The Catholic Calendar for Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
1 Peter 1:10-16
Psalm 98:1-4
Mark 10:28-31

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

Peter, in the First Reading says, “Gird the loins of your understanding” in preparation for the coming of the Lord. It was an unusual thing to hear and not something I really understood. We have heard that the Israelites were told to “gird their loins” in preparation for their Passover flight from Egypt. But what did Peter mean?

The early Christian Church thought that the second coming of the Lord would happen soon. History has born out that this was not the case. In many senses though, the message is still as important. because on an individual basis we know that the day of our own death is unpredictable and can catch anyone by surprise, as often it does.

It seems we are to be alert and ready to use all our God-given faculties and the many gifts He has given us, so that we won't be caught unprepared for the coming of the Lord.

Isn't it wise, therefore, to be ready, to have “girded our loins” so that we’re agile and ready to respond quickly and completely to any bidding of our Creator? I think it does. Let us pray then to be continually aware of the gift of every moment, moments that were given to us as opportunities for praise and repentance.

- Donna Nelson, OCDS
(drn3rd at hotmail dot com)

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The Catholic Calendar for Monday, February 27, 2006
Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
1 Peter 1:3-9
Psalm 111:1-2, 5-6, 9-10
Mark 10:17-27

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

In today's Gospel, we learn that simply following the Ten Commandments is not enough. Jesus is asking for a deeper commitment - an emptying out of self to a new standard of love, a love which Jesus Christ Himself demonstrated while He was on earth. "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth...." Those words from Paul's Letter to the Colossians (see Col. 3:2), invite us to detach ourselves from the world, and to orient ourselves toward what lies beyond.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth....
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be....
No one can serve two masters...." (see Matthew 6:19-25)

We are constantly facing choices. The question is whether we choose for God or for our own earthly ambitions. And what is at stake is nothing less than our heavenly rewards! God rewards His people – that's the message of Scripture. He gives them "treasures in heaven" for being generous with their time, talents and money. And those who store up their treasures in heaven spend their life filled with and anticipating joy!

Jesus has given us a much higher law to follow -- a law that is humanly impossible to obey. God demands a love that is far greater than the greatest love a human could ever have! But it is Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, that gives us hope enough to sustain us. And the knowledge that God will protect us, and infinitely loves us. And what is of God will last. It belongs to the eternal life. Choose it, and it will be yours.

- Anne
(anne97@gmail.com)

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The Catholic Calendar for Sunday, February 26, 2006
Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Hosea 2:16-17, 21-22
Psalm 103:1-4, 8, 10, 12-13
2 Corinthians 3:1-6
Mark 2:18-22

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

Today's gospel raises interesting questions about fasting. It's quite clear that the Jewish Law demanded fasting. It was a way of purifying both soul and body to make the person alert to God’s inspirations. The Pharisees fasted often in observance of the Law, and so too did John the Baptist and his followers. It was a way to holiness.

Why, then, did Jesus, after fasting for forty days and forty nights in the desert, decide to break with tradition? He did so as a public sign that the Messiah had come to usher in a New Law of freedom. All were called to be flexible and ready for change. There, the image of wine in new, supple, wineskins has been a challenge to all ages.

The challenge of the second Vatican Council is still today a source of discomfort for those who are deaf to the teachings of recent Popes. People in Jesus’ day resisted change, as do people in our own day who fail to see the Church as the living voice of Jesus Himself who used the image of a Bridegroom. His followers were currently celebrating a wedding feast. Later, they would fast in sorrow, when The Bridegroom would be taken from them to suffer and die.

We are today facing new suffering and new persecution. If ever in our memories we needed to pray, do penance and discipline -- both mind and heart -- it is today. For God, it’s a matter of the heart. Today’s readings should help us to get our hearts ready for the coming Lent.

- Msgr. Paul Whitmore
(smartins at frontiernet dot net)

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The Catholic Calendar for Saturday, February 25, 2006
Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
James 5:13-20
Psalm 141:1-3, 8
Mark 10:13-16

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

"For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. . ."

There is a line, no longer firmly drawn, between child-like and childish. The former is a laudable openness to the new, the latter an indefensible behavior for an adult. Jesus encourages us to child-likeness. We need to come to Him as one of these children. That is we have to set aside all the buildup of selves we have made over the years.

If you talk to a young child, you are aware that they know that they are a person; but as a person they're not nearly so cut-off from the things around them as are adults. Most children have a sense of self that is in some part derived from those around them. They are accepting and welcoming -- differences are not a reason for hatred; in fact, to acquire hatred it needs to be taught.

