Lenten Message from F.Padilla

Hello all. Here is another timely reminder by the Holy Father about work with the poor.

(1) Our sole intent is to seek God's glory. We as Christians help the poor out of our love for God. Our helping the poor is a reflection of God's own love for the least of our brethren. Ultimately everything goes back to God. He is at the center of our work with the poor. Thus it cannot be that Christ is marginalized or set aside, due to the desire that more partners, sponsors and money can be raised. It cannot be that Christ is no longer proclaimed, for the reason that it might turn off those who are not people of faith.

(2) Gospel charity should be hidden. Jesus himself warns us to "take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; .... when you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do .... to win the praise of others. .... But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing" (Mt 6:1-3). When what we do for the poor is the deliberate object of an intense marketing campaign to trumpet to the whole world the good we do, especially without even mentioning Christ, then we are losing our way.

(3) Avoid making yourself the center of attention. When there is a deliberate drive to solicit awards and to focus on human personalities as the prime movers of our work, rather than acknowledging that our successes are due to the work of the Holy Spirit, then we are losing our way.

(4) Look not to applause or to personal interest. When we look to the praises of men, or when we have our own personal agenda, especially a political one, then we have lost our way.

We must be careful, and so the Holy Father says "attentive vigilance is required, since this temptation is great."

Our work with the poor is a privilege given us by God to participate in the very mission of Jesus, to love Jesus himself in the least of our brethren, and to be able to give honor and glory to God. To set Christ aside, to no longer proclaim Christ, to use such a privilege for our own personal well-being or to serve our personal agenda, all these are a great travesty of the gospel.

God bless.

frank

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Bad Habits

An elderly teacher, with a pupil by his side, took a walk through a forest. Suddenly he stopped and pointed to four plants close at hand. The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself pretty well into the earth, the third was a small shrub, while the fourth was a full-sized tree. The tutor said to his young companion, 'Pull up the first plant.' The boy did so eagerly, using only his fingers. 'Now pull up the second.' The youth obeyed but found the task more difficult. 'Do the same with the third,' he urged. The boy had to use all his strength to uproot it. 'Now,' said the instructor, 'try your hand with the fourth.' The pupil put his arms around the trunk of the tall tree and couldn't even shake its leaves. 'This, my son, is just what happens with our bad habits. When they are young, we can remove them readily; but when they are old, it's hard to uproot them, though we try and struggle ever so sincerely.'"

The Gospel Today

Matthew 6: 1 - 6, 16 - 18

"Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. "Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. "And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

The Gospel Today

Luke 6: 23 - 26

Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. "But woe to you that are rich, for you have received your consolation. "Woe to you that are full now, for you shall hunger. "Woe to you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. "Woe to you, when all men speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

Revive 2008

The Gospel Today

Matthew 10: 16 - 25

"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles.When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel, before the Son of man comes. "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master; it is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Be-el'zebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.

The Holy Gospel

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 5,1-20

They came to the other side of the sea, to the territory of the Gerasenes. When he got out of the boat, at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him. The man had been dwelling among the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain. In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains, but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones. Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, crying out in a loud voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me!" (He had been saying to him, "Unclean spirit, come out of the man!") He asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "Legion is my name. There are many of us." And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that territory. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside. And they pleaded with him, "Send us into the swine. Let us enter them." And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine. The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea, where they were drowned. The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town and throughout the countryside. And people came out to see what had happened. As they approached Jesus, they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind. And they were seized with fear. Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened to the possessed man and to the swine. Then they began to beg him to leave their district. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him. But he would not permit him but told him instead, "Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you." Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.