Quote: "Think well. Speak well. Do well. These three things, through the mercy of God, will make a man go to Heaven."" -St. Camillus Today's Meditation "Jesus will turn your sorrow into joy. One can only imagine the shock and bewilderment the Apostles felt when the Lord told them he must go away. Though they could not understand it at the time, his departure was for their benefit. The same is true of the unexpected setbacks and tragedies we experience in this life . . . When I consider the times when I have been confounded by events that seemed so contrary to what I thought God wanted for me, I should be mindful that they were permitted by the Lord's inscrutable providence for my own good, as difficult as that might be to fathom." —Patrick Madrid, p. 251
An excerpt from A Year with the Bible Daily Verse "I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world." -John 16:33
Daily Mass Readings |  EWTN Daily Saint | | St. Blaise Saint of the Day St. Blaise (d. 316 A.D.) was born into a wealthy Christian family in Armenia. He was trained as a physician before becoming a priest, and was finally ordained a bishop. When a wave of Christian persecution began, God instructed St. Blaise to hide in a desert cave. While he was in hiding, birds miraculously brought him food and sick men came to him to be healed. The king's hunters eventually discovered his cave and found it surrounded by a myriad of wild animals who came to the saint to be blessed, with Blaise able to walk freely among them. Recognizing him as the local bishop, the hunters took Blaise into custody. As he went with them he continued to preach and perform miracles along the way: he healed a boy choking to death on a bone, and commanded a wolf to release a captured pig belonging to a poor woman. When Blaise was sentenced to be starved to death, the woman killed her pig to feed St. Blaise in prison. He was eventually martyred under the reign of Licinius, his body torn with wool combs before being beheaded. Blaise is known as the patron saint of throat ailments, physicians, woolcombers, and wild animals. His feast is commemorated with the Blessing of the Throats, and is celebrated on February 3rd. | Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 324 Reading 1 2 Samuel 18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30–19:3 Absalom unexpectedly came up against David's servants.
He was mounted on a mule,
and, as the mule passed under the branches of a large terebinth,
his hair caught fast in the tree.
He hung between heaven and earth
while the mule he had been riding ran off.
Someone saw this and reported to Joab
that he had seen Absalom hanging from a terebinth.
And taking three pikes in hand,
he thrust for the heart of Absalom,
still hanging from the tree alive. Now David was sitting between the two gates,
and a lookout went up to the roof of the gate above the city wall,
where he looked about and saw a man running all alone.
The lookout shouted to inform the king, who said,
"If he is alone, he has good news to report."
The king said, "Step aside and remain in attendance here."
So he stepped aside and remained there.
When the Cushite messenger came in, he said,
"Let my lord the king receive the good news
that this day the LORD has taken your part,
freeing you from the grasp of all who rebelled against you."
But the king asked the Cushite, "Is young Absalom safe?"
The Cushite replied, "May the enemies of my lord the king
and all who rebel against you with evil intent
be as that young man!" The king was shaken,
and went up to the room over the city gate to weep.
He said as he wept,
"My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom!
If only I had died instead of you,
Absalom, my son, my son!" Joab was told that the king was weeping and mourning for Absalom;
and that day's victory was turned into mourning for the whole army
when they heard that the king was grieving for his son. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 R. (1a) Listen, Lord, and answer me.
Incline your ear, O LORD; answer me,
for I am afflicted and poor.
Keep my life, for I am devoted to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God.
R. Listen, Lord, and answer me.
Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for to you I call all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
R. Listen, Lord, and answer me.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.
Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading.
R. Listen, Lord, and answer me. Alleluia Matthew 8:17 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ took away our infirmities
and bore our diseases.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mark 5:21-43 When Jesus had crossed again in the boat
to the other side,
a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.
One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.
Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying,
"My daughter is at the point of death.
Please, come lay your hands on her
that she may get well and live."
He went off with him
and a large crowd followed him. There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.
She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors
and had spent all that she had.
Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.
She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd
and touched his cloak.
She said, "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured."
Immediately her flow of blood dried up.
She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him,
turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who has touched my clothes?"
But his disciples said to him,
"You see how the crowd is pressing upon you,
and yet you ask, Who touched me?"
And he looked around to see who had done it.
The woman, realizing what had happened to her,
approached in fear and trembling.
She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.
He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you.
Go in peace and be cured of your affliction." While he was still speaking,
people from the synagogue official's house arrived and said,
"Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?"
Disregarding the message that was reported,
Jesus said to the synagogue official,
"Do not be afraid; just have faith."
He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside
except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.
When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official,
he caught sight of a commotion,
people weeping and wailing loudly.
So he went in and said to them,
"Why this commotion and weeping?
The child is not dead but asleep."
And they ridiculed him.
Then he put them all out.
He took along the child's father and mother
and those who were with him
and entered the room where the child was.
He took the child by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum,"
which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!"
The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.
At that they were utterly astounded.
