 clickable | | See Others as God Sees Them Our dignity rests at the core of who we are. This means, of course, that just as we have to value ourselves, to see ourselves as God does, so too do we have to see that unique value and dignity in others. There is no such thing as a human person without dignity or value in the eyes of God, and therefore that should be the case for us too. Even the worst criminal and the most despised person bear this unique haecceitas within them. Those whom we find difficult to love are especially challenging to us when we search for all sorts of excuses to hate or dismiss them. Duns Scotus reminds us to see others as God sees them—individually loved into existence. Now this doesn't mean that they will see themselves in this light, just as we so often don't see it in ourselves. This is perhaps one significant cause for such hatred and wrongdoing in our world. We easily forget what it means for us to be created in the image and likeness of God. —from Dating God: Live and Love in the Way of St. Francis |  clickable: The Following is from MorningOffering | | †Quote
"Who except God can give you peace? Has the world ever been able to satisfy the heart?"
— St. Gerard Majella † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"This is the difference between a journey on earth, and that which leads to Heaven. For in the former, not only may we stop without fear of going backward, but rest is necessary that we may sustain our strength to the journey's end; however, in the latter journey which leads to perfection, our growth in strength is proportionate to our advance, inasmuch as the inferior appetites which throw all possible obstacles in our path to Heaven, grow gradually weaker while our good inclinations acquire new strength. Thus as we advance in piety, our early difficulties fade into the background, and a certain delight, with which God sweetens the bitterness of this life, increases in our souls. Going cheerfully on from virtue to virtue, we finally reach the summit of the mountain."
— Dom Lorenzo Scupoli, pp. 117-18
AN EXCERPT FROM
The Spiritual Combat †VERSE OF THE DAY
"Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness."
Isaiah 42:5-7 |  click to read more | | Blessed Sebastian of Aparicio (January 20, 1502 – February 25, 1600) Sebastian's roads and bridges connected many distant places. His final bridge-building was to help men and women recognize their God-given dignity and destiny. Sebastian's parents were Spanish peasants. At the age of 31, he sailed to Mexico, where he began working in the fields. Eventually he built roads to facilitate agricultural trading and other commerce. His 466-mile road from Mexico City to Zacatecas took 10 years to build and required careful negotiations with the indigenous peoples along the way. In time Sebastian was a wealthy farmer and rancher. At the age of 60, he entered a virginal marriage. His wife's motivation may have been a large inheritance; his was to provide a respectable life for a girl without even a modest marriage dowry. When his first wife died, he entered another virginal marriage for the same reason; his second wife also died young. At the age of 72, Sebastian distributed his goods among the poor and entered the Franciscans as a brother. Assigned to the large (100-member) friary at Puebla de los Angeles south of Mexico City, Sebastian went out collecting alms for the friars for the next 25 years. His charity to all earned him the nickname "Angel of Mexico." Sebastian was beatified in 1787 and is known as a patron of travelers.
Reflection According to the Rule of Saint Francis, the friars were to work for their daily bread. Sometimes, however, their work would not provide for their needs; for example, working with people suffering from leprosy brought little or no pay. In cases such as these, the friars were allowed to beg, always keeping in mind the admonition of Francis to let their good example commend them to the people. The life of the prayerful Sebastian drew many closer to God.
Blessed Sebastian of Aparicio is the Patron Saint of: Travelers | Monday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Sir 1:1-10 All wisdom comes from the LORD
and with him it remains forever, and is before all time
The sand of the seashore, the drops of rain,
the days of eternity: who can number these?
Heaven's height, earth's breadth,
the depths of the abyss: who can explore these?
Before all things else wisdom was created;
and prudent understanding, from eternity.
The word of God on high is the fountain of wisdom
and her ways are everlasting.
To whom has wisdom's root been revealed?
Who knows her subtleties?
To whom has the discipline of wisdom been revealed?
And who has understood the multiplicity of her ways ?
There is but one, wise and truly awe-inspiring,
seated upon his throne:
There is but one, Most High
all-powerful creator-king and truly awe-inspiring one,
seated upon his throne and he is the God of dominion.
