The Ground Rules of Christianity

Reading 1 Ex 20:1-17

In those days:
God delivered all these commandments:

"I, the LORD, am your God, 
who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.
You shall not have other gods besides me.
You shall not carve idols for yourselves 
in the shape of anything in the sky above 
or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; 
you shall not bow down before them or worship them.
For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, 
inflicting punishment for their fathers' wickedness 
on the children of those who hate me, 
down to the third and fourth generation; 
but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation 
on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments.

"You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain.
For the LORD will not leave unpunished 
him who takes his name in vain.

"Remember to keep holy the sabbath day.
Six days you may labor and do all your work, 
but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God.
No work may be done then either by you, or your son or daughter, 
or your male or female slave, or your beast, 
or by the alien who lives with you.
In six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, 
the sea and all that is in them; 
but on the seventh day he rested.
That is why the LORD has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

"Honor your father and your mother, 
that you may have a long life in the land 
which the LORD, your God, is giving you.

"You shall not kill.

"You shall not commit adultery.

"You shall not steal.

"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house.
You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, 
nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass, 
nor anything else that belongs to him."

The Kiss of Death

Spy Wednesday conversion to Holy Wednesday

By Hugh McNichol
Op/Ed

One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, 
went to the chief priests and said, 
"What are you willing to give me 
if I hand him over to you?" 
They paid him thirty pieces of silver, 
and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over. 

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, 
the disciples approached Jesus and said, 
"Where do you want us to prepare 
for you to eat the Passover?" 
He said, 
"Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, 
'The teacher says, "My appointed time draws near; 
in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples."'" 
The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered, 
and prepared the Passover. 

When it was evening, 
he reclined at table with the Twelve. 
And while they were eating, he said, 
"Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me." 
Deeply distressed at this, 
they began to say to him one after another, 
"Surely it is not I, Lord?" 
He said in reply, 
"He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me 
is the one who will betray me. 
The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, 
but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. 
It would be better for that man if he had never been born." 
Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply, 
"Surely it is not I, Rabbi?" 
He answered, "You have said so."

Wednesday's Gospel reading preludes the betrayal of Judas. How appropriate then is the sometimes used phrase of, "Spy Wednesday," for this period before our celebration of the Sacred Triduum. The events that lead Jesus to the cross are filled with intrigue, suspense and an impending sense of disaster.

Clearly, the powers of good and evil, light and darkness, sin and salvation are poised to exhibit themselves at the place we call Golgotha. The Joannine account of Jesus betrayal seems to show Jesus' deep understanding of His role as the Messianic fulfillment. Judas in his interrogatory and somewhat cynical half statement of,"Surely it is not I, Rabbi?" provides the catalyst for the process of darkness to unravel. What is so significant about this ,"Spy Wednesday" is that it theologically reflects the daily struggles we all endure in order to accept a relationship with the Lord.

To live the life that Jesus intended for us is a perpetual struggle on a daily basis with good and evil. Sometimes when we are questioned about our transgressions, we, sometimes answer back. "It's not me Lord." But the tranquility of Jesus' realization of His mission provides us with hope in the days to come. Rather than provide a discourse to the Twelve, Jesus calmly recalls the Old Testament references to Him and even shares a piece of food with Judas, simultaneously dipping a morsel into the bowl. We should remember that the act of sharing a meal with others is a deeply rooted Semite notion of intimacy and close relationship. Jesus is sharing the meal, not with strangers, but with intimate friends.

Often, we dip morsels and share food with those we love; we feign intimacy and even deceive one another. Jesus is not blind to the events that are revealing themselves as a result of Judas' clandestine negotiations. Judas has turned on Jesus' friendship and love. We too in our lives are sometimes turned against Jesus' love through sinful and unloving activities. There is a real message here in Jesus' tranquil resignation to the events that are coming. Faith in the love and power of the Father.

