What is Fullers' Soap? How is it related to COVID?

 I learned a new insight this morning from my scripture reading from Malachi 3:1-4.

"For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap;..." 

I know about the refiner's fire but what is fullers' soap? I found this blog which is quite helpful:

"After a bit of digging, I found that a fuller was the individual who would take the raw, filthy wool from sheep and purify it using a variety of techniques, including an extremely harsh soap that would ultimately help to make it clean. It was an undesirable job. It was dirty work. It took a great deal of effort to make it white.

Trials in our lives require us to use fuller's soap. Fuller's soap can be an apology. It can be healing from a physical affliction. It can be mending a broken relationship. It can mean paying whatever price needs to be paid to make something right. Sometimes, we carry fuller's soap with us daily, continually. Its abrasiveness is painful, horrible, tough, and gut-wrenching. It is also desirable, stimulating, empowering, and necessary. Don't be afraid to use fuller's soap, for in it you will find healing."

I did a little more digging myself and this is what I found:

In the Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition translation which is more of a literal translation of the Vulgate, Fuller's soap is translated as Fuller's herb. Fuller's Teasel Herb (Dipsacus Fullonum L. – Fullonum Herba) is native to Eurasia and North Africa and is also known as wild teasel. It has prickly leaves and stem and pinkish or purplish flower. Fuller's Teasel was originally grown to be used in the wool industry. It makes me wonder if it was used as soap at the time of Malachi.

Now you can find Fuller's Teasel Herb as a tea product from Amazon!!

The New Testament reading today is from Hebrews 2:14-18:

"¹⁴ Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵ and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death." 

Going through this COVID-19 pandemic isn't easy. I see a lot of fear in people. I myself haven't been afraid. I know if I catch this virus I will suffer and maybe die from it. I have learned that if it comes it is still good for me. I will really learn what it means to suffer and what it means "to offer it up". COVID seems like the Fullers' Soap. It serves to clean off a lot of dirt in our lives so we will be white as wool (Revelation 1:14 and Isaiah 1:18) to prepare us for that blessed day! We can learn from Jesus. He has already gone through suffering and death for us!

"¹⁷ Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested."

My Book

My 2021 New Year’s resolution is to write a book! I have decided to summarize my 300+ blogs written between 2013 and 2020 into a book which tells my journey of how scripture reading has helped my growth in Christian virtual. The primary purpose is to share my journey with my family and friends, to leave a little legacy. The idea is to use the framework of virtues and to illustrate with blogs that highlight what I learned from scripture and my reflections that pointed me to these virtues.

What are blogs and how did it all begin? I initially just thought of blogs as a replacement for personal diary (blogs = web-logs). English is my second language and my first training was in engineering and writing is not my natural skill and is definitely not my favorite activity. Since becoming a serious Christian it has been my regular discipline to read scripture daily and to reflect and to pray about the insight I received which I believe is from the Holy Spirit. I wanted a means of documenting these to go back to later in life. My career as a full time faculty in Medicine was always a constant struggle in terms of finding a balance between my work, family and spiritual life. In 2013, at the peak of my career, I decided to take a 20% income cut to devote one day a week to provide me with the time I needed for my spiritual life. "Scriptural Gleaning" was born. The idea of gleaning from scripture is not original (see What Is Gleaning in the Bible? Does it Still Apply Today? and also Leviticus 19:9). It describes very well my approach to scripture reading. When I open the bible I often feel like Ruth begging the servants of Boaz in Ruth 2:7,"Please, let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the reapers...". But it turns out if you google "scriptural gleaning" with the quotes, my blogspot posts will come up on top (in fact the top 3 search returns are all mine)! I decided to make my blogs public, mostly to be able to share with my own brother in Hong Kong and another high-school buddy of mine. Very few people (usually anonymous) follow my posts. Occasionally it brought delight to my soul knowing that my reflection had helped someone else, like this one from Debbie: "Thank you for sharing this information. One of my dearest, heartfelt verses in the Bible is Psalm 46:10. The Lord revealed it to me during one of the most difficult times in my life and it changed me forever!" (from the post "Who were the sons of Korah?".

It has been seven years and 302 posts later. It's time to evaluate whether this discipline has made any difference in my spiritual growth, and hence This Book. To facilitate the organization of posts into these chapters of Virtues, I decided to use "tags" in WordPress (see The Right Way to Tag Your Blog Posts). I had wanted to move out of Bloggers.com (owned by Google) to my own personal WordPress server (in my basement!). So I will read through all my posts again within this year and tag them with "Virtue" tags (one post may point to a number of virtues). I will then pick the posts that are most pertinent and with some evidence that it has help increase my virtue.

So what are virtues?

What are the 4 Cardinal Virtues?

Quotes from Learned Religions: “The cardinal virtues are the four principal moral virtues. The English word cardinal comes from the Latin word cardo, which means “hinge.” All other virtues hinge on these four: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.​ Plato first discussed the cardinal virtues in the Republic, and they entered into Christian teaching by way of Plato’s disciple Aristotle. Unlike the theological virtues, which are the gifts of God through grace, the four cardinal virtues can be practiced by anyone; thus, they represent the foundation of natural morality.“

Richert, Scott P. “What Are the 4 Cardinal Virtues?” Learn Religions, Aug. 28, 2020, learnreligions.com/the-cardinal-virtues-542142.

