis 24:12

In the New Testament Jesus explains the Ten Commandments more fully in the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down…, He began to teach them, saying: The Beatitudes*… Matthew 5:1-2

 

JONAH

 “This is the word of the LORD that came to Jonah, “Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and preach against it; their wickedness has come up before me.” Jonah 2:11

Jonah tried to run away from his mission, “But the LORD sent a large fish, that swallowed Jonah; and he remained in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.  On the third day Jonah was “resurrected” from the belly of the fish.

The story of Jonah and the whale from the Old Testament prefigures Christ’s burial, the stomach of the whale as Christ’s tomb: Jonah was freed from the whale after three days, so did Christ rise from his tomb after three days.

After Jesus’ death He was placed in a tomb.

 “Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it (in) clean linen and laid it in his new tomb that he had hewn in the rock. Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the tomb and departed.” Matthew 27:60

On the third day Jesus rose from the dead.

“After the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.…..  Then the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified.  He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said.” Matthew 28:1-10

 DAVID 

 David was a shepherd from Bethlehem who was chosen by God to be the King of Israel. David was a mighty warrior King. David was a shepherd/King who ruled over God’s people in faithfulness.  Jesus is the Good Shepherd and the King of Kings who rules over God’s people in perfect covenantal faithfulness.

 PRAYER TO JESUS LORD AND SAVIOR

Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God, that you died on the cross to rescue me from sin and death and to restore me to the Father.

 I choose now to turn from my sins, my self-centeredness, and every part of my life that does not please you. I choose you.

Please forgive me. Live in me. Love through me.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

FEAST OF THE EXHALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS SEPTEMBER 14

CATHOLIC FEAST DAYS

JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS

WE ADORE YOU O CHRIST, AND WE BLESS YOU

BECAUSE BY YOUR HOLY CROSS YOU HAVE REDEEMED THE WORLD!

 BACKGROUND

 The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is celebrated every year on September 14. This feast recalls two historical events: the finding of the True Cross by Saint Helena, mother of emperor Constantine, and the dedication of churches built by Constantine (335) on the site of the Holy Sepulcher and Mount Calvary.

After the death and resurrection of Christ, both the Jewish and Roman authorities in Jerusalem made efforts to obscure the Holy Sepulcher, Christ’s tomb, in a garden near the site of His crucifixion. According to tradition, Saint Helena, Mother of Emperor, Constantine, nearing the end of her life, decided under divine inspiration to travel to Jerusalem in 326 to excavate the Holy Sepulcher in an attempt to locate the True Cross.

In celebration of the discovery of the Holy Cross, Constantine ordered the construction of churches at the site of the Holy Sepulcher and on Mount Calvary. Those churches were dedicated on September 13 and 14, 335, and shortly thereafter the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross began to be celebrated on September 14.

 REFLECTION

The cross reminds us of many things: atonement, forgiveness, love, mercy, redemption, salvation, and hope.  This instrument of torture, designed to disgrace and dismiss the worst of criminals, became the life-giving tree that reversed Adam’s Original Sin when he ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden. God loves us even to death on the cross. LOVE is what the crucifixion is all about,

Christians display the cross in their homes.  They wear it on their person.  They make the sign of the cross before prayer and on entering Church with the waters of Baptism. With the sign of the cross we remind ourselves and witness to others that we have set ourselves apart from worldly rule and pledge our very selves to God’s reign in heaven.

At Mass, the same sacrifice offered on Calvary is offered in an “unbloody manner.” We offer ourselves with the priest to the Father in sacrificial atonement for our sins.  When we receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion, we do not simply unite ourselves to Christ; we nail ourselves to the Cross, dying with Christ so that we might truly rise with Him.  “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23).

God did not spare His own Son from suffering.  God takes upon Himself all the hate, bitterness, resentment, violence, and sins of this world.  God has promised in the end, there will be redemption, vindication, immunity from suffering, and eternal life.

