 clickable | | Live Life as a Gift Live Life as a GiftLove always takes this path: to give one's life. To live life as a gift, a gift to be given—not a treasure to be stored away. And Jesus lived it in this manner, as a gift. And if we live life as a gift, we do what Jesus wanted: "I appointed you that you should go and bear fruit." So, we must not burn out life with selfishness. Judas's attitude was contrary to the person who loves, for he never understood—poor thing—what a gift is. Judas was one of those people who does not act in altruism and who lives in his own world. On the contrary, when Mary Magdalene washed Jesus's feet with nard—very costly—it is a religious moment, a moment of thanksgiving, a moment of love. —from the book The Hope of Lent: Daily Reflections from Pope Francis by Diane M. Houdek |  clickable: The Following is from MorningOffering | †Saint Quote
"Our Lord has created persons for all states in life, and in all of them we see people who achieved sanctity by fulfilling their obligations well."
— St. Anthony Mary Claret † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Always give good heed to the Word of God, whether you hear or read it in private, or hearken to it when publicly preached: listen with attention and reverence; seek to profit by it, and do not let the precious words fall unheeded; receive them into your heart as a costly balsam; imitate the Blessed Virgin who 'kept all the sayings' concerning her Son, 'in her heart.' And remember that according as we hearken to and receive God's words, so will He hearken and receive our supplications."
— St. Francis de Sales
AN EXCERPT FROM
An Introduction to the Devout Life † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Yours, O Lord, are the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might; and it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all. And now, our God, we give thanks to you and praise your glorious name."
1 Chronicles 29:11-13 |  click to read more | | ST. HUNNA St. Hunna (d. 679 A.D.) was born in Alsace, France. She was the virtuous daughter of a duke, and she married a similarly virtuous nobleman. Hunna and her husband did not indulge in unnecessary luxuries according to their high state in life, and instead detached themselves from their riches by opening their home to the poor and assisting them in their need. St. Deodatus, a bishop who resigned from his See, came to live with the holy couple for a time. St. Hunna and her husband greatly profited from his religious instruction and grew in sanctity as a result. When Hunna bore a son, she named him after St. Deodatus. This child, raised by such holy parents, later joined a monastery and also became a saint. After her husband's death Hunna continued to spend her life serving the poor, especially women. No task was too menial for her. She tended to the poor and the sick and regularly, including their laundry and mending, even to the point of exhaustion. For this she was nicknamed the "Holy Washerwoman." She also gave away her wealth and property to build churches and monasteries. So many miracles were attributed to her that Pope Leo X canonized her in 1520. St. Hunna is the patron saint of laundresses and her feast day is April 15. | Monday of Holy Week Reading 1 Is 42:1-7 Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one with whom I am pleased,
Upon whom I have put my Spirit;
he shall bring forth justice to the nations,
Not crying out, not shouting,
not making his voice heard in the street.
A bruised reed he shall not break,
and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,
Until he establishes justice on the earth;
the coastlands will wait for his teaching. Thus says God, the LORD,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spreads out the earth with its crops,
Who gives breath to its people
and spirit to those who walk on it:
I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,
I have grasped you by the hand;
I formed you, and set you
as a covenant of the people,
a light for the nations,
To open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out prisoners from confinement,
and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness. Responsorial Psalm Ps 27:1, 2, 3, 13-14
R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
When evildoers come at me
to devour my flesh,
My foes and my enemies
themselves stumble and fall.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart will not fear;
Though war be waged upon me,
even then will I trust.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Verse Before the Gospel Hail to you, our King;
you alone are compassionate with our faults. Gospel Jn 12:1-11 Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany,
where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served,
while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him.
Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil
made from genuine aromatic nard
and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair;
the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples,
and the one who would betray him, said,
"Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days' wages
and given to the poor?"
He said this not because he cared about the poor
but because he was a thief and held the money bag
and used to steal the contributions.
So Jesus said, "Leave her alone.
Let her keep this for the day of my burial.
You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me." The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came,
not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus,
whom he had raised from the dead.
