Serving The True Master

Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita, a modern day saint who found her way to God in the face of horrific suffering. During the homily for her Canonization, Blessed John Paul II said:  

"The law of the Lord is perfect, ... it gives wisdom to the simple" (Ps 19: 8). 
These words from today's Responsorial Psalm resound powerfully in the life of Sr. Josephine Bakhita. Abducted and sold into slavery at the tender age of seven, she suffered much at the hands of cruel masters. But she came to understand the profound truth that God, and not man, is the true Master of every human being, of every human life. This experience became a source of great wisdom for this humble daughter of Africa.

In today's world, countless women continue to be victimized, even in developed modern societies. In St. Josephine Bakhita we find a shining advocate of genuine emancipation. The history of her life inspires not passive acceptance but the firm resolve to work effectively to free girls and women from oppression and violence, and to return them to their dignity in the full exercise of their rights.

Oh St. Josephine Bakhita, so simple and so childlike, pray for us on this day of your feast, that we may be like you in the face of hardship. 

Papal Intentions for February

Pope Benedict XVI’s general intention for the month of February is that “migrant families, especially the mothers, may be supported and accompanied in their difficulties.”

His missionary intention is that, “the peoples at war and in conflict may lead the way in building a peaceful future.”

Let us pray with our Holy Father this month, that all may know the peace that Our Lord died for. 

The Soul of a Woman

The soul of a woman must…be expansive

and open to all human beings;

It must be quiet,

so that no small weak flame will be extinguished by stormy

winds;

warm,

so as not to benumb fragile buds;

clear,

so that no vermin will settle in dark corners and recesses;

self-contained,

so that no invasions from without can peril the inner life;

empty of itself,

in order that extraneous life may have room in it;

finally, mistress of itself, and also of its body,

so that the entire person is readily at the disposal of every call.

-St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)

Knowing Our God

Faith is man’s response to God, who reveals himself and gives himself to man, at the same time bringing man a superabundant light as he searches for the ultimate meaning of his life (CCC, 26).

When we join in the Profession of Faith each Sunday, we unite with our Church community in saying, “We believe.” We respond to God’s love for us and acknowledge that He is the source of all truth and happiness.

This act of faith is vital, for in believing we are living out what it means to be human. By believing in God, we become truly ourselves, for we come from God and we are made to move towards Him. God created us out of pure love, and He made us for Himself and in His image. This is why we are always searching for Him and seeking Him in everything that we do:

The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself (CCC, 27).  

God gave us the gift of free will, so we can reject His love or choose to forget Him. But our good and gracious God will not cease calling us. He will chase after us and shout, reminding each of us that we will not be at peace until we find our rest in Him (30). For “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

This may seem abstract, but the Catechism tells us that God is more than just this feeling of peace in our souls. Because we are made in His Image, we have the capacity to know Him through human reason.

My Eyes Have Seen Your Salvation

Simeon and Anna go to the temple both longing for the Messiah, both inspired by the Holy Spirit, as Mary and Joseph take Jesus there in obedience to the precepts of the law. At the sight of the Child, they sense that it is truly he, the Awaited One, and Simeon, as if in ecstasy, proclaims: “Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation which your have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel” (Lk 2:29-32).

-Blessed John Paul II, Homily for the Presentation of the Jesus in the Temple, 1998

Spreading The Kingdom of God

Below you’ll find the Gospel reading for Mass today. As you meditate upon God’s Word, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal how it is that you can help spread the Kingdom of God.

Jesus said to the crowds:
“This is how it is with the Kingdom of God;
it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land
and would sleep and rise night and day
and the seed would sprout and grow,
he knows not how.
Of its own accord the land yields fruit,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,
for the harvest has come.”

He said,
“To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God,
or what parable can we use for it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,
is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants
and puts forth large branches,
so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”
With many such parables
he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
Without parables he did not speak to them,
but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

                -Mark 4: 26-34