The King's Corner

Nice ones!  Do mean people finish poorly?  Sometimes we wonder, don't we?  Most of us are drawn to nice people - kind people who reveal warm hearts and the power of the Holy Spirit. Then again, many of us are foolishly drawn to mean people.   With whom are we most compatible?  What did Jesus say about mean people?  Luke gives us an indication most of us find hard to apply in our everyday lives. But to you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.  Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is t

Jim McDermott, S.J. of America Media posted the following reflection for yesterday.   I repeat it here because he reminds us that the Old Testament needs more attention and understanding. “Once more he measured off a thousand, but there was now a river through which I could not wade; for the water had risen so high it had become a river that could not be crossed except by swimming” (Ezekiel 47:5). (begin) When it comes to preaching, the Old Testament often gets the short straw. Admittedly, Yahweh can get pretty smite-y. But at other times, the text is just really boring. Like today in Ezekiel, what are even talking about? Why is an angel asking Ezekiel to wade into a river while he measures 1000s of cubits of water, and why are we being asked to hear about it? 

Cape Cod is famous for its right whales that migrate to Cape Cod Bay late winter and early spring where they feed on zooplankton.  The Commonwealth’s Division of Marine Fisheries has expanded its January 1 – May 15 Seasonal Gillnet Closure to Protect Right Whales in Cape Cod Bay to throughout all Massachusetts state waters. This extended closure is effective for this calendar year.  This closure is designed to lessen the risk of a right whale becoming entangled in this fixed gear when they seasonally aggregate in and migrate through our waters. Of particular concern is the potential co-occurrence of gillnet gear and right whales in Massachusetts Bay and off Cape Ann during April and early May. In recent years, right whale sightings data show right whales are increasingly using these waters during this time. Perhaps whale watchers and others may have a Moby Dick-like encounter this spring.  If so, move away!  These whales are protected by buffer zones to reduce collisions and injuries t

Today’s verse before the Gospel is Amos 5:14 that reads “ Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and the LORD will be with you.” This is from his “First Woe:” Woe to those who turn justice into wormwood and cast righteousness to the ground. They hate those who reprove at the gate and abhor those who speak with integrity. Therefore, because you tax the destitute and exact from them levies of grain though you have built houses of hewn stone, you shall not live in them. Though you have planted choice vineyards, you shall not drink their wine. Yes, I know how many are your crimes; how grievous your sins: oppressing the just, accepting bribes, turning away the needy at the gate. (Therefore, at this time the wise are struck dumb for it is an evil time.) Seek good and not evil that you may live then truly the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you as you claim. Hate evil and love good, and let justice prevail at the gate. Then it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will have pity

 

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So to them Jesus addressed this parable: “A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get u

March 27, 2022, Fourth Sunday of Lent Lent Gets Longer: We may have started out on Ash Wednesday with enthusiasm for our own personal campaign of reform, committed to praying more frequently and deeply, and a plan of what we might “give up” as well as some good works we might take on. Perhaps our zeal for living Lent was reinforced two weeks ago by the opportunity to participate in a parish mission but as we finish the third week of lent and begin the fourth there is likely a temptation for our enthusiasm for all things Lent to begin to wane. Indeed with two weeks to go before Holy Week begins it is now that we need to accept our lapses without giving in or giving up and go forward determined to be more faithful to the disciplines of Lent right to the end. This is the trial of Lent when 40 days begins to feel like 100 and the Tempter suggests that it is all unnecessary anyway because we are good enough without enduring the self-imposed deprivation! Indeed, we might have been reminded

  Wisdom and knowledge are not usually sought by social media fanatics.  Many of us use it for entertainment and gossip, sometimes for spreading fear and hate.  Social media actually blocks wisdom and knowledge by spreading misinformation, disinformation and biased views. However, if used properly, social media can be a fountain of information for inspiration and personal growth.  The choice is ours.   Even so, we must be discerning and wise enough to know when we are being manipulated, brainwashed, and encouraged to join naive lemmings willing to follow false teachers and liars into an abyss devoid of Jesus and those who follow his way of love and opposition to tyranny and oppression.  Deacon David Pierce

I love puns. Not everyone does.  Here's a good one from Pastis, so I say.  Also, "Pray" is a four-letter word you can say anywhere - except in public schools. Man's way leads to a hopeless end - God's way leads to an endless hope. A lot of kneeling will keep you in good standing.| He who kneels before God can stand before anyone. To be almost saved is to be totally lost. In the sentence of life, the devil may be a comma - but never let him be the period. Don't put a question mark where God puts a period. God grades on the cross, not the curve. Are you wrinkled with burden? Come to the church for a facelift. When praying, don't give God instructions - just report for duty. God doesn't want shares of your life – God wants a controlling interest. Don't wait for six strong men to take you to church. We don't change God's message – God’s message changes us. The church is prayer-conditioned. When God ordains, God sustains. WARNING: Exposure to th

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I provide what follows as a reminder that we Christians tend to forget the obvious or purposefully set it aside to foster our own interests be they nationalistic, political, religious or financial.  Our eyes are full of planks. (begin) Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.  In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. 

