Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For amen I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot, or one tittle shall not pass of the law, till all be fulfilled. He therefore that shall break one of these least commandments, and shall so teach men, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But he that shall do and teach, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:17-19 (Douay-Rheims Bible)

Prayer Reflection

Dear Father on examining the conscience our lives, have we done this to others as Jesus has said. Have we broken any commandments and caused another to do so? Lying is one that we often overlook or disregard. All too often when something needs to be done but we committed to something else, don't we ask another to lie for us instead of being honest about it. Is it perhaps we are afraid of what others might think of us by telling the truth. That is what Jesus was all about in the first place, The Truth. Don't we also know when we are lied to, so too will we know when the truth is spoken and finding trust in the process. We tend to practice deceit rather than truth. We teach deceit and kill the trust. We cause the loss of the kingdom by how we live among each other and what we teach. The commandments are like the GPS system that maps out our destinations and guides us on our journeys. We use it to keep it on the right road to where we are going. The commandments are the same, they keep us on the right path in our journey to you dear Father and we push them away for the fallen kingdom rather than yours.

Then came Peter unto him and said: Lord, how often shall my brother offend against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith to him: I say not to thee, till seven times; but till seventy times seven times. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened to a king, who would take an account of his servants. And when he had begun to take the account, one was brought to him, that owed him ten thousand talents. And as he had not wherewith to pay it, his lord commanded that he should be sold, and his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. But that servant falling down, besought him, saying: have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And the lord of that servant being moved with pity, let him go and forgave him the debt. But when that servant was gone out, he found one of his fellow servants that owed him an hundred pence: and laying hold of him, throttled him, saying: pay what thou owest. And his fellow servant falling down, besought him, saying: Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he paid the debt. Now his fellow servants seeing what was done, were very much grieved, and they came and told their lord all that was done. Then his lord called him; and said to him: thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all the debt, because thou besoughtest me: shouldst not thou then have had compassion also on thy fellow servant, even as I had compassion on thee? And his lord being angry, delivered him to the torturers until he paid all the debt. So also shall my heavenly Father do to you, if you forgive not every one his brother from your hearts.
Matthew 18:21-35 (Douay-Rheims Bible)

Prayer Reflection

Dear Father we don't always do as we are supposed to do. Many don't even know your Word but some know instantly to forgive from the heart. Jesus has given us the way to freedom. It's up to us to want to be free of the burden of sin. How often in our own lives we get angry or upset when we are cut off by another car while driving? All too often we see road rage, or we come across angry people fighting over some small matter. And the same for what Jesus spoke about, when we are forgiven, do we extend that forgiveness or do we hold back and put another into bondage out of our selfishness. Jesus gave us so very much to live by and we don't even bother to follow it. Maybe today when we are out and about, we might come across someone who hurts and lashes out without thinking. Forgive them. Didn't Jesus say these words on the very cross he was on. Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. And those words are honest because we don't know what we do to you everyday we choose to not forgive.

And he said: Amen I say to you, that no prophet is accepted in his own country. In truth I say to you, there were many widows in the days of Elias in Israel, when heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there was a great famine throughout all the earth. And to none of them was Elias sent, but to Sarepta of Sidon, to a widow woman. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet: and none of them was cleansed but Naaman the Syrian. And all they in the synagogue, hearing these things, were filled with anger. And they rose up and thrust him out of the city; and they brought him to the brow of the hill, whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them, went his way.
Luke 4:24-30 (Douay-Rheims Bible)

Prayer Reflection

Dear Father you come to us to bring us love and healing, but often we do the same as this reading. We drive you off, push you away like spoiled little children who only want to play. Not once thinking how you want to cleanse us and bring us closer to you. How many of us have truly rejected you in this way when all you did was show us your love. Do we do our part in our lives to love those who are less fortunate, to love those who suffer, to love those who hate us or to even love those who we don't feel too welcome by. Take a moment and reflect on the many times we have read in the Gospel, the times Jesus was rejected. Think about this reading too and the rejection that God suffers for our sake when he sends others to help and they get rejected. What do we as part of his children do in this ourselves. We have done it time and time again ourselves. Whenever we reject our neighbors, we reject God, his love that may come from the least likely person to bring healing, to teach us how to love. Do we reject the person sitting next to us because they don't dress as well as we do, or look as clean and tidy. Everything is up to us on how we continue each day, the choices we make in how we deal with our neighbors, or for that matter how we love them in the same regard as loving God. Who have we rejected this day?

