Inauguration Day

Oath

At 12 noon today (washington time) Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. The first black president to live in the White House built by slaves.

"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States".

Most presidents choose to add the words "So help me God", uttered by George Washington after he was sworn in.

Bible

The new president will take the oath of office with his hand on the Bible used by Abraham Lincoln for his first inauguration ceremony in 1861. Lincoln had wanted to use his family Bible, but there was a delay in bringing it to Washington, so the Supreme Court clerk bought a new one. That is the Bible that will be used today after lying in the Library of Congress for 148 years.

Preparing for next Sunday

Feast of Christ the King

LECTIO DIVINA Prayerfully preparing

for the Sunday Mass & praying in particular for our school families

The Gospel for Sunday 23rd November 2008 - The Last Judgment (Matthew 25: 31-46)

Jesus said to his disciples: 'When the Son of Man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory. All the nations will be assembled before him and he will separate men one from another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats. He will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right hand, "Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me." Then the virtuous will say to him in reply, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome; naked and clothe you; sick or in prison and go to see you?" And the King will answer, "I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me." Next he will say to those on his left hand, "Go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you never gave me food; I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink; I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, naked and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you never visited me." Then it will be their turn to ask, "Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or naked, sick or in prison, and did not come to your help?" Then he will answer, "I tell you solemnly, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me." And they will go away to eternal punishment, and the virtuous to eternal life.'

 

 

After spending a few minutes considering this Gospel, continue by reading Fr Henry Wansbrough's reflection.

 

This is the last of Matthew's great parables. The world is finally divided into 'goodies' and 'baddies'. The great dramatic scene here depicted will not necessarily happen all at once, but we shall each of us at the moment of death face the judgment of our divine Lord in his glory. This confrontation will be an experience far more awesome and shattering than any description can express, and yet fulfilling and re-assuring. We will know at last in a naked way our own sin and also our own infinite value to this transcendent figure. Two striking points are stressed in the parable. Firstly, we will be judged uniquely on our treatment of those in any kind of need. Not on our prayer-life. Not on our asceticism or penances undertaken. Only on our respect for others, how far we look to see what they need and what we can give. Each of the ten commandments in the Old Testament, each of the eight beatitudes in the New can be resolved into this: telling the truth, financial honesty, honouring father and mother (or children), hunger for justice, peace-making. The second striking point is the reason for the first: that Christ is in each person. What we do to others, we do to Christ.

Dom Henry Wansbrough OSB.

 

Set aside 10 -15 minutes and create a suitable environment by removing any distractions. Make sure that you are comfortable. Perhaps light a candle. Make the sign of the cross † and remain still for a minute of settling silence.

Call to mind the love that God has for you. Remember that through this scripture our Lord is truly present.

 

Then read the Gospel, preferably aloud and slowly, and pay attention to any words that stand out. If any do, meditate on them for a few minutes and be invited into a dialogue with God.e Wednesday

  is under the patronage of St Joseph, Patron Saint of Families and Protector of the urch

Within the tradition of the Catholic Church, each Wednesday is dedicated to St Joseph

Now slowly and prayerfully read the Gospel once again but this time in silence. Consider how this Gospel could apply to your life in general. Then thank God for any insight you may have received. Conclude by asking God to bless you with one of the following spiritual gifts to help you act on any resolution you have made: love, understanding, wisdom, faithfulness, peace, self control, patience, or joy. Please remember to pray for the Church and particularly our school families.

 

Then conclude by requesting the prayers of Our Lady & St Joseph.

Relax & Remember

www.wednesdayword.org © The Wednesday Word®2008

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A New Resource

A MISSIONARY INITIATIVE FOR THE 21st CENTURY CHURCH Praying for our primary school families. Helping them to pray together, stay together and to grow in the love of our Lord and his Church.
Welcome to the Priests & Parishioners Pages Please click here to download the PARISH VERSION. The Wednesday Word is a national missionary initiative for the 21st Century. Please support The Wednesday Word school mission with your prayers. Specialised resources for primary schools and parish churches, are the focus of this new, Christ centred, weekly custom. To read what parents of Catholic school children are saying about the primary school version of The Wednesday Word please click here to go to the FAMILY FEEDBACK Section. This section of the website is primarily designed to create awareness about the ‘free’, weekly, parish version of The Wednesday Word. Please click here to download the resource. Fr Henry with Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) & Pope John Paul II Fr Henry Wansbrough’s  Sunday Gospel Reflection Dom Henry Wansbrough, a member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, writes the weekly Sunday Gospel reflection/commentary for the parishWednesday Word. "This is a splendid and imaginative initiative, to bring the message of the gospel to Christians at home. Even those who don’t go to church have the right to hear and think about the gospel, and The Wednesday Word gives them a chance to do just that. It will also be a great support to know that others all over the country are joining in this reflection” Dom Henry Wansbrough OSB Fr Henry is a monk of Ampleforth Abbey and a world renowned biblical scholar. He was General Editor of the New Jerusalem Bible. Fr Henry recently prepared the CTS Catholic Bible in which he has written an introductory article to each book of the Bible, and has prepared footnotes on the text. He has written twenty books, more than sixty articles, over a thousand book reviews, and produced an edition of the Synoptic Gospels.

