 clickable | | God Speaks in Many Languages Exclusion in the name of God is the very worst of religious sins. God speaks in many tongues and to every color and age of people. It is not ours to decide where God's favor lies. But it is ours to see as a spiritual task the obligation to come to our own opinions. We are not to buy thought cheaply. We are not to attach ourselves to someone else's decisions like pilot fish and simply go with the crowd. We are meant to be thinking Christians. —from the book In God's Holy Light: Wisdom from the Desert Monastics by Sister Joan Chittister |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"The Cross is the way to Paradise, but only when it is borne willingly."
— St. Paul of the Cross †MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"There was much in the Magdalen that she had never used, perhaps never dreamed of, until she came to our Lord. He revealed to her the secret of true self-development, which is another word for sanctity. And she found under His guidance that everything in her had henceforth to be used, and used in a fuller and richer way than she had ever imagined possible. It was in no narrow school of self-limitation, in no morbid school of false asceticism, that this poor sinner was educated in the principles of sanctity, but in the large and merciful school of Him who has been ever since the hope of the hopeless, the friend of publicans and sinners; who knows full well that what men need is not to crush and kill their powers, but to find their true use and to use them; that holiness is not the emptying of life, but the filling; that despair has wrapped its dark cloud around many a soul because it found itself in possession of powers that it abused and could not destroy and did not know how to use. Christ taught them the great and inspiriting doctrine 'I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.'"
— Fr. Basil W. Maturin, p. 40
AN EXCERPT FROM
Christian Self-Mastery † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; be not frightened, neither be dismayed; for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
Joshua 1:9 |  click to read more | | ST. AGNES OF ROME St. Agnes (c. 291–304 A.D.) was born to a noble Roman family. She was a beautiful young woman of twelve or thirteen years of age when many suitors desired her hand in marriage. Instead of marrying, St. Agnes committed herself to a life of consecrated virginity as a spouse of Christ. She was then denounced to the authorities as a Christian during the persecutions of Roman Emperor Diocletian. She was condemned to be dragged naked through the streets into a brothel to be sexually abused. She miraculously escaped from this predicament with her virginity preserved, and was then condemned to be burned at the stake. Again, by a miracle, her persecutors were unable to carry out her sentence. Finally, they put her to death by beheading. Of all the virgin martyrs, St. Agnes is held in the first place by the Church. She is one of the seven women, besides the Virgin Mary, commemorated by name in the Roman Canon of the Mass. St. Agnes' name means 'chaste' and she is the patroness of girls, chastity, engaged couples, virgins, rape victims, and the Girl Scouts. Her feast day is January 21st. | Memorial of Saint Agnes, virgin and martyr
Lectionary: 312
Reading 1 1 Sm 16:1-13 The LORD said to Samuel:
"How long will you grieve for Saul,
whom I have rejected as king of Israel?
Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way.
I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem,
for I have chosen my king from among his sons."
But Samuel replied:
"How can I go?
Saul will hear of it and kill me."
To this the LORD answered:
"Take a heifer along and say,
'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.'
Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I myself will tell you what to do;
you are to anoint for me the one I point out to you." Samuel did as the LORD had commanded him.
When he entered Bethlehem,
the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and inquired,
"Is your visit peaceful, O seer?"
He replied:
"Yes! I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.
So cleanse yourselves and join me today for the banquet."
He also had Jesse and his sons cleanse themselves
and invited them to the sacrifice.
As they came, he looked at Eliab and thought,
"Surely the LORD's anointed is here before him."
But the LORD said to Samuel:
"Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature,
because I have rejected him.
Not as man sees does God see,
because he sees the appearance
but the LORD looks into the heart."
Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him before Samuel,
who said, "The LORD has not chosen him."
Next Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said,
"The LORD has not chosen this one either."
In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel,
but Samuel said to Jesse,
"The LORD has not chosen any one of these."
Then Samuel asked Jesse,
"Are these all the sons you have?"
Jesse replied,
"There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep."
Samuel said to Jesse,
"Send for him;
we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here."
Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them.
He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold
and making a splendid appearance.
The LORD said,
"There–anoint him, for this is he!"
Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand,
anointed him in the midst of his brothers;
and from that day on, the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David.
When Samuel took his leave, he went to Ramah. Responsorial Psalm 89:20, 21-22, 27-28 R. (21a) I have found David, my servant.
Once you spoke in a vision,
and to your faithful ones you said:
"On a champion I have placed a crown;
over the people I have set a youth."
R. I have found David, my servant.
"I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him,
That my hand may be always with him,
and that my arm may make him strong."
R. I have found David, my servant.
"He shall say of me, 'You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.'
And I will make him the first-born,
highest of the kings of the earth."
R. I have found David, my servant. Alleluia Eph Eph 1:17-18 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know what is the hope
that belongs to our call.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 2:23-28 As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath,
his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain.
At this the Pharisees said to him,
"Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?"
He said to them,
"Have you never read what David did
when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?
How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest
and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat,
and shared it with his companions?"