Suffering in this world is inevitable.  God did not promise us a “rose garden” without thorns.  But He did promise to nurture, feed, and prune that rose garden as He brings it to the fullness of glory in heaven.

At Jesus’ death, the Temple veil before the “holy of holies” was split in two from top to bottom revealing the inner heart of God.  There is no longer a veil between us and God’s heart.  The cross of Jesus fully reveals what God looks like!

The cross of Jesus doesn’t just reveal God’s unconditional love for us; but also reveals that vulnerability is the path to intimacy with God.

God is not about condemnation and crushing every evil by force.  “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn* the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” John 3:17   God is like a gentle mother coaxing her child to take that next step in learning to walk.

J

ESUS CHRIST SAVIOR OF THE WORLD

O HAPPY FAULT THAT EARNED FOR US SO GREAT, SO GLORIOUS A REDEEMER!

SAINT AMBROSE

EASTER VIGIL PROCLAMATION

 

 

 

 

 

EPHESIANS CHAPTER 4

SCRIPTURE

Renewal in Christ.*

—you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds; darkened in understanding, and alienated from the life of God…. because of their hardness of heart, they have become callous and have handed themselves over to… every kind of impurity to excess.

That is not how you learned Christ…. you should put away the old self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on* the new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth.

REFLECTION

Repent and believe in the Gospel! Turn back to God. Seek God rather than what appeals to self, especially addiction to anything. Stop worrying about matters in this world, prepare for matters in the next world.  Eternity is forever, no time out.

Protect me from my own careless thoughts, words, and actions.  Give me a wise discerning heart to see the world as you see it. Lord have mercy!

I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Rules for the New Life.

Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun set on your anger, and do not leave room for the devil.

The thief must no longer steal, but rather labor, doing honest work* with his [own] hands, so that he may have something to share with one in need.

No foul language should come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for needed edification, that it may impart grace to those who hear…. All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice. And] be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.

REFLECTION

Jesus is the light of the world. Let that light shine on the darkness of sin and leanings towards sin. May this light disperse the darkness, Let me take in that light that I may be a light to others in this world

As we are forgiven in Christ we must forgive those who offend us. The Our Father says it best, Forgive us our trespasses  as we forgive those who trespass against us, Be careful what you pray for!

 

 

SAINT (MOTHER) TERESA OF CALCUTTA

CATHOLIC FEAST DAYS

FEAST DAY SEPTEMBER 5

 INTRODUCTION

Mother Teresa is one of my favorite saints.  Years ago, she inspired our whole family, teenage girls included, to spend time in the poorest of poor nations, Haiti, to work with the poor and dying.  One of the places was a hospice run by the Missionaries of Charity the order Mother Teresa founded.

Our family has never been the same since. “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 16:25

BACKGROUND

Born in Skopje (North Macedonia) in 1910, MOTHER TERESA joined the Sisters of Loreto in Dublin in 1928 and was sent to India, where she began her novitiate. She taught at St. Mary’s High School in Calcutta from 1931 to 1948, until leaving the Loreto order to begin the Missionaries of Charity.

In 1946, Mother Teresa had a mystical encounter with Christ on a train to Darjeeling September 26, 1946 in which He asked her to take her love for Him a large step further.

He asked her to leave the convent of Loreto and begin an order which would serve the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta.

During the time of her mystical experiences leading to the founding of the new order, she experienced deep spiritual union and the sensible awareness of God’s Presence in her life.

Here is a small sample of Jesus’ words to Mother Teresa during this time: “My little one – come – carry Me into the holes of the poor. –  Come be My light – I cannot go alone – they don’t know Me – in your love for Me – they will see Me, know Me, want Me…. For them I long –”

During her lifelong service to the poorest of the poor, Mother Teresa became an icon of compassion to people of all religions; her extraordinary contributions to the care of the sick, the dying, and thousands of others nobody else was prepared to look after, has been recognized and acclaimed throughout the world.

