Meditation: Monday, July 15, 2002

[Joachim]

Title: Meditation: Monday, July 15, 2002

The Catholic Calendar for Monday, July 15, 2002     The Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time     St. Bonaventure, religious, bishop, doctor of the Church Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:     Isaiah 1:10-17     Psalm 50:8-9,16-17,21,23     Matthew 10:34--11:1 A reflection on today's Scripture. . . . Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:39) All good parents discipline their children. This doesn't mean they simply lecture or punish them for wrong-doing; discipline is establishing parameters within which a child is required to live. However it isn't enough to make and enforce rules; parents must first set an example and progressively and lovingly educate children to the reasons for keeping certain standards of behavior. Children should learn that rules protect them from harm, express their own worth and dignity while preserving the worth and dignity of all others. Without discipline humanity remains loveless, unable to achieve peace. Lawlessness reduces man to the level of jungle beasts who feed upon one another, so that only the fittest and strongest survive. What raises us above the rest of the animal kingdom is that we were created in God's image, vessels to be filled with His life, to reflect Him and His glory on this earth by abiding in that same creative, life-giving Love that brought humanity forth out of nothingness. In doing so we can live in unity in that same love, truth and peace that unites three distinct Persons into one God. Today's readings tell us that our personal as well as the world's salvation depends upon our accepting and living in God's Word. This means we are to cease being selfish, like jungle beasts whose actions are prompted by insuring only their own survival. Indeed, God's law of Love calls us to carry with Christ that same cross He bore to Calvary. There we are asked to die with Him to sin, to selfishness, that we may gain new life, be filled with His grace and peace.          Loving Redeemer,               pour out Your Spirit upon the earth               that we may receive the grace               to live in the peace generated by Your divine love.                    Amen. - Marie Bocko, ocds 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@saturn.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. Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament and Revised Psalms (c)1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner. 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/