"May We Make America" by Otis Moss III, senior pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago (published in Sojourners January 2021). Note the date.  Let us pray. (begin) In the place where anxiety attempts to dance, may we begin again. Let us begin to cook meals for strangers flavored by compassion. Stir the gumbo of grace given to us by the spirit of God.  Be faithful enough to drink from the cup of courage and set the table of democracy guided by the spirit of love walking humbly with acts of justice. Forgive us for words spoken that demean, marginalize, and undermine creation and the creation of community. Forgive us for allowing the shadow of caste and class to cloud our imagination of what is possible. Forgive us for not speaking truth to power nor speaking truth rooted in love to guide our decisions. 

I have great respect for Sojourners magazine and Jim Wallis.  For example, in the February issue there is an article entitled "Noah's Silence at the End of the World: Finding the Courage to Argue with Those Who Claim to Speak for God."  Wallis' past editorials and his many books have been very insightful such as his 2016 book "America's Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege and the Bridge to a New America." Therefore, the controversy described below is a bit surprising.  It appears Wallis gave into pressure and criticism and removed a Sojourners' essay criticizing white supremacists in the Catholic Chruch.  He admitted his error in judgment to edit it out, but there were consequences.   (begin) The progressive Christian magazine Sojourners has replaced founder and President Jim Wallis as editor in chief and announced a new policy of editorial independence from the organization’s advocacy work.

  Hope springs eternal this spring despite temptations to stay at home behind our curtains.  Let's open those curtains and step outside, else it's curtains for all of us.  Let us not lose hope for peace and elusive good will this Lent. Deacon David Pierce

 

Today is the third Sunday of Lent. Making the day extra special is the fact that we have in our pews the children who are preparing for their first communion when they will receive the Eucharist for the first time.  In a little while they will receive a blessing from Father Healey. It also is the first day of Spring when we smile and look forward to our warming weather, longer days, blooming flowers, and the baseball season. For the children and for all of us, we look forward to Holy Week and especially Easter when this altar will be filled with beautiful flowers and other plants. Speaking of plants, in our first reading we heard about a burning bush on a mountain top. That bush was on fire, but it never burned up. The man we all know as Moses went up to that bush, and he heard God calling him to come near the fire, but not to get too close.

March 20, 2022, Third Sunday of Lent Christian Vs Christian:    There are many deeply disturbing aspects of the current war against the Ukrainian people , most especially  the targeting  of civilians and non-military targets by the Russian forces.   Yet  there is another aspect of this war  that should disturb us as people of faith, in that it is actually a conflict  in which the baptized are fighting the baptized!   Indeed many of the members of the Russian army are Orthodox Christians as are the Ukrainians against whom they have taken up arms. In fact many of the Orthodox in Ukraine and Russia are under the  authority of the very same Patriarch, Kirill of Mosco, who seems at this point to be  more loyal to Vladimir Putin than to Jesus Christ. .    Yet this is indeed what happens when national identity means more than one’s religious identity, and people tend to be  more prepared to fulfill their duty to country than they are to their duty to God!   This isn’t the first time this has

Today is the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Our first reading is 2 Samuel 7:4-5, 12-14, 16.  The LORD spoke to Nathan and said: “Go, tell my servant David, ‘When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm. It is he who shall build a house for my name. And I will make his royal throne firm forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.’”  This is one of most significant theological contributions of the Old Testament (the Hebrew Bible).  It is 2 Samuel 7 – the oracle of Nathan.  David here is promised an eternal dynasty, and this becomes the basis for the development of royal messianism throughout the Bible. The reign of David is described in 2 Samuel.   This book of the Bible – almost no Catholic ever reads or to which we seldom refer – would

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Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: “Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again, he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the  same way. Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’ They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?” They answered him, “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who wi

  If you missed "Lent ~ A New Springtime" or would like to view it again click Parish Mission

