 clickable | | God Speaks through Everything How does God speak? Through everything there is. Every thing, every person, every situation, is ultimately the Word. It tells me something and challenges me to respond. Each moment, with all that it contains, spells out the great "yes" in a new and unique way. By making my response, moment by moment, word by word, I myself am becoming the Word that God speaks in me and to me and through me. —from the book The Way of Silence by Brother David Steindl-Rast |  clickable: The Following is from MorningOffering | †Quote
"Happiness can only be achieved by looking inward and learning to enjoy whatever life has, and this requires transforming greed into gratitude."
— St. John Chrysostom † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"I would, then, that I could convince spiritual persons that this road to God consists not in a multiplicity of meditations nor in ways or methods of such, nor in consolations, although these things may in their own way be necessary to beginners; but that it consists only in the one thing that is needful, which is the ability to deny oneself truly, according to that which is without and to that which is within, giving oneself up to suffering for Christ's sake . . . For progress comes not save through the imitation of Christ, Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no man comes to the Father but by Him."
— St. John of the Cross, p. 91
AN EXCERPT FROM
Ascent of Mt Carmel † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me. I cried aloud to him, and he was extolled with my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has given heed to the words of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me."
Psalm 66:16-20 |  click to read more | | ST. JOHN OF GOD St. John of God (1495-1550) was born in Portugal to poor and devout Christian parents. How he came to be separated from them and homeless at the age of 8 is uncertain, but he eventually found work as a shepherd until the age of 22. At that time he enlisted as a soldier in the Roman Emperor's army to escape an offer of marriage to the shepherd's daughter. There he led a wild and dissolute life; fond memories of his parents is all that kept the spark of faith alive in his heart. At the age of 40 he left the army and reformed himself, beginning with a penitential pilgrimage to St. James of Compostella (The Way of St. James) in Spain. Appalled at his sinful and wasted life, he was determined to spend his remaining days in good works. He was affirmed in this direction by a vision of the Infant Jesus and a sermon of St. John of Avila, who was to become his spiritual director. He later dedicated his life in service to the poor, homeless, and sick, especially the mentally ill, by starting a hospital and homeless shelter. Many people were attracted to him and his work, and he organized his followers into the Order of Hospitallers. They were approved by the Holy See as the Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God, which still exists to this day. St. John of God is the patron saint of many causes, especially of hospitals, hospital workers, nurses, the sick, and the dying. His feast day is March 8.
Reflection The utter humility of John of God, which led to a totally selfless dedication to others, is most impressive. Here is a man who realized his nothingness in the face of God. The Lord blessed him with the gifts of prudence, patience, courage, enthusiasm, and the ability to influence and inspire others. He saw that in his early life he had turned away from the Lord, and, moved to receive his mercy, John began his new commitment to love others in openness to God's love.
Saint John of God is the Patron Saint of: Booksellers
Firefighters
Heart Patients
Hospitals
Nurses
Printers
Sick | Friday after Ash Wednesday † Reading 1 Is 58:1-9a Thus says the Lord GOD:
Cry out full-throated and unsparingly,
lift up your voice like a trumpet blast;
Tell my people their wickedness,
and the house of Jacob their sins.
They seek me day after day,
and desire to know my ways,
Like a nation that has done what is just
and not abandoned the law of their God;
They ask me to declare what is due them,
pleased to gain access to God.
"Why do we fast, and you do not see it?
afflict ourselves, and you take no note of it?" Lo, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits,
and drive all your laborers.
Yes, your fast ends in quarreling and fighting,
striking with wicked claw.
Would that today you might fast
so as to make your voice heard on high!
Is this the manner of fasting I wish,
of keeping a day of penance:
That a man bow his head like a reed
and lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Do you call this a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD?
This, rather, is the fasting that I wish:
releasing those bound unjustly,
untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed,
breaking every yoke;
Sharing your bread with the hungry,
sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;
Clothing the naked when you see them,
and not turning your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your wound shall quickly be healed;
Your vindication shall go before you,
and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer,
you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am! Responsorial Psalm Ps 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 18-19
R. (19b) A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
"Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight."
R. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn. Verse Before the Gospel See Am 5:14
Seek good and not evil so that you may live,
and the Lord will be with you. Gospel Mt 9:14-15 The disciples of John approached Jesus and said,
"Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,
but your disciples do not fast?"
Jesus answered them, "Can the wedding guests mourn
as long as the bridegroom is with them?
