 clickable | | The Underlying Mystery Is Always Present If we are to come to believe that a Power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity, then we will come to that belief by developing the capacity for a simple, clear, and uncluttered presence. Those who can be present with head, heart, and body at the same time will always encounter The Presence, whether they call it God or not. For the most part, those skills are learned by letting life come at us on its own terms, and not resisting the wonderful underlying Mystery that is everywhere, all the time, and offered to us too. —from the book Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps by Richard Rohr, OFM |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote |  click to read more | | Saint Francis de Sales
Saint of the Day for January 24
(August 21, 1567 – December 28, 1622) Francis was destined by his father to be a lawyer so that the young man could eventually take his elder's place as a senator from the province of Savoy in France. For this reason Francis was sent to Padua to study law. After receiving his doctorate, he returned home and, in due time, told his parents he wished to enter the priesthood. His father strongly opposed Francis in this, and only after much patient persuasiveness on the part of the gentle Francis did his father finally consent. Francis was ordained and elected provost of the Diocese of Geneva, then a center for the Calvinists. Francis set out to convert them, especially in the district of Chablais. By preaching and distributing the little pamphlets he wrote to explain true Catholic doctrine, he had remarkable success. At 35, he became bishop of Geneva. While administering his diocese he continued to preach, hear confessions, and catechize the children. His gentle character was a great asset in winning souls. He practiced his own axiom, "A spoonful of honey attracts more flies than a barrelful of vinegar." Besides his two well-known books, the Introduction to the Devout Life and A Treatise on the Love of God, he wrote many pamphlets and carried on a vast correspondence. For his writings, he has been named patron of the Catholic Press. His writings, filled with his characteristic gentle spirit, are addressed to lay people. He wants to make them understand that they too are called to be saints. As he wrote in The Introduction to the Devout Life: "It is an error, or rather a heresy, to say devotion is incompatible with the life of a soldier, a tradesman, a prince, or a married woman…. It has happened that many have lost perfection in the desert who had preserved it in the world." In spite of his busy and comparatively short life, he had time to collaborate with another saint, Jane Frances de Chantal, in the work of establishing the Sisters of the Visitation. These women were to practice the virtues exemplified in Mary's visit to Elizabeth: humility, piety, and mutual charity. They at first engaged to a limited degree in works of mercy for the poor and the sick. Today, while some communities conduct schools, others live a strictly contemplative life.
Reflection Francis de Sales took seriously the words of Christ, "Learn of me for I am meek and humble of heart." As he said himself, it took him 20 years to conquer his quick temper, but no one ever suspected he had such a problem, so overflowing with good nature and kindness was his usual manner of acting. His perennial meekness and sunny disposition won for him the title of "Gentleman Saint."
Saint Francis de Sales is the Patron Saint of: Authors
Deafness
Journalists
Writers | Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, bishop and doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 315
Reading 1 1 Sm 24:3-21 Saul took three thousand picked men from all Israel
and went in search of David and his men
in the direction of the wild goat crags.
When he came to the sheepfolds along the way, he found a cave,
which he entered to relieve himself.
David and his men were occupying the inmost recesses of the cave. David's servants said to him,
"This is the day of which the LORD said to you,
'I will deliver your enemy into your grasp;
do with him as you see fit.'"
So David moved up and stealthily cut off an end of Saul's mantle.
Afterward, however, David regretted that he had cut off
an end of Saul's mantle.
He said to his men,
"The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master,
the LORD's anointed, as to lay a hand on him,
for he is the LORD's anointed."
With these words David restrained his men
and would not permit them to attack Saul.
Saul then left the cave and went on his way.
David also stepped out of the cave, calling to Saul,
"My lord the king!"
When Saul looked back, David bowed to the ground in homage and asked Saul:
"Why do you listen to those who say,
'David is trying to harm you'?
You see for yourself today that the LORD just now delivered you
into my grasp in the cave.
I had some thought of killing you, but I took pity on you instead.
I decided, 'I will not raise a hand against my lord,
for he is the LORD's anointed and a father to me.'
Look here at this end of your mantle which I hold.
Since I cut off an end of your mantle and did not kill you,
see and be convinced that I plan no harm and no rebellion.
I have done you no wrong,
though you are hunting me down to take my life.
The LORD will judge between me and you,
and the LORD will exact justice from you in my case.
I shall not touch you.
The old proverb says, 'From the wicked comes forth wickedness.'
So I will take no action against you.