As believers in the power of God's love and goodness, Spy Wednesday, should provide a period for reflection and introspective prayer. We need to examine our lives and look for the moments that we have falsely shared intimacy with our brothers and sisters in faith. More precisely, contemplate of lack of true, "communio" in our lives. With Judas' false interrogatory response to Jesus, he reveals his true self. Betrayer. Jesus sees right through Judas' false piety and friendship. Jesus sees right through our own appearances when we falsely present ourselves as holy and faithful followers. Our frail human spirit reflects in our sinful acts and lack of faith.

Jesus recognizes this and offers new hope to Judas and us. The "morsel" which Jesus offers to Judas is an offering of friendship and love. Some biblical scholars have even indicated that the "morsel" is symbolic of Jesus' Eucharistic manifestation. Judas does not partake of the meal with Jesus, but he was invited just the same. There is a sense that Jesus recognizes Judas' confrontation with the powers of evil. Jesus does not admonish him or chastise him, but permits Judas to engage in this struggle and reveal the implications of his actions and unfaithfulness. There is hope for conversion. There is hope for grace. There is hope in Jesus' acceptance of the Father's plan. There is hope for Easter glory.

As preparations begin for the Church's celebration of our New Passover ,this Wednesday before the Triduum invites all of us to share in, "Holy Wednesday", not to pursue darkness and evil, but progress on the path of light and life. The Church in its wisdom sees this period of "Holy Wednesday" as a time for personal preparation. Unlike Judas, our preparations should be motivated by the promise of new life in the Paschal Mystery and not a rejection of the "morsel" which Jesus offers to us in friendship and love.

1 Corinthians 13...What is Love?

13 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Letter from Jesus about Christmas --

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that let Me go on. If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all My followers did that there wouldn't be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten that one, look up John 15: 1 - 8. 
If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it: 

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them. 
3. Instead of writing the President complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up... It will be nice hearing from you again. 
 4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.

5 Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don't know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile; it could make the difference.

7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn't make so much money on that day they'd close and let their employees spend the day at home with their families

8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary-- especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name.

9. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don't know them, buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.

10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.

Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I'll take care of all the rest. Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I'll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love and remember

I LOVE YOU, Merry Christmas.....
JESUS

Acts of Mercy

1. Resist sarcasm; it is the antithesis of mercy: “Set, O Lord, a guard over my mouth; keep watch, O Lord, at the door of my lips!” (Psalm 141:3).
2. 
   
3. Pare down possessions: share your things with the needy.
4.  
5. Call someone who you know is lonely, even if you understand why they’re lonely. Especially if you do.
6.  
7. Write a letter of forgiveness to someone. If you cannot send it, sprinkle it with holy water, ask Christ Jesus to have mercy on you both and then burn or bury it.
8. 
   
9. Learn to say this prayer: “Dear Lord, bless [annoying person’s name] and have mercy on me!”
10.  
11. Plan a mini pilgrimage to a local shrine; make an effort along the way to live the corporal work of mercy of “welcoming the stranger” as Christ.
12.  
13. Do something kind and helpful for someone who you don’t get along with, or who has wronged you.
14.  
15. Be mindful of your behavior online. Is that post designed to improve your image … and leave others feeling bad? Are you hammering people in order to serve your anger and humiliate others?
16.  
17. Have masses said for the living: friends and family members, even strangers you read/hear about, who are having a hard time.
18.  
19. Be generous enough to allow someone to help you; people need to feel needed.
20.  
21. If you didn’t mean to be a pain in the neck to someone, admit that you were and ask the person to forgive you.
22.  
23. Take a tip from Cardinal Timothy Dolan and carry around $5 Starbucks and McDonald’s gift cards for the homeless.
24.  
25. Take time in prayer to contemplate the good qualities of someone who is difficult for you. Do the same for each member of your family.
26.  
27. Send a card, flowers, gift or note to someone on the six-month anniversary of his or her loved one’s death. By then most people have stopped recognizing their grief.
28.  
29. Offer to babysit for a busy mom to go out and have a couple of hours to her self.
30.  
31. Make a meal (or buy a gift certificate) for a mom who’s just given birth or adopted a child, or for someone who’s just gone through a loss.
32.  
33. Hold. Your. Tongue.
34.  
35. Offer to run an errand (groceries, dry cleaning pick up, dog-walking) for a busy parent or homebound person.
36.  
37. If you can’t sit down beside a homeless person to talk for a while today, at least send a donation to a ministry that does do this (such as Christ in the City).
38.  
39. If you’re sharing a treat, take the smaller portion.
40.  
41. Memorize the 14 corporal and spiritual works of mercy and show your children what they mean.
42.  
43. Instead of losing patience with someone online (or in person), try to hear their fear. Ask God for what Solomon asked for: “an understanding heart.”
44.  
45. Offer to drive an elderly person to Mass.
46.  
47. Recall a time you were not given a benefit of a doubt, and extend one to someone else.
48.  
49. Put down the phone and really listen to someone else. With eye contact.
50.  
51. Have alternative drinks, other than water, for times when those who have been struggling with alcohol come to visit.
52. 
    
