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Message of the Day
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“Hope is an orientation of the heart; it transcends the world that is immediately experienced, and is anchored somewhere beyond its horizons . . . Hope . . . is not the same as joy that things are going well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously headed for success, but rather an ability to work for something because it is good.”
- Vaclav
Havel What are you hopeful about? What is the basis of your hope?
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Readings of the Day
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2 Corinthians 1:18-22
Psalm 119:129, 130,
131, 132, 133, 135 Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes tasteless, what can make it salty again? It is good for nothing, and can only be thrown out to be trampled underfoot by men.
‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill-top cannot be hidden. No one lights a
lamp to put it under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand where it shines for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine in the sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in
heaven.’ USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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“You are the salt of the earth. But what if salt goes flat? How can you restore its flavor? Then it is good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” —Matthew
5:13
We who are Christians are the salt of the earth. That means we give flavor to life. The everyday activities of life are often laborious. We make our living by the sweat of our brow (Gn 3:19). “Vanity of vanities! All things are vanity! What profit has man from all the labor which he toils at under the sun?” (Eccl 1:2-3) Life is often uneventful, boring, and drab. The lives of many people are in great need of
seasoning.
Over two thousand years ago, God became man and lived in our human condition (see Jn 1:14). He gave a divine flavor to our human existence, especially through His death and Resurrection. He then made it possible for us to be baptized into Him (see Rm 6:3). Thus, in Jesus, we take on that unique flavor which makes life worth living. In Jesus and through Jesus’ disciples in His Church, everyday life tastes great. Christians can
make manual labor tangy and human relationships zesty. Flavored with Christianity, even the most difficult aspects of life have a “full-bodied flavor.” Live your Baptism into Jesus. Be flavorful as He is. Make life deliciously delightful. Prayer: Father, make me the flavor of Christ in a very pronounced way. Promise:
“God is the One Who firmly establishes us along with you in Christ; it is He Who anointed us and has sealed us, thereby depositing the first payment, the Spirit, in our hearts.” —2 Cor 1:21-22 Presentation Ministries
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Spiritual Reading
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The Practice of the Presence of God: The Best Rule of Holy Life, by Brother Lawrence (1611 - 1691). Christian Classics Ethereal Library.
https://ccel.org/ccel/lawrence/practice/practice Eighth Letter Concerning wandering thoughts in prayer. YOU tell me nothing
new: you are not the only one that is troubled with wandering thoughts. Our mind is extremely roving; but as the will is mistress of all our faculties, she must recall them, and carry them to GOD, as their last end. When the mind, for want of being sufficiently reduced by recollection, at our first engaging in devotion, has contracted certain bad habits of wandering and dissipation, they are difficult to overcome, and commonly draw us, even
against our wills, to the things of the earth. I believe one remedy for this is, to confess our faults, and to humble ourselves before GOD. I do not advise you to use multiplicity of words in prayer; many words and long discourses being often the occasions of wandering: hold yourself in prayer before GOD, like a dumb or paralytic beggar at a rich man’s gate: let it be your business to keep your mind in the presence of the LORD. If it
sometimes wander, and withdraw itself from Him, do not much disquiet yourself for that; trouble and disquiet serve rather to distract the mind, than to re-collect it; the will must bring it back in tranquillity; if you persevere in this manner, GOD will have pity on you.
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