Pope’s Intention for March

Catholics in China

We pray that the Church in China may persevere in its faithfulness to the Gospel and grow in unity.

God desires from you the least degree of purity of conscience more than all the works you can perform.

St. John of the Cross

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)

"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42).

The Word Among Us

Today's Meditation: John 7:40-53

Never before has anyone spoken like this man. (John 7:46)

There’s a lot of confusion in this passage. Some thought Jesus was a prophet. Others thought he was the Messiah. Others doubted that he was anything special because of his place of birth. And still others thought he should be arrested because his words scandalized so many of the religious leaders.

But there was one group of people who wasn’t confused: the Temple soldiers. They decided not to arrest Jesus. Their reason for disobeying direct orders? “Never before has anyone spoken like this man” (John 7:46). Something about Jesus and his way of speaking made them pause and question themselves. Jesus’ words had found a way into their hearts, and those words took them by surprise and challenged them to think differently about the Lord whose Temple they were sworn to protect.

We all get confused sometimes. We have questions about our faith. We may struggle with a particular Church teaching. Sometimes we read Scripture without truly understanding what is being said or why. Sometimes it’s the events of our own lives—difficult periods of waiting, grieving, or watching people suffer—that leave our heads spinning. So what should we do? We can learn something from these Temple guards: listen to Jesus in his word.

There is power in the word of God. And we can experience this power when we are open and listening to it. Anyone can hear a Bible passage being proclaimed, but those who are thirsting for God will hear it address them personally. So will those who are eager for truth, those who know how empty their hearts are without the Lord, and those who are tired of living only for themselves. In each of these situations—and countless others—the Holy Spirit finds open hearts, and he comes to them. He gives glimmers of God’s love and invites them to keep pursuing him.

We don’t know what ultimately happened with these guards, but we do know one thing: their lives were upended that day, and they couldn’t go back to living as before. And neither can we.

“Come, Holy Spirit, and speak God’s word to my heart.”

Jeremiah 11:18-20
Psalm 7:2-3, 9-12

Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for March 28, 2020:

Would your spouse describe you as a good listener? If you’re not sure, humbly seek out their opinion, and be willing to grow.

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Espa�ol

All Issues > Volume 36, Issue 2

<< Saturday, March 28, 2020 >>

Jeremiah 11:18-20
View Readings

Psalm 7:2-3, 9-12

John 7:40-53
Similar Reflections

"THE AVENGER OF BLOOD" (NM 35:12)

"Let me witness the vengeance You take on them." �Jeremiah 11:20

The people to whom Jeremiah prophesied were treacherously planning to kill him (Jer 11:19). Jeremiah risked his neck to serve God and wanted God to back him up by taking vengeance on these enemies. In addition, Jeremiah wanted to see it personally.

We Christians have enemies also. Unlike Jeremiah, we do get to witness the vengeance God takes on them. We see:

Jesus destroying the devil's works (1 Jn 3:8),
the pride of the powerful crushed as they gaze upon Jesus crucified (see Is 52:15),
sinners emerging from the confessional with tears of repentance and gratitude as Jesus in His vengeance robs Satan of still more of his former captives (Col 2:15).

God commands in His Word: "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves; leave that to [Me]...'Vengeance is Mine; I will repay' " (Rm 12:19). Yet we can have a role. God's Word tells us: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; by doing this you will heap burning coals upon his head" (Rm 12:20).

God is perfectly just (1 Cor 1:30; Is 30:18). He is able to punish the wicked until they are forced to choose for Him or against Him (2 Pt 2:9). He can avenge by acting in justice or avenge through mercy. Let's do our part as God's agents so His enemies and ours receive the merciful kind of vengeance from God (Rm 12:20).

Prayer: Father, may the burning coals of kindness I pour on my enemies melt their hearts and lead them to You.

Promise: "No man ever spoke like that before." —Jn 7:46

Praise: Theresa sponsors both Christian and Muslim children through the missions.