53. Take advantage of sales to buy small toothpastes, soaps, shampoos, socks and feminine products/toiletries; donate them to parish outreach, or make gift bags and have them ready to hand out where needed.
54.  
55. Read John Paul II’s “Dives in misericordia” bit-by-bit through the year.
56.  
57. Create a short end-of-day ritual to ask for (and extend) forgiveness with those you live with. “…do not let the sun set on your anger” (Eph 4:26).
58.  
59. Make a list of your “enemies.” Then, every day, say a prayer for them.
60.  
61. Make a point to smile, greet or make conversation with someone who is not in your everyday circle.
62.  
63. Give away something of yours (that you really like) to someone you know who would enjoy it.
64.  
65. Pray a Divine Mercy Chaplet as you are traveling to or from work.
66.  
67. When mercy for others is difficult, pray Cardinal Merry del Val’s Litany of Humility.
68.  
69. Make a gratitude journal for your spouse and jot down little things he or she does that you’re grateful for. Bite your tongue and go write in it (or at least read it) the next time you want to criticize in a moment of frustration.
70.  
71. Learn to make an Ignatian “Examen” every night. Remembering God’s mercy each night helps us to be merciful.
72. 
    
73. Respond to provocation with the respect you wish a person would show you.
74.  
75. Learn the Jesus Prayer and use it.
76.  
77. Take a few minutes during the week to stop at a church and sit before the Tabernacle, simply to be with Christ, the Merciful. If you cannot do that, meditate upon the crucifix.
78.  
79. Pray a novena for the good of someone you dislike.
80.  
81. Dig out your most attractive stationery and hand-write an actual letter to someone, as a means of demonstrating their importance to you.
82.  
83. Offer to read to someone who is feeling ill or is just feeling blue.
84.  
85. Ask the Holy Spirit to groan for you when you cannot bring yourself to pray for someone who has done you an injury.
86.  
87. Lead with a kind comment with friends as well as strangers.
88.  
89. When conversations devolve into “the dark joy” of gossip, help change the subject.
90.  
91. Can you play the piano, or any instrument? Can you recite poetry? Give free “concerts” to the forgotten people in nursing homes and assisted living centers.
92.  
93. Visit the graves of your ancestors, or visit a local cemetery and walk around praying a rosary for all the souls buried there
94. 
    
95. Go On Retreat. It’s a way to be merciful to yourself and also to the people around you, who know you need to go on retreat. If you cannot do that, at least try to make a day, or evening, of recollection.
96.  
97. Admit your jealousy, both to yourself and your confessor.
98.  
99. Offer to pray with someone, even someone you encounter on the street or public transport who looks like they could use it.
100.  
101. Keep holy cards, short prayers, or blessed medals handy and give them out to people you meet as you are inspired as a blessing to others.
102.  
103. Offer hospitality in your home to someone or a group of people you would normally never invite over.
104.  
105. With a few other people at your church, plan a party and invite all those from “the highways and byways” to come.
106.  
107. If someone you know seems to lack faith, share some of yours — tell him or her how Christ has changed your life.
108.  
109. Pay the parking or toll fee for the person behind you.
110.  
111. Give the much-maligned Pope Benedict XVI a fair reading sometime. You’ll be surprised.
112.  
113. Pray every day for the souls in Purgatory. Pray for your dead.

