 clickable | | The Mystical Depth of Morality Morality says to do to others what you want done to you. This can lead to saying that if that doesn't happen, then it's an eye for an eye. So we need to see the mystical, the transcendent underlying the moral; justice tempered with mercy. Learning to meditate is a journey into the mystical depth of morality. It's here in the expression about the good measure "running over [that] will be put into your lap." It is a measure that cannot be measured because it spills over the container into which it is being poured. Transcendence. The mystery of the altruistic gift of genuine generosity. Not earned income, not harvested produce, not accidental or merely cause and effect. What pours? And not into your cosmic karma account. Into your lap. —from the book Sensing God: Learning to Meditate during Lent by Laurence Freeman, OSB |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"Realize it, my brethren; —every one who breathes, high and low, educated and ignorant, young and old, man and woman, has a mission, has a work. We are not sent into this world for nothing; we are not born at random; . . . God sees every one of us; He creates every soul, He lodges it in the body, one by one, for a purpose. He needs, He deigns to need, every one of us. He has an end for each of us; we are all equal in His sight, and we are placed in our different ranks and stations, not to get what we can out of them for ourselves, but to labor in them for Him. As Christ has His work, we too have ours; as He rejoiced to do His work, we must rejoice in ours also."
— Blessed John Henry Newman † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"When one is given the Spirit of wisdom, one is able to perceive God's fingerprints upon the wonders of the world. One is able to see the pattern God has established in history (world history, faith history, and even our own personal history). This should leave us with a sense of comfort, for it means that life is not chaotic. God has a plan."
— Rev. Jude Winkler, OFM, p.62
AN EXCERPT FROM
Daily Meditations with the Holy Spirit † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world; for all that is in the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches—comes not from the Father but from the world. And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God live forever."
1 John 2:15-17 SAINT OF THE DAY †ST. FRANCES OF ROME
St. Frances of Rome (1384-1440) was born to a noble family in Rome. As a young girl her desire to become a nun was refused by her father, who instead arranged her marriage at the age of 12. St. Frances accepted this as God's will for her life. She was married for 40 years and had children, two of whom died from the plague. In her time Rome was at war and the city was in chaos from political disarray and widespread disease. St. Frances responded by converting her home into a hospital. She drove with a wagon into the streets and collected the sick and stranded in order to care for them. She miraculously cured many people, and also began the city's first orphanage. She inspired many women to join her in this life of prayer and good works, and eventually founded a congregation of lay oblates attached to the Benedictine monastery known as the Oblates of St. Frances of Rome. After her husband's death she entered religious life as the group's superior. One of the great mystics of her time, she dictated 97 visions and was visibly guided by her guardian angel throughout her life. St. Frances of Rome is the patron saint of many causes, including motorists, pilots, women, widows, and against plague and the death of children. On her feast day many priests bless cars due to her patronage of cars and drivers. Her feast day is March 9th. |  click to read more | | Saint Frances of Rome (1384 – March 9, 1440) Frances' life combines aspects of secular and religious life. A devoted and loving wife, she longed for a lifestyle of prayer and service, so she organized a group of women to minister to the needs of Rome's poor. Born of wealthy parents, Frances found herself attracted to the religious life during her youth. But her parents objected and a young nobleman was selected to be her husband. As she became acquainted with her new relatives, Frances soon discovered that the wife of her husband's brother also wished to live a life of service and prayer. So the two, Frances and Vannozza, set out together—with their husbands' blessings—to help the poor. Frances fell ill for a time, but this apparently only deepened her commitment to the suffering people she met. The years passed, and Frances gave birth to two sons and a daughter. With the new responsibilities of family life, the young mother turned her attention more to the needs of her own household. The family flourished under Frances' care, but within a few years a great plague began to sweep across Italy. It struck Rome with devastating cruelty and left Frances' second son dead. In an effort to help alleviate some of the suffering, Frances used all her money and sold her possessions to buy whatever the sick might possibly need. When all the resources had been exhausted, Frances and Vannozza went door to door begging. Later, Frances' daughter died, and the saint opened a section of her house as a hospital. Frances became more and more convinced that this way of life was so necessary for the world, and it was not long before she requested and was given permission to found a society of women bound by no vows. They simply offered themselves to God and to the service of the poor. Once the society was established, Frances chose not to live at the community residence, but rather at home with her husband. She did this for seven years, until her husband passed away, and then came to live the remainder of her life with the society—serving the poorest of the poor.
Reflection Looking at the exemplary life of fidelity to God and devotion to her fellow human beings which Frances of Rome was blessed to lead, one cannot help but be reminded of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, who loved Jesus Christ in prayer and also in the poor. The life of Frances of Rome calls each of us not only to look deeply for God in prayer, but also to carry our devotion to Jesus living in the suffering of our world. Frances shows us that this life need not be restricted to those bound by vows.
Saint Frances of Rome is the Patron Saint of: Motorists
Widows | Monday of the Second Week in Lent Lectionary: 230
Reading 1 Dn 9:4b-10 "Lord, great and awesome God,
you who keep your merciful covenant toward those who love you
and observe your commandments!
