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TODAY’S WORD…
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Jesus said,
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate,
but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
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You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup,
so that the outside also may become clean.”
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– Matthew 23:25-26 (NRSV)
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REFLECTION…
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After reproaching the Pharisees and scribes for their hypocrisy in religious practice,
our Lord now goes on to indict their two-facedness in matters of morality.
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However, Jesus is not just addressing them, but all of us,
and this reflects the Lord’s concern
for that moral purity which should characterise every Christian’s interior life.
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Jesus is telling us all that what is of prime importance
is cleanliness of heart,
an upright intention,
and consistency between what one says and what one does.
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PRAYER…
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You are blessed, O God,
the Source of happiness in Your creatures,
my Maker,
my Lord,
my Defender.
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You have sustained me,
supported me,
and protected me,
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You are, in every situation,
able to meet my needs and despairs.
May I live by You,
and live for You.
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May I get to resemble Jesus;
and may I steadily conform to His principles
and to His character.
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Let Your unparalleled love constrain me into holy obedience,
and let my duties be my delight.
Lord, eliminate my selfishness,
remove my hypocrisy.
and grant that I may truly love You.
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Save me, Lord,
don’t give up on me;
keep me close to You.
Amen.
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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…
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Save me, O Lord..
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YEAR OF FAITH 2012-2013
FROM THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH…
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Truth or truthfulness is the virtue
which consists in showing oneself true in deeds
and truthful in words,
and guarding against duplicity, dissimulation, and hypocrisy.
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[CCC 2505]
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