February 24
Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
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Give a Mass Offering
Mass Intentions
7:45 AM – Jack DeSantis / Kathy Kotz
Prayer for Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
Readings
First Reading
James 5:1-6
Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries. Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten, your gold and silver have corroded, and that corrosion will be a testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a fire. You have stored up treasure for the last days. Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud; and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure; you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter. You have condemned; you have murdered the righteous one; he offers you no resistance.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 49:14-15ab, 15cd-16, 17-18, 19-20
R. (Matthew 5:3) Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
This is the way of those whose trust is folly,
the end of those contented with their lot:
Like sheep they are herded into the nether world;
death is their shepherd and the upright rule over them.
R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Quickly their form is consumed;
the nether world is their palace.
But God will redeem me
from the power of the nether world by receiving me.
R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Fear not when a man grows rich,
when the wealth of his house becomes great,
For when he dies, he shall take none of it;
his wealth shall not follow him down.
R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Though in his lifetime he counted himself blessed,
“They will praise you for doing well for yourself,”
He shall join the circle of his forebears
who shall never more see light.
R. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Gospel Acclamation
See 1 Thessalonians 2:13
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Receive the word of God, not as the word of men,
but as it truly is, the word of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Mark 9:41-50
Jesus said to his disciples: “Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.
“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,
it would be better for him if a great millstone
were put around his neck
and he were thrown into the sea.
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.
It is better for you to enter into life maimed
than with two hands to go into Gehenna,
into the unquenchable fire.
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off.
It is better for you to enter into life crippled
than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna.
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.
Better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye
than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna,
where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.
“Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid, with what will you restore its flavor? Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another.”
“Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!”
Reflection
St. Bernard of Clairvaux said, “There are more people converted from mortal sin to grace than there are religious converted from good to better…” He noticed something within his community of monks that could easily be applied to all of us: we often think we have reached a level of spiritual life and while we are content, we mistakenly believe that we cannot progress anymore, or maybe even that we aren’t in need of reaching new spiritual heights. We can go to Mass regularly, say our prayers daily—but never quite progress in spiritual maturity. We can feel somewhat stuck that nothing new or different happens in prayer, and it is easy to brush off lofty ideas with the expectation that we really can become saints. Part of the universal call to holiness is that we are all called to the same height of holiness. Regardless of whether or not you have been called to a religious vocation, all vocations in the Church are equally called to strive for perfection.
Jesus insists regularly on spiritual perfection for all believers, and he invites us to this path that involves deep conversion flowing from humility and repentance. Most recently in our journey through the Epistle of St. James, the previous segments have condemned three “arrogant” behaviors: speaking evil of our brothers and sisters (4:11-12), living our lives without acknowledging our dependence on God (4:13-17), and using wealth selfishly and unjustly (today’s 5:1-6). With Lent approaching, maybe we can intentionally start to do the opposite of these things: use our speech to build up, not tear down, ask the Lord to help us grow in gratitude for his presence, and even think about how our contributions to others can lead us to be detached from earthly things. While it is difficult for us to receive challenges from James, as his words are incredibly relevant still to this day, let’s not get discouraged but rather strive together courageously toward new heights of holiness with the Lord.
Peace,
Fr. Foley
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