Clothed in Virtue

  Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Lent Gospel: John 9:1-38 "That man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me: Go to the pool of Siloe, and wash. And I went, I washed, and I see." -John 9:11 A man born blind is cured by Jesus.  Jesus spits on the ground to make clay, then rubs the clay in the blind man's eyes.  He tells the blind man to wash in the pool called Siloe, which means 'sent out.'  The man washes and comes out able to see, cured of his blindness.     St. Augustine comments on this passage: "Both the works and the word of our Lord Jesus Christ are to be marveled and wondered at: the works, because they were really accomplished, the words because they are signs.  If we consider the miracle of the man born blind we shall see that he represents the human race.  In the case of the first man, his blindness was brought about by sin, and from him we have all derived the seeds not only of our mortality, but also of o...

Ezekiel 18:20-28 The soul that sinneth, the same shall die ...  But if the wicked do penance for all his sins which he hath committed, and keep all my commandments, and do judgment, and justice, living he shall live, and shall not die.  I will not remember all his iniquities that he hath done: in his justice which he hath wrought, he shall live. Is it my will that a sinner should die, saith the Lord God, and not that he should be converted from his ways, and live?  ... And when the wicked turneth himself away from his wickedness, which he hath wrought, and doeth judgment, and justice: he shall save his soul alive.  Because he considereth and turneth away himself from all his iniquities which he hath wrought, he shall surely live, and not die. God desires not the death of the sinner, but that he convert and live.  

Matthew 15:21-28      At that time Jesus went from thence, and retired into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And behold a woman of Canaan who came out of those coasts, crying out, said to him: Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David: my daughter is grievously troubled by the devil. Who answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying: Send her away, for she crieth after us: And he answering, said: I was not sent but to the sheep that are lost of the house of Israel. But she came and adored him, saying: Lord, help me. Who answering, said: It is not good to take the bread of the children, and to cast it to the dogs. But she said: Yea, Lord; for the whelps also eat of the crumbs that fall from the table of their masters. Then Jesus answering, said to her: O woman, great is thy faith: be it done to thee as thou wilt: and her daughter was cured from that hour. Today, on the Thursday after the First Sunday of Lent, we have another Gospel emphasizing ho...

Fruit is a common biblical image for good works & faithfulness that flow from God's grace. In the parable of the sower, Jesus tells us that indifferent responses to the word of the kingdom are unfruitful. On the other hand, fruit brought forth from a responsive heart abounds. Our response to the Word depends on the attitude of our hearts. Our attitude can be afflicted by various things that can hinder & distort our reception and understanding. Jesus sketches four different responses to the Gospel; three are unfruitful, but the good soil is receptive and produces a great harvest. We must determine the "soil" of our own hearts and see if we are truly fertile to bring forth good fruit. Are we listening with a good and honest heart? Or is the message getting distorted by our bias, our cynicism, our ignorance, our distractions, our attachments...? The Kingdom's value is inestimable, and surrendering earthly attachments is required to obtain it. Sometimes following ...