REFLECTION

 GOOD NEWS QUOTES OF MOTHER TERESA

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

Each person is Jesus in disguise. I say to myself, this is hungry Jesus, I must feed him. This one has leprosy.  I must wash him and tend to him….

 It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us…Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start.

 People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway…. If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway. If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.  The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

 Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway. At the hour of death when we come face-to-face with God, we are going to be judged on love; not how much we have done, but how much love we put into the doing….

Mother Teresa’s 1979 Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech

Lord, make me a channel of Thy peace that, where there is hatred, I may bring love; that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness; that, where there is discord, I may bring harmony; that, where there is error, I may bring truth; that, where there is doubt, I may bring faith; that, where there is despair, I may bring hope; that, where there are shadows, I may bring light; that, where there is sadness, I may bring joy. Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted, to love than to be loved; for it is by forgetting self that one finds; it is forgiving that one is forgiven; it is by dying that one awakens to eternal life.

CONCLUSION

We are each called and equipped by God to not only survive our personal Calcutta, but to contribute to those around us whose individual Calcutta intersects our own.   There is no need, then, to travel to far-off lands to contribute… Wherever we are, with whatever talents and relationships God has entrusted us, we are each called not to do what Mother Teresa did, but– to love as she loved in the Calcutta of our own life. 

 Made in the very image and likeness of God, We, on earth, are God’s love, God’s compassion, God’s will, God’s caregivers, His smile, His tears.  We must show the presence of God in this world until He comes again at the end of time

 

 

 

WOMEN IN THE CHURCH

CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING, CATHOLIC COMMENTARY

A GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES HEBREWS 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,

let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us

and persevere in running the race that lies before us.

 INTRODUCTION

 This month of August we have celebrated two feasts of Mary Mother of God.  Mary is the model to all women saints in the great cloud of witnesses.  Mary’s devotion and prayer life was exemplar!

When she asked Jesus’ assistance at Cana wedding feast fully confident that Jesus would answer her and He did with gallons and gallons of good wine.  Mary is the best intercessor with Jesus and so are many of the women in our lives Grandmothers, Mothers, Sisters, Wives, Aunts…… Our mothers are praying for us right now because that is what mothers do.

 COMMENTARY

 Where would the Church be without Mother Mary, Mother Teresa,\Therese, the Little Flower,  Faustina,  Bernadette. Joan of Arc, and Clare of Assisi to name a few women in the “cloud of witnesses.”

There are certainly passages in the Old and New Testament that could be interpreted as painting women as less than equal to men.  But that was in a culture thousands of years ago in the Middle East.  We would have a better understanding of women’s place in God’s kingdom (Church) by focusing more on Jesus’ interchanges with women in the Gospels.

Jesus, himself, did not discriminate against women but engaged them in His Public Ministry: Jesus raised the widow’s son at a funeral procession in Nain Luke 7:11; Jesus healed the woman suffering years of blood loss Mark 5:24-34; and forgave the Woman caught in adultery John 8:1-11 without any discrimination.

Breaking the sexist and racial customs of his day, Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman at the well, offering her “living water”

John 4:5-42.

JESUS AND THE SAMARITAN WOMAN AT THE WELL

To the degree that a Christian treats women in a discriminating or exploitive way, they separate themselves from Jesus Christ.  Jesus treated women with openness, respect, acceptance, and tenderness. In this way he honored the dignity that women have always possessed according to God’s plan

WOMEN MINISTRY IN THE CHURCH OF JESUS

Over 85 percent of those responsible for altar preparation are women. Over 75 percent of adult Bible study leaders and participants are women. Over 85 percent of those who lead or assist in ministries designed to help the poor, visit the sick, comfort the grieving, and minister to the handicapped are women.  

 PAUL LETTER TO EPHESIANS

Women have had a particular problem with St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians 5:22-25 that talks about wives being subordinate to husbands, kind of a poor way to put it for 21st century folks.  Early Church Fathers said that Scripture can be rightly interpreted in a variety of ways, but that any understanding of a passage that undermined love of God or love of neighbor ought to be rejected.

