June Meditation

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
   He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
   he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
   for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
   I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
   your rod and your staff—
   they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
   my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
   all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
   my whole life long.

Meditation (Adpated from New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton)

How many people. . . place their hope in a certain sense of spiritual peace, of comfort. Then when they begin to struggle with the real difficulties and burdens of mature life, when they become aware of their own weakness, they lose their peace. . . That is to say: it becomes impossible for them to comfort themselves.

Place no hope in the feeling of assurance, in spiritual comfort. You may well have to get along without this. Place no hope in those inspirational preachers of sunshine, who are able to pick you up and set you back on your feet and make you feel good for three or four days – until you fold up and collapse into despair.

Self-confidence is a precious natural gift, a sign of health. But it is not the same thing as faith. Faith is much deeper, and it must be deep enough to subsist when we are weak, when we are sick, when our self-confidence is gone, when our self-respect is gone. I do not mean that faith only functions when we are otherwise in a state of collapse. But true faith must be able to go on even when everything else is taken away. Only a humble man is able to accept faith on these terms. . . If we are not humble, we tend to demand that faith must also bring with it good health, peace of mind. . . But if we insist on these things as the price of our believing, we tend by that very fact to undermine our own belief. . .

This is where so many holy people break down and go to pieces. As soon as they reach the point where they can no longer see the way and guide themselves by their own light, they refuse to go any further. They have no confidence in anyone except themselves. . . But when the time comes to enter the darkness in which we are naked and helpless and alone; in which we see the insufficiency of our greatest strength and the hollowness of our strongest virtues; in which we have nothing of our own to rely on, and nothing in our nature to support us, and nothing in the world to guide us or give us life – then we find out whether or not we live by faith.

It is in this darkness, when there is nothing left in us that can comfort our own minds, when we seem to be useless, when we seem to have failed, when we seem to be destroyed – it is in this abandonment that we are made strong. This is the night which empties us and makes us pure.

Hymn: Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley 

Jesus walked this lonesome valley.
He had to walk it by Himself.
O, nobody else could walk it for Him.
He had to walk it by Himself.

We must walk this lonesome valley,
We have to walk it by ourselves;
O, nobody else can walk it for us,
We have to walk it by ourselves.

You must go and stand your trial,
You have to stand it by yourself,
O, nobody else can stand it for you,
You have to stand it by yourself.

Sacred Silence

Scripture: James 1:2-12

My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.

If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 

Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up, and the rich in being brought low, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the field; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. It is the same with the rich; in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away.

Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. 

May Meditation

From Psalm 118

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
His steadfast love endures forever.
Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.
With the Lord on my side I do not fear.
What can mortals do to me?
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
Than to put confidence in mortals.
The Lord is my strength and my might;
He has become my salvation.
I shall not die, but I shall live,
And recount the deeds of the Lord.
The Lord has punished me severely,
But he has not given me over to death.
Open to me the gates of righteousness,
That I may enter through and give thanks to the Lord.
I thank you that you have answered me
And have become my salvation.
The stone that the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day that the Lord has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Save us, we beseech you, O Lord!
O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!
You are my God, and I will give thanks to you.
You are my God, I will extol you.
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
For his steadfast love endures forever.

Meditation: Adapted from “A Reflection on the Solemnity of the Ascencion” by Thomas Rosica, CSB

On the day of the Ascension, Jesus was lifted up into the heavens before his friends. Just imagine the awesomeness of this scene! But also, imagine how it must have felt for the Apostles to watch their Lord and Master leave them once again. Jesus has now disappeared from bodily view. But for us, that means that he has left us here as orphans! 

Or has he? On the day of his Ascension, one might conclude that Jesus removed himself into a new form of divine exclusion, abandoning us to our earthly loneliness while assuming his glorious throne. But the case is exactly the opposite. Rather, his disappearance is but a preparation for him to come to us again in a new, even more intimate way – in the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. And it is only through his physical separation from us that his spiritual union with us and with all the world can be completed and fulfilled. 

