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The Catholic Calendar for Tuesday, May 21, 2002 The Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word: James 3:13-18 Psalm 19:8-10,15 Mark 9:14-19 A reflection on today's Scripture . . . . "Whence do wars and quarrels come along among you?" (James 4:1) Here, in his typical fashion James just lays the truth on the line. The wars outside of you are reflections of the wars that rage inside you. That goes for everyone. The things we tend to despise in others are those things in ourselves that we don't particularly like. James tells us, "You covet and you do not have; you kill and envy, and cannot obtain." (James 4:2) James is talking about the desire we all have to be desired, needed, loved. We cannot accept ourselves as lovable, and so we seek to be feared, if we cannot be loved. We demand the love due us and we know that we're not loveable. But what we know is false. So too with our prayers. Too often we do not pray God's will for us, but we pray for some bauble that might cause momentary relief or happiness. This will not fill the inner God-shaped void. Only He can fill it, and yet we thrash around looking for any key, any solution, other than the obvious one. How much easier could God make it? "Knock and it shall be answered, seek and ye shall find." Do we spend the time that it takes? Search the scriptures. Along with the teachings of the Holy Catholic Church, they are the only certain guide. Listen to the psalms when they say, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." So stop the wars, interior and exterior, by turning peacefully, quietly and completely to Jesus. He will more completely fill the emptiness than any pretty object of this world. Only in His presence is there complete, unalloyed joy. Only by knowing Him can we say with our last breath, in imitation of St. Therese, "My God, How I love Him." That and only that is completion -- an end to ambition and to the inner raging storms. - JuandelaCruz T.O.Carm. ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) YOU CAN HELP to evangelize the Word of God: Please recommend our website to your friends and Catholic webmasters. The meditations are in English & Spanish at http://www.borg.com/~joachim/DailyMeds.html (case sensitive). ARCHIVED Meditations: http://www.abcsoffaith.com/quiet/quietplace.html and at: http://www.mail-archive.com/dailymed%40saturn.nibcomp.com For ALL communications, including subscribe/unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (c)2002 The Way, The Truth, The Life. Permission granted to make reprints of the meditations or to post on any web page, except for profit. All scripture quotes are from the Douay-Rheims edition of the Catholic Bible. Full text from the New American Bible: http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/index.htm Lives of the Saints: http://www.christdesert.org/public_texts/martyrology/ |
Title: Meditation: Tuesday, May 21, 2002