Paul is really not placing women in a slavish role to their husbands but trying to compare a marriage couple to the Church the bride, and Christ the bridegroom.  The key verse is verse 25, “Husbands love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her”

The Catholic Church teaches the proper recipient of Holy Orders is a baptized male as Jesus is.  The reservation of priestly ordination to men is perhaps the grievance most often brought up by critics of the Church. The Church does not discriminate against women. Are women less holy than men, of course not, less intellectually capable, of course not?

While on earth, Jesus ordained only men, Women were among the earliest and most courageous followers of Jesus, yet he did not call them to be among the Twelve. Even his own Mother, who according to Catholic belief is the greatest human person in all of history, was not among the Twelve nor ordained a priest.

Jesus’ Church today cannot go beyond Jesus.  Some will argue it is a cultural thing.  We don’t live in First Century Middle East.  But as I stated earlier Jesus was not bound by the usual social norms and broke them all the time.  Also women priestesses of pagan gods were common place in the time of Jesus.

 CONCLUSION

The First Letter to the Corinthians (I Corinthians 12:12) indicates, just as the human body has different members and each member a different purpose, so, too, the various parts of the body of Christ have many missions, prophets, teachers, healers, helpers, administrators…, all essential, valuable, and vital for life of Church, Christ’s Body.

 The bottom line is this…. most saints in heaven are not ordained clergy. The layperson can participate actively and fully in the Church as a layperson, and may they do so with vigor and zeal! The Spirit bestows different gifts on different people. Below are just a few women saints that have gone before us and pray as intercessors.

St Monica Model of Prayer

St Monica the Mother of St. Augustine is remembered and honored for her outstanding Christian virtues of grieving mothers, difficult marriages, victims of abuse and conversion of relatives.

St Therese of Lisieux (Little Flower)

Model of Faith

 At the heart of Therese’s understanding of the spiritual life is the principle that holiness can be appreciated and accomplished not only in the performance of mighty deeds but in a willing surrender to the purposes of God as we engage the seemingly ordinary experiences of life.

Mother Theresa of Calcutta Model of Works

St Theresa did amazing works of charity…feeding the poor. nursing the sick and housing the homeless through her order, The Missionaries of Charity, for over 45 years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

MARY QUEEN OF HEAVEN FEAST DAY AUGUST 22

CATHOLIC FEAST DAYS, MARY MOTHER OF GOD

                                                              MARY CROWNED QUEEN OF HEAVEN AND EARTH

INTRODUCTION

 Centuries before the birth of Christ, Isaiah foretold the coming of the Messiah-King: “A child is born to us [he said], a son is given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace”… This Messiah would be in the royal line of David, and his reign would have no end Isaiah. 9:6-7.

Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Son of David who came to fulfill the Davidic Kingdom. The whole point of the genealogy in the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel is to show Jesus is royalty; he is the heir to David’s throne. Matthew 1:1

When the angel Gabriel appears to Mary, he explicitly links the birth of the child to the fulfillment of God’s promise to King David:

The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. Luke 1:26-33

 First century Jews would have known, under the reign of David’s royal family, the kingdom was ruled by both a King and a Queen. Unlike in modern-day kingdoms, however, the queen of Israel was not the king’s wife but his mother. She was known as the “Queen Mother.”

The pre-eminence of the king’s mother may seem odd from our modern Western perspective, In the Near East, however, most ancient Near-Eastern kings practiced polygamy. King Solomon had seven hundred wives 1 Kings.11:3

Imagine the chaos in the royal court if all seven hundred were awarded the Queen-ship! But since each king had only one mother, one can see the practical wisdom in bestowing the Queen-ship upon her. In the historical books of the Old Testament, the Queen mother holds a position of great honor.

