 clickable | | Turn the World Upside Down We trust Jesus because of his suffering and its transcendent aftermath, and because he spoke from a passionate addiction to truth that is the only kind of addiction that sets us free. Religion itself is laid bare, not just one denomination. The corruption of the best is the worst, and so deserves the highest level of exposure and condemnation. You are all brothers and sisters—how are we going to square that uneconomic idealism with the need for hierarchy and privilege masquerading as service and humility? Jesus is so radically disruptive. How can we domesticate him, how can the Church put a spin on this disturbing so-called "good" news that turns the world as we know it—and our minds as we use them—upside down? That's easy too. Create systems that have the labels of truth but not the healing touch of the truth. Then idolize the systems. How can we resist this inevitable tendency to the counterrevolutionary? If you don't know yet, let's pray this Lent will teach you as you learn how radical meditation really is. —from the book Sensing God: Learning to Meditate during Lent by Laurence Freeman, OSB |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"In tribulation immediately draw near to God with confidence, and you will receive strength, enlightenment, and instruction."
— St. John of the Cross †MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"From the natural point of view we come to know God from the vestiges of Himself that He has left in the splendors of the visible universe: the blazing red sunset, the snow-covered mountain peaks, the graceful flight of a bird, the breathtakingly magnificent complexity of a single living cell. On a still more exalted level we know Him in the loveliness of the saints – but it remains a knowledge of the infinite through the finite."
— Fr. Thomas Dubay, p.188-89
AN EXCERPT FROM
Fire Within † VERSE OF THE DAY
"The Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, and was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm brought him victory, and his righteousness upheld him. He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in fury as in a mantle."
Isaiah 59: 15-17 |  click to read more | | ST. MACARIUS OF JERUSALEM St. Macarius of Jerusalem (4th c.) was the Bishop of Jerusalem from 312-335 A.D. Little is known of his life before this time. He took part in the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. and vigorously opposed the Arian heresy, which greatly threatened the early Church. It is believed that he was one of the bishops who helped draft the Nicene Creed. St. Athanasius, his contemporary, refers to Macarius as an example of "the honest and simple style of apostolical men." After the council, St. Macarius accompanied St. Helen, the queen mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, in her successful search for the True Cross that Jesus was crucified upon. It was he who suggested to St. Helen that she would identify the real Cross by touching all three of those she found to a seriously ill woman, and observe which one brought immediate healing. Following the discovery of the True Cross in this miraculous manner, Constantine wrote to Bishop Macarius requesting that he oversee the construction of a magnificent church in Jerusalem, the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, to commemorate the sites of the Crucifixion and Burial of Christ, which still exists today as one of the most important Christian pilgrimage sites in the world. His feast day is March 10th. | Saint Dominic Savio (April 2, 1842 – March 9, 1857) So many holy persons seem to die young. Among them was Dominic Savio, the patron of choirboys. Born into a peasant family at Riva, Italy, young Dominic joined Saint John Bosco as a student at the Oratory in Turin at the age of 12. He impressed Don Bosco with his desire to be a priest and to help him in his work with neglected boys. A peacemaker and an organizer, young Dominic founded a group he called the Company of the Immaculate Conception which, besides being devotional, aided John Bosco with the boys and with manual work. All the members save one, Dominic, would, in 1859, join Don Bosco in the beginnings of his Salesian congregation. By that time, Dominic had been called home to heaven. As a youth, Dominic spent hours rapt in prayer. His raptures he called "my distractions." Even in play, he said that at times, "It seems heaven is opening just above me. I am afraid I may say or do something that will make the other boys laugh." Dominic would say, "I can't do big things. But I want all I do, even the smallest thing, to be for the greater glory of God." Dominic's health, always frail, led to lung problems and he was sent home to recuperate. As was the custom of the day, he was bled in the thought that this would help, but it only worsened his condition. He died on March 9, 1857, after receiving the Last Sacraments. Saint John Bosco himself wrote the account of his life. Some thought that Dominic was too young to be considered a saint. Saint Pius X declared that just the opposite was true, and went ahead with his cause. Dominic was canonized in 1954. His Liturgical Feast Day is October 9.
Reflection Like many a youngster, Dominic was painfully aware that he was different from his peers. He tried to keep his piety from his friends lest he have to endure their laughter. Even after his death, his youth marked him as a misfit among the saints and some argued that he was too young to be canonized. Pope Pius X wisely disagreed. For no one is too young—or too old or too anything else—to achieve the holiness to which we all are called.
Saint Dominic Savio is the Patron Saint of: Choirboys
Juvenile delinquents | Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent
Lectionary: 231
Reading 1 Is 1:10, 16-20 Hear the word of the LORD,
princes of Sodom!