  Spring is about to arrive on the 20th.  Too bad "Made In America" isn't more about America promoting peace and a way fashioned by Jesus, such as loving our neighbor.  Then again, we all should be outraged by what is happening to America and throughout the world: division, tribalism, populism, and perilous neglect of our natural environment we call planet Earth.  Our talking points should focus on kindness, understanding, empathy, and tolerance.  This Lent that list must include pray, fast, and charitable giving. Deacon David Pierce

As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the Twelve disciples aside by themselves, and  said to them on the way, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.” Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, “What do you wish?” She answered him, “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.” Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.” He replied, “My chalice you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” When the ten heard

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’  As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called ‘Master’; you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:1-12) A fir tree

“Lord, great and awesome God, you who keep your merciful covenant toward those who love you and observe your commandments! We have sinned, been wicked and done evil; we have rebelled and departed from your commandments and your laws. We have not obeyed your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers, and all the people of the land.  Justice, O Lord, is on your side; we are shamefaced even to this day: we, the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem, and all Israel, near and far, in all the countries to which you have scattered them because of their treachery toward you. O LORD, we are shamefaced, like our kings, our princes, and our fathers, for having sinned against you. But yours, O Lord, our God, are compassion and forgiveness! Yet we rebelled against you and paid no heed to your command, O LORD, our God, to live by the law you gave us through your servants the prophets.” (Daniel 9:4-10) How many of us would make the above confession to God

Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray. While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.  Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But he did not know what he was saying. While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen. (Lu

March 13, 2022, Second Sunday of Lent A Mission: An Opportunity to Live Lent More Fully: The work of Lent concerns our own renewal in preparation to celebrate new life with the Risen Christ at Easter. This Lenten Mission offers us a unique opportunity to carve out some time to devote to our spiritual renewal by inviting our presence on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evening at 7 PM as Fr. Vinny Fortunato delivers his message to us: Lent- A New Springtime. Fr. Vinny will be preaching at all the Masses this weekend, let us welcome him, and make every effort to attend to the message that he is here to share with us to assist us in making this Lent an especially meaningful one.

During Lent we highlight sin and the need for repentance and forgiveness.   What about corruption?  There is a difference described by Austen Ivereigh in his article Has the Pope Been Too Hard on Traditionalists? published in the March 22 issue of Commonweal. (begin) While sin is forgiven, corruption cannot be forgiven for at the root of corruption is a refusal of God’s forgiveness.  The corrupted person or organization sees no need for repentance, and their sense of self-sufficiency gradually comes to be regarded as natural and normal.   Unless corrected the corruption deepens over time, for the corrupt, far from being in reality self-sufficient, are in fact slaves to a “treasure” that has conquered their hearts – e.g., money, power, honor, or privilege.  To conceal this enslavement, the corrupt energetically cultivate an appearance of righteousness and good manners.  Always justifying themselves, they finally become convinced of their own moral superiority.

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J esus said to his disciples: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven. “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise, your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last

Jesus said to his disciples: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.  Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asked for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asked for a fish? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 7:7-12) What do we get when we ask; what do we find when we seek; what door will be opened when we knock? Faith.  It is there for the asking and taking, if we are so obliged.  If we truly seek faith in a loving God, then we receive the bread and fish.  

Here is a story about life. (begin) A son and his father were walking on the mountains. Suddenly, his son falls, hurts himself and screams: “AAAhhh!!” To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain: “AAAhhh!! Curious, he yells: “Who are you?” He receives the answer: “Who are you?” Angered at the response, he screams: “Coward!” He receives the answer: “Coward!” He looks to his father and asks: “What’s going on?” The father smiles and says: “My son, pay attention.”

Thus says the LORD: Just as from the heaven the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth. It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11) How do our words rain down upon the earth?  Are our words like seed taking root in the hearts of those we know or to whom we reach out?  Do our tongues craft words revealing our love and compassion, or do they cut like swords?  We hear the Word of God pronounced at Mass.  That Word is intended to water us and make us fruitful – to do God’s will.    We are all tiny mustard seeds capable of great growth in word and deeds. Many birds of a feather – those like us – wait to roost in our branches.  Let the rain, and snow, keep us fertile so we may outstretch our limbs to embrace those in need of shelter and car

Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.  Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you

 

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”  Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. The devil said to him, “I shall give to you all this power and glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish. All this will be yours, if you worship me.” Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.” Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you, and: Wi

