Sunday

Eph 5:1-9
Brethren: Be imitators of God, as very dear children and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and delivered Himself up for us an offering and a sacrifice to God to ascend in fragrant odor. But immorality and every uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as becomes saints; or obscenity or foolish talk or scurrility, which are out of place; but rather thanksgiving. For know this and understand, that no fornicator, or unclean person, or covetous one – for that is idolatry – has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one lead you astray with empty words; for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the children of disobedience. Do not, then, become partakers with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk, then, as children of light, for the fruit of the light is in all goodness and justice and truth.

Comment:  avoiding sin is best but there is Confession to cleanse of sins when we do sin.   This is a power granted to Christ’s Church through the priests.

Prayer:  We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee, for by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

 

Monday

Luke 11…

At that time, Jesus was casting out a devil, and the same was dumb; and when He had cast out the devil, the dumb man spoke. And the crowds marveled. But some of them said, By Beelzebub, the prince of devils, He casts out devils. And others, to test Him, demanded from Him a sign from heaven. But He, seeing their thoughts, said to them: Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and house will fall upon house. If, then, Satan also is divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because you say that I cast out devils by Beelzebub. Now, if I cast out devils by Beelzebub, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Comment: in other words, what advantage would Satan having of fighting against his own kingdom?

Prayer:

O Lord and Master of my life, a spirit of idleness, despondency, ambition, and idle talking give me not.

 

Tuesday

Luke 11…

When the strong man, fully armed, guards his courtyard, his property is undisturbed. But if a stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he will take away all his weapons that he relied upon, and will divide his spoils. He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters. When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he roams through waterless places in search of rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house which I left.’ And when he has come to it, he finds the place swept. Then he goes and takes seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in and dwell there; and the last state of that man becomes worse that the first. Now it came to pass as He was saying these things, that a certain woman from the crowd lifted up her voice and said to Him, Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts that nursed You. But He said, Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.

Comment:  Lent with prayer and fasting is one way of making sure our ‘house’ is not empty and available for a demon…it is filled with Grace from God.

Prayer:

But rather a spirit of chastity, humble-mindedness, patience, and love bestow upon me Thy servant.

Yea, O Lord King, grant me to see my failings and not condemn my brother; for blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Wednesday

4 Kings part 1

In those days, Naaman, general of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honorable – for by him the Lord gave deliverance to Syria – and he was a valiant man and rich, but a leper. Now there had gone out robbers from Syria, and had led away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid, and she waited upon Naaman’s wife, and she said to her mistress, I wish my master had been with the prophet who is in Samaria; he would certainly have healed him of the leprosy which he has. Then Naaman went in to his lord, and told him, saying, Thus and thus said the girl from the land of Israel. And the king of Syria said to him, Go, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment and brought the letter to the king of Israel, in these words, When you shall receive this letter, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may heal him of his leprosy. And when the king of Israel had read the letter, he rent his garments and said, Am I God, to be able to kill and give life, that this man has sent to me to heal a man of his leprosy? Mark, and see how he seeks occasions against me.

Comment:  the pagan King had more faith in the God of Israel than did the evil King of Israel.

 

Prayer:

Yea, O Lord King, grant me to see my failings and not condemn my brother; for blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.

 

Thursday
4 Kings part 2

And when Eliseus the man of God had heard this, to wit, that the king of Israel had rent his garments, he sent to him, saying, Why have you rent your garments? Let him come in to me, and let him know that there is a prophet in Israel. So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and stood at the door of the house of Eliseus: and Eliseus sent a messenger to him, saying, Go, and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh shall recover health and you shall be clean. Naaman was angry and went away, saying, I thought he would have come out to me, and standing would have invoked the name of the Lord his God, and touched with his hand the place of the leprosy, and healed me. Are not the Abana and the Pharphar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel, that I may wash in them, and be made clean? So as he turned, and was going away with indignation, his servants came to him, and said to him, Father, if the prophet had bid you to do some great thing, surely you should have done it; how much rather what he now has said to you, ‘Wash, and you shall be clean’? Then he went down, and washed in the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored, like the flesh of a little child, and he was made clean. And returning to the man of God with all his train, he came, and stood before him, and said, In truth I know, there is no other God in all the earth, but only in Israel.

Comment:  this is the purpose of miracles…a supernatural event that cannot denied in the physical world is used to prove the teachings of the spiritual world since most people realize only good can come from God.

Prayer:  O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, blot out our sins. O Master, pardon our iniquities. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy name’s sake.

Friday

Luke 4:23-30
At that time, Jesus said to the Pharisees: You will surely quote me this proverb, ‘Physician, cure Yourself! Whatever things we have heard of as done in Capharnaum, do here also in Your own country!’ But He said, Amen I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country. In truth I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elias, when heaven was shut up for three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land; and to none of them was Elias sent, but rather to a widowed woman in Sarepta of Sidon. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian. And all in the synagogue, as they heard these things, were filled with wrath. And they rose up and put Him forth out of the town, and led Him to the brow of the hill, on which their town was built, that they might throw Him down headlong. But He, passing through their midst, went His way.

Comment:  a familiar theme of the New Testament…Israel had received God’s truth but had no faith in it so the blessings passed on to the gentiles who would believe.  Today that is the Church.

Prayer:  Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3X)

Saturday
Seasonal Preface of Lent from the Mass…

It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God; Who by this bodily fast, dost curb our vices, dost lift up our minds and bestow on us strength and rewards; through Christ our Lord. Through whom the Angels praise Thy Majesty, the Dominations worship it, the Powers stand in awe. The Heavens and the heavenly hosts together with the blessed Seraphim in triumphant chorus unite to celebrate it. Together with these we entreat Thee that Thou mayest bid our voices also to be admitted…

Comment:  this is a example of how, as in the reading earlier this week, we clean our ‘house’ and drive out the demon/evil therein.

 

Jesus Prayer:  Lord Jesus Christ Son of God have Mercy on me a sinner.