It is the LORD; he created her through the Holy Spirit,
has seen her and taken note of her.
He has poured her forth upon all his works,
upon every living thing according to his bounty;
he has lavished her upon his friends. Responsorial Psalm Ps 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5
R.(1a) The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
R.The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O LORD.
R.The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed:
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.
R.The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty. Alleluia See 2 Tm 1:10
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 9:14-29 As Jesus came down from the mountain with Peter, James, John
and approached the other disciples,
they saw a large crowd around them and scribes arguing with them.
Immediately on seeing him,
the whole crowd was utterly amazed.
They ran up to him and greeted him.
He asked them, "What are you arguing about with them?"
Someone from the crowd answered him,
"Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute spirit.
Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down;
he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid.
I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so."
He said to them in reply,
"O faithless generation, how long will I be with you?
How long will I endure you? Bring him to me."
They brought the boy to him.
And when he saw him,
the spirit immediately threw the boy into convulsions.
As he fell to the ground, he began to roll around
and foam at the mouth.
Then he questioned his father,
"How long has this been happening to him?"
He replied, "Since childhood.
It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him.
But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."
Jesus said to him,
"'If you can!' Everything is possible to one who has faith."
Then the boy's father cried out, "I do believe, help my unbelief!"
Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering,
rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it,
"Mute and deaf spirit, I command you:
come out of him and never enter him again!"
Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out.
He became like a corpse, which caused many to say, "He is dead!"
But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up.
When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private,
"Why could we not drive the spirit out?"
He said to them, "This kind can only come out through prayer."
| Meditation: Sirach 1:1-10 7th Week in Ordinary Time Who can number these? . . . Who can explore these? (Sirach 1:2, 3) Modern-day scientists can answer many of Sirach's "unanswerable questions." Sands of the seashore? Take the amount of grains of sand in a teaspoon and multiply it by the volume of all the beaches and deserts on earth: scientists estimate it's over seven quintillion (that's seven with eighteen zeroes after it). The depths of the abyss? Through unmanned submarines, scientists can descend three miles into the deep chasms of the ocean and study its mysteries. But that knowledge is not the wisdom Sirach is talking about. From now until Ash Wednesday, we will be reading from the Book of Sirach, a collection of sayings and moral teachings that is part of the wisdom literature in the Hebrew Bible. Today's reading is a poetic introduction to the book, and it highlights this essential point: all wisdom comes from the Lord (Sirach 1:1). Wisdom helps us see the world as God does. Wisdom helps us know how to live in this world that God has created. Wisdom helps us understand who we are and how we should relate to the people in our lives. In short, wisdom—God's wisdom—is available to guide every aspect of our lives. Isn't that good news? God doesn't keep his wisdom to himself. He freely—lavishly—gives it to his friends. That includes you! One of the most obvious ways God shares his wisdom is through his word. Sirach says, "The word of God on high is the fountain of wisdom" (1:5). St. Paul would agree—he urges Timothy to use the Scriptures to teach, correct, and train himself in all areas of righteous living (2 Timothy 3:16). Today is a good day to take some time to seek God's wisdom. Try sitting with the Scriptures for a bit, and allow them to sink into your mind and heart. Maybe use today's readings. Or you could use a favorite psalm or a story from the Gospels. Whatever passage you choose, give yourself time to read prayerfully and to ponder what you read. Let the words open your heart to God's heart. Let them open your eyes to the way God looks at things. Let them show you how to live. God's thoughts are indeed deeper than the abyss. So dive into his word, and discover all that he wants to show you. "Father, thank you for teaching me the way of wisdom." |  clickable | Truth was nailed to a Cross at Calvary in Jesus Christ. And it should be equally evident that the crucifixion of truth continues throughout the course of history. Should we expect otherwise in our own time?
—Fr. Donald Haggerty
from Conversion: Spiritual Insights Into an Essential Encounter with God | 2cents:
"The word of God on high is the fountain of wisdom
and her ways are everlasting."