According to the Old Testament, the Queen mother was also a powerful intercessor with her son, the king.  In Hebrew tradition, Mary is Queen Mother. Mary’s royal office is made even more explicit in Luke’s account of the Visitation. Elizabeth greets Mary with the title “the mother of my Lord” Luke 1:43. Elizabeth is recognizing the great dignity of Mary’s role as the royal mother of the king, Jesus

In the royal court language of the ancient Near East, the title “Mother of my Lord” was used to address the Queen mother of the reigning king (who himself was addressed as “my Lord”  2 Sam. 24:21.

In the last book of the Bible, Book of Revelation, we have the confirmation of what prophets and evangelists have been writing for centuries. a woman clothed with the sun and wearing a crown of stars is standing above the moon and the stars “in heaven.” Revelation 12:1

 Just as Jesus is a heavenly King who reigns over a heavenly kingdom, so Mary, Jesus’ mother, can rightly be described as Queen of the kingdom of heaven.

REFLECTION

 What God has accomplished in Mother Mary, He also wants to accomplish in us. From Heaven, Mary encourages each of us to say Yes to God’s plan for our lives just as she did so long ago.

Understanding Mary as Queen mother sheds light on her important intercessory role with Jesus, her Son. Just like the queen mother of the Davidic kingdom, Mary serves as advocate for the people in the Kingdom of God today.

Mary helps us to share in the Lord’s victory over sin. Rising above those sins, we begin to acquire self-mastery, true purity of heart, and a newfound ability to give ourselves to others in love and in service. All of this is who Mary is and why she reigns in Heaven.  There is no better intercessor than the Queen Mother! Mary awaits us! Bring us safely home, Mary! Amen!

Regina Caeli – Queen of Heaven

Queen of heaven, rejoice. Alleluia.  Pray to God for us, Alleluia.

O God, it was by the Resurrection of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, that you brought joy to the world.

Grant through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, his Mother, we may attain the joy of eternal life.

Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

 

FEAST OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY ASSUMPTION INTO HEAVEN

CATHOLIC FEAST DAYS, MARY MOTHER OF GOD

DORMITION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

BACKGROUND

 The Feast of the Assumption is the oldest Marian feast of the Catholic Church, celebrated universally by the sixth century. The feast was originally celebrated in the East, where it was known as the Feast of the Dormition, a word which means “the falling asleep.”

For two centuries after the death of Christ, under pagan rule, every memory of Jesus was obliterated from the city of Jerusalem. The sites made holy by His life, death and Resurrection became pagan temples. It wasn’t until the time of Roman Emperor Constantine (c. 285-337) that Jerusalem began to be restored as a sacred city.

One of the memories about his Mother Mary centered around the “Tomb of Mary,” where she was buried, close to Mount Zion, the highest point in ancient Jerusalem.

Also on the Mount was the “Place of Dormition,” the spot of Mary’s “falling asleep,” (where she had “died.) These two sites do suggest in tradition that Mary apparently died and was buried,

At the Council of Chalcedon in 451, Emperor Marcian asked the Patriarch of Jerusalem to bring the relics of Mary to Constantinople to be enshrined in the capitol. The patriarch explained to the emperor that there were no relics of Mary in Jerusalem that “Mary had died in the presence of the apostles; but her tomb, when opened later, was found empty and so the apostles concluded that the body was taken up into heaven.”

Did Mary actually die or was she assumed into heaven alive?  We don’t have a definitive answer to that question but as Catholics we are free to believe either.

What we must believe according to the teaching authority of the Church (Magisterium) is: Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heaven, without seeing corruption.

 CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which we celebrate on August 15, is a defined Church dogma. In 1950, Pope Pius XII defined the dogma of the Assumption ex cathedra—that is, an authoritative teaching “from the chair” of Peter.

Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Assumption of Mary a dogma in these words, “The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heaven, without seeing corruption.

REFLECTION

Mary did not ascend into heaven like her Son did under His own power, but was taken up to heaven by God.  The Assumption completes God’s work in Mary since it was not fitting that the flesh that had given life to God himself should ever undergo corruption.

