†Quote of the Day "Put up willingly with the faults of others if you wish others to put up with yours."
–St. John Bosco Today's Meditation "We trust ourselves to a doctor because we suppose he knows his business. He orders an operation which involves cutting away part of our body and we accept it. We are grateful to him and pay him a large fee because we judge he would not act as he does unless the remedy were necessary, and we must rely on his skill. Yet we are unwilling to treat God in the same way! It looks as if we do not trust His wisdom and are afraid He cannot do His job properly. We allow ourselves to be operated on by a man who may easily make a mistake—a mistake which may cost us our life—and protest when God sets to work on us. If we could see all He sees we would unhesitatingly wish all He wishes."
—Fr. Jean Baptiste Saint-Jure, p. 90 Daily Verse "Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to thee, when my heart is faint. Lead thou me to the rock that is higher than I; for thou art my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in thy tent for ever! Oh to be safe under the shelter of thy wings!"
–Psalm 61:1-4 | Blessed Alvarez of Cordova Bl. Alvarez of (Córdoba) Cordova (1350-1430) was born to a noble family in Zamora, Spain. He joined the Dominican Order and preached throughout Spain, and served at the court of Queen Catherine. He went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and upon his return preached the crusades against the Muslims. He founded the famous priory of Scala Caeli (Ladder of Heaven) at Cordova, a convent of strict observance, and it is said that angels helped provide its building materials. He erected pictures of the holy places in Jerusalem in its gardens, popularizing the custom of the Stations of the Cross. He lived a life of great austerity and begged for alms even though he could easily obtain what he needed from the royal court. Numerous miracles are attributed to him. It is told that he once found a dying beggar, wrapped him in a blanket, and carried him back to the convent. Upon unwrapping the cloth he found only a crucifix. Blessed Alvarez was dedicated to Christ's Passion and helped spread devotion to the Way of the Cross throughout western Europe. He also successfully led a resistance against the anti-pope and brought Spain under allegiance to the true pope in Rome. His feast day is February 19. | Monday of the First Week of Lent The LORD said to Moses,
"Speak to the whole assembly of the children of Israel and tell them:
Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy. "You shall not steal.
You shall not lie or speak falsely to one another.
You shall not swear falsely by my name,
thus profaning the name of your God.
I am the LORD. "You shall not defraud or rob your neighbor.
You shall not withhold overnight the wages of your day laborer.
You shall not curse the deaf,
or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,
but you shall fear your God.
I am the LORD. "You shall not act dishonestly in rendering judgment.
Show neither partiality to the weak nor deference to the mighty,
but judge your fellow men justly.
You shall not go about spreading slander among your kin;
nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor's life is at stake.
I am the LORD. "You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart.
Though you may have to reprove him,
do not incur sin because of him.
Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
I am the LORD." Responsorial Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15 R. (John 6:63b) Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart.
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart
find favor before you,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life. Verse Before the Gospel 2 Cor 6:2b Behold, now is a very acceptable time;
behold, now is the day of salvation. Gospel Mt 25:31-46 Jesus said to his disciples:
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right,
'Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.'
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'
And the king will say to them in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Then he will say to those on his left,
'Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'
Then they will answer and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?'
He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.'
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life." | Daily Meditation: Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18 Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy. (Leviticus 19:2) When we hear this commandment, two questions come to mind: What does it mean to be holy? And how are we supposed to get there? The Hebrew word for "holy" is kodesh, which means to be "set apart." When God describes himself as holy, he is saying that he is different, or set apart from, any creature or created thing. He is transcendent, and in his perfect purity, he lacks nothing. God's holiness isn't an action he does; it is simply who he is. And incredibly, it is his deepest desire to share this holiness with us. So for us to "be holy" (Leviticus 19:2), we have to set ourselves apart and make time for the One who is all holy. That's how we open ourselves up to God's work of transformation in us. Before becoming Pope Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger pointed out that "being holy does not mean being superior to others; the saint can be very weak, with many mistakes in his life." Instead, it has far more to do with maintaining a steady rhythm of "profound contact with God, being a friend of God" (October 6, 2002, L'Osservatore Romano). Just as God's holiness is a matter of who he is and not what he does, the same is true for us. Through our time spent with the Lord, he makes us into a new creation. This transformation isn't the result of our own moral fortitude or strength of will; it can only come about through a deep and abiding friendship with God. He is the only One who can truly heal our hearts and fill us with his own goodness and mercy. As with all relationships, growing as a friend of God takes humility and time. It requires commitment on our part—we need to set ourselves apart from the world each day to be with him. It also means accepting that we will make mistakes along the way. But thankfully, we do not just pursue friendship with God; he is pursuing friendship with us. Because of his great love, his deepest desire is to be with us. In that communion of love, he can do what we could never do on our own: he can make us holy as he is holy. "God, give me the grace to look more like you every day." Psalm 19:8-10, 15
Matthew 25:31-46 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:
Audio English | In the Gospel today we heard:
"When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'
And the king will say to them in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me...." end of Gospel verse.
. . . | Why did Mother Teresa want to serve the poorest of the poor? Because she took the words of our Lord to heart, "You Did It For Me".
So how can this affect us all today? Back to what I like to say...every thing and every person matters. Your thoughts matter, says our Lord. Your words really matter! They can make or break somebody! Every thing matters! The way you look at someone even! Right? And that's tough for me because I don't look to friendly! LOL. Anyhow, we need to see everyone with God's loving eyes, and with a correction oriented heart. First with self, then with others. I often think of the words of Dr. Phil a tv psychologist host that once said a quote I cant' forget "I don't like in you what I see in me".
So who are the poorest of the poor around you? We don't live in a 3rd world country here, where the poor are lying on the streets like in Calcutta in India. It is rare to find someone on the streets. For me they are like hidden gems. I used to look for them and hang out with them if I ever found them. What are the poor like? What did I learn?
The poor are people. They come in all shapes and sizes and backgrounds. Some are mentally challenged. Some are burned out on drugs. Some are physically challenged. Some actually have money! Some don't care if I give them anything. But all I've come to find out is this one thing...they love Love. Even if they don't show it.
Me and my wife and our kids visit weekly the nursing home. There are poor people there. Lonely, and sick. When we show up, their faces turn from frowns to smiles. And mind you, I don't feel like the happiest person when I'm dragging myself and family there. But something special happens when we gather and pray. Life begins to bloom, and together we offer a beautiful flower to God our Father.
You did it for me?
You did it FOR ME??
Our Lord doesn't need our material goods, therefore, we should become poor in that sense, which means, taking no pleasure in earthly things. Instead, let us take pleasure in pleasing the Lord! Do what He says! He absolutely loves the giver...because it reminds Him of Himself! And it feels so good that it energizes the heavens!
Lent then becomes a beautiful time for our Lord.
We stop caving in and giving to ourselves, and start giving to the world and to Our God Himself! Before we go...I want to thank you for your prayers. Our conference was filled with men and the Holy Spirit. What an amazing gift! Lord help us utilize this gift of Love for greater Glory of God! |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Matthew 23:12 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
