TODAY'S PRAY

GREAT EXPECTATIONS.

¹One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, ²and he began to teach them. ³“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. ⁴God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ⁵God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. ⁶God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. ⁷God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. ⁸God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. ⁹God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. ¹⁰God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”Matthew 5:1-10

Have you ever had a teacher who expected a lot out of you? What about a parent or relative who assumed that you would act responsibly and morally? People who believe in you usually expect a lot of you—your conduct and your work. Although it may be frustrating to have someone hold you to such high standards—not to mention trying to live up to them—it can be very beneficial.

Similar to this teacher, parent, or relative, Jesus wanted and expected, the best for his followers, and he set high standards for them to live by. This passage, known as the Sermon on the Mount, spells out some of those standards. Jesus set them up to help you.

Jesus’ standards required a new way of holiness that neither the crowds nor the religious authorities could grasp. They couldn’t understand because his standards turned their way and their world’s way of thinking upside down. Consider some of Jesus’ teachings: true happiness involves humility, mourning, longing, purity, and persecution (Matthew 5:3-11); anger can place you in danger of judgment (5:22); do not even look at others lustfully (5:28); never take revenge (5:39); and love your enemies (5:44). Jesus’ listeners that day also didn’t realize that to live by his standards required God’s power, faith in Christ, and change brought by the Holy Spirit.

Although Jesus’ standards are steep, they are his formula for happiness and success. Christians should strive to live up to them only with the help of the Holy Spirit. When we get discouraged by trying to live up to such high standards, we should remember that living by them will bring rewards—though not the kind most people seek, and not necessarily in this life (5:12).

THE LORD WILL KEEP YOU SAFE

~RESPONSORIAL PSALM

SAINT DAVID OF WALES PRAY FOR US

Profile

Born to the Welsh royalty, the son of King Sandde, Prince of Powys, and of Saint Non, the daughter of a chieftain of Menevia (western Wales). Grandson of Ceredig, Prince of Cardigan. Uncle of King Arthur. Priest. Studied under Saint Paul Aurelian. Worked with Saint Columbanus, Saint Gildas the Wise, and Saint Finnigan. Missionary and founder of monasteries.

Following his contribution to the synod of Brevi in Cardiganshire, he was chosen primate of the Cambrian Church. Archbishop of Caerleon on Usk, he moved the see to Menevia. Presided at the Synod of Brefi which condemned the Pelagian heresy. Encouraged and founded monasteries. First to build a chancel to Saint Joseph of Arimathea‘s wattle church at Glastonbury.

After a vision in his monastery in the Rhos Valley, he set out next day with two monks to Jerusalem to aid the Patriarch. While there his preaching converted anti–Christians. Legend says that once while he was preaching, a dove descended to his shoulder to show he had the blessings of the Spirit, and that the earth rose to lift him high above the people so that he could be heard by them all. Another time when was preaching to a crowd at Llandewi Brefi, people on the outer edges could not hear, so he spread a handkerchief on the ground, stood on it, and the ground beneath rose up in a pillar so all could hear. 

Readings

Lord, raise me up after Thee! – Saint David of Wales

TODAY'S PRAYER

REDEEMING THE PAST

We made a decision to turn our wills and our lives over to the care of God.

Each one of us comes to God with a past. In turning our life over to him, we give him our entire self, including our past losses and shame. We hand over to him every moment of disgrace, every tear we have ever cried, every word we wish we could take back, all the broken promises, the loneliness, all the dreams that died, the dashed hopes, the broken relationships, our successes and failures—all of our yesterdays and the scars they have left in our life.

Under Old Testament law, if someone lost freedom, property, or spouse because of a disaster or a debt, the next of kin was looked to as a “redeemer.” If the property had been lost because of inability to pay, the redeemer would pay for it and return it to the original owner. If a woman lost her husband, the redeemer would marry her, providing her with protection and love. God tells us, “Fear not; you will no longer live in shame. Don’t be afraid; there is no more disgrace for you. You will no longer remember the shame of your youth and the sorrows of widowhood. For your Creator will be your husband; the LORD of Heaven’s Armies is his name! He is your Redeemer. . . . For the LORD has called you back from your grief” (Isaiah 54:4-6).