Prudence: The First Cardinal Virtue

“St. Thomas Aquinas ranked prudence as the first cardinal virtue because it is concerned with the intellect. Aristotle defined prudence as recta ratio agibilium, “right reason applied to practice.” It is the virtue that allows us to judge correctly what is right and what is wrong in any given situation. When we mistake the evil for the good, we are not exercising prudence—in fact, we are showing our lack of it. Because it is so easy to fall into error, prudence requires us to seek the counsel of others, particularly those we know to be sound judges of morality. Disregarding the advice or warnings of others whose judgment does not coincide with ours is a sign of imprudence.“

Justice: The Second Cardinal Virtue

“Justice, according to Saint Thomas, is the second cardinal virtue, because it is concerned with the will. As Fr. John A. Hardon notes in his Modern Catholic Dictionary, it is “the constant and permanent determination to give everyone his or her rightful due.” We say that “justice is blind,” because it should not matter what we think of a particular person. If we owe him a debt, we must repay exactly what we owe. Justice is connected to the idea of rights. While we often use justice in a negative sense (“He got what he deserved”), justice in its proper sense is positive. Injustice occurs when we as individuals or by law deprive someone of that which he is owed. Legal rights can never outweigh natural ones.“

Fortitude: The Third Cardinal Virtue

“The third cardinal virtue, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, is fortitude. While this virtue is commonly called courage, it is different from what much of what we think of as courage today. Fortitude allows us to overcome fear and to remain steady in our will in the face of obstacles, but it is always reasoned and reasonable; the person exercising fortitude does not seek danger for danger’s sake. Prudence and justice are the virtues through which we decide what needs to be done; fortitude gives us the strength to do it. Fortitude is the only one of the cardinal virtues that is also a gift of the Holy Spirit, allowing us to rise above our natural fears in defense of the Christian faith.”

Temperance: The Fourth Cardinal Virtue

“Temperance, Saint Thomas declared, is the fourth and final cardinal virtue. While fortitude is concerned with the restraint of fear so that we can act, temperance is the restraint of our desires or passions. Food, drink, and sex are all necessary for our survival, individually and as a species; yet a disordered desire for any of these goods can have disastrous consequences, physical and moral. Temperance is the virtue that attempts to keep us from excess, and, as such, requires the balancing of legitimate goods against our inordinate desire for them. Our legitimate use of such goods may be different at different times; temperance is the “golden mean” that helps us determine how far we can act on our desires.“

Faith, Hope, and Charity: the Three Theological Virtues

Catholicism also traditionally enumerates a second set of virtues: the theological virtues. “These are considered to be gifts of grace from God—they are given to us freely, not through any action on our part, and we are free, but not required, to accept and use them. These are the virtues by which man relates to God Himself—they are faith, hope, and charity (or love). While these terms have a common secular meaning that everyone is familiar with, in Catholic theology they take on special meanings… “

Richert, Scott P. “Faith, Hope, and Charity: the Three Theological Virtues.” Learn Religions, Aug. 27, 2020, learnreligions.com/what-are-the-theological-virtues-542106.

“The first mention of these three virtues occurs in the biblical book of 1 Corinthians 13:13, written by the Apostle Paul, where he identifies the three virtues and pinpoints charity as the most important of the three. The definitions of the three virtues were further clarified by the Catholic philosopher Thomas Aquinas many hundreds of years later, in the medieval period, where Aquinas defined faith, hope, and charity as theological virtues that defined mankind’s ideal relationship to God. The meanings set forth by Thomas Aquinas in the 1200s are the definitions of faith, hope, and charity that are still integral to modern Catholic theology. “

Faith

“Faith is a common term in ordinary language, but for Catholics, faith as a theological virtue takes on a special definition. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, theological faith is the virtue “by which the intellect is perfected by a supernatural light.” By this definition, faith is not at all contrary to reason or intellect but is the natural result of an intellect that is influenced by the supernatural truth given to us by God.”

Hope

“In Catholic custom, hope has as its object eternal union with God in the afterlife. The Concise Catholic Encyclopedia defines hope as “the theological virtue which is a supernatural gift bestowed by God through which one trusts God will grant eternal life and the means of obtaining it providing one cooperates.” In the virtue of hope, desire and expectation are united, even while there is recognition of the great difficulty of overcoming obstacles in order to achieve everlasting union with God.”

Charity (Love)

“Charity, or love, is considered the greatest of the theological virtues for Catholics. The Modern Catholic Dictionary defines it as the “infused supernatural virtue by which a person loves God above all things for his [that is, God’s] own sake, and loves others for God’s sake.” As is true of all the theological virtues, genuine charity is an act of free will, but because charity is a gift from God, we cannot initially acquire this virtue by our own actions. God must first give it to us as a gift before we can exercise it.“

Other Sets of Values, Rules, and Concepts

In addition, Christian Catholic practices and customs enumerate also other sets of values, rules, and concepts. Among these are the Ten Commandments, the Eight Beatitudes, the Twelve Fruits of the Holy Spirit, the Seven Sacraments, the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the Seven Deadly Sins.

The Rest That God Promised

Today's scripture reading is from Hebrews 4:1-5, 11. Starting from verse 1,

"Therefore while the promise (epangelia) of entering (eiserchomai) his rest (katapausis) is still open (kataleipō), · let us fear (phobeomai) lest any one of you may seem to be excluded from (hystereō) it."

It's interesting that just last evening at the CMDA (Christian Medical and Dental Association) meeting, the discussion was around the subject of managing our spiritual and emotional health through the training, and subsequently, the practice of medicine. The speaker drew from the ideas of "seasons of change" from the book of Ecclesiastes 3 "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven...", and from a book he was reading - "Living Life Backward: How Ecclesiastes Teaches Us to Live in Light of the End".

He pointed out that one would go through a bit of a roller coaster ride of balancing the physical and mental demands of the training and the demand of the practice. When he felt that his spiritual life was taking a bit of a dive trying to balance the needs of his family and his demanding schedule, there was a sense that it was just the "season" he was going through, and that maybe time would be better in the future.

It generated a range of lively discussions. Some would agree that we needed to take care of ourselves first. Others emphasized the need to put God first, at all time. One pointed out in particular that God designed "Sabbath" for a reason and we needed to pay attention to it. 

I learned a few things from the Hebrews scripture passage today:

• God gave us a promise (epangelia  = annunciation, see also 2Timothy 1:1) of entering his rest (katapausis = Requiem in Latin, i.e. a funeral Mass!)
• We should fear (phobeomai = to fear reverentially) that we may be excluded from it
• Those who hear but do not believe in it are the ones excluded "For indeed the good news came to us (evangelism) just as to them; but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened" verse 2.
• “They shall not enter my rest.” - yes, God said it twice here, once with a righteous anger! Yes, we should fear!
• Not living out our faith is acting in disobedience. "Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall through such disobedience as theirs" verse 11.

