A Redeeming God Think of the Gospel story of Jesus and Lazarus. Jesus treats him exactly the same way that God, the Father, treats Jesus: Jesus is deeply and intimately loved by his Father and yet his Father doesn't rescue him from humiliation, pain, and death. In his lowest hour, when he is humiliated, suffering, and dying on the cross, Jesus is jeered by the crowd with the challenge: "If God is your father, let him rescue you!" But there's no rescue. Instead Jesus dies inside the humiliation and pain. God raises him up only after his death. This is one of the key revelations inside the cross: We have a redeeming, not a rescuing, God. —from the book The Passion and the Cross by Ronald Rolheiser
franciscan media | ✞Quote
"If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion."
— St. Maximilian Kolbe ✞ MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"When will the happy time come when the divine Mary will be established Mistress and Queen of all hearts, in order that she may subject them fully to the empire of her great and holy Jesus? When will souls breathe Mary as the body breathes air? When that time comes, wonderful things will happen in those lowly places where the Holy Ghost, finding His dear spouse, as it were, reproduced, in all souls, shall come in with abundance, and fill them to overflowing with His gifts, and particularly with the gift of wisdom, to work miracles of grace."
— St. Louis de Montfort, p.118-19
AN EXCERPT FROM
True Devotion to Mary ✞ VERSE OF THE DAY
"Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry come to you. Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress. Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call."
Psalm 102:1-2 |  click to read more | | ST. NICHOLAS OF FLUE St. Nicholas of Flue (1417-1487) was born in Switzerland, a devout child of pious parents. At the age of 21 he joined the army and fought in local battles. In his mid-twenties, at the advice of his parents, he married a similarly pious woman and had five sons and five daughters. He served the public by holding various civil offices, and was esteemed by all for his moral integrity. After 25 years of marriage, upon discerning a special call from God, and with the consent of his wife, he went to live in a nearby valley as a hermit. He built a dwelling out of branches and left it only for daily Mass. He wore a tunic and kept his head and feet bare, spending his days in prayer and penance on behalf of the local people. With permission from the parish priest he abstained totally from food and drink, without any negative effect on his health, which was confirmed by the Church as a miracle. He lived in this manner for 20 years and became known as a visionary and a prophet. Distinguished persons from all over Europe came to him for counsel. The civil authorities built him a cell and chapel and assigned him a chaplain. The saint intervened as an arbiter when a civil war was imminent, resulting in the enduring union of the French and German-speaking parts of Switzerland. His hermitage became a place of pilgrimage after his death. St. Nicholas of Flue is the patron saint of Switzerland. His feast day is March 21st. | Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent Reading 1 Dn 3:14-20, 91-92, 95 King Nebuchadnezzar said:
"Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
that you will not serve my god,
or worship the golden statue that I set up?
Be ready now to fall down and worship the statue I had made,
whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet,
flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe,
and all the other musical instruments;
otherwise, you shall be instantly cast into the white-hot furnace;
and who is the God who can deliver you out of my hands?"
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar,
"There is no need for us to defend ourselves before you
in this matter.
If our God, whom we serve,
can save us from the white-hot furnace
and from your hands, O king, may he save us!
But even if he will not, know, O king,
that we will not serve your god
or worship the golden statue that you set up." King Nebuchadnezzar's face became livid with utter rage
against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times more than usual
and had some of the strongest men in his army
bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
and cast them into the white-hot furnace. Nebuchadnezzar rose in haste and asked his nobles,
"Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?"
"Assuredly, O king," they answered.
"But," he replied, "I see four men unfettered and unhurt,
walking in the fire, and the fourth looks like a son of God."
Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed,
"Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
who sent his angel to deliver the servants who trusted in him;
they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their bodies
rather than serve or worship any god
except their own God." Responsorial Psalm Dn 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
R. (52b) Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim;
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,
praiseworthy and glorious forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever! Verse Before the Gospel See Lk 8:15 Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart
and yield a harvest through perseverance. Gospel Jn 8:31-42 Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him,
"If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham
and have never been enslaved to anyone.
How can you say, 'You will become free'?"
Jesus answered them, "Amen, amen, I say to you,
everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.
A slave does not remain in a household forever,
but a son always remains.
So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free.
I know that you are descendants of Abraham.
But you are trying to kill me,
because my word has no room among you.
I tell you what I have seen in the Father's presence;
then do what you have heard from the Father." They answered and said to him, "Our father is Abraham."
Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children,
you would be doing the works of Abraham.
But now you are trying to kill me,
a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God;
Abraham did not do this.
You are doing the works of your father!"
So they said to him, "We were not born of fornication.
We have one Father, God."
Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me,
for I came from God and am here;
I did not come on my own, but he sent me."
| Meditation: John 8:31-42 The truth will set you free. (John 8:32) Shin Dong-hyuk was a prisoner in a North Korean prison camp for twenty-three years before he escaped. But for most of that time, he thought that his life was normal. You see, he was born there. "I just thought that those people who carry guns were born to carry guns," he said. It took him so long to entertain the thought of escaping because he thought that everyone lived in a camp like his. During his incarceration, if you had asked him the meaning of the word "freedom," he wouldn't have known how to answer. You can hear similarities to Shin's story in what some Jewish leaders say to Jesus in today's Gospel: "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone" (John 8:33). Jesus is trying to tell them that they really are slaves—to sin. But they can't understand what he means. They are observing the Law to the best of their ability; what could possibly be wrong with that? Nothing at all. But Jesus wanted to give them something more. Jesus wanted his listeners to remain free to obey the Law, but he also wanted them to know the freedom of the Holy Spirit. He wanted them to be free to hear the Spirit speak words of wisdom, love, and guidance; to be freed from self-centered concerns and anxieties; to be free to do the very things that Jesus was doing. In other words, he wanted to give them a freedom based on the power of God living and active in their lives. As Easter draws near, consider what freedom looks like for you. You may find that, like Shin Dong-hyuk, you have been imprisoned for quite a while without even knowing it. God wants to give you the freedom to become the person you want to be—more patient, more considerate, and more open to the Holy Spirit. He wants to set you free from long-standing resentments and hurts. And he does this so that you can go out and build the kingdom of God with confidence and grace. Let these truths settle deep into your heart. Then step into the freedom God has prepared for you this Lent. "Lord, send me your light and your grace—the light to see where I need to change and the grace to make those changes." Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95
(Psalm) Daniel 3:52-56 | my2cents: "...they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their bodies
rather than serve or worship any god except their own God."
There are actually Holy people in the world, who would die for our God. Our Father. And there are many who would rather see Him die...like the Jews did to the Messiah. And to this day, they wait for the Messiah. In silence they wait. For they have silenced Him from their hearts. And they have suffered much since then. And they need Him. They need Jesus. Every person in the world needs Jesus our Lord. Ponder that as you...live. Let us pray: "Glory and praise for ever! Blessed are you who look into the depths from your throne upon the cherubim; praiseworthy and exalted above all forever." Glory means guts. Praise means an exaltation, raising God above all in every aspect. Let us give Glory to God, and Praise, thus honoring Him sincerely, as if, truly in love. In comes the Father's Love...Jesus:
1) "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
2) "If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God"
3) "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my own, but he sent me." God spoke to the old Abram before calling him Abraham: "I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless."
Fast forward a few thousand years and the Jews are to blame for many atrocities. The Jews represent humanity. So don't focus on that religion alone. These chosen ones were to shine the way...being blameless, a holy people, set aside to be a guide for the world. But, they became, we became like the world, light lost in the dark, with only a glimmer, an ember still with a handful of faithful.
The world wants freedom. The "land of the free"...free from God even. What Lucifer wanted was something similar, to be free to choose...something else. Lucifer then becomes Satan, the father of lies. So Jesus tells the people "You are doing the works of your father!" The father of lies and deception, the kind that makes one have two faces. "If God were your Father, you would love ME...He sent ME".
You see, what's going on here is a call to sincerity. A call to humility. A call to come back to the Father. God is saying "I Am here now in bone and flesh and spirit before you". In the world there are true prophets and saints. At any given time you may encounter one, in your family, at church, in the community. Listen to God our Father's voice. It is subtle. You almost have to be still, and quiet to listen. Shhhh. Do you here the whisper in the wind? Or does the sound of the wind scare you? When God says shut the door to your room and pray, it means go into the interior of your heart, shut everything out and spend time in deep prayer. Do not listen to the ways of the world, they are waves of debauchery.
It's funny, I watched with my kids a youtube video about the top 10 Youtubers, that people subscribe to. They are all international channels of people talking about games, fashion, gossip, and the top "king" is an agnostic atheist. I clicked on a random video of his and he kept using our Lord's name in vain. Vanity presides, humility is shown the door. And this from a guy that says he doesn't like pats on the back. Between all of these, there are hundreds of millions of subscribers. You see, there are kings and queens that think they are gods and are treated as such. Some make millions of dollars to fuel their heads.
I was shocked, but not amazed, to see these speaking heads of culture. What happens is that God is pushed away. And so, in living my motto "Be what you want to see", I decided to make a video, to illuminate the faith at least a little bit, to a small crowd. Indeed, Jesus chose a handful. And these small seeds do tremendous works. I have shared the video with loved ones, and I wonder if the viewers "like" and "share" the good videos. We should. We shouldn't keep good to ourselves, because all the good belongs to God and He is in the world, wanting to reconnect good with good, our good God.
Lent should make us good, and holy, so that when Easter comes we may live that way from here on out.
I hope this helps illuminate your faith. God loves you more than you know. | adrian Youtube cartoon I made is here:
Non-Quitter Fifth Wednesday of Lent "How desperately we need the light of God's grace
to see the sad state of our conscience! That grace
shows us the real state of our soul and induces us
to clean up our hearts." During the lifetime of St. Anthony, the Catholic
Church decided that the Sacraments of Penance
and the Eucharist were being admired from afar,
but not received regularly. In 1215, the Church
decreed that Catholics must confess any mortal sins
at least once a year and receive Holy Communion.
Anthony's preaching led many people to repent. Praying with Saint Anthony Good and gracious God, help us to see sin for the
dead end that it always is, never leading to greater
freedom but always away from it—at great cost to
ourselves and others. I read daily inspirations from everywhere, this one caught my attention from DynamicCatholic.com
Which leads in with:
"The happiest people I know are people who have a sense of mission. They have a joy that nobody can take away from them. The joy of their lives is linked not to the worldly scope or scale of the mission, but to the belief that they are uniquely suited to that role and the conviction that they have been called to it. They have a sense that they are in the right place at the right time doing the right thing. Are you at peace with who you are, where you are, and what you are doing? | |
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