God is our Redeemer, the restorer of our losses. He is Lord of all, even of our days and our dreams in the past. When we give God the past, he can make up for all we have lost. He can rid us of the shame and fill the empty places in our heart.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Pope Saint Hilary

Also known as

• Hilarus
• Hilarius

Memorial

• 28 February (non-leap years)
• 29 February (leap years)
• formerly 17 November

Profile

Deacon. Trusted aide to Pope Saint Leo the Great. Papal legate. Sent to “Robber Synod” at Ephesus in 449 to report on the Monophysitism heresies of Eutyches, which denied the humanity of Christ and claimed that He had only a divine nature, a teaching condemned in 451 by the Council of Chalcedon. Eutyches’ followers attacked the legate party, and forced them to return to Rome. Arch-deacon c.455. Worked on an updated method of calculating the date of Easter. Chosen 46th pope in 461.

As pope, Hilary confirmed the work of several general councils, rebuilt and remodeled many churches, fought Nestorianism and Arianism, and held several Councils at Rome. Renowned for defending the rights of his bishops while exhorting them to curb their excesses and devote themselves more completely to God. Helped define the Church‘s role in the empire, and affirmed the position of the pope, and not the emperor, as leader in spiritual matters. He continued Leo I‘s vigorous policy, strengthening ecclesiastical government in Gaul and Spain. Erected churches, convents, libraries, and two public baths, and his synod of 465 is the earliest Roman synod whose records are extant. 

TODAY'S PRAYER

SPIRITUAL PLASTICITY

Until recently, scientists believed that injuries to the brain could not be healed. If you had a stroke, for instance, the common practice was to offer rehabilitative services only on a short-term basis because long-term therapies were thought to offer little hope. Now all that has changed. Research has shown that the brain is not static but plastic, meaning that with the right kind of exercise and stimulation, it has the ability to change and heal itself.

Based on these findings about the brain, a rehabilitation program has been developed that offers great promise for people with brain injuries or learning deficits. In this type of therapy, patients complete a series of finely honed exercises designed to stimulate specific areas of their brains. These exercises are designed to strengthen areas of weakness in their brains. Day after day, by faithfully challenging weaker areas of the brain, the patients form new neural pathways until eventually many of them are able to gain cognitive function. Though the program can be tedious, it’s hard to argue with its remarkable results.

Perhaps we need a spiritual version of this kind of brain therapy—one that can help our spirits grow stronger as we seek to follow the Lord. Come to think of it, perhaps we already have something like that. It’s called obedience. I have to admit that obedience has never been my favorite word. It’s sometimes tedious and often difficult. In many cases I’d much rather do what I want to do instead of what God wants me to do. Obedience challenges me spiritually to become the person God wants me to be. The more I obey, the stronger and more spiritually mature I will become because obedience creates pathways in my soul for God to work.

Like our brains, our spirits are capable of incredible growth and healing. If we want God’s shalom to characterize our lives, we have to be willing to obey him.

Lord, forgive me for resisting you at times. Help me to run in the path of your commands, confident that they will draw me closer to you

THE WORDS OF THE LORD ARE TRUE

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Blessed Marie Deluil-Martiny

Blessed Marie Deluil-Martiny

Also known as

• Sister Marie of Jesus
• Sister Mary of Jesus
• Marie-Caroline-Philomène Deluil-Martiny

Memorial

• 27 February

Profile

The oldest of five children (she had one brother and three sisters) born to upper middle class parents; she was baptized on the day of her birth. Her father was Paul Deluil-Martiny, a lawyer, and she was the great-niece of Venerable Anne–Madeleine Rémuzat. Marie received a good early education from Visitation Sisters in her home town, and then the Sisters of the Sacred Heart in Lyons, France. She made her First Communion on 22 December 1853, and received Confirmation on 29 January 1854; Saint Eugène de Mazenod assisted at the Confirmation. At age 15, she and some like-minded school friends started a group and called themselves the Oblates of Mary; while it indicated a devotion, their teachers stopped it immediately as there was a risk of them deviating from orthodox Christianity without proper leadership.

Marie began to understand that she had a call to religious life; she starting keeping a spiritual journal, and when she was of age, turned down several marriage proposals. She heard Saint John Marie Vianney preach, and later met with him to discuss her vocation; he encouraged her to follow the call. On 9 March 1864, Marie founded the Guard of Honour of the Sacred Heart, also known as the Association of Presence to the Heart of Jesus, which promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Eucharist; it received canonical status on 7 June 1872. In June 1865 as part of her work with the Guard of Honour, she met, befriended and inspired Saint Daniel Comboni in his missionary work; they corresponded for years. In December 1866, while on a spiritual retreat conducted in honour of the beatification of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Marie heard Father Jean Calage preach on the Sacred Heart; she explained her call to religious life to him, and he became her spiritual director.

