 clickable | | Jesus Wants Us to Know We Belong to Him What Jesus desires for us, more than he demands it from us, is for us to know that we belong to him. Whether we are the ones who by nature seek the spot at his feet, or the ones who tie up their apron strings and keep their hands busy, we can all be alert and attentive. We are all invited to be disciples. And maybe, when we learn to be content in our own natural leanings, in the cellular makeup of our skin, maybe a wider spectrum of being will open up. Maybe suddenly we'll stop wiping those dishes dry and just leave them there sopping wet while we draw near to Jesus. Or maybe we'll stay, but the wiping will slow, the heavy sighs will silence, and our ears will tune in to the Master's voice instead of our own to-do list. —from the book Who Does He Say You Are? Women Transformed by Christ in the Gospels by |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"Great love can change small things into great ones, and it is only love which lends value to our actions."
— St. Faustina Kowalska † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"And it is only by the observance of the first and greatest commandment that we can keep the second. The more we love God, the more we shall love man; the less we love God, the less we shall, in the true sense of the word, love man. Our love will become capricious, fitful, and unreliable—not charity, but passion. If you feel that your love for your fellowman is dying out in the fumes of selfishness, there is but one way to revive it: strive for, pray for, the love of God. As the heart turns toward its source, it will be quickened and expanded. There is no true, no lasting spirit of charity apart from the practice of religion. Therefore, we cannot keep those commandments which teach us our duty to men unless we are keeping those which teach us our duty to God."
— Fr. Basil W. Maturin, p. 160
AN EXCERPT FROM
Christian Self-Mastery † VERSE OF THE DAY
"I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word. I do not turn away from your ordinances, for you have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way."
Psalm 119:101-4 |  click to read more | | ST. MANETTUS AND THE SEVEN FOUNDERS OF THE ORDER OF SERVITES
St. Manettus (d. 1268), also known as St. Benedict dell'Antella, was one of the Seven Founders of the Order of Servites. Between 1225 and 1227 in the city of Florence, Italy, seven cloth merchants from the city's prominent families joined the Confraternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They desired to live a penitential life dedicated to her title of Mother of Sorrows. Our Lady appeared to the seven men on the feast of the Assumption in 1233, asking them to live a life of seclusion and prayer. They obeyed and lived an austere life for many years. Mary appeared to the seven again in 1240, giving them a black habit and a scroll titled "Servants of Mary," and asking them to found a religious order following the Rule of St. Augustine. The Servites became one of the five original mendicant religious orders. Their special charism is devotion to the Passion of Jesus and the Seven Sorrows of Mary. Only one of the seven founders lived to see the order formally approved by Rome in 1304. It has since spread throughout the world and remains active to this day. The feast day of its Seven Holy Founders of the Order of Servites (Servants of Mary) is February 17. | Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 335
Reading 1 Jas 1:1-11 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
to the twelve tribes in the dispersion, greetings. Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters,
when you encounter various trials,
for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
And let perseverance be perfect,
so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
But if any of you lacks wisdom,
he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly,
and he will be given it.
But he should ask in faith, not doubting,
for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea
that is driven and tossed about by the wind.
For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord,
since he is a man of two minds, unstable in all his ways. The brother in lowly circumstances
should take pride in high standing,
and the rich one in his lowliness,
for he will pass away "like the flower of the field."
For the sun comes up with its scorching heat and dries up the grass,
its flower droops, and the beauty of its appearance vanishes.
So will the rich person fade away in the midst of his pursuits. Responsorial Psalm 119:67, 68, 71, 72, 75, 76 R. (77a) Be kind to me, Lord, and I shall live.
Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I hold to your promise.
R. Be kind to me, Lord, and I shall live.
You are good and bountiful;
teach me your statutes.
R. Be kind to me, Lord, and I shall live.
It is good for me that I have been afflicted,
that I may learn your statutes.
R. Be kind to me, Lord, and I shall live.
The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
R. Be kind to me, Lord, and I shall live.
I know, O LORD, that your ordinances are just,
and in your faithfulness you have afflicted me.
R. Be kind to me, Lord, and I shall live.
Let your kindness comfort me
according to your promise to your servants.
R. Be kind to me, Lord, and I shall live. Alleluia Jn 14:6 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 8:11-13 The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus,
seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.
He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said,
"Why does this generation seek a sign?
Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation."
