3rd Week of Lent, Monday, Mar 16th

2 Kings 5:1-15 / Luke 4:24-30

Elisha tells Naaman to wash: Naaman expected something harder.

James Michener’s book The Source has a section that treats a time period that parallels the Old Testament era. One episode of that section deals with people in a place called Makor. They have just adopted a new god called Melak, who demands human sacrifice.

10 Good Opening Prayers for Funerals

Opening Prayers for Funerals

Losing a loved one can bring about an array of emotions and feelings. Making it through the grieving process starts with the memorial and burial as you carry onward to the next stages of coping. To ease the pain, here is a look at some good opening prayers for funerals to get you started.

Lent 2nd Week, Saturday, Mar 14th

Micah 7:14-15, 18-20 / Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 

Jesus teaches about forgiveness: “A man had two sons ...”

This parable contains two remarkable things. The first is the son’s demand for his inheritance. To demand one’s inheritance before the death of one’s parents was cruel. It was to rob them of their “social security.” The second is the father’s welcome of his son.

Lent, 2nd Week, Wednesday, Mar 11th

Jeremiah 18:18-20 / Matthew 20:17-28

Jesus talks about greatness: “The greatest is the one who serves.”

Jesus turns the world’s value system upside down. He measures a person’s greatness very differently from the way the world does. The world measures personal greatness by the number of people one controls, by the number of degrees one holds, by the number of committees one chairs. Jesus considers such numbers to be irrelevant. For Jesus there’s only one set of numbers that has any value, and that is the number of people one helps. Service is the thing that counts with Jesus: a nurse’s service to patients, a pastor’s service to parishioners, a parent’s service to children.

Lent 3rd Sunday A - The Samaritan Woman

3rd Lent A from Jaimelito Gealan

A Samaritan Woman Evangelist:

There is a Greek monastery at Mount Athos in which nothing female is allowed. Men can enter but not women, roosters but not hens, horses but not mares, bulls but not cows.  Armed guards patrol the border to insure that nothing feminine passes the gates.  It has been this way for more than 700 years. [Arnold Prater, The Presence, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1993).]  Separate but definitely not equal: that has been the attitude toward women of many churches through the ages.  So, it's really remarkable that this particular Samaritan evangelist happens to be a woman.  She would be as surprised about it as anybody.  When she first met Jesus, she was surprised that even he talked to her.  Once converted, she became an evangelist, enthusiastically introducing Jesus to her fellow villagers. (Fr. Tony Kadavil)

Lent 2nd Wk - Mar 9-14

March 9-14: March 9 Monday (St. Frances of Rome, Religious) Video: 

https://youtu.be/jaiaXl7v3JA?list=PL58g24NgWPIzvBk2IQVES_xC4WTm6-CDI :

March 9:  Lk 6:36-38: 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” USCCB video reflections: https://youtu.be/Y5ou8upoCjQ?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DAoMqHc4moKtTJSI6gsth32 

Lent 2nd Week , Tuesday, March 10th

Isaiah 1:10, 16-20 / Matthew 23:1-12

Jesus rebukes the Pharisees: “They widen their phylacteries.”

Deuteronomy 6:4-6,8 reads: “Hear, 0 Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words....Bind them at your wrist as a sign and let them be as a pendant on your forehead.” which held tiny scrolls. The boxes were strapped to the left arm (signifying subjugation of the heart to God) and on the forehead (signifying subjugation of the mind to God).

Lent 2nd Week, Monday, Mar 9th

Daniel 9:4-10 / Luke 6:36-38

Jesus teaches his disciples: “Stop judging and you will not be judged.”

A young businessman began dating a charming young actress. The relationship developed to the point that the businessman was pondering marriage. So, he hired a detective agency to investigate the actress. He wanted to make absolutely sure that there was nothing in her past that would embarrass him. The agency assigned to the case an agent who was told nothing of the client’s identity. When the agent filed his report, it read: “The lady is a tremendous young woman, except for one blemish. Recently she has been keeping company with a businessman of questionable reputation.”

President Obama's Farewell Speech - For today's World

1st Week of Lent, Saturday - Mar 7th

Deut 26:16-19 / Matthew 5:43-48

Jesus teaches about love: “Pray for your persecutors"

A father and his son were traveling by bus. The father inadvertently violated a minor safety regulation. The bus driver went berserk. He verbally abused the father, humiliating him in front of his little son and the rest of the passengers. After it was all over, the boy said to his father, “Dad, you didn't have to take that He was out of line.”