Jesus wants us to come to Him like that -- welcoming, open, ready to receive His teaching. Jesus wants us to see God. To do so, we must be able to see past ourselves. We cannot enter the kingdom of God unless we go as a child, because we carry far too much of a burden of self.

How does one find this child-likeness? One prays. One asks for the grace to see and accept God as a child. One puts aside his or her notions of what it means to be an adult and one becomes God's child, ready and willing to do as He says. In this way, one becomes truly the adult, the spiritual warrior God wishes each person to become.

- JuandelaCruz
(sriddle415 at yahoo dot com)

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The Catholic Calendar for Friday, February 24, 2006
Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word
James 5:9-12
Psalm 103:1-4, 8-9, 11-12
Mark 10:1-12

A reflection on today's Scripture. . . .

"What God has joined together,
no human being must separate." (see Mark 10:9)

Human relationships were ordained by God to be forged and bound together by the fire of God's love, the very love that unites the Trinity in one true God.

In an era of minimalist religion and "good enough" attitudes, many have lost sight of the very heart of the Gospel. Yes, we are forgiven and restored to friendship with God through Christ's sacrificial giving of Himself to expiate our sins; but this is only half the story. Our Triune God invites us to a deep intimacy with Him by giving us, through His Holy Spirit who indwells us, the means to grow in holiness and eventually achieve union with Him.

What is this union He desires with us? It is purely a work of grace, His final step in healing the breach created by the first Adam. It is effected through our assent and cooperation as we progressively surrender our self-will and allow His will to prevail in our lives. As we are emptied of our selfish ways, Christ's Spirit fills the void with God's own life,and so we are enabled to love as He loves. The fruit of this process is visible in the quality of our relationships with others.

Marriage, seen from God's perspective revealed by Christ, is not a mere legal partnership to be broken should the union prove difficult or unprofitable. It is a sacred call to men and women to participate in His love in fulfillment of His holy plan. They are to form mutually self-giving, nurturing pairs, joined for life to work out together their salvation; that is, they are to actually exhibit Christ's life in this world under His guidance and protection. Marriage was intended by God to provide a loving, stable, life-giving nucleus for future generations, not an exercise in the self-gratification it has become for so many.

Heavenly Father,
enable us by Your grace
to surrender ourselves wholly to You
that we may participate in the joy,
peace and genuine freedom you give us
when our human relationships are forged
by Your love.
Amen

- Marie Bocko, OCDS
(mlbocko at earthlink dot net)

(reprinted from 5/23/97)

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The Catholic Calendar for Thursday, February 23, 2006
Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
St. Polycarp, bishop and martyr

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
James 5:1-6
Psalm 49:15-20
Mark 9:41-50

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

The two scriptures for today could really make a person nervous! The First Reading infers that we need to be aware of the poverty of others and to share our 'wealth'. The problem with that is though we may have only one-half a serving of meat for ourselves, we may be aware of others with no meat... or, maybe even no home. What are we to do? Where does it end?

The gospel also sounds disturbing because most everyone can think of sins they have committed with their hands or feet, and so forth. We are sinners! What are we to do? We aren't going to cut them off! What is the message here?

Little children are taught "STOP, LOOK, and LISTEN" as a means to safely cross a road. Maybe it's time to recall that rule and apply it to our everyday environment as we travel down the road of life. We can humbly, and in a trusting manner, place our very being -- our hands -- in those of Christ, and ask that He guide us through every act of our days. We pray that He might guide us to act appropriately with others. Meanwhile, we "Stop, Look, AND Listen!"

- Joan of Jesus, OCDS
(jmurphy at utica dot edu)

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The Catholic Calendar for Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Wednesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, apostle

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
1 Peter 5:1-4
Psalm 23:1-6
Matthew 16:13-19

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

In today’s Gospel, the Lord gives His disciples a test, asking them: “Who do you say I am?” Peter promptly replies: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” From there Peter becomes the rock on which the Lord builds His church.

Jesus tells Peter how blessed he is as this revelation has come from the Father and not through anything Peter learned from others. Peter’s openness to the Spirit of the Father not only revealed great things to him, but also made it possible for him to be the foundation of the Church.

How open are we to the Spirit and to that which God speaks to us -- and, if we are open, are we willing to bear what must come with this responsibility? Peter certainly had no idea what the future would hold for him when the Lord made him the rock of the Church and gave him the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. With blessings from God come responsibilities we must be willing to bear.