On 20 June 1873, with the help of Father Calage, Marie founded the Congregation of the Daughters of the Heart of Jesus in Berchem, Antwerp, Belgium with a mission to promote devotion the Sacred Heart, and to pray continuously for priests. Their constitution, based on the teachings of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was completed in 1875, they received diocesan approval on 2 February 1876 from Cardinal Victor-Auguste-Isidor Deschamps, Marie and the first sisters made their vows on 22 August 1878, and Sister Marie served as the group’s superior the rest of her life. They established the first convent on 24 June 1879, received a papal decree of praise on 25 February 1888, was granted full papal approval of Pope Leo XIII on 2 February 1902, and continue their good work today in Belgium, France, Austria, Italy and Croatia. Marie saw few of these successes as she was murdered by Louis Chave, an angry, lazy, down-and-out anarchist whom Marie had hired as gardener at La Servianne in order to give him a chance at a better life.

Born

• 28 May 1841 in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France as Marie-Caroline-Philomène Deluil-Martiny

Died

• shot twice at point-blank range with a revolver, damaging her carotid artery, on Ash Wednesday, 27 February 1884 in La Servianne, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France
• buried with family in Marseille
• re-interred at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Berchem, Antwerp, Belgium in 1899 when the Daughters were expelled from France
• relics exhumed and inspected on 4 March 1989 as part of the canonization investigation
• re-interred at the mother-house of the Daughters of the Heart of Jesus in Rome, Italy on 28 September 2013

Venerated

• 23 October 1987 by Pope John Paul II (decree of heroic virtues)

Beatified

• 22 October 1989 by Pope John Paul II

Patronage

• Daughters of the Heart of Jesus

Readings

Let us hasten the triumph of Christ over hell and the hostile powers through prayer and sacrifice. – Blessed Marie

What deep sorrow seizes one at the sight of the ever-increasing godlessness of our time and the seducing triumphs of anti-Christian societies. Oh, could I but expiate with my blood those insults offered to the Divine Majesty! – Blessed Marie

I forgive him. All for the cause. – the dying words of Blessed Marie

TODAY'S PRAYER

HOPE IN THE MIDST OF TRIALS

                                                                 Rom 5:1-11

Paul begins Romans 5 with the presupposition that we have peace with God. This is not a simplistic assertion by Paul. He has taken four chapters to explain both the need for being right with God (1:18–3:20) and the way to get right with God (3:21–4:25). Having carefully built his argument, Paul has arrived at the settled conclusion that peace with God is a reality.

Getting right with God, according to Paul, is based on faith—the kind of faith that Abraham, the father of faith, demonstrated (4:3). It is not based on the law or perfect behaviour or perfect bodies. There are no qualifications, exceptions, or exemptions here—no matter how much we might feel that somehow we are the exceptions to the rule. We think, Surely God wouldn’t accept me. We reprimand ourselves for our failures and our imperfectly functioning bodies. We think that if only we did not fail God in our heads, our hearts, and our whole physical being, we could find peace with God.

But that is not what Paul writes. Since we have been made right with God—no exceptions—we already have peace with God. Moreover, we have this peace because of our faith and what Jesus did for us. It had nothing to do with our heads or our hearts or our bodies in the first place. If this is true—and it is—what are we to do with our agonizing, unrelenting pain? Does the peace we have with God make the circumstances of our lives simply vanish? Certainly not. We can simultaneously have pain and peace.

Christ experienced pain and suffering in order to reconcile us to God. Not because we were perfect, but because we were broken. Christ died for us—imperfect though we are. God saw our intense suffering and entered into it with us. Because of this, we have the assurance that even in the midst of trials we have peace with God.

STORE YOUR RICHES IN HEAVEN

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Saint Victor the Hermit

Profile

Born to the nobility and raised in a pious, well-educated family. Priest. Hermit at Arcis-sur-Aube in the Champagne region of France. His life and wisdom caused many conversions. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux composed an Office and several hymns about him.