Sirach talks of wisdom many times. It goes on in many places about faithfulness. Especially that of a wife. And we are, the wife...of the groom, Jesus. He enjoys a faithful wife for He thrives through her. But, abhorrent is an unfaithful wife. The one with a wandering eye. Scornful. Hateful, and the man dies younger than he should have. Think the Vine of God. | Let us pray:
".The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty. Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed: holiness befits your house, O LORD, for length of days. " Back to the faithfulness. Holiness. It is rare to see holiness. For one thing, it is hard to see. Can you literally see it with your eyes? Can you see how many evil spirits live in a person? Can you see what God sees? We should be afraid of what we let in...to this body of Christ. I asked my 9th graders, can anyone tell me what chastity means? Dead...silence. How will we know holiness? And its not even their fault! My toddler does some funky things, but he's just picking them up from what he sees. Can you see holiness is the question. Yes. Jesus. | In the Holy Gospel, our Holy Lord and King Jesus is coming, and the people are all worked up, because a demon has not been able to be exorcised. Everyone is up in arms about it. Our Lord commands the evil spirits of muteness, and deafness to come out; "...come out of him and never enter him again!" YIKES! How many times have you gone to confession only to be found back in the same sin over and over again? What happened to you? Jesus has the answer for all of us..."This kind can only come out through prayer." Say what?? But I'm always praying? What's up with that? | Do you really want to know? If so, then, why? I was on retreat once at a Carmelite hermitage, and the abbot told all of us men, "if you are aroused, stop it, if you can't stop it, stop eating". We all looked at each other with shocked faces..."stop eat?" are you serious? Praying is easier on a full stomach, isn't it? In my life, I realize I pray better when I'm hungry. Tears flow better. My heart is tugged more. Stop eating. Yes, prayer is important, but real prayer is worth more, the sacrificial type.
Time is ticking. And the conversation ensues:
JESUS- ''If you can!' Everything is possible to one who has faith."
Then the boy's father cried out, "I do believe, help my unbelief!"
How many of us pray like that? It's like, "why doesn't my faith seem to work?"
Right? I am going to vouch for our Lord. Prayer and fasting is the way.
All these people commanding evil spirits to leave, yeah, some will obey, but some will not, those hard ones take more effort.
Our Lord is telling us not only to repent, but to become holy after you repent. Don't just confess, that's the first part of the 7 step program. Seven? Yes, the covenant, the promise, the pact with bloodshed to prove.
Everybody thought the boy was dead, the demons had used and abused the child. Pope Francis has called an "all out battle" on this whole sexual abuse that's going on. What is the abuse like? It is demonic at its core. So twisted. It's like, a temptation that hits your head and won't let go. And evil infiltrates and becomes a wolf in sheep's clothing. And so you have normal people with split personalities walking around, one good, one bad. I see it all the time. The church is full of them. And quite frankly, I don't know what to do about it, especially when I see myself doing the same thing!!! LOL.
Jesus is soon going to lead us into the desert for 40 days and 40 nights. Will you follow where there will be no enjoyments, no people around, just a lonesome and dangerous place? At the end of the journey, the devil will appear and your hunger to be satisfied will be tempted. It is an ongoing and daily battle. We need prayer, not just what you have been doing, but more. We need fasting, not the kind you are used to doing, but the kind that brings you to your knees, and trembling before our Lord.
This is the kind that will make a light appear in the world that is closing in on itself. Saint Pope John Paul II said it right, we are facing a culture of death, and it is a growing weed. Will you fast for the unborn? I just saw a prescreen of the movie Unplanned, a guy flew in from half across the country. The movie needs to be showed, the light needs to show on darkness. God needs us to be faithful to Him who is the Way, the TRUTH and the LIFE.
Choose Life
Choose Christ, the more, the better, I promise. Be not afraid to be a Holy Roller. Do not be afraid to completely put your life in God's hands. Be not afraid...we are not alone Jesus,
I desire to be freed from being a mute.
I desire to be able to hear you like never before
I desire your precious blood to be mingled with mine in sheer love
and let my blood be yours as yours is for me.
God I love you |  I got a random audio bible verse as I wrote to you today, click to hear it | adrian Random Bible Verse
Matthew 16:24 (Listen) 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Thank You Jesus | |
