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St. Adrian of Canterbury
(d. 710)
Though St. Adrian turned down a papal request to become Archbishop of Canterbury, England, Pope St. Vitalian accepted the rejection on the condition that Adrian serve as the Holy Father's assistant and adviser. Adrian accepted, but ended up spending most of his life and doing most of his work in Canterbury.
Born in Africa, Adrian was serving as an abbot in Italy when the new Archbishop of Canterbury appointed him abbot of the monastery of Sts. Peter and Paul in Canterbury. Thanks to his leadership skills, the facility became one of the most important centers of learning. The school attracted many outstanding scholars from far and wide and produced numerous future bishops and archbishops. Students reportedly learned Greek and Latin and spoke Latin as well as their own native languages. Adrian taught at the school for 40 years. He died there, probably in the year 710, and was buried in the monastery. Several hundred years later, when reconstruction was being done, Adrian's body was discovered in an incorrupt state. As word spread, people flocked to his tomb, which became famous for miracles. Rumor had it that young schoolboys in trouble with their masters made regular visits there.  Saint of the DayLives, Lessons and FeastBy Leonard Foley, O.F.M.; revised by Pat McCloskey, O.F.M.
Presence "Be still and know that I am God."
Lord, Your words lead us to the
calmness and greatness of Your Presence. Freedom There are very few people
who realise what God would make of them
if they abandoned themselves into his hands,
and let themselves be formed by his grace. (Saint Ignatius)
I ask for the grace to trust myself totally to God's love. Consciousness In God's loving presence I unwind the past day,
starting from now and looking back, moment by moment.
I gather in all the goodness and light, in gratitude.
I attend to the shadows and what they say to me,
seeking healing, courage, forgiveness.
The Word of God Friday after Epiphany Beloved:
Who indeed is the victor over the world
but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is the one who came through water and Blood, Jesus Christ,
not by water alone, but by water and Blood.
The Spirit is the one who testifies,
and the Spirit is truth.
So there are three who testify,
the Spirit, the water, and the Blood,
and the three are of one accord.
If we accept human testimony,
the testimony of God is surely greater.
Now the testimony of God is this,
that he has testified on behalf of his Son.
Whoever believes in the Son of God
has this testimony within himself.
Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar
by not believing the testimony God has given about his Son.
And this is the testimony:
God gave us eternal life,
and this life is in his Son.
Whoever possesses the Son has life;
whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life.
I write these things to you so that you may know
that you have eternal life,
you who believe in the name of the Son of God. R. (12a) Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia. R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. It happened that there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where Jesus was;
and when he saw Jesus,
he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said,
"Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean."
Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,
"I do will it. Be made clean."
And the leprosy left him immediately.
Then he ordered him not to tell anyone, but
"Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing
what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them."
The report about him spread all the more,
and great crowds assembled to listen to him
and to be cured of their ailments,
but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray.
Listen to audio of this reading
Watch a video reflection Conversation Jesus, you always welcomed little children when you walked on this earth. Teach me to have a childlike trust in you. To live in the knowledge that you will never abandon me. 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.
Christmas Weekday He would withdraw to deserted places to pray. (Luke 5:16) Whenever the pope visits a foreign land, multitudes throng the site for hours, even days before he arrives. Thousands line the streets and swarm his vehicle to get a glimpse of him. So when we read in Scripture that "great crowds" gathered to hear Jesus preach and to be healed (Luke 5:15), we have some idea of how hard it was for him to move about, let alone continue to hear clearly from his Father in heaven! So how did Jesus remain peaceful, calm, and assured of God's will among the teeming throng? The answer is prayer. When word spread that Jesus had healed a man with leprosy, and the crowds swarmed him, he withdrew "to deserted places to pray" (Luke 5:16). Prayer—intimate, refreshing, reassuring prayer—was the foundation to all he did. It enabled him to know when to minister and when to withdraw, when to rebuke and when to comfort. Prayer renewed Jesus' strength, soothed and refreshed his spirit, and imbued his heart with confidence. Above all, it kept him in touch with his Father's unshakable love. Here is what is so encouraging about Christianity: the close, personal, life-giving prayer that Jesus experienced is possible for all of us! What's more, God is eager for it. He loves it when we go to him with our needs. He delights in speaking to us personally, whether he is giving us guidance, teaching us about himself, or moving us into new ways of serving him. In grief or rejoicing, fear or thanksgiving, guilt or uncertainty, we are always welcome to turn to our Father. Prayer is meant to be as easy as speaking to our best friend. Whenever we speak to God, he is ready to respond to us. Perhaps a line from Scripture will come to mind, or we will see a recent situation in a new light or feel a sense of peace in the silence of our hearts. As we rest with the Lord in prayer, his grace fills us, energizing us to follow him. Whatever our situation, we can expect to be filled and made new, just as Jesus was, when we withdraw in prayer. "Holy Spirit, take me deeper into Jesus' life and love. I want to know the Father's heart and ways and to experience his life as I pray today." 1 John 5:5-13
Psalm 147:12-15, 19-20
my2cents:
We could take a lesson from the time the leper, the sick man, the abandoned man, the one that disgusted everyone and stayed away from, and the lesson is one of pleading for mercy, and the lesson from Jesus, a lesson of compassion and mercy. Yet we live with rancor, a disease, revenge, a sickness, and not once ask for help with the disease, we just try to cope, until it is too late, death comes, the wages of sin. Sin in spanish means without. Sin means we are without God, the healer, the consoler, the savior that brings to life to eternity. And this is what the first scripture said "I write these things to you so that you may know that you have eternal life, you who believe in the name of the Son of God." The leper is you and I infected with the contagious sin, of being without God in our lives, and this deforms us. Leprosy then is a perfect example, a metaphor or analogy of sin. Leprosy, or sin, eats away at not just our flesh (blood) but also at the spirit (the water), and this in turn affects our relationship with the Spirit, God Himself. When Jesus heals, He heals body and soul, because He is the incarnate Spirit. That's what the world needs; to repent and be healed.
I ask for your prayer, because in the coming week, I will fulfill a promise to a sister in law that is in RCIA. In encouragement for her faith, I said I would hold a praise and worship night, a charismatic type gathering that induces the Spirit and of healing. I am beginning to invite the sick to the gathering, and many are sick in the spirit not just the body (blood and water). That is why we need the Blood and Water of Jesus, for healing. If there then, is healing through Jesus, we must do what He asks. Present ourselves to the priests in atonement for our sins, a penance, a purification as the law of Moses had prescribed. Only nowadays, we don't have to sacrifice a lamb, because Jesus provides...His Blood, Body, and Soul. This is the Eucharist. This is Jesus.
I went to a funeral a couple days ago. The visiting priest, Fr. Joe, said something that made my jaw drop, I was like " oh no he didn't!!" LOL, but the Spirit has words that encourage to come to Jesus. Fr. Joe read the Gospel, where Jesus invites everyone to eat of His flesh so that they would have eternal life. Fr. Joe told everyone that we need to eat this flesh of Christ to partake of eternal life and invited everyone to one day be able to do so. Strangely, we don't hear these words often enough. An invite to touch the Lord and allow Him to touch you in a way nothing on earth can touch you...with His Blood, and Body, Soul and Divinity.
I know many that are reading this are like the many that go to Mass and can not or will not partake of what He is offering, we know what is keeping us from pleading. This then is an encouragement for you. You probably won't make it to the prayer worship hour we will have, and so my prayer for you is that you are encouraged to take that leper's step, where he prostrated himself before the Lord. Because healing is there, eternity is there all for the taking because it is being given. He gave His body...can we give ours?
YES
I DO WILL IT
 adrian
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