By his own choice the Father made us his children
by the message of the truth,
so that we should be a sort of first-fruits
of all that he created. JAMES 1:18
DEUTERONOMY 4:1-2,6-8
My Soul's Beloved,
All that Moses said to the people of Israel concerning God was true. No other gods worshipped by pagans everywhere came close to the living, breathing, all-powerful, all-loving God that was revealed to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses - only God, the one true God. And yet, and yet, the Triune God that was revealed to the same people 2000 years ago, is that same God made visible, tangible, incarnate. Through the Son of God and the Son of Man, we have come to know and believe the God who so loved the world that He sent His only Son so that whoever believes in You will not perish but have eternal life.
Every word that Moses said as he addressed the people takes on a great reality, a greater depth, and a greater resonance when we look at God through You, His Son. In the power of the Holy Spirit who descended on the early Church and remains with her in fullness and truth, we have God living inside us. We Catholics, have the greatest honor and privilege of people who know You dimly as they grope for You through their own understanding of God and their personal interpretations of Scripture. Not us Catholics though - we know God because He has revealed Himself to us in You and the Holy Spirit, living in us pours grace upon grace in our souls through the Sacraments. Thank You, Lord, for establishing Your Church and for espousing Yourself to Her and for Your assurance that You will return to claim Your Bride and present her to Your Father and we will be One with You and with the Father and the Spirit eternally. Maranatha! Lord Jesus, Maranatha!
Moses said to the people: “No other people is as wise and prudent as this great nation.” And indeed, what great nation is there that has its gods so near as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call to him? And what great nation is there that has laws and customs to match this whole Law that I put before you today?’
PSALM 14(15):2-5
My Soul's Beloved,
MARK 7:1-8,14-15,21-23
My Soul's Beloved,
PSALM 14(15):2-5
The just will live in the presence of the Lord.
Lord, who shall dwell on your holy mountain?
He who walks without fault;
he who acts with justice
and speaks the truth from his heart;
he who does not slander with his tongue.
He who does no wrong to his brother,
who casts no slur on his neighbour,
who holds the godless in disdain,
but honours those who fear the Lord.
He who keeps his pledge, come what may;
who takes no interest on a loan
and accepts no bribes against the innocent.
Such a man will stand firm for ever.
The just will live in the presence of the Lord.
JAMES 1:17-18,21-22,27
My Soul's Beloved,
The Epistle of St. James makes wishy-washy Christians uncomfortable because it challenges us to be all that God created us to be - His children in spirit and in truth. But to live as worthy children of the Eternal Father we must submit to the Eternal Word in humility and obedience. We must take God's Word seriously and live it. It must form and inform all our thoughts, words, and actions, it is only when we receive the Word of God and follow it without watering it down, without picking and choosing which part of it we will accept or reject, that we will be authentic Christians.
Lord Jesus Christ, to live the Christian faith is a challenge but it is also liberating. Once we freely choose to love God with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength we will make godly choices and we will be able to navigate the pitfalls and snares that the world the flesh, and the devil are constantly laying out to trap us.
Thank You, Lord, for the wisdom given to us by the Apostle St. James in his Epistle as we reflect on the passages chosen for our reflection in the Liturgy today, may we receive it gladly and embrace and live it completely.
Accept and submit to the word which has been planted in you and can save your souls. But you must do what the word tells you, and not just listen to it and deceive yourselves.
Pure, unspoilt religion, in the eyes of God our Father is this: coming to the help of orphans and widows when they need it, and keeping oneself uncontaminated by the world.
Pure, unspoilt religion, in the eyes of God our Father is this: coming to the help of orphans and widows when they need it, and keeping oneself uncontaminated by the world.
MARK 7:1-8,14-15,21-23
My Soul's Beloved,
For 1500 years Holy Mother Church and all her children lived a Sacramental life keeping all that the Word of God commanded, and the Oral and Sacred Traditions handed down to her by the Apostles and their successors. How readily, proud men and women discarded what did not sit well with the sinful and prideful personal peeves. Slowly but surely these undermined the Church's authority and either watered down her teaching or even rejected what did not correspond with their own human wisdom. Thus the fragmentation of those groups began as they cut themselves off from the Vine and the fragmentation and divisions go on and on unendingly.
You O Lord pointed out to the Pharisees and the scribes that God cared not about such rituals as washing of the hands in a particular way, or the proper way of preparing food and the utensils in which they were cooked, or the kind of fabric they used for their clothing etc. All these had nothing to do with keeping the Commandments which You summed up in the two great Commandments - Love of God above and before all and love of neighbor as oneself. Keep these and we are saved. Instead, we bicker, argue, quarrel, create factions, pick and choose those parts of God's Word that we agree and create new groups based on human understanding, wisdom, and preference.
Let the prayer of the Church be heard and answered sooner rather than later, Beloved, so there will be but one flock and one Shepherd and thus hasten Your return in glory. While we wait, Lord, let us not become prideful or boastful but lovingly, humbly, and gently live the Catholic faith joyously, publicly, and boldly so all who see us will desire the life and light that is ours granted to us through Your Holy Spirit which is nurtured and nourished by the torrents of graces poured into our souls when we receive the Sacraments.
The worship they offer me is worthless,
the doctrines they teach are only human regulations.
You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions.’ He called the people to him again and said, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean; it is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean. For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.’
the doctrines they teach are only human regulations.
You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions.’ He called the people to him again and said, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean; it is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean. For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.’
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