 clickable | | What Matters Most to God With a life in Jesus as our foundation and nothing else, God's call to us and our ultimate purpose in life tend to look very different. Thinking less about the decisions themselves and more about the life those decisions effect, we realize that what matters most to God is ultimately not what we choose but the amount of love that those decisions create in our lives; where we go to school, what we do for a living, and our familial life matters to God only to the extent that what we choose enables us to live as Christ-like as we can. All that God wills and all that God calls us to be is his adopted sons and daughters. That's it. —from Called: What Happens after Saying Yes to God |  clickable: The Following is from MorningOffering | | †Quote
"It is not that I want merely to be called a Christian, but to actually be one. Yes, if I prove to be one, then I can have the name."
— St. Ignatius of Antioch † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"He does not come down from Heaven each day to stay in the gold ciborium. He comes down to find another Heaven He cherishes infinitely more than the first, the Heaven of our souls, made in His image, living temples of the Most Blessed Trinity!"
— St. Therese of Lisieux, p. 31
AN EXCERPT FROM
Meditations with the Little Flower † VERSE OF THE DAY
"By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, 'I have come to know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked."
1 John 2:3-6 |  click to read more | | Saint David of Wales (d. March 1, 589) David is the patron saint of Wales and perhaps the most famous of British saints. Ironically, we have little reliable information about him. It is known that he became a priest, engaged in missionary work, and founded many monasteries, including his principal abbey in southwestern Wales. Many stories and legends sprang up about David and his Welsh monks. Their austerity was extreme. They worked in silence without the help of animals to till the soil. Their food was limited to bread, vegetables and water. In about the year 550, David attended a synod where his eloquence impressed his fellow monks to such a degree that he was elected primate of the region. The episcopal see was moved to Mynyw, where he had his monastery, now called St. David's. He ruled his diocese until he had reached a very old age. His last words to his monks and subjects were: "Be joyful, brothers and sisters. Keep your faith, and do the little things that you have seen and heard with me." Saint David is pictured standing on a mound with a dove on his shoulder. The legend is that once while he was preaching a dove descended to his shoulder and the earth rose to lift him high above the people so that he could be heard. Over 50 churches in South Wales were dedicated to him in pre-Reformation days.
Reflection Were we restricted to hard manual labor and a diet of bread, vegetables and water, most of us would find little reason to rejoice. Yet joy is what David urged on his brothers as he lay dying. Perhaps he could say that to them—and to us—because he lived in and nurtured a constant awareness of God's nearness. For, as someone once said, "Joy is the infallible sign of God's presence." May his intercession bless us with the same awareness!
Saint David of Wales is the Patron Saint of: Wales | Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Sir 6:5-17 A kind mouth multiplies friends and appeases enemies,
and gracious lips prompt friendly greetings.
Let your acquaintances be many,
but one in a thousand your confidant.
When you gain a friend, first test him,
and be not too ready to trust him.
For one sort is a friend when it suits him,
but he will not be with you in time of distress.
Another is a friend who becomes an enemy,
and tells of the quarrel to your shame.
Another is a friend, a boon companion,
who will not be with you when sorrow comes.
When things go well, he is your other self,
and lords it over your servants;
But if you are brought low, he turns against you
and avoids meeting you.
Keep away from your enemies;
be on your guard with your friends.
A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter;
he who finds one finds a treasure.
A faithful friend is beyond price,
no sum can balance his worth.
A faithful friend is a life-saving remedy,
such as he who fears God finds;
For he who fears God behaves accordingly,
and his friend will be like himself. Responsorial Psalm Ps 119:12, 16, 18, 27, 34, 35
R. (35a) Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
Blessed are you, O LORD;
teach me your statutes.
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
In your statutes I will delight;
I will not forget your words.
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
Open my eyes, that I may consider
the wonders of your law.
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
Make me understand the way of your precepts,
and I will meditate on your wondrous deeds.
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
Give me discernment, that I may observe your law
and keep it with all my heart.
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
Lead me in the path of your commands,
for in it I delight.
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands. Alleluia See Jn 17:17b, 17a
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your word, O Lord, is truth;
consecrate us in the truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk10:1-12 Jesus came into the district of Judea and across the Jordan.
Again crowds gathered around him and, as was his custom,
he again taught them.
The Pharisees approached him and asked,
"Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?"
They were testing him.
He said to them in reply, "What did Moses command you?"
They replied,
"Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce
and dismiss her."
But Jesus told them,
"Because of the hardness of your hearts
he wrote you this commandment.
But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh.
So they are no longer two but one flesh.
Therefore what God has joined together,
no human being must separate."
In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this.
He said to them,
"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another
commits adultery against her;
and if she divorces her husband and marries another,
she commits adultery."
| Catholic Meditations
Meditation: Sirach 6:5-17 7th Week in Ordinary Time A faithful friend is beyond price. (Sirach 6:15) Several years ago, sociologists at Duke University published a study on isolation in America. The study found that over the past two decades, Americans' circle of close friends has shrunk dramatically. Twice as many people report that they have no one with whom they can share important matters. According to the study, the pace of modern life keeps us from developing deep and lasting friendships. Between busy schedules, changing obligations, and the growth of isolating devices like smartphones and tablets, we can allow ourselves to drift away from one another. What makes it even worse is that many people want to have faithful friends—and to be faithful friends—but they find it very challenging. How sad that so many people feel alone! Sirach describes the kind of friend we all want to have—one who sticks by us no matter what. In good times and bad, through ups and downs, a true friend remains faithful. It's no accident that this quality of faithfulness is echoed in the wedding vows we profess: for better or worse, in sickness and health, for richer or poorer, until death. So how do we learn to love like that? By steeping ourselves in the knowledge of God's faithfulness: his unwavering, reliable commitment to us. The more we experience what this kind of friendship is like, the more ready we will be to show it to the people closest to us. Who loves more perfectly than Jesus, the Friend who never forsakes you, the Spouse who is always devoted? Who knows you better than your Father, who sees all your sin and yet stays with you to help you grow in holiness? Think about God's faithfulness today. Recall how he led his people to the Promised Land despite their weak faith and episodes of disobedience. Think about King David and how, despite his up-and-down faithfulness to the commandments, God never withdrew his blessing. Or think about how Jesus forgave Peter for denying him three times. Fill your mind with stories like these, and you'll see what faithful friendship looks like. Let them teach you how to be a better friend—and how to welcome the love of the friends God has already given you. "Jesus, show me how faithfully you love me. Make me a faithful friend." Psalm 119:12, 16, 18, 27, 34-35
Mark 10:1-12 |  clickable | Christ's works testified to what he was; our works will testify as to what we are.
