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By fasting, the body learns to obey the soul.
By praying, the soul learns to command the body.
- William Secker
(Encouragements for Lenten prayer and fasting.)
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LV 19:1-2, 11-18; PS 19:8, 9, 10, 15
MT 25:31-46
Jesus said to his disciples:
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right,
'Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.'
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'
And the king will say to them in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Then he will say to those on his left,
'Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'
Then they will answer and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?'
He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.'
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life."
USCCB Lectionary
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Praying the Daily Gospels: A Guide to Meditation, by Philip St. Romain, 2018 (3rd ed.)
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Matthew 25: 31-46: Who are the saved?
It has often been said that the clearest indication of our relationship with God may be deduced from our relationships with other people. In today’s reading, Jesus makes it clear that we will be judged on the basis of how we have treated others—especially society’s outcasts.
• If you were to die today, do you believe you would be included in the company of the sheep, or that of the goats?
• Is there any person or any ethnic or religious group against whom you harbor resentments and make harsh judgments?
• Pray for the grace to see all people as children of God.
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.)
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Chapter 9: Spiritual Transformation -- God, Self and Ego
4. We Consent to the “Dark Nights” of Healing
Even in the Catholic traditions, with their rich histories of Saints and mystical teachers, it is uncommon for people to go very far into the Ego-God relationship. This is not to say that they lack faith and salvation, only that their identity is still deeply invested in worldly values as well, rooted in self-image. I think we intuitively know that to let go beyond this level is to enter into realms of
mystery where we have less control (though we have very little to begin with anyway). So we steer clear of the Dark Nights as best we can, titrating our inner equilibrium via addictive involvements and keeping our Egos directed to the outer world as best we can. Christian service and social justice become the prime means for “proving” our Christian identity, and since we can “do” those kinds of works, we embrace them, and there is indeed good that comes from this, no doubt. But we miss out on
the healing that comes from the journey through the Dark Nights.
Hardback, paperback, eBook and free preview versions.
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