 clickable | | Sharing the Light of Christ Francis and and his brothers could have been killed spreading the Gospel. In bringing near the kingdom of heaven, the brothers were engaging in one of the oldest of dramas in which the battle between darkness and light is played out. It was not so much a battle in which they fought the darkness, as it was the ongoing battle with themselves to keep bearing the light, to keep bringing near the kingdom and not giving up, even when they were rejected. For even in rejection they are bringing near the kingdom. And even if they were martyred for proclaiming these words of Jesus, they were not overcome by darkness; they were yielding to the light. —from the book Francis and Jesus |  clickable: The Following is from MorningOffering | †Quote
"We are born to love, we live to love, and we will die to love still more."
— St. Joseph Cafasso † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Knock. Persevere in knocking, even to the point of rudeness, if that were possible. There is a way of forcing God and wresting his graces from him, and that way is to ask continually with a firm faith. We must think, with the Gospel: 'Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you,' which he then repeats by saying, 'Everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened' (Luke 11:9-10). We must, therefore, pray during the day, pray at night, and pray every time we rise. Even though God seems either not to hear us or even to reject us, we must continually knock, expecting all things from God but nevertheless also acting ourselves. We must not only ask as though God must do everything himself; we must also make our own effort to act according to his will and with the help of his grace, as all things are done with his support. We must never forget that it is always God who provides; to think thus is the very foundation of humility."
— Bishop Jacques-Benigne Bossuet, p.35
AN EXCERPT FROM
Meditations for Lent † VERSE OF THE DAY
"If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing."
1 Corinthians 13: 1-3 |  click to read more | | ST. MATILDA OF SAXONY St. Matilda (895-968 A.D.) was born in Prussia, the daughter of a Count, and was raised and educated in a monastery by her grandmother, who was the abbess. A political marriage was arranged for her to Henry I, the future king of Germany. Henry and Matilda enjoyed a happy and blessed marriage. As the Queen of Germany, Matilda became the mother of five important historical figures: Holy Roman Emperor Otto I; Henry, Duke of Bavaria; St. Bruno, Archbishop of Cologne; Gerberga, wife of King Louis IV of France; and Hedwig, mother of Hugh Capet. Matilda was a holy and virtuous woman known for her generosity to the poor. The king adored his queen and attributed his success in battle to her prayers. They reigned seventeen years, and their eldest son succeeded the throne and became Emperor Otto I. After her husband's death, Matilda's two eldest sons chastised her for her generous almsgiving. St. Matilda then took the possessions left to her by her husband and turned them over to her sons, and retired from court. Her sons immediately suffered misfortune, which was attributed to their poor treatment of their holy mother. In order to repair this injustice and regain God's favor, St. Matilda was begged to return to court, which she did, forgiving her sons for their ill will. She continued to help the poor, build churches, and support many monasteries. St. Matilda was a celebrated monarch and was venerated by the people immediately after her death. Her feast day is March 14th. | Thursday of the First Week in Lent Reading 1 Est C:12, 14-16, 23-25 Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish,
had recourse to the LORD.
She lay prostrate upon the ground, together with her handmaids,
from morning until evening, and said:
"God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, blessed are you.
Help me, who am alone and have no help but you,
for I am taking my life in my hand.
As a child I used to hear from the books of my forefathers
that you, O LORD, always free those who are pleasing to you.
Now help me, who am alone and have no one but you,
O LORD, my God. "And now, come to help me, an orphan.
Put in my mouth persuasive words in the presence of the lion
and turn his heart to hatred for our enemy,
so that he and those who are in league with him may perish.
Save us from the hand of our enemies;
turn our mourning into gladness
and our sorrows into wholeness." Responsorial Psalm Ps 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8
R. (3a) Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple
and give thanks to your name.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Because of your kindness and your truth;
for you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me. Verse Before the Gospel Ps 51:12a, 14a A clean heart create for me, O God;
give me back the joy of your salvation. Gospel Mt 7:7-12 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which one of you would hand his son a stone
when he asked for a loaf of bread,
or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things
to those who ask him. "Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the law and the prophets."
