 clickable | | Live Simply, Simply Live Living in the second half of life, I no longer have to prove that I or my group is the best, that my ethnicity is superior, that my religion is the only one that God loves, or that my role and place in society deserve superior treatment. I am not preoccupied with collecting more goods and services; quite simply, my desire and effort—every day—is to pay back, to give back to the world a bit of what I have received. I now realize that I have been gratuitously given to—from the universe, from society, and from God. I try now, as Elizabeth Seton said, "to live simply so that others can simply live." —from the book Yes, And...: Daily Meditations by Richard Rohr |  clickable: The Following is from MorningOffering | †Saint Quote
"Even on the cross He did not hide Himself from sight; rather, He made all creation witness to the presence of its Maker. Then, having once let it be seen that it was truly dead, He did not allow that temple of His body to linger long, but forthwith on the third day raised it up, impassible and incorruptible, the pledge and token of His victory. "
— St. Athanasius of Alexandria † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"We firmly believe, and hence we hope that, just as Christ is truly risen from the dead and lives for ever, so after death the righteous will live for ever with the risen Christ and he will raise them up on the last day. Our resurrection, like his own, will be the work of the Most Holy Trinity."
— (CCC, 989)
AN EXCERPT FROM
Catechism of the Catholic Church † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Ah, my Lord God! You made the heavens and the earth with your great power and your outstretched arm; nothing is too difficult for you. ... Great and mighty God, whose name is Lord of hosts, great in counsel, mighty in deed, whose eyes are fixed on all the ways of mortals, giving to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their deeds."
Jeremiah 32:17-19 |  click to read more | | ST. ISIDORE OF SEVILLE St. Isidore of Seville (560 - 636 A.D.) was born in Carthagena, Spain, to noble and pious parents. After the example of their parents, he, as well as his two brothers and sister, all became saints. Isidore received his early education at the cathedral school in Seville where a group of learned men taught classical education, among them was his brother Leander, the Archbishop of Seville. The cathedral school was the first of its kind in the country and Isidore excelled in his studies there. He became a man of great learning, zeal, piety, and apostolic endeavor, assisting his brother in converting the Visigoths from the Arian heresy. He followed his brother in becoming next Archbishop of Seville, leading his diocese for nearly 40 years. Isidore was an important saint for his time. He was one of the most learned men of the 6th century and is considered the last of the early Church Fathers. He was a prolific writer on the sciences and the classics which in effect helped preserve western civilization during the early middle ages following the barbarian invasions. He composed history books, a dictionary with a structure akin to a database, and an encyclopedia which was used for nine centuries. St. Isidore reunited Spain after the barbarian onslaught, making it a center of culture and learning. He required seminaries to be built in every diocese, wrote a rule for religious orders, and founded schools that taught every branch of learning. Spain then became a model for similar renewal in other European countries. For his great learning and written works he was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XIV. St. Isidore of Seville is the patron of computers, schoolchildren, and the internet. His feast day is April 4th. | Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent Reading 1 Ex 32:7-14 The LORD said to Moses,
"Go down at once to your people
whom you brought out of the land of Egypt,
for they have become depraved.
They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them,
making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it,
sacrificing to it and crying out,
'This is your God, O Israel,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt!'
The LORD said to Moses,
"I see how stiff-necked this people is.
Let me alone, then,
that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them.
Then I will make of you a great nation." But Moses implored the LORD, his God, saying,
"Why, O LORD, should your wrath blaze up against your own people,
whom you brought out of the land of Egypt
with such great power and with so strong a hand?
Why should the Egyptians say,
'With evil intent he brought them out,
that he might kill them in the mountains
and exterminate them from the face of the earth'?
Let your blazing wrath die down;
relent in punishing your people.
Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel,
and how you swore to them by your own self, saying,
'I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky;
and all this land that I promised,
I will give your descendants as their perpetual heritage.'"
So the LORD relented in the punishment
he had threatened to inflict on his people. Responsorial Psalm Ps 106:19-20, 21-22, 23
R. (4a) Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
Our fathers made a calf in Horeb
and adored a molten image;
They exchanged their glory
for the image of a grass-eating bullock.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
They forgot the God who had saved them,
who had done great deeds in Egypt,
Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham,
terrible things at the Red Sea.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
Then he spoke of exterminating them,
but Moses, his chosen one,
Withstood him in the breach
to turn back his destructive wrath.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people. Verse Before the Gospel Jn 3:16 God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life. Gospel Jn 5:31-47 Jesus said to the Jews:
"If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true.
But there is another who testifies on my behalf,
and I know that the testimony he gives on my behalf is true.
You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth.
I do not accept human testimony,
but I say this so that you may be saved.
He was a burning and shining lamp,
and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light.
But I have testimony greater than John's.
The works that the Father gave me to accomplish,
these works that I perform testify on my behalf
that the Father has sent me.
Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf.
But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form,
and you do not have his word remaining in you,
because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent.
You search the Scriptures,
because you think you have eternal life through them;
even they testify on my behalf.
But you do not want to come to me to have life. "I do not accept human praise;
moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you.
I came in the name of my Father,
but you do not accept me;
yet if another comes in his own name,
you will accept him.
How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another
and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?
Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father:
the one who will accuse you is Moses,
in whom you have placed your hope.
For if you had believed Moses,
you would have believed me,
because he wrote about me.
