Genesis 40:1-23 day 29.3.15

Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt gave offense to their lord the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with his two courtiers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody, in the house of the chief steward, in the same prison house where Joseph was confined. The chief steward assigned Joseph to them, and he attended them. When they had been in custody for some time, both of them--the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison--dreamed in the same night, each his own dream and each dream with its own meaning. When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were distraught. He asked Pharaoh's courtiers, who were with him in custody in his master's house, saying, "Why do you appear downcast today?" And they said to him, 'We had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them." So Joseph said to them, "Surely God can interpret! Tell me [your dreams]." Then the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph. He said to him, "In my dream, there was a vine in front of me. On the vine were three branches. It had barely budded, when out came its blossoms and its clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand." Joseph said to him, "This is its interpretation: The three branches are three days. In three days Pharaoh will pardon you and restore you to your post; you will place Pharaoh's cup in his hand, as was your custom formerly when you were his cupbearer. But think of me when all is well with you again, and do me the kindness of mentioning me to Pharaoh, so as to free me from this place. For in truth, I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews; nor have I done anything here that they should have put me in the dungeon." When the chief baker saw how favorably he had interpreted, he said to Joseph, "In my dream, similarly, there were three openwork baskets on my head. In the uppermost basket were all kinds of food for Pharaoh that a baker prepares; and the birds were eating it out of the basket above my head." Joseph answered, "This is its interpretation: The three baskets are three days. In three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and impale' you upon a pole; and the birds will pick off your flesh." On the third day--his birthday--Pharaoh made a banquet for officials, and he singled out his chief cupbearer and his chief baker among his officials. He restored the chief cupbearer to his cupbearing, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand; but the chief baker he paled-just as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet the chief cupbearer did not think of Joseph; he forgot him.

We place our trust in God.

 Today we are faced with a choice between God and a rival master. The rival master can be anyone or anything. The example Jesus gives is mammon, a Semitic word for money or riches. Our ultimate loyalty should be to God, and this is impossible if we serve money in the way that a slave serves his master. It is this service of money, not the possession of it, that is wrong. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian sentenced to death for opposing the Nazis, put the choice well: “Our hearts have room for only one all-embracing devotion, and we can only cleave to one Lord.” In the rest of today's Gospel, the theme is worry and anxiety: “have no anxiety about anything.” God gave us life and our body, so he will give us the lesser gifts of food and clothing, and therefore anxiety is unnecessary. We are all prone to worry, but it robs us of the peace of Christ. The basis of our anxiety is that we lack faith. Jesus' teaching here gives us several reasons why we should not worry: it is to miss the point of life, which is far more important than things such as food, drink and clothing; it makes little sense, for if God feeds the birds, surely he will not let us go hungry; and it is a waste of time because it will never lengthen our lives. Indeed, worry can make us ill, shortening our lives. There are enough problems today without worrying about tomorrow! The answer to worry is to “seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness.” We need to change our priorities and seek to uphold God's standards. Through God's grace we can grow in our understanding of his love and become more conscious that he cares for us.

(excerpt: catholic-bible-school.org)

The Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

 Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

 Where there is injury, pardon; 

Where there is doubt, faith;

 Where there is despair, hope;

 Where there is darkness, light;

 Where there is sadness, joy.

 O Divine Master, grant that I may not seek

 So much to be consoled as to console; 

To be understood as to understand; 

To be loved as to love.

 For it is in giving that we receive; 

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

 And it is in dying that we are born

 To eternal life. 

Amen. 

Let us Love our Enemies.

 W e are called to the holiness of God. That is the extraordinary claim made in both the First Reading and Gospel this Sunday. Yet how is possible that we can be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect? Jesus explains that we must be imitators of God as His beloved children.
 As God does, we must love without limit, with a love that does not distinguish between friend and foe, overcoming evil with good. Jesus Himself, in His Passion and death, gave us the perfect example of the love that we are called to. He offered no resistance to the evil, even though He could have commanded twelve legions of angels to fight alongside Him. He offered His face to be struck and spit upon. He allowed His garments to be stripped from Him. He marched as His enemies compelled Him to the Place of the Skull. On the cross He prayed for those who persecuted Him.
In all this He showed Himself to be the perfect Son of God. By His grace, and through our imitation of Him, He promises that we too can become children of our heavenly Father. God does not deal with us as we deserve, as we sing in this week’s Psalm. He loves us with a Father’s love. He saves us from ruin. He forgives our transgressions. He loved us even when we had made ourselves His enemies through our sinfulness. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. We have been bought with the price of the blood of God’s only Son. We belong to Christ now, as St. Paul says in this week’s Epistle. By our baptism, we have we have been made temples of His Holy Spirit. And we have been saved to share in His holiness and perfection. So let us glorify Him by our lives lived in His service, loving as He loves. Dr. S. Hahn.
(excerpt: salvationhistory.com)

