A Walk Through Salvation History (part 3): "He opened their minds"

*This is the third and final part of a 3-part series I wrote on Salvation history; scroll down to read the other two posts in this series that precede this one*
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"Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45).

We have been talking about Salvation history; we have seen how God has revealed his desire to bring all of humanity into his family. We have seen the progression of how God has done this through his covenants; with Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and finally Jesus, we see how God had sworn covenant oaths with a couple, a family, a tribe, a nation, a kingdom, and finally with a Church (all nations).

The history of our Salvation is also a history of our sin. Adam and Eve disobeyed God; Noah got drunk, and shamed himself; Abraham slept with an Egyptian mistress; Moses doubted God’s promises, and he himself was not allowed to enter the Promised Land; David became an adulterous and a murderer. And yet, God still leads his people; he led the chosen people of Israel; he leads the Church today. He is able to do so because he is God – and as John Paul II rightly observed, “sin cannot destroy the order of Love”, the order of God who saves humanity.  Despite humanity's many sins, the sovereignty of God in Salvation history can never be thwarted.

On the day of Jesus’ Resurrection, he accompanied some disciples as they journeyed to Emmaus, and opened up for them the meaning and the fulfillment of the Scriptures:

“He said to them, ‘How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself” (Luke 24:25-27).

Some time soon after, Jesus appeared again to the apostles:

“He said to them, ‘This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.’ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:44-45).

The fruit of what Jesus explained to them concerning the Scriptures remains in the Church to this day. The evidence from the preaching of the apostles is more than impressive!  These men, who may not have been able to make such connections between the Scriptures and their definitive fulfillment in Jesus on their own, is realized in what we read in the New Testament (see, for example, Acts 2, 8 and 13). These are connections that Jesus himself must have given to them, as he “opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” - "all the Scriptures concerning himself".

Jesus is the new Adam, who brings about a new creation (Romans 5:12-14, 17-19)
Jesus is a new Noah, who brings about a flood that saves through baptism (1 Peter 3:20-21)
Jesus is the new son of Abraham, in whom all the nations of the world will find blessing (Matthew 1:1; Galatians 3:29)
Jesus is the new Moses, who gives his people a new Passover, leading them through the final exodus of sin and death (1 Corinthians 10; 1 Corinthians 5:7)
Jesus is the son of David, in whom is fulfilled the everlasting covenant that God promised his people (Luke 1:32-33; many more!)

Perhaps we too can say with those disciples who journeyed with Jesus on the road to Emmaus: “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:35)

A Walk Through Salvation History (part 2): A Series of Covenants

Before discussing in detail the major covenants that God established with his people throughout history, it will be helpful to touch upon the meaning that these covenants hold for God.

In essence, covenants are what establish our kinship with God: they form God’s family through swearing oaths. It seems quite clear that God, in establishing covenants throughout history, has wished to gather his family together. Ultimately, it is in light of the New Covenant in Jesus that all these covenants of Salvation history have their fulfillment. Paul seemed to grasp this reality very clearly, understanding the context of the old covenants fulfilled in the New Covenant:

“I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be there God, and they will be my people” – “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:16, 18; cf. Leviticus 26:12, 2 Samuel 7:8, 14).

We are God’s family, and we are children of the Father (see 1 John 3:1-2). The story of God swearing covenant oaths with His children – which is also the history of our Salvation, the history of Israel together with the history of the Church – is outlined in the overall story of the Bible.

