| Minute Meditations
St. Fabian Fabian was a Roman layman who came into the city from his farm one day as clergy and people were preparing to elect a new pope. Eusebius, a Church historian, says a dove flew in and settled on the head of Fabian. This sign united the votes of clergy and laity, and he was chosen unanimously. In the catacombs of St. Callistus, the stone that covered Fabian's grave may still be seen, broken into four pieces, bearing the Greek words, "Fabian, bishop, martyr." Comment: We can go confidently into the future and accept the change that growth demands only if we have firm roots in the past, in a living tradition. A few pieces of stone in Rome are a reminder to us that we are bearers of more than 20 centuries of a living tradition of faith and courage in living the life of Christ and showing it to the world. We have brothers and sisters who have "gone before us with the sign of faith," as the First Eucharistic Prayer puts it, to light the way for us. Quote: "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church" (Tertullian).
Presence At any time of the day or night we can call on Jesus. Freedom Lord, you granted me the great gift of freedom. Consciousness Knowing that God loves me unconditionally, I can afford to be honest about how I am. How has the last day been, and how do I feel now? I share my feelings openly with the Lord. The Word of God Reading 1 Heb 5:1-10Brothers and sisters: Responsorial Psalm Ps 110:1, 2, 3, 4R. (4b) You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek. Alleluia Heb 4:12R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 2:18-22The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast. Listen to audio of this reading Watch a video reflection Conversation Conversation requires talking and listening. As I talk to Jesus may I also learn to be still and listen. I picture the gentleness in His eyes and the smile full of love as he gazes on me. I can be totally honest with Jesus as I tell Him of my worries and my cares. I will open up my heart to Him as I tell Him of my fears and my doubts. I will ask Him to help me to place myself fully in His care, to abandon myself to Him, knowing that He always wants what is best for me. Conclusion Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, 2nd Week in Ordinary Time In the days when he was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears. (Hebrews 5:7)
It's both wonderful and mysterious how Jesus lived while he was on the earth. We know that as God made flesh, he entered fully into our human condition. He displayed compassion, sorrow, tenderness, and mercy, and he also experienced tiredness, hunger, pain, temptation, and fear. He was human just like us, subject to all the experiences we face. But at the same time, he was fully God, and that meant he never let any of these experiences lead him to sin. Here's one good side to the mystery of Jesus: he knows what we're going through because he's been through it. At the same time he knows that we don't have the same strength that he had to overcome sin. In other words, he gets it! He doesn't condemn us; he forgives us. Knowing our weaknesses and not wanting to lose any of us, he is extremely patient with us. He went so far as to shed his blood for us. How did the Father respond to Jesus' dedication to us? Resurrection! He didn't relieve Jesus' suffering or remove the cross from him, but he transformed his Son's death into new life. So when you feel the challenges of everyday life, when your sin weighs heavily on you, when you feel there is no way out of temptation, you can turn to Jesus, because he never gave up on you! He is still interceding for you, joining his prayers to yours and lifting them up to his heavenly Father. What more assurance can we have than this great high priest, who has ransomed us from sin? He forgives and forgets, then he sends us back out into the world to pass on his message of forgiveness! So come to the Lord with all your "stuff." He won't turn you away. He won't ask, "Why weren't you strong enough?" He's only going to say, "Neither do I condemn you. Now, get up and stick with me. We've got work to do." "Jesus, thank you for your prayers, your forgiveness, your patience with me—again! I not only place myself at your mercy, but at your service."
Psalm 110:1-4
my2cents: Allow me to translate today's 5minutos: "Many people live a life where happiness, joy, and the mystery have died. To them, all is gray and pain. The fire of life has turned off. They get happy when not thinking nor hope too much. THeir life carries on in a trivial and tiring manner. Where does this tiredness and sadness come from? Life is full of problems, of little causes: too much work, insecurity, guilts, loneliness, afraid of illness, deceptions, impossible desires...But, the true root of this sadness, is that inside the interior of these lives there is solitude and emptiness. When one has nothing inside, they need to look for something outside to help them live. When one does not live any joyful experience in their interior, they need someone to excite them from the outside, and if not found they are left sad and without life. There is in our society a tendency to consider as an illusion "what comes from the heart". The interior world is substituted by what is outside, the things at our reach, the objects to possess. But, when one has no interior life, things are boring, the conversations become unsubstantial chatter, a torrent of words without much content. In the long run, everything starts becoming monotonous and grey, borring. The joy can only be discovered when life is lived from the inside, when man knows to let self be inhabited by the mystery, when opened up to all calling that invites to love, the adoration the surrendered faith. What faith have we lived us Christians that there has appeared before men like something sad, borring and painful? With what have we confused the joyful presence of God in our lives? How have we impoverished life in the resurrected spirit? Jesus reminds us one more time with an expressive image that the faith should be lived as and expression of joy: the friends of the groom "can not fast while they have the groom with them". The Spirit has led me to begin writing songs for the year 2015, two in one weekend, which is odd, normally one per month occurs. Stranger things yet, the phenomenal presence of God is still being revealed about our charismatic prayer last week. It is still being dissected and digested. Much in the same way, is the life of Christ, the high priest, that offered sacrifice for the people. Everything He did and said is still being dissected and digested, and digested is a good word, because we literally eat the Word made flesh for the life of the world. And so one of two things happens when we digest the Word; 1) Nothing: nothing happens and life goes on the same as before (or worse). Or, 2) Life Happens: the realization that God is with us makes a manifestation that causes great eternal celebration for the soul. I'm serious, it is black and white, dark or day, night or light. It's as if the disciples where with the ultimate sacrifice, they weren't going to kill it, but those that questioned them did. How can you fast with the live lamb? A priest would sacrifice by slaughtering the lamb, and one can't kill oneself, it is God that chooses when and where and how. No lamb would kill itself, but the priest would. And so, nowadays, we live in the times of the sacrificial lamb that was slaughtered, the obedient High Priest, Jesus. We fast, not because we are without, but because we are filling ourselves within. In Scripture and charismatics, you have to use your body to worship, King David danced for God, and some ridiculed him...to their own demise. What I am trying to say, is we have to have a renewed sense of who God is in our lives, and this sense should make sense that God is everything in our lives. One said about our prayer gathering "I didn't know it was going to be like living a Cursillo", and another texted me yesterday evening, "i'm cleaning my house and cooking and I am crying because of God's goodness and I wated to thank you for everything I first thank Jesus..." and she is speaking of God's love experienced in the prayer meeting. I asked my daughter what she thought and she said "it was like that time that we experienced God's presence in Adoration". He is with us, this is all I am trying to say to you right now. The groom? Right inside the heart. The bride? Your heart, the Holy Church. Why do we not fast? Exactly. Why don't we fast more so more of the groom comes inside? We don't because we have been fooled by the richness of the world, material things to blind you to the fact to tell you that you don't need no god. I fast every morning until I finish writing to you. I fast before Holy Mass. I fasted before Christmas and it was the most beautiful Christmas I've ever experienced. Soon, Lent will come so we can fast, what an honor to empty our bodies, our Holy Temples to make more room for the groom. Jesus makes everything new. I have seen transformations, healings, and lights turned on for the Lord, and the focus now is to keep them on until the day He comes for each and every one of us. As if He is so far away, I've already said, He is with us...have no fear, have joy, have peace. That's another thing one said of our prayer gathering "for the first time I felt peace like never before " and she slept good because previously physical ailments impeded her. The point of it all is this, you were there in prayer, and God is with us all in everything we do for Him. When we are with Him, we have everything, no room for the emptiness of sin... We are Whole and Holy His  adrian | |||||||
Going4th,
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