Be Made Visible

MINUTE MEDITATIONS  Spiritual Battlefield The first mistake most Christians make is forgetting that they are embroiled in a war for souls. Your life is taking place on a battlefield. The enemy is real, and the sooner we realize that and proactively do something about it, the better off we and our families will be. — from Tweet Inspiration  Blessed Mary Angela Truszkowska (1825-1899) Today we honor a woman who submitted to God's will throughout her life—a life filled with pain and suffering.            Born in 1825 in central Poland and baptized Sophia, she contracted tuberculosis as a young girl. The forced period of convalescence gave her ample time for reflection. Sophia felt called to serve God by working with the poor, including street children and the elderly homeless in Warsaw's slums. In time, her cousin joined her in the work.            In 1855, the two women made private vows and consecrated themselves to the Blessed Mother. New followers emerged. Within two years they formed a new congregation, which came to be known as the Felician Sisters. As their numbers grew, so did their work, and so did the pressures on Mother Angela (the new name Sophia took in religious life).            Mother Angela served as superior for many years until ill health forced her to resign at the age of 44. She watched the order grow and expand, including missions to the United States among the sons and daughters of Polish immigrants.                                                                                       Mother Angela died in 1899, and was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1993. Saint of the Day Lives, Lessons and Feast By Leonard Foley, O.F.M.; revised by Pat McCloskey, O.F.M.  Presence Dear Jesus, I come to you today longing for your presence. I desire to love you as You love me. May nothing ever separate me from You. Freedom "I am free."  When I look at these words in writing  They seem to create in me a feeling of awe. Yes, a wonderful feeling of freedom.  Thank You, God. Consciousness I remind myself that I am in the presence of the Lord.  I will take refuge in His loving heart. He is my strength in times of weakness. He is my comforter in times of sorrow. The Word of God Reading 12 SM 7:18-19, 24-29 After Nathan had spoken to King David,  the king went in and sat before the LORD and said,  "Who am I, Lord GOD, and who are the members of my house,  that you have brought me to this point? Yet even this you see as too little, Lord GOD;  you have also spoken of the house of your servant  for a long time to come:  this too you have shown to man, Lord GOD! "You have established for yourself your people Israel as yours forever,  and you, LORD, have become their God. And now, LORD God, confirm for all time the prophecy you have made  concerning your servant and his house,  and do as you have promised. Your name will be forever great, when men say,  'The LORD of hosts is God of Israel,' and the house of your servant David stands firm before you. It is you, LORD of hosts, God of Israel,  who said in a revelation to your servant,  'I will build a house for you.' Therefore your servant now finds the courage to make this prayer to you. And now, Lord GOD, you are God and your words are truth;  you have made this generous promise to your servant. Do, then, bless the house of your servant  that it may be before you forever;  for you, Lord GOD, have promised,  and by your blessing the house of your servant  shall be blessed forever." Responsorial Psalm PS 132:1-2, 3-5, 11, 12, 13-14 R. (Lk 1:32b) The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father. LORD, remember David and all his anxious care; How he swore an oath to the LORD, vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob. R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father. "I will not enter the house where I live, nor lie on the couch where I sleep; I will give my eyes no sleep, my eyelids no rest, Till I find a home for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob." R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father. The LORD swore an oath to David a firm promise from which he will not withdraw: "Your own offspring  I will set upon your throne." R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father. "If your sons keep my covenant, and the decrees which I shall teach them, Their sons, too, forever shall sit upon your throne." R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father. For the LORD has chosen Zion, he prefers her for his dwelling: "Zion is my resting place forever; in her I will dwell, for I prefer her." R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father. Gospel MK 4:21-25 Jesus said to his disciples, "Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible;  nothing is secret except to come to light. Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear." He also told them, "Take care what you hear. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you,  and still more will be given to you. To the one who has, more will be given;  from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." Conversation Remembering that I am still in God's presence, I imagine Jesus himself standing or sitting beside me, and say whatever is on my mind, whatever is in my heart, speaking as one friend to another. Conclusion Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Meditation: Mark 4:21-25 View NAB Reading at USCCB.org Subscriber? Login to view archives. 3rd Week in Ordinary Time To the one who has, more will be given. (Mark 4:25)    Many experts agree that exploring alternative energy sources such as wind and solar power is very important for the world's future. At the same time, the world still has vast untapped resources that can be used right now. For example, Brazil and Venezuela combined have the potential to produce over six hundred billion barrels of oil. And the United States could produce an estimated 2.3 trillion barrels. But these resources will remain unused unless we can find a safe way to bring them out from under the ground.  