We go through different phases in our life but one thing is consistently clear from reading scriptures. We have received a great promise. Through Christ's birth, death, and resurrection we are promised eternal life with God. That is the rest that God promised.  "But the one who endures to the end will be saved" Matthew 24:13. This verse also popped into my head: "Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow" Galatians 6:7. That's why Christian discipline is so important to take us there.

Redemptive Suffering and Colossians 1:24

Last evening I was listening to an old friend telling her missionary stories from the past 6 years and how she felt totally spent and needed an extended time to heal. All I could think of (to encourage her) was a scripture passage in Colossians 1:24:

" I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church."

I didn't say it to her. I was worrying that I myself didn't understand the concept of "Redemptive Suffering", or the concept of "Offering it up" our suffering; and in fact, the understanding of Col 1:24 itself. So I decided to look it up.

First I tried to google "Col 1:24 commentary". The results were mostly from the protestant sources - none of them really explains the concept of Redemptive Suffering at all. I realized that the concept of Redemptive Suffering was really something I learned since becoming a Catholic. So I tried "col 1:24 to offer it up your suffering" and found this very helpful and recent article by Father Thomas Berg in the Catholic Digest: "What does it really mean to ‘offer it up’?":

(1) The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC #618) gives us the theological framework of the practice of “offering it up”: "Christ makes us — members of his Mystical Body — participants in that redemptive self-offering of Christ our head". This is the mystery of the redemptive suffering that Paul describes in Col 1:24.

(2) In his encyclical (Salvifici Doloris, 19) Pope St. John Paul II described the relationship between Christ’s redemptive sacrifice and our mysterious participation in it with these words:

"In bringing about the Redemption through suffering, Christ has also raised human suffering to the level of the Redemption. Thus each man, in his suffering, can also become a sharer in the redemptive suffering of Christ."

(3) Our Blessed Mother in most of her apparitions, particularly at Fatima "... has repeatedly reminded us of this mysterious participation in redemptive suffering. The three visionaries of Fatima received her message as a call, in part, to live the rest of their lives finding frequent opportunities to offer acts of reparation for sinners."

(4) The Daily Offering prayer (which I pray every day) "captures what should be ideally our habitual attitude of offering the “prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.” To live with that attitude is something beautiful in God’s eyes."..."A readiness to offer up sacrifices is the best antidote to a mentality of complaining, irritability, negativity, and cynicism."

Unless you Change and Become like Children

 “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3)

The scripture reading this morning (Matthew 18:1-5, 10) brought to mind the exchange between Nicodemus and Jesus in John 3:3 “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again”. Nicodemus, who is a very learned man, then asked our Lord Jesus,  “How can someone be born when they are old? Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

The same is true in understanding what Jesus meant by changing and becoming like children. Gotquestions.com has this to say about it:

"Of course, children are easily fooled and led astray. In their artlessness they tend to miss the truth and be drawn to myths and fantasies. But that is not what is meant by having a childlike faith. Jesus promoted a humble, honest faith in God, and He used the innocence of a child as an example. Emulating the faith of children, we should simply take God at His Word. As children trust their earthly fathers, we should trust that our “Father in heaven [will] give good gifts to those who ask him” (Matthew 7:11)."

"The Bible never exhorts us to have “childlike” faith, at least not in so many words. In Matthew 18:2 Jesus says that we must “become as little children” in order to enter the kingdom of God. The context of Jesus’ statement is the disciples’ question, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (verse 1)."

"So, as the disciples focus on what constitutes “greatness” in heaven, Jesus provides a new perspective: the way “up” is “down.” Meekness is required (cf. Matthew 5:5). Jesus exhorts the disciples (and us) to seek to possess a childlike modesty in addition to their faith. Those who willingly take the lowest position are the greatest in heaven’s eyes. A young child is destitute of ambition, pride, and haughtiness and is therefore a good example for us. Children are characteristically humble and teachable. They aren’t prone to pride or hypocrisy. Humility is a virtue rewarded by God; as James says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (James 4:10)."

In my meditation I also considered that the process of changing and thus becoming like children cannot happen without the knowledge of who God is and trusting that it is by His grace that we can get there.

This morning I also read Job 38:1, 12-21; 40:3-5 which illustrated this teaching: after considerable suffering, when Job was faced with who God is, His Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence, he came to this conclusion:

“I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?
    I put my hand over my mouth.
I spoke once, but I have no answer—
    twice, but I will say no more.”

God knows me and He has provided me with means to receive the grace I need through sacraments and prayers (this month is the Month of the Holy Rosary), and with the help of the Holy Spirit and Angels (today is the Feast of the Guardian Angels!) and Saints.

"For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well." (Psalm 139:13-14)

Praise God!

The Lord is my Refuge

 What does it mean "The Lord is my Refuge"?

In my meditation today I was reflecting on the verse "In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge." taken from Psalm 90:1. It is sometimes translated to "Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.". Is refuge a place I can escape to when we are under attack? Or is it a feeling of being secured and protected? Or is it a friendship with the Almighty God?

The rest of Psalm 90 can be summarized like this:

• God is an everlasting God (v.2)
• He is unchanging, not limited by time (v.4)
• Men's life on earth is brief (vs.3, 5-6, 10)
• God's wrath and our iniquities and sins under His judgement (vs.7-9,11)
• Our plea for God's mercy (vs. 12-15)
• May God's will be done in us (vs. 16-17)

"Let your work be manifest to your servants,
    and your glorious power to their children.

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
    and prosper for us the work of our hands—
    O prosper the work of our hands!"

Maybe the last two verses speak clearly to me what a Refuge is?

In my daily prayers I recite Psalm 61:1-4. This is my prayer: "Lead me to the rock that is higher than I;
for you are my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy."

Psalm 121: "I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth."

and who is this Lord? In Exodus 14:14 which I pray at 14:14 hour (my watch is set an alarm to remind me): "The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still." He is this Lord to whom I place my confidence!