God gradually unveiled his desire to create an eternal covenant kinship with all of his children through the succession of the major covenants he established, as revealed in his Word:

Adam and Eve, establishing a covenant with one couple (Genesis 1:26-2:3)
Noah and his family, establishing a covenant with one household (Genesis 9:8-17)
Abraham and his descendants, establishing a covenant with one tribe (Genesis 12:1-3, 17:1-14, 22:16-18)
Moses and the Israelites, establishing a covenant with one nation (Exodus 19:5-6, 3:4-10, 6:7)
David and the Kingdom of Israel, establishing a covenant with one kingdom (many nations) (2 Samuel 7:8-19)
Jesus, establishing a covenant with one Church (all nations) (Matthew 26:28, 16:17-19)

With each succeeding covenant, the family of God is enlarged; they find their fulfillment in the New Covenant of Jesus, “the everlasting covenant” (cf. Hebrews 13:20). Salvation history is the history of these covenants. John Paul II once commented on this “unbroken history” by observing that this proves that man’s sin cannot destroy the order of Love, the order of God’s profound ability to give us Salvation despite our many faults and sins. The sense of this deep continuity between the Old and New Covenants can be seen in this Eucharistic prayer of the Church:

Father....You formed man in your own likeness
and set him over the whole world...
Even when he disobeyed you and lost your friendship
you did not abandon him to the power of death. . .
Again and again you offered a covenant to man and...
in the fullness of time you sent your only Son to be our Savior.

A Walk Through Salvation History (part 1): “Salvation is from the Jews”

I wanted to begin a series of posts on Salvation history, for I find it all to be very fascinating. Perhaps what thrills me the most is the way in which God really has been (and continues to be) the author of history, despite all of the sins and shortcomings of his children. This was certainly true of the Jews, of their history plagued by many sins and failures to live up to the demands of the covenants that God made with Israel; and yet God was always there, maintaining his presence in their pilgrimages, preparing the way for the Messiah. This is still true today, since the Messiah's coming: God still leads his people, and saves them. No doubt the history of our Salvation is a history of very many atrocious sins and crimes against God. But through it all, God is still the author of history – and the author of our Salvation. And this is what I find to be most fascinating: God does this in ways that only God can.

“Salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22).

Salvation history does not begin with the birth of Christianity. The words quoted above are from Jesus, upon speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well. In no uncertain terms, he tells the woman the importance of the Jewish people in Salvation history. Jesus explains to her how the Father seeks true worshippers, “in spirit and in truth” (see John 4:21-21). The woman, in turn, relays to Jesus her understanding of the expectation of the Messiah: “I know the Messiah (called Christ) is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

“Then Jesus declared to her, ‘I who speak to you am he’” (John 4:25-26).

“Salvation is from the Jews.” What does this mean? It means that Salvation history begins with the history of the Jewish people. It is Israel’s history that prepares the way for the Lord – and for us. This preparation is perhaps best seen through the different covenants that God made with humanity in history. This is important because at the culmination of these covenants is our covenant with God through Jesus Christ:

“Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins’” (Matthew 26:27-28).

In a very real sense, these words of Jesus, which were spoken at the Last Supper, already have a rich history and meaning for Israel. They are reminiscent of the “blood of the covenant” at Sinai (Exodus 24:8). Here at the Last Supper, however, Jesus is instituting a New Covenant (see Luke 202:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25), which fulfills this old covenant (cf. Hebrews 8:13, 9:15). So it is therefore necessary for us to view Salvation history in the light of these great covenants that God made with his people – that will be the task of my succeeding posts.

"what is worship?" (part 2)

*This is the second part of a two-part post on worship; scroll down to see the first post that precedes this one"
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“Behold the lamb of God!” (John 1:35; cf. 1:29)

I would like to take up again the question that was posed by a friend recently: “What is worship?”

As I mentioned in my last post, this is a question that I feel cannot be answered in any short response. So I am approaching it once again; this time I wish to discuss the connection between ‘worship’ and the biblical roots for ‘the Lamb of God’. The connections are many – and as the apocalypse of St. John reveals, the Lamb of God is worshipped in Heaven for all eternity:

“’Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!’ And the elders fell down and worshipped” (Revelation 5:12; cf. 5:13-14).

When Jesus approached John the Baptist in the Jordan River, John addressed him in words that were truly prophetic: “Behold the Lamb of God” (John 1:29; 1:35). It seems probable that John knew well the historical and prophetic roots for the Lamb of God, of which he rightly attributed to Jesus, “who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). What are those historical and prophetic roots?