| Meditation: Matthew 7:7-12 1st Week of Lent Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. (Matthew 7:7) "I want a puppy!" How many times have parents heard a request like that? They don't think any less of their child for asking, but this is one request that often goes unanswered. They know that their child asks because he believes that they love him. Whether he gets that puppy or not, deep down he believes that his parents want the best for him. That's the kind of heartwarming faith that Jesus is encouraging in today's Gospel. He says to us, Have faith in my goodness. Have faith that your needs and concerns matter to me too. I love you and want to give you good things. And so . . . Ask! Ask your heavenly Father for the good things that you desire. He knows what will satisfy your heart and soul and what will draw you closer to him. He knows what you can handle and what will cause you to stumble. So ask him simply and straightforwardly from your heart. He will always answer, even if his response strikes you as mysterious or puzzling. Seek! That's an action verb. Go after what you want. Make a plan. Talk it over with the Lord as well as with your spouse or a trusted adviser or friend. Then work toward obtaining it. God will help you in your pursuit—or he will let you know he has something better for you. Be diligent, but also be alert to the reality that God wants your heart more than anything else. He wants a relationship with you, and he will block anything that threatens that relationship. Knock! If a door seems closed, knock on it. Knock again. Keep on knocking. But as you do, be open to what God wants for you. He may want to redirect your desires so that you can desire his will more than yours. He may gently guide you to the things that are most necessary for your life with him. Or he just may give you exactly what you're asking for! God cares about everything that matters to you. So ask, seek, and knock. He will always answer. "Father, hear the cry of my heart today. Above all that I want and need, help me to grow more in love with you." Esther C: 12, 14-16, 23-25
Psalm 138:1-3, 7-8 |  clickable | Nowhere will you find a monastery so enclosed, or a hermitage so remote, that temptation and difficulty cannot follow you there… People often try to run away from temptation, only to find that they are plunged in it deeper than ever; you can't win a battle by simply running away. You need patience and humility if you want to rise superior to all your enemies.
—Thomas á Kempis
from The Imitation of Christ | 2cents:
"...you, O LORD, always free those who are pleasing to you.
Now help me, who am alone and have no one but you,
O LORD, my God."
In the end, it's all about our God. As much as we try to live for ourselves, it is for Him, well because of Him that we live at all. Queen Esther prayed, and did not stop praying. She prayed big. We could all take a cue here...on faithfulness, that is, being full of faith. And what was her faith like? Relentless, ever seeking, and sacrificial. | Let us pray: " Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me. Your right hand saves me. The LORD will complete what he has done for me; your kindness, O LORD, endures forever; forsake not the work of your hands." The previous Psalm said "I will give you thanks..in your temple". This is precious, in His eyes. A holy soul is precious in His eyes. And you are made holy, in His image. | ""Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find". Ask not for things of this world. Our protestant family has gone off now on a tangent of prosperity and wealth, asking for "favors". What about what God wants? Our God is the giver, that's why Man was created first. We are the receiver, that's why we are of Man- Wo-man, we are created indeed to receive Him. Receive Him, not things. Receive love, no other. | What has happened in the world that we want everything but God? A couple weeks ago, I went on a job, driving a big truck, and I switched big trucks with another driver. That driver had a helper and I took the helper with me. In conversation on the long drive, I found out that the young man was living with his girlfriend, and they do not have a car. I said "I'll tell you what, if I make a deal with you, I'll sell you my car and the payments will be monthly, and you can either pay me cash every month or go to church every week". He seemed happy at first, and by the time we sat down to sign papers, he said he didn't want to go through with it. I could see an inner turmoil brewing.
He said thank you and not to worry, he'd go to church anyway without it.
I've not heard back from him, but yesterday I heard our crazy winds blew off the roof off the house he rents. So, no car, no house. What does this young man need? I will be argumentative here; above all, He needs God. God is Love.
When we go help the homeless, what do we do? We aim to provide for basic needs right? Food, water, shelter, clothing. But what they need most is love. Love lasts longer than food, water, shelter, and clothing. You don't need those needs in the next life. Of all the life and death experiences, I've never heard of a single one talk about material things, just the body. That's what matters to God.
The body of Christ.
Of His Only Son. |  click to hear the bible verse | adrian Random Bible Verse
Revelation 4:11 (Listen)
11 "Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created." Thank You Jesus | |
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