THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 26th – 31st, 2014
of the Sixth Week of Easter
Liturgical texts here
THERE is a perception in the Church that evangelization is for a chosen few. We hold conferences or parish missions and those “chosen few” come and speak to us, evangelize, and teach. But as for the rest of us, our duty is to simply go to Mass and keep from sin.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
JESUS said, “The wind blows where it wills… so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” That seemed to be the case in His own ministry when He would plan to do one thing, but the crowds would determine a different path. Likewise, St. Paul would often set sail for a destination but be thwarted by bad weather, persecution or the Spirit.
I have found this ministry to be no different over the years. Often when I say, “This is what I shall do…”, the Lord has other plans. Such is the case again. I sense the Lord wanting me to focus right now on some very important writings—some “words” that have been brewing for over two years. Without an elongated and unnecessary explanation, I don’t think many people understand that this is not my blog. I have so many things I would like to say, but there is a clear agenda that is not my own, an organic unfolding of “word.” Spiritual direction in this regard has been invaluable in helping me to step aside (as much as possible!) to let the Lord have His way. I hope that is happening for His sake and yours.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 23rd, 2014
Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Liturgical texts here
THERE are two powerful temptations that the Church is going to face in the days ahead to draw souls from the narrow road that leads to life. One is what we examined yesterday—the voices who wish to shame us for holding fast to the Gospel.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 22nd, 2014
Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Opt. Mem. St. Rita of Cascia
Liturgical texts here
LAST year in The Sixth Day, I wrote that, ‘Pope Benedict XVI in many ways is the last “gift” of a generation of giant theologians who have guided the Church through the Storm of apostasy that is now going to break out in all its force upon the world. The next pope will guide us too… but he is ascending a throne that the world wishes to overturn.’ [1]cf. The Sixth Day
That Storm is now upon us. That terrible rebellion against the seat of Peter—the teachings preserved and derived from the Vine of Apostolic Tradition—is here. In a candid and necessary speech last week, Princeton Professor Robert P. George said:
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. The Sixth Day |
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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 21st, 2014
Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Opt. Mem. St. Christopher Magallanes & Companions
Liturgical texts here
Christ True Vine, Unknown
WHEN Jesus promised that He would send the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth, that did not mean that doctrines would come easily without need for discernment, prayer, and dialogue. That’s evident in today’s first reading as Paul and Barnabas seek out the Apostles to clarify certain aspects of the Jewish law. I am reminded in recent times of the teachings of Humanae Vitae, and how there was much disagreement, consultation, and prayer before Paul VI delivered his beautiful teaching. And now, a Synod on the Family will convene this October in which issues at the very heart, not only of the Church but of civilization, are being discussed with no little consequences:
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 20th, 2014
Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Liturgical texts here
‘VICTORY over the “prince of this world” was won once for all at the Hour when Jesus freely gave himself up to death to give us his life.’ [1]Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2853 The Kingdom of God has been coming since the Last Supper, and continues to come into our midst through the Holy Eucharist. [2]CCC, n. 2816 As today’s Psalm says, “Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages, and your dominion endures through all generations.” If that is so, why does Jesus say in today’s Gospel:
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 19th, 2014
Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Liturgical texts here
IT is common to hear those opposed to Catholicism invoke arguments such as: Christianity is just borrowed from pagan religions; that Christ is a mythological invention; or that the Catholic Feast days, such as Christmas and Easter, are just paganism with a face-lift. But there is an entirely different perspective on paganism that St. Paul reveals in today’s Mass readings.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 16th, 2014
Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Liturgical texts here
WHEN you look at skin up close, very close, suddenly it doesn’t look so nice! A beautiful face, under a microscope, can look quite unattractive. But take a step back, and all one sees is the big picture that together—eyes, nose, mouth, hair—is lovely, despite the little flaws.
All week, we have been reflecting on God’s plan of salvation. And we need to. Otherwise, we get drawn into the small picture, looking at our own times through a microscope that can make things look rather frightening.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 15th, 2014
Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Liturgical texts here
Israel, from a different perspective…
THERE are two reasons souls fall asleep to the voice of God speaking through His prophets and the “signs of the times” in their generation. One is that people simply don’t want to hear that everything is not peachy.
It’s our very sleepiness to the presence of God that renders us insensitive to evil: we don’t hear God because we don’t want to be disturbed, and so we remain indifferent to evil… the disciples’ sleepiness [in Gethsemane] is not a problem of that one moment, rather of the whole of history, ‘the sleepiness’ is ours, of those of us who do not want to see the full force of evil and do not want to enter into his Passion. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Catholic News Agency, Vatican City, Apr 20, 2011, General Audience
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 14th, 2014
Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle
Liturgical texts here
St. Matthias, by Peter Paul Rubens (1577 – 1640)
I often ask non-Catholics who wish to debate the Church’s authority: “Why did the Apostles have to fill the vacancy left by Judas Iscariot after his death? What’s the big deal? St. Luke records in the Acts of the Apostles that, as the first community gathered in Jerusalem, ‘there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons in the one place.’ [1]cf. Acts 1:15 So there were plenty of believers on hand. Why, then, did the office of Judas have to be filled?”