Recall the story of Abraham’s sacrifice, when the Lord asked him to offer his son Isaac “as a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:2). God tested Abraham; when Isaac asked his father, “where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”, Abraham responded: “God will provide himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son” (Genesis 22:7-8). These words were certainly prophetic. If we consider the fact that in the original Hebrew there were no punctuations, we could read that verse in a way that John the Baptist might have read it: “God will provide Himself, the Lamb, for the burnt offering, my son.” What is also significant is the fact that the region where God had asked Abraham to offer the sacrifice of his son – “the region of Moriah” (Genesis 22:2) – was the same region where the hills reside just outside the future city of Jerusalem. It was the region of Calvary, where God would indeed provide the Lamb of God.

John must have also understood the prophetic connection of the Passover with Jesus as well. The Passover is when the Lord instructed the Israelites who were in bondage in Egypt to sacrifice and eat a lamb (see Exodus 12). The lamb had to be “unblemished, without broken bones” – which we see Jesus fulfilled on the Cross (see John 19:36; cf. Exodus 12:5, 46; cf. Psalm 34:20). They had to “eat the meat roasted over fire, with bitter herbs, and with bread made without yeast” (Exodus 12:8). The Passover was to be commemorated every year, with detailed liturgical formulas (see Exodus 12:14-28). The sacrificial lamb was a ransom, in place of the firstborn of the Israelites household; so the Passover – and its annual commemoration – was in a real sense an act of redemption – a “buying back”. It therefore seems probable that the Baptist saw Jesus as the fulfillment of the Passover, the true Lamb of God who definitely completes Redemption for Israel – and all humanity.

John probably also knew well the prophetic words of Isaiah, who spoke about the suffering servant, who appeared as “a lamb lead to be slaughtered” (Isaiah 53:7). It was this suffering servant – this “lamb” – who made his life “an offering for sin”, according to the Lord’s will (Isaiah 53:10). Perhaps this, too, was what was in the mind of the Baptist, who beheld Jesus as the Lamb of God, “who takes away the sin of the world”. Some years later, it would be the apocalypse given to John the Apostle on Patmos, who beheld the Lamb, “as if slaughtered” (Revelation 5:6; cf. 5:9, 12).

“You were slaughtered and by your blood you have ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9).

How truly prophetic were those words of John of the Baptist, who seemed to connect worship with the Lamb of God – a connection confirmed in the apocalypse given to the apostle John on Patmos.

"what is worship?"

“A time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks” (John 4:23).

Not too long ago, someone posed the following question to me and to several others: “What is worship?”

Initially, I wasn’t sure how to respond. There are many allusions to worship throughout the Bible. I felt that in order to answer that question, no short answer could be given. The Bible itself has much to teach us about worship. Worship has even been the subject of many authors, poured into many books; but it is a difficult question to answer in any short response. That is at least how I felt.

So I decided to write a blog about it. It may even turn into several blogs. In any case, I realize there are probably countless ways to approach this question. Since one of the emphasis for my blog is Catholic roots, I will begin there, and approach it from there.

I’ve mentioned in previous posts about how God wishes for us to engage all our senses in worship, and for all our senses to be filled with him. This is because it is how we were created: with bodies, with senses. It is why Catholicism is such a “sensual religion”, with all of her “smells and bells” – so we can engage all our senses in worship of God. In a word, it is so we can fully participate as human beings in worship of God, and participate “to the depths of our being”. And if this sounds a little strange to us, it shouldn’t – if we are Christian. By virtue of the “Word made flesh” (cf. John 1:14), Jesus Christ – who became a “body among bodies” – fully reveals the dignity of our humanity, our status as creatures, specifically made this way, “in the image and likeness of God” (cf. Genesis 1:27).

With this in mind, lets get back to the question: “what is worship”?

There is a term used in Catholic theology that is used to denote the ways in which Heaven and earth meet in worship; it is called the ‘sacramental imagination’. In essence, it refers to the ways we can experience the graces and glory of Heaven here on earth, in and through our senses, in and through our bodies, and the "stuff" of this world (and lets not forget: "God saw all that he made, and it was very good," Genesis 1:31). This, too, may at first sound strange.