Readings

Now placed in heaven, he beholds God clearly, revealed to him, swallowed up in joy, but not forgetting us. It is not the land of oblivion in which Victor dwells. Heaven does not harden or straiten hearts but makes them more tender and compassionate; it does not distract minds, nor alienate them from us; it does not diminish, but it increases affection and charity; it augments bowels of pity. The angels, although they behold the face of their Father, visit, run, and continually assist us; and shall they now forget us who were once among us, and who once suffered themselves what they see us at present labor under? No: ‘I know the just expect me till you render to me my reward.’ Victor is not like that cup-bearer of Pharaoh, who could forget his fellow-captive. He has not so put on the stole of glory himself as to lay aside his pity, or the remembrance of our misery. – sermon #2, by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

THE PRICE IS NEVER RIGHT

When we place an item on a scale, it is the moment of truth, whether we are measuring fruit, a bouncing baby, precious metals, or our own body weight. The scales measure loss or gain with unflinching accuracy. How do we weigh the value of self-control? It might be measured by calculating the losses. What is the cost when we unleash anger without restraint? Self-control is the act of hesitating and counting the cost before we speak a word or carry out an action.

How many times have we fallen at the Savior’s feet and asked him to cover our shortcomings with his grace? Each time he has forgiven us and brought us back into fellowship with him. Counting other’s wrongs seems natural—until we measure them against our own failures and the unconditional love we have been granted in Christ.

Weighing an unruly temper against self-control is much the same as measuring scrap aluminum against gold. One is cutting and worth little; the other is of great value.

GOD, help me to forgive others in light of the unconditional love I have found in you. Help me to see past my anger and to resolve disagreements with wisdom and grace. Help me to measure my words and actions before I speak or act. When others wrong me, may I remember all the times you reached down and covered my wrongs with your mercy, and may I be filled with your love for them.

DON’T GET ANGRY AT THE PERSON WHO ACTS IN WAYS THAT DISPLEASE YOU. GIVE HIM THE SMILE HE LACKS. SPREAD THE SUNSHINE OF GOD’S LIMITLESS LOVE.Joni Eareckson Tada (b. 1949)

I WILL SET MY EYES

TODAY'S PRAYER

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Saint Walburga

Saint Walburga

Also known as

• Auboué
• Avangour
• Avongourg
• Bugga
• Falbourg
• Gaubourg
• Gauburge
• Gaudurge
• Gualbourg
• Valborg
• Valburg
• Valpurge
• Valpuri
• Vaubouer
• Vaubourg
• Walbourg
• Walburg
• Walburge
• Walpurd
• Walpurga
• Walpurgis
• Waltpurde
• Warpurg

Memorial

• 25 February
• 1 May
• 12 October (translation of relics to Eichstätt)
• 24 September (translation of relics to Zutphen)

Profile

Daughter of Saint Richard the King. Sister of Saint Willibald and Saint Winebald. Student of Saint Tatta at Wimborne monastery, Dorset, England, where she later became a nun.

Beginning in 748, she evangelized and healed pagans in what is now Germany with Saint Lioba, SaintBoniface, and her brothers, a mission that was very successful. Abbess of communities of men and of womenat Heidenheim. Cures are ascribed to the oil that exudes from a rock on which her relics were placed, which together with her healing skills in life explains her patronage of plague, rabies, coughs, etc.

The night of 1 May, the date of the translation of Walburga’s relics to Eichstätt in 870, is known as Walpurgisnacht; it is also a pagan festival marking the beginning of summer and the revels of witches. Though the saint had no connection with this festival, her name became associated with witchcraft and country superstitions because of the date. It is possible that the protection of crops ascribed to her, represented by three ears of corn in her icons, may have been transferred to her from Mother Earth and the connection to this pagan holiday

Reading

At present the most famous of the oils of saints is the Oil of Saint Walburga (Walburgis oleum). It flows from the stone slab and the surrounding metal plate on which rest the relics of Saint Walburga in her church in Eichstädt in Bavaria. The fluid is caught in a silver cup, placed beneath the slab for that purpose, and is distributed among the faithful in small vials by the Sisters of Saint Benedict, to whom the church belongs. A chemical analysis has shown that the fluid contains nothing but the ingredients of water. Though the origin of the fluid is probably due to natural causes, the fact that it came in contact with the relics of the saint justifies the practice of using it as a remedy against diseases of the body and the soul. Mention of the oil of SaintWalburga is made as early as the ninth century by her biographer Wolfhard of Herrieden. – from the Catholic Encyclopedia article Oil of Saints