Listen to the instruction of our God,
people of Gomorrah! Wash yourselves clean!
Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes;
cease doing evil; learn to do good.
Make justice your aim: redress the wronged,
hear the orphan's plea, defend the widow. Come now, let us set things right,
says the LORD:
Though your sins be like scarlet,
they may become white as snow;
Though they be crimson red,
they may become white as wool.
If you are willing, and obey,
you shall eat the good things of the land;
But if you refuse and resist,
the sword shall consume you:
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken! Responsorial Psalm 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23 R. (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold."
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?"
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it? Or do you think that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God."
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God. Verse Before the Gospel Ez 18:31 Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, says the LORD,
and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Gospel Mt 23:1-12 Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,
"The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry
and lay them on people's shoulders,
but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen.
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.'
As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.'
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called 'Master';
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted." | Catholic Meditations
Meditation: Isaiah 1:10, 16-20 2nd Week of Lent Come now, let us set things right, says the Lord. (Isaiah 1:18) God doesn't mince any words here. Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, he laments that his chosen people have committed sins that are "like scarlet" (Isaiah 1:18). That's a pretty strong image! But in addition to calling them out, God is also offering them the opportunity to repent and change. He sounds like a stern but loving father when he says, "Come now, let us set things right" (1:18). The Hebrew word for "repentance," the word Isaiah would have used, is teshuva, or metanoia in Greek. It literally means to turn back or to turn around and go in a different direction. This word—along with Isaiah's prophecy today—shows us that repentance is not just about recognizing our guilt and confessing it. It also means "setting things right" by taking some kind of action. In what areas of your life might the Lord be inviting you to turn around? It may help to use an examination of conscience, such as the one inside the front cover of this magazine. As you pray, the Holy Spirit may show you some small stuff—areas in your life you're tempted to overlook or excuse. Or he may show you something bigger that affects other people and requires significant change. Whatever the Lord brings to mind, take it to Confession. Be open and thorough in what you tell the priest. Receive God's forgiveness, and then try to "set things right," even if that means just taking the first step. It could be trying to repair a relationship by making a difficult phone call. It could be admitting to your spouse an area of struggle so that he or she can support you as you try to change. It's never too late to repent and to ask God to help you turn back to him. Isn't that why God sent his Son, Jesus? No matter what you have done, you can be made "white as snow" (Isaiah 1:18). And with the grace that comes with this sacrament, you will find the strength to turn things around. Don't leave God's mercy on the table. Take courage and come clean so that he can make you clean. Then, with his help, you can make things right. "Lord, how would you like me to set things right?" Psalm 50:8-9, 16-17, 21, 23
Matthew 23:1-12 |  clickable | We have the gift of the Spirit, the Eucharist, the word of God, the power of the name of Jesus, the protection of the Blessed Virgin, the intercession of the angels and saints; is it not silly to fear the vanquished?
—Fr. Gabriele Amorth
from An Exorcist Tells His Story | my2cents:
"Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes;
cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan's plea, defend the widow."
Wouldn't the world be different if we did just one of the things we just heard? If everyone were to put away their misdeeds; the world would change. If this is true, your world can change, once you put away your own misdeeds. Have you ever heard an ophan's plea? Chances are slim. What technically makes for an orphan? First, you must be a child. Second, you must have lost both parents as a child. At what age you not considered a child anymore? Have you ever heard the cry of an orphan? Probably not. Most often because the child without a Father, or a Mother are alone, and they whimper in their sleep, and in the dark...deep inside their soul, a yearning to belong. Can you begin to see the orphans now? My child, I love you and I long to be with you. An orphan often becomes a vagabond, a person in search, but with no clear direction as a Father and the Mother can provide. We must then, introduce one another to Our Father, and Our Mother in Heaven. But what if the child doesn't want to know either? Then we show them the love of the Father and the Mother until they realize what has been before them all along. | Today we pray: "Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline and cast my words behind you?" To the upright I will show the saving power of God."
