“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”

“Behold I do not give lectures or a little charity, when I give I give myself.” - Walt Whitman

Gospel Text: (MT 6:1-6, 16-18)
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door,
and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to others to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

We live in a time when the self is worshiped.

We live in an age when self-idolatry is the greatest competitor for God - unbridled egoism and promotion of one's own person is the greatest thing that keeps people from true worship of God, which ultimately comes down to sacrificing one's own ego, one's will, to the Holy Will of God.

It therefore takes a particular generosity to desire to go unnoticed, to will to be not followed, subscribed to, or commented upon.

The Lord teaches this in the Gospel for today, in which he teaches a radical contempt for what others think, a turning away from seeking other's approval and seeking only the approval of God, to become pleasing to him alone. He says: "do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."

What does this mean?

The right and left hand are simply expressions of one's fundamental and primordial actions: eating, walking, talking, etc. We use them in everyday basic acts. To not let the left hand know what the right hand is doing means therefore that our fundamental actions should be leavened with a kind of generosity that seeks to please God even in the way we live, move, and have our being, and therefore does not care about what others think.

Stop. Look. Listen. Observe those around you. Discover the needs of others as the very real demands that love places upon you for this moment. In His goodness, God will probably present you with a very real way of having to forget about your own welfare and to worry about the other. Serve. Pray. Love.

In the mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist we find the epitome of selfless love. This is my body. This is my blood. Jesus gives himself entirely over to those who undeservedly receive his blessings and accept his love so that they may in turn love without expecting return. At every holy sacrifice of the Mass, Jesus, with reckless abandon, gives himself over into our hands - he offers his whole being without reserve. The Eucharist is the school of generous love. It is the place where we learn to love without expecting return.

"This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfections."

"Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away” - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Gospel Text: (MT 5:43-48)
Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

The use of the word perfect made me think of some of the ways in which we use this word in our daily lives. We sometimes speak of a perfect day, a day in which everything turns out well for us. Or a day on which the weather is ideal. We sometimes use the term in the entertainment world when we say that the musical performance was perfect or the work of the actors on stage and screen was perfect. In the world of sports we refer to a perfect game in baseball. And in soccer and hockey we laud the work of the goal tender when that defender refuses to allow the opposing team to score.

Jesus is not using the word perfect in that sense. By speaking of the heavenly Father as perfect he is referring to the divine ideal. Our faith teaches us that God is perfect in every way. Such perfection is difficult for our human minds to grasp since we have no frame of reference for such a concept. Nothing here on earth is perfect in the way that God is perfect. And so in today's gospel Jesus is telling us to use the perfection of God as an ideal to which we aspire. In effect we are to imitate the perfection of God as best we can in our human condition.

When I think of trying to be perfect my thoughts turn to the saints. They have given us a powerful example of striving for the perfection of which Jesus speaks. But there is some irony here also. Some of the saints about whom I have read felt that they were not making much progress in the search for perfection. Indeed some of them felt that they were among the worst of sinners. I think that such a perception of themselves reveals the difficulty of really striving for perfection. The saints came to realize how far we are from the perfection of God. But what gives me hope and what should inspire us all is that the saints never stopped their efforts to imitate the divine perfection. The words of Jesus in today's gospel are addressed to all of us. He exhorts us to follow the example of the saints and strive to be perfect as best we can with the help of God’s grace.

There is the key to it all, cooperating with God’s grace!

“It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.”

"Put up willingly with the faults of others if you wish others to put up with yours." – St John Bosco

Gospel Text: (MT 5:38-42)
Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
When someone strikes you on your right cheek,
turn the other one to him as well.
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic,
hand him your cloak as well.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile,
go with him for two miles.
Give to the one who asks of you,
and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.”

We all know that our negative actions can certainly have unforeseen results. If a man is grumpy to his wife in the morning, she may pass that foul mood on to her colleagues at work all day, who may pass it on to their families, and so on. So why can’t the same be true when we act with kindness toward those who are unkind to us? Just as cool water puts out a raging fire, our calm and patient response to someone’s anger just may set off a cascade effect, as that person begins to treat everyone else with kindness!

