Discover a New Saint The mystics have been touched by God in an extraordinary way and in some cases have written extraordinarily well of the inner journey. Every mystical text is the story of an individual's encounter with God. In those words we can find inspiration and motivation to seek, with the same single-minded perseverance, to be open to God's voice. Not every mystic will appeal to everyone, but one or the other may strike a chord in the heart of someone trying to live the Gospel and know God. Something you read will speak to you, and you will say, "This is the saint for me; I believe this; I trust these words, this life." —from Mystics: 10 Who Show Us the Way of God | †Quote
"Christ made my soul beautiful with the jewels of grace and virtue. I belong to Him whom the angels serve."
– St. Agnes † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"With creation, God does not abandon his creatures to themselves. He not only gives them being and existence, but also, and at every moment, upholds and sustains them in being, enables them to act and brings them to their final end. Recognizing this utter dependence with respect to the Creator is a source of wisdom and freedom, of joy and confidence: 'For you love all things that exist, and detest none of the things that you have made; for you would not have made anything if you had hated it. How would anything have endured, if you had not willed it? Or how would anything not called forth by you have been preserved? You spare all things for they are yours, O Lord, you who love the living' (Wisdom 11:24-26)."
— (CCC, 301)
AN EXCERPT FROM
Catechism of the Catholic Church † VERSE OF THE DAY
"In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."
Romans 8:26-27 |  click to read more | | Saint Adrian of Canterbury Though Saint Adrian turned down a papal request to become Archbishop of Canterbury, England, Pope Saint Vitalian accepted the rejection on the condition that Adrian serve as the Holy Father's assistant and adviser. Adrian accepted, but ended up spending most of his life and doing most of his work in Canterbury. Born in Africa, Adrian was serving as an abbot in Italy when the new Archbishop of Canterbury appointed him abbot of the monastery of Saints Peter and Paul in Canterbury. Thanks to his leadership skills, the facility became one of the most important centers of learning. The school attracted many outstanding scholars from far and wide and produced numerous future bishops and archbishops. Students reportedly learned Greek and Latin and spoke Latin as well as their own native languages. Adrian taught at the school for 40 years. He died there, probably in the year 710, and was buried in the monastery. Several hundred years later, when reconstruction was being done, Adrian's body was discovered in an incorrupt state. As word spread, people flocked to his tomb, which became famous for miracles. Rumor had it that young schoolboys in trouble with their masters made regular visits there.
Reflection Saint Adrian spent most of his time in Canterbury not as bishop, but as abbot and teacher. Often the Lord has plans for us that are obvious only on hindsight. How often have we said no to something or someone only to end up in much the same place anyway. The Lord knows what's good for us. Can we trust him? | Wednesday after Epiphany Reading 1 1 Jn 4:11-18 Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also must love one another.
No one has ever seen God.
Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us,
and his love is brought to perfection in us. This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us,
that he has given us of his Spirit.
Moreover, we have seen and testify
that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world.
Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,
God remains in him and he in God.
We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.
In this is love brought to perfection among us,
that we have confidence on the day of judgment
because as he is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love,
but perfect love drives out fear
because fear has to do with punishment,
and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. Responsorial Psalm Ps 72:1-2, 10, 12-13
R. (see 11) Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king's son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you. Alleluia See 1 Tm 3:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to you, O Christ, proclaimed to the Gentiles.
Glory to you, O Christ, believed in throughout the world.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 6:45-52 After the five thousand had eaten and were satisfied,
Jesus made his disciples get into the boat
and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida,
while he dismissed the crowd.
And when he had taken leave of them,
he went off to the mountain to pray.
When it was evening,
the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore.
Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing,
for the wind was against them.
About the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea.
He meant to pass by them.
But when they saw him walking on the sea,
they thought it was a ghost and cried out.
They had all seen him and were terrified.
But at once he spoke with them,
"Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!"
He got into the boat with them and the wind died down.
They were completely astounded.
They had not understood the incident of the loaves.