But consider the revelations given to St. John. The visions given to St. John were the apocalypse – a Greek word that means “to unveil”, or “an unveiling”. What was unveiled for John? Heaven was unveiled. John, in fact, beheld the “new Jerusalem” (cf. Revelation 3:12; 21:2), and the worship that took place there. The descriptions of the heavenly worship are quite elaborate, to say the least. A question arises: why would heavenly, spiritual worship be depicted in such earthly terms? Why were so many things of our material creation seen to be in use in the worship of Heaven?

If in Heaven we will not find such things as harps and candles, then what was being unveiled (“apocalypsed”) was a way by which we could participate in the worship of Heaven. This is, in fact, how the sacramental imagination of the Catholic Church has looked at worship. It even seems to be something revealed by God, given to St John on Patmos; it is how a sacramental imagination has “made sense” of these “sensual realities” concerning worship - and in particular the worship of Heaven, revealed to John. This is how the Church “entered into worship" from the beginning; it is how the Church worships still, today. “Taste and see” for yourself (cf. Psalm 34:8):

An altar (Rev 8:3)
Priests (presbyteroi) (Rev 4:4; 11:15; 14:3; 19:4)
Robed clergy (Rev 4:4; 1:13; 6:11; 7:9; 15:6; 19:13-14)
Candles, Lamp stands, Menorah (Rev 1:12; 2:5)
Incense (Rev 5:8)
Manna (Rev 2:17)
Chalices (Rev 15:7; see Rev chapter 16; 21:9)
“Lift up your hearts” (Rev 11:12)
“Holy, Holy, Holy” (Rev 4:8)
The Gloria (Rev 15:3-4)
The Sign of the Cross (tau) (Rev 14:1)
The Alleluia (Rev 19:1, 3, 6)
Reading from Scripture (see Rev chapters 2-3)
The “Lamb of God” (Rev 5:6, and throughout)
Intercession of angels and saints (Rev 5:8; 6:9-10; 8:3-4)
Antiphonal chant (Rev 4:8-11; 5:9-14; 7:10-12; 18:1-8)
Silent contemplation (Rev 8:1)
Sunday worship (Rev 1:10)

but there is more...

A recent open-letter from Christopher West has re-inspired me with a longing to know the Truth (cf. John 14:6).  The truth of our humanity is revealed in - and by - Jesus Christ.  But there is more.  Our humanity also reveals a Truth about God - for we are made male and female in the image and likeness of God (see Genesis 1:26-27).  The words of West touch upon this truth, this reality; his words also touch upon the truth and reality of our redemption in Christ.  And as John Paul II once said: without the reality of the redemption, humanity lacks roots, and has no prospects.  These are strong words.  They are words that have caused me to grasp for a better understanding of what this truth, this reality, must look like - the truth of our redemption.

The Theology of the Body Discussion: the Pivotal Question

what is the dark night of the soul?

Lately I have come across a wealth of material that has used - or rather confiscated - a phrase used by St. John of the Cross: "Dark night of the soul".  Many well-meaning authors have used this phrase, this expression, in applying it to some sort of struggle, depression, or other painful occurrence in their life.  This is an erroneous understanding, at least in terms of how John used it.

A excerpt from the Introduction from a modern translation of another classic by John of the Cross - the Ascent of Mount Carmel - may help to clarify a proper meaning of the phrase "dark night of the soul":

"John's most famous work, Dark Night of the Soul, has perhaps been his most misunderstood.  Many religious and nonreligious people use the title phrase to describe a particularly bad moment in their lives.  Perhaps they have been through a divorce, the loss of a loved one, or the loss of a job, and they struggle with despair and depression as a result.  Yet this use of the phrase is not what John had in mind.... For John, 'the dark night of the soul' is not simply a time of unrelieved suffering but one of the aspects of God's love."