Jesus has some very important things to say about untapped resources as well, but he's talking about the resources within us—our gifts and talents. Much like the earth's resources, they were given to us for a reason: they were meant to be used and not kept "under a basket" (Mark 4:21). But there are a couple of remarkable differences between our resources and those found in nature. Oil will eventually run out, and there are some places where we shouldn't go drilling to get it. But there's no limit on how we can use our gifts. In fact, the more we use them, the more they grow. The more we give out, the more we have to give!  Some of us may not realize the awesome potential we have for building the kingdom of God. Or we may wonder if we are using our gifts to the fullest. If you need a little inspiration, think of those whose service to God has made a big difference in your life—not necessarily Mother Teresa, but your neighbors and friends who do so much with the skills they have. Your parish, small group, or Bible study wouldn't be the same if they weren't making their own unique contributions.  Today, let's praise and thank the Lord for the gifts that these people are to us. Let's also ask him how we can shine our lights a little more brightly today. God has called each of us to shine in different ways, and each light does something to scatter the darkness in the world. Joined together in Christ, we can become a glorious source of renewable, spiritual energy! "Lord, you have given me so much. Help me to use all that I have to bring glory to you!"     2 Samuel 7:18-19, 24-29; Psalm 132:1-5, 11-14 my2cents: You don't worry about how much power will be lost.  You worry about what is to be given.  Throughout the bible, the "love letters of God" which I like to say, we have always an encouragement and a hope.  In Isaiah chapter 40 we read:  Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is God from of old, creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary, and his knowledge is beyond scrutiny. 29 He gives power to the faint, abundant strength to the weak. 30 Though young men faint and grow weary, and youths stagger and fall, 31 They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength, they will soar on eagles' wings; They will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint. I don't know why the story of a father asking his daughter for her plastic pearls keeps coming to mind. He asks repeatedly for her to give them to him so he can give her a necklace of REAL pearls.  This is how we are with our life.  We hold on so dearly, to the point that we will not step out in faith.  This life is plastic, the next is real.  This is temporary, the next is eternal.  Imagine that every detail, every minute of our lives are impacting the word in a unique way.  Now that you have that imagery, imagine our Lord standing at the door to knock with a lamp in his other hand.  The door signfies our heart. (I read this in todays 5minutos).  It is a big wooden door with no doorknob.  It is such so that we have the choice of letting Jesus, the light, into our heart, our lives.  Yet do we?  We may say we do, but do we really?  How about that person that approaches you, seems to be against you, did you let them into your heart?  Do we?  Do we really?  That person that asked you to take on a ministry, did you take it on?  Do we?  Do we really?  Because there is a differnce if we do, and if we REALLY do.  We can serve and serve to our bones, but very little comes of it.  To the one who has, more will be given.  Has what?  There is a scripture that says "ask and ye shall receive".  What do you think our Lord is talking about?  I always tell everyone "He isn't telling you to ask for a million bucks, He's asking you to recieve Him!".  I helped sing at a funeral yesterday, and it started with "Oh Lord, you are, more precious than silver....and nothing I desire compares to you".   My family, Jesus is offering Himself today, the light of the world, the food of the world, the drink for the life of the world, it is all Him, all about Him.  But YOLO (You Only Live Once) right?  Nope.  LOL, my daughter said "daddy, YOLO isn't right because we actually have two lives, one hear and one after we die".  I was astounded to hear this from a little girl, but Jesus speaks through souls.  Will He speak through yours today?  He will, once that door opens up.  We had co-worker bible study last night, and a friend said "I left my door open just for a little bit, and soon a mouse was running all over the place".  I said "that's how evil works, you open the door just a little bit and it will be running all over the place in your life".  That is why we are not to give the devil a ride or it will want to drive.  Yet, the opposite is even more true, more light, more life...if we open the door just a little to Jesus, more and more will He come in.  This gives us hope, this renews our strength, this will let us soar on eagle's wings, run the race and not grow weary.  The eagle symbol in the Gospel is of the Gospel of John. I can't forget the words of my uncle Hector, "the symbol of the eagle is because John starts high in the sky and comes to man".  It is true, and it is the Gospel of Love.  Our hope is out of this world, but comes into the world.  He is a whisper away, an opening of the heart away.  Jesus has directed these fingers to type to you something spectacular in His eyes...and He tells me His eyes are upon you child of God   adrian Subscribe

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