He gave strict orders that no one should know this
and said that she should be given something to eat. | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! |  click to see website | | Daily Meditation: Mark 5:21-43 Who touched me? (Mark 5:31) What an odd question for Jesus to ask! Even the disciples thought as much. You can hear the surprise in their voices as they say, "You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, 'Who touched me?'" (Mark 5:31). In such a large crowd, any number of people could have touched Jesus' clothes. But when he asked, Who touched me? Jesus was asking about more than physical touch. He wanted to know who had reached out to him believing that if she touched him, she would be cured. As St. Augustine observed, "The crowd jostles, faith touches" (Sermons, 243). Jesus knew that lots of people were bumping into him, pressing in on him with their curiosity, their hunger, their needs. But the woman's faith made Jesus turn around and seek her out. So this woman, who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years, who had exhausted all of her resources and options, fell down before him and "told him the whole truth" (Mark 5:33). And Jesus healed her. What's more, he said, "Your faith has saved you" (5:34). He cleansed her and restored her to the community; he made her whole! By her actions, this woman showed the disciples the difference between reaching out to Jesus with faith and simply jostling him. That's a lesson for us. Because sometimes our hearts are full of our needs and desires, weighed down by challenging family situations or what's going on in the world. We might even have plans for how Jesus should resolve those situations. And so we press in on him, wanting him to bless our ideas. But when we come to Jesus with faith and trust, it makes all the difference. Our faith connects us to him in a life-changing way. It enables us to come to him and surrender our own ideas. It helps us bring him our needs with trust in the goodness of his plan. It moves us to stand before him stripped of our own efforts and solutions, knowing that he alone can make us whole. Then, ready to receive his grace, we can experience his healing and salvation. "Jesus, I come to you with everything on my heart. But I don't want to push you to follow my plan. I simply reach out to you and ask you to heal me." 2 Samuel 18:9-10, 14, 24-25, 30–19:3
Psalm 86:1-6 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "... So he went in and said to them,
"Why this commotion and weeping?
The child is not dead but asleep."
And they ridiculed him.
Then he put them all out.
He took along the child's father and mother
and those who were with him
and entered the room where the child was.
He took the child by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum,"
which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!"
The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.
At that they were utterly astounded.
He gave strict orders that no one should know this
and said that she should be given something to eat. ...." Word of the Lord. | From Roberto Juarez:
"This Gospel invites us not to lose confidence when it seems that everything has been delayed, when the answer does not arrive in time. Jesus is not late. He acts according to a logic that goes beyond our times.
Today let us ask the Lord for the grace to trust, even in darkness. May we know how to touch his garment in faith and listen to his word that tells us: "Do not be afraid". May we allow ourselves to be taken by the hand by Him and to rise to a new life."
From Bishop Barron:
"When news arrives that the child has died, the suggestion comes that Jesus should not be troubled any further. But Jesus says to the leader of the synagogue: "Do not be afraid; just have faith." There, in a nutshell, is the Gospel: a passion for the impossible, a firm belief that the reign of death is ended. Faith replaces fear. The Talitha koum ("little girl, get up") is a reminder of the absolute centrality of resurrection in the Jesus event. God is the Lord and giver of life, and he accordingly battles all those forces of death that bedevil us. " end quote.
| A while back, the Eucharistic year organizers put on a song competition to make it the song for the year. I decided to take a shot at it, and as I attempted, for some odd reason this Gospel was ringing in my heart, about the healing our Lord does, and about how He asks someone to eat after they rise from the dead. Even our Lord rose from the dead and asked once for the disciples to give him a piece of fish to eat in front of them. To eat is life, and Christ is the Life. He is opening our eyes, those of us who are asleep. My brother in law yesterday said his daddy is scheduled to be unplugged today and will pass away, and the dad said his deceased family was calling him and he was wanting his casket to go "to sleep". But we know our Lord is the resurrection, and this means hope. Here are the Lyrics to the song I wrote for the song: Listen to my created song click here Talitha Verse 1
"Why this commotion and why do all weep?
The child is not dead, she is nothing but asleep."
And they ridiculed him, He simply sent them away,
He took along the child's true family, and showed them the way. Verse 2 "Talitha koum," "Little girl, I say arise!"
The girl, arose now walking, opening all eyes,
He said that no one should know this feat,
He said she should be given something to eat.
Chorus Give me your food my Lord,
On my knees this I extoll,
Your precious body and blood my Lord,
And I will give you my soul. ▪ -
Bridge- Exultation: I am hungry now my Lord,
I am tired of the negative world,
I am hungry for Your light,
I am ready to be all yours. —- Verse 3: "Who has touched my clothes?"
My Lord, Nobody knows.
"The crowd is pressing on you,
and yet you ask, Who?" Verse 4 Suffering woman, tremble in fear,
"Daughter, your faith has saved you.
Go in peace and cured" dry your tears.
His food, it is not only faith, but it is LIFE itself, amen? He knows who touches Him.
He knows who's just panicking with no faith too.
Here we learn about faith...putting our lives totally in His precious hands and Sacred heart. |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Luke 6:37–38 [Luke 6]
Judging Others 37 "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you." . . . . . . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
