Monthly Reading & Meditation

Monthly Reading & Meditation

Tuesday (August 5):  "It is what comes out of the mouth that defiles"

Scripture: Matthew 15:1-2, 10-14  (alternate reading: Matthew 14:22-36)

1 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat." 10 Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, "Listen and understand: 11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles." 12 Then the disciples approached and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?" 13 He answered, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14 Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit."

Meditation: Which is more important to God - clean hands or a clean mind and heart? The Scribes and Pharisees accused Jesus' disciples of breaking their ritual traditions. They were concerned with avoiding ritual defilement, some no doubt out of fear of God, and others out of fear of pleasing other people. Jesus points his listeners to the source of true defilement - evil desires which come from inside a person's innermost being. Sin does not just happen or force itself upon us. It first springs from the innermost recesses of our thoughts and intentions, from the secret desires which only the individual soul can conceive.

Only Jesus can free us from sin and guilt
God in his mercy sent his Son Jesus Christ to free us from our sinful cravings and burden of guilt, and to restore us to wholeness of life and goodness. But to receive his mercy and healing, we must admit our faults and ask for his forgiveness. "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:8-9).

Let Jesus be the master of your heart and desires
When Cain was jealous of his brother, Abel, God warned him to guard his heart: "Sin is couching at the door; it's desire is for you, but you must master it" (Genesis 4:7). Do you allow any sinful desires to enter the door of your heart and mind? We do not need to entertain or give in to sinful desires or thoughts, but instead, through the grace of God, we can choose to put them to death rather than allow them to be the master who controls our way of thinking, feeling, and acting.

The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness
Only God can change our hearts and make them clean and whole through the power of the Holy Spirit. Like a physician who probes the wound before treating it, God through his Word and Spirit first brings to light our sinful condition that we may recognize sin for what it is and call upon God's mercy and pardon. The Lord is ever ready to change and purify our hearts through his Holy Spirit who dwells within us. His power and grace enables us to choose what is good and to reject what is evil. Do you believe in the power of God's love to change and transform your heart?

"Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit and make my heart like yours. Strengthen my heart and my will that I may choose to love what is good and to hate what is evil."

http://www.dailyscripture.net/
 (c) 2014 Don Schwager

May plans

Hi Connect!

I won't be able to go to the May meeting, my boys have a baseball game that evening. So for now there will not be a planned meeting. But if most people in the group want to still get together and hang out or have a topic you really want to discuss, definitely meet up! You can email the group to coordinate.

I want to keep our 5K run/4K walk tradition going strong with Good Karma. It is coming up next month, May 25th, Sunday, 9:30 AM. My entire family will participate this time. My husband won a free registration ticket last year so he'll be running. I'll walk this time with my boys. So if you haven't started training, the weather is looking nice this week, it would be a good idea to start! Here is the link to sign up:

http://www.goodkarma5k.com/home.html

	Home Benefiting ___________________________________________ (fill in the blank with the charity of your choice) 5K run or 4K walk​ ​ Sunday, May 25, 2014 9:30am Seattle's Seward Park
	View on www.goodkarma5k.com	Preview by Yahoo

  Let me know if you're joining us this year!

Have a Blessed week!

Reggie

April Topic Notes

Hi Connect! It was great catching up with some of you at our meeting. I hope everyone had a great Easter celebration! If you were not able to go to reconciliation before Easter, it's not too late. Here are the notes from my presentation...

Reconciliation Questions

Definition: The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a common name used for the Sacrament of Confession. Whereas "Confession" stresses the action of the believer in the sacrament, "Reconciliation" stresses the action of God, who uses the sacrament to reconcile us to Himself by restoring sanctifying grace in our souls.

http://catholicism.about.com/od/thesacraments/g/Reconciliation.htm

Q. Why do I have to confess my sins to a priest?

Of all the objections to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the one most often voiced, particularly by Protestants, and sometime by Catholics is:  “I don’t need to go to confession to a priest! The priest is just another human being! All that I need to do is to confess my sins directly to God, and that is enough!” This objection is flawed on a number of counts. 

A. Jesus Commissioned Forgiveness through his Apostles. Jesus asked believers to approach God for forgiveness through the apostles who were commissioned to act as his agents. Jesus told Peter, “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Mt 16:19). After the resurrection, Jesus breathed on his disciples and said, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them and whose sins you retain are retained” (Jn 20:22,23). Priests alone carry out this apostolic role (Canon 965; CCC, Nos. 1461 & 1462)

Catholic Sacraments are mediated. The sacraments celebrate the most profound moments of our lives:  birth (Baptism), the transition to adulthood (Confirmation), lifetime commitment (Marriage and Holy Orders), and the end of life (Anointing). Two other sacraments strengthen us for the journey through life:  Eucharist, spiritual sustenance, and Penance, the forgiveness of sins. We need to be fed at least weekly, and because we sin so often, we need to be forgiven regularly. The sacraments are not self-administered. Rather, the priest is the mediator, the linkage or conduit between God and the people, a rich channel of God’s grace.

A Personal Encounter with Christ. The priest is not just “another human being,” but one who acts in persona Christi, in the person of Christ. With faith we believe that when the penitent speaks to the priest, the penitent speaks to Christ, and when the priest speaks, the priest speaks on behalf of Christ. When the priest says, “I absolve you,” it is Christ who absolves (Mk 2:10). 

http://rediscover.archspm.org/resources/topic.php?id=7183

Q. How to prepare for confession

Confession is not difficult, but it does require preparation. We should begin with prayer, placing ourselves in the presence of God, our loving Father. We seek healing and forgiveness through repentance and a resolve to sin no more. Then we review our lives since our last confession, searching our thoughts, words and actions for that which did not conform to God’s command to love Him and one another through His laws and the laws of His Church. This is called an examination of conscience.

http://www.diopitt.org/office-new-evangelization/short-guide-confession-sacrament-reconciliation

Q. Does that mean that those who commit mortal sins will never go to Heaven?

A. All mortal sins can be forgiven.     With a conversion of heart through the Sacrament of Confession, the sinner can seek God's mercy and reinstate the state of grace that was previously obtained through the Sacrament of Baptism.

To be denied entry into the Kingdom of God, the sinner must:

1. Commit one or more sins of a grave matter;
2. Have full knowledge that the sin(s) is a mortal sin;
3. Voluntarily consent to commit the sin;
4. Reject the grace of God;
5. Reject the mercy of God by refusing to confess his sins through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

http://www.catholicdoors.com/faq/qu06.htm

Q. Can you provide me with a list of possible mortal sins?

Abortion, Anger, Adulterers, Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, (Eternal sin), Cowards, Defrauders, Disrespect towards parents, Drunkenness, Envy, Greed, Idolatry, Jealousy, Murderers, Quarreling, Thieves

Activity: Share confession experiences