Then he left them, got into the boat again,
and went off to the other shore. | Catholic Meditations
Meditation: James 1:1-11 The Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order (Optional Memorial) Let perseverance be perfect. (James 1:4) Perseverance is one of those character traits that everyone values. Being able to stay the course when things get difficult is often the deciding factor between success or failure. Clearly, James thinks perseverance is crucial to our faith—so important that he equates it with perfection. He even writes that we should "consider it all joy" when we encounter trials because these trials give us the opportunity to grow in our ability to persevere (James 1:2). But we know how hard it can be to persevere, especially in our walk with the Lord. We get tired of fighting temptation. We grow weary of sacrifice. We wonder if God is really hearing our prayers. We don't know if we can keep loving people who don't return our love. So how do we stay the course? How do we keep moving forward in trust and confidence when our faith is tested and we are ready to give up? We can take our cue from Jesus. He must have grown weary walking from village to village, with nowhere to lay his head. He must have grown tired of being jostled by crowds who wanted only to touch him and be healed. He must have been frustrated by the constant attacks from some of the religious leaders. But he just kept going. Every day was hard and demanding, but the Father gave him the grace to endure—all the way to the end, to his death on the cross. We too can rely on God's grace to persevere. His grace doesn't necessarily mean that things will get easier; sometimes we just have to keep going, as Jesus did. But we can trust that somehow we'll find the strength we need to keep pressing on. That "somehow," of course, is the power of God's grace flowing into us. Every one of us has challenges we must persevere through, whether that's a difficult relationship, a strong temptation, or a chronic health issue. So as you pray for the grace to persevere through your own trial, pray too for all the other readers of The Word Among Us who need that same grace. Then take comfort in knowing that many people are lifting you up right now, just as you are doing for them! "Jesus, help me to persevere through all the difficulties I encounter today." Psalm 119:67-68, 71-72, 75-76
Mark 8:11-13 |  clickable | The danger is quite real that souls habituated to constant technological stimuli will never be silent with themselves, never alone in a receptive manner, and so never able to discover God in a personal encounter of prayer.
—Fr. Donald Haggerty
from Contemplative Enigmas | my2cents:
"But he should ask in faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea...".
Is it safe to say that the evil one entered the world and caused vast disruption in perfection with the simple doubt?
What doubt was it? That God isn't true. That God is lying. "Did God really mean that....?" And doubt keeps many of us spinning our wheels, afraid to move...in faith, and often I've equated faith with the word...love. | Today we pray: "Be kind to me, Lord, and I shall live. Let your kindness comfort me according to your promise to your servants."
Kindness fuels the world, but only the kindness that comes from God. Because even avid and militant atheists and even evil worshippers can seem kind. But only God can comfort, in one word in your moment of weakness, He can change everything. | In the Holy Gospel our Lord said "Why does this generation seek a sign?" And then our Lord said "Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation." No sign? For nobody? Hold on there, He was more specific in Matthew's account: "A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah." Jesus then left them and went away." Basically, no faith, no sign. No love, no works. | Bishop Barron says today:
"Friends, in today's Gospel the Pharisees ask Jesus for a sign from heaven. They are testing him because they have no faith nor trust in him.
Faith is an attitude of trust in the presence of God. Faith is openness to what God will reveal, do, and invite. It should be obvious that in dealing with the infinite, all-powerful person who is God, we are never in control.
This is why we say that faith goes beyond reason. If we can figure it out, calculate precisely, predict with complete accuracy, we're in charge—and by definition, we are not dealing with a person. Would you use any of those descriptors in talking about your relationship with your husband, wife, or best friend? Instead, you enter into an ever-increasing rapport of trust with such people.
One of the most fundamental statements of faith is this: your life is not about you. You're not in control. This is not your project. Rather, you are part of God's great design. To believe this in your bones and to act accordingly is to have faith. " Tons of signs have accompanied the faithful. Healings, Signs, spectacles, and wonders all accompany the faithful. I've even explained a few here in these sharings. But a sign comes unexpected, and carries a lifetime of amazement...to the faithful. Forever amazed at that one sign, that one miracle. God asked Solomon to ask for anything, and Solomon asked for wisdom. Today, if we ask for anything, let us not only ask for wisdom, but for grace. Grace and love can cover a multitude of sins, and that my friend, that is what penance involves...love. Lord, you showed us all THE sign of love on the Cross. The Sign of the Cross, the sign of love, the sign we will get after three days...that God's love is forever, and that is where He wants us to be....with Him. Please, Lord, let us be your sign on Earth, so that the world will be illuminated with Your light. |  click to hear a message | ->Random Bible Verse 1<
10 "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. Thank You Lord | If one day you don't receive these, just visit my website Going4th.com, surely you'll find me there. God Bless You! Share the Word. Share this, share what is good | |
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