St. Oswald
St. Oswald was born into a military family in 10th-century England.
He was the nephew of the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop raised
him and fostered his early education.
He traveled to France to study and became a Benedictine monk.
Oswald was appointed bishop of Worcester in 962 and began working hard to promote monastic reform.
He continued his monastic reformation when he was appointed archbishop of York in 972.
Oswald
also founded numerous monasteries, which improved the scholarship and
morals of his clergy. He invited great thinkers in such fields as
mathematics and astronomy to share the monastery's learning.
He was widely known for his sanctity, especially his love for the poor.
At
the start of Lent in 992, Oswald resumed his usual practice of washing
the feet of 12 poor men each day. On Leap Year Day, February 29, he died
after kissing the feet of the twelfth man.
He is remembered as one of three saints who revived English monasticism.
Isaiah 58:9-14
9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you
shall cry, and he will say, Here I am. "If you take away from the midst
of you the yoke, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy
the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
11 And the LORD will guide you continually, and
satisfy your desire with good things, and make your bones strong; and
you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters
fail not.
12 And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall
raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the
repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.
13 "If you turn back your foot from the sabbath, from
doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the sabbath a delight and
the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own
ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly;
14 then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will
make you ride upon the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the
heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
Luke 5:27-32
27 After this he went out, and saw a tax collector, named Levi, sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, "Follow me."
28 And he left everything, and rose and followed him.
29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house; and
there was a large company of tax collectors and others sitting at table
with them.
30 And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured
against his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax
collectors and sinners?"
31 And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick;
32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
Psalms 86:1-6
1 Incline thy ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
2 Preserve my life, for I am godly; save thy servant who trusts in thee. Thou art my God;
3 be gracious to me, O Lord, for to thee do I cry all the day.
4 Gladden the soul of thy servant, for to thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
5 For thou, O Lord, art good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on thee.
6 Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; hearken to my cry of supplication.
Lord, lead me back to You so that I may know my authentic self
29th Feb 2020
Saturday after Ash
Wednesday
Is. 58:9-14; Ps.
86(85):1-2,3-4,5-6;
Lk. 5:27-32 (Ps
Wk IV)
We continue during these first few days
after Ash Wednesday to deepen our understanding of what the Lenten
season should mean to us.
We begin a journey of repentance and
conversion that will lead us back to the Lord and to the authentic
selves we were created to be. Our journey will finally take us to the
crossroads where we will meet Jesus travelling along his path to
Calvary. There we will be invited to accompany Him and be with Jesus
on his way to crucifixion and death. To reach that point on the road,
however, we must first prepare ourselves by opening our ears to the
words of the prophets who will point out for us the way we must
travel, and open our hearts to the Lord who will encourage us to let
him enter and change them for us, making them more like his own.
Today we hear a continuation of
yesterday’s reading from chapter 58 of the Prophet Isaiah. In these
verses, we are reminded that the road back to life, to fullness, to
meaning, to health, peace and redemption can only be travelled by
those who ‘pour themselves out for the hungry’ and ‘satisfy the
desire of the afflicted.
Our Gospel offers us the encouraging
words of Jesus that he came not to call the righteous, but sinners to
repentance. We should then feel free to admit our sinfulness and
weaknesses, both to ourselves and to the Lord, for it was indeed for
the likes of us that the Lord came into the world.
Lord, lead me back to You so that I may
know my authentic self. Amen.