You say:God says

You say: It's impossible.
God says: All things are possible. (Luke 18.27)

You say: I'm too tired.
God says: I will give you rest. (Matthew 11.28-30)

You say: Nobody really loves me.
God says: I love you. (John 3.16 & John 3.34)

You say: I can't go on.
God says: My grace is sufficient. (II Corinthians 12.9 & Psalm 91.15)

You say: I can't figure things out.
God says: I will direct your steps. (Proverbs 3.5-6)

You say: I can't do it.
God says: You can do all things. (Philippians 4.13)

You say: I'm not able.
God says: I am able. (II Corinthians 9.8)

You say: It's not worth it.
God says: It will be worth it. (Romans 8.28)

You say: I can't forgive myself.
God says: I forgive you. (I John 1.9 & Romans 8.1)

You say: I can't manage.
God says: I will supply all your needs. (Philippians 4.19)

You say: I'm afraid.
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear. (II Timothy 1.7)

You say: I'm always worried and frustrated.
God says: Cast all your cares on me. (I Peter 5.7)

You say: I'm not smart enough.
God says: I give you wisdom. (I Corinthians 1.30)

You say: I feel alone.
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you. (Hebrews 13.5)

Just let Him use you

The next time you feel like God cannot use you, just remember...

Abraham was too old. Noah was drunk.
Isaac was a daydreamer. Joseph was abused.
Jacob was a liar. Moses had a stuttering problem.
Leah was ugly. Rahab was a prostitute.
Gideon was afraid. Elijah was suicidal.
Isaiah preached naked. Jonah ran from God.
Naomi was a widow. Job went bankrupt.
Peter denied Christ. Zaccheus was too small.
Paul was too religious. Timothy had an ulcer.
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer.
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young.
David had an affair and was a murderer.
The Disciples fell asleep while praying.
Martha worried about everything.
The Samaritan women was divorced, more than once
And.......Lazarus was !

Now! No more excuses! God can use you to your full potential.
Besides you aren't the message, you are just the messenger.

Tobit

The story of Tobit is set in the time of the conquest of Israel by Assyria in the seventh century BC, but scholars think the book was actually written about 200 years BC when the entire Middle East was under the powerful domination of Greek culture. It was written for a scattered Jewish community and presents a robust defence of Jewish faith and culture, with an exhortation for all Jews to trust in God, their traditions and their way of life.

Tobit is keen to live out his Jewish faith, not out of a sense of duty but because of his heartfelt love for God and neighbour. He presents us with a wonderful example of a man who, although righteous and faithful to God, suffered intensely during his life. He remains faithful to the Lord through suffering and injustice.

The relevance for a Christian man in contemporary Western society is obvious.

A Happy Translation

Some linguists were translating the Bible into a local African language. They had difficulty in finding a pure word for joy. The tribal words used has connotations which were not acceptable.

As they were debating what would be a suitable word a dog came into the room belonging to one of the missionaries, wagging his tail vigorously.

"What word would you use for the joy that dog has having found his master?", the missionaries asked. They were offered a word and the final text was translated: "There will be tail-wagging in heaven over one sinner that repents."

P.S. I am grateful to a newspaper correspondent for this uplifting story. He didn't say if he also wears a dog collar!

Out of the mouths of babes

I have a feeling that life in general - and blogs in particular - can sometimes seem a bit heavy and there is need to lighten things up a bit. A call for humour. Starting today I shall give up my daily blog to contributions that hopefully bring a smile to the faces of readers.

The Bible

A little boy opened the big family bible. He was fascinated as he fingered through the old pages. Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible. He picked up the object and looked at it. What he saw was an old leaf that had been pressed in between the pages "Mum, look what I've found," the boy called out. "What have you got there, dear?" With astonishment in the young boy's voice, he answered, "I think it's Adam's underwear".

Death

While walking along the path in front of his church, our vicar heard the intoning of a prayer that nearly made his collar wilt. Apparently, his 5 year old son and his friends had found a dead robin. Feeling that proper burial should be performed, they had found a small box and placed the bird inside and tied it up with string, then dug a hole and made ready for the burial of the deceased. The vicar's son was chosen to say the appropriate prayers and with great dignity intoned his version of what he thought his father always said: "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and into the hole he goes."