The natural inclination of the soul is to rise up towards God. That natural motion is hindered by all sorts of distractions, temptations, and sin. The external activity we engage in that does not produce the fruits of Charity prevents the soul from rising to God. The internal activity of anxiety, comparison with others, judgments and anger are like lead to the soul. For this reason, when Jesus teaches us about prayer He wants us to be alone and shut out everything else. It’s nice to pray in a church, but not always very solitary – even if you are alone, it is still a public place. Choosing a place where you are truly alone and solitary may in fact be preferable.
Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
One feature of the prophets was their condemnation of the abuse of the weak (cf. Is 5:8–24; Amos 2:6–16; etc.), just as it is part of the Church’s prophetic mission to stand up for human rights: “Respect for the human entails respect for the rights that flow from his dignity as a creature. These rights are prior to society and must be recognized by it. They are the basis of the moral legitimacy of every authority: by flouting them, or refusing to recognize them in its positive legislation, a society undermines its own moral legitimacy. If it does not respect them, authority can rely only on force or violence to obtain obedience from its subjects. It is the Church’s role to remind men of good will of these rights, and to distinguish them from unwarranted or false claims” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1930).
Friday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
The great prophet Elijah burns with zeal for the Lord. Unfortunately, his zeal is mixed with a good deal of anger. The Lord doesn’t directly reprove or punish Elijah for his excessive anger, but with the teaching about the “still small voice,” and the Lord’s question, “Elijah, why are you here?” we can understand that Elijah has not yet completed his inner-journey. The Lord instructs him to return and prepare the next generation of leadership, it is time for Elijah to think about what comes next and bring new purpose to why he is here.