February 21, 2015 - Saturday

If you remove the yoke from among you,
the accusing finger, and malicious speech;
If you lavish your food on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
Then your light shall rise in the darkness,
and your gloom shall become like midday;
Then the LORD will guide you always
and satisfy your thirst in parched places,
will give strength to your bones
And you shall be like a watered garden,
like a flowing spring whose waters never fail. (Isaiah 58:9b-11 NABRE)

In today's passage from Isaiah, God promises some very dramatic gifts if we will do good for others as he asks. At first, he recalls that we should:

• Remove each others' burdens
• Speak kindly about others
• Feed those who are hungry
• Meet the needs of the suffering

If we do these things, God promises:

• We will bring hope to others, turning them toward God
• The Lord will guide us safely in this life
• Our needs in this life will be satisfied (be careful to distinguish from wants)
• We will never become too tired to continue God's work
• We will yield good results (be careful not to assume you will always see the results yourself)

Today, I will yield to God's will for my day, putting aside my own will when necessary.



Saint Joseph, husband of Mary and foster father of Jesus, pray for us.
Saint Peter Damian, reformer within the Church who knew the power of prayer and fasting, pray for us.