Sacred Heart Catholic Church

Daily Reading

• Wednesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time - Reading 1 Tb 3:1-11a, 16-17a Grief-stricken in spirit, I, Tobit, groaned and wept aloud.Then with sobs I began to pray:"You are righteous, O Lord,and all your deeds are just;All your ways are mercy and truth;you are the judge of the world.And now, O Lord, may you be mindful of me,and look with favor upon me.Punish me not for my sins,nor for my inadvertent offenses,nor for those of my ancestors. "We sinned against you,and disobeyed your commandments.So you handed us over to plundering, exile, and death,till you made us the talk and reproach of all the nationsamong whom you had dispersed us."Yes, your judgments are many and truein dealing with me as my sinsand those of my ancestors deserve.For we have not kept your commandments,nor have we trodden the paths of truth before you."So now, deal with me as you please,and command my life breath to be taken from me,that I may go from the face of the earth into dust.It is better for me to die than to live,because I have heard insulting calumnies,and I am overwhelmed with grief."Lord, command me to be delivered from such anguish;let me go to the everlasting abode;Lord, refuse me not.For it is better for me to diethan to endure so much misery in life,and to hear these insults!"On the same day, at Ecbatana in Media,it so happened that Raguel's daughter Sarahalso had to listen to abuse,from one of her father's maids.For she had been married to seven husbands,but the wicked demon Asmodeus killed them offbefore they could have intercourse with her,as it is prescribed for wives.So the maid said to her:"You are the one who strangles your husbands!Look at you!You have already been married seven times,but you have had no joy with any one of your husbands.Why do you beat us? Is it on account of your seven husbands,Because they are dead?May we never see a son or daughter of yours!"The girl was deeply saddened that day,and she went into an upper chamber of her house, where she planned to hang herself.But she reconsidered, saying to herself:"No! People would level this insult against my father:'You had only one beloved daughter,but she hanged herself because of ill fortune!'And thus would I cause my father in his old ageto go down to the nether world laden with sorrow.It is far better for me not to hang myself,but to beg the Lord to have me die,so that I need no longer live to hear such insults."At that time, then, she spread out her hands,and facing the window, poured out her prayer:"Blessed are you, O Lord, merciful God,and blessed is your holy and honorable name.Blessed are you in all your works for ever!"At that very time, the prayer of these two suppliantswas heard in the glorious presence of Almighty God.So Raphael was sent to heal them both:to remove the cataracts from Tobit's eyes,so that he might again see God's sunlight;and to marry Raguel's daughter Sarah to Tobit's son Tobiah,and then drive the wicked demon Asmodeus from her. Responsorial… Continue Reading...

Daily Reflection

• To You I Lift Everything / A Ti Lo Levanto Todo - Click here for daily readings Do you ever have a song, phrase, hymn or Psalm get stuck in your mind? Not in an annoying, “I can’t get it out of my mind” way, but in a “caught humming it under your breath” way. The Psalm today arranged by Marty Haugen is one of my favorites: “To you, O Lord, I lift my soul”. The Psalm is a reminder for me to get out of the way, to rely on Him, to lift my soul and my focus to His will. I am amazed at how many, many times I forget this. I should actually have this hymn on autoplay to keep my mind from wandering into worldly issues and pettiness, doubts and worries. My focus should be on the Scriptures and the power of God as Jesus said in the Gospel today. The reading and Gospel both have a lengthy passage about marriage and the law. This can easily lead one astray from the bigger message written here. God shows mercy to the humble not to shame, but to teach the way to Him through His Son, Jesus. To you, Lord, I lift the moments of my day. Thank you ahead of time for guidance from my guardian angel and the Holy Spirit as I encounter each choice, person and task. I lift my soul, all of my actions and thoughts to you, O Lord. To You, I lift everything. Lord, to you I lift my soul. Amen. Contact the author ¿Alguna vez se te ha quedado grabada una canción, frase, himno o salmo? No de una manera molesta, “No puedo sacarlo de mi mente”, sino de una manera “me han escuchado  tarareándolo en voz baja”. El Salmo de hoy arreglado por Marty Haugen es uno de mis favoritos: “A ti, Señor, levanto mi alma”. El Salmo es un recordatorio para mí de apartarme del camino, confiar en Él, elevar mi alma y enfocarme en Su voluntad. Me sorprende la cantidad de veces que se me olvida esto. De hecho, debería tener este himno tocando una y otra vez para evitar que mi mente se distraiga por asuntos mundanos y pequeñas, dudas y preocupaciones. Mi enfoque debe estar en las Escrituras y el poder de Dios como dijo Jesús en el Evangelio de hoy. Tanto la lectura como el Evangelio tienen un largo pasaje sobre el matrimonio y la ley. Esto puede desviarnos fácilmente del mensaje más grande escrito aquí. Dios muestra misericordia a los humildes no para avergonzarlos, sino para enseñarles el camino a Él a través de Su Hijo, Jesús. A ti, Señor, elevo los momentos de mi día. Gracias de antemano por la guía de mi ángel de la guarda y el Espíritu Santo al enfrentar cada decisión, persona y tarea. Elevo mi alma, todas mis acciones y pensamientos a ti, oh Señor. A Ti, levanto todo. Señor, a Ti levanto mi alma. Amén. Comunicar con la autora Beth Price is part of the customer care team… Continue Reading...