 clickable | | The Gift of Solitude It was not long in the silence of the solitude that I understood I was not alone. Without even a book to distract me, I was out in creation surrounded by the stillness of a cold afternoon in the Pennsylvania forest. As I walked along a snowy trail I became aware that I was not actually by myself. Part of what jogged my attention was the beauty of creation and the rich feeling that I was not some spectator who had shown up like a patron at a zoo, peeking around at the surroundings like someone apart from and different from what was on display. Instead, I was sensitive to the reality of connectedness to all that was around me. And as if I were looking at a painting and had become suddenly aware of the artist who was responsible for its creation, I came to think about the source of this creation. Then, I came to sense the presence of that Divine Artist whose work was my very life and world. God was with me in the forest, not like another human person could have been with me in the forest, but there with me all the same. —from Dating God: Live and Love in the Way of St. Francis |  clickable: The Following is from MorningOffering | | †Quote
"The fast of Lent has no advantage to us unless it brings about our spiritual renewal. It is necessary while fasting to change our whole life and practice virtue. Turning away from all wickedness means keeping our tongue in check, restraining our anger, avoiding all gossip, lying and swearing. To abstain from these things— herein lies the true value of the fast."
— St. John Chrysostom † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Wait a little while, my soul, await the promise of God, and you will have the fullness of all that is good in heaven. If you yearn inordinately for the good things of this life, you will lose those which are heavenly and eternal. Use temporal things properly, but always desire what is eternal. Temporal things can never fully satisfy you, for you were not created to enjoy them alone . . . for your blessedness and happiness lie only in God, who has made all things from nothing."
— Thomas a' Kempis, p. 133-34
AN EXCERPT FROM
The Imitation of Christ † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'"
1 Peter 1:13-16 |  click to read more | | Blessed Daniel Brottier (September 7, 1876 – February 28, 1936) Blessed Daniel Brottier's Story Daniel spent most of his life in the trenches—one way or another. Born in France in 1876, Daniel was ordained in 1899 and began a teaching career. That didn't satisfy him long. He wanted to use his zeal for the gospel far beyond the classroom. He joined the missionary Congregation of the Holy Spirit, which sent him to Senegal, West Africa. After eight years there, his health was suffering. He was forced to return to France, where he helped raise funds for the construction of a new cathedral in Senegal. At the outbreak of World War I, Daniel became a volunteer chaplain and spent four years at the front. He did not shrink from his duties. Indeed, he risked his life time and again in ministering to the suffering and dying. It was miraculous that he did not suffer a single wound during his 52 months in the heart of battle. After the war he was invited to help establish a project for orphaned and abandoned children in a Paris suburb. He spent the final 13 years of his life there. He died in 1936 and was beatified by Pope John Paul II in Paris only 48 years later.
Reflection Blessed Daniel might be called "Teflon Dan" since nothing seemed to harm him while in the midst of war. God intended to use him in some pretty wonderful ways for the good of the Church and he willingly served. He is a good example for all of us. | Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Sir 5:1-8 Rely not on your wealth;
say not: "I have the power."
Rely not on your strength
in following the desires of your heart.
Say not: "Who can prevail against me?"
or, "Who will subdue me for my deeds?"
for God will surely exact the punishment.
Say not: "I have sinned, yet what has befallen me?"
for the Most High bides his time.
Of forgiveness be not overconfident,
adding sin upon sin.
Say not: "Great is his mercy;
my many sins he will forgive."
For mercy and anger alike are with him;
upon the wicked alights his wrath.
Delay not your conversion to the LORD,
put it not off from day to day.
For suddenly his wrath flames forth;
at the time of vengeance you will be destroyed.
Rely not upon deceitful wealth,
for it will be no help on the day of wrath. Responsorial Psalm Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
R. (40:5a) Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord. Alleluia See 1 Thes 2:13
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Receive the word of God, not as the word of men,
but as it truly is, the word of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 9:41-50 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink
because you belong to Christ,
amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward. "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,
it would be better for him if a great millstone
were put around his neck
and he were thrown into the sea.
