†Quote of the Day ""Our perfection does not consist of doing extraordinary things, but to do the ordinary well."
–St. Gabriel Possenti Today's Meditation "Little by little, we can make our daily life more and more prayerful, as we are able, over time, to incorporate those suggestions that work with our schedule and that we are ready for spiritually. There is a particular spiritual practice that Francis [de Sales] highly recommends that is possible for all of us: even on those 'impossible' days when we are perhaps unable to undertake our normal spiritual practices, we can stay rooted in prayer by constantly addressing brief prayers to the Lord. These can be acts of love, of adoration, of faith, of hope, of petition, or simply saying the name of Jesus—throughout the course of the day. Francis places a very high value on these simple utterances, traditionally called ejaculatory prayers or aspirations."
—Ralph Martin, p. 135 Daily Verse "O God, thou art my God, I seek thee, my soul thirsts for thee; my flesh faints for thee, as in a dry and weary land where no water is. So I have looked upon thee in the sanctuary, beholding thy power and glory. Because thy steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise thee. So I will bless thee as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on thy name."
–Psalm 63:1-4 | St. Gabriel Possenti St. Gabriel Possenti (1838-1862), also known as St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, was one of thirteen children born to a well-to-do Italian family in Assisi. As a young man he enjoyed the society and the worldly life of a typical teenager. He was known as a fancy dresser and a good dancer, he possessed good horsemanship and marksmanship, he frequented parties, and twice was engaged to be married. After his graduation from school he shocked everyone by announcing that he was going to be a Passionist priest, having been inspired to his vocation by the Blessed Virgin Mary, to whom his family had a great devotion. His life was then marked with prayer, sacrifice, and devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows, taking the religious name Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother. He was stricken with tuberculosis about a year before he was to be ordained, and died at the age of 24. Many miracles were attributed to him after his death, including the healing of St. Gemma Galgani. St. Gabriel Possenti is the patron saint of Catholic youth, seminarians, clerics, students, and Catholic Action. His feast day is February 27th. | Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent Reading 1 Is 1:10, 16-20 Hear the word of the LORD,
princes of Sodom!
Listen to the instruction of our God,
people of Gomorrah! Wash yourselves clean!
Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes;
cease doing evil; learn to do good.
Make justice your aim: redress the wronged,
hear the orphan's plea, defend the widow. Come now, let us set things right,
says the LORD:
Though your sins be like scarlet,
they may become white as snow;
Though they be crimson red,
they may become white as wool.
If you are willing, and obey,
you shall eat the good things of the land;
But if you refuse and resist,
the sword shall consume you:
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken! Responsorial Psalm Ps 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23 R. (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold."
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?"
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God."
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God. Verse Before the Gospel Ez 18:31 Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, says the LORD,
and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Gospel Mt 23:1-12 Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,
"The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry
and lay them on people's shoulders,
but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen.
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.'
As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.'
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called 'Master';
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted." | Daily Meditation: Isaiah 1:10, 16-20 Come now, let us set things right. (Isaiah 1:18) When the prophet Isaiah speaks of God proposing to "set things right" with Israel, he's using Hebrew words that suggest arbitration or settling a case between two people. You can almost picture two people sitting across a table from one another, hashing out the details of an agreement. Or figuring out how to split responsibility for a bill. Setting things right with God: isn't this what Lent is all about? Obviously, this isn't something we can do ourselves. Sure, we can do our part to "make justice [our] aim" through specific actions or decisions (Isaiah 1:17). These actions show that we want to live a just life and follow God's ways. But each time we fall short, we get a humbling reminder that our part only goes so far. We simply can't set things right permanently and perfectly. Thanks be to God, it's the Lord who does the heavy lifting. He does it by taking our sins, red as scarlet, and making them white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). He sees the reality of our sins, our misdeeds, and our disobedience, and he offers us something we could never accomplish ourselves: the chance to be washed clean (1:16). What we could not do, God does. Through the suffering, death, and resurrection of his Son, he forgives us and restores our relationship with him. Every time you receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, God powerfully cleanses you and "sets things right." In Confession, you can bring all the ways that your "aim for justice" was a bit off. You can bring to him all the choices that kept you from loving God and his people. And God does the rest as he absolves you and mends your relationship with him. Just think—this Lent, you can grow closer to the Lord than ever before! As you make the effort to return to him, he will draw you even closer to himself. He will cleanse you and make you whole. He is waiting for you to approach him, especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Will you open your heart to him and let him set things right? "Lord, thank you for this season of Lent when I can be reconciled with you!" Psalm 50:8-9, 16-17, 21, 23
Matthew 23:1-12 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:
Audio English | In the Gospel today we heard:
_"The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice. "
. . . | And this is where we have some protestants begin to argue with the first Christians, the Catholics, when they see that later in the same Gospel our Lord says "call no one Father". But we cannot take that line out of context. We cannot call anyone father because we have only one Father in Heaven, right? But let's read the next verses: "Do not be called 'Master';
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant."
In Spanish, the word "master" has more meaning, it can mean like the slave owners, or the one above you as you place him there as basically a Lord. The Spanish bibe version makes masters sounds like guides.
But Jesus comes to reveal Himself. He is telling us all that only He, who is God, can be called truly the Father, and the Master of all. He is always putting himself above their beloved temple and their laws and themselves! Why? Because this is right and just. He is diverting us from multiple gods and confusions to the one true God who He is.
"They do not practice what they preach", says our Lord.
"...you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant."
And this is where the truth is being revealed...at the end, at the last, where the last shall be first.
One day, this lent, all of us should read or pray the litany of humility.
In the litany, we place everyone else above ourselves. This is completely backwards from world teachings and ideology.
How can we be servants of the servants?
If you really want to excel in your holiness, you will have to learn from the Master, Jesus. It will take discipline. This is the purpose of lent, that we discipline ourselves to become true disciples of the living Word of the Christ, the Messiah. By following our Master, the Lord, we will learn how to truly be warriors of holiness and righteousness. We will learn how to take hits and make them more effective for God's kingdom, by allowing ourselves to be filled with God's grace, and so when the enemy strikes, when they hit us, we will explode with love, life, and grace, like our Lord did from the cross. But first comes Love. Love of the blood of the Lamb. Love of the body of Christ. Love of the Master. Love of the oozing honey that tastes bitter at first, and then oh so sweet to the palate the connected infusion of our mouth to the soul. Yes my dear, I am speaking of the Holy Eucharist. There our souls will realize just who truly is the true Father, Master, Guiding light, and in Him, the totality of life itself, the warmth in the night, the everlasting life and light.
My Lord, My Father, Master, teach me to know the righteousness You desire, that I might learn the art of grace, of being filled with grace to transform the darkness of the world in to light. |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Romans 13:10 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
