 From: MorningOffering Website | Quote of the Day "Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth in a word, to know himself so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves." -Pope St. John Paul II Today's Meditation "How they need to be cleansed, these poor feet with which we touch the earth! Even though the head that thinks, the heart that loves, the hands that act may pursue ends which are pure, yet our feet trail in the dust and are soiled by the mud from the road they tread. We need the pitcher of water and the touch of the Savior's hands. We need submission to cleansing grace if, with Peter protesting and yet converted, we will "have part" in the gift Jesus brings: "If I wash thee not, thou shalt have no part with me." A moment later Jesus shows that the washing of the feet has still another meaning, He speaks of His Apostles, and of the unity that He has come to establish between them and Him, a unity like that between Him and His Father. Jesus washes the feet of the Twelve to prepare them for their journeys across the earth. Purity and humility are the condition of love; and love is the soul of the apostolate. —A.G. Sertillanges, p. 58-59
An excerpt from What Jesus Saw from the Cross Daily Verse "Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intervene; then his own arm brought him victory, and his righteousness upheld him. He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in fury as a mantle." -Isaiah 59: 15-17 |  EWTN Daily Saint | | St Frances Of Rome St. Frances of Rome (1384-1440) was born to a noble family in Rome. As a young girl her desire to become a nun was refused by her father, who instead arranged her marriage at the age of 12. St. Frances accepted this as God's will for her life. She was married for 40 years and had children, two of whom died from the plague. In her time Rome was at war and the city was in chaos from political disarray and widespread disease. St. Frances responded by converting her home into a hospital. She drove with a wagon into the streets and collected the sick and stranded in order to care for them. She miraculously cured many people, and also began the city's first orphanage. She inspired many women to join her in this life of prayer and good works, and eventually founded a congregation of lay oblates attached to the Benedictine monastery known as the Oblates of St. Frances of Rome. After her husband's death she entered religious life as the group's superior. One of the great mystics of her time, she dictated 97 visions and was visibly guided by her guardian angel throughout her life. St. Frances of Rome is the patron saint of many causes, including motorists, pilots, women, widows, and against plague and the death of children. On her feast day many priests bless cars due to her patronage of cars and drivers. Her feast day is March 9th.
Find a devotional for this saint | Monday of the Third Week of Lent Lectionary: 237 Reading 1 2 Kings 5:1-15ab Naaman, the army commander of the king of Aram,
was highly esteemed and respected by his master,
for through him the LORD had brought victory to Aram.
But valiant as he was, the man was a leper.
Now the Arameans had captured in a raid on the land of Israel
a little girl, who became the servant of Naaman's wife.
"If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria,"
she said to her mistress, "he would cure him of his leprosy."
Naaman went and told his lord
just what the slave girl from the land of Israel had said.
"Go," said the king of Aram.
"I will send along a letter to the king of Israel."
So Naaman set out, taking along ten silver talents,
six thousand gold pieces, and ten festal garments.
To the king of Israel he brought the letter, which read:
"With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you,
that you may cure him of his leprosy." When he read the letter,
the king of Israel tore his garments and exclaimed:
"Am I a god with power over life and death,
that this man should send someone to me to be cured of leprosy?
Take note! You can see he is only looking for a quarrel with me!"
When Elisha, the man of God,
heard that the king of Israel had torn his garments,
he sent word to the king:
"Why have you torn your garments?
Let him come to me and find out
that there is a prophet in Israel." Naaman came with his horses and chariots
and stopped at the door of Elisha's house.
The prophet sent him the message:
"Go and wash seven times in the Jordan,
and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean."
But Naaman went away angry, saying,
"I thought that he would surely come out and stand there
to invoke the LORD his God,
and would move his hand over the spot,
and thus cure the leprosy.
Are not the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar,
better than all the waters of Israel?
Could I not wash in them and be cleansed?"
With this, he turned about in anger and left. But his servants came up and reasoned with him.
"My father," they said,
"if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary,
would you not have done it?
All the more now, since he said to you,
'Wash and be clean,' should you do as he said."
So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times
at the word of the man of God.
His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. He returned with his whole retinue to the man of God.
On his arrival he stood before him and said,
"Now I know that there is no God in all the earth,
except in Israel." Responsorial Psalm Psalm 42:2, 3; 43:3, 4 R. (see 42:3) Athirst is my soul for the living God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God?
As the hind longs for the running waters,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God?
Athirst is my soul for God, the living God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God?
R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God?
Send forth your light and your fidelity;
they shall lead me on
And bring me to your holy mountain,
to your dwelling-place.
R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God?
Then will I go in to the altar of God,
the God of my gladness and joy;
Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,
O God, my God!
R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God? I hope in the LORD, I trust in his word;
with him there is kindness and plenteous redemption. Gospel Luke 4:24-30 Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth:
"Amen, I say to you,
no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel
in the days of Elijah
when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian."
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built,
to hurl him down headlong.
