God created the world with a great variety of flowers of all colours. Every flower has its beauty, which is unique. Each of us is also beautiful in God's eyes, and God loves us. This makes us feel the need to say “thank you” to God: Thank you! Thank you for the gift of life, for all creatures!
#Repost @franciscus
Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist - September 21, 2020 - Liturgical Calendar
Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist - September 21, 2020 - Liturgical Calendar
www.catholicculture.org
At the time that Jesus summoned him to follow Him, Matthew was a publican, that is, a tax-collector for the Romans. His profession was hateful to...Season of Creation Day 21:
Earth, Teach Me
Take a moment to reflect on this Ute petroglyph. (AD 1650-1850)
Earth, Teach Me
Earth teach me quiet ~ as the grasses are still with new light.
Earth teach me suffering ~ as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility ~ as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring ~ as mothers nurture their young.
Earth teach me courage ~ as the tree that stands alone.
Earth teach me limitation ~ as the ant that crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom ~ as the eagle that soars in the sky.
Earth teach me acceptance ~ as the leaves that die each fall.
Earth teach me renewal ~ as the seed that rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself ~ as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness ~ as dry fields weep with rain.
— American Indian Ute Prayer passed down from White Buffalo Calf Woman
Play a game:
When you encounter a "single-use" item (ship-wrapping, containers, take-out utensils, anything you’ll use just once) estimate how long you use it and then compare that to how much time and energy it took to create it and how long it will be until it is back to raw-material stage.
(The average time for a plastic bottle to completely degrade is at least 450 years.)
Start saying "No, thanks" to single-use items, especially plastic ones (bags, cups, containers, straws, etc.)
Special thanks for those who model reverence for the earth.
pause | reflect | act
“As Jesus passed by,
he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, “Follow me.”
And he got up and followed him.
While he was at table in his house,
many tax collectors and sinners came
and sat with Jesus and his disciples.
The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples,
“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
He heard this and said,
“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
Go and learn the meaning of the words,
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
#dailyingodsword
Monday, Sep 21, 2020
FEAST OF MATTHEW, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST
Rise up
Nobody likes paying taxes or has warm, fuzzy feelings about the IRS, but it seems tax collectors in Jesus’ time had it especially rough—being lumped in with all manner of sinners. That is because tax collectors were Jews who worked for the Romans, the enemy occupiers of Jewish lands, so they were viewed as traitors by their people. Jesus sought them out for salvation anyway and led Matthew to a new position: apostle and evangelist. What does it take to get a promotion like that? Merely “get up and follow Jesus,” as Matthew did.
TODAY'S READINGS: Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13; Matthew 9:9-13
“I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
#takefiveforfaith
Meet our 707 COR Leadership Team!
John is a an 11th Grader at Coronado High School, and this is his sixth year as part of Sacred Heart’s Youth Ministry. John’s favorite hobby is sports, but during the quarantine, he stayed
positive by playing video games.
Who gave you your first God lessons? Who helps to enrich and encourage your faith today? On this Catechetical Sunday, we thank family members, preachers, teachers, RCIA teams, youth leaders, faith-filled friends and others who brought the Good News to us. What will your own example teach others?
“Seek the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near.”
Isaiah 55:6
(Photos pre-pandemic - please wear a mask and keep safe social distancing)
Season of Creation Day 20: What's one thing you could do for the environment to widen your circle of positive impact?
Take a moment to reflect on the photo (Labyrinth in Chartres Cathedral, France)
I live my life in widening circles
that reach out across the world.
I may not complete this last one
but I give myself to it
I circle around God, around the primordial tower.
I’ve been circling for thousands of years
and I still don’t know: am I a falcon,
a storm, or a great song?
— Rainer Maria Rilke, Book of Hours
What is one climate issue that you might advocate for? Write a letter, make a call, sign a petition, make a donation, cast a vote, etc. What would be your next step?
Effecting large-scale, systemic change for the planet can feel like a daunting, or impossible task. An organization that can be a companion on this journey is GreenFaith.org — inspiring, educating, organizing, and mobilizing people of diverse religious and spiritual backgrounds globally for environmental action.
Green Faith's work is based on shared beliefs: "protecting the Earth is a sacred act… environmental stewardship is a moral responsibility."
pause | reflect | act
“When we are hurt by the unfair treatment of others or their rejection, we frequently harbour grudges and resentment. God on the other hand, while hurt by our 'no', tries again; he keeps doing good even for those who do evil. Because this is what love does. Because this is the only way that evil is defeated. Today our God, who never abandons hope, tells us to do what he does, to live in true love, to overcome resignation and the whims of our peevish and lazy selves." - Pope Francis
Sunday Gospel Matthew 20:1-16
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner
who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.
After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,
he sent them into his vineyard.
Going out about nine o’clock,
the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard,
and I will give you what is just.’
So they went off.
And he went out again around noon,
and around three o’clock, and did likewise.
Going out about five o’clock,
the landowner found others standing around, and said to them,
‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’
They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’
He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’
When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,
‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay,
beginning with the last and ending with the first.’
When those who had started about five o’clock came,
each received the usual daily wage.
So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,
but each of them also got the usual wage.
And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,
‘These last ones worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us,
who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’
He said to one of them in reply,
‘My friend, I am not cheating you.
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
Take what is yours and go.
What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?
Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?
Are you envious because I am generous?’
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
#dailyingodsword