The mysterious feast of the Ascension reminds us that those moments when Christ feels far from us may, in fact, be his way of preparing us for his coming to us in a deeper, fuller way. The Ascension reminds us that Christ accepts our lack of self-confidence. Through his Ascension Christ teaches us how to love and let go. He loved his Apostles, but he knew that if he stayed with them on earth they would cling too tightly to him and fail to reach out to those around him. In a similar way, our moments of feeling lost and abandoned can open us to compassion, to see and respond to the suffering of those around us. In those moments, we can learn the grace of surrender.

On this feast, let us learn to revere all that we have with deep gratitude, and to hold everything in open hands. 

Song: “I Know that My Redeemer Lives,” performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

I know that Redeemer lives.
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, he lives, who once was dead.
He lives, my ever-living Head.
He lives to bless me with his love.
He lives to plead for me above.
He lives my hungry soul to feed.
He lives to bless  in time of need.
He lives to grant me rich supply.
He lives to guide me with his eye.
He lives  to comfort me when faint.
He lives to hear my soul’s complaint.
He lives to silence all my fears.
He lives to wipe away my tears.
He lives to calm my troubled heart.
He lives all blessings to impart.

Sacred Silence

Scripture (Acts 1: 6-11)

So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up towards heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’

Next Meeting: Thursday, May 4

Happy Good Friday! Though our next meeting of the Group was scheduled for April 27, due to a schedule conflict that just came to my attention we are going to reschedule our meeting for Thursday, May 4. The time (6:30-8:00pm) and the location (the Parish Center Fireplace Room) remain the same! Please join us, and spread the word about the schedule change!

This morning I encountered the following words of wisdom from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, which I share with you in the spirit of Good Friday: 

Whoever enters discipleship enters Jesus' death, and puts his or her own life into death; this has been so from the beginning. The cross is not the horrible end of a pious, happy life, but stands rather at the beginning of community with Jesus Christ.

May all of us who suffer from mental and physical afflictions remember that our suffering is never an end, but always points with hope towards the Resurrection.

March Meditation

From Psalm 102

Hear my prayer, O Lord;
   let my cry come to you.
Do not hide your face from me
   on the day of my distress.
Incline your ear to me;
   answer me speedily on the day when I call.
For my days pass away like smoke,
   and my bones burn like a furnace.
My heart is stricken and withered like grass;
   I am too wasted to eat my bread.
Because of my loud groaning
   my bones cling to my skin.
For I eat ashes like bread,
   and mingle tears with my drink,
because of your indignation and anger;
   for you have lifted me up and thrown me aside.
My days are like an evening shadow;
   I wither away like grass.
But you, O Lord, are enthroned for ever;
   your name endures to all generations.
You will rise up and have compassion. . .
He will regard the prayer of the destitute,
   and will not despise their prayer.
Let this be recorded for a generation to come,
   so that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord:
that he looked down from his holy height,
   from heaven the Lord looked at the earth,
to hear the groans of the prisoners,
   to set free those who were doomed to die.

Meditation: “Meaning and Happiness” by Ron Rolheiser

Even saints who suffered with depression had trouble praying and believing God cared about them or that they were any good. St. Gregory Nazianzus once wrote: The breath of my life, O Lord, seems spent. My body is tense, my mind filled with anxiety, yet I have no zest, no energy. Dark thoughts constantly invade my head. Lord, raise up my soul, revive my body. In the early 1800s, John Vianney, the Curé of Ars, was the pastor of a tiny village in France. Streams of pilgrims made their way to Ars for confession and advice. Despite his holiness, Vianney felt God to be so far from him that he was afraid he had lost his faith. Vianney feared he was ruining everything and had become an obstacle to God’s grace. There was not a moment when he felt that God was satisfied with him. When depression seemed to overpower him completely, he would throw himself down before God like a “dog at the feet of his master,” and weather the storm with a persevering resolution to love and serve God if he could.

