 clickable | | We Have to Renew Religion The Dalai Lama has said: "My simple religion is kindness. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness." This might sound as if religion as a system of practices, rituals and beliefs has been or could be made redundant. If only. Humanity tried twice in the twentieth century and failed disastrously, as much so as if it had tried to abolish art or science. In the twenty-first century we have to renew religion, not abolish it. But one day in the holy city (as the book of Revelation says), there will indeed be no temple "for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb" (Revelation 21:22). Until that happy day we have to listen to Jesus who speaks in tune with all religious leaders worth listening to; don't enter a church, temple, mosque, or synagogue unless you are prepared to love your enemies. —from the book Sensing God: Learning to Meditate during Lent by Laurence Freeman, OSB |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote "Our true worth does not consist in what human beings think of us. What we really are consists in what God knows us to be."
— St. John Berchmans † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"It is by endurance that you will secure possession of your souls (Luke 21:18). The possession of a soul means the undisturbed mastery of oneself, which is the secret of inner peace, as distinguished from a thousand agitations which make it fearful, unhappy, and disappointed. Only when a soul is possessed can anything else be enjoyed. Our Lord here meant patience in adversity, trial, and persecution. At the end of three hours on the Cross, He would so possess His soul that He would render it back to the Heavenly Father."
— Fulton J. Sheen, p. 322
AN EXCERPT FROM
Life of Christ † VERSE OF THE DAY
"I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."
Ephesians 3:18-19 |  click to read more | | ST. COLETTE St. Colette (1381-1447) was born in Picardy, France, the daughter of a poor carpenter who served the local Benedictine abbey. Her parents conceived her in their old age after praying to St. Nicholas for a child, naming Colette after him. She became well known for her faith and spiritual wisdom from a young age. After the death of her parents she joined the Third Order of St. Francis and became a hermit. She led a life of asceticism and solitude until a dream revealed that God willed her to reform the Poor Clares. She obeyed and joined the Poor Clares in 1406. Her mission of reformation was sanctioned by Benedict XIII of Avignon (the anti-pope) who appointed her superior of each of the convents she reformed. Despite resistance from within the Poor Clares, she successfully reformed several existing convents and founded 17 new ones dedicated to a stricter observance of the Poor Clares, known as the Colettines. She experienced visions and ecstasies of Christ's Passion, and even prophesied her own death. Through her life's work, St. Colette's reformation breathed new life into the Poor Clares and created a lasting model of spirituality. St. Colette's feast day is March 6th. | Friday of the First Week of Lent Reading 1 Ez 18:21-28 Thus says the Lord GOD:
If the wicked man turns away from all the sins he committed,
if he keeps all my statutes and does what is right and just,
he shall surely live, he shall not die.
None of the crimes he committed shall be remembered against him;
he shall live because of the virtue he has practiced.
Do I indeed derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked?
says the Lord GOD.
Do I not rather rejoice when he turns from his evil way
that he may live?
And if the virtuous man turns from the path of virtue to do evil,
the same kind of abominable things that the wicked man does,
can he do this and still live?
None of his virtuous deeds shall be remembered,
because he has broken faith and committed sin;
because of this, he shall die.
You say, "The LORD's way is not fair!"
Hear now, house of Israel:
Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?
When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies,
it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die.
But if the wicked, turning from the wickedness he has committed,
does what is right and just,
he shall preserve his life;
since he has turned away from all the sins that he committed,
he shall surely live, he shall not die. Responsorial Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-7a, 7bc-8 R. (3) If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
My soul waits for the LORD
more than sentinels wait for the dawn.
Let Israel wait for the LORD.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand? Verse Before the GospelEz 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 5:20-26 Jesus said to his disciples:
"I tell you,
unless your righteousness surpasses that
of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.
"You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment,
and whoever says to his brother, Raqa,
will be answerable to the Sanhedrin,
and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there recall that your brother
has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar,
go first and be reconciled with your brother,
and then come and offer your gift.
Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court.
Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,
and the judge will hand you over to the guard,
and you will be thrown into prison.