And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too,
because many of the Jews were turning away
and believing in Jesus because of him.
| Meditation: John 12:1-11 Monday of Holy Week They gave a dinner for him. (John 12:2) Imagine hosting a dinner party to say "Thank you" to a fireman who helped save your life. You welcome him into your home and ask what you can get him to drink; you want to do everything you can to show your gratitude. Later on, when there's a pause in the conversation, you try to express how much it means to have him there—the man who gave your life back to you. But you can't say enough. Words fall short. We all respond differently in moments of deep emotion or gratitude. Some people fall silent, while others laugh or even break out into song. Look at Lazarus and his sisters as an example. Each of them responded to Jesus—the person who raised Lazarus from the dead—in different yet equally moving ways. Lazarus hosted Jesus and his disciples. Martha kept the food and drink flowing. And Mary anointed him with costly perfume. Just like Lazarus, you have received life because of Jesus. He's the hero who has eternally saved you from sin—along with everyone else who has faith in him. He is the One who saw you in distress, entered into your world, and rescued you from everything that was threatening you. And like the firefighter, he risked his own life so that you could have another chance at life. This is also the One who comes to dine with you at the Eucharistic banquet. Day after day, week after week, he accepts your invitation and comes to share a meal with you. It doesn't matter to him whether your celebration is grand or humble, filled with guests or a more intimate affair. Just as he was happy to rescue you, he is happy to spend time with you. This week try to carve out time to attend at least one of the Holy Week services: the Washing of the Feet on Holy Thursday or the Stations of the Cross or the Veneration of the Cross on Good Friday. Or spend some time in quiet adoration before the tabernacle. This is your opportunity to tell Jesus how grateful you are and how much he means to you. If you are making your offering in love and gratitude—no matter what that offering is—it will be a precious anointing for Jesus. "Thank you, Jesus, for rescuing me!" Isaiah 42:1-7
Psalm 27: 1-3, 13-14 |  clickable | If we attend to the witnesses with listening hearts and open ourselves to the signs by which the Lord again and again authenticates both them and himself, then we know that he is truly risen. He is alive. Let us entrust ourselves to him, knowing that we are on the right path. With Thomas let us place our hands into Jesus' pierced side and confess: 'My Lord and my God!'
—Pope Benedict XVI
from Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week | 2cents:
"I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you
as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations..."
Thus was prophesied about our Lord. And our Lord became one of us...but not just one of us...but one with us now. Does that make sense? The other day, a co-worker blurted a bad name to another as that other walked away. I said "don't call him names, because I am one with him, we are one in our Lord". I am the manager, but I think I got his faith thing tingling...he kind of was baffled at the comment. But it is true, for we are one in the Lord. This is the real danger of never forgiving and or giving. | Let us pray: "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my life's refuge; of whom should I be afraid?" | In the Holy Gospel, our Lord is eating with his friend Lazarus, raised from the dead. Everyone is thankful, except a few, one is Judas concerned about money, and the others are the Pharisees concerned about what they want...killing Jesus and Lazarus. How crazy our focus...if you focus on evil that is all you will see. Mary was not focusing on anything other than being thankful. She was first washing the feet. | How can we be more like Mary? That is what we should focus on. She was pouring out the best on Jesus. "Wasting money on Him", as some would say, like Judas. Some ask why the things in church are made of gold? Why is the Vatican holding so many valuable things? Why not sell it and give all the money to the poor? It'd be like asking me to sell my family heirlooms and give to the poor. Why doesn't everybody do that? Many saints do. But then, the chalice would be made of tupperware. And the walls would have to be stripped of their pictures and paint and the acts of love would have to be disregarded, works of art. Why not strip the church of choirs and altar servers too then? No. We have to show the world what is most precious to us...Jesus. Does it show in your life how precious God is?
Do you give the best to God?
Do you dress your best on Sunday?
Do you tell the world you love Him?
Have you told Him lately how much you honor and adore and appreciate? Mary shows the world with tears and oils and on her knees washing His feet. The whole room smelled beautiful.
That's how you you know.
This is the day to annoint.
This is the day to waste your life away on our Lord Jesus...
And He accepts great acts of love... |  click to hear the bible verse | adrian Random Bible Verse
Romans 5:17 (Listen) 17 For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Thank You Jesus | |
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