The Chair Of St Peter

 The Feast of the Chair of St. Peter celebrates the Papacy and St. Peter as the first bishop of Rome. Peter was living and working in Capernaum as a fisherman when Jesus called him to be one of the Twelve Apostles. Jesus bestowed to Peter a special place among the Apostles. He was one of the three who were with Christ on special occasions, such as the Transfiguration of Christ and the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was the only Apostle to whom Christ appeared on the first day after the Resurrection. Peter, in turn, often spoke on behalf of the Apostles. When Jesus asked the Apostles: “Whom do men say that the Son of Man is?” he replied: "Thou art Christ, the Son of the Living God.” And Jesus said: "Blessed are you Simon, because flesh and blood have not revealed it to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to you: that you are Peter (Cephas, a rock) and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: whatsoever you shall loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven".(Mt 16:13- 20). In saying this Jesus made St. Peter the head of the entire community of believers and placed in his hands the spiritual guidance of the faithful. However, St. Peter was not without faults. He was rash and was often reproached by Christ. He fell asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane instead of praying as Jesus had asked him to do. He also denied knowing Jesus three times after Christ’s arrest. But he was always quick to repent. Peter delivered the first public sermon after the Pentecost and won a large number of converts. He also performed many miracles and defended the freedom of the Apostles to preach the Gospels. He preached in Jerusalem, Judaea, and as far north as Syria. Peter was arrested in Jerusalem under Herod Agrippa I, but he miraculously escaped execution. He left Jerusalem and eventually went to Rome, where he preached during the last portion of his life. He was crucified there, upside down, as he had desired to suffer, saying that he did not deserve to die as Christ had died. His remains now rest beneath the altar of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

 (excerpt: catholicnewsagency.com)

Let us keep His law with our hearts.

 T o call someone a hypocrite or to tell someone that they are a Pharisee is pretty much the same thing. Both symbolize what is sinister and false. Yet the Pharisees followed the law and did what they were supposed to do. They paid their debts, observed their religious rituals, and were leaders in their communities. Yet we hear Jesus saying: “Unless your holiness surpasses that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of God.”
Evidently, being a strict follower of the rules isn’t good enough. Jesus expects us to be better than just followers of rules. In Jesus’ mind righteousness is not a question of what we must do to observe the law. It is a question of how much more we can do, how much more we want to do. It is what’s in our hearts and souls that matters. Just because we appear to be good on the outside doesn’t necessarily mean that we are good on the inside. We may never commit adultery, but our hearts can be filled with lust. We may never be convicted of theft, but we can rob another person of their value in the eyes of others.
It is genuine love that matters, not just words or appearances. True Christians do not ask whether something is legal or illegal and then stop there. They love God, they love Jesus, and they love their brothers and sisters. Their only concern is how they can serve and love them more and more. They want to work with Jesus and his brothers and sisters to build the Kingdom of God. No matter how much they do, they know they can still love more. Just doing the minimum is not enough. What Jesus taught and what He showed us is that love knows no boundaries.
(excerpt: catholicweb.com)

You are the salt of the earth

Oh, she is the salt of the earth, we often say when we are referring to a person who is straightforward, honest and without guile. In the words of another saying, 'what you see is what you get'. In today's reading, Jesus' description of his disciples as 'the salt of the earth' would have struck a chord and meant something very specific to his listeners. In Jesus' day salt was a valuable commodity. In order to preserve food from decay in the heat, salt was applied as a preservative. It also served to enhance the flavor of the food. The ancient tradition of salting the sacrificial offerings (Ezek.43:24) denoted a purifying function; it was perhaps for this reason that newborn babies were rubbed with salt to denote purification of the addition to God's people and as a reminder of the covenant.
 Those who heard Jesus speak would have understood the meaning and tradition behind the idea of being 'salt of the earth'. In the same way as salt prevents decay and corruption, so the witness of Christians, who live a life in the power of the Holy Spirit, protects the world and society from decay and corruption. It also adds much-needed flavour to society. Too much salt in our food can make us thirsty. St Augustine once wrote, 'O Heavenly Father, you have put salt in our mouths that we may thirst for you.' The work of the Holy Spirit is to create within us a thirst for the things of God: for union with God, for communion with him and for grace to live a life which is holy and pleasing to him.
Jesus also calls us to be 'the light of the world' . In this way we are to be like our Master, for in John 8:12, Jesus describes himself as 'the light of the world'. We are to be countercultural, signs of contradiction, heralds of the gospel of life in a world which, in so many respects, has lost its way. St. Joseph the Worker Parish

 (excerpt catholic-bible-school)