- Don Claunch, SFO
(dlclaunch at bresnan dot net)

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The Catholic Calendar for Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Tuesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
St. Peter Damian, bishop, doctor of the Church

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
James 4:1-10
Psalm 55:1-11, 23
Mark 9:30-37

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

When we consider the spiritual condition of the world today it would be easy to become pathologically anxious. From a purely human perspective it seems almost impossible for man to be reconciled to God and one another. Yet, because of the faith we have received we are emboldened to hope that God's plan for the salvation of mankind will be victorious.

Unfortunately, by nature, we are not patient, nor do we easily submit to a Higher, even legitimate, authority of any kind. We want immediate answers, solutions and resolution. These aren't God's ways, and often when it seems as though God is silent or has turned His back on us, it isn't the case at all.

Holy Scripture reminds us that what we erroneously think of as God delaying, is really evidence of His patience and mercy so that all might be saved.

We must not let anxiety distract or tire us, but rely all the more on God -- His timing, His ways. The problem is how do we do that? Where will we find reassurance and the comforting presence of the Lord?

Today's First Reading from James tells us how: "Draw close to the Lord and He will draw close to you." Let us then do something positive, like praying; speaking to the Lord as the dear and concerned Father that He is. He will not forsake us, but in His mysterious way reach down from heaven and help.

- Donna Nelson, OCDS
(drn3rd at hotmail dot com)

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The Catholic Calendar for Monday, February 20, 2006
Monday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
James 3:13-18
Psalm 19:8-10, 15
Mark 9:14-29

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

The Responsorial Psalm for today gives us some very uplifting thoughts that greatly assist us on our spiritual and temporal journey. Primarily, it declares how wonderfully God provides for His people. His commands and precepts are not meant to be burdensome, but liberating!

Anyone who has been associated with someone who has been enslaved by any kind of addiction and has overcome the deadly habit understands what freedom being "clean" affords! There is no more lying, conniving, cheating and all the consuming negative attitudes and behavior that once dominated every facet of living -- only behavior and attitudes that promote wholeness wellness, worthwhileness. This is what God's laws intend -- for us never to be enslaved!

And who did God included in His plan of freedom? It wasn't meant for the learned and wise as Holy Scripture says, but for those who are like children. Today the Sacred Word says: "to the simple.

Let us then uncomplicate our lives and use a "sure-fire program" to obtain wisdom, peace of mind and freedom by letting the "Precepts of the law," refresh our soul and give clarity to our eye.

"Let Your face shine on Your servant, and teach me Your laws." (Ps 119:135)

- Donna Raye Nelson, OCDS
(drn3rd at hotmail dot com)

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The Catholic Calendar for Sunday, February 19, 2006
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Isaiah 43:18-19, 21-22, 24-25
Psalm 41:2-5, 13-14
2 Corinthians 1:18-22
Mark 2:1-12

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

“See, I am doing something new!
In the desert I make a way,
in the wasteland, rivers.” (see Isaiah 43:19)

As we move ever-closer to the season of Lent, our scriptures seem to show God’s desire for us to become holy people. For instance, today’s passage from Isaiah, God speaks through the prophet, asking the Israelites why they’ve become so complacent in living their lives as God’s chosen people. In disregard of God’s bounteous care for them, they have forgotten to praise and adore Him. You can imagine how their faith degraded over the next 700 years after Isaiah, as they suddenly came into the presence of Jesus, the Christ!

Indeed, today’s graphic gospel clip of Jesus teaching the people, shows us a curious people desiring to learn, to be healed, and maybe even get in on the ground floor of that rumored messianic kingdom! To be sure, some received God’s grace into their hearts because of their humble faith. And then there were the scribes muttering among themselves: “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?”

How do we place ourselves in this little scene? How do we measure up in the sight of God? Are we truly people of faith, committed to changing our lives? Or, are we sitting down among those scribes, envious, jealous, seething with contempt. Let us instead choose to be truly faithful; for God, in His mercy and kindness, desires to heal us of our infirmities, to forgive and forget our sins. With faith, let us avail ourselves of God’s cleansing grace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation today.

- Journeymann

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The Catholic Calendar for Friday, February 17, 2006
Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Seven Servite Founders

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
James 2:14-24, 26
Psalm 112:1-6
Mark 8:34 to 9:1

A reflection on today's Scripture. . . .

"For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it..." (Mark 8:35)

Many remain unaware that by calling themselves Christian, they are automatically assuming an obligation to become Christ's disciples. Discipleship requires more than a mental acceptance of our Lord's teachings; it requires a change of heart, a humility that actually wills to live in His every word. True Christians must submit themselves to being sanctified, made holy by God's Holy Spirit. Failure to allow this is the reason why so many Christians are called hypocrites by the world; they simply do not "walk their talk."