Against whom are you on campaign, O king of Israel?
Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog, or a single flea!
The LORD will be the judge; he will decide between me and you.
May he see this, and take my part,
and grant me justice beyond your reach!"
When David finished saying these things to Saul, Saul answered,
"Is that your voice, my son David?"
And Saul wept aloud.
Saul then said to David: "You are in the right rather than I;
you have treated me generously, while I have done you harm.
Great is the generosity you showed me today,
when the LORD delivered me into your grasp
and you did not kill me.
For if a man meets his enemy, does he send him away unharmed?
May the LORD reward you generously for what you have done this day.
And now, I know that you shall surely be king
and that sovereignty over Israel shall come into your possession." Responsorial Psalm 57:2, 3-4, 6 and 11 R. (2a) Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.
Have mercy on me, O God; have mercy on me,
for in you I take refuge.
In the shadow of your wings I take refuge,
till harm pass by.
R. Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.
I call to God the Most High,
to God, my benefactor.
May he send from heaven and save me;
may he make those a reproach who trample upon me;
may God send his mercy and his faithfulness.
R. Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.
Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
above all the earth be your glory!
For your mercy towers to the heavens,
and your faithfulness to the skies.
R. Have mercy on me, God, have mercy. Alleluia 2 Cor 5:19 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 3:13-19 Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted
and they came to him.
He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles,
that they might be with him
and he might send them forth to preach
and to have authority to drive out demons:
He appointed the Twelve:
Simon, whom he named Peter;
James, son of Zebedee,
and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges,
that is, sons of thunder;
Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus;
Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean,
and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him. | Catholic Meditations
Meditation: Mark 3:7-12 Saint Vincent, Deacon and Martyr (Optional Memorial) . . . because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him. (Mark 3:9) Reports of the healings in Capernaum had drawn a crowd—one so large that it threatened to crush Jesus. Without phones or newspapers, mail or texts, the news had spread as far as Tyre and Sidon, about fifty miles to the north, and Idumea, more than seventy-five miles to the south. How had accounts of Jesus' healings reached so far? We have to assume that one person told another, who told another, who told another. It was almost certainly that simple. And that powerful. When God acts, amazement follows. Imagine hearing of sickness healed, lifeless limbs restored, and despair and dejection banished. If you heard enough of these healings, you might dare to think that miracles are possible even for you. The news could rouse your hunger and give birth to hope. Even hearing of "little" things like worries eased, an unexpected kindness, or getting a good night's sleep could have a similar effect. The simple spoken word is powerful, and you can share that kind of good news. If you think God has done something in your life, tell someone about it. If you think God has shown something to you in prayer, or if a reading at Mass resounds in your heart, tell someone. It's possible that you will ignite hope or faith in them. You don't have to dramatize it, and you don't have to speak to multitudes. Try telling just one person, simply and plainly, about what God has done for you. Then leave room for the Holy Spirit to spark deeper faith. You don't have to convince anyone either. God can do that, since his words and actions come with a power all their own. The world is hungry for the presence of God, and you can point out where you see him and how you see him at work. And if you think you have nothing to say, ask him today to give you something you can share. Always be on the lookout for where God is at work speaking, healing, and encouraging. "Lord, help me see where you're working today, and give me confidence to tell someone about what you're doing." 1 Samuel 18:6-9; 19:1-7
Psalm 56:2-3, 9-13 |  clickable | Purgatory, like Heaven, is joy and truth. Heaven is the perfection of joy and truth. Hell is the refusal to accept truth and therefore the refusal of joy. — Peter Kreeft
from Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Heaven | From Bishop Barron: "Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales Mark 3:13-19 Friends, today in the Gospel Jesus gathers his disciples. And he appointed twelve Apostles "that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach." St. Thérèse of Lisieux tells us that she endeavored to write down her spiritual memoir at the prompting of her sister, who was also her religious superior to whom she was bound in obedience. After praying that she say nothing displeasing to Christ, she took up the Gospel of Mark, and her eyes fell on these words: "He went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him." This verse, she says, is the interpretive key to her life, for it describes the way Christ has worked in her soul: "He does not call those who are worthy, but those whom he pleases." Hers was a story of a divine love, graciously willing the good of the other, that awakens an imitative reaction in the one who is loved. It is not a narrative of economic exchange—rewards for worthiness—but of the loop of grace, unmerited love engendering disinterested love, the divine life propagating itself in what is other." |  click to hear a message | ->Random Bible Verse 1< Thank You Lord | |
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