 From: MorningOffering Website | † Quote of the Day "Keep the joy of loving God in your heart and share this joy with all you meet, especially your family. Be holy." -St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta Today's Meditation "At the foot of the Cross, Mary witnessed the conversion of the good thief, and her soul rejoiced that he had accepted the will of God. Her Divine Son's second word, promising paradise as a reward for that surrender, reminded her of her own second word thirty years before, when the angel had appeared to her and told her that she was to be the Mother of Him who was now dying on he Cross...The second word of Jesus on Golgotha [Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise] and the second word of Mary in Nazareth [Be it done to me according to thy word] teach the same lesson: Everyone in the world has a cross, but the cross is not the same for any two of us. The cross of the thief was not the cross of Mary. The difference was due to God's will toward each. The thief was to give life: Mary to accept life. The Thief was to hang on his cross, Mary was to stand beneath hers. The thief was to go ahead; Mary to remain behind. The thief received a dismissal; Mary received a mission. The thief was to be received into paradise, but paradise was to be received into Mary." —Venerable Fulton Sheen, p. 104
An excerpt from The Cries of Jesus From the Cross Daily Verse "For through the law I died to the law, that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ; yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me." -Galatians 2:19-20 |  EWTN Daily Saint | | St Rafqa Rebecca St. Rafqa / Rafka (Arabic for Rebecca) (1832–1914) was born in Himlaya, a Maronite village in the Lebanese mountains. She was an only child, and her mother died when she was seven. After her father's remarriage there was much family discord as to whom Rafqa should marry. Not wanting to wed any of the men in question, she turned to God and entered religious life at the age of 21. She had a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary which she learned from her mother. She studied and served as a teacher for many years, but, after witnessing and surviving a massacre of Christians, she decided at the age of 39 to become a cloistered contemplative nun living under a strict rule in a monastery. Here, Rafqa prayed earnestly that she might share in the sufferings of Christ. Her prayers were heard almost immediately. She became blind and paralyzed, and over the course of 30 years she struggled with deteriorating health and incredible pain. All of her sufferings she united to the sufferings of Christ without complaint. Under obedience to her superior she worked on an autobiography near the end of her life. She died at the age of 82, and her grave is credited with many miracles. St. Rafqa is a Catholic Maronite saint canonized by Pope St. John Paul II in 2001. She is the patron of sick people, bodily ills, and loss of parents. Her feast day is March 23rd. | Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent Lectionary: 251 Reading I Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 or 13:41c-62 In Babylon there lived a man named Joakim,
who married a very beautiful and God-fearing woman, Susanna,
the daughter of Hilkiah;
her pious parents had trained their daughter
according to the law of Moses.
Joakim was very rich;
he had a garden near his house,
and the Jews had recourse to him often
because he was the most respected of them all. That year, two elders of the people were appointed judges,
of whom the Lord said, "Wickedness has come out of Babylon:
from the elders who were to govern the people as judges."
These men, to whom all brought their cases,
frequented the house of Joakim.
When the people left at noon,
Susanna used to enter her husband's garden for a walk.
When the old men saw her enter every day for her walk,
they began to lust for her.
They suppressed their consciences;
they would not allow their eyes to look to heaven,
and did not keep in mind just judgments. One day, while they were waiting for the right moment,
she entered the garden as usual, with two maids only.
She decided to bathe, for the weather was warm.
Nobody else was there except the two elders,
who had hidden themselves and were watching her.
"Bring me oil and soap," she said to the maids,
"and shut the garden doors while I bathe." As soon as the maids had left,
the two old men got up and hurried to her.
"Look," they said, "the garden doors are shut, and no one can see us;
give in to our desire, and lie with us.
If you refuse, we will testify against you
that you dismissed your maids because a young man was here with you." "I am completely trapped," Susanna groaned.
"If I yield, it will be my death;
if I refuse, I cannot escape your power.
Yet it is better for me to fall into your power without guilt
than to sin before the Lord."
Then Susanna shrieked, and the old men also shouted at her,
as one of them ran to open the garden doors.
When the people in the house heard the cries from the garden,
they rushed in by the side gate to see what had happened to her.
At the accusations by the old men,
the servants felt very much ashamed,
for never had any such thing been said about Susanna. When the people came to her husband Joakim the next day,
the two wicked elders also came,
fully determined to put Susanna to death.
Before all the people they ordered:
"Send for Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah,
the wife of Joakim."
When she was sent for,
she came with her parents, children and all her relatives.
All her relatives and the onlookers were weeping. In the midst of the people the two elders rose up
and laid their hands on her head.