On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.
| Meditation: Mark 6:45-52 Christmas Weekday Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid! (Mark 6:50) Jesus' words are perplexing at best. Why wouldn't the disciples be terrified, given the situation? Not only are they far out to sea, but it's dark, a storm is raging, and what appears to be a ghost is walking toward them. Who wouldn't be afraid? So how should we understand Jesus' words to the disciples? And more to the point, how can we deal with our fears when we face terrifying circumstances? We all know the kinds of things that could make us afraid: a cancer diagnosis, job loss, financial upheaval, a child in a car accident, and many others. These are the situations where fear can overwhelm and paralyze us. They're the situations in which it feels as if we are in the boat with the disciples—and just moments away from capsizing. But look what happens right after Jesus tells the disciples to do something that seemed impossible: "He got into the boat with them" (Mark 6:51). Which is exactly what Jesus does for us. He joins us in our "boat." He doesn't just tell us not to be afraid; he enters into our situation and promises to remain with us every step of the way. This might not mean an instantaneous healing of cancer or a surprise check appearing in our mailbox. But it may well entail the Lord offering you his help just when you most need it. Maybe he leads you to an excellent doctor. Maybe you learn about a promising new job opportunity. Or maybe nothing appears to happen at all, but you experience a sense of peace in the midst of turmoil. Whatever happens, Jesus wants to show you that he is with you for the long haul. He has no intention of abandoning you. This means you can trust in him, even in the most terrifying of storms. So whenever you feel like your boat is sinking, remember Jesus' words: "Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid" (Mark 6:50). Jesus is with you, and he will remain with you through every frightening moment. Then keep your eyes open so that you don't miss all the ways he is caring for you. "Lord Jesus, thank you for being with me and helping me to face my fears." 1 John 4:11-18
Psalm 72:1-2, 10, 12-13 | 2 cents :
"There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love." Fitting for today's Gospel, that whole talk about fear, that what we learn in the world, to fear. My little toddler, he is rambunctious, always a firecracker, with my little puppy he'd always play, but my older girls don't like the puppy and fear it, and it's as if the little rambunctious toddler now fears the puppy, no longer friends or friendly, but afraid, stays away, won't go outside, and will try to hurt it, if it comes close. Sound familiar? We all learn fear. Saint Paul tells us today that perfect love casts out fear, drives it out. What are we afraid of? | Let us pray today: " Lord, every nation on earth will adore you. For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him. He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save." Who are the "poor" that Jesus saves? Let's take a quick replay of His Precious life on earth: He rescued a prostitute, he converted also a tax collector, he gave life to a poor widow's son that had died, gave sight to the blind, and the deaf could hear, fed thousands with so little. | And today, He rescues His own disciples from being engulfed by the raging sea. He was watching them. He knew. He was going to just "walk by" them. But they were screaming in fear, first the threat of drowning, now this ghost!? Jesus speaks: "Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!". How many times does the bible say, does God say, "do not be afraid" in the bible? Basically around 365 times they say. It's like every day He has to comfort us. God is watching you right now, what you're going through. "I AM here" He says. What's more, He didn't even say nothing as He was walking past them on water. He just made it obvious. To see if they would even call out to Him in their fear. From there one, we learned to call on Him. It was the greatest lesson even non-church goers know...you can Call On Him. And the beautiful part of the story is how He got into the boat with them, and the waters settle. We make our own whirlwinds and storms don't we? We cause the majority of our own devastation. Most..due to a lack of faith and or faithfulness. We set our own traps by our own sins. We set our own traps by losing sight of Him. So you lose sight. And you can't hear right. And death begins to loom with gloom. So what's going on in your world? I'm sure you are reaching here for faith. Take heart.
On my side, I'm rushing to go help at a funeral, for a man that was in his mid 90's. And I just got word that my younger cousin with two sons and a wife, he just died in Mexico, I pray for his soul and loved ones, being the only son he was. And as I write a worker with teary eyes says he wants his pay to rush to pay doctors to operate on his dad with brain hemorrhage. So where is God now? He is around. Take a look around. What do you see? Ghosts? Scary things? Take heart.
There is much to be said of this Gospel, many parables (sower, fisher of men, mustard seed, etc), they are all tied. The very name Bethsaida means "place of hunting or fishing". He had sent them on a mission. But, for a special mission, you need boot camp, or basic training don't you, to be a Navy Seal for Jesus. To be a part of a handful of elite chosen warriors. You will have to endure a horrible storm. You will have to go through the darkest watch of the night. You will have to work all night, rowing, huffing, puffing, phsyical and mental and spiritual endurance will have to be learned.
Take heart.
What does this mean?
I Love You.
You are not alone. | |
