Monday of the First Week of Lent (February 19, 2018): Making a good examination of conscience

Chúa Nhật, 18-02-2018 | 16:14:02

Today’s Readings:

Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18
Ps 19:8-10, 15 (with John 6:63b)
Matthew 25:31-46
www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021918.cfm

USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/18_02_19.mp3

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew.

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.
For 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, whatever you did
for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left,
‘Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
Then they will answer and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?’
He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life.”

Good News Reflection:

In today’s Gospel story, Jesus warns us how eternally important it is to be a “sheep” instead of a “goat”. To grow in holiness this Lent, we need to take an honest look at the goatiness that we still have within us.

Probably all of us reading this (and writing it; yeah me, too) have two feet — a goat’s foot that’s straying off to the left side of Jesus, and a sheep’s foot that wants to stand on his right side. This makes us rather wobbly. The Sacrament of Reconciliation gets us balanced again. It brings out the fullness of our sheepness.

To make a good examination of conscience and get rid of our goatiness, we can use the Ten Commandments (today’s first reading). “Since they express man’s fundamental duties toward God and towards his neighbor, the Ten Commandments reveal, in their primordial content, grave obligations. They are fundamentally immutable, and they oblige always and everywhere. No one can dispense from them” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, para. 2072).

When we look into the heart of each law to identify our sins, our honesty gives us the joyful experience of entering into God’s mercy. He does not ask us to live a holy life without giving us the ability — through graces received from the Holy Spirit — to resist sin. “What God commands he makes possible by grace,” notes paragraph 2083 of the Catechism.

Though God’s laws might sometimes seem to limit our fun and our freedom, they were given to us for our benefit. “The gift of the Commandments is the gift of God himself” (para. 2059). Our obedience plants our feet firmly in the kingdom of God — in his love, in his help, in his healing, etc.

Any time we disobey God, we make our lives more difficult because we are turning away from love: “Sin sets itself against God’s love for us and turns our hearts away from it” (para. 1850).

To use the Ten Commandments for an examination of conscience, see the Good News WordByte on it: wordbytes.gnm.org/10commandments/.

Then rely on the supernatural power of the graces received in the Sacrament of Reconciliation to help you grow more resistant to sin. Purification is a process — a very long process. God loves you right now, just the way you are, and so should you. Don’t forget to forgive yourself!

Today’s Prayer:

Lord, I need to receive Your Holy Spirit and to experience His power in my life. I need to recognize Him in a sensitive way and let myself be guided by Him. Thank You for being Your beloved child and for receiving this prayer. Amen.

Tags: First Week of Lent, Good News Reflection, Holy Gospel according to Matthew, Making a good examination of conscience