† Quote of the Day "We are placed in our different ranks and stations, not to get what we can out of them for ourselves, but to labor in them for Him. As Christ has worked, we too have but to labor in them for Him. As Christ has His work, we too have ours; as He rejoiced to do his work, we must rejoice in ours also." -St. John Neumann Today's Meditation "Yet such are the pity and compassion of this Lord of ours, so desirous is He that we should seek Him and enjoy His company, that in one way or another He never ceases calling us to Him . . . God here speaks to souls through words uttered by pious people, by sermons or good books, and in many other such ways. Sometimes He calls souls by means of sickness or troubles, or by some truth He teaches them during prayer, for tepid as they may be in seeking Him, yet God holds them very dear." —St. Teresa of Avila, p.26
An excerpt from Interior Castle Daily Verse But as for me, I will look to the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. -Micah 7:7 Daily Verse And lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. -Matthew 2:9-11 | Epiphany is January 6th, traditionally marking the end of the 12 days of Christmas; however, in many U.S. dioceses the liturgical celebration is transferred to the nearest Sunday. Epiphany is one of the oldest Christian feasts and one of the most important. Historically, Epiphany celebrated four things: Jesus' nativity, the Magi's visit to the Holy Family, Jesus' baptism, and Jesus' first miracle at the wedding feast of Cana. Each biblical event is a theophany, or epiphany, a special manifestation of Jesus Christ to mankind. The relationship between these events is beautifully described in this antiphon from the Divine Office: "This day is the Church joined unto the Heavenly Bridegroom, since Christ hath washed away her sins in Jordan; the wise men hasten with gifts to the marriage supper of the King; and they that sit at meat together make merry with water turned into wine. Alleluia." In the Latin Church the visit of the Three Kings is the primary focus of Epiphany, symbolizing the revelation of Jesus Christ as a light for the Gentile nations and the Savior born for the redemption of all mankind. | Tuesday after Epiphany Reading 1 1 John 4:7-10 Beloved, let us love one another,
because love is of God;
everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.
In this way the love of God was revealed to us:
God sent his only-begotten Son into the world
so that we might have life through him.
In this is love:
not that we have loved God, but that he loved us
and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 72:1-2, 3-4, 7-8 R. (see 11) Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king's son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment. R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The mountains shall yield peace for the people,
and the hills justice.
He shall defend the afflicted among the people,
save the children of the poor. R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth. R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you. Alleluia Luke 4:18 R. Alleluia, alleluia. The Lord has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor
and to proclaim liberty to captives. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mark 6:34-44 When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them,
for they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and he began to teach them many things.
By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said,
"This is a deserted place and it is already very late.
Dismiss them so that they can go
to the surrounding farms and villages
and buy themselves something to eat."
He said to them in reply,
"Give them some food yourselves."
But they said to him,
"Are we to buy two hundred days' wages worth of food
and give it to them to eat?"
He asked them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see."
And when they had found out they said,
"Five loaves and two fish."
So he gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass.
The people took their places in rows by hundreds and by fifties.
Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples
to set before the people;
he also divided the two fish among them all.
They all ate and were satisfied.
And they picked up twelve wicker baskets full of fragments
and what was left of the fish.
Those who ate of the loaves were five thousand men. | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Mark 6:34-44 Give them some food yourselves. (Mark 6:37) It was a vast crowd, and they were all hungry. Understandably, the disciples turned to Jesus for a solution. So why would he tell them to give the crowds some food themselves? They obviously didn't have the resources to take care of all those people on their own. Unlikely as it might seem, that was the first step in what Jesus wanted to do for his disciples—and for the hungry crowd. Jesus knew that they couldn't take care of the people on their own. But it wasn't a bad place for the disciples to be—faced with a significant need but nearly empty-handed. Jesus was giving them the chance to assess what they had and offer it to him. He would show them that he could provide even with whatever small contribution they could make. Jesus wasn't going to feed the crowds out of thin air, even though he could have. He wanted to receive what the disciples offered him because they needed to be involved. As they saw what the Lord would do with the "raw materials" they had available, they learned that no matter their need, no matter the situation they faced, they could rely on Jesus to multiply whatever they gave him. Do you ever feel that the task in front of you is too much for you to complete? That your resources aren't enough? Maybe you are raising a child with needs that seem too challenging for you and you are low on patience. Or maybe you have a troubled family member and you feel helpless to bring them closer to the Lord. You might even feel overwhelmed when you consider the poverty in your community. It's not a bad thing to recognize your limitations. You can take what patience you have, your heartfelt prayers, or the time you can afford to serve the less fortunate—and offer them to Jesus! Step out and use what you do have and be amazed at how far it can go when it's in his hands. Remember, Jesus wants to receive what you have to offer, even when you feel it's not much. It doesn't matter how small your contribution is; when you give him what you have, he will always receive it and bless it and multiply it. "Jesus, help me to have the confidence to offer you all that I have today!" 1 John 4:7-10
Psalm 72:1-4, 7-8 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "... By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said,
"This is a deserted place and it is already very late.
Dismiss them so that they can go
to the surrounding farms and villages
and buy themselves something to eat."
He said to them in reply,
"Give them some food yourselves." ...." Word of the Lord. | "... Friends, today's Gospel shows Jesus's compassion for the multitude in the desert: "When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things." There is the motif of the people Israel in the desert after their escape from Egypt. Isolated, alone, afraid, without food, they clamored for something from Moses. Here we see people who are dying to be fed, and a prophet who is under threat of death. This crowd around the threatened Jesus is a metaphor for the Church. We have come to him because we are hungry, and we stay even when things look bleak.
..." end quote from Bishop Barron.
Our Lord said "Give them some food yourselves!".
It was a command.
It was not a question, was it?
They would have to learn that with Him, all things are possible.
It is us that limit ourselves.
We say "we are too little", and "we cannot do it" and, "my little help will make little difference".
But what if God only cares about those little things anyway? He already owns and knows the big things. Little gems. I heard in the book of Heaven about the things we live for, like the rubbish we pick up, heavy clay objects, and metal, and we load ourselves with those we deal with daily, huge weights of little value, instead of picking up gems and precious small tiny things of great value.
If we could only see what He sees.
He sees the tremendous hunger for God. He sees the tremendous need for healing.
"Feed my sheep", He says.
They are suffering maladies, "tend my sheep" He says.
And they come back, needing more to eat, "Feed my Sheep!" He commands.
But how? We have so little to give!
Our Lord says "offer it up".
Total sacrifice.
And see how much more will come back to you.
Life in abundance is at hand.
If we only believed, truly believed His honor, His grace, His mercy and love.
Then, we should realize the giver, and then, desire only to become saints, living bodies of the living God! From Church Pop today:
Here are those 8 steps that Carlo Acutis followed to become a Saint: 1. Go to Holy Mass and receive Holy Communion daily.
2. Spend time daily in front of the Blessed Sacrament.
3. Pray a daily Rosary.
4. Read Scripture daily.
5. Go to Confession weekly.
6. Pray for the grace to become a Saint.
7. Make sacrifices and self-denials frequently.
8. Ask your Guardian Angel to help you at all times.
| 1. | Go to Holy Mass and receive Holy Communion daily. | | 2. | Spend time daily in front of the Blessed Sacrament. | | 5. | Go to Confession weekly. | | 6. | Pray for the grace to become a Saint. | | 7. | Make sacrifices and self-denials frequently. | | 8. | Ask your Guardian Angel to help you at all times. | |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 5:11–12 "But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield."
. . . . . . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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