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.
It is better for you to enter into life maimed
than with two hands to go into Gehenna,
into the unquenchable fire.
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.
It is better for you to enter into life crippled
than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna.
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.
Better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye
than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna,
where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. "Everyone will be salted with fire.
Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid,
with what will you restore its flavor?
Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another." | Catholic Meditations
Meditation: Mark 9:41-50 7th Week in Ordinary Time Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another. (Mark 9:50) It's difficult to underestimate the value of salt. This common substance not only flavors and preserves our foods and melts ice on the roads in winter; it is also a very effective cleanser. Massage therapists will often use salt scrubs to unclog a person's pores and rub away dead, hardened skin. Just before Jesus talked to his disciples about the value of being salted, they had been arguing about who was the greatest among them. Jesus reminded them that whoever wants to be first must be last and the servant of all (Mark 9:33-37). He taught them that humility and self-giving are the pathway to true greatness. Why is this so? Because humble service acts as a salt scrub. It rubs away selfishness, self-promotion, and boasting. It unclogs in us what pride and sin have covered over. More than anything else, humility can cleanse and purify us of everything that pollutes or degrades the life of God in us. It seems ironic, but humility lifts us up; it reveals our true beauty as children of God. You don't have to look far to find opportunities to humble yourself and serve other people. According to St. Francis de Sales, "Great occasions for serving God seldom come, but little ones surround us daily." Kindness to an irritable spouse, patience with a slow driver, and encouragement to a struggling coworker are all little acts of service. Offering to empty the dishwasher, pick up the dry cleaning, and pour someone a second cup of coffee—these small personal acts can help you keep "salt" in yourself—and they can promote peace with those around you. Through them, you are offering your life to God and to his people—and that's always a beautiful sight! Today, ask the Holy Spirit to lead you into three different situations in which you can be of humble service. Then let God direct your steps to those places where you are most needed. Don't dismiss anything he leads you to, even if it seems insignificant or distasteful. You never know; it just might be the thing that cleanses you the most. God wants you to grow in his life. There's no better way than being "scrubbed" with the salt of service! "Father, show me how I can serve your people today." Sirach 5:1-8
Psalm 1:1-4, 6 |  clickable | The great paradox about Christian maturation is that it depends upon growing in childlike trust. This is how we come to mature and grow in stature within Jesus' heart.
—Fr. John Horn
from Heart Speaks to Heart | 2cents:
"Of forgiveness be not overconfident, adding sin upon sin." We heard these words today, now recall 1Peter 1:16 "A Call to Holiness…15 But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, 16for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." 17 Since you call on a Father who judges each one's work impartially, conduct yourselves in reverent fear during your stay as foreigners.…". Sin keeps us from grace. We learned in class last night what "Grace" is meant in our Catholic lives, and it is "God's life in us". But sin takes away grace, sin is therefore-disgrace, that original "fall from grace" that Adam and Eve experienced. Yet God our Father wants us restored. We are a wonderful restoration project and the Holy Church is just the spot for us rusted and beat up vehicles that are to carry God's grace! | Let us pray today with words our very Lord teaches and lives! " Blessed are they who hope in the Lord. Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked Nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent, But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night." Wouldn't you like to be known as a Blessed? Today's saint is known as "blessed". So how? The Psalms tell us the blesseds are those who hope in the Lord. That is their core. They are blessed for not following the ways of man, in sin. They set themselves apart. So are they the dweebs on the other end of the hall, sitting alone eating lunch alone? Well, if the dweeb is keeping himself from participating in filth, then yes. This weirdo stands out like a sore thumb, a sight for sore eyes. You can tell who is a God follower from a mile away. You can tell by the way they walk, that is, how they carry themselves, how they talk, and how they treat their brethren...with grace or disgrace. | In the Holy Gospel, our Lord speaks of many things to lead us to a life of grace. Thank you Jesus!!