At 3pm every day I am reminded (again my watch has an alarm set!) on what Jesus said on the cross "It is finished!" and I thank Jesus that no matter what happened during the day, His purpose is accomplished in me and carrying the cross is part of it. For "In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge."

Lectio Divina - The Parable of the Sower

Today marks the first day of my new discipline of mental prayer following the VLX (video Lectio Divina) method - a form of Lectio Divina popularized recently by Sensus Fidelium and Pilgrim Priest on the now very popular Youtube medium for learning. I will commit 15 minutes a day to meditate on 1 verse in my daily gospel reading. So today's verse is Luke 8:15. If you follow the link from Biblegateway.com I opened up 4 translations: NRSVCE, Mounce (Greek), Vulgate (Latin), and either NIV or MSG. I will simply read the verse multiple times in the original Greek and these multiple translations to try to understand what Jesus is actually saying to me. Then I set my timer (key to success), then be silent and listen... 15 minutes later:

What spoke to me most was on this one part:

"hold firmly onto the word (logos) and 

 bear fruit (karpophoreō) through patient endurance (hypomonē)"

What I'll do: 

• I will commit this verse (as the word of God) into memory
• I will hold on to Christ - the Word of God - to love Him and gaze on His beauty, to pray to him without ceasing
  
• I will be patient (not my time but His time)
  
• I will endure (which will include sufferings no doubt)
• I will anticipate and long for the fruit - praise Him and be thankful
  

What is so beautiful about the Biblegaeway.com is the feature that when I clicked on the word "karpophoreō" I get this extra information from the Strong Concordance: καρποφορέω (karpophoreō); Strong: G2592; GK: G2844 - to bear fruit, yield, Mk. 4:28; met, to bring forth the fruit of action or conduct, Mt. 13:23; Rom. 7:5; mid. to expand by fruitfulness, to develop itself by success, Col. 1:6, 10

This speaks to my intellect but can be distracting...

I look forward to doing this every day or as often as I can. I am thankful for the many ways these tools can help me grow in my faith.

This morning the men's group I am part of had a zoom session on

Aquinous 101 - Powers of the Soul. 

Imitation of Christ - Book 1 Fourth Chapter - Prudence in Action.

Great discussion and I learned a lot from my brothers in Christ!

Love’s redeeming work is done

This Easter is like no other. Because of the COVID-19 locked down there had been no Easter Church Services. Because of the "social distancing" restriction my family did not have the traditional Easter celebration either. We were limited to a Jitsi video conference. It worked out well given the circumstance, but it was not the same as having everyone in our home.

Since Eastertide (the 50 days after Triduum - the three days from the evening of Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday), I have been reading/singing this particular hymn nearly everyday:

Love’s redeeming work is done,

fought the fight, the battle won.

Lo, our Sun’s eclipse is o’er!

Lo, he sets in blood no more!

 

Vain the stone, the watch, the seal!

Christ has burst the gates of hell;

death in vain forbids him rise;

Christ has opened paradise.

 

Lives again our victor King;

where, O death, is now thy sting?

Dying once, he all doth save;

where thy victory, O grave?

 

Soar we now where Christ has led,

following our exalted Head;

made like him, like him we rise,

ours the cross, the grave, the skies.

 

Hail the Lord of earth and heaven!

Praise to thee by both be given:

thee we greet triumphant now;

hail, the Resurrection thou!

 

Love's redeeming work is done - Charles Wesley (1707-1788) t. Savannah - Herrnhut c 1740

Video by The Choir of St. Edmunsbury Cathedral (all verses)

Or a modern rendition by High Street Hymns https://youtu.be/qzmjFmXZVo8

Despite the doom and gloom of the state of our world, it is really important to be reminded of the significance of Easter and its message to the world. It is a custom among Christians to greet each other on Easter Sunday "He is risen" and the response "He is risen, indeed" (known as the “Paschal greeting”). GotQuestions.org has this to say:

"Using this address should be more than an empty tradition. The words “He is risen!” remind us of the joyous news we celebrate at Easter, that Jesus’ death was not in vain, and that He has the power to overcome death. Saying “He is risen!” allows us to share this incredible truth with each other. The resurrection of Christ gives us hope for salvation and for our own resurrection and eternal life."

In the above hymn, the fourth stanza speaks to me the most, especially through this difficult time:

Soar we now where Christ has led,

following our exalted Head;

made like him, like him we rise,

ours the cross, the grave, the skies.

So I pray each day for a Good and Holy death (see The Divine Gift of “Shalom” in a Good Death). Here is God's promise to a righteous man Abraham, made possible by the death of my Lord Jesus Christ, who declared "Love’s redeeming work is done" (at 3pm everyday, my watch sends me an alarm to remind me of what Jesus said on the cross at that time "It is Finished!"):

"As for yourself, you shall go to your ancestors in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age."
(Genesis 15:15 NRSVCE)

Bishop of Rome

Today is the feast day of Saint Mark. I must say I know very little about him. This is the write up about him that I read this morning:
"St. Mark the Evangelist (1st c.) was born to Jewish parents living in Libya in North Africa, later settling in Cana of Galilee not far from Jerusalem. Mark became one of the 70 disciples of Jesus and the author of the Gospel that bears his name. According to tradition, St. Peter the Apostle was married to a relative of St. Mark's father, and after Mark's father died, Peter looked after him like his own son. Being a close disciple of St. Peter, the first Bishop of Rome, Mark's Gospel is addressed to Gentile converts to the Christian faith living in Rome. Most of what we know about his life and missionary activity is recorded in the New Testament. He traveled to Egypt and founded the Church there, and was martyred c. 68 A.D. by being dragged through the streets of Alexandria until his body was torn to pieces. St. Mark is the patron of lawyers and prisoners. His feast day is April 25."

Today's scripture reading is taken from  1 Peter 5:5-14 and Mark 16:15-20. Along with the selected verses in the Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17) the theme is very clear: we have been given the Great Commission:
“Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:15-18)

We have been given the divine promise of God's presence (Matthew 28:18-20) and His power over our earthly and spiritual enemies.

The relationship between Saint Peter and Saint Mark is interesting. He admonished the young church in 1 Peter 5:5,

"you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for
“God opposes the proud,
    but gives grace to the humble.”


Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time."

It's easy to question authority, especially when there are scandals among the hierarchy in the church. The Pope, who is the "Bishop of Rome" has been given divine authority by Jesus through the first Pope Saint Peter:
"Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
 (Matthew 16:17-19)

Sure we have anxiety. We are anxious that our beloved church will conform to the relativistic culture. But Jesus has promised, "Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)

There will be fierce opposition. But we are called to be disciplined and remain steadfast in our faith:
"Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter 5:8-10)


And finally, an interesting bible trivia. In 1 Peter 5:13, Saint Peter wrote,
"Your sister church in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings; and so does my son Mark."
Who is "The chosen one at Babylon"?
I found this Catholic teaching which helps me the most:
"Peter's presence in Rome is indicated in his first letter. The name "Babylon" is used here as a cryptic name for the city of Rome, a characteristic of writings done during times of persecution. During Peter's time (witnessed by his own martyrdom) and most New Testament times (witness the Book of Revelation--classic persecution literature), Rome took on the characteristics of the most outstanding example of a world power hostile to God--ancient Babylon. "

I think the Vatican, the chosen one at Babylon, is in no less persecution than in throughout history, but particularly in more recent time. It's not the kind of persecution when God's people were fed to the lions, but the infiltration of God's enemies into our church has attempted to destroy the church from within. We must heed Saint Peter's words afresh. To be disciplined and remain steadfast in our faith.

Additional reading:
Was Peter the First Pope?
http://www.angelfire.com/ok3/apologia/firstpope2.html

Pope Fiction: Answers to Five Myths and Misconceptions About the Papacy
https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/religion-and-philosophy/apologetics/pope-fiction-answers-to-five-myths-and-misconceptions-about-the-papacy.html

Christ in You the Hope of Glory

Today is Divine Mercy Sunday - the 8th day after Jesus' Resurrection from the Dead. I was particularly blessed by today's Office of Readings. Psalm 2:1-3 asks a very relevant question during this cultural war our Holy Church is faced with:
"Why do the nations conspire,
    and the peoples plot in vain? 
 The kings of the earth set themselves,
    and the rulers take counsel together,
    against the Lord and his anointed, saying, 
 “Let us burst their bonds asunder,    and cast their cords from us.”"

What is the reason for the "culture of death" (i.e. rampant abortion and euthanasia) and the "gender confusion" (the LGBTQIA...)? It says in verse 3 that "the peoples", including those in high places, are rebelling against God's truth which are "bonds" and "cords" against their freedom to do whatever they want. That's why there is such a strong push back against the church and church's teaching, especially widespread in the western civilization. The push for social justice and equality appears to be a good thing but underneath it all is a desire to be free but without responsibility. The foundation of western civilization has been based on the influence of Judo-Christian teaching. Now they want to abolish it. What is to come of our world?

In Psalm 2:4-6 God says,
"He who sits in the heavens laughs;
    the Lord has them in derision. 
 Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
    and terrify them in his fury, saying, 
 “I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.”"

What does the COVID-19 pandemic and Easter teach us? God is in charge and He reminds us what is needed, once again - salvation through Jesus and Him alone!
In Psalm 2:7-9,
"I will tell of the decree of the Lord:
He said to me, “You are my son;
    today I have begotten you. 
 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
    and the ends of the earth your possession. 
 You shall break them with a rod of iron,    and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”"

And Psalm 2:10-12 concludes,
"Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
    be warned, O rulers of the earth. 
 Serve the Lord with fear,
    with trembling kiss his feet,
or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way;
    for his wrath is quickly kindled.

Happy are all who take refuge in him."

The title of today's post "Christ in You the Hope of Glory" is taken from Colossians 1:27,
"To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

First of all - it is a mystery, but it's a glorious mystery! From the reading of Colossians 3:1-17 and the sermon by Saint Augustine "A new creation in Christ", I learn several lessons:

(1) Through baptism I am born again and have been given a gift which is the church: "I speak to you who have just been reborn in baptism, my little children in Christ, you who are the new offspring of the Church, gift of the Father, proof of Mother Church’s fruitfulness.". Anyone who says baptism is only symbolic and is optional is not telling the truth!

(2) Also through baptism "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me" (Galatians 2:19-20) and "So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God, Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth,  for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:1-2). Baptism did more than washing away my sin, it changed me from the inside where Christ chooses to dwell, and through Him I live the resurrected life.

(3) The new "code of conduct" (Colossians 3:5, 8-9, 12-14, 15-17) is a prescription for me to live a happy life: "Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry)... But now you must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another... clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony... and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.". No amount of early success, power and fame, short term enjoyment will bring true and lasting happiness.

(4) Let God do His work in us... "And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom". So we are equipped to be witnesses to a fallen world.

(5) Look forward to the Hope of Glory! "When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory." (Colossians 3:4), and Saint Augustine said, "And so your own hope of resurrection, though not yet realised, is sure and certain, because you have received the sacrament or sign of this reality, and have been given the pledge of the Spirit. If, then, you have risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your hearts on heavenly things, not the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, your life, appears, then you too will appear with him in glory."

Lastly, Saint Augustine provided evidence of a definite link between Baptism in the New Testament and Circumcision in the Old Testament:

"This is the octave (8th) day of your new birth (those baptized on Easter Sunday). Today is fulfilled in you the sign of faith that was prefigured in the Old Testament by the circumcision of the flesh on the eighth day after birth" 

 

So let us pray:

God of eternal compassion,

  each Easter you rekindle the faith of your consecrated people.

Give them still greater grace, so that all may truly understand

  the waters in which they were cleansed,

  the Spirit by which they were reborn,

  the blood by which they were redeemed.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

  who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

  one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

 

Let us praise the Lord.

– Thanks be to God.

Silent Retreat

I have never been to a three day silent retreat. I may have been to a half day retreat a long time ago. I had no idea what I was doing and I never did another one again.