What would help you to be more at peace with yourself right now? Are you self-critical? Ashamed? Angry with yourself? Frustrated? What would help you to be able to live each moment with a little bit of hope?

Song:  What Wondrous Love is This, performed by the St. Olaf Choir

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul,What wondrous love is this, O my soul?What wondrous love that caused the Lord of blissTo bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soulTo bear the dreadful curse for my soul?When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking downWhen I was sinking down, sinking down,When I was sinking down beneath God’s righteous frownChrist laid aside his crown for my soul, for my soulChrist laid aside his crown for my soulTo God and to the Lamb I will sing, I will singTo God and to the Lamb I will singTo God and to the Lamb  who is the great I AMWhile millions join the theme I will sing, I will singWhile millions join the theme I will singAnd when from death I’m free I’ll sing on,And when from death I’m free I’ll sing onAnd when from death I’m freeI’ll sing his love for meAnd through eternity I will sing on, I’ll sing onAnd through eternity I’ll sing on.

Sacred Silence 

Scripture (1 John 1:1-5; 3:1)

We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life – this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and revealed to us – we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. . . See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are.

February Meditation

Psalm 3

ALL: O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
Many are saying to me,
“There is no help for you in God.”
But you, O Lord, are a shield around me,
My glory, the one who lifts up my head.
I cry aloud to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy hill.
I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the Lord sustains me.
I am not afraid of tens of thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me all around.
Rise up, O Lord! Deliver me, O my God!
Deliverance belongs to the Lord.
May your blessing be on your people.

Meditation: “Meaning and Happiness” by Ron Rolheiser

Am I happy? Is my life a happy one? Am happy inside my marriage? Am I happy with my family? Am I happy in my job? Am I happy with my church? Am I happy inside my own skin?

Are these good questions to ask ourselves? No. They’re questions with which to torture ourselves. When we face our lives honestly this kind of question about happiness is more likely to bring tears to our eyes than solace to our souls because, no matter how well our lives are going, none of us live perfectly fulfilled lives. Always there are unfulfilled dreams. Always there are areas of frustration. Always there are tensions. Always there are deeper hungers that are being stifled. A lot of times it is not easy to feel happy.

But we are asking the wrong questions. The question should not be: Am I happy? Rather the questions should be: Is my life meaningful? Is there meaning in my life? Is there meaning in my marriage? Is there meaning in my family? Is there meaning in my job? Is there meaning inside my church? We need to ask the deep questions about our lives in terms of meaning rather than in terms of happiness because, for the most part, we have a false, over-idealized, and unrealistic concept of happiness.

We tend to equate happiness with two things, pleasure and lack of tension. Hence we fantasize that for us to be happy we would need to be in a situation within which we would be free of all the tensions that normally flood into our lives from: pressure, tiredness, interpersonal friction, physical pain, financial worry, disappointment in our jobs, frustration with our churches, frustration with our favorite sports teams, and every other headache and heartache that can appear. Happiness, as it is superficially conceived of, means perfect health, perfectly fulfilled relationships, a perfect job, no anxiety or tension in life, no disappointments, and the time and money to enjoy the good life.

But that isn’t what constitutes happiness. Meaning is what constitutes happiness and meaning isn’t contingent upon pain and tension being absent from our lives:  Imagine if someone had come up to Jesus as he was dying on the cross and asked him the question: Are you happy up there? His answer, I am sure, would have been unequivocal: “No! And today in particular I am not happy!” However, the perspective is quite different if, while on the cross, Jesus would have been asked this question: “Is there meaning in what you are doing up there?” There can be deep meaning in something even if there isn’t happiness in the way we superficially conceive of it.