But if you do not believe his writings,
how will you believe my words?" | Meditation: John 5:31-47 Saint Isidore, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Optional Memorial) Search the Scriptures. (John 5:39) Have you ever picked up your Bible, read a passage from it, and then sat back and wondered what in the world God was trying to say to you? It's possible that you may have walked away and decided either that you were spiritually deaf or that the passage didn't have any consequence for your life. But somewhere inside your heart, you sensed that there was something in that passage for you—you just couldn't put your finger on it. We all know that God wants to reveal himself to us through Scripture. But just like everything else in the Christian life, Scripture won't just magically make sense to us. We need to cooperate with the Spirit, and that takes some time, attention, and perseverance. The following guidelines can help you hear the Lord as you read his word. Try them over the next few days, and see if they make a difference. • Select a Scripture passage that you want to read. Maybe you will choose to follow the daily Mass readings with the meditations in this magazine. • Don't read right away, but begin with prayer. If you feel like singing or humming a hymn from Mass, do it. • Next, read the Scripture passage you have chosen. • Read it again slowly, dwelling on the words or phrases that struck you. • Use your imagination to place yourself in the scene described in this passage. • Imagine that Jesus is sitting across from you and telling you this story himself. • Be still. During this quiet period, some words or pictures may bubble up in your thoughts. This may be God speaking to you—especially if the images and thoughts lead you closer to Christ, fill you with hope, or stir your heart to love and forgive. • Try to write out what you think God is saying to you, and close with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving. God wants to reveal himself to us in Scripture. Only by quiet reflection will we learn to hear his voice. "Holy Spirit, quiet my heart, and help me to read Scripture with new ears. Let your revelation guide me to become more like Jesus." |  clickable | Couples should let Jesus live His spousal love for the Church over again in their own love for one another. They do this by simply asking Him in prayer to do so and by sharing their needs and desires with Him. Marriage is not a "self-help" relationship; it is a deep partnership with Christ.
—DEACON JAMES KEATING, PhD
from Spousal Prayer |  Click to see the Devotional Calendar | | 2cents:
"They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them...".
Our Lord said He would just have to start over with Moses, but Moses interceded for the people. Moses was now on the verge of a real exodus to be completed...through mercy. In fact, Moses would give his life for it.
Why did people revert to their old ways and gods, and a cow? The Egyptian gods had a long running history and stories. The people that followed Moses lost their way without their leader. They soon...did not trust, in their fear, they trusted other things...other gods...one they could make with their own hands. Turning inward. That's how sin works. Instead of exploding with mercy, you turn inward, an implosion, like a black hole in the universe. We are called to explode to give light. What is our Lord in Heaven asking you to trust in Him about? I bet something is weighing heavily right now. In His name...I ask you trust Him. | Let us pray: " Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people. They forgot the God who had saved them, who had done great deeds in Egypt, Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham, terrible things at the Red Sea." How soon we forget. There were so many things that were wrapped up in the cow-god (more of a godess), and one of the many things was to be grateful, otherwise, to be ungrateful would be the gateway of all sins. Yet...their gratitude became twisted...soon they were grateful to the wrong. Who do you appreciate most in your life? Who do you look to for help? I would ask you to turn to our Lord in gratitude. Seek Him for help...that is our design, weak, seeking strength. | In the Holy Gospel, our Lord says "the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf...". How did He testify? Through works, mighty and strong, and through miracles, so subtle and wondrous. And finally, through a prophet. Yet prophets are ignored and forgotten.
"But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form...". Jesus said they never heard Him. They never seen Him. Yet He was right in front of them. Can this be our life, day in and day out?
"...and you do not have his word remaining in you,
because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent." The word came to an end in the Mosaic law, it was not carried out, somewhere it became dead. And that's where resurrection comes to play. | "You search the Scriptures, because you think you have eternal life through them...". Sola-Scriptura, by Word-Alone believe the protestants. This is the style of the Mosaic Law, the law became the ultimate end. That was everything and everyone else nothing. Our Lord came to shine light on what the law was supposed to do...point to the Savior and to give life.
"...even they testify on my behalf. But you do not want to come to me to have life." Scriptures point to Christ from the beginning to end, because they are all about Christ. The Bible is all about Jesus. Because Jesus is one in the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said St. John the Baptist was a "shining lamp". They tolerated what John said about the Messiah, but they would not tolerate the Messiah. It is Herod, perplexed by John but ultimately killed John.
And you? Do you find the Word of God interesting?
Not me.
I find the Word of God to be Amazing.
I can't believe how skewed our people are becoming. Now there is a #banthebible, it is awareness of how people want to ban scripture so all sexualism can run rampant. Other gods. What about what God says? What about His will?
This is the moment to turn from our evil ways. This is the moment to be chaste and pure.
You know what's funny? Some say this: "I can't tell others what to do" and why? Because they too are doing the same thing and thinking the same. That's why they can't judge. Only an outsider can judge and then, the prophet is despised.
Jonah, where are you now?
St. John the Baptist, where are you among us?
Moses, we need your cry "CHOOSE LIFE" now more than ever as we face the atrocity of infanticide, the feeding of babies to the bull god of old.
You see, things are the same as always, only today, evil hides better. I mean, REALLY hidden.
We need to shine the light on darkness. How?
Grace. Go to confession and then Holy Communion. Grace upon grace. Be the shining light of truth like St. John the Baptist, living for Christ and dying for Christ.
Lent is meant for mercy to be spent.
Lent is for us to grow, and you don't fit in your old skin, your old shell. We need to expose ourselves, stop hiding, and let our Lord's light shine in the resurrection He lives among us.... |  click to hear the bible verse | adrian Random Bible Verse
Colossians 2:6-7 (Listen) 6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. Thank You Jesus | |
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