I have registered to this men's retreat at Cedarcrest Conference Center at the end of this month. This is an outgrowth of my commitment to the Exodus 90 Spiritual Exercise for Men. I was assigned to an Anchor who helped direct me to making two important decisions: (1) Finding a Spiritual Director, and (2) Attending this silent retreat. The group of men who form our local Exodus 90 group have committed to help each other grow spiritually during this 90 days before Easter - a really extended and more intense Lent. I offered my 90 days for the salvation of my family members. I am already benefiting from this exercise and I look forward to even greater benefit for my inner life.

During today's one-on-one meeting with my anchor, he helped me start preparing for this retreat. I am to start writing down daily what I want to get out of this retreat, specific items for prayers, and concrete resolutions. He told me to make sure I book time with the priest at the retreat as soon as I arrive - to make sure I have at least one, or better, two meeting times with him. These meetings will serve as spiritual direction as well as confession. He suggested I should make a general confession again. Finally he offered to go for walks with me to chat over things during the free time (when we can talk!).

Regarding a Spiritual Director, I will be meeting a parish priest early next month. The trick is to schedule regular meetings at least one month before. I hope to be able to meet with my anchor as sort of another spiritual director beyond Easter - monthly, in between my monthly meetings with my Spiritual Director.

In terms of Spiritual Gleaning, I have not neglected the discipline but I have had some difficulty finding dedicated time to sit down to write. I will just say two things I recently learned and that I have already made good use of this new insight to help myself and others.

The first one came to me as I have been trying to understand the concept of the Sabbath in the Ten Commandments. I am trying to practice a better Examination of Conscience daily. One simple way is to simply think about a couple of things that were good and a couple of things that were bad during the course of the day. This has worked better than to go through a formal list of self reflections on the Ten Commandments or the Seven Deadly Sins. Anyway, I have not been satisfied with my lack of appreciation of why God made Observing Sabbath as one of the Ten Commandments (3rd commandment in the Christian tradition but fourth in the Jewish tradition). The commandment and the question to ask myself is this:
Third Commandment: “Keep holy the Sabbath Day.”
"Have I, through my own fault, failed to come to Mass each Sunday and every Holy Day of Obligation? Do I arrive at Mass late or leave early without good reason? Do I allow myself to be distracted at Mass?"
I would give myself an easy pass if I simply answer the above question. But the commandment must go deeper than that. What does "Keep Holy" mean? How would I make the activities of that day clearly consecrated to God.

Well one of the many things I learned from Dennis Prager's video "The Ten Commandments - What You Should Know?" (I bought his book "The Ten Commandments: Still the Best Moral Code" too - looking forward to reading it in great details) and reading his commentary on the Book of Exodus "The Rational Bible: Exodus" on the Ten Commandments (Exodus chapter 20) is how God introduced it to us: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;" (Exodus 20:2) This statement is so important that the Jews called it the First Commandment (that's why the Sabbath is their Fourth Commandment and not the Third!). It is important for me to know that I have been a slave and despite being freed from my previous bondage I still have a tendency to want to go back to slavery (as the Jews did in the desert). Sabbath is a revolutionary idea if your were a slave in Egypt. A day which I can set aside without the responsibility to obey my task master is a revolutionary idea! Anyways I can go on but this blog will be too long.

The second thing I learned recently is from the familiar Psalm 23. I never quite understood what this verse meant: "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." - until I understood the communion table as described in John 13. I have been affected in many ways of what has been happening in our culture and even within the church. But this Last Supper taught me and prepared me before the battle - see how the Son of God, knowing that of the twelve disciples - Judas would betray Him, Peter would denied Him three times, and nine others would dessert Him (only the apostle John would stay with Him at the cross with His mother), he then showed them how the battle is won - He washed His disciples' feet!! Enough said!

Oh there are so many things to learn. I look forward to the silent retreat and come back with many more spiritual insights and strength to face the world and the devil who is running rampant right now!

What does Peace Look Like? Two Signs and the Amazon Synod

Today's homily by Father Lobsinger takes a fresh look at the scripture passage in Zechariah 8:1-8. The background history is that the Jewish people had been in exile in Babylon for 70 years and in an amazing demonstration of God's providence, they were allowed (and even financially supported by their captor!) to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Now this new generation of Israelites were born and raised in captivity and didn't know what Jerusalem meant to them and not all the people are as enthusiastic about traveling so far to do what appeared to be an impossible job. But,
"Thus says the Lord of hosts: Even though it seems impossible to the remnant of this people in these days, should it also seem impossible to me, says the Lord of hosts?" (verse 6)

The Lord of hosts promised two signs:
"Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of their great age." (verse 4)
"And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets." (verse 5)

and the Lord of hosts further promised:  "I will save my people from the east country and from the west country; and I will bring them to live in Jerusalem. They shall be my people and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness." (verses 7 & 8)

The promise of peace in the midst of turmoils and uncertainties is simply this:
"Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. Thus says the Lord: I will return to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts shall be called the holy mountain." (verses 2&3)

Our God is a jealous God and He has promised to dwell in our midst!

The Message translation says it this way:
"A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies:

“I am zealous for Zion—I care!
    I’m angry about Zion—I’m involved!”

“I’ve come back to Zion,
    I’ve moved back to Jerusalem.
Jerusalem’s new names will be Truth City,
    and Mountain of God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
    and Mount Holiness.”"