Song: Prayer of St. Teresa of Avila

Nada te turbe,
Nada te espante;
Quien a Dio tiene
Nada le falta
Nada te turbe,
Nada te espante;
Solo Dios basta.
Todo se pasa,
Dios no se muda,
La pacienca todo lo alcanza.
En Cristo mi confianza,
Y de El solo mi asimiento;
En sus cansancios mi aliento,
Y en su imitacion
mi holganza.
Aqui estriba mi firmeza,
Aqui mi seguridad,
La prueba de mi verdad,
La muestra de mi firmeza.
Yo no durmais, no durmais,
Pues que no hay paz en la tierra.
No haya ningun cobarde,
Aventuremos la vida.
No hay que temer, no durmais,
Aventuremos la vida.

Let nothing trouble you,
Let nothing scare you;
He who loves God
Needs nothing.
Let nothing trouble you,
Let nothing scare you.
God alone is enough.
Everything passes by,
God does not change.
With patience, everything is possible.
In Christ is my confidence
And my affection is his alone.
My breath is present in His weariness
And my peace of mind comes
By imitating Him.
Here lies my steadfastness,
Here lies my safety,
The proof of my truth,
The evidence of my steadfastness.
I no longer sleep, no longer sleep,
Because there is no peace on earth.
Let us not be cowards,
Let us venture to live.
Do not have fear, do not sleep.
Let us venture to live

Sacred Silence 

Scripture (Matthew 5:3-12)

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the poor in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.

January Meditation

Psalm 13

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?Consider and answer me, O Lord my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”; my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Meditation: From Salt and Light by Eberhard Arnold

Never burden yourself by looking far ahead. Always live one day at a time. If you can do this, you will live like children, birds, and flowers. For them each day is a lifetime. Every day unfolds new joy, new hope, even if every day may have brought you new shadows and new nightfall. Every day you may have broken down in guilt and failure. Every day may have shown you your helplessness a thousandfold. Yet each new day brings new sun, new air, and new grace.

In this way, trust grows, trust in God and in those in whom God is at work. Jesus encourages those who obey him to pray and believe again and again. He promises that when we ask, it shall be given. To those who knock, it will be opened, and they will enter, like going through an open gate into a large garden – God’s garden. The gate is narrow, but it is there for all.

Luke says clearly what the object of this asking, believing, waiting, and daring is. It is the Spirit! If you who are evil can give your children good things, truly you can rely on God to give you what you need – the Holy Spirit. Everything contained in the Sermon on the Mount is done by this Spirit, which has the nature of a lamb. In the Spirit, the material form of God’s new creation arises; it transforms wolves into lambs, and man’s predatory world into God’s kingdom of peace.

Song: As I Go Down to the River to Pray by Alison Krauss

Sacred Silence 

Scripture (Matthew 7:7-10)

Ask and it will be given to you; search and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Poem: Notes to Self

A member of group kindly shared this poem, written by Beth Kress, entitled "Notes to Self." I found myself pondering much of its wisdom during this stressful holiday season. I hope you also find solace and comfort in its words!

Notes to Self

Impressive, the number of ways

you’ve come up with to drive yourself crazy.

Relax, there are plenty of other people

willing and able to do this for you.

For starters, knock it off already

with the sugar and all the racing around.

Stay hooked on sunlight and cycling instead,

allow more lead time than you need.

How about this for a new plan?

Speak gently to yourself when you screw up

say thanks for all the times you get it right,

Find ingenious ways to be kind to yourself.

Treat yourself as you would a ditsy best friend,

surround yourself with people who glow,

be ready to laugh at your amusing self, 

never doubt your own essential lovability.

Every day do one thing differently, always

be hatching something: a party, a gift, a trip.

Strive for a 100% result; be thrilled with 80.

Seek out brilliance and connections. Be curious.

Make your time count, for heaven’s sake

pay attention to what actually matters

dive into your communities with gusto

lean in to the light; hang out in zones of gratitude.

Linger where you catch glimpses of grace,

fill your spaces with what brings out the ahh in you.

Give or put stuff away. Don’t be afraid.

Surrender to the mystery of it all.

Know that you belong here,

keep making room for more people,

more love, and for the immensity of things.

live deeply, unhurried, with humor.

Fall into the peaceful, powerful rhythm

of your own right life.