Of course, there’s no guarantee that we will see such positive results. But that didn’t prevent Maria Goretti from forgiving her murderer. She died without seeing how her mercy would bring the man to repentance and conversion. And neither did it stop Pope John Paul II from visiting his assailant in prison. These acts of charity, and many more like them, still witness to us today. Like these saints, you too can be a “change agent.” Christ is in you, and he can teach you how to turn the other cheek—just as he did.

Judge a tree from its fruit, not from its leaves.

If you judge people you have no time to love them -Mother Theresa

(Gospel Text: LK 7:36-50)

A Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him,

and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.

Now there was a sinful woman in the city

who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.

Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,

she stood behind him at his feet weeping

and began to bathe his feet with her tears.

Then she wiped them with her hair,

kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself,

“If this man were a prophet,

he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him,

that she is a sinner.”

Jesus said to him in reply,

“Simon, I have something to say to you.”

“Tell me, teacher, ” he said.

“Two people were in debt to a certain creditor;

one owed five hundred day’s wages and the other owed fifty.

Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both.

Which of them will love him more?”

Simon said in reply,

“The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.”

He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”

Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon,

“Do you see this woman?

When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet,

but she has bathed them with her tears

and wiped them with her hair.

You did not give me a kiss,

but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered.

You did not anoint my head with oil,

but she anointed my feet with ointment.

So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven

because she has shown great love.

But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”

He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

The others at table said to themselves,

“Who is this who even forgives sins?”

But he said to the woman,

“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Simon’s guests seemed to have had a different understanding of faith. For them, it had something to do with their religious standing or their outward appearance. None of them was caught up in obvious sin, after all. But the faith Jesus saw in this “sinful” woman was different. He saw an open heart and a willingness to change her ways. He saw a heart that was pierced with love. And for that, heaven’s doors were opened to her.

What a generous God we have! He always welcomes us. He is always ready to forgive us, to deliver us, and to teach us. He hears our every cry for help, and it delights him when we run to him. Today, let’s all take on the faith that this woman had by simply turning to Jesus and telling him that we want to be with him. He will take care of the rest.

“If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.”

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.”― Mahatma Gandhi

(Gospel Text: MT 5:33-37)

Jesus said to his disciples:

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,

Do not take a false oath,

but make good to the Lord all that you vow.

But I say to you, do not swear at all;

not by heaven, for it is God’s throne;

nor by the earth, for it is his footstool;

nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

Do not swear by your head,

for you cannot make a single hair white or black.

Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’

Anything more is from the Evil One.”

“Let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no.’” Christ urges that we use simple and direct language to represent the sincerity of our intentions.  Yet in our business world, there is nothing simple about the pages and pages of contracts that have to be signed when a house or car is purchased. Even the length and language of  “informed” consent forms for many medical procedures can be overwhelming and most people sign them without reading them.

In the gospel today Jesus invites us to live in truth at every instance, to conform our thinking, our words and our deeds to the truth.

But, the truth is what?

This is the great question, already formulated in the Gospel, during the judgment against Jesus, in Pilate's own words, which so many thinkers, throughout time, have been trying to give an answer to.

Here it is, plain and simple - The Truth is God.

Whoever lives by pleasing God, by abiding by his Commandments, lives in Truth.

If we all truly lived for Christ, our world would be a very different place.

So “Let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes’ when it comes to God and his Church….and do your very best every day to mean it!

“Don’t run from your weakness, you will only give it strength.”

All things can be endured and all things become possible between two Masses: the Mass of yesterday and the Mass of tomorrow. I need to be able to sustain one day of my life. I need that Food if I am to live His commandments. I need Him daily because I am a sinner and weak. ~ Dom Virgil Michel, OSB

Scripture text: (2 COR 4:7-15)
Brothers and sisters:
We hold this treasure in earthen vessels,
that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.
We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained;
perplexed, but not driven to despair;
persecuted, but not abandoned;
struck down, but not destroyed;
always carrying about in the Body the dying of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.
For we who live are constantly being given up to death
for the sake of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

So death is at work in us, but life in you.
Since, then, we have the same spirit of faith,
according to what is written, “I believed, therefore I spoke,”
we too believe and therefore speak,
knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus
will raise us also with Jesus
and place us with you in his presence.
Everything indeed is for you,
so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people
may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.