For John, that "time of unrelieved suffering" is God's way of purifying the soul, bringing it closer to Himself, stripping the soul of worldly attachments in order to grow towards perfect union with God.  John wrote the Dark Night of the Soul while he was in prison.  The Introduction rightly states:

"John realized that God was in his dark night all along and had been guiding him to direct his will toward union with God."

The "dark night of the soul" is a mystical journey - one in which the soul comes closer to God, grows in union with Him by way of suffering through its purification.  Perhaps this is a hard concept to grasp for many.  How many souls have traveled this road?

one dark night...

I couldn't sleep - so I decided to create a new blog.

This new blog is a journal.  My heart and soul in writing.  I anticipate that it will become an outlet, but also a dialogue - a conversation.

"Heart speaks to heart," or so I've heard.  If this speaks to anyone: thanks for listening.

-Brian.

http://www.brian-hanson.blogspot.com

taste and see

“Taste and see the goodness of the Lord” (Psalm 34:8).

In my last post, I mentioned how Catholicism is a very sensual religion. It is sensual by the fact that it seeks to engage all of our senses. It is a curious thing to think about. How can we, human persons – bodily persons – encounter God, who is pure Spirit? In and through our bodies: this is how we encounter God – for this is how God created us. And this is how God intended things to be, according to his design – according to his creation. Perhaps this is what the Psalmist knew, who spoke of encountering God's goodness in terms of “tasting” and “seeing” (cf. Psalm 34:8).

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:1-3).

This is how John encountered God, who is pure Spirit – through his senses; in a word, it was through his body. And this, too, is how God encountered man! For by the Incarnation, man is able to encounter God. His encounter – as John testifies – is with Jesus Christ, the "Word made flesh" (cf. John 1:14).

The sensual nature of Catholicism is such that it engages our senses. And this is because God created us this way – as sensual beings, as persons with bodies. It is unfortunate how this has become a cause of scandal among many people throughout history, even many Christians. In fact, so much of the confusion and scandal has crept into many minds, many schools of thought, that have – I would say – impoverished our understanding of ourselves, including our understanding of our dignity as human persons, created as male and female in the image and likeness of God – a creation that, to God, is very good (cf. Genesis 1:27, 31).

There is a certain ‘theology of the body’ that exists, by virtue of our very good creation as male and female in God’s image. This is a notion that may seem odd to many persons, even many Christians. It is an “odd statement” to Christians who have given into temptations concerning the confusion and scandals that have crept into Christian thinking throughout history, even if it is unknown to them. “But if the idea of a theology of the body seems odd to us, it shouldn’t if we are Christian – because by virtue of the Incarnation, theology has entered the body through the main door” (John Paul II).

Perhaps we would become uncomfortable to think about a God who had a body. A God who worked and toiled, who sweat like us, who got dirt under his nails like us; who wore clothes – and wrapped himself in warmer clothes when he got cold, like us; who went to the bathroom, like us; who bathed himself, like us; who ate and drank, like us. And who suffered, who felt pain, and bled, like us.

the hinge of salvation

“…we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:23).

    I realize that Catholicism is a very sensual religion. In fact, the sensual nature of Catholicism – with all her ceremonies, her rituals, her symbols, the sacraments, the “smells and bells” – has indeed been a cause for scandal among many people throughout history. However, it need not be this way, if we can come to grasp the reality, the truth and beauty, of ourselves, who are creatures specifically created this way by God Himself; “God saw all that he made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). That word ‘very’ is decisive: it is not used when God looked at any other part of his creation – the words ‘very good’ are applied only after the creation of mankind. (Perhaps this is so because only mankind was created in the image and likeness of God, cf. Genesis 1:27).

