Sunday March 2, 2025

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Joy comes from within and is discovered when you understand that God loves you so much.

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Good News Reflection for:

8th Sunday in Ordinary Time
March 2, 2025

Today’s Prayer:

Beloved Jesus, help me to know myself in such a way that I can recognize my weaknesses, and with Your help, multiply my strengths. Amen.

IMPROVE YOUR DAY!
Powerful Catholic prayers are available on our YouTube channel.

Today’s Readings:

Sirach 27:4-7
Ps 92:2-3,13-16
1 Corinthians 15:54-58
Luke 6:39-45
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030225.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/daily-mass-reading-podcast-march-2-2025

The 4 lies that have ruined lives

A blind person, in the analogy that Jesus makes in this Sunday’s Gospel reading, is anyone who cannot see things in the light of truth. It can be due to sin or ignorance, but it’s always dangerous. There are many wrong decisions that we bump into when we don’t see things the way God sees them. We make mistakes that hurt us and others. We feel safe with temptations that lead us away from God.

Here are four popular lies that are ruining lives by leading people into spiritual blindness, followed by the truths that everyone needs to know.

1. Your happiness is the most important goal. To achieve it:
2. Put yourself first.
3. Trust your feelings.
4. If you dream it, you can have it.

This never works. Happiness is elusive or, at best, short. So people try even harder, stuck in the trap of these lies. When it still doesn’t work, they get rightfully angry, but at others, blaming others. Conflicts worsen. Anger increases. Violence is the eventual outcome, and spiritual hell.

The only way that does work is what Jesus revealed.

1. Happiness is based on externals, which you cannot control very long. Joy, on the other hand, comes from within and is discovered when you understand that God loves you so much that he gave you his only begotten Son to conquer evil and lead you to the eternal joy of heaven.

2. When you lay down your life for others, you experience fulfillment from making a difference, and this is a great joy. And it unites you to Christ, bringing heaven to earth.

3. Realize your natural tendency to sin and the limitations of your finite brain, which make it easy to misinterpret everything. Do not trust your own understanding. Feelings can change quickly. Receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit so you can discern God’s guidance. Trust only God.

4. When you seek to know God’s dreams for you, you develop good vision. You discover which talents, knowledge, and experiences will give you your greatest fulfillment, because he had these in mind when he created you. And when you work hard to make these dreams come true, forsaking distractions, persisting past obstacles, and accepting the lessons that are hidden in hardships, you realize the best that life can offer.

Questions for Personal Reflection:
Which of the four lies described above have you been blinded by? How has believing them made you feel?

Questions for Family & Community Faith Sharing:
Give an example for each of the four truths described above. How has each one given you joy? How do they help you see Jesus more clearly?

For more help on this topic, see our Faith Booster called: “Your hopes and dreams” @ https://wordbytes.org/faith-booster-minis/your-hopes-and-dreams/

© by Terry A. Modica, Good News Ministries

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