James elaborates by saying that faith without works is useless, for genuine faith requires our fulfilling Christ's every word. The love in which we are called to live means more than total dedication to God; it is also a deep, sincere concern for others. Conversely, if we simply do good apart from living a loving faith in God, we can become prideful, filled with our own goodness and generosity and so actually dishonor God. Too easily, those most gifted by God often forget that He is the Source of all they are and all that they own. The more we are given, the more He expects us to share of His goodness with others.

Jesus takes these thoughts further by telling us that self-denial goes far beyond our simply sharing our goods with others. His followers are called to take up their cross, exercise painful denial by becoming like Him in accepting without retaliation the sufferings and privations inflicted upon us by sinful people. When Jesus speaks of "dying" to self, He means that we are to abandon all the destructive attitudes and behaviors practiced by this world and instead reflect our heavenly Father's love, forgiveness and generosity to all.

Lord God, open our eyes to Your deeds so that our every act may increase our sharing of the many blessings You have given us in this life. Amen

- Marie Bocko, OCDS
(mlbocko at earthlink dot net)

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The Catholic Calendar for Thursday, February 16, 2006
Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
James 2:1-9
Psalm 34:2-7
Mark 8:27-33

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

We have an interesting combination of readings today, however they really do complement each other.

In the First Reading we’re reminded that we’re not to show partiality towards one group of individuals over another. The variable cited is wealth. We’re not to favor the rich over the poor; but the reading does not define poverty. We all know that a person can have all kinds of material wealth and in fact be poor spiritually or vice versa. We cannot tell that by looking at a person, nor are we to judge. Thus, if we’re to be effective in the vineyard as disciples and stewards of God's gifts, we’ll treat everyone the same. God can’t work through us if we’re setting up barriers in relating to certain individuals. That person might be the very one God wants us to reach!

In the Gospel for today, we have the famous question that Christ asks of Peter: "And who do you say that I am?" When we consider this question against the First Reading, we’re reminded of Christ asking “When did you see me hungry, and thirsty and in prison?” The point is that Christ urges us to look for Him in everyone. When we answer Christ’s ‘Who do you say that I am’ we can answer that we saw Christ in everyone we encountered that day. That is a challenge and a great goal!

- Joan of Jesus, OCDS
(jmurphy at utica dot edu)

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The Catholic Calendar for Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Wednesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
James 1:19-27
Psalm 15:2-5
Mark 8:22-26

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

In my life as a Franciscan, I have always been taught that conversion is an ongoing, lifelong process. It is not something that just happens and then never changes. This is a principle that I have always believed to be true as I have seen it happen in my life over and over again as well as seen it in others and read it in scripture.

We see this in the apostles as they begin their ministry with Christ as spiritual infants and through ongoing conversion they began the spread of the gospel to all lands. Peter’s conversion continued right up to the crucifixion when he realized he had denied Christ just as He told him he would.

In today’s gospel, a blind man is given his sight; but it occurs in stages. At first things are not very clear to him and as Christ continued to do His work on the man, his full, clear sight was restored. This is how it is with us as Christians. We begin to see things, but not clearly and when we let the Lord do His work on us we begin to get clarity. This is ongoing conversion.

- Don Claunch, SFO
(dlclaunch at bresnan dot net)

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The Catholic Calendar for Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Saints Cyril and Methodius

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
James 1:12-18
Psalm 94:12-15, 18-19
Mark 8:14-21

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

The First Reading is from the Epistle of James. The whole epistle is comparably short and we don’t hear it too often which is unfortunate because the writing style and the message it conveys are very instructional and uplifting. Today we're reminded that temptation does not come from God as some may think. In fact as the Responsorial Psalm echoes, the Lord has concern for us in time of trial.

Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, a humble Carmelite brother who worked as a cook in a Carmelite monastery, wrote how pleased the Lord is when we remember Him -- either when with sword in hand on the way to battle or "among the pots and pans."

It is in the ordinariness of our lives that God often seems hidden, yet actually is very close. And good it is, because most of our lives are filled with an ordinariness that sometimes wears us down and dissolves our resolve to do good.

Pray then, for perseverance and for the grace not to succumb to the trials and temptations of this life. Just say it: "My foot is slipping!"