There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen; and feasted sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, who lay at his gate, full of sores, desiring to be filled with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table, and no one did give him; moreover the dogs came, and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. And the rich man also died: and he was buried in hell. And lifting up his eyes when he was in torments, he saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom: and he cried, and said: Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, to cool my tongue: for I am tormented in this flame. And Abraham said to him: Son, remember that thou didst receive good things in thy lifetime, and likewise Lazareth evil things, but now he is comforted; and thou art tormented. And besides all this, between us and you, there is fixed a great chaos: so that they who would pass from hence to you, cannot, nor from thence come hither. And he said: then, father, I beseech thee, that thou wouldst send him to my father's house, for I have five brethren, that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torments. And Abraham said to him: They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. But he said: No, father Abraham: but if one went to them from the dead, they will do penance. And he said to him: If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe, if one rise again from the dead.
Luke 16:19-31 (Douay-Rheims Bible)

Prayer Reflection

Dear Father this is a wonderful example and so simple to understand. Are we like this also, where we offer to those less fortunate our cast offs. The goods that we don't want, pretty much the crumbs. Do we offer the choicest food, the choicest piece of clothing, or for that matter the choicest furniture. Amazing, but when we refurbish we give ourselves the best. We grocery shop we buy the best cut of meat, the best fruit. Do we offer these to those of our neighbors. We often are like this rich man Jesus gave as an example, does that bode good for us then. What's truly amazing, we too look to the dead to also find the answers of the hereafter. When all we have to do is look to Moses and the prophets. And as Jesus said if we look to the dead who will we then believe even if it came directly from Him. Maybe we all need to work on doing a better job of taking care of our lives and doing a better job of taking care of our neighbors as it is pointed out in this reading about poor Lazarus. But most of all we all need to work on our belief in Jesus and you Dear Father.

And Jesus going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples apart, and said to them: Behold we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man shall be betrayed to the chief priests and the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death. And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to be mocked, and scourged, and crucified, and the third day he shall rise again.

Then came to him the mother of the sons of Zebedee with her sons, adoring and asking something of him. Who said to her: what wilt thou? She saith to him: say that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left, in thy kingdom. And Jesus answering, said: you know not what you ask. Can you drink the chalice that I shall drink? They say to him: we can. He saith to them: my chalice indeed you shall drink; but to sit on my right or left hand, is not mine to give to you, but to them for whom it is prepared by my Father. And the ten hearing it, were moved with indignation against the two brethren.

But Jesus called them to him, and said: you know that the princes of the Gentiles lord it over them; and they that are the greater, exercise power upon them. It shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be the greater among you, let him be your minister: and he that will be first among you, shall be your servant. Even as the Son of man is not come to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a redemption for many.
Matthew 20:17-28 (Douay-Rheims Bible)

Prayer Reflection

Dear Father there are three parts to this picture today. But I am always struck by the second part where the mother has the audacity to ask for a special place by your side when you come into your kingdom. Mothers would go to great lengths to secure a position of importance for their kids if they could. Thinking about this, I have to realize how much our heavenly Mother does exactly that for all of us. She went through it all Jesus, by your side and she knows the suffering you underwent to free us. But she also goes to great lengths to bring us back to you, to secure a future in your kingdom. She wants us there, not elsewhere. How often have our own mothers guided us in the right direction, to make sure we were on the path of goodness. But many times we are stubborn and willful. We go off and do our own thing, not once realizing the devastating effect we have on those who love us. Most of all the heavenly family, who sees all and knows all. Take a step back and think about our own direction in life, is it in accord with the heavenly family or in tune with our own wants and desires.