GOSPEL - Lk 12:1-7
At that time: So many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot. Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples, “Beware of the leaven—that is, the hypocrisy—of the Pharisees. “There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops. I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one. Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.”
O Jesus! Meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved...
From the desire of being extolled...
From the desire of being honored...
From the desire of being praised...
From the desire of being preferred to others...
From the desire of being consulted...
From the desire of being approved...
From the fear of being humiliated...
From the fear of being despised...
From the fear of suffering rebukes...
From the fear of being calumniated...
From the fear of being forgotten...
From the fear of being ridiculed...
From the fear of being wronged...
From the fear of being suspected...
That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I...
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease...
That others may be chosen and I set aside...
That others may be praised and I unnoticed...
That others may be preferred to me in everything...
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…
Friday is dedicated to Christ's Passion and His Sacred Heart
STUDY - An excerpt from Link to Liturgy Lesson
Eschatology: HellWhat is hell? Hell is the state of a soul that died in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God’s merciful love and thus is in a state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God.[1] There is a growing trend in today’s society to question if hell even exists. Some Christian denominations have even made arguments that hell does not exist. However, the Catholic Church can show in Scripture and Tradition that hell is real. [2]
Jesus spoke about hell more than any other person in the Bible. “Jesus often speaks of ‘Gehenna’ of ‘the unquenchable fire’ reserved for those who to the end of their lives refuse to believe and be converted, where both soul and body can be lost.” [3] Often times Jesus is portrayed as a pacifist who
only talked about love and peace, however He did discuss judgment, justice, and the existence of hell. As mentioned earlier, Jesus gives clear instructions that “we cannot love God if we sin gravely against him, against our neighbor or against ourselves.” [4] Jesus warns that if we do not remain in God’s love, we will not be with Him in paradise for eternity. “He who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” (Jn. 3:14-15)
[1] Cf. CCC 1033
[2] Cf. CCC 1035
[3] CCC 1034
[4] CCC 1033