  March 6, 2022, First Sunday of Lent Lent: A Time of Return: The invitation of the Lord, issued through the words of the Prophet Hosea is the call to return wholeheartedly to God. This invitation might be heard anew as we officially begin the 40 days of Lent today, a season that will conclude at sunset on Holy Thursday evening. The return to God is a return from ourselves, and the world we inhabit apart from God, including most especially the things that distract us and so keep us from a fuller devotion to God. Many of us have been physically distant during the pandemic out of a reasonable sense of caution when infection rates were alarmingly high. There are some among us who must still remain cautious and thus apart as they are immune-compromised and unable to be vaccinated, so they are encouraged to continue keeping a safe distance from the larger gatherings of people as at Mass and will continue to be invited to receive the Eucharist on Sundays between 11:45 Am and 1

What follows is a guest column by Reverend Jim Wallis published in the March 1 edition of the Cape Cod Times.  It is entitled: “Biden should lean into his Catholic faith in State of the Union address: Fortunately, President Biden’s Catholic faith has a potent idea for calling forth the best in us: the notion of the common good.” The Rev. Jim Wallis is the inaugural holder of the Chair in Faith and Justice and the founding Director of the Georgetown University Center on Faith and Justice. He is a bestselling author, public theologian, activist and founder of the Christian social justice advocacy organization and publication Sojourners. (begin) It’s no secret that the state of our union is deeply polarized, our partisan divisions stretched to the breaking point by the long pandemic and vicious political combat.

Thus says the Lord GOD: Cry out full-throated and unsparingly, lift up your voice like a trumpet blast; Tell my people their wickedness, and the house of Jacob their sins. They seek me day after day, and desire to know my ways, like a nation that has done what is just and not abandoned the law of their God; They ask me to declare what is due them, pleased to gain access to God. “Why do we fast, and you do not see it, afflict ourselves, and you take no note of it?” Lo, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits, and drive all your laborers. Yes, your fast ends in quarreling and fighting, striking with wicked claw. Would that today you might fast so as to make your voice heard on high! Is this the manner of fasting I wish, of keeping a day of penance: That a man bow his head like a reed and lie in sackcloth and ashes? Do you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD? This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setti

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What follows is an article appropriate for Lent with an emphasis on our children. Crafting Conscience in Your Child 10 Things Parents Can Do by Thomas H. Groome (professor of theology and religious education at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry) published on March 02, 2020 in the Boston College Publication C21 Resources (begin) While parents are readily recognized as primary in forming the superego, they can also be most effective in forming the conscience of their children (see “The Call to Grow in Love” in this issue for the distinctive functions of superego and conscience). Though abstract moral reasoning is not developmentally possible before the teenage years (Piaget, Kohlberg, etc.) yet parents can encourage concrete moral reasoning in children from an early age that can help to form their conscience. For example, the general principles of social justice are likely beyond their reach, yet they can learn how and why to be fair to siblings and friends and be encourage

  Who is Helping in Ukraine?   The Catholic Church has been and continues to remain one of the longest-standing charitable organizations in the world around the world. Caritas, which is the global Papal relief agency is present everywhere and active in the most troubled lands of the world. Caritas is present in Ukraine and in the neighboring countries now receiving refugees. The Catholic Relief Services sponsored by the US Bishops and supported by the Catholic people of the United States is one way to channel funds to Caritas in Ukraine as is Catholic Near East Welfare Association. These charitable arms of the Catholic Church are in partnership with Caritas and have been active in Eastern Europe for some time now and so they are present in the areas now under siege by the Russian Army and the countries under stress as they receive many displaced people. This long-standing presence is important because it means that structures and networks are already in place on the gro

A fox, running before the hounds, came across a Woodcutter felling an oak and begged him to show him a safe hiding-place. The Woodcutter advised him to take shelter in a hollow log, so the Fox crept in and hid himself.   The huntsman soon came up with his hounds and inquired of the Woodcutter if he had seen the Fox. He declared that he had not seen him, and yet pointed, all the time he was speaking, to the log where the Fox lay hidden. The huntsman took no notice of the signs, but believing his word, hastened forward in the chase.  As soon as they were well away, the Fox departed without taking any notice of the Woodcutter: whereon he called to him and reproached him, saying, “You ungrateful fellow, you owe your life to me, and yet you leave me without a word of thanks.” 

All this week and certainly throughout Lent there will be a need to examine our consciences.  We’ve all heard: “Let your conscience be your guide.”  It’s part of us that needs to be formed and reformed, and through good practice and Church teaching based on following Jesus’ way, we hope to be properly formed and informed. Consider a piece of script those reading this blog likely will remember since the majority of readers probably are in their 60’s and older.