OPreach
Dominican Preaching through Word and Image
Loving Our Neighbor . . . the Immigrant
Friday’s Gospel reading is from Matthew 12:28-34
One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?”
Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these.”
The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying,
He is One and there is no other than he.
And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding,
with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him,
“You are not far from the Kingdom of God.”
And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
I wonder how well we demonstrate our love for God by our love for our neighbor . . .
- After visiting with some of the people of Tijuana, and witnessing their poverty. . .
- After conversations with people who had grown up in the U.S., only to be deported as an adult, even though they knew no one in Mexico . . .
- After remembering the words of Exodus 22:21 . . .
You must not mistreat or oppress foreigners in any way. Remember, you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.
God bless the Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Peace, and all those who support them, in caring for their neighbors and our neighbors. May we learn to be truly neighbor through our trade and immigration policies, and may we learn compassion and not react to the “stranger” in a mean-spirited manner because of our fear and lack of understanding. May the Spirit help us to “enlarge the place of our tent” (Isaiah 54:2) and make room in our hearts and our lives for others who are different from us. Could this be a way for us to be transformed this Lent?
Serving the Little Ones
Students from Dominican University in San Rafael traveled to Tijuana, Mexico for a service trip. It was a wonderful experience for all involved. The students exhibited generosity, joy, and a wonderful spirit. One of the places the students enjoyed most was Casa de Cuna, where young children stay for the day or week while their mothers are working. This wonderful work was founded, and is still staffed, by the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Mexico.
Living in Harmony through Loving God
Today I share a few words from the Dominican scholar St. Thomas Aquinas.
First we need to know
with the same God.
Teach Me Your Paths, O Lord
Today I am sharing Sister Gervaise Valpey’s reflection on tomorrow’s reading for the 3rd Wednesday in Lent.
Tuesday, Third Week of Lent
March 13, 2012
Daniel 3: 25, 34-43; Matthew 1: 21-35
The reading from Daniel 3:25, 34-43 encourages us to delve deeper into our hearts to find the humility that will release God’s generous mercy to us. It may have taken the raging furnace for Azariah and his companions to acknowledge their God, but once they recognized their sinfulness and their immense losses they could see a way to
find favor with their God. With “contrite hearts and humble spirit” they sought forgiveness – for themselves and their nation – from the “God of kindness and great mercy.” Once they sought forgiveness, they could “follow God unreservedly . . . with their whole heart.”
What does it take for me – for us – to reach that point of humility, that moment of letting go so we can speak honestly before our gracious God? What do e need so we can go forth giving our all? I have found that taking time to reflect on the experiences
when I have felt most lost and not in connection ith God, enables me to pray humbly with the Responsorial Psalm, “Your ways, O Lord, make known to me teach me your paths.”
One such challenging experience, when I felt most bereft, as the time when my mother lived in a full care unit of a retirement residence. My mother as suffering from dementia. I felt I as indeed being “tried by fire,” as I visited her each day. I looked for answers and searched for words to say. I felt deeply saddened by her condition and that of the residents around her. When I could pray with humility, letting myself move out of the way, before entering the facility, I could be at peace because it as only then
that I truly could be present to my mother. Turning over those moments to God, I could learn from my mother – her sense of gratitude, her peace, her need only for presence.
I believe God responds generously when we are honest with ourselves, and when we can really see hat God has done for us. Let us pray today to recognize God’s abundant grace and presence in our lives, especially at the most challenging moments. “Guide me in your truth and teach me.”
The above can also be found at http://www.opwest.us/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/00-2012-FINAL-Lenten-Reflection-Booklet-271.
We Proclaim Christ Crucified
Certainly we proclaim the Risen Christ. And we remember, especially during Lent, the road that Jesus walked prior to His resurrection. And so, with the Apostle Paul,
We proclaim Christ crucified.
Shepherd Your People
We read from the Prophet Micah how God is like a shepherd.
Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance,
That dwells apart in a woodland, in the midst of Carmel.
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old;
As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt,
show us wonderful signs.
Remember the Marvels the Lord has Done
Today’s antiphonal response from Psalm 105 is:
Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
Like a Tree Planted by a River
Today’s Responsorial Psalm is from Psalm 1
Blessed the one who follows not the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD and meditates on God’s law day and night.
This person is like a tree planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Meeting God in Everyday Activities
Contemplate how you are being asked to give your heart to God amidst your everyday activities.
Be prepared to meet your grace in every circumstance of life.
– Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton
It would be enough of a Lenten practice to give oneself to God in this way. As today’s Gospel reading from the Book of Matthew reads:
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served
but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.
The Importance of Prayer
Today I quote Dom Helder Camara.
I understood that in view of my decision to give myself unreservedly to God and my neighbor, it would be absolutely necessary for me to devote space and time to prayer.
So how is my Lenten practice going?
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