THE FEAST OF ST. BLAISE– FEB 3RD

What is known about the life of St. Blaise comes from various traditions. His feast day is celebrated in the East on Feb.11 and in the West on Feb.3. All sources agree that St. Blaise was the Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia who suffered martyrdom under Licinius about A.D. 316. He was a physician before being consecrated bishop at a young age. Eventually, he was condemned for upholding his Christian faith. By the sixth century, St. Blaise's intercession was being invoked for diseases of the throat in the East. As early as the eighth century, records attest to the veneration of St. Blaise in Europe, and he became one of the most popular saints in the spiritual life of the Middle Ages. One reason for St. Blaise's popularity was the fact that he was a physician who cured, even performing miraculous cures. Those who were sick especially with throat ailments, invoked his intercession. Eventually the custom of the blessing of throats arose where the priest held two crossed candles over the heads of the faithful or touched their throats with them while he invoked the prayer of the saint and imparted God's blessing While we invoke St. Blaise for his protection against any physical ailment of the throat, we should also ask his protection against any spiritual ailment - profanity, cursing, unkind remarks, detraction or gossip. St. James reminds us, "If a man who does not control his tongue imagines that he is devout, he is selfdeceived; his worship is pointless" (1:26). Therefore, may St. Blaise protect us from all evil, physical and spiritual, which may attack the throat. (excerpt: catholicherald.com)

My eyes have seen Your salvation

 Under Jewish Law a woman was required, after giving birth to a child, to offer to the Lord in sacrifice a lamb or two turtledoves or two young pigeons. Mary and Joseph, in bringing Jesus to the temple, fulfilled the prescribed legal requirement. At the same time they also consecrated Jesus to God: “you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb” (Exod. 13:12). In presenting Jesus, Mary and Joseph were returning to the Lord the very gift that he had given them. Their offering expressed the depth of their devotion and love of God.
 Simeon and Anna also gave God the worship of their hearts. The Spirit rested upon Simeon, preparing his heart for the Lord's coming and causing him to long to set his eyes on the Christ the Lord. Delighting in Jesus, he declared: “mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles”. Similarly Anna was seeking the Lord. She had been in the temple for years, longing and praying for the Lord's coming. Now drawn by the Spirit she blessed Jesus.
 In Mary, Joseph, Simeon and Anna we see so much desire, longing and love for the Lord. They rejoiced as they recognized that Jesus was the longed-for Christ. It was the Holy Spirit who gave birth to this desire, longing, recognition and delight in their lives. The Spirit wants to give us a similar longing - no longer, of course, for the first coming of the Lord - but for his return. The Spirit wishes to purify our hearts from all dullness, indifference and apathy so that we may desire to see the light of Jesus' face and long to set our eyes on his glory when he comes again. By creating in our hearts this longing for and delight in Jesus, the Holy Spirit consoles and comforts us. St. Joseph the Worker Parish (excerpt: catholic-bible-school.org)

Saint Thomas Aquinas Doctor of the Church Feast Day: January 28

:

Symbol: Chalice, Monstrance, Dove or Ox 

He was born toward the end of the year 1226. He was the son of the Count of Aquino, who, when St. Thomas was five years old, placed him under the care of the Benedictines of Monte Casino. His teachers were surprised at the progress he made, for he surpassed all his fellow pupils in learning as well as in the practice of virtue. When he became of age to choose, St. Thomas renounced the things of this world and resolved to enter the Order of St. Dominic in spite of the opposition of his family. In 1243, at the age of seventeen, he joined the Dominicans of Naples. Some members of his family resorted to all means over a two year period to break his constancy, but he persevered in his vocation. St. Thomas not only wrote but he preached often. He left the great monument of his learning, the "Summa Theologica", unfinished, for on his way to the second Council of Lyons, he fell sick and died in 1274. St. Thomas was one of the greatest and most influential theologians of all time. He was canonized in 1323 and declared Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius V.

 (excerpt: catholic.org/saints) “

Three things are necessary for our salvation: to know what we ought to believe; to know what we ought to desire; and to know what we ought to do.” St. Thomas Aquinas.

St. John Bosco Feast Day 31 January

 John Bosco (1815-1888) was an Italian priest, educator and writer. While working in Turin, where the population suffered many of the effects of industrialization and urbanization, he dedicated his life to the betterment and education of street children, and disadvantaged youth. He developed teaching methods based on love rather than punishment, a method that became known as the Salesian Preventive System. 

A follower of the spirituality and philosophy of St. Francis de Sales, St. John dedicated his works to de Sales in founding the Salesians of Don Bosco. With Maria Domenica Mazzarello, he founded the Institute of the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians, a congregation of nuns dedicated to the care and education of poor girls.

 In 1876 St. John founded a movement of laity, the Association of Salesian Cooperators, with the same educational mission to the poor. In 1875 he began to publish the Salesian Bulletin. The Bulletin is still in publication, and is currently published in 50 different editions and 30 languages. He was beatified in 1929 and canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1934. 