The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast." | Meditation: Isaiah 58:1-9 Saint John of God, Religious (Optional Memorial) This, rather, is the fasting that I wish. (Isaiah 58:6) Of the three practices that we focus on in Lent—prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—it's the last that we can find the most challenging, especially if it means going beyond putting some money in the poor box. While many of us are already in the practice of giving to the needy during Lent, it can be harder to find opportunities to serve the poor in person. Often we begin Lent with a sincere desire to help people who are in need, but somehow the whole season gets away from us before we are able to find a way to serve. With today being just the third day of Lent, we still have plenty of time to make a concrete decision about what we will do! Are you not sure where to start? Maybe a call to your parish office would be a good first step. Ask about opportunities to help with a parish clothing drive, a food pantry, or the local Society of St. Vincent de Paul. More than simply giving a donation—which is always good—look for opportunities that bring you into direct contact with those less fortunate than you. That's when your heart changes—when you look into the eyes of those you are serving and recognize them as your brothers and sisters. If you don't find something at first, keep looking. Check your diocesan newspaper, or visit the local charities in your area. Catholic newspapers often have listings of area charities that are looking for volunteers. Who knows? Maybe you can even turn this into a permanent thing once Lent is over. After all, Jesus reminds us that the poor we will always have with us, not just during Lent (Matthew 26:11)! Today's passage from Isaiah is a dramatic reminder that Jesus is looking at the motives of our hearts just as much as our outward actions. As much as he loves it when we fast, he is also looking for people who are seeking to set the oppressed free, share their bread with the hungry, shelter the homeless, and clothe the naked (Isaiah 58:6-7). What's more, if we do this, God promises, "Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed. . . . You shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!" (58:8, 9). "Jesus, show me how I can serve you in the poor and needy this Lent." Psalm 51:3-6, 18-19
Matthew 9:14-15 |  clickable | Jesus promises the Kingdom, gave us the Church—and the Church is the Kingdom. For where the King is, there is the Kingdom. And where the Eucharist is, there is the King. It's a sacramental Kingdom, not a military-theocracy, not a political dynasty. Some people look for kingdoms in all the wrong places. We have to look at it through the eyes of faith and the see the sacramental vision of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
—Scott Hahn
from Your Share of the Prophets |  Food For The Poor (clickable) | | 2cents:
"Why do we fast, and you do not see it? afflict ourselves, and you take no note of it? Lo, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits...". A tailored religion is what people like, tailored to suit their own needs and desires. So tailored, so custom, that is what people do with faith. They take a little of that, and a little from there, and then say "this is what I believe". There is truth out there. There is a fountain of truth out there. But we play neutral like Pontius Pilate, and dare ask "what is truth" as the truth stood right before his face, and that truth is Jesus. But we will fail to see Jesus over and over, so long as we do not want the truth He offers. What does truth look like? It looks like it hurts. Love hurts. I know of one loved one that has chosen to basically hate everyone in family after his parents divorced, and grown up now, has failed at two marriages, because he has chosen to close himself off...as if in self-protection mode. | Let us pray: " A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn. For you are not pleased with sacrifices; should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it. My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn." All our lenten sacrifices will be for not, if they would have taken us further from our Lord. What if God asked you to come see Him in the desert? In penance, in confession, in a one on one meeting? What if He asks you to come to Mass more often? What if He asks that you speak with Him a little more? And let Him speak in conversation. For me, that is the hardest part of prayer. In my prayers this morning, I let Him speak, and He just kept speaking to my Heart to the point where I felt like I was with this man in the nursing home...he just speaks and speaks! LOL. And then the scary part...I shut him off, "I...listen I...I gotta go...". And I leave him alone. "OK...God bless you, take these candies to your wife and kids". And I carry away ...guilt. Over-loved. When will I become the lover? Perhaps when I am contrite of heart, in a sincere contrition....a true rendering of interior garments. | In the Holy Gospel, our Lord is approached and questioned on their fasting, or lack thereof. Our Lord says "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?" The Lover speaks. When you are with the King, you feast. When the King is gone, you fast. Has He been absent in your life? Fast. Have you been sinful? Then fast. Want to be Holy? Then fast. A fast calls on Him. A true act of contrition begins. | Our Lord then said "The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast." And He was taken away. And now we fast. We proclaim His death and resurrection at every Holy Mass. We fast before Mass, we fast on Fridays. Actually we should fast every single Friday! At least abstain. Why? Because our Lord will be more real in a heart that is true and contrite, and in love. That is what the world needs now. Less of you, more of Him. |  click to hear the bible verse | adrian Random Bible Verse1
Proverbs 13:20 20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,
but the companion of fools will suffer harm. Thank You Jesus | |
