Minute Meditations
St. Paula Patron Saint of: Widows ---
Daily Prayer - 2016-01-26Presence"Be still and know that I am God" FreedomLord you gave me life and the gift of freedom. ConsciousnessIn God's loving presence I unwind the past day, The Word of GodMemorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops Reading 1 2 Tm 1:1-8 Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God Or Ti 1:1-5 Paul, a slave of God and Apostle of Jesus Christ Responsorial Psalm PS 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 7-8a, 10 R. (3) Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations. Alleluia See Mt 11:25 R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 3:31-35 The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house. Some thoughts on today's scripture
ConversationBegin to talk to Jesus about the piece of scripture you have just read. ConclusionGlory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops (Memorial) Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. (2 Timothy 1:2) Today we celebrate two of St. Paul's best-known companions: Timothy and Titus. Both were young men when they began working with Paul, and both grew to become leaders of the Church in their own right. While we don't know all that much about Titus, Scripture gives us a good portrait of Timothy. So let's see what we can learn from this man's life in the Lord. A highly regarded member of the Christian community in Lystra, Timothy had a deep love for God (Acts 16:2). We first hear about him when Paul visits Lystra during his second missionary journey. Paul meets the young man and is so impressed with his faith that he invites Timothy along as a helper. Two things that become evident in Paul's letters to Timothy are the young leader's lack of experience and his tendency to be timid in his leadership. Paul admonishes him to stand firm and not yield to erroneous teachings—essentially, to get some backbone and confront the issues threatening the faith of the Christian community at Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:18-20). On another occasion, Paul reminds him to be more assertive when addressing the community (2 Timothy 1:7) and reminds him how to conduct his personal life (1 Timothy 5:1-6). Timothy doesn't sound too good so far, does he? But the positive thing about him is his openness to Paul's teaching and encouragement. As time goes by, Paul begins to have more confidence and trust in him and relies on him more fully (Philippians 2:19-23). Timothy's shortcomings teach us that God can write straight on crooked lines. He can work with imperfect people. Like him, we need to allow ourselves to be formed and transformed over time. As we do, we too will be able to work wonders for the gospel. If God could work in Timothy, he can work in all of us. So hand yourself over to the Lord, and let him turn you into his emissary! "Thank you, Father, for Timothy's example of faithful service. Send your Holy Spirit to raise up men and women like him who have a sincere love for you and who are willing to serve your Church at any cost." Psalm 96:1-3, 7-8, 10 Asking For You Podcast Page: http://hipcast.com/podcast/HJ7fm17X my2cents: "I am grateful to God" says Saint Paul from a prison cell..."whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did". Rather be locked up and free than "free" and locked up inside. This is what it's all about. Persecutions are a given in a world where there is a prince of darkness to rattle your bones. Where is your true freedom? It is in the heart. A heart in disaster is an unpeaceful place, because no matter where it goes, it is bleeding. And today, we have a healing heart offering Himself. Just read the Holy Gospel, where our Lord is offering Himself as one of us...family, where we are honored to be one with Him as Saint Paul says in Ephesians "So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God". When He joins us to Him, we are united to Him, and can you imagine being united to God? Saint Paul goes on "I yearn to see you again, recalling your tears", remember, this is the Word of God, not Saint Paul. God yearns to see us again "so that I may be filled with joy". When will we see Him? When we travel outside our box, our comfort zone, and actually go meet Him in a needy world where most are greedy with their time and treasure and talent. Unknowingly, they wait, the forgotten wait for the Lord, in nursing homes, asylums, prisons, and those straying far from the Lord, lost in addictions of food, of lust, of money, lost in thoughts, consumed with buying and taking in the lies and gossip. Passions are thwarted and the Passion of Christ is forgotten. We go to Church, maybe. Maybe our bodies go, but our spirits are found wanting (lacking). Wanting of desire. Wanting of Passion. Wanting of fulfillment. Rejection seems to be the addage and a way of life. A constant rejection of the Lord. Why? Because we think we don't belong. Because we think we don't deserve. As if to say "I don't belong in Heaven" and "I don't deserve mercy". I've heard some even say to me "I know I'm going to hell" and they do nothing about it. Jesus "For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands". In the Holy Sacraments, we have the laying of hands and the priest is in the person of Christ, so it is Jesus laying His hands on us in the Holy Sacraments. And laying of hands has been passed on from the time of JEsus to this day through our Holy Church, the Bishops, Priests, and the Pope, and on the lay people. And through it, the gift is given, for you to have, the one of tenacity, and strength, watch what our Lord says next: "For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control." Control yourself to be able to love. You can with the grace of God control your tendency to sin. This then is the power needed and bestowed on each of us. And the side effect to self control and use of this power is the flowering gift of love, a better love...a better love of God our Father! So announce His salvation, day after day, after day! Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations. Sing to the LORD a new song. What deeds? That He has defeated all that stuff that ruins and will defeat anything that comes up. Singing a new song is a song of gratitude, an attitude Saint Paul that exhorts from prison and now in Heaven. He followed Christ to death and Christ raises Saint Paul to life. Is this heroic virtue? Or is it plain and simple love? You do things in the name of love that seem dumb to the world. Things like forgiving. Things like giving until you can not give any more and then find ways to give more. So don't be stingy with your sorry life, give! Give it to God! IF, if you are truly sorry. IF you are even sorry. And sorry here meaning sinful. Let Him have those sins, He knows how to fix things. Do not become despondent. Do not let others become disconnected from faith, not under your watch, but be a pusher, be pushy, keep pushing, remembering what P.U.S.H. means Praying Until Something Happens Find devotions, find prayers, find new ways to communicate to get through to souls. So long as we breathe, the one Who is Among us works through us by being one in us. Found among people, "your mother and brothers are looking for you". He says the truth "...whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother." They weren't any less and we aren't any more. Jesus says "I'll be your brother". If you've never had one, Here I Am. "I'll be your mother", you're never alone. "I'll be your Father" because I know how to give life. I'll be your everything if you let Me. adrian Subscribe to the visit Going4th.com mailing list. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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