We have sinned, been wicked and done evil;
we have rebelled and departed from your commandments and your laws.
We have not obeyed your servants the prophets,
who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes,
our fathers, and all the people of the land.
Justice, O Lord, is on your side;
we are shamefaced even to this day:
we, the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem,
and all Israel, near and far,
in all the countries to which you have scattered them
because of their treachery toward you.
O LORD, we are shamefaced, like our kings, our princes, and our fathers,
for having sinned against you.
But yours, O Lord, our God, are compassion and forgiveness!
Yet we rebelled against you
and paid no heed to your command, O LORD, our God,
to live by the law you gave us through your servants the prophets." Responsorial Psalm 79:8, 9, 11 and 13 R. (see 103:10a) Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name's sake.
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Let the prisoners' sighing come before you;
with your great power free those doomed to death.
Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise.
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins. Verse Before the Gospel Jn 6:63c, 68c Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life. Gospel Lk 6:36-38 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. "Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you." | Meditation: Luke 6:36-38 Saint Frances of Rome, Religious (Optional Memorial) Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing. (Luke 6:38) When you put flour in a canister, only so much will fit in before it overflows. But if you fill it and then gently shake the canister, the flour settles a little bit, and then there is room for more. Eventually, though, you'll come to the point at which the flour overflows the canister and spills out onto the counter. That's a great image of how God so generously gives us his grace—to overflowing. In today's Gospel, Jesus says that the measure we use will in return be measured out to us (Luke 6:38). In other words, as we generously give to the people around us, we will receive God's overflowing generosity! Let's take a closer look at his words to see how that can play out in our lives. Give. Jesus calls us to give to one another generously—even to people we might not like very much. When we stop judging and condemning, we are giving patience and compassion. When we forgive, we are giving mercy. When we put a priority on the needs of other people, we empty ourselves and make room for God's blessings and grace to fill us. Gifts will be given to you. God wants us to be filled with his love and his life. So when we try to respond with mercy and compassion, it makes space for his life to come into us more deeply. God sees our efforts and loves us. It also mirrors the way our forgiveness or patience can touch the person receiving them. It just might motivate them to respond in kind to us—or to pay it forward to someone else in their lives. Overflowing. Here's the beauty of it. We receive so much more than we give. In Luke 9:12-17, Jesus takes a few loaves and gives his followers so much more in return! When it comes to mercy and compassion, our smallest efforts are rewarded in overflowing measure—kind of like that container of flour. So give forgiveness and understanding to someone today. Let your heavenly Father fill you with his gifts in return. And don't be surprised if it inspires you to give all the more. "Lord, help me to empty myself by giving so that you can fill me. Let your life in me overflow!" Daniel 9:4-10
Psalm 79:8-9, 11, 13 |  clickable | God wants that everyone be saved; no one is predestined to go to hell; Jesus died for everyone; and everyone is given sufficient graces for salvation. It is only in Christ's name that we can win and free ourselves from the enemy of our salvation, Satan.
—Fr. Gabriele Amorth
from An Exorcist Tells His Story | my2cents:
"Lord, great and awesome God, you who keep your merciful covenant toward those who love you and observe your commandments!"
Loving God's commandments means something....it means you give value and worth to God's word, and ultimately, shows your love for Him...for what He says is of greatest worth. Judgement comes into the picture softly. | "Let the prisoners' sighing come before you;
with your great power free those doomed to death. Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins." When you speak to certain prisoners, you gear their great anguish, and stress of being in prison. Some, you can tell are tired of it. Others seem adapted, but not truly happy. And the stories go on. I relate this to sin. A prisoner of sin. Some are tired of it, and others adapt to it, yet are not truly happy. Some are forgiven, and fall back again. Remorse sets for a true penitent. And only then can conversion begin, and a healing process of time and mercy. | Our Lord says to us today: ""Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."
In other scripture He says "be perfect as your Father is perfect" and other scripture He says "Be Holy" as Our Father is holy.
Stop judging? But we have to judge, right? What's right and wrong. Stop judging? Yes, in the times of our Lord, the judges were judges were off center. They weren't centered anymore in God's graces. They had lost their center. Jesus comes in to re-center the world. Center on Him. Center on God. Center on Love. Center therefore...on mercy. Lent is good, mortify yourself...but, even more importantly...forgive one another now. Forgive GOD! I just went to Holy Confession at a Carmelite Hermitatge. I reconciled with God. There, I poured out things that I hadn't told anybody, about forgiving neighbors, for their great transgressions, and about me, being cold, and maybe not truly forgiving. You see, that's the kind of thing God desires...mercy, even more than sacrifice, but do not forget to sacrifice...yourself. | Father forgive us as we forgive.
Please help me be mercy then.
Help me be the mercy the world needs to see.
God help us and save us from our very selves! |  click to hear a message | Random Bible verse from an online generator: 1 John 4:12–13 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. | 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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