Through tears she looked up to heaven,
for she trusted in the Lord wholeheartedly.
The elders made this accusation:
"As we were walking in the garden alone,
this woman entered with two girls
and shut the doors of the garden, dismissing the girls.
A young man, who was hidden there, came and lay with her.
When we, in a corner of the garden, saw this crime,
we ran toward them.
We saw them lying together,
but the man we could not hold, because he was stronger than we;
he opened the doors and ran off.
Then we seized her and asked who the young man was,
but she refused to tell us.
We testify to this."
The assembly believed them,
since they were elders and judges of the people,
and they condemned her to death. But Susanna cried aloud:
"O eternal God, you know what is hidden
and are aware of all things before they come to be:
you know that they have testified falsely against me.
Here I am about to die,
though I have done none of the things
with which these wicked men have charged me." The Lord heard her prayer.
As she was being led to execution,
God stirred up the holy spirit of a young boy named Daniel,
and he cried aloud:
"I will have no part in the death of this woman."
All the people turned and asked him, "What is this you are saying?"
He stood in their midst and continued,
"Are you such fools, O children of Israel!
To condemn a woman of Israel without examination
and without clear evidence?
Return to court, for they have testified falsely against her." Then all the people returned in haste.
To Daniel the elders said,
"Come, sit with us and inform us,
since God has given you the prestige of old age."
But he replied,
"Separate these two far from each other that I may examine them." After they were separated one from the other,
he called one of them and said:
"How you have grown evil with age!
Now have your past sins come to term:
passing unjust sentences, condemning the innocent,
and freeing the guilty, although the Lord says,
'The innocent and the just you shall not put to death.'
Now, then, if you were a witness,
tell me under what tree you saw them together."
"Under a mastic tree," he answered.
Daniel replied, "Your fine lie has cost you your head,
for the angel of God shall receive the sentence from him
and split you in two."
Putting him to one side, he ordered the other one to be brought.
Daniel said to him,
"Offspring of Canaan, not of Judah, beauty has seduced you,
lust has subverted your conscience.
This is how you acted with the daughters of Israel,
and in their fear they yielded to you;
but a daughter of Judah did not tolerate your wickedness.
Now, then, tell me under what tree you surprised them together."
"Under an oak," he said.
Daniel replied, "Your fine lie has cost you also your head,
for the angel of God waits with a sword to cut you in two
so as to make an end of you both." The whole assembly cried aloud,
blessing God who saves those who hope in him.
They rose up against the two elders,
for by their own words Daniel had convicted them of perjury.
According to the law of Moses,
they inflicted on them
the penalty they had plotted to impose on their neighbor:
they put them to death.
Thus was innocent blood spared that day. OR: The assembly condemned Susanna to death. But Susanna cried aloud:
"O eternal God, you know what is hidden
and are aware of all things before they come to be:
you know that they have testified falsely against me.
Here I am about to die,
though I have done none of the things
with which these wicked men have charged me." The Lord heard her prayer.
As she was being led to execution,
God stirred up the holy spirit of a young boy named Daniel,
and he cried aloud:
"I will have no part in the death of this woman."
All the people turned and asked him,
"What is this you are saying?"
He stood in their midst and continued,
"Are you such fools, O children of Israel!
To condemn a woman of Israel without examination
and without clear evidence?
Return to court, for they have testified falsely against her." Then all the people returned in haste.
To Daniel the elders said,
"Come, sit with us and inform us,
since God has given you the prestige of old age."
But he replied,
"Separate these two far from each other that I may examine them." After they were separated one from the other,
he called one of them and said:
"How you have grown evil with age!
Now have your past sins come to term:
passing unjust sentences, condemning the innocent,
and freeing the guilty, although the Lord says,
'The innocent and the just you shall not put to death.'
Now, then, if you were a witness,
tell me under what tree you saw them together."
"Under a mastic tree," he answered.
Daniel replied, "Your fine lie has cost you your head,
for the angel of God shall receive the sentence from him
and split you in two."
Putting him to one side, he ordered the other one to be brought.
Daniel said to him, "Offspring of Canaan, not of Judah,
beauty has seduced you, lust has subverted your conscience.
This is how you acted with the daughters of Israel,
and in their fear they yielded to you;
but a daughter of Judah did not tolerate your wickedness.
Now, then, tell me under what tree you surprised them together."
"Under an oak," he said.
Daniel replied, "Your fine lie has cost you also your head,"
for the angel of God waits with a sword to cut you in two
so as to make an end of you both." The whole assembly cried aloud,
blessing God who saves those who hope in him.