"When I say, ‘My foot is slipping,’
your kindness, O Lord, sustains me." (Psalm 94:19)

- Donna Nelson, OCDS
(drn3rd at hotmail dot com)

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The Catholic Calendar for Monday, February 13, 2006
Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
James 1:1-11
Psalm 119:67-68,71-72,75-76
Mark 8:11-13

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

In today's first reading we learn how God allows afflictions and trials so that we might have the opportunity to grow in faith. It is a lesson that is easy to talk about and offer to those who are burdened, but quite another thing to live it.

The Cross of Jesus stands before our eyes as the perfect example of redemptive suffering. Though Divine, Jesus shared our humanity and knew what it was like to suffer in body and spirit. In doing so he gave us an example that can strengthen and sustain us in times of suffering and persecution.

Look at Jesus: He is the model of obedience, submission, docility and faithfulness to the will of the Father. We too can overcome trials by taking on Christ -- His heart, His ways.

Let us pray then to keep the image of the suffering, obedient Jesus before our eyes. What God did not withhold from His Son, He will not withhold from us -- both the suffering and the glory of the Cross.

- journeymann

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The Catholic Calendar for Sunday, February 12, 2006
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46
Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 11
1 Corinthians 10:31--11:1
Mark 1:40-45

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

Jesus seems a bit irritated with those prescriptions of Leviticus. He's certainly not against cleanliness, however. God the Father knew what He was doing! Because of the wisdom of many of those rituals, He chosen ones avoided many an epidemic that might have decimated them in the desert as well as in later years. They anticipated our modern hospital “scrubbing” techniques.

But that isn’t the point of the Gospel, which is about the way we treat the socially unclean in our society. Just as Jesus’ compassion for that leper overrode the prohibition of physical contact with them, so, too, we must examine our treatment of those we consider unacceptable. Perhaps it’s those who are under church sanction because of invalid marriages, or those living with drug or alcohol addiction, or those who are irresponsible in family obligations. Perhaps it’s a question of delinquent children or teenagers, or young adults who sponge off their parents. Haven’t they separated themselves from God? Shouldn’t we separate ourselves from such behavior? Yes, from their behavior, but not from them, for they are our brothers and sisters. Jesus willed to heal them, and so must we. To do so, He had to risk His own legal cleanliness by touching them! What kind of risk are we willing to take?

Our journey to God demands that we imitate the life and the compassionate love of Jesus. How can we, like Jesus, be agents of healing? Our second reading gives us sound advice. St. Paul tells us to do all we do for the glory of God, attempting to please all kinds of people. A smile, a word of encouragement, a kind action, can go a long way. Perhaps we can even risk walking further with them by getting counseling for them, befriending them with an occasional cup of coffee, or inviting them to Mass. After all, their “leprosy” is probably only skin deep.

- Msgr. Paul Whitmore
(smartins at frontiernet dot net)

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The Catholic Calendar for Saturday, February 11, 2006
Saturday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Our Lady of Lourdes

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
1 Kings 12:26-32; 13:33-34
Psalm 106:6-6, 19-22
Mark 8:1-10

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

"His heart was moved with pity for the crowd. . ."

The heart of Jesus was moved with pity for the crowd that had gathered to hear Him teach because they had no food. This was one of the occasions for feeding the multitudes with the sparse provender scraped up by the apostles, but perhaps more importantly it is one of the first signs of the Eucharist.

Last week we heard that His heart was moved with pity because they were "sheep without a shepherd." This week we hear that they are starving sheep--no food. This Good Shepherd is indeed Shepherd, and those these sheep do not know it, He will become food.

He is our food. His heart is moved with pity for us because though many live in the richest nation on Earth they starve to death spiritually. They have no food, they have no sustenance because they rely upon their own poor provision. But Jesus is our food, we need not starve. Jesus came to us to become our life, from its very foundations. He is our food, our light, our life, our joy, our love, our will, our everything.

And today we begin to glimpse where it started in the human mission of Jesus. He saw and recognized the physical hunger of those who listened, and He saw our own coming spiritual hunger--our starvation should we choose not to avail ourselves of the great bounty He provides.

But we are offered our great feast in our great Lord. We need merely accept it.

- JuandelaCruz
(sriddle415 at yahoo dot com)

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The Catholic Calendar for Friday, February 10, 2006
Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
St. Scholastica, virgin

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
I Kings 11:29-32; 12: 19
Psalm 81:10-15
Mark 7:31-37

A reflection on today's Scripture. . . .

