14/02/2025

Thursday Week 5 in Ordinary Time

Today is one of the special days which although of Christian origin has been commercialised to the extent that it has become part of the economic culture of the world and has lost all connection with the saint after whom it was named.

The last time I attended mass in the local church I was denounced from the pulpit for writing a letter which had been published in a national "iffy Catholic" magazine complaining about the presence of Christmas Trees in Catholic Churches.

St Valentine's day and Christmas day are alike in that both have been taken over by the "World" and although the name remains the holiness of "Saint" and the saving perfection of "Christ" have been long forgotten by the people of Mammon, who rejoices at this evidence that we are losing sight of our souls that are mired in Godless Materialism.

The material of which we and all the Universe are made is not evil, God looked at it and saw that it was good. We in our lives in this world have to obey God and thus we can remain good. If we forget God and fill our beings with the delights of material reality we are creating the evils for which many of us put the blame on God.

God did not only create a material Universe. We are all individual souls that are known with Divine Love as spiritual image and likeness. This image and likeness is complete in all respects and so part of our essential being is freedom. This freedom has enabled us to find and understand the impossibly small particles and impossibly great space that make up the material Universe.

We did not find God either in the heights or the depths. He revealed himself to us and informed us that it is by our free recognition of IAMFATHERSONHOLYSPIRIT that we become what he intended for  Adam/Eve in the garden. They were to share in his joy of being.

Just as Adam/Eve were created to do, we either do this by using our bodies to continue the virtuous joy of procreation or choosing to dedicate our complete being, body and soul, to the "follow me" with which IAMFATHERSONHOLYSPIRIT still speaks to our souls

In today's Gospel Jesus is walking back from Tyre and is in the Decapolis on the other side of the Jordan. For most of his life on earth Jesus lived anonymously in the private life of the "Holy Family". Today's Gospel is not the only time that he orders the recipient of healing to keep silent about their miraculous cure. 

He also us tells in another place, that we should not keep the light of our holy joy that comes with faith, hidden. It is no shame to be truly happy in this world.

Dear Lord, help me to remain true to the "know, love , serve" of the penny catechism for those are three words that if followed can ensure that I am on the way. Faith, hope and charity are another trinity of words that can result in doing your will on earth. IAMFATHERSONHOLYSPIRIT is name that is above all. You are the Ever-Greater that is our all loving Father who condemns sin but has forgiven sinners who use his grace to ask for forgiveness in sincerity. May my prayers join those of all other sinners on earth and those welcoming the punishment that is the Justice of Purgatory. And may Mary and all the saints continue to plead my case before you in Heaven. You know that I am weak and easily distracted even as I type these words of petition. Have Mercy. Lord, Have Mercy.