(excerpt: Catholic.org/saints)

Jesus our Light and our Help.

 God promised to confer glory on the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee, by shining a great light that would dispel the darkness of those living in a land of deep shadow. This light would confer glory upon them, giving them joy in God's presence and freeing them from the burden of the oppression weighing upon their shoulders. This light would be a child, a son, a ruler, who would be called 'Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace'.

 By withdrawing to Galilee and settling 'in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali', Jesus fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy. He is the light that shines on the land of deep shadow. He confers glory on the land. The darkness and shadow over the land is the reign of sin and its wages, death. The fear of death overwhelms and oppresses us, robbing us of joy, of the sense of God's presence.

 This darkness can only be dispelled by Christ, 'the light of the world'. He alone can disarm sin of its seductive hold over us, conquer Satan, and free us from the fear and bondage of death. Jesus, 'the resurrection and the life', shines His light upon us, filling us with gladness, freedom, and the joy of God's presence, and confers glory upon us. 

Christ's light will dispel the darkness of sin and death in our lives as we enter into His kingdom through repentance and then follow Him as His disciples. Repentance is necessary for we have to choose decisively to leave the old kingdom of sin and darkness, and enter into the new kingdom of God's Son, the kingdom of truth and light and holiness. 

We must renounce all the ways of the kingdom of darkness, rejecting sin's allurements and seductions. 

(Excerpt : catholic-bible-school.org

The Conversion of St. Paul

 • After his conversion, Saul changed his name to Paul

. • The conversion of Paul shows that Jesus himself wanted the Gospel to go to the Gentiles

. • The men with Saul did not see the risen Jesus, but Saul did. This miraculous message was meant for one person only, Saul.

 • Saul witnessed the risen Christ, which fulfilled the qualification for an apostle (Acts 1:21-22). Only those who had seen the risen Christ could testify to his resurrection.

 • Jesus did not distinguish between his church, his followers, and Himself. Jesus told Saul he had been persecuting Him. This serves as a warning that anyone who persecutes Christians or the Christian church is persecuting Christ Himself.

 • In one moment of fear, enlightenment, and regret, Saul understood that Jesus was indeed the true Messiah, and that he (Saul) had helped murder and imprison innocent people. Saul realized that despite his previous beliefs as a Pharisee, he now knew the truth about God and was obligated to obey Him.

 • Saul of Tarsus possessed perfect qualifications to be an evangelist for Christ: he was versed in Jewish culture and language, his upbringing in Tarsus made him familiar with the Greek language and culture, his training in Jewish theology helped him connect the Old Testament with the Gospel.

 • When retelling his conversion later to King Agrippa, Paul said Jesus told him, "It is hard for you to kick against the goads." (Acts 26:14, ) A goad was a sharp stick used to control oxen or cattle. Some interpret this as meaning Paul had pangs of conscience when persecuting the Church. Others believe Jesus meant that it was futile to try to oppress the Church. • Paul's life-changing experience on the Damascus Road led to his baptism and instruction in the Christian faith. He became the most determined of the apostles, suffering brutal physical pain, persecution, and finally martyrdom. He revealed his secret of enduring a lifetime of hardship for the Gospel: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

 (Phil.4:13 ) (Excerpt: christianity.about.com)

Behold, the lamb of God.

 A t his baptism the Holy Spirit filled Jesus with the power to be 'a light to the nations'. Living His life in purity, truth, humility, love, faithfulness and obedience to His Father, Jesus reflected God's light into a sinful world, dispelling the darkness of sin, unbelief and ignorance. He brought us the light of faith and true knowledge so we could know the Father and do His will. The Spirit filled Jesus with the power to offer His life in sacrifice for the sins of the world. John1:29 says of Jesus: 'Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'. As God's Chosen One, faithful and obedient, Jesus 'baptizes with the Holy Spirit' so that the Spirit will give believers the power to be light to the world and to bring God's salvation to the ends of the earth. We are light to the world as we live our lives in 'compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience' (Col. 3:12). These virtues dispel the darkness around us just as a lamp placed on a stand 'gives light to all in the house' (Matt. 5:15). We bring God's salvation to the ends of the earth as we seek to live righteous and holy lives, rejecting the temptations that assail us, repenting of the sins we have committed, 'forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other' (Col.3:13). By being light to the nations and bringing God's salvation to the ends of the earth, Jesus glorified His Father: 'You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified' (Isa. 49:3). Like Jesus, we give glory to the Father by being light to the world and pursuing righteousness and peace. Ask the Spirit to fill you with power so that you may be light to the world and bring God's salvation - mercy, love, peace and forgiveness - to those around you. (excerpt: catholic-bible-school.org)