(Beth Kress, April 2016)

December Meditation

Psalm 23
All: A Psalm of David.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 

He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. 
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil;
for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me. 
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

Meditation: “Lost is a Place Too” by Ron Rolheiser, OMI

In many ways, at least in the Western world, the Church is in the desert, in a dark night, lost, being pruned, undergoing a purifying alechemy.

We’re experiencing public humiliation in the sexual abuse scandal, in our greying and emptying churches, and in the strong anti-clericalism inside our culture. We’re aging, unsure of ourselves, lacking in vocations, and becoming ever more marginalized.

But that’s a place too, a good place to be. From the edges, humbled and insecure, we can again become church.

The same holds true in our personal lives. We have our good seasons, but we have seasons too where we lose relationships, lose health, lose friends, lose spouses, lose children, lose jobs, lose prestige, lose our grip, lose our dreams, lose our meaning, and end up humbled, alone, and lonely. But that’s a place too, a valid and an important one. Inside that place, our souls are being shaped in ways we cannot understand but in ways that will stretch and widen them for a deeper love and happiness in the future.

Good wines are aged in cracked old barrels. That’s what makes them rich and mellow. They can, of course, go sour during the process. That’s the risk. The soul works in the same way and, thus, we might ask whether failure and loneliness, as they shape our souls, need to be re-imagined aesthetically: Are maturity and transformation, growth in beauty, not about more than success, health, having it all, and looking like a million dollars?

Beauty is ultimately more about the size of our hearts, about how much they can empathize, and how about widely and unselfishly they can embrace. To that end, the desert-heat of loneliness is helpful in softening the heart, enough at least to let it be painfully stretched.

That happens more easily when we’re lost, unsure of ourselves, empty of consolation, aching in frustration, and running a psychic temperature. Not pleasant, but that’s a place too.

Song: Let All Mortal Flesh Be Silent

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descending
Comes our homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
Comes the powers of hell to vanquish
As the darkness clears away.

At His feet the six winged seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!

Sacred Silence 

Scripture (Romans 8:18-19; 22-24; 26; 28)

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God. . . We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption. . . For in hope we were saved. . . Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. . . We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

The Word of the Lord.

ALL: Thanks be to God.

Sign of the Cross

November Meditation

Psalm 3

All: LORD, how many are my foes!

How many rise up against me!

Many are saying of me,

“God will not deliver him.”

But you, LORD, are a shield around me,

My glory, the One who lifts my head high.

I call out to the LORD,

and he answers me from his holy mountain.

I lie down and sleep;

I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.

I will not fear though tens of thousands

Assail me on every side.

Arise, LORD!
Deliver me, my God!

Strike all my enemies on the jaw;

Break the teeth of the wicked.

From the LORD comes deliverance.

May your blessing be on your people.

Meditation

From Surviving Depression: A Catholic Approach by Sr. Kathryn Hermes, FSP

Blessed Charles de Foucauld, once a restless adventurer, found his heart’s desire in a simple life of presence among the Muslim people in the Sahara Desert. He wrote a meditation on Psalm 3: “It seems as though there is a great abyss between us, and that you look on us with severity. We wonder where we are and where we are going, and it seems as though we are sinking in quicksand, unable to free ourselves. But, my God, you are so good! You call to us, ‘Find yourself in me,’ and you throw us a solid anchor.

God knows you just as you are, with your history, your fears, your needs, and your tears. God loves you just as you are. God is the one who loves you most, with your garbage, your limitations, and your problems, as well as the beauty you may not be able to see. God is walking toward you, arms outstretched, to help you find meaning in everything. Let God impress you with his love. Even if you feel nothing when you read about God’s love, say to God: “I believe, even though I cannot see.” One day you will no longer need to believe, because you will see.

Song: Open Thou Mine Eyes by the Cambridge Singers

Scripture (1 Corinthians)

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. . . Therefore we do not lose heart. . . For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not one what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

The Word of the Lord.

ALL: Thanks be to God

Sign of the Cross