Thursday, August 21, 2014 Virtual Retreat Memorial of Saint Pius X Reflections following the Daily Liturgical cycle Retreat Master: Deacon John Ruscheinsky Saint of the Day EZ 36:23-28/PS 51:12-13, 14-15, 18-19/MT 22:1-14 A NEW HEART AND A NEW SPIRIT The prophet Ezekiel, in todays first reading, proclaims Gods hopeful message of a return home. A major transformation needs to take place - they need to be purified by God. We also pray about this in the Responsorial Psalm: I will pour clean water on you and wash away all your sins (Ez 36:25). God wants His people to receive a new heart and a new spirit - to be restored in a covenant relationship with Him. What makes this remarkable is that it is totally initiated and carried out by God. Purification, returning home, and a newly restored relationship with Him, makes a divine transformation! In Matthews Gospel, the parable of the wedding feast reflects concerns similar to Ezekiel though they are expressed differently. Reflecting perhaps the devastating experience of the total destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 A.D., Matthew links that to the peoples rejection of a covenant relationship with our heavenly Father, symbolized by the wedding feast. A whole new people are invited which implies transformation and conversion. Gods Kingdom, the Wedding Feast, is not just for anyone who might have received an invitation. One has to have a change of heart and mind, as Ezekiel proclaimed. A covenant relationship with God needs to be mutual, needs to have a commitment. It means that you want to give yourself wholeheartedly to the relationship. Without the appropriate heart, spirit, and behavior, we will not have this relationship. Auxiliary Bishop Robert Morneau, wrote a book about the characteristics of holiness called, A New Heart: Eleven Qualities of Holiness. I would like to share them with you: 1. Give me a pure heart, that I may see Thee 2. A humble heart, that I may hear Thee 3. A heart of love, that I may serve Thee 4. A heart of faith, that I may abide in Thee 5. A heart of courage, that I may follow Thee 6. A heart of joy, that I may sing with Thee 7. A heart of praise, that I may adore Thee 8. A heart of gratitude, that I may thank Thee 9. A heart of kindness, that I may emulate Thee 10. A heart of hospitality, that I may welcome Thee 11. A heart of hope, that I may trust in Thee. Lord, help us on our journey to holiness! Amen. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If for any reason you do not receive your daily retreat, please go to ihrc.net to read it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 11:22:13 +0000
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