"He has done all things well." (Mark 7:37)

When things went badly for the Israelites, they attributed it to "the wrath of God," His vengeance against a faithless, disobedient people. In truth, God doesn't indulge in such base human emotions. Their misery was self inflicted by their having shut Him out of their lives, failing to live in His truth and love, thereby leaving themselves defenseless against evil. His grace is ever available but its power is activated only by human receptivity; for God always honors our "free will." Solomon's corruption, his following strange gods, influenced his people and led to the splitting of his kingdom and being replaced by an even more cruel leader over the ten tribes taken from him. Today's Psalm aptly states, "If only my people would hear me and walk in my ways, quickly would I humble their enemies."

In today's Gospel Jesus travels into Gentile territory, probably as a shortcut to the next Jewish city. Though not wishing to be distracted from His mission to first deliver Israel from its infidelities, He was recognized by these people who then sought His help. His compassion and mercy led Him to heal a deaf man, and in doing so reveals several truths.

First, He asserts God's universal love and His desire to deliver all humanity from its sin and its attendant sufferings. He shows too that the scope of God's healing extends beyond His restoring health to our flesh which is heir to eventual death. He renews the human spirit by enabling us, if we so will it, to live a holy life in this world. Jesus implies too that He leads us to living His eternal life on earth so that we may on "the last day" be freed from this imperfect flesh and raised up in a new, perfect spiritual body like His own.

Heavenly Father, fill our hearts with the desire to fulfill Your Commands to reflect Your wisdom and love so that salvation may be extended throughout this world. Amen.

- Marie Bocko, OCDS
(mlbocko at earthlink dot net)

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The Catholic Calendar for Thursday, February 9, 2006
Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
1 Kings 11:4-13
Psalm 106:3-4, 35-37, 40
Mark 7:24-30

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

Our readings today have much to say about demons and strange gods, themes common in the days of Christ. Today we couch our 'demons' in more politically correct language, so as to be more socially acceptable. Our gods have names such as materialism, power, greed, elitism, racism, etc.

Parents today have an unbelievable challenge to raise their children in the midst of these 'demons' without their being tainted by peer influences which are rampant. Adults can end up 'worshipping' these gods in order to fit better into society as they age. Hard earned money is squandered , hearts are broken and all for naught!

The gospel of Mark gives us hope, however. Today we hear of Christ freeing the daughter from her demon, due to the faith and persistent prayer of her mother. If we have friends and family members who are caught up worshipping these strange gods, we can attempt to have their hearts changed through persistent prayer and intercession to God. God does hear us and will answer in His time.

- Joan of Jesus, OCDS
(jmurphy at utica dot edu)

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The Catholic Calendar for Wednesday, February 8, 2006
Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
St Jerome Emiliani, priest
St. Josephine Bakhita, religious

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
1 Kings 10:1-10
Psalm 37:5-6, 30-31, 39-40
Mark 7:14-23

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

Have you noticed how good some individuals in our society have become at passing the buck and blaming other people, outside forces or one’s environment, for wrongs the individual committed? The daily news seems full of this where people seem to never take responsibility for their errors, mistakes and wrongs and attempt to pass it off on someone or something else. At times, it seems we have made this a true art.

Our Lord gives us a strong teaching on this in today’s gospel saying, “the things that come out from within are what defile.” Sin is a choice we make and comes from within us and not because of someone or something else. Corporate malfeasance has been blamed on the “drive to succeed” and not on the inner desire for riches and greed. Extramarital affairs are blamed on another’s seduction and not lust that comes from within. We are all faced with temptation, but it is what comes out of us as a result of that temptation that determines whether we sin or not.

- Don Claunch, SFO
(dlclaunch at bresnan dot net)

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The Catholic Calendar for Tuesday, February 7, 2006
Tuesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
1 Kings 8:22-23. 27-30
Psalm 84:3-5, 10-11
Mark 7:1-13

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

This is the second time I've had to write this meditation. The first one got lost in cyberspace and to reconstruct what I wrote is difficult and maddening. I don't even want to do it! Yet when I think about it, it has everything to do with what my original meditation was all about - being a hypocrite and paying lip service to the Lord while my heart was elsewhere.

How easy it is to do what we think is pleasing to the Lord, when all along what we are doing instead is often what pleases only ourselves! How then do we give authentic praise to the Lord, to worship Him as He deserves with our hearts?

St. Teresa of Jesus gave her nuns and us some very good advice. First to begin all prayer by marking ourselves with the Sign of the Cross; secondly, to make a brief Examination of Conscience and finally to recite from our hearts an Act of Contrition.

These simple steps put us in the correct frame of mind, reminding us who we are and who God is. With that set straight, we might have a better chance at authentic praise which delights the Lord, brings peace to our souls and strengthens us for whatever God calls on us to do.

