Catholic Daily Liturgical Guide 03.03.2022

DEUTERONOMY 30: 15 – 20.

Moses spoke to the people, saying, “See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you this day, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his ordinances, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart tums away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you this day, that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land which you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice, and clinging to him; for that means life to you and length of days, that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

The Word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 1: 1 – 4, 6 (R.) 40: 5ab

R/. Blessed the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

Blessed indeed is the man
Who follows not the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stands in the path with sinners,
Nor abides in the company of scorners,
But whose delight is the law of the Lord,
And who ponders his law day and night. R/.

He is like a tree that is planted
Beside the flowing waters,
That yields its fruit in due season,
And whose leaves shall never fade;
and all that he does shall prosper. R/.

Not so are the wicked, not so!
For they, like winnowed chaff,
Shall be driven away by the wind.
For the Lord knows the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked will perish. R/.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION:
Matthew 4: 17

Glory and praise to you, O Christ. Repent, says the Lord, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. Glory and praise to you, O Christ

GOSPEL
LUKE 9: 22 – 25

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, “The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” And he said to all, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?”

The Gospel of the Lord.
REFLECTION: The World or Your Soul?
March 3, 2022

“What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?” (Luke 9:25)

Many people dream of winning the lottery. And oftentimes, the dream is for many millions of dollars. Imagine what you would do if you became an instant millionaire or an instant billionaire. Do you find yourself daydreaming about this?

If so, perhaps the question above is a good one to ponder. What good is it if you win the biggest lottery in history, become the wealthiest person on the face of the Earth, but lack the grace of God in your life and lack faith? Would you trade your faith for being exceptionally wealthy and gaining the whole world? Many people probably would or else Jesus would not have asked this question.

Very often in life we have the wrong priorities. We seek instant satisfaction and gratification over eternal fulfillment. It’s hard for many people to live with an eternal perspective.

Some may say, “Well, I choose both! I want the whole world and the salvation of my soul!” But Jesus’ question presupposes that we cannot have both. We must pick which one we choose to pursue. Choosing a life of faith and the salvation of our souls requires that we let go of many things in this world. Even if God were to bless us with much in this world, we must strive to live in such a way that we are ready and willing to “give it up” if it were beneficial to our eternal salvation, or the salvation of others. This is hard to do and requires a very deep love of God. It requires that we are convinced, on the deepest level, that the pursuit of holiness is more important than anything else.

Reflect, today, upon this profound question from Jesus. Know that He poses it to you. How do you respond? Do not hesitate to make God and His abundant mercy the central focus of your life. Lent is one of the best times of the year to seriously look at the most fundamental desire and goal of your heart. Choose Him above all else and you will be eternally grateful you did.

PRAYER:
My eternal Lord, as we enter into this Lenten season, give me the grace I need to look at my priorities. Help me to honestly discern that which is the most fundamental and central driving motivation of my life. Help me to choose You above all else so that You will help everything in my life to become ordered in accord with Your holy will. Jesus, I trust in You.https://masvingomirror.com