On this feast of Assumption, we celebrate Mary’s entrance into heaven, body and soul. Though our bodies are corrupted in death unlike Mary, one day our bodies will be restored. Our bodies, created by God, are sacred and are essential to our human nature. “….

In The Feast of the Assumption, we look to eternity.  This life on earth is temporal and for the most part filled with suffering and grief. We look forward to life after death. Thank God that this is not all there is! This feast gives us hope that we, too will follow Our Lady when our life here on earth ends.

Wherever there is an out-stretched hand in labor for others we are participating in the grace and mystery of Mary’s Assumption.  As God lifted Mary up, God awaits those we lift in our labors. and we, the lifters as well.  Our heavenly home awaits!

 At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known. I Corinthians 13:9-13 We have made it home!

Mary’s assumption is proof of how we will be rewarded for the sacrifices we make here on earth- By giving up now on earth what we like but what is sinful, and enduring what is painful to us but pleasing to God, we shall enjoy Heaven with Jesus and Mary – body and soul – in the world to come.

PRAYER

“All-powerful and ever-living God:

You raised the sinless Virgin Mary, mother of your Son, body and soul, to the glory of heaven.

May we see heaven as our final goal and come to share her glory.”

In Jesus’ name we pray.

The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary,

 having completed the course of her earthly life,

was assumed body and soul into heaven,

without seeing corruption.

POPE PIUS XII

 

 

CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING SOCIAL JUSTICE

CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHING, SOCIAL JUSTICE

PROLOGUE

The Catholic Church from the time of Jesus has a long history of promoting social justice. The early Christians took care of one another in community, looked after the common good, loved each other and prayed together.

 “All who believed were together and had all things in common they would sell their property and possessions and divide them among all according to each one’s need. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area and to breaking bread in their homes… praising God and enjoying favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.”

Book of Acts 2:42-45

 SCRIPTURE

“Anyone who says I love God and hates his neighbor is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” I John 4:20

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?…If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? Faith without works is dead.” James 2:14-17

 “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.  This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  John 13:34-35

 CATHECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

 

REFLECTION

 No one person receives the same talents and gifts but all talents and gifts are present in the body of Christ so that no one is left behind materially or spiritually. In other words, Catholic Social Justice teaching calls on us the “people of God” to minister to our neighbor’s needs, to speak out against injustice, and to work for peace.

 CCC #1934 Created in the image of the one God and equally endowed with rational souls, all men have the same nature and the same origin. Redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ, all are called to participate in the same divine beatitude: all therefore enjoy an equal dignity.

 CCC #1936 On coming into this world man is not equipped with everything he needs for developing his bodily and spiritual life.  He needs others.  Talents and gifts are not distributed equally, “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone…Corinthians chapter 12:4-7

 CCC #1937 These differences belong to God’s divine plan who wills that each receives what he needs from others and those endowed with particular talents share them with those who need them.  These differences encourage and sometimes oblige persons to practice generosity, kindness, and sharing of goods.

 COMMENTARY

 In these turbulent times I am going to focus today on the subject of Racism.  I have been a social justice advocate all my adult life. have led protests/demonstrations against racial injustice. immoral wars and to abolish the death penalty “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” Matthew 25:40.

In this presidential election year racism has raised its ugly head more than once. Race, ethnicity. and whether you were born in America. It reminds us of the Charlotteville march by KKK shouting Jews will not replace us! Former President Trump when asked to comment said, there were good people on both sides!

RACISM

 Racism is not merely one sin among many.  It is the Original Sin of our Country.  Our country was built on slave labor and the genocide of Native Americans. That is a fact whether we like it or not.

Racism is a radical evil that divides the human family blots out the image of God among specific members of that family, and violates the fundamental human dignity of those called to be children of the same Father.