But he passed through the midst of them and went away. | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! |  From Word Among Us WAU.org | Daily Meditation: 2 Kings 5:1-15 There is no God in all the earth, except in Israel. (2 Kings 5:15) The story of Naaman's healing from leprosy has quite a cast of characters, doesn't it? There's the Israelite slave girl—a young, powerless foreigner—who first suggested that the God of Israel could heal Naaman. There are Naaman's own servants, the "working class" of their time, who urged him not to give up. Further up the social ladder is Naaman's wife, who took the slave girl's words seriously enough to share them with her husband. Then there's Elisha, a prophet and religious leader, who delivered an unexpected message. And finally, there are the kings of Israel and Aram, who represent the highest level of power but who were nevertheless unable to heal Naaman. God used each of these characters, regardless of their nationality, their social status, or even their faith, to heal Naaman and bring him to faith. Clearly, everyone has a place in God's plan! We live in a world torn by division and suspicion, and things were no different in Naaman's time. The Israelite king couldn't help but doubt the good intentions of his Aramean counterpart. Naaman himself wanted to reject Elisha's directions to bathe in the "inferior" Jordan River. But it was the people who had the courage to see past divisions who made things happen. Naaman's servants, for instance, were able to reason with him despite the enmity between Israel and Aram. And Naaman's own wife was willing to listen to a lowly slave girl. In their own way, they spoke God's word to Naaman. Do you feel powerless in the face of the problems in the world? If you find yourself thinking, "There's nothing I can do" or "I'm not smart enough" or "My faith is too weak," remember that's not how God sees you. You have a place in his plan. You have a dignity all your own, given to you by a loving heavenly Father. If you see an opportunity to help or to share a message from the Lord, take heart and be bold! Our God can work through the most unlikely people—including you—to heal a broken world. "Lord, open my eyes to see everyone as you see them." Psalm 42:2-3; 43:3-4
Luke 4:24-30 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "... Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian."
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built,
to hurl him down headlong.
But he passed through the midst of them and went away. ..." | From Bishop Barron: "Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus's hometown rejects him as a prophet. And I want to say a word about your role as a prophet. When most laypeople hear about prophecy, they sit back and their eyes glaze over. "That's something for the priests and the bishops to worry about; they're the modern-day prophets. I don't have that call or that responsibility." Well, think again! Vatican II emphasized the universal call to holiness, rooted in the dynamics of baptism. Every baptized person is conformed unto Christ—priest, prophet, and king. Whenever you assist at Mass, you are exercising your priestly office, participating in the worship of God. Whenever you direct your kids to discover their mission in the Church, or provide guidance to someone in the spiritual life, you are exercising your kingly office. As a baptized individual, you are commissioned as a prophet—which is to say, a speaker of God's truth. And the prophetic word is not your own. It is not the result of your own meditations on the spiritual life, as valuable and correct as those may be.
The prophetic word is the word of God given to you by God." end quote.
Our Lord said to the people in the synagogue "only Naaman the Syrian" was healed by a cleansing, and so they became furious, with such anger that they drove him out of town to throw him off a cliff.
Isn't that typical though for many of us?
We get so upset with what is said that we just want to silence the opposing party, no matter the cost? It is the cost of many lives...and what causes it? Pride. And sadly, it is spiritual pride.
But what of those that get so angry with God because they didn't get an answered prayer...or how things turned out...that they dismiss Him entirely from their lives? It happens...people become faithless real quick...and this is sin. What? How? The word "Sin" in the ancient language simply means "to miss the mark". We miss the whole point. Like having relations outside of marriage....young kids may think "I'm not hurting anybody, just enjoying relations". But this is missing the entire mark. What mark? God's will.
And here God speaks.
He knows why. He knows why the laws are set for us...for our own good. And in the matter of relations...it becomes a matter of purity.
And this is what got those people when our Lord spoke. He made them seem only one person was to be cleansed and they were not found worthy. And all their laws were supposed to be about being cleansed! So what's up with that?
We can become ritualistic, robotic in our prayer life, all lip no heart. When is the last time you went to the Lord on your knees crying? Been a while? Never done it?
Exactly. These people thought they had nothing to repent from...on the contrary, they looked at everyone else as if they all were heathens, especially...our Lord Jesus.
It would be sad, and bad if they only time we realize our faults is on the day of our judgement.
So how can we receive the light to see our dark spots?
A daily examination of conscious is good.
A frequent confession is good.
But God wants our hearts rendered. Such is the purpose of lent! That we learn to repent!
Let me tell everyone here....we see wars and violence and impurity, right? What can we possibly do? BE THE LIGHT. Be holier. Enrich the poverty. Give to the poor. Pray more. Fast to boost prayer to the next degree! Lent is perfect for this, even if you are not Catholic! Life is precious, amen? And Jesus IS THE LIFE, and the Way, the very truth from God.
Let us accept His word, and in doing so, also His holy will! |  Click for Audio | WOW!
Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 20:9 " Who can say, "I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin"? . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