Today's message is a much needed message for me as I have been struggling with understanding God's purpose for the upcoming Amazon Synod. This article "Lay Faithful to Gather in Rome to Pray for the Church on Eve of Amazon Synod" described the grave concern for faithful Catholics. My wife and I have been praying the 54 day novena along with some 50,000 Catholics about this. These are the main prayer requests:

"We, a group of Catholic friends, both lay and consecrated, therefore want to pray — together with all those who wish to join us — as close as possible to the tomb of St. Peter, where the popes, with few exceptions, have always desired to reside. We are asking God for these graces:

1. that the sexual and financial scandals that disfigure the face of the Church stop, and that the clergy who are involved in these scandals not be promoted to leadership positions but, on the contrary, be removed and invited to repentance;
2. that the depositum fidei [deposit of faith] — of which no one in Christ’s Church, not even the Pope, is master —not be adulterated;
3. that religious families, bishops, priests, and professors who are faithful to Christ and the Church no longer be taken over [commissariati], persecuted, or dismissed without concrete and verified accusations, for the sole reason of their attachment to the “faith of all time”;
4. that the Church’s hierarchy be courageous in preaching the Gospel and hold up her saints as an example to the faithful —not those who have divided and lacerated the Church (like the monk Martin Luther, in times past), or those who fight against life on a daily basis by supporting abortion, free drugs, and euthanasia … (like Emma Bonino, in times present);
5. that the priority of those who lead the Church be to proclaim the faith in Jesus Christ the Savior, leaving to “Caesar what is Caesar’s,” and that they avoid acting like sociologists, political scientists, climatologists... and “logists” of every kind;
6. that the men of the Church cease not to proclaim the “non-negotiable principles,” in particular the defense of life and the family, and that they come to terms with the culture of death and gender ideology;
7. that love for Creation no longer be confused with pagan and pantheistic ecology, nor the “mercy” of God with moral relativism and religious indifferentism;
8. that we listen to the cry coming from the African church (“May the West not deceive our young people with false myths and false promises!”) and the churches of Eastern Europe which repeat, with John Paul II, that “one’s country is also a mother for each person, in a very true way” and that the “defense of one’s own identity” has nothing to do with nationalism or other aberrations;
9. that Chinese Catholics not be sacrificed to the Communist dictatorial regime in the name of impossible and unjust agreements, as Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun has repeatedly denounced;
10. that persecuted Christians throughout the world, who face torture and death for the sake of Christ, no longer hear from Rome that Allah and Jesus Christ are the “same God.”"

God wills the diversity of religions?

In this article "Pope Francis signs peace declaration on ‘Human Fraternity’ with Grand Imam" it discusses the signed document entitled “A Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together” in which it states:
“The pluralism and the diversity of religions, colour, sex, race and language are willed by God in His wisdom, through which He created human beings...”
It further explains that "This statement must be read in the proper context and perspective, said Dr Chad Pecknold, associate professor of systematic theology at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.... God wills that all men come to know Him through the free choice of their will, and so it follows that a diversity of religions can be spoken about as permissively willed by God without denying the supernatural good of one true religion..."

My wife and I regularly watch Dr. Taylor Marshall's podcasts. Like us Dr. Marshall is a convert to Catholicism and has been very helpful in explaining our faith, in particular, his New St. Thomas Institute is a wealth of practical and helpful theological explanation of the Catholic faith. He did this  podcast entitled "212: Pope Francis: Does God Will Many Religions? Cardinal Müller Responds" on this particular issue.

The reason I got onto this topic is that the scripture passage this morning from 1 Timothy 2:1-8 contains these verses (3&4) according to the translation used by the USCCB:
"This is good and pleasing to God our savior,
who wills everyone to be saved
and to come to knowledge of the truth."

I then read a couple of other translations:
(NRSVCE) "This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,  who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."
(NIV) "This is good, and pleases God our Savior,  who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."
According to the original text (MOUNCE) the Greek word used is "thelō" which, according to the Strong's Lexicon (G2309) can be translated in various ways in the many appearances in scripture:

•     to will, have in mind, intend
•         to be resolved or determined, to purpose
•         to desire, to wish
•         to love
•             to like to do a thing, be fond of doing
•         to take delight in, have pleasure

USCCB makes reference to 2 Timothy 3:7 and 2 Peter 3:9. I was particularly impressed with the reference in 2 Peter 3:9:
"The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. "

So 1 Timothy 2:4 does not really address the plurality of religion. And the word "Will" can be used in various ways throughout scripture and is not necessarily the "Permissive Will" of God.

The basic premise of salvation to me is still, according to John 3:16,
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life."
and Romans 5:8,
"But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. "
that God loves everyone and gave up His Son Jesus to die on the cross as an atonement for our sins. But it is still up to each one of us to accept this sacrifice to have eternal life instead of "perishing".
But in John 14:6,
"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
the Christian churches (especially the Catholic church) is still the best way to find our way to salvation.

I weep because you do not weep.

Wow it's been 3 months since my last post! Found myself a free morning and I had just heard a wonderful homily at Mass this morning. Our new priest Father Lobsinger spoke on Colossians 1:24 - 2:3. He spoke of Saint John Vianney, who was known to spend hours hearing confessions and was commonly seen weeping as he listened to confessants. When asked why he wept, he gave this answer which became a famous quote: “I weep because you do not weep.”

I found this article "The Secrets of His Holiness - A Lesson in Sanctity for All of Us" about this saint:
"In confessing people, this holy man, who had a fundamental knowledge of sin, strove after one thing only—to save souls. This was his ardent desire, and for the sake of it he suffered all the tortures of his daylong confinement in the confessional. This great saint heard confessions from 13 to 17 hours a day, and could tell a penitent’s sins even when they were withheld. In order to save souls, one must be possessed of that holy love of men which consumed the priest of Ars. He would often weep in the confessional and when he was asked why he wept, he would reply: “My friend, I weep because you do not weep.”"

This story in some way fits today's Bible verse in Colossians 1:24 "I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.".

This verse is problematic for many people, especially the evangelicals. Christ's suffering (and death on the cross) is sufficient to make atonement for our sins. What is still lacking, and Christ cannot do it for us, is our reparation for our sins. Reparation is necessary to prepare us to one day meet the perfect and holy God, as we shall see Him as He is.

"Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure." (1 John 3:1-3)

And we purify ourselves by suffering - it's a gift from God to prepare us for that Blessed day...

"...You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich; and white robes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen; and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see." (Revelation 3:17b-18)

"You do not realize"... Yes even when I confess my sin to a priest, do I have perfect contrition? Do I make a firm commitment to never to sin again? I try to do an "Examination of Conscience" every day. It often does not produce the kind of contrition I should have. A holy priest like St. John Vianney would easily pick this up and would cry for me... Oh pray for me St. John Vianney!

