†Quote of the Day "Jesus'] body was for Him not a limitation, but an instrument, so that He was both in it and in all things, and outside all things, resting in the Father above. At one and the same time—this is the wonder—as man He was a human life, and as Word He was sustaining the life of the universe, and as Son He was in constant union with the Father."
–St. Athanasius of Alexandria Today's Meditation "See, you're bought at a great price. We're told that in Scripture over and over and over. Jesus died for you! And, because He bought you at a great price, you have to understand that you're never alone. You are very, very special to God. But some of you who don't understand that think that God doesn't care. I get that feeling myself sometimes. I've said to Our Lord, "Look, don't You care? Whose side are You on?" I have myself been disheartened. But, in spite of the difficulties within and without, I try to keep my eyes on Jesus and know that Our Lord and Savior loves me, knows me, and has chosen me to be great in His eyes – to be holy, to be saintly, to be compassionate, and to be good."
—Mother Angelica, p. 44 Daily Verse "At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known. So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love." –1 Corinthians 13:12-13 | St. Porphyry St. Porphyry (Porphyrius) of Gaza (c. 347-420 A.D.) was born in Thessalonica in present-day Greece. Although a wealthy man, at the age of 25 he went to live in Egypt as a desert hermit. He later moved to Palestine near the Jordan River, then to Jerusalem itself. He did great penances and would often visit the holy places where Jesus lived and walked, despite his poor health. He then renounced all material goods and his inheritance and became a priest in Jerusalem at the age of 40. The relics of the True Cross in Jerusalem were entrusted to his care. Despite his protests he was ordained Bishop of Gaza, a pagan stronghold with an insignificant Christian community. Gaza's pagans were hostile, and St. Porphyry appealed to the emperor for protection and for the destruction of pagan temples, which he obtained. St. Porphyry built a Christian church on the site of the most important pagan temple dedicated to the chief god, so that he could say Mass in the place where the devil was previously most honored. St. Porphyry labored for his flock and won many converts through his miracles, though pagan opposition continued throughout his life. He was successful in spreading the Christian faith across his diocese. His feast day is February 26. | Monday of the Second Week in Lent
Lectionary: 230 Reading 1 Dn 9:4b-10 "Lord, great and awesome God,
you who keep your merciful covenant toward those who love you
and observe your commandments!
We have sinned, been wicked and done evil;
we have rebelled and departed from your commandments and your laws.
We have not obeyed your servants the prophets,
who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes,
our fathers, and all the people of the land.
Justice, O Lord, is on your side;
we are shamefaced even to this day:
we, the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem,
and all Israel, near and far,
in all the countries to which you have scattered them
because of their treachery toward you.
O LORD, we are shamefaced, like our kings, our princes, and our fathers,
for having sinned against you.
But yours, O Lord, our God, are compassion and forgiveness!
Yet we rebelled against you
and paid no heed to your command, O LORD, our God,
to live by the law you gave us through your servants the prophets." Responsorial Psalm Ps 79:8, 9, 11 and 13 R. (see 103:10a) Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name's sake.
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Let the prisoners' sighing come before you;
with your great power free those doomed to death.
Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise.
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins. Verse Before the Gospel See Jn 6:63c, 68c Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life. Gospel Lk 6:36-38 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. "Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you." | DAILY MEDITATION: LUKE 6:36-38
The measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you. (Luke 6:38) What is the "measure" Jesus is talking about (Luke 6:38)? It's how we treat people. Jesus promises that when we are merciful and generous to others, he will be merciful and generous to us. When we don't judge and condemn, neither will we be subject to judgment and condemnation. Isn't this also true with the people we relate to each day? The measure we measure out is often what we can expect from them in return. So let's look at today's Gospel with that perspective in mind. Stop judging (Luke 6:37). How many times do we judge someone, especially when we've been treated poorly? We tend to see them in a distorted way—they're selfish or uncaring or thoughtless—and in our eyes, they become those things. We could instead ask the Lord to help us see the other person through his eyes. As they sense our new attitude, they're more likely to let down their defenses, and the whole tenor of our relationship with them can change. Forgive and you will be forgiven (Luke 6:37). In wounded relationships, we tend to focus on how we've been offended, not on how we might have offended the other person. What if we asked the Lord to show us how we may have hurt that person in some way or other? That might soften our hearts so that we can forgive them. And if we approach them to tell them that we are sorry, it might just open up an opportunity for mutual forgiveness and reconciliation. Give and gifts will be given to you (Luke 6:38). We show our love to people by giving of ourselves. The more generous we are with our time, attention, and affection, the more our relationships tend to grow and flourish. Then the more "gifts" of love and affection we are able to receive from the other person in return. Is there one relationship you can think of that would benefit from less of your judgment and more of your compassion, mercy, and generosity? If so, offer that person your "good measure" today (Luke 6:38). Then see how the Lord uses it to give you a good measure in return. "Jesus, give me the grace to treat others the way I want to be treated." Daniel 9:4-10
Psalm 79:8-9, 11, 13 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:
Audio English | In the Gospel today we heard:
_""Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
"Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you."
. . . | Stop judging! That's what the Lord said! Right?
The evil one loves this one liner, this quick twisted message to throw against those who are telling them what to do. I've even heard a priest tell others "stop judging" and then they say "only the Lord can judge!". Well. That's not all the Lord said today. Right? Our Lord knows that we have to judge things all day long! So let's do what we always have to do with protestants when they argue with the original Christians, the Catholics. All the Catholic has to do is say "Let's read the next verse!" and 9 times out of 10 you will have a more full explanation of what our Lord fully intends to say. And to day what did He say next? "Stop condemning and you will not be condemned." That's what He meant! When we judge with a mean spirit, we are literally condemning! Aren't we? Isn't it the truth? But we know full well that we are to admonish the sinner, but we are not to condemn the sinner...or else...we will condemn ourselves! Correcting sinners and ourselves is what we are supposed to do! For the love of God! Amen? And so what is the next verse?
"Forgive and you will be forgiven." Think of the words of the resurrected Lord when He shocked His disciples upon entering the upper room. They all thought He was dead. They all thought they were dead too...any time soon. And what did He do? He said "Peace". And then what did He do? He breathed on His disciples saying "Jesus said to them, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so also I am sending you." 22When He had said this, He breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld."
It was for this reason that our Lord came. So that we may avail forgiveness through the Church, and through each other. Here it was that the Church was given authority to forgive. And we too should note, that we are to forgive others, as we want to be forgiven.
The law of God has been written then, in our baptized hearts.
Lastly, our Lord says give. Give you want to receive.
What do you want in this life? Peace? Then offer peace.
What do you want? Even money? Then start learning to give. LOL, I'm a business man, and let me tell you, it takes money to make money. How will you make anything if you don't give anything there either? The same it is with the Lord. He wants us to give to Him. Give to Him in church and ministries, let it go.
But what else can we give this lent? Love. Kindness. Forgiveness. All things Lent is calling us to do, to stop being like the world, and start being more like our Lord in Heaven. Lord, you've asked so much of me, yet so little. Help me be like You Lord, loving and forgiving, but yet, demanding that one thing...Love from Above, to rule our land, and our heart. Help us love Thee more and more! |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
1 Thessalonians 5:15 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
