Message of 2-29-16

Published: Mon, 02/29/16

A Daily Spiritual Seed
Monday: February 29, 2016
Message of the Day

Our souls may lose their peace and even disturb other people’s, if we are always criticizing trivial actions - which often are not real defects at all, but we construe them wrongly through our ignorance of their motives. ​
- St. Teresa of Avila

(Fasting from judging the motives of others . . . . How’s that for a Lenten discipline?)
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Readings of the Day
2 Kgs 5:1-15ab;   Ps. 42:2, 3; 43:3, 4;    Lk 4:24-30

R.  Athirst is my soul for the living God.

When shall I go and behold the face of God?
As the hind longs for the running waters,
so my soul longs for you, O God.

When shall I go and behold the face of God?
Athirst is my soul for God, the living God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God?

When shall I go and behold the face of God?
Send forth your light and your fidelity;
they shall lead me on
And bring me to your holy mountain,
to your dwelling-place.

When shall I go and behold the face of God?
Then will I go in to the altar of God,
the God of my gladness and joy;
Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,
O God, my God!

USCCB lectionary
Reflection on the Scripture
"But his servants came up and reasoned with him." –2 Kings 5:13

Naaman was blessed with humble servants who pleaded with him and reasoned with him. Where was the voice of reason who would calm the angry crowd in the Nazareth synagogue? It may have only taken one voice of reason to still the Nazareth crowd and prevent Jesus' very own townspeople from carrying out their murderous intentions.

The disciples and Peter corrected the powerful Sanhedrin. "When the Sanhedrin heard this, they were stung to fury and wanted to kill them" (Acts 5:33). Nevertheless, Gamaliel, the one voice of reason, stood up, spoke out, and was heeded (Acts 5:34ff). Did anyone do this at Nazareth? Scripture does not indicate this. Once a crowd in Ephesus wanted to kill the apostle Paul after he preached to them. But the town clerk of Ephesus spoke rationally to them, and dissuaded them from their murderous intent (Acts 19:35).

An angry crowd planned to kill the innocent Susanna because of the false testimony of two elders (Dn 13:28ff). One solitary voice of reason belonging to the youthful Daniel calmed the crowd and freed Susanna from death (Dn 13:45ff).

In each of the above cases, the voice of reason belonged to a member of the crowd itself. There are many hard-hearted people and crowds who need to be checked by a voice of reason. Of course, many are like Pharoah, so hardened of heart that even a humble voice of reason will not persuade them. Whatever the consequences, "stand up and tell them all that" God commands (Jer 1:17).

PRAYER: Father, give me "that Spirit of faith of which the Scripture says: 'Because I believed, I spoke out' " (2 Cor 4:13).

PROMISE: "His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean." –2 Kgs 5:14

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Spiritual Reading
Theological Gems from Emile Merch's Theology of the Mystical Body
- selected by Jim and Tyra Arraj

Book III: Christ

Chapter 9: Christology and the Mystical Body

216. God is Being itself. He is "He who is," (purus actus essendi, ipsum esse subsistens) Through the Incarnation He unites Himself to a finite being.
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