With more and more limited resources. the poor and racial minorities are being asked to bear the heaviest burden of the new economic pressures. As economic pressures tighten, those people who are often black, Hispanic, Native American and Asian, the marginalized poor, slip further into the unending cycle of poverty, deprivation, and disease, .

REFLECTION

In Christ Jesus “there does not exist among you Jew or Greek, slave or freedom, male or female. All are one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28  No one wants to think of themselves as a racist and most people are not.  But an examination of conscience might be in order to see the extent that racial bias affects our personal attitudes and judgments.

I know over the years if I had an unpleasant experience with a person of color, I might be inclined to let that “color” my opinions leading to prejudging and perhaps avoiding such a person in the future.  Racism is insidious as it might sneak up on us before we are aware and take steps to mitigate any generalization about a race. As disciples of Jesus we do our best to influence the attitudes of others by expressly rejecting racial stereotypes, racial slurs and racial jokes.

If we want peace, we must work for justice – here at home and around the world. Lasting peace is the effect of charity. There is no real peace without forgiveness… If we want peace, we must let go of our desire for revenge, we must be willing to let old wounds heal through the saving grace of God’s love.

Prayer to Overcome Racism

We are called to be one people, sisters and brothers to each other.

Mary our Mother, we ask for your help in obtaining the grace we need to overcome the evil of racism and to build a just society.

We pray that prejudice and animosity will no longer infect our minds or hearts

but will be replaced with a love that respects the dignity of each person. Mary Mother of us all, pray for us. Amen

 

EPHESIANS CHAPTER 2-1-8;13-19

CATHOLIC LETTERS, SCRIPTURE

THE GOSPEL OF SALVATION

You were dead in your transgressions and sins….But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ* by grace you have been saved….

raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesu….

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast.  For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.

One in Christ.

Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace… who broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh…

He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near

for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are with the holy ones. members of the household of God….

REFLECTION

He came and preached peace to you who were far and near

Peace be with you! More than anything we need peace in our heart.  When we are filled with angst and distress something is wrong.  Pray to God to find it and fix it!

Amazing Grace! How Great thou Art!

Amazing grace (how sweet the sound)
that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found…

God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

God does not wait. Thank God we have a God who loves us so much just the way we are.  Blessed be God!

God Saves! We do not save ourselves.

There is only one Savior, Jesus Christ Incarnate.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

Lord, I give myself to you. I receive your forgiveness gladly and ask you to take your rightful place in my life as my Savior and Lord, fill me with your love and your life.  

PARABLES OF JESUS 1

SCRIPTURE

THE PRODIGAL SON LUKE 15:11-24

A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them. 

After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.  When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need.  So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. 

And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any.  Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger.

I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”‘

So he got up and went back to his father.  While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.

He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’

But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’

REFLECTION:

‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me

This son has no right to any inheritance he might receive after his father’s death.  Do we make demands for things we have no right to?

he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.

Do we squander the graces we receive from God?

Coming to his senses…I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you

REPENT AND BELIEVE IN THE GOSPEL! Turn back to god.

While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion

The Father in this parable is longing for his son’s return the same way God thirsts for us.  

the Father clothed him in the finest garment and ordered a feast for this son who was dead and has come to life again…he was lost and has been found….

so it is with God when we turn from sin and return to the Father…He places a wedding garment on our shoulders and welcomes us to the feast….

THE SOWER AND THE SEED MARK 4:2-8

In those days Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God.  When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve. 

Jesus taught them at length in parables, and in the course of his instruction he said to them,

“Hear this!  A sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil.

It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep. And when the sun rose, it was scorched and it withered for lack of roots.

 Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it and it produced no grain. And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit.  It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” 

 REFLECTION:

Jesus sows the word…those sown on rocky ground receive it at once with joy… but when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away….

Those sown among thorns are the people who hear the word, but the lure of riches, and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word, and it bears no fruit…

but those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold…

Does the word bear fruit in my life? … How?

What must I do to enrich my soil…that I may bear fruit?