They rose up against the two elders,
for by their own words Daniel had convicted them of perjury.
According to the law of Moses,
they inflicted on them
the penalty they had plotted to impose on their neighbor:
they put them to death.
Thus was innocent blood spared that day. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6 R. (4ab) Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side. Verse before the Gospel Ezekiel 33:11 I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, says the Lord,
but rather in his conversion, that he may live. Gospel John 8:1-11 Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area,
and all the people started coming to him,
and he sat down and taught them.
Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman
who had been caught in adultery
and made her stand in the middle.
They said to him,
"Teacher, this woman was caught
in the very act of committing adultery.
Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women.
So what do you say?"
They said this to test him,
so that they could have some charge to bring against him.
Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.
But when they continued asking him,
he straightened up and said to them,
"Let the one among you who is without sin
be the first to throw a stone at her."
Again he bent down and wrote on the ground.
And in response, they went away one by one,
beginning with the elders.
So he was left alone with the woman before him.
Then Jesus straightened up and said to her,
"Woman, where are they?
Has no one condemned you?"
She replied, "No one, sir."
Then Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you.
Go, and from now on do not sin any more." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! |  From Word Among Us WAU.org | Daily Meditation: John 8:1-11 Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. (John 8:6) Jesus couldn't have been more dismissive. Some men had brought him a woman whom they had caught committing adultery. They wanted to know if she should be stoned to death in accordance with Mosaic law. But Jesus just bent down and started "to write on the ground with his finger" (John 8:6). When they kept clamoring for an answer, he stood up and delivered one of his most famous lines: "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her" (8:7). Then he went back to doodling in the dirt. Did Jesus approve of the woman's sin? Of course not! But he could tell that her accusers didn't care about her sin, either. They didn't even care about her. She was just a pawn, someone they could use to trap him (John 8:6). So instead of playing their game, he focused his attention on her. "Has no one condemned you?" he asked after the crowd dispersed. "Neither do I" (8:10, 11). Addressing her face-to-face, he gave her back her dignity, assured her that she was safe, and warned her against further sin. In this brief but tender exchange, Jesus shows that he "did not come to condemn the world but to save the world" (John 12:47). He wasn't interested in the voices of condemnation then, and he isn't interested in them now. He wants to assure you of his mercy, especially when those accusing, condemning voices clamor loudly in your mind. He wants to silence them by setting you free from your sin. Just as he told the woman, he wants to tell you, "Neither do I condemn you" (8:11). The men wanted a heated confrontation with Jesus, but he wanted a saving encounter with the woman. Jesus wants the same for you today. He knows everything about you—good and bad—and he opens his arms to you in welcome. So let him forgive you. Let him silence the accusations. Let him set you free and give you confidence in his love so that you, too, can "not sin any more" (John 8:11). "Thank you, Jesus, for setting me free and refusing to condemn me!" Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62
Psalm 23:1-6 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: ".. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.
But when they continued asking him,
he straightened up and said to them,
"Let the one among you who is without sin
be the first to throw a stone at her."
Again he bent down and wrote on the ground.
And in response, they went away one by one,
beginning with the elders.
So he was left alone with the woman before him.
Then Jesus straightened up and said to her,
"Woman, where are they?
Has no one condemned you?"
She replied, "No one, sir."
Then Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you.
Go, and from now on do not sin any more."...." | From Roberto Juarez end of his reflection: "Jesus' reaction is surprising. He does not respond immediately. He bends down and begins to write on the floor. This gesture creates silence, disarms tension, forces everyone to stop. Then, when they insist, Jesus pronounces a phrase that pierces everyone's heart: "Whoever is without sin, let him cast the first stone." Jesus does not deny sin. But it forces everyone to look at themselves. They can no longer look only at women. They have to look at their own lives. And the Gospel says: "They slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest." Why the oldest first? Perhaps because they have more experience of their own fragility. Everyone leaves. No one stays to condemn. Then only Jesus is left with the woman. And he asks her: "Woman, where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?" She replies, "None, Lord." And Jesus says, "Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on sin no more." Here is the heart of the Gospel. Jesus does not condemn, but neither does he justify sin. It offers something greater: the possibility of a new life. This passage teaches us that in Christ mercy and truth are perfectly united. It does not trivialize sin. But it does not crush the sinner either. Jesus does not reduce the woman to her error. He sees in her a person capable of change. And it opens up a future for him.