—Fr. Emil Kapaun
from The Miracle of Father Kapaun: Priest, Soldier and Korean War Hero | 2cents:
"But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." Aww. WOW! Jesus goes all the way back to the beginning of time, the bible, the real time of our souls. He goes all the way to make His point, His command. He made male and female to be one. Man and woman to unite. Keep in mind, He is talking about Him. He IS the MAN. And we are the bride. Don't get sex involved because in the next realm it is not about carnal things, but there are things of creation. And He desires to pleasure in us...to become ONE FLESH. Think Eucharist. Think fidelity. Think faithfulness with the Almighty Holiness. Be Holy for that alone. | Let us pray: "Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands. Give me discernment, that I may observe your law and keep it with all my heart." Aww. WOW! From the beginning, our Lord spoke commands to Adam and Eve. The creator gave precious commands. Do this in remembrance of Me. Think Eucharist. | In the Holy Gospel, our Lord is being asked a question to try to trap, catch, and trip Him up in His words. ""Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?" From the very words of men that desired divorce. From the very men that exasperated Moses. From the very law they desired. Divorce. Separation and abandonment. I have never seen a good divorce. And if you have, I beg you to look deeply into the children's eyes and get the full results. If it was an abusive father, or mother, there is hurt regardless. If there was unfaithfulness, the only one happy is the unfaithful one, or so it seems. | So is this lawful? Well...is it just? Is it holy? Jesus eradicates polygamy. He said "...what God has joined together, no human being must separate." Forgive me. I am writing later than usual because it seems work has been distracting me more, I believe for Lent I will get up an hour earlier as sacrifice to write. But I just got back from the nursing home daily Mass, where our Priest said that some treat marriage as a garment you can dispose of or do with as you please. You get tired of it and go for another...and another. Is it really the spouse that is the problem then? Point the finger right? Last night another brother invited a friend to friendship group. That friend told his story. He has about 10 kids. I asked if he was married and he said no...not through the Church. He expressed his desire, for many things. For his family to pray more, for his family to go to church, and so on. I told him that it was all going to depend on his fidelity. First he has much to make up, being alcoholic, being a party-goer, all that has to stop. How will you teach your family to be holy if you are not? I will tell you a secret now: during one of the weekday Masses this week, as we were about to consume the Lord and be intimate, He spoke to my heart like lovers do, and I won't forget the gravity of the conversation. He was saying to all my problems, all my questions and struggles, for every person that I thought of, He kept saying "love is the answer". Love wins. The Bible says God is love and the Bible says God is triumphant, Jesus in the end. So I gave testimony last night of another man whom I pray for much, for years to stop being alcoholic and to be a family man. Once I went to his house, he was cooking BBQ as usual, it smelled good and I had a beer to join him in conversation (I can only drink one, no more than two fit in my belly then I stop LOL). Anyhow, at this time, they were going through a hard time, for their oldest daughter had run away with a young man she met on the internet. She threw away all her aspirations for college, she even took the brand new car they sacrificed to buy her. She left for a love and broke her parents' hearts, especially when talking nothing worked and the young man cursed at them instead. They turned for me for some advice. I said this: "Look, that young man can't love her more than you. You must show your daughter you love her more. Love will win." I'll never forget those words because it was the Holy Spirit speaking.
Fast forward a few months or a year later; the daughter struggles, the guy won't work, can't find work, and they are fighting, and she wants back. She comes back with baggage...her new husband (by city law). She winds up back home, the guy fights with everyone, even pulled a knife and cuts two of my brother in laws in separate occasions...quite the savage. But, things eventually settle and now there is peace. Love wins. All that backstabbing, all that hurt, all that pain, all that anxiety and anguish, if you'd only love.
The story is of infidelity, the prodigal daughter. But of fidelity, that of the parents. I ask today for prayer for them, for they struggle to remain together. I wouldn't ask if they weren't special. Marriage is worth fighting for. Not to be disposed as the old Mosaic law stipulated. Why is marriage between man and woman crucial? First of all...it is to be a Holy Marriage to God. You no longer are one, but one with Him. Creating. The created to create. Create the product of love. And this week, I just learned a young teenager I taught in CCD is pregnant. Out of wedlock. Furthest person I would've imagined. No marriage. Infidelity, right? What now? What now with this so called "crisis"? Is a child a crisis? LOVE MUST WIN.
The child is innocent, even in rape etc. LOVE must win for that child. Now the fight will be for Life to win.
You see, when God created us, He created us for Him.
We are mere creatures destined for Love...and God is love.
Love takes sacrifice. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the wedding at Cana. A great feast of Marriage, Jesus and Church are getting married!
And they are being intimate!
And they are letting their love shine unto the world! |  click to hear the bible verse | adrian Random Bible Verse
Colossians 3:17 (Listen) 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Thank You Jesus | |
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