Firstly, "Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ...". Because you belong to Christ! If they serve you because you belong to Christ, they shall receive that pay. But if not, the rest ensues: "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea." That is, if any of you takes the side of the evil one, making souls fall from grace, WOE to you. For Jesus lives in grace and desires to live in you. So to teach us how to do so we must listen on how to live a life of unbound grace and holiness. | "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off." OUCHY! There are times that our Lord speaks literally, like when He said Eat My Flesh and Drink My Blood. And then there are times when He says "Hate your family", and today "Cut off your hand". Does your hand control you? LOL. Does it? Let's back up: Does your Family control you? Uh oh. What controls you? Here in a small town next door, a few days ago, our week started with "a menonite man just shot his wife and left his 7 kids without a mother...the man confesses to his in-laws and waits at home to get arrested". Is it his hand's fault that controls the gun, or is it the gun's fault? Nowadays liberalists blame the gun, not the hand, not the arm, not the brain. Liberalists blame the Church for all the wrong in the world. Liberalists call for freedom to kill the unborn and now the born. Liberalists call for much more....disgrace. I digress. What controls you? I dare say, we have let ourselves be led by bad spirits that are inside. I'm serious. When I feel some inner-gut hatred rooting inside, I look at myself from the outside "look at the disgrace in me". Disgusting. My hand wants to dial someone's phone number and give them a piece of my mind. What piece? Hateful disgust? Cut it off. I know of some who have a right hand man that leads them to sinful behavior. Cut off the hand man. It'd be better for your own salvation.
"And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled." So, you cut off your hand and now your foot! LOL. Feet are for walking. Remember how I said you can tell a follower by the way they walk? Ahh, enough said, amen? But what if you can't walk to church, the Way of Church? You walk other ways. You walk ahead of our Lord, leading, instead of following from behind, letting Him lead. Remember how trust works? This is grace. God, I trust you with my sins, my life, the things I do and undo.
"And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out." This is a big one, for our social media and all sorts of visual media we receive. Just yesterday we got a warning on social media about some evil things being put into kids heads on their gaming sets and videos, things about cutting themselves and jumping off cliffs. This is demonic death. So, would it be easier to cut off the messages or the eye? I hate to say, it seems nowadays it'd be easier to cut out the eye to not see the filth that is entering our souls, for our eyes are windows to the souls as they say. So, how do I look away? Grace. Wipeaway the disgrace with grace. Be Holy. Remember? Be that one that chooses not to do what everyone else is doing...falling into a pit. Be that one leading others away from the pit.
"Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid,
with what will you restore its flavor?" The word "insipid" is not a normal daily word to use, much less when speaking spiritually. To be insipid is to have lost the reason, the flavor, that is to have been watered down. Nowadays, Christianity has been watered down too much. The flames have been turned down for our Lord. Our confirmation students believe they are going to receive a magic light at Confirmation, but you already have received the fire at Baptism. But many lose it. Can you lose salvation? Yes. It's as simple as getting watered down faith. I see it always, people following their hearts and their hearts lead them away from Christ. They fall in love with a non-believer and they soon become a non-believer. I see parents follow their children, through school, through CCD, and through sports, and when they graduate, they follow them there too...but not Christ, and they wonder "why isn't my child following Christ?". Do you follow? Remember the foot thing. Remember the hand thing. Remember the eye thing.
Walk this Way.
Love this way.
What will be the most unforgettable force that will stand the tests of time? Love. And grace is our love in God.
I pray my child for your grace. This lent, grace is awaiting at the end of 40 days. God is waiting to come more into your life like never before. If you sacrifice yourself. |  click to hear the bible verse | adrian Random Bible Verse
2 Corinthians 3:17 (Listen) 17 Now the Lord [1] is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Thank You Jesus | |
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