This Gospel challenges us profoundly. We can identify with several characters: With the accusers, when we judge harshly, when we point out the mistakes of others forgetting our own. With women, when we experience the weight of our faults, when we feel judged or unable to change. And also with Jesus, when we are called to look at others with mercy. It is easy to fall into the attitude of the Pharisees. Seeing the sin of others is easier than recognizing one's own. But Jesus reminds us that we are all in need of forgiveness. No one can be above the others. The Christian community is not a group of perfect people, but of people who have been forgiven. Jesus' final word to the woman is a call to responsibility: "Sin no more." Mercy is not an excuse to continue the same. It is an opportunity to change. Every encounter with Christ is an invitation to get up and start anew.
This Gospel is great news for all of us. God does not condemn us. God does not reduce us to our mistakes. God always offers us a way of new life. Let us ask the Lord for a humble heart, one that recognizes its own sin, a merciful gaze towards others, and the courage to change one's life. May we never forget these words of Jesus: "Neither do I condemn you." And may we know how to accept his call: "Go, and sin no more." end quote.
In today's daily Mass here in our parish, our priest said in his homily the words of Holy Scripture to reflect on the event where they wanted to stone the adulterous woman, in which the Lord says He does not desire the death of a sinner, but that they repent. Key Scriptures: 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV): "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance". Ezekiel 33:11 (KJV): "Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?". Ezekiel 18:23 (NIV): "Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?". Ezekiel is the 1st Holy Scripture we heard from this past Sunday in the Holy Scriptures, do you remember? And what did He say to us? "O my people!
I will put my spirit in you that you may live,
and I will settle you upon your land;
thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD."
And he was proclaiming that God would rise us from the tombs and give life to our mortal bodies.
And He does.
The reason you are alive today is because God our Father wills it to be!
How precious. How terribly amazing.
How fearful we should be at this amazing feat. And our Lord Jesus becomes the first priest to show all priests how to be...in the confessional.
When we come to our Lord, trembling, beaten up by our accusers, and even found guilty of our own sins...Our Lord has mercy on those that want mercy...on us who desire to truly repent.
But that is the forever problem...who wants to repent? Who desires holiness? Who desires not what is evil? Who desires life?
Who desires what Jesus is! THE LIFE.
His Way. His Truth. His Life.
I kept reflecting as the father spoke. What's up with the stone they wanted to throw...yet, they dropped their stones and turned around.
Those stones were judgement...it came to me.
Now...the sinless one will Judge. JESUS CHRIST.
You see, they put it all on Him...His life, His decision.
And this is the reality.
God is our ultimate Judge, and God is Jesus. God our Father said that whatever our Lord Jesus say will be...that will be.
Which brings me to the next point.
Who cares for Jesus? Who will tend to Him?
Yesterday we heard in Scripture that Jesus wept.
Did that affect you in any way at all? Or did you just hear the word, shrugged it off and kept thinking about yourself and your own business?
Who cares? Who truly cares about the sacred heart of Jesus?
Somebody is going to have to care. Or else.
This Lent, something strange has been happening in our daily 3pm Prayer. Nobody knows this, but here it goes. As we pray the 3pm prayer...I've been trying something new as I stare at a crucifix...for each decade, for the 10 count, I look at our Lord for reference on each wound.
2 for the feet, the hole on each foot.
2 for the knees, one for each hole bleeding on each knee.
2 for the hands, one hole on each hand, I focus on the pain.
2 for the head wounds, the holes on his head because of the thorns and the holes left behind because of them ripping his beard hairs out.
2 for the core of the body, one for the most excruciating pain our Lord told to a saint in a vision, the shoulder, because the wood beam He carried was like a saw on his bare bone and it was crippling Him as He walked...sounds terrible, the walk was terrible, the pain was more than agonizing.
And the last hole? You DO NOT WANT To KNOW.
And I wonder who will start caring?
The last hole, it hurts me more than it hurt our Lord physically...but the moment the lance pierced Him and popped the water bubbling up around His Sacred Heart. Sure we needed it to happen. Sure God knew. Sure Jesus allowed it. BUT. HOW COULD WE?
You can dismiss what I say, but I say, we have much reconciling to do. Protestants are not correct, when they say this happened long ago and all is fine. No. God suffers until today.
He suffers when we do not care. About Him. His people. His will. His mission. His Cross. His Precious Heart.
This morning, as I sat alone at work, and a picture of Jesus on the desk I sat at...Him at the agony at the Garden of Gethsemane...who cares about those tears coming out of His eyes?
I stopped everything and began to offer an Our Father for a tear. Adopt a tear. Adopt a soul for Christ. |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
1 Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
