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"Jesus says: 'Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. The Lord does not reserve this phrase for certain friends of his, no; he addresses it to 'all' those who are weary and overwhelmed by life. And who could feel excluded from this invitation? The Lord knows how arduous life can be. He knows that many things weary the heart: disappointments and wounds of the past, burdens to carry and wrongs to bear in the present, uncertainties and worries about the future.
In the face of all this, Jesus’ first word is an invitation, a call to move and respond: 'Come'. The mistake, when things go wrong, is to stay where we are, lying there. It seems obvious, but how difficult it is to respond and open ourselves! It is not easy. In dark times it feels natural to keep to ourselves, to ruminate over how unfair life is, over how ungrateful others are, how mean the world is, and so on. We all know it. We have had this awful experience a few times. But in this way, locked up inside ourselves, we see everything as grim. Then we even grow accustomed to sadness, which becomes like home: that sadness overcomes us; this sadness is a terrible thing. Jesus, however, wants to pull us out of this 'quicksand' and thus says to each one: 'Come! — Who? — You, you, you'. The way out is in connecting, in extending a hand and lifting our gaze to those who truly love us.
In fact it is not enough to come out of ourselves; it is important to know where to go. Because many aims are illusory: they promise comfort and distract just a little; they guarantee peace and offer amusement, then leave us with the loneliness there was before; they are 'fireworks'. Therefore Jesus indicates where to go: 'Come to me'. And many times, in the face of a burden of life or a situation that saddens us, we try to talk about it with someone who listens to us, with a friend, with an expert.... This is a great thing to do, but let us not forget Jesus. Let us not forget to open ourselves to him and to recount our life to him, to entrust people and situations to him." - Pope Francis
Art by Sieger Koder
"Confession is an act of honesty and courage - an act of entrusting ourselves, beyond sin, to the mercy of a loving and forgiving God."
-Pope John Paul II
#sacramentofreconciliation
You can make an appointment, stop by or call 619-435-3167 to see if a priest is available, or join us in the church Saturdays 3:30-4:30, before the 5p vigil mass.
Wednesday, Mar 22, 2023
Sabbath prayer
Biblically speaking, there are many reasons to celebrate the sabbath. First, a sabbath rest brings to mind God’s rest after the great act of creation. Second, we recall God’s liberating action in our own lives, freeing us from the bonds of sin just as Jews were freed from bondage in Egypt. Finally, the great victory of Jesus over sin and death is cause for a sabbath celebration. Sabbath shouldn’t be reduced to outward observances only, but rather as a perspective that places God’s accomplishing activity front and center. We rest and rise again to carry on that liberating work to help bring about the reign of God.
TODAY'S READINGS: Isaiah 49:8-15; John 5:17-30. "My Father is at work until now, so I am at work."
#takefiveforfaith
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
-Psalm 145
#dailyingodsword
Glance at the sun. See the moon and the stars.
Gaze at the beauty of earth’s greenings
Now, think.
What delight God gives to humankind with all these things.
- St Hildegard of Bingen
Tuesday, Mar 21, 2023
Nothing so beautiful as a tree
The U.N. declares today the International Day of Forests. Trees happen to be the most frequently mentioned living things in the Bible, aside from people and God of course. From the Garden of Eden to the cedars of Lebanon, trees represent God’s provision. They provide food to eat and medicine to heal. Olive trees growing in the Garden of Gethsemane are estimated to be 900 years old. Little surprise, then, that trees—and the modern-day scourge of deforestation—appear in Pope Francis’ environmental encyclical, Laudato Si’. The global loss of trees contributes to climate change. It leads to soil erosion and flooding, particularly for vulnerable indigenous populations. Visit the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative to find a “Catholic toolkit” that features Laudato Si’ and beautiful prayers.
LENTEN WEEKDAY
TODAY'S READINGS: Ezekiel47:1-9, 12; John 5:1-16. “Trees of every kind shall grow; their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail.”
#takefiveforfaith
#Repost #Repost @vat
・・・
On the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Pope Francis calls on us to build a culture of fraternity, social justice, and encounter with the other in order to build a more just and peaceful world.
#FightRacism #FratelliTutti
Here’s to the beautiful graces of faith acting in our daily routine—having faith in ourselves to do good, be good, and improve in all ways. How the Lord delights in our choosing to do good, our changes of heart, our small acts of kindness and mercy, our constant turning to him. How he welcomes us in love at every moment of our lives. 💜