I will thank You Lord with all my heart
for You have looked on Your servant with compassion
and have reached down and taken me by Your hand.
Amen.

- Donna Nelson, OCDS
(drn3rd at hotmail dot com)

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The Catholic Calendar for Monday, February 6, 2006
Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
St. Paul Miki, martyr and his companions, martyrs

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
1 Kings 8:1-7, 9-13
Psalm 132:6-10
Mark 6:53-56

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

In her wisdom, Holy Mother Church recommends passages today from 1 Kings and Psalm 132 concerning the presence and the power of God.

First we read of the presence of the mysterious Ark of God's covenant that contained the two rock tablets with the Ten Commandments - the Holy of Holies! Consider how much the Jews of old revered that sacred Ark! We also learn today how it was continually shrouded in a dark cloud so that the tablets couldn't be seen. Such is the omnipotent power of the Lord our God.

However, being forgetful and unfaithful creatures, God often reminds us, as in today's Psalm 132, about the unbreakable oath that God has given us.

We also see today in the reading from the New Testament, the mighty power of Jesus, Son of God made flesh. We recognize that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament, the divine promise anxiously awaited. Is it no wonder that we read of Jesus' miraculous healings of the sick and forgiveness of repentant sinners?

Have we forgotten that The Healer came for us too?

Should we not seek today, Jesus' forgiveness of our sins and healing of our bodies?

- journeymann

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The Catholic Calendar for Sunday, February 5, 2006
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Job 7:1-4, 6-7
Psalm 147:1-6
1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23
Mark 1:29-39

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

When we think of Job, we think of a once-prosperous landowner, sitting on a dung heap scraping his sores. Meanwhile, three friends are trying to convince this totally innocent man that he must have sinned grievously, and God is now punishing him. At first, his faith prompts him to cry out, “The Lord gives, the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!” Eventually, though, he has to work through a great period of depression and near-despair. While acknowledging his innocence and the seeming injustice of his present condition, he bows his spirit in total and complete trust in the goodness of God, and abandons his soul to total trust.

His powerful story has comforted thousands upon thousands of people who have lost everything, but have held tenaciously to their faith in a loving God. In our own lives, when we feel that God has acted cruelly or unjustly, then we need to look at the crucifix. Was it fair for Jesus whose only crime was loving us, to be killed on a cross after severe humiliation and torture? Was it fair for Mary to suffer the terrible pain that only mothers can know and appreciate?

Like Job, may we never feel that God has abandoned us when He allows us to suffer. Rather, may we have faith enough in the wisdom of Providence that has allowed us to share in the mysterious plan of Jesus’ saving Passion that goes on through the centuries. It all ends in Resurrection.

- Msgr. Paul Whitmore
(smartins at frontiernet dot net)

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The Catholic Calendar for Saturday, February 4, 2006
Saturday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
1 Kings 3:4-13
Psalm 119:9-14
Mark 6:30-34

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”

Uh-oh -- the dread, “come away for a while by yourselves.” This invitation to conversation is, for many, one of the most frightening and daunting prospects of the Christian life. Soup kitchens, rescue missions, abortion counseling, running homes for unwed mothers -- it's amazing the array of things Catholics can and will do. And yet many are frightened by the prospect of turning off the television, the radio, the cd-player, and spending time alone with Jesus.

True, many will meditate on Jesus in the Rosary, or will read about Jesus in the Bible, but few open themselves to the conversation that our Savior would like to have with us.

You say, "But I pray!" And I say, "But I pray!" and that it true, without question. But when we pray do we really lay ourselves open to hear, or are we always talking. Is it, "Speak Lord, your servant is listening" -- or is it more like: "Listen Lord, your servant is speaking.” Too often for me, and I don't think I'm all that unusual, it is the latter. I come to prayer not by myself but with all the burdens I'm lugging along -- an intercessions list as long as my arm and an agenda.

Jesus tells us to lay aside the agenda, to get rid of all preoccupations and to come away for a while alone and rest with Him. What will be the result? An absolute transformation of life -- we'll go from being fishers to being fishers of men. We'll go from our fear and our incapacity to His capacity. Most importantly, just as in any genuine exchange where we are open and listening, we’ll grow in love and in intimacy. This intimacy with the Lord will completely transform our lives and the lives of those around us in ways that bring forth the Kingdom of God.

So when you hear the words, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while,” think of them as an invitation -- an invitation just for you -- an invitation to growth, to intimacy, to closeness, to becoming God's real agent on Earth.