Novena for Paris

Novena for Paris

(Pray the rosary with these intentions in your mind and heart)

Glorious St. Francis, you have acted as a peacemaker even in the face of extreme physical danger. You sought to end the Crusades by converting the sultan of Egypt through the audacious love of Christ, which knows no end, and knows no fear.

Through your intercession, may this love be brought to those who hate us, those members of the Islamic State who attacked the innocents of Paris in order to inspire terror. Pray for the conversion of these persecutors, that where there is hatred, through your intercession, there will instead be sown love.

Pray for all of those suffering in Paris, that they may be given consolation. Through your intercession to our Lord who suffered for us, where there is injury, let there be pardon; where there is error, truth; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. We pray that the love of Christ Crucified may accomplish this great work, through the power of his glorious Resurrection.

St. Francis, pray for us!

Notre Dame de Paris, pray for us! 

Friends are such a lift...

Thanks for the email, Rick.

I sent your blog post to my father, who holds a PhD in epidemiology (so not a practicing physician-but still in the medical field), and he said it is really too early to tell if there is real concern.

If it is cancer, the fact that they are small is a sign they are early and more easily treatable.

Overall, it sounds like today's good news should outweigh any concerning news, but definitely keep me updated and good luck on March 20th!

I'm sure you will be fine.

-Mike

How much do we notice as we go through a day????? Lisa Beamer, wife of "Let it Roll" hero 911

FROM OUR FELLOW PRAYER WARRIOR MARIAN IN BOISE....WORTH SHARING.  xoxo

Lisa  Beamer on Good Morning America - If you remember, she's the wife of
Todd Beamer  who said 'Let's Roll!' and helped take down the plane over
Pennsylvania that was  Heading for Washington , DC back on 9/11.

She said it's the little  things that she misses most about Todd, such as
hearing the garage door open as  he came home, and her children running to
meet him.

Lisa recalled  this story: "I had a very special teacher in high school
many years ago whose  husband died suddenly of a heart attack. About a week
after his death, she  shared some of her Insight with a classroom of students.
As the late afternoon  sunlight came streaming in through the classroom
windows and the class was  nearly over, she moved a few things aside on the edge
of her desk and sat down  there.

With a gentle look of reflection on her face, she paused and  said, 'Class
is over, I would like to share with all of you, a thought that is  unrelated
to class, but which I feel Is very important. Each of us is put here  on
earth to learn, share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves. None of us
knows when this fantastic experience will end. It can be taken away at any
moment.

Perhaps this is God's way of telling us that we must make  the most out of
every single day. Her eyes, beginning to water, she went on,  'So I would like you all To make me a promise, from now on, on your way to  school, or on your way home, find
something beautiful to notice.

It  doesn't have to be something you see, it could be a scent, perhaps of
freshly  baked bread wafting out of someone's house, or it could be the sound
of the  breeze slightly rustling the leaves in the trees, or the
way the morning  light catches one autumn leaf as it falls gently to the
ground. Please look for  these things, and cherish them. For, although it may
sound trite to some, these  things are the "stuff" of life.

The little things we are put here  on earth to enjoy. The things we often
take for granted.

The class  was completely quiet. We all picked up our books and filed out
of the room  silently. That afternoon, I noticed more things on my way home
from school than  I had that whole semester. Every once in a while, I think
of that teacher and  remember what an impression she made on all of us, and I
try to appreciate all  of those things that sometimes we all overlook.

Take notice of  something special you see on your lunch Hour today. Go
barefoot. Or walk on the  beach at sunset. Stop off on the way home tonight to
get a double dip ice cream  cone. For as we get older, it is not the things
we did that we often regret, but  the things we didn't do.

HAVE A GREAT DAY!
GOD Bless you every day of your  life.
The nicest place to be is in someone's thoughts
The  safest place to be is in someone's prayers,
And the very best place to  be is....
In the hands of God