Then he said to them,
"The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath." | Catholic Meditations
Meditation: 1 Samuel 16:1-13 Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr (Memorial) From that day on, the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David. (1 Samuel 16:13) Anointing was a common practice in ancient Israel. People often used perfumed oil to refresh themselves or to soothe and heal wounds. They also used it to anoint kings and priests. Pouring oil over a person was a way of setting him aside for God's service in a special way. Such people became God's "anointed ones," empowered by him to fulfill their duties. In today's first reading, God makes it clear that David, the youngest of Jesse's sons, is to be Israel's next king. God does this by having Samuel anoint him. Through this anointing, God fills David with his Spirit. God's Spirit would now be with David through all the challenges he would face, including his forty-year reign as king. When you were baptized, you were also anointed with oil. The sacred chrism, the oil consecrated by the bishop, "signifies the gift of the Holy Spirit to the newly baptized." In that anointing, you were "incorporated into Christ who is anointed priest, prophet, and king" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1241). It's true; God's Spirit really did rush into you when you were baptized, just as it rushed upon David. That's because sacraments aren't just religious ceremonies—they bring about what they signify. Just as King David's anointing empowered him to fulfill his office, your baptism empowered and strengthened you. It equipped you as priest, to grow in holiness and to help others do the same; as prophet, to proclaim the truth of the gospel; and as king, to bring God's kingdom into the world. This is a high calling, and it can seem beyond our strength or ability. Maybe David felt the same way when Samuel anointed him. Yet through every difficulty, he must have recalled that extraordinary day and the gift of the Spirit he had received. Your baptismal day was extraordinary as well. Even if you were too young to remember it, something amazing happened: like Jesus, you were "anointed . . . with the holy Spirit and power" (Acts 10:38). May we always honor and treasure this great gift by calling on the Spirit for our every need! "Lord, let me never forget the great gift of the Spirit, whom you gave me in Baptism." Psalm 89:20-22, 27-28
Mark 2:23-28 |  clickable | Believers ought to be distinguished not only by their place, but by their way of life. They ought to be obvious not only by the gift, but also by the new life. He should be distinguishable by everything—by his walk, by his look, by his clothes, by his voice.
— St. John Chrysostom
from A Year with the Church Fathers | my2cents:
"Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand, anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and from that day on, the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David."
The anointing from God is not just a symbol, in our Sacraments. The anointing brings for the Holy Spirit.
Yesterday I was telling a fallen away Catholic that Baptism is much more than what she was now professing in her protestant church, which she said was "re-affirming (confirming )beliefs". I said basically that is very watered down, and Baptism means so much more. And the whole discussion was brought about because I was asking them why they took down a picture of Jesus in our office. It's been junked out. When asked they said "you don't need pictures to have faith" and I said "those pictures of Jesus are a message." And so is the ongoing discussion with protestants and the anti-christ. Why do I bring all this up? Because, a spirit rushed to speak the truth. I was told never to bring up religion by this person, "you may only speak about God but not religion". I asked "do you know what the word religion means? She said no. I explained it simply means "a set of beliefs". You see, there are people who are anti-religion but they too follow a religion. And some are religious zealots and bigots. My fight is that I do not become over-zealous and a bigot, but the simple and humble truth to speak. This discussion in the morning, and in the evening as the sun set, our crew had a bad accident, where other people were sent in an ambulance. I ask myself, should I let Christ be removed still? The Holy Spirit lives, but how do we live with the cross? Love it or hate it? I was confronted on 3 fronts, home, work, and personal, very saddened by the death of a fellow warrior in our Church militant. I prayed a rosary in the dark cold night when things finally settled, but my heart was not settled, super stress, seems to be daily life.
It seems that when you pray, something happens...you tap into the Holy Spirit. Boy was it hard to pray. My mind wouldn't stop! I NEED TO FIGURE EVERYTHING OUT! But no, the mysteries of the rosary demand attention...the Life of Christ. | Today we pray: ""He shall say of me, 'You are my father, my God, the Rock, my savior.'
And I will make him the first-born, highest of the kings of the earth." I have found David, my servant."
What is confounding, and this is what I prayed in the rosary, is this whole thing about a "calling". My biggest frustration of the day? Lawsuits pending against us? Sorta. My family's health problems? Yes, important. But the biggest was this fight with faith, my family that denies the divinity of Christ in the Eucharist, not blatantly so but to negate being good to our Lord. Salvation? Yes, my biggest issue. Who loves more? It is the fighter fighting for your salvation. The Holy Spirit. | Our Lord said: ""Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?" He was, again, being accused. It seemed that often He was being accused, like being chased and followed by the accuser. By now, if you know my writings, you know who the accuser is. The things said here are for the eyes and ears of a warrior. Christ was on a mission. A mission to save, one where he'd have to give His life. In a verse before what we heard, the priest didn't just give bread, He gave it with a knowing of their purpose and holiness and purity. | "But the priest replied to David, "I have no ordinary bread on hand, only holy bread; if the men have abstained from women, you may eat some of that."
David said: ""We have indeed stayed away from women. In the past whenever I went out on a campaign, all the young men were consecrated—even for an ordinary campaign. All the more so are they consecrated with their weapons today!" Indeed, this was no ordinary campaign. David was running not from Israelite enemies, he was running from the Israelite elite...the supposed king he was now to take his place! This is why Jesus is called the Son of David, not for any other reason, than being the chosen King to replace the first. Trouble is, Kingship gets to your head. Sort of how like money makes people act funny. Suddenly power tripping begins. I digress. Jesus is misunderstood. That happens alot when you do not follow Him closely. To know someone from afar, is not the same as when you are close. Our Lord was consecrated, and so were those with Him, and...all their weapons. They needed fuel for the fight. They needed...Jesus to provide.
I hope today these letters find you with good hope.
I pray that we learn to re-fuel ourselves, come to Jesus. The more, the closer, the better.
"It shall belong to Aaron and his sons, who must eat it in a sacred place, since it is most sacred,d his as a perpetual due from the oblations to the LORD. "
And that warrior friend that died?
A cheerful and wonderful consecrated man, a humble deacon, Charlie Evans.
May He be taken to the source of our Fuel on earth...the Son...God of Heaven. |  click to hear a message | Random Bible Verse 1 Proverbs 16:7 7 When a man's ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Thank You Lord | |
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