As I began my day, pondering and reading, and meditating...a message was said "every word is for every one", the message is for you, as it is for your neighbor. Have you ever been disciplined? When's the last time you were disciplined? Are you thinking of the last time you were grounded as a child? Or spanked? Or scolded as a teen? Or ever been put in prison? Is that discipline from long ago? What about today? If you are in ministry, welcome to the school of the cross. I am involved heavily in many ministries. Discipline comes all the time. Humiliations. Tribulations. Trials. A brother said "my priest asked me to stop serving for 6 months". He wasn't told why. He is being chastised. This my friend, is discipline. Even though he may not see what he has done wrong, God knows what needs to be disciplined. Either the priest will grow in virtue, or the brother...or both. Or else, one or the other will get cold. Can I tell you another secret of being heavily involved in ministry? The only way to succeed is to become what you do not want to be...a worthless servant, the kind that gets spit on, made fun of, and is ignored and never thanked. That is the good and faithful servant God sees. Yesterday, another brother came and I know how he is, constantly saying how bad people treat him and how bad they talk about him behind his back. I get tired of it (his negativity). But I do like that he doesn't give up. I see what others do not. Fidelity. Like a choir singer that I invited to sing. That person don't sing perfectly in tune, and I am a tune and tone freak, very picky, yet, WHY did I PERSONALLY invite that person to sing? FIDELITY. We do not only have physical ears. Now people swear they hear angels singing in the choir. I see what most care not for. And the list goes on and on. Now how do we become disciples? Discipline. If you do not love discipline, then ministry is probably not for you...but the cross is for you. The will of God is for you. And His will is ever inviting to more...so much more. | Our Lord says many heavy hitter things today:
"Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice." Obey, He says. Do what they say, not what they do. They know the law, even though they fail at practicing the law. For those who hate discipline, this will be very difficult. And there are many who say they hate the Magisterium, that hierarchy in our Holy Church. There is a failure there for the servant that hates his Master.
"They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people's shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them." There are more judges in the stands in the stadium than there are players in the field. Therefore, be prepared to be ridiculed, criticized, and held in disregard for anything you do or do not do. It's like at work, you may ask "well how many supervisors and managers do I got? LOL. It is a strange world, where the ratio of saints and sinners is out of this world. And you my friend, are called to be the few, laborers, the few faithful, the few that make a world of a difference, whether you believe it or not. | "As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers." So stop calling Professor a professor, or a doctor a doctor! LOL. I'm kidding of course, that's a title, but you know where this is leading. So why does Jesus say not to be called Teacher? He is talking about the Master Teacher, as if to be the sole provider of all fundamental truths! "Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven."
Protestants love this one to use against Catholics. Once again, as in 95% of all their arguments, they are taken out of context. Stop calling your dad father? Stop filling in forms where it asks for "father's name"? LOL. Of course not. But stop making a man the "father of religion". And still Protestants break into denominations over and over, and make themselves the "father", but so do Catholics, putting someone above the Magisterium, the chair of Peter, the very chair of Christ. Remember? Obedience? "Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Christ." And soon we are leading to the ultimate summary of the whole commands Christ is laying us...and to put it all into context when He sums up with:
"The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted." It boils down to being that servant. I remember when a priest grabbed my arm and was pulling me around the family festival asking my why this was going on and why that over there was wrong...and I am the director of the festival. To a commoner, this would've been devastatingly embarrassing. To a worthless slave, this is common treatment of a servant. To the commoner on the street, this would've been grounds to raise hell...in the name of pride! But to the worthless peon, it meant "Jesus loves me for disciplining me".
You see, I don't see things as normal people do off the street.
Many serve the priest, who we call Father and for good reasons, but few will lay down their lives for their Father.
Am I boasting? If it is my cross I boast about, then yes, it is of my sufferings, trials and tribulations I boast about for GOD. Not for myself. No thing has caused me more anxiety, confusion, pains, and disarray than doing things for the Lord. It is super time consuming. It takes from my job, my family, time, talent, and money/treasure. Is it worth it?
Last night we were on our knees praying the rosary as a family before bed time. As usual, I have to discipline one of the boys for playing and not praying. For talking and not praying. And, for not praying. Why do I discipline them and not let them do their own thing? I am showing them obedience.
People are surprised and approach us in public "your children are so well behaved". It starts at home, where the heart is. If my life were not consumed with God, then other things would consume my soul. Humble yourself before God. Turn from your misdeeds. Perhaps He will pass by and leave a blessing. Even if He had not promised Heaven, I would still obey. Even if He had not menaced me with Hell, I would have to obey, for the sake of His word and His almighty Being. What kind of God do we have, that a simple glance of His can change my life? A glance of faith is a chance at love. Lord, send laborers for the vast field. Sowing with tears means working sacrifice. And you know my longings...thirst for souls. Your thirst is my thirst. Your desire is my desire. Your pains and hunger are my tasks to fill...then perhaps I may be filled with your reward...what you choose to give if anything. I am yours and yours I wish to be. |  click to hear a message | Random Bible verse from an online generator:
WOW! 2 Corinthians 10:17–18 17 "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. | 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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