THE FEAST OF ST FRANCES OF ROME, BENEDICTINE OBLATE.
ST FRANCES OF ROME, RELIGIOUS.
"Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.
“Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’
But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’
“I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18: 9 - 14).
Saturday 9th March 2024, of the 3rd Week of Lent is the feast of St Frances of Rome. (1384 - 1440). Italian.
St Frances was a married woman who raised three children in the way of the Lord. Frances became a Benedictine Oblate and founded a community of Oblates in the heart of Rome. Besides being a wife and mother, Frances was a mystic and very involved in charitable services in Rome. In Frances, we have a unique example of love in marriage as well as in religious life.
In the Gospel of today from Luke 18: 9 - 14, Jesus teaches how to be acceptable to God in our prayers.
"O God, be merciful to me a sinner." The attitude and prayer of the Tax Collector becomes our example of the type of prayer that justifies and the prayer that is heard by God. Here is what the Church teaches on the Prayer of Humility:
"The first movement of the prayer of petition is asking forgiveness, like the tax collector in the parable:
"God, be merciful to me a sinner!"
"It is a prerequisite for righteous and pure prayer. A trusting humility brings us back into the light of communion between the Father and his Son Jesus Christ and with one another, so that "we receive from him whatever we ask."
"Asking forgiveness is the prerequisite for both the Eucharistic liturgy and personal prayer." (CCC 2631).
"Have mercy on me, God, in accord with your merciful love; in your abundant compassion blot out my transgressions, " (Psalm 51: 3) cried King David after his sins of adultery, cover up and murder.
The prayer of David was heard by God and David went home justified. The Lord hears the cry of the poor and the humble.
Because of the great mercy of God, God gave the Church Baptism as the great Sacrament of Reconciliation and Regeneration. Baptism wipes out our sins and the record of our sins.
Does Baptism remove concupiscence, our ingrained tendency to certain sins? It does not. What then happens to sins that are committed after Baptism? Jesus Christ gave the Church the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession, Penance) to deal with this crisis and stubbornness of sin.
Those who are humble like the Tax Collector are justified by this Sacrament and enjoy the mercy and peace of God.
St Joseph is the man chosen by God to be the foster father and guardian of Jesus.
Joseph is a man of high purity and chastity. God chose him to be the husband of Mary because God had fitted him with the appropriate graces to protect the perpetual virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Church considers St Joseph the greatest Saint after the Blessed Virgin Mary. Joseph is so fittingly named the Patron of the Universal Church. Remember that he was the Guardian of Jesus and in his intercessory role, you can believe that Jesus will deny nothing to Joseph.
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