Message of the Day
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"All of us who are human beings are in the image of God. But to be in his likeness belongs only to those who by great love have attached their freedom to God."
- Diadochus of Photike
(From image to likeness . . . the spiritual journey . . . what steps today?)
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Readings of the Day
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MI 5:1-4A; PS 13:6AB, 6C; MT 1:1-16, 18-23
R. With delight I rejoice in the Lord.
Though I trusted in your mercy,
let my heart rejoice in your salvation.
Let me sing of the LORD, "He has been good to me."
USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Gospel
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"Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah." -Matthew 1:2
The New Testament begins with what many would consider to be repetitious boredom. This person begot that person and so it goes on and on. That is what life was B.C., "before Christ." Without Jesus, life seemed to be the same old stuff with just the names changed. Micah prophesied: "The Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne" (Mi 5:2). The Lord gave us up to a life of misery, frustration, and meaninglessness
until she who was to give birth had borne. In the first chapter of Matthew and the New Testament, the name of "Mary" breaks the tedious pattern of life. She is the first indication of a new age.
Even today, after Jesus has already begun the kingdom, many live a B.C. life of boredom. Once again, today's celebration of Mary's birthday is the herald of a new day, of the life of faith which brings
meaning and fulfillment to human existence. Today can be a break, a break-through, a beginning, a birth-day. Mary is opening the door. By faith, walk into Jesus' kingdom.
PRAYER: Jesus, thank You for giving me Your mother. I need her and I love her.
PROMISE: "We know that God makes all things work
together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His decree." -Rm 8:28
PRAISE: Praise You, O God, for sending forth Your Son, born of Mary, to deliver us to our status as Your adopted sons and daughters.
mycatholic.com
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Spiritual Reading
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Freedom from Codependency, by Philip St. Romain
Chapter 6: What is Christian Love?
- part 5 of 12
- Dysfunctional Beliefs About Love -
part 5 of 5
* "Do not be angry."
Codependents interpret this teaching of Christ to mean feeling angry is wrong, bad, and sinful. Codependents are angry and resentful on the inside. Since they believe it is bad to be angry, they repress these feelings and try hard to be nice. This facade of niceness keeps codependents out of touch with their
anger. Anger is a feeling, and feelings are neither bad nor good. It is what we do with our feelings that is bad or good. Jesus is talking about harboring resentment and vindictiveness. These are choices about how to deal with anger-- bad choices!
* "We should not expect happiness in this life."
I have heard this said in therapy groups by codependents who had resigned themselves to being trapped for the rest of their earthly days in an unhealthy relationship. The truth is that we can begin to experience something of heaven even in this life. Distorted beliefs such as this are really about being a victim and martyr.
* "To forgive means to
forget."
While you may never forget what has happened, you can let go of resentment, a kind of emotional forgetting. Codependents mistakenly believe that when you forgive, you even forget what has happened. This is a distortion of the meaning of this value.
All these beliefs
described during the previous lessons give a distorted picture of the meaning of Christian love. Each of them contains a kernel of truth, but taken out of context, they lose their force. When taught by codependents who are active in ministry, they become one of the means by which ministers contribute to the spread of codependency.
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