Amen, I say to you,
you will not be released until you have paid the last penny."
| Catholic Meditations
Meditation: Matthew 5:20-26 1st Week of Lent Whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. (Matthew 5:22) At first glance, these words seem very harsh. Surely Jesus wouldn't put my anger on the same level as murder! Wouldn't he understand if I put off reconciling with my brother or sister for a while longer? For the answer, we have to look inside our hearts. Anger is a normal human emotion, but as with all other emotions, we should never let it control us. Just a brief look at the consequences of unchecked anger shows us how destructive it can be: domestic abuse, divorce, road rage, and yes, murder. Even hidden anger can be deadly. Concealed beneath the façade of a smile and a pleasant demeanor, it can lead to patterns of pride, jealousy, judgment, and gossip. We can't afford to overlook the resentments we may be holding against other people. The anger we have ignored can be like a poison meant for someone else that we have swallowed ourselves. This poison of bitterness and hostility can cast a shadow over us. It can contaminate our relationships and become the darkened lens through which we view the world. We can try to keep these feelings within us. We can dismiss them as not really threatening anyone. But sooner or later, we will have to deal with them, even if the person against whom we have these feelings has long left our lives. Jesus is very clear about our need to reconcile with one another. He is the God of peace, and he has given us "the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:18). As we let the Holy Spirit help us resolve our inner conflicts, we will find it easier to live in harmony with everyone, even those who have hurt us in the past. So try your best to forgive. If there is an offense that is just too hard to forgive, try taking a small step toward that goal. And take another step tomorrow. Spend time with the Lord each day, and let his great gift of time slowly heal you. Jesus really can make you whole and bring us all to reconciliation! "Come, Holy Spirit, and burn away all bitterness in the fire of your love!" Ezekiel 18:21-28
Psalm 130:1-8 |  clickable | The four Gospels were written by four witnesses, relaying four historical accounts from four different perspectives, with four different objectives, written to four different audiences, all telling one story through one spirit, deposited into one Church and protected by one Magesterium.
—Steve Ray
from Four Gospels | my2cents: "If the wicked man turns away from all the sins he committed,
if he keeps all my statutes and does what is right and just,
he shall surely live, he shall not die."
God rejoices when we turn from Evil. Lent is a special time to turn from Evil, therefore, it is a special time to make God rejoice. He rejoiced when you were born, and He rejoices when you are born in Him, and He rejoices when you turn from sin. Turn from your wicked ways. Turn away from sin, and see God. Because sin basically is a turning away from Him. | We pray: "For with the LORD is kindness and with him is plenteous redemption; And he will redeem Israel from all their iniquities. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?"
Jesus is redeemer. He redeems what needs redemption. What is redemption? It is paying the price, isn't it? For someone who couldn't? What's that all about? Protestants say it is all we need "once saved always saved", but as Catholic, we truly know what it means, it means mercy, and mercy falls on those who do what Moses said. At the Transfiguration (which we celebrate Sunday) Jesus appeared with two important redemptorists...Moses and Elijah. Moses stood for the people and asked for His people and eventually set them free through faithfulness. Elijah also reclaimed the people to God, with the smallest and greatest of feats. Elijah proved once again that Manna was the true sustenance...that what God provides on the mount. They both proved that following God would save them from wickedness. | In today's Holy Gospel, our Lord takes the law up a notch, for He did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Most non-church going people and many church goers too, think that just because they don't kill or steal, they are good to go (to Heaven). But Jesus says this isn't necessarily true. He says there's more, much more to those laws that we fail to do. He said you heard: "You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment". Just being angry makes you liable? What about protestant's "once saved always saved" thing? It doesn't match with God's words. Looking down on others is grounds for liability, you are liable for this sin. You are being held liable for every time you are becoming angry.
Be very careful with your mouth, which causes great injuries, even calling someone an idiot, or stupid, or other things the like...are all Raqa. And truthfully told, I hear this a lot in my daily living, the name calling, the slander, the gossip, the rumors, it just doesn't stop, and this is the kind of stuff God wants out, especially during lent, turn from evil. | "Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother
has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother..." what gift to the altar? In my vision, with Mary, snuck into Heaven, I saw a great myriad of people offering something that was turning into a great light, a depositing of their gift before the throne of God of light. I could only feel that the gift was some kind of love offering. Would you then, offer to God a false coin? A false offering? A tarnished offering? A bread that was dropped on the floor? Of course not, right? Yet, we dare to offer Him sullied souls in the Eucharist, unconfessed, un-ammended, un-reconciled with one another. Angry with one another, having cussed at each other, having quarreled and not truly reconciled, and even worse. A sullied soul makes for an unacceptable offering. Jesus says "I desire MERCY not sacrifice" and that would mean sacrifice alone without mercy. Be merciful to Jesus. And Jesus is in every living soul. Be therefore slaves to one another, outdoing each other in love. Look at the cross says Jesus. Look at ME |  click to hear a message | Random Bible verse from an online generator: WOW
1 John 4:10–11
10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. | 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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