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. Acts 1:15 |
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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 13th, 2014
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Opt. Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima
Liturgical texts here
Our Lady of All Nations
THE unity of Christians, indeed all peoples, is the heartbeat and infallible vision of Jesus. St. John captured Our Lord’s cry in a beautiful prayer for the Apostles, and the nations that would hear their preaching:
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 12th, 2014
Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Liturgical texts here
Peace is Coming, by Jon McNaughton
HOW many Catholics ever pause to think that there is a global plan of salvation underway? That God is working each and every moment toward the fulfillment of that plan? When people look up at the clouds floating by, few think of the near infinite expanse of galaxies and planetary systems that lay beyond. They see clouds, a bird, a storm, and continue on without reflecting on the mystery lying beyond the heavens. Soo too, few souls look beyond the present day triumphs and storms and realize that they are leading toward the fulfillment of Christ’s promises, expressed in today’s Gospel:
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 9th, 2014
Friday of the Third Week of Easter
Liturgical texts here
Flower springing up after a forest fire
ALL must appear lost. All must appear as if evil has won. The grain of wheat must fall into the ground and die…. and only then does it bear fruit. So it was with Jesus… Calvary… the Tomb… it was as though darkness had crushed the light.
But then Light burst forth from the abyss, and in a moment, darkness was vanquished.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 8th, 2014
Thursday of the Third Week of Easter
Liturgical texts here
WHILE a forest fire can devastate the trees, it is precisely the heat of fire that opens up pine cones, thus, reseeding the woodland all over again.
Persecution is a fire that, while consuming religious freedom and purifying the Church of dead wood, opens up seeds of new life. Those seeds are both the martyrs who give witness to the Word by their very blood, and those who witness by their words. That is, the Word of God is the seed that falls into the ground of hearts, and the blood of the martyrs waters it…
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 7th, 2014
Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter
Liturgical texts here
WHEN was Jesus finally tried and crucified? When light was taken for darkness, and darkness for light. That is, the people chose the notorious prisoner, Barabbas, over Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Then Pilate released Barabbas to them, but after he had Jesus scourged, he handed him over to be crucified. (Matt 27:26)
As I listen to reports coming out of the United Nations, we are once again seeing light being taken for darkness, and darkness for light. [1]cf. LifeSiteNews.com, May 6th, 2014 Jesus was portrayed by His enemies as a disturber of the peace, a potential “terrorist” of the Roman state. So too, the Catholic Church is fast becoming the new terror organization of our times.
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. LifeSiteNews.com, May 6th, 2014 |
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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 6th, 2014
Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter
Liturgical texts here
IN every age, in every dictatorship, whether it is a totalitarian government or an abusive husband, there are those who seek to control not only what others say, but even what they think. Today, we are seeing this spirit of control rapidly gripping all the nations as we move toward a new world order. But Pope Francis warns:
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 5th, 2014
Monday of the Third Week of Easter
Liturgical texts here
SAM Sotiropoulos was only asking the Toronto Police force a simple question: if Canada’s Criminal Code forbids public nudity, [1]Section 174 states that a person who is “so clad as to offend against public decency or order” is “guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.” will they be enforcing that law at the Toronto Gay Pride parade? His concern was that children, who are often brought to the parade by parents and teachers, may be exposed to illegal public nudity.
Footnotes
| ↑1 | Section 174 states that a person who is “so clad as to offend against public decency or order” is “guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.” |
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WE are living in a time when prophecy has perhaps never been so important, and yet, so misunderstood by the vast majority of Catholics. There are three harmful positions being taken today regarding prophetic or “private” revelations that, I believe, are doing at times great damage in many quarters of the Church. One is that “private revelations” never have to be heeded since all we are obligated to believe is the definitive Revelation of Christ in the “deposit of faith.” Another harm being done is by those who tend to not only put prophecy above the Magisterium, but give it the same authority as Sacred Scripture. And last, there is the position that most prophecy, unless uttered by saints or found without error, should be mostly shunned. Again, all these positions above carry unfortunate and even dangerous pitfalls.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 2nd, 2014
Memorial of St. Athanasius, Bishop & Doctor of the Church
Liturgical texts here
LIKE the believers in the early Church, I know many today likewise feel a strong call toward Christian community. In fact, I have dialogued for years with brothers and sisters about this desire that is intrinsic to Christian life and the life of the Church. As Benedict XVI said:
I cannot possess Christ just for myself; I can belong to him only in union with all those who have become, or who will become, his own. Communion draws me out of myself towards him, and thus also towards unity with all Christians. We become “one body”, completely joined in a single existence. —Deus Caritas Est, n. 14
This is a beautiful thought, and not a pipe dream either. It is the prophetic prayer of Jesus that we “may all be one.” [1]cf. Jn 17:21 On the other hand, the difficulties facing us today in forming Christian communities are not small. While Focolare or Madonna House or other apostolates provide us with some valuable wisdom and experience in living “in communion,” there are a few things we should keep in mind.
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. Jn 17:21 |
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