Questions for Reflection for February 25, 2023 HD

Reflection on Reading 1, Isaiah 58:9-14 1. The Holy Spirit speaks powerfully through the great Hebrew Prophet Isaiah in our first reading. The people of God, and that includes the Church, are told that when we cry for help, the Lord hears always us. Prayer works! We are told that when we live lives which manifest Gods Image and His love, by reaching out to the poor and liberating those held in captivity, ...when we reach out to the poor.... He will work through us. And, in addition, when we keep Holy His Day, and follow His Way of Life... all of these things which demonstrate that our faith is not only words, but a true way of life, we will be HAPPY. That’s right, the Lord wants us Happy, an all too often forgotten yet fundamental truth of the Jewish and Christian teaching on morality. For the Christian, who has inherited the promises made to Israel by virtue of being grafted into the Vine of Abraham through belonging to Jesus Christ, this promise of happiness applies to us - to you and me! As we choose the Lord, as we grow in the life of the Holy Spirit, we begin to experience real happiness. The kind that does not disappear in struggle or become extinguished by difficulty. His Image is restored in us and we begin to grow into His Likeness. How do we view holiness? Do we understand it as a call to true happiness? It is. Reflection on Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 2. The Psalmist shows us the kind of humility which we are all called to exhibit when we approach the Lord. In His prayer and supplication, He first acknowledges his own poverty and humility. He affirms that he is the Servant - and God alone is the Master. He takes the position of being free of any pride or arrogance. That is the starting point for the kind of prayer that pleases the Lord and opens the heavens. From that vantage point, he approaches the Lord and makes known his need. He also praises the Lord and thanks Him for His goodness. And notice, it is the praise which fuels his joy. He asks the Lord to give him joy of heart. Repentance, doing penance, engaging in fasting and abstinence is meant to free us and make us more open to the blessings of the Lord. Make us more pliable, able to be used as His instrument of mercy and peace to others. Reflection on Gospel, Luke 5:27-32 3. Our Gospel for today’s Holy Mass is taken from St. Luke. It is Luke’s account of the call of Levi, or Matthew. Matthew was a tax collector. A profession derided by many Jews in the days of Jesus' earthly ministry because the tax collected was paid to Rome, the occupier of their promised land. Jesus is no respecter of persons. he calls all men and women, and awaits our response/ "Come, follow me" he said to Levi, and the scripture recounts "And leaving everything Levi got up and followed him." Levi’s response is held before us as our model. No matter who we are, where we’ve been, or what we are doing, Jesus is calling us. And, when we hear His Voice, the only proper response is to leave everything and follow Him. The root of the word vocation is voice. Jesus calls each one of us. Do we hear His voice? Are we responding? He still calls "not the upright, but sinners to repentance." Support Catholic Online by Subscribing to our Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/catholiconl... More on Daily Readings: https://www.catholic.org/bible/daily_... Catholic Online School: Free World Class Catholic Education for Anyone, Anywhere https://www.catholiconline.school/ Catholic Online: World's Catholic Library https://www.catholic.org/ Catholic Online Shopping: World's Catholic Store https://catholiconline.shopping/ Catholic Online Learning Resources: Free Printable Educational Resources for Students, Parents, and Teachers https://catholicresources.education/ We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away. Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of viewers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you. https://ycvf.org/products/donate