The other famous verse in today's reading is Colossians 1:27 which is "To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." This verse was the conference theme of Camp Trent (I think it was in 1977 at Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario), which was "Christ in You, the Hope of Glory". I remember my faith took a giant step forward at this conference. But it still took many more years before I truly understood what this verse really meant. What is "Christ in You, the Hope of Glory"?

Now I understand that it is referring to the Holy Eucharist! The mystery of the transubstantiation which is Jesus' gift to His Church, His body. "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." (John 6:53).

It is not easily understood...that's why "When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?”" (John 6:60)

Contrition... confession... consecration... consumption of His Body and Blood... all found in the Mass this morning. That's why the Holy Mass is "the source and summit of the Christian life" and I was there this morning! Bless the Lord!

Pentecost Sunday and Lessons on Harvesting and First Fruits

Today is Pentecost Sunday which is also called the "Feast of Harvest" and the "Feast of Firstfruits" in the Old Testament. The Daily Devotional (from the Morning Offering of the Catholic Company) described this special feast this way:

"When Jesus ascended into heaven forty days after His resurrection, He instructed the Apostles to wait in Jerusalem for the sending of the Holy Spirit. Ten days later the eleven Apostles, together with the Blessed Virgin Mary, were praying in the Upper Room on the Lord's Day. The Holy Spirit descended upon them as tongues of fire, as recorded in the second chapter of Acts. Jews from distant lands were gathered in Jerusalem for the feast of the harvest of the firstfruits, which was the closing festival of the Pascal season. The Apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit, began to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the various languages of the people. Scripture records that through this miracle 3,000 souls were baptized and added to the Church that same day. Because of this, Pentecost is considered the birthday of the Catholic Church."

And this is also 50 days after the last symptoms of my CVS (Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome) - praise God for answered prayers!!!

The scripture passage today is Acts 2:1-11. What struck me the most from reading this account again was a fresh understanding of the purpose of the "tongues". In these verses:
"When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability."

"Tongues" were actually used to describe the visible phenomenon of the Holy Spirit - "as of fire". The effect on the apostles (and presumably on our Blessed Mother Mary also), began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability". It was the Holy Spirit who gave the disciples the ability to speak to the "devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem" (i.e. people from "Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs"), in their own languages, telling them "about God’s deeds of power."

What was happening that day was not so much about the special gift "of tongues" given to the disciples, but about the work of the Holy Spirit to enable the disciple to preach the Good News to the many nations (Matthew 28:19-20)!

I learned from another preacher (also David) to set an alarm on my watch to go off at 10:02 every Monday to Saturday (not Sunday because it would be quite interrupting during the Sunday Mass) to remind me of Luke 10:2 "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.". It reminds me to offer my prayer to ask "the Lord of the harvest" to send out laborers into HIS harvest. I follow the prayer-calendar from Operation World which sends me a daily email information about one or two countries with specific prayer needs.

What I learned also today is the meaning of this harvest. According to this BibleTools article:

"Christ provides a clue as to when it was the best time to cut the grain in John 4:35: "Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!" Obviously, in an agricultural year, there are many more crops to be harvested after the barley, which would take as many as four months to accomplish. However, Christ refers to the early harvest of His church, which He says is ready to harvest... His statement gives us information about when the harvest began in those days: The cutting, no doubt, began when the crop was "white." This is the transition color between the green of immature grain and the golden brown of fully ripe grain. At this stage, when the grain is still white, a reaper, using a very sharp sickle, cut down the standing grain.". The BibleTools reference gives a lot of useful background information about harvesting in Jesus' day.

Finally, it was really helpful to be reminded of my "Life in the Spirit" in Romans 8. I was having some difficulties praying last night with a small prayer group concerning our adult children. The verse in Romans 8:27 is a great reassurance of the work of the Spirit in my prayer life:
"The Spirit too comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words, and God who knows everything in our hearts knows perfectly well what he means, and that the pleas of the saints expressed by the Spirit are according to the mind of God."

Non nobis - Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory

Today is Victoria Day in Canada. My wife and I went to Mass this morning and sang "O Canada"  and "God Save the Queen". The scripture reading was taken from Acts 14:5-18 and John 14:21-26. But Father Ian's homily focused on the Responsorial Psalm which was Psalms 115:1-2, 3-4, 15-16:

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,
    for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness.
Why should the nations say,
    “Where is their God?”

Our God is in the heavens;
    he does whatever he pleases.
Their idols are silver and gold,
    the work of human hands.

May you be blessed by the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.
The heavens are the Lord’s heavens,
    but the earth he has given to human beings.

This Psalm (especially in it's original Latin translation Non nobis) has been sung throughout the ages on many great occasions when victories (military) were won and on great feasts such as on this day when we celebrate the birthday of Queen Victoria.

Non nobis is the conventional title of a short Latin Christian hymn used as a prayer of thanksgiving and expression of humility:

Nōn nōbīs, Domine, nōn nōbīs, sed nōminī tuō dā glōriam
Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory

The story of Paul and Barnabas in Lystra and Derbe (Acts 14:5-18) is an illustration of such humility. When the crowd wanted to worship Paul and Barnabas after they performed a miracle of healing a cripple since birth, they tore their clothes (a sign of humility) and shouted to the crowd: "Friends, why are you doing this? We are mortals just like you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. " (verse 15)

Our Blessed Mother Mary is another great example of humility recorded in Luke 1:39-56. When she visited Elizabeth, who upon seeing Mary, exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?". Mary's response was to burst out in a Song of Praise (The Magnificat):

"My soul magnifies the Lord,
    and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
    Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name.

His mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
    and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
    and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
    in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
    to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

When I think about what I should be doing for the rest of my life, this is it!!! I must not think that there is anything great, or worthwhile, that I can do for the Lord. It is He who would do His great things through me. What I need to do is to cooperate with Him. And how do I know He is telling me what to do or act? By His Spirit!! In the Gospel passage today (John 14:21-26) Jesus reminded me that "I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit
whom the Father will send in my name--
he will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you."

I should commit Psalms 115 to memory. And learn to pray always:
Nōn nōbīs, Domine, nōn nōbīs, sed nōminī tuō dā glōriam
Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory