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Friday, January 30, 2015

Speak To Them

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Minute Meditations

Simplicity Minute Meditations
I truly seek a very solitary, simple and primitive life with no labels attached. However, there must be love in it, and not an abstract love but a real love for real people.
— from Simply Merton


Blessed Mary Angela Truszkowska
(1825-1899)
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Today we honor a woman who submitted to God's will throughout her life—a life filled with pain and suffering.
          Born in 1825 in central Poland and baptized Sophia, she contracted tuberculosis as a young girl. The forced period of convalescence gave her ample time for reflection. Sophia felt called to serve God by working with the poor, including street children and the elderly homeless in Warsaw's slums. In time, her cousin joined her in the work.
          In 1855, the two women made private vows and consecrated themselves to the Blessed Mother. New followers emerged. Within two years they formed a new congregation, which came to be known as the Felician Sisters. As their numbers grew, so did their work, and so did the pressures on Mother Angela (the new name Sophia took in religious life).
          Mother Angela served as superior for many years until ill health forced her to resign at the age of 44. She watched the order grow and expand, including missions to the United States among the sons and daughters of Polish immigrants.                                                                                    
   Mother Angela died in 1899, and was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1993.


Saint of the Day
Lives, Lessons and Feast
By Leonard Foley, O.F.M.; revised by Pat McCloskey, O.F.M.
 
 

Presence

I pause for a moment and think of the love and the grace that God showers on me, creating me in his image and likeness, making me his temple....

Freedom

Everything has the potential to draw forth from me a fuller love and life.
Yet my desires are often fixed, caught, on illusions of fulfillment.
I ask that God, through my freedom
may orchestrate
my desires in a vibrant loving melody rich in harmony.

Consciousness

I exist in a web of relationships - links to nature, people, God.
I trace out these links, giving thanks for the life that flows through them.
Some links are twisted or broken: I may feel regret, anger, disappointment.
I pray for the gift of acceptance and forgiveness.

The Word of God

 

Reading 1 Heb 10:32-39

32 But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 33sometimes being publicly exposed to abuse and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 34 For you had compassion on the prisoners, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. 35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that you may do the will of God and receive what is promised.

37 "For yet a little while, and the coming one shall come and shall not tarry;38 but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him."

39
But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and keep their souls.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 37:3-4, 5-6, 23-24, 39-40

R. (39a) The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Trust in the LORD and do good,
that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will grant you your heart's requests.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Commit to the LORD your way;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will make justice dawn for you like the light;
bright as the noonday shall be your vindication.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
By the LORD are the steps of a man made firm,
and he approves his way.
Though he fall, he does not lie prostrate,
for the hand of the LORD sustains him.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
The salvation of the just is from the LORD;
he is their refuge in time of distress.
And the LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

Alleluia See Mt 11:25

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mk 4:26-34

Jesus said to the crowds:
"This is how it is with the Kingdom of God;
it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land
and would sleep and rise night and day
and the seed would sprout and grow,
he knows not how.
Of its own accord the land yields fruit,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,
for the harvest has come."

He said,
"To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God,
or what parable can we use for it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,
is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants
and puts forth large branches,
so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade."
With many such parables
he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
Without parables he did not speak to them,
but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.



    Listen to audio of this reading

    Watch a video reflection


Conversation

Do I notice myself reacting as I pray with the Word of God? Do I feel challenged, comforted, angry? Imagining Jesus sitting or standing by me, I speak out my feelings, as one trusted friend to another.

Conclusion

I thank God for these few moments we have spent alone together and for any insights I may have been given concerning the text.


 

Catholic Meditations

Meditation: Mark 4:26-34

View NAB Reading at USCCB.org

3rd Week in Ordinary Time

The seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. (Mark 4:27)

In the film Mr. Holland's Opus, the lead character is Glenn Holland, a composer working on a symphony who takes a job as a high school music teacher to support himself and his wife. At first he is frustrated by teaching and dreams only of finishing his composition. But he gradually learns to love his job and to see how much he has taught his students—and how much they have taught him. The film's message is best expressed in a verse from a John Lennon song that Holland sings for his deaf son, Cole: "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."

Unexpected results is also a theme in these two parables. The farmer can't predict his harvest from just planting seeds. And someone who knows nothing about mustard plants can't possibly imagine that they grow from such small seeds. But that's the point. It's often the case that when we're working on one thing, God is doing something else in our hearts, creating something new that we can't recognize until we look back and see it.

This means that you can relax a bit. Of course, try to stay vigilant at avoiding sin and growing in virtue. But let it be a confident, happy vigilance, secure in the knowledge that God will bring growth in the areas he knows you need the most. Just plant your seeds and tend your garden as you think best, and know that your heavenly Father will bring his good work to completion in you (Philippians 1:6).

God doesn't always show us what he is doing in our lives, but that's okay. In fact, it can be very comforting. Rather than expending so much energy trying to figure everything out, we can devote ourselves simply to loving God, loving our neighbors, and helping the needy. If we can focus just on this, we can rest assured that our heavenly Father will take care of everything else!

"Lord, thank you that you have an awesome plan for my life—even if I can't see it all. Help me to trust you day by day. Lord, I place my life in your hands!"

 

Hebrews 10:32-39
Psalm 37:3-6, 23-24, 39-40


my2cents:

Today's 5 minutos ends with "...The Christian is someone who 'helps' for that seed to produce its fruit in others.  Because of this, 'do not let us disturb God!' destroying 'lands' that He chooses for His seed". 
The seed of God is Awesome.  Repeat after me, "The Seed of God is Awesome".
The seed of God is Powerful.  Repeat after me, "The seed of God is Powerful".
The seed of God is in me.  Repeat after me, "The Seed of God is in me".
These are the realities of what the seed of God is and does.  Because today's Holy Scriptures are just that, awesome, powerful, and now in us that have consumed through our eyes (windows of the soul).  And it is a realm of faith we are speaking of now, something that happens within that allows the seed to grow in our area, in those around us.  Because if the seed is the Word and the Word was made flesh and the flesh is JEsus and Jesus is us as the Body of Christ now, truly it is the largest living thing on earth.  God's seed has encompassed all, and it was planted on earth, and in our Holy Mother of God...Jesus.  And so, it is something to grab a hold and not shrink back, lest we die of wretchedness and hunger.  His is a message of opportunity of salvation.  His is a message of power and glory, because He was planted in the ground and became the most powerful forever.  And all this because of love and obedience, the love of God and the obedience of the Holy Mother and the faith transmitted to Jesus.
Suddenly, everything we do begins to make sense.  God has set the model for life.  The way has been made known and it has been shown so that you would now live it and make it known and shown.  And this is how they will know...by our Love.  And our Love is God.  And our God will be made known by our Love for one another.  The weeds among us have to die, that is, the spirits among us, because ours is a life of battle not against humans but spirits, and principalities.  When we witness the march for life, it is tremendous amounts of soldiers and angels waging war on death, and the numbers dwarf those who stand for death.  This is a depiction of the reality of Life, the mustard seed, even at conception.  And so ultimately, it is a message of life.  Life wants to sprout and grow in your soul, and as we know, we grow to Heaven.  It is a message to say YES Lord, I accept your Love and Mercy in my life, and I will worship your Love and mercy, and I will praise you and I will adore you because of your Love and mercy. 
The Salvation of the Just comes from the Lord.  Our God is our salvation, and it is for all the just, those who stand for justice, those who focus solely on Jesus, found in the Eucharist and in one another.  Get your head out of darkness.  Stop focusing on the bad, but on the good.  Shine the light on it so it will grow.  Because if it don't grow where you are, it will grow elsewhere, and so ours is a tremendous opportunity to become one with Him, the largest plant of the earth that protects everything under its domain and welcomes the Spirits and Angels to bask in its glory.  Triumph has arisen from the Holy Mountain, and the tree of life has decided its roots to come to my dirt, my body, my temple, and I will accept and let it grow, fuel the power and glory that will forever be...

ALL HONOR AND PRAISE TO YOU OH LORD JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD AND SAVIOR

adrian
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Going4th,

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Come To Light

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Minute Meditations

Who's In Control? Minute Meditations

Is God in control of your life, or are you? Does He have your permission to take you where He wants to, or are you the control freak who wants Him in the car but won't let Him steer?
— from Tweet Inspiration


Servant of God Brother Juniper
(d. 1258)

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"Would to God, my brothers, I had a whole forest of such Junipers," said Francis of this holy friar.

We don't know much about Juniper before he joined the friars in 1210. Francis sent him to establish "places" for the friars in Gualdo Tadino and Viterbo. When St. Clare was dying, Juniper consoled her. He was devoted to the passion of Jesus and was known for his simplicity.

Several stories about Juniper in the Little Flowers of St. Francis illustrate his exasperating generosity. Once Juniper was taking care of a sick man who had a craving to eat pig's feet. This helpful friar went to a nearby field, captured a pig and cut off one foot, and then served this meal to the sick man. The owner of the pig was furious and immediately went to Juniper's superior. When Juniper saw his mistake, he apologized profusely. He also ended up talking this angry man into donating the rest of the pig to the friars!

Another time Juniper had been commanded to quit giving part of his clothing to the half-naked people he met on the road. Desiring to obey his superior, Juniper once told a man in need that he couldn't give the man his tunic, but he wouldn't prevent the man from taking it either. In time, the friars learned not to leave anything lying around, for Juniper would probably give it away.

He died in 1258 and is buried at Ara Coeli Church in Rome.



Comment:

What can we make of Juniper? He certainly seems to be the first of many Franciscan "characters." No doubt some of the stories about him have improved considerably in the retelling. Although the stories about Juniper may seem a little quaint, his virtues were not. He was humble because he knew the truth about God, himself and others. He was patient because he was willing to suffer ("patience" comes from patior meaning "to suffer") in his following of Jesus.

Quote:

It is said that St. Francis once described the perfect friar by citing "the patience of Brother Juniper, who attained the state of perfect patience because he kept the truth of his low estate constantly in mind, whose supreme desire was to follow Christ on the way of the cross" (Mirror of Perfection, #85).


Saint of the Day
Lives, Lessons and Feast
By Leonard Foley, O.F.M.; revised by Pat McCloskey, O.F.M.
 
 

Presence

I pause for a moment and think of the love and the grace that God showers on me, creating me in his image and likeness, making me his temple....

Freedom

Everything has the potential to draw forth from me a fuller love and life.
Yet my desires are often fixed, caught, on illusions of fulfillment.
I ask that God, through my freedom
may orchestrate
my desires in a vibrant loving melody rich in harmony.

Consciousness

I remind myself that I am in the presence of the Lord.
I will take refuge in His loving heart. He is my strength in times of weakness. He is my comforter in times of sorrow.

The Word of God
Mark 4:21-25

Reading 1 Heb 10:19-25

Brothers and sisters:
Since through the Blood of Jesus
we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary
by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil,
that is, his flesh,
and since we have "a great priest over the house of God,"
let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust,
with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience
and our bodies washed in pure water.
Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope,
for he who made the promise is trustworthy.
We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works.
We should not stay away from our assembly,
as is the custom of some, but encourage one another,
and this all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

R. (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD's are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

Alleluia Ps 119:105

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A lamp to my feet is your word,
a light to my path.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mk 4:21-25

Jesus said to his disciples,
"Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket
or under a bed,
and not to be placed on a lampstand?
For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible;
nothing is secret except to come to light.
Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear."
He also told them, "Take care what you hear.
The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you,
and still more will be given to you.
To the one who has, more will be given;
from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."

Conversation

Jesus, You always welcomed little children when you walked on this earth. Teach me to have a childlike trust in you. To live in the knowledge that You will never abandon me.

Conclusion

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.


Catholic Meditations

Meditation: Mark 4:21-25

View NAB Reading at USCCB.org

3rd Week in Ordinary Time

Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear. (Mark 4:23)

Pay attention! Maybe that would be a good way to understand Jesus when he tells his disciples, "Take care what you hear" (Mark 4:24). It's simply in human nature to lose focus from time to time. Even the Twelve needed to be reminded to tune in to what's going on when Jesus speaks. After all, this isn't the only time they have failed to process his words properly! At one moment they will misinterpret wildly; at another they hear only what they want to hear; at another they are just too distracted by fears and temptations to grasp the revolutionary, life-giving words he is speaking.

If you ever identify with the first disciples' struggles, it may be helpful to examine how you are hearing the Lord. Remember that you don't have to feel like a failure if you aren't audibly hearing Jesus' voice every minute of every day! His voice rings out as strong as ever, but it's on a different frequency than the voices of the people around us. That means it requires a special "receiver" to pick it up and understand it. Once you are tuned in to the right frequency, however, you'll find that God is far from silent. He's always got something to say!

The best way to tune in to this spiritual frequency, of course, is through prayer. Like any relationship, spending time together is key. This is why we are always urging our readers to set time aside each day to listen to the Lord.

Even if you are in a period now where your prayer feels sluggish or coldly mechanical, keep at it! You may discover that there is some "static" blocking God's voice: unrepented sin, fear or anxiety, wounds from an old relationship, or preoccupation with worldly issues. If you stay faithful, God will help clear away the static and break through

Don't ever get discouraged if you're having a hard time hearing the Lord. Remember that everyone "has ears to hear" (Mark 4:23). It's how God designed us. Give him time. Give yourself time, and you'll find the right frequency!

"Lord, help me to listen closely to you, seeing and hearing you in the various ways you are revealing yourself today."

 

Hebrews 10:19-25
Psalm 24:1-6


my2cents:

Lord, this is the people that long's to see your face.  We should not stay away from the Church, as is the custom of some, but encourage one another to unite in Jesus, and all the more as we grow older.  No one hides the light in the house, much less should we hide Jesus in our lives to the world.  Priests, wear your collar, you may feel persecuted, but the world needs to see the hope of Christ.   Mothers, wear Christ in your hands, because you are passing on the love of Christ to the next generation.  Men, bear the burden of labor for God, take on the cross of Love.  Sounds like prophecy?  Perhaps it is.  And it is the truth, because we would not lose our time seeking lies right?  But many seek lies unknowingly. 
The world is in darkness if it is living under the principality of a ruler of lies.  But we who are not of this world are the light of the world, us who are baptized children of God, baptized as Jesus commanded in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  With water, cleansed, and cleansed again through the priest especially in the reconciliation Sacrament.  And so one implores to stay with the "assembly" the body of Christ, the Holy Church, so as to remain with the truth, that is, the light.  "I am waiting for you" says our Lord.  Every day we grow older is a day we should grow stronger in faith, more in love with God, and become a light that is more powerful than the day before.  The day I was taken from this world, I guess you could call it a vision, but to me it was not, because the experience was not like any other in the world; praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament with a group of men, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, I suddenly found myself in a realm, at the foot of the cross, at the side of Jesus, and it was dark, and He was breathing His last, and I knew without being able to see His face, my heart knew that was My Father, Our Heavenly Father, on that cross, in disbelief, I looked to those around, but could not see human figures but spots of light, some brighter than others...some not even there.  In a gist, I've explained to you the reason I live for Him more than before.  Because the person next to me was shaking me to "snap out of it " I guess, and when I opened my eyes back in the world, I found out that I had been crying alot, my face was soaked in tears and I didn't even know my body was experiencing it.  I say this all for one reason...for your light to burn bright, brighter than ever before.  Because I know how hard it is to believe some guy's daydream, or this other person's testimony, and I could tell you about miracle after miracle, after miracle I have had the honor of seeing, but it would do you no good, and so only one thing remains to do...be the Body of Christ, be OF the body of Christ and actually be the Body Of Christ.  Edgar Cayce said once "For until ye become as a savior, as a help to some soul that has lost hope, lost its way, ye do not fully comprehend the God within, the God without."  And we can take a cue from fictional super heros, when they save someone and then disappear, such is Christ, He appears and disappears to our earthly eyes.
Yesterday in our co-worker bible study, a question came up on the Catholicism series "how can one love the enemy better?" I'm paraphrasing (I've slept since then, LOL),  and a brother said "we can pray for them".  Another said "we can give without expecting in return.  I chimed in and said, "should we really be praying for "THEM", or should we praying for ourselves to love them? Because one time I was leading a group of adults and for homework they were to forgive someone, and when we joined the following week, a lady in the group was upset because she told another she had forgiven them and the other said "I didn't offend you", and so she was expecting an apology in return".  My oh my how we need more prayer...than "THEM".  And so, the light needs to burn brighter, Christ needs to live more, and our God our Savior shows the way...to death, so that we may have life.  Ours is an encounter that awaits in the assembly and in the home, the Temple and of the temple.  Where what God gives we are to give.  He gives forgivness, shows mercy, and so we are to do the same.  He showers with grace and love and so are we to spread as seed everywhere and to any one without discrimination or prejudice, especially spiritual, where we believe some deserve and some do not.  For as long as the spark of life exists in us...so does God
 
 
adrian
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Going4th,

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Ones On The Path

Untitled document

Minute Meditations

Relationship With God Minute Meditations

We talk often about how we are God's "hands and feet," which is true. That being said, we can't fall into the trap of thinking God needs us like we need Him. He's God—which makes the reality that He wants to use us and be in a relationship with us an even sweeter, more profound truth.
— from Tweet Inspiration


St. Thomas Aquinas
(1225-1274)

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By universal consent, Thomas Aquinas is the preeminent spokesman of the Catholic tradition of reason and of divine revelation. He is one of the great teachers of the medieval Catholic Church, honored with the titles Doctor of the Church and Angelic Doctor.
At five he was given to the Benedictine monastery at Monte Cassino in his parents' hopes that he would choose that way of life and eventually became abbot. In 1239 he was sent to Naples to complete his studies. It was here that he was first attracted to Aristotle's philosophy.

By 1243, Thomas abandoned his family's plans for him and joined the Dominicans, much to his mother's dismay. On her order, Thomas was captured by his brother and kept at home for over a year.

Once free, he went to Paris and then to Cologne, where he finished his studies with Albert the Great. He held two professorships at Paris, lived at the court of Pope Urban IV, directed the Dominican schools at Rome and Viterbo, combated adversaries of the mendicants, as well as the Averroists, and argued with some Franciscans about Aristotelianism.

His greatest contribution to the Catholic Church is his writings. The unity, harmony and continuity of faith and reason, of revealed and natural human knowledge, pervades his writings. One might expect Thomas, as a man of the gospel, to be an ardent defender of revealed truth. But he was broad enough, deep enough, to see the whole natural order as coming from God the Creator, and to see reason as a divine gift to be highly cherished.

The Summa Theologiae, his last and, unfortunately, uncompleted work, deals with the whole of Catholic theology. He stopped work on it after celebrating Mass on December 6, 1273. When asked why he stopped writing, he replied, "I cannot go on.... All that I have written seems to me like so much straw compared to what I have seen and what has been revealed to me." He died March 7, 1274.



Comment:

We can look to Thomas Aquinas as a towering example of Catholicism in the sense of broadness, universality and inclusiveness. We should be determined anew to exercise the divine gift of reason in us, our power to know, learn and understand. At the same time we should thank God for the gift of his revelation, especially in Jesus Christ.

Quote:

"Hence we must say that for the knowledge of any truth whatsoever man needs divine help, that the intellect may be moved by God to its act. But he does not need a new light added to his natural light, in order to know the truth in all things, but only in some that surpasses his natural knowledge" (Summa Theologiae, I-II, 109, 1).

Patron Saint of:

Catholic schools
Colleges
Schools
Students


Saint of the Day
Lives, Lessons and Feast
By Leonard Foley, O.F.M.; revised by Pat McCloskey, O.F.M.
 
 

Presence

"Come to me all you who are burdened
and I will give you rest"
Here I am, Lord.
I come to seek Your presence.
I long for your healing power.

Freedom

God is not foreign to my freedom.
Instead the Spirit breathes life into my most intimate desires,
gently nudging me towards all that is good.
I ask for the grace to let myself be enfolded by the Spirit.

Consciousness

How do I find myself today? Where am I with God? With others? Do I have something to be grateful for? Then I give thanks. Is there something I am sorry for? Then I ask forgiveness.

The Word of God

Reading 1 Heb 10:11-18

Every priest stands daily at his ministry,
offering frequently those same sacrifices
that can never take away sins.
But this one offered one sacrifice for sins,
and took his seat forever at the right hand of God;
now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool.
For by one offering he has made perfect forever
those who are being consecrated.
The Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying:

This is the covenant I will establish with them
after those days, says the Lord:
"I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them upon their minds,"


he also says:

Their sins and their evildoing
I will remember no more.


Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer offering for sin.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 110:1, 2, 3, 4

R. (4b) You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand
till I make your enemies your footstool."
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The scepter of your power the LORD will stretch forth from Zion:
"Rule in the midst of your enemies."
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
"Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor;
before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you."
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD has sworn, and he will not repent:
"You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek."
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower;
all who come to him will live for ever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mk 4:1-20

On another occasion, Jesus began to teach by the sea.
A very large crowd gathered around him
so that he got into a boat on the sea and sat down.
And the whole crowd was beside the sea on land.
And he taught them at length in parables,
and in the course of his instruction he said to them,
"Hear this! A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and the birds came and ate it up.
Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep.
And when the sun rose, it was scorched and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it
and it produced no grain.
And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit.
It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."
He added, "Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear."

And when he was alone,
those present along with the Twelve
questioned him about the parables.
He answered them,
"The mystery of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you.
But to those outside everything comes in parables, so that

they may look and see but not perceive,
and hear and listen but not understand,
in order that they may not be converted and be forgiven."


Jesus said to them, "Do you not understand this parable?
Then how will you understand any of the parables?
The sower sows the word.
These are the ones on the path where the word is sown.
As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once
and takes away the word sown in them.
And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who,
when they hear the word, receive it at once with joy.
But they have no roots; they last only for a time.
Then when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
they quickly fall away.
Those sown among thorns are another sort.
They are the people who hear the word,
but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches,
and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word,
and it bears no fruit.
But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it
and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold."

Conversation

Do I notice myself reacting as I pray with the Word of God? Do I feel challenged, comforted, angry? Imagining Jesus sitting or standing by me, I speak out my feelings, as one trusted friend to another.

Conclusion

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.


Catholic Meditations

Meditation: Mark 4:1-20

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Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church

The sower sows the word. (Mark 4:14)

Perhaps when you read or hear this parable, you focus on the different kinds of soils, or the environments on which the seeds fall. Maybe you even wonder which one of these soils best fits you, and you hope that you are like the good soil that produces abundantly. But how about seeing yourself as the sower instead? Maybe it's worth considering how much God may want you to sow the seed of his word.

If there is one word that characterizes the sower in this parable, it is generous. This fellow spreads his seeds everywhere. He doesn't seem all that concerned about where the seed will fall. He simply casts it to and fro.

Isn't this a great image for how we should view evangelization? Shouldn't we be generous, almost indiscriminate, in the way we share God's word and his promises? We really shouldn't worry about where the seeds may fall or the "soil quality" of those with whom we share the word. Whether, in our judgment, the ground is hard, weedy, thorny, or fertile shouldn't matter. After all, it is the Lord who gives the growth, not us (1 Corinthians 3:6-7). All we have to worry about is sowing as generously as we can.

Think for a moment how many other seeds the world, the flesh, and the devil are sowing all around us. There's nothing stingy in their tactics. How much more, then, should we counter all these poisonous seeds with the seeds of the gospel! The need is great, so don't be intimidated! And by all means, don't feel defeated or outnumbered! God has promised to be with you always as you spread his word.

So how are you going to sow today? What opportunities will you seize to spread the seeds of the gospel? They're all around, after all. Keep your eyes open, as you ask the Lord to help you see ways you can creatively witness to his love. Who knows? He may even give you brothers and sisters in Christ who are just as zealous as you to proclaim the word, in season and out!

"Lord Jesus, make me a generous evangelizer and sower of your word in all kinds of soil. Fill me with zeal and courage to go forth and spread your seeds all over the world!"

 

Hebrews 10:11-18
Psalm 110:1-4




 
my2cents:
We prayed the rosary at home as a family last night, something my heart had always yearned for and forgotten.  The seeds planted long ago, began to gave fruit, God hears the prayers of the heart, and if He can hear, and we are to be His children, we ought to hear if we lend an ear to what He is saying to us today.  After the rosary I was led to the back room where the Holy Spirit took over and another song for the Lord came "Sanctify ME!" was the song written by the Holy Spirit.  I got a little bit of chills when I read the first Holy Scripture this morning "...For by one offering he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated" because the song pleads one to be consecrated in one lyric "consecrate me, save me through your blood".  The song continues "make me Holy, make my Holy Yours...come inside me, come into my soul".   About half the rest of the song speaks about how we are "born of this earth, and He commands a new birth".  It says that He "suffered with the thorns, all for love,  for us to be re-born".  The Psalms spoke of a birth, ""Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor; before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you."  And Jesus offers the birth through His blood, death, and resurrection in the Sacrament of His blood, body, soul, and divinity.  The song from last night also said "I want you to be mine, bring you to divine".  And what is divine is God, are you hungry for Him?  I remember when a relative of mine, my Holy Communion sponsor suffered a divorce, I remember at one point him speaking of starving for the Lord in the Eucharist (having not been able to receive).  I could hear wailing in the night of his cries in pains and agony from half a mile away, where was Christ in the moment of despair? 
Let us go to the Holy Gospel where the High Priest forever speaks words that will calculate into words to break into a soul with life.  He brings us a parable from Heaven, the Word that depicts trials and tribulations we all suffer and even our Lord suffered.  The first attack was Satan, who had possession of a soul and the Word bounced right off the path, devoured by birds.  The second was the Word on rocky ground where the soul was so happy to receive the Word and then worldly (evil) persecutions and tribulations come, they fade away, for lack of roots.  The third, the thorns. The thorns choke the life out of a soul, the worldly lures of the devil, cravings for other things, anxiety, chasing riches, they all attempt and often choke the life (our Lord) out of our body, which should be the Holy Temple of God.  Common denominator?  The devil is at work, and non-stop, waiting for you to relax in faith to pounce like a lion.  Our Lord tempted with trials, tribulations, persecutions.  Satan tempted our Lord in the desert with lures to riches, and even tempting angels and miracles but failed.  Satan attempted to possess the Word, but failed.  Satan attempted to break apart the stone that the architects rejected and failed.  Because Jesus was accused falsely, He was beaten black and blue, flesh torn off his flesh to tempt Him to call on angels and miracles, still, just like in the desert, but failed.  Jesus was holding true to the Truth of what would have to be.  Satan put a crown of thorns to make blood gush from the face and head of Jesus to pierce the mind with torture and anxiety, but once again failed, and when all else failed our Lord was crucified.  And when the world saw He had done what He said would happen, the worldly evil took one last stab at the heart with no life.  Ruthless.  Yet, the stabber was converted, and evil was defeated and death would no longer be.
This morning, I led the safety meeting with a prayer.  We discussed electric safety.  At the end I asked for questions, seeing there was none I made a few on the safety topic and then asked one last question "do any of you know someone in this room that was electrocuted to death?"  Finally one said "Martin" (the boss, also my dad).  I said yes, only, he came back to life and his cousin electrocuted alongside him that day did not come back to life.  I told everyone to take life (and safety) serious.  As I closed the meeting  and walked out, i walked up to the bossy, my dad said "I never really died" and I knew what he meant, so I replied "I know, but your body died, and you came back inside".  From that moment of death, the life of the boss would never be the same, I was born 9 months later (they were newly wed) LOL.  The fact that we live on miracles and even electricity powers our bodies, something actually gives it life...Jesus at the moment of conception (fertilization) and even before then, God knew you.  And so, don't feel like the scum of the earth because you were tempted.  I know it's been my case in confessions, but the priest made it known that they are temptations we can overcome, and it is true, because they have already been overcome and defeated.  I await in joyful hope of Christ.  This heart is on fire.  Because when I say "Sanctify Me" and "make me Holy" to God in the song, it means to Him I want to belong, completely His....forever.
 
I invite you to the fire of Love
adrian
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Going4th,