Life is so very fragile, isn’t it? We realize that so powerfully when we hold a newborn in our arms. This tiny life is so fragile, so dependent, so precious and so alive with wonder. We want to protect that child from all harm forever. We also realize how fragile life is at the end of life, when a loved one is no longer with us. He or she quietly, suddenly slips away, and the loss reminds us how delicate life is.

The apostle Paul reminds us of this fact that our bodies are perishable containers, so very frail and weak. We are like earthen pottery ware, he notes, jars of clay if you will. The image of pottery is that it is fragile and can easily become cracked, chipped, or broken if dropped. O, we try to care for these jars of clay, but eventually, inevitably they wear out.

A wise old nun once said: “Pain is the price of consciousness.” How regularly that truth is evident in the life of St. Paul, who was painfully aware of his own feet of clay. As he says in today’s epistle, “We possess a treasure in earthen vessels.” It’s true of us all, though sometimes we don’t remember either part of that quote. We so easily forget what a treasure we have in the totally unearned love with which the Lord cherishes us. Who in the world could have imagined that this would be the way that God would want to deal with his creatures?

But, unlike St. Paul, we also regularly forget how seriously unfinished we are, and we take the Lord’s love for granted, almost as if it were earned. To face our flaws as Paul did is painful and it’s tempting to look the other way. But consciousness of our real selves, instead of our imaginary selves, is the price of opening the door to God’s healing love, and it’s the key to beginning to grow into the persons that God always dreamed we’d be.

That consciousness of our real selves has to be renewed and expanded daily. The task is never done in this life. But rewards are real, here and now, and they’re worth the pain, every bit of it. It’s not the pain of death, but the pain of giving birth.

“Do you want the Lord to give you many graces? Visit Him often. - Do you want Him to give you few graces? Visit Him rarely.”

“Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration with exposition needs a great push. People ask me: ‘What will convert America and save the world?’ My answer is prayer. What we need is for every parish to come before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in holy hours of prayer.” - Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Scripture text: (2 COR 3:15—4:1, 3-6)
Brothers and sisters:
To this day, whenever Moses is read,
a veil lies over the hearts of the children of Israel,
but whenever a person turns to the Lord the veil is removed.
Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is freedom.
All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory,
as from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Therefore, since we have this ministry through the mercy shown us,
we are not discouraged.
And even though our Gospel is veiled,
it is veiled for those who are perishing,
in whose case the god of this age
has blinded the minds of the unbelievers,
so that they may not see the light of the Gospel
of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
For we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord,
and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus.
For God who said, Let light shine out of darkness,
has shone in our hearts to bring to light
the knowledge of the glory of God
on the face of Jesus Christ.

“Focus!” we may say to a child who is easily distracted from the task at hand. In a similar way, mothers find it easier to endure the pain of labor contractions when they fix their attention on a focal point at the other end of the room. And St. Paul urges us to gaze on the face of Jesus, especially when pain and confusion threaten to rob our trust in God.

We all experience confusion, that feeling we get when the truth seems veiled. We may be facing a choice between two attractive—or unattractive—alternatives. We may be burdened by grief or guilt that makes it hard for us to remember how much God loves us. We may see no way out of a difficult situation.

Whatever challenge we may be facing, we can still come before the Lord and focus on him. And when we do, “the veil is removed” (2 Corinthians 3:16). Things may not become crystal clear immediately, but as we keep our eyes fixed on Christ, we will gradually be changed. We will become more like him. We will understand better how to follow him. Gradually we will come to a place of peace where we can move ahead in trust.

But don’t wait for times of confusion to gaze on the face of the Lord! Make it a regular part of your prayer. Don’t go into a particular situation just seeking clarity. Simply settle your heart on Jesus and seek to know him more intimately. Then, you’ll find yourself more peaceful whenever times of confusion or difficulty arise.

Maybe you can set aside time every week to stop in a church and kneel before the Blessed Sacrament. Maybe a crucifix, an icon, or a picture of Jesus on your wall can become your focal point. Or maybe even a phrase from Scripture or a line from a hymn can help you find the Lord.

Find what works for you, and stick with it.