- JuandelaCruz
(sriddle415 at yahoo dot com)

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The Catholic Calendar for Friday, February 3, 2006
The Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
St. Blaise, bishop and martyr
St. Ansgar, bishop

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Sirach 47:2-11
Psalm 18:31, 47, 50-51
Mark 6:14-29

A reflection on today's Scripture. . . .

"Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you." (Mark 6: 22)

A friend of mine once remarked, "I thank God that I'm a nobody." What she meant was that on the human side of life the rich, beautiful, powerful and highly intelligent members of society are faced with greater temptations. Their strengths put them at a risk of developing pride and using their "privilege" for selfish purposes. On God's side He will expect those most gifted to not merely focus on personal success but also to work toward improving human conditions.

Today, with the vast growth of our mass media -- news, TV programs, movies, music, books, art, etc -- these gifted people control the means of affecting many for good or evil. Over the past two generations we have seen an increasing moral and ethical decline because our media exercises its "freedom of expression" to reshape our thinking to reflect secularism, doing what is most convenient, easy,and pleasurable to the individual.

Today's readings illustrate two gifted individuals who succumbed to temptation. King David's lust for a married woman drove him to arrange for her husband's death, a sin he later deeply regretted and for which he suffered much. In today's Gospel we see King Herod so aroused by his stepdaughter's dancing, that he foolishly promised her anything she requested. This led him to order the killing of John the Baptist, whom he knew to be a holy man, for the sake of saving face by keeping his oath which he had made in the presence of his many influential guests. God expects both the "great and small" to live worthy lives. Those who are the most gifted would do well to reflect on and emulate Christ's humility.

Most humble and giving Christ, bring us to the realization that all our talents and abilities are given by You to serve one another with the same unselfish, perfect love as Yours. Amen.

- Marie Bocko, OCDS
(mlbocko at earthlink dot net)

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The Catholic Calendar for Thursday, February 2, 2006
The Presentation of the Lord

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Malachi 3:1-4
Psalm 24:7-10
Hebrews 2:14-18
Luke 2:22-40

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

Today the Church recognizes the Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the temple. We recall that Mary and Joseph , in the spirit of obedience to the law, presented their son in order that He be consecrated to the Lord. This is yet another example of how obedient Mary and Joseph were, how deep their faithfulness.

We do not know the mindset of Mary and Joseph, but as 'typical parents', (though we know they were not), they probably thought that this would be the best for their son. As it turned out they were the ones who benefited by way of the information provided by Simeon and Anna. Simeon foretold the destiny of Christ, and to Mary that she would undergo much suffering. That is one of the many good effects of being obedient, in that there may be a secondary effect form the act of obedience that we may not even be able to imagine. What if Mary and Joseph had decided to 'skip' the temple presentation, since they already had some notion that there son was special?

We likewise can be thankful for the examples of Simeon and Anna. What patience! They were obedient to the Spirit and remained praying in the temple for years, awaiting this very day! They help us better understand that we might not see the results of our efforts for a very long time, and for some people not even while they are living, but following the dictates of the Spirit in obedience always eventually reaps its rewards!

- Joan of Jesus, OCDS
(jmurphy at utica dot edu)

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The Catholic Calendar for Wednesday, February 1, 2006
Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
2 Samuel 24:2, 9-17
Psalm 32:1-2, 5-7
Mark 6:1-6

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

Someone once joked that you can tell a person that there are five billion stars in the night sky and they will believe you. But put a sign that says “Wet Paint!” on a park bench and they will have to touch it to check it out to make sure for themselves. Why is it that we find it so easy to believe some things and so hard to believe others? Why is it that we find it easy to believe complete strangers but doubt those close to us on a regular basis?

It should come as no surprise that Jesus faced a disbelieving audience when He went to teach in his native town. As human beings we find it so easy to not believe those whom we should be trusting and listening to. In fact, we also find it easier to take offense at those who are closest to us while letting much larger offenses at the hands of strangers go virtually unnoticed, or at least unquestioned. This must be one of those things of human nature we’ll never understand.

But the question for us today is, “Do we allow this to happen in our relationship with the Lord?” Do we feel we are so close to Him, and Him to us, that we miss what He is telling us or do we just fail to notice? Do we hurt our Lord by ignoring him? Or, do we sometimes actually take offense at His teachings? That is what happened when He taught those who knew Him and the results were stunning: “He was not able to perform any mighty deed there.” Pause each day and listen to the Lord and allow Him to do mighty things in your life.

- Don Claunch, SFO
(dlclaunch at bresnan dot net)

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