    It is interesting to note that when Paul speaks about our redemption in Christ, he speaks about the redemption “of our bodies” (Romans 8:23). Why didn’t he speak about the redemption of our soul, our spirit? Perhaps it is because Paul knew something that those who are normally scandalized by our “natural sensuality” do not know, and that is this: our bodies make up an important part of who we are as persons – as human persons­ – ­created in the image and likeness of God. Our bodies are not some sort of additional add-on, or some sort of shell in which our souls are trapped. As Christians, we believe in the resurrection of the body (cf. John 6:44; 1 Cor 15:13-18). This is because the completion of our redemption – which gives way to completion of our salvation – will be the complete restoration of our creation as human persons, who were from the beginning created male and female in the image and likeness of God (cf. Genesis 1:27). Perhaps this is why Paul speaks about the redemption “of our bodies”.

    Our flesh is an important part of our creation, of what God noted to be “very good”; it will not be done away with. Indeed, “the flesh is the hinge of salvation” (cf. CCC 1015). “We believe in the God who is the creator of the flesh; we believe in the Word made flesh in order to redeem the flesh; we believe in the resurrection of the flesh, the fulfillment of both the creation and the redemption of the flesh” (cf. CCC 1015).

    Hopefully we can begin to understand why Catholicism is indeed a sensual religion. God created us this way. Perhaps we can begin to reclaim our very good creation, understanding ourselves, and how God intended things to be. This will be a theme I hope to take up again for my next entry. Until then, I’ll end this current entry with this: it is really only in the light of the Word made flesh (cf. John 1:14) that we can come to see and understand our own flesh – to see it as God sees it; to see ourselves, as God’s creatures, as he sees us.

that all may be one

Jesus saves us; all of us.  What does he save us all from?  Sin and death.  How does he do this?  By dying; by dying - for all of us.

"While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!" (Romans 5:8, 10).

It's hard sometimes to grasp: with questions regarding faith, Christians of all walks of life - of various denominations, etc. - seem to all have this one fundamental belief in common.  Yet it also seems to me that all the many forms that such faith - such a belief - take, among the various Christian groups, is what is easier to grasp, knowing that there are "other forms" - not just one.  It is perhaps easier because it is easier at times to remain in our weaknesses and sins that cause painful divisions among Christian groups.  "I pray that they all be one," is what Jesus prayed (John 17:21); when will we fully make that our prayer as well?

The graces poured out from the Cross, from that redemptive sacrifice of the Lamb, are real.  Those graces make Christian unity possible.  Unity must therefore necessarily come from Jesus; there is no one else who can bring about that unity!  "May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me" (John 17:23).

a radically different life

"By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35)

This blog will be my thoughts and feelings regarding the Christian life. What is "the Christian life"? In essence, I am referring to what it means to be a Christian in the world today. So, "what does it mean to be a Christian - in the world today?" Here are a few initial thoughts:

Being a Christian is a lifestyle that is radically different from how we see people living in the world - today. What a radically different life, to be a Christian! Jesus said to his disciples, "A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another" (John 13:34).

In our own fallen nature, it seems to be easier - much easier - to not love one another. And how could we? "God is Love" (cf. 1 John 4:16); we need God's Love - we need Him - to Love others through us.

In our own fallen nature, it is easy to become uncharitable towards our neighbors: towards those that annoy us, towards those who have done us wrong - those persons with whom we are upset, perhaps even very angry with. It can then become easier to make fun of them, to gossip about them, to ruin their reputation. Without God's help, this is all very easy indeed.

Yet the life Christians are called to is radically different! Indeed, the Master says to us: "But I tell you: love your enemies, and pray for those that persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). So, we apparently can't ever become content with doing harm to those whom we feel have harmed us, even with mere words. For there is no such thing as "mere words"; "For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matthew 12:37).

Oh Lord, please forgive me for the times I have been uncharitable towards my neighbors; towards my co-workers, towards persons I come in contact with, towards... anyone - and everyone. Lord, please transform the hurt and grudges and "ill will" I have harbored in my heart towards certain individuals. I can't love without your Love within me. Please fill me with your Love, so I can love others (cf. John 13:35).

"Jesus called the crowd to him and said, 'Listen and understand. What goes into a man's mouth does not make him unclean, but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him unclean. The things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man unclean. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immortality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man unclean" (Matthew 15:10;18-20).