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Do not desire crosses, unless you have borne well those laid on you; it is an abuse to long after martyrdom while unable to bear an insult patiently.
... François de Sales (1567-1622)
(And: "Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof." Mt. 6:34)
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IS 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8; ISAIAH 38:10, 11, 12ABCD, 16
MT 12:1-8
Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath.
His disciples were hungry
and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them.
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him,
"See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath."
He said to the them, "Have you not read what David did
when he and his companions were hungry,
how
he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering,
which neither he nor his companions
but only the priests could lawfully eat?
Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath
the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath
and are innocent?
I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.
If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
you would not have condemned these innocent men.
For the Son of Man is Lord of the
sabbath."
USCCB Lectionary
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Praying the Daily Gospels: A Guide to Meditation, by Philip St. Romain,
2018 (3rd ed.) ____________
Matthew 12: 1-8 (God wants mercy)
At this point in Matthew’s Gospel, the Jewish authorities begin to
openly try to trap Jesus and discredit his ministry. Jesus does not accept their accusations of disobedience to the Law, however, reminding them that the mercy of God is the heart of the Law.
• What are some key issues facing the Church today? What are you doing to inform yourself about these issues? How are you expressing
your opinions about the Church?
• How do you generally react when other people confront you for something you’ve done wrong? Why do you respond like this? Is there a better way to respond?
Paperback, Kindle and eBook
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God and I: Exploring the Connections between God, Self and Ego, by Philip St. Romain, 2016 (2nd
ed.) ____________ Chapter 8: Mystical Union: Self and God
Sometime in the mid-1990s, I was leading leading a retreat on Twelve Step spirituality for sisters at a motherhouse in the midwest. There were other retreats going on as well, one of them directed by Sr. Mary Luke Tobin, S. L., who had been a
friend of the famous Trappist author, Thomas Merton. Sister and I were having lunch together and were talking about Merton and prayer, which was the focus of the retreat she was leading.
“What do you think is going on during those times of prayer when it seems you come to complete stillness and silence, and just feel like
you’re being pulled into God’s presence?” I asked her.
“Oh, that’s when He’s absorbing you,” she replied, smiling.
I thought about that for awhile, then we moved on in our conversation. I wish I had asked some follow-up questions at the time -- like: can that become a permanent state? It did not occur to me to do so, however, which is just as well. Being “absorbed” by God was enough to
ponder. Hardback, paperback, eBook and free preview versions.
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