 clickable | | Seeking Radical Simplicity Because we are so bombarded today with messages and demands, and our attention is being pulled in many different directions, we like the idea of simplicity. We may also like leaving big decisions that we should take for ourselves to other people like the government or doctors or, though less often today for obvious reasons, to clergy. There is a plethora of courses and programs on the market offering to sort us out and give us skills we need to take control of our lives—provided we buy (and believe). Corporations and governments, distractedly aware of how much they are losing the war against distraction, are especially interested in these solutions. A spiritual solution, however, is different in a number of ways: it's been around a long time and doesn't claim to be new; it is not for financial profit; it is a discipline, not a technique; it is simple, not easy. Today's teaching says the most important thing in life is to love God, your neighbor and yourself—equally. You will have to have become very simple before you can do this, but in the trying you will be radicalized—in the good sense—radically simplified and your capacity for love fully amplified. —from the book Sensing God: Learning to Meditate during Lent by Laurence Freeman, OSB |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"The Divine Heart is an ocean full of all good things, wherein poor souls can cast all their needs; it is an ocean full of joy to drown all our sadness, an ocean of humility to drown our folly, an ocean of mercy to those in distress, an ocean of love in which to submerge our poverty."
— St. Margaret Mary Alacoque † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"If during vocal prayer your heart is drawn to mental prayer, do not restrain it, but let your devotion take that channel, omitting the vocal prayers which you intended to say: that which takes their place is more acceptable to God, and more useful to your own soul."
— St. Francis de Sales, p. 63
AN EXCERPT FROM
An Introduction to the Devout Life † VERSE OF THE DAY
"For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, 'Do not fear, I will help you.'"
Isaiah 41:13 |  click to read more | | ST. CUTHBERT OF LINDISFARNE St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne (634-687 A.D.) was born in present-day Scotland to a lowly family, and worked as a shepherd near the Melrose Abbey monastery. A child playmate prophesied that he would one day become a bishop. And one day, while tending to his sheep, St. Cuthbert saw in a vision the soul of St. Aidan, the Bishop of Lindisfarne, carried to heaven by angels. This mystical experience inspired in him a desire to become a monk. After spending time as a soldier defending his home region of Northumbria against attack, he arrived on horseback, armed with a spear, seeking entrance at the monastery. He was received and became a monk in the Celtic Christian tradition. He grew in holiness and learning, and after serving as prior he withdrew from the community into the lifestyle of a solitary hermit. After several years of a quiet life of prayer and penance, he was persuaded to return to active life as the Bishop of Lindisfarne. A year later he became sick and died. Miracles were reported at his grave; in fact, so numerous were the reported miracles that Cuthbert was called the "Wonder-worker of England." Throughout the Middle Ages the shrine of Cuthbert remained one of the most popular places of pilgrimage in northern England. His feast day is March 20th. | Friday of the Third Week of Lent
Lectionary: 241
Reading 1 Hos 14:2-10 Thus says the LORD:
Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God;
you have collapsed through your guilt.
Take with you words,
and return to the LORD;
Say to him, "Forgive all iniquity,
and receive what is good, that we may render
as offerings the bullocks from our stalls.
Assyria will not save us,
nor shall we have horses to mount;
We shall say no more, 'Our god,'
to the work of our hands;
for in you the orphan finds compassion." I will heal their defection, says the LORD,
I will love them freely;
for my wrath is turned away from them.
I will be like the dew for Israel:
he shall blossom like the lily;
He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar,
and put forth his shoots.
His splendor shall be like the olive tree
and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar.
Again they shall dwell in his shade
and raise grain;
They shall blossom like the vine,
and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim! What more has he to do with idols?
I have humbled him, but I will prosper him.
"I am like a verdant cypress tree"–
Because of me you bear fruit! Let him who is wise understand these things;
let him who is prudent know them.
Straight are the paths of the LORD,
in them the just walk,
but sinners stumble in them. Responsorial Psalm 81:6c-8a, 8bc-9, 10-11ab, 14 and 17 R. (see 11 and 9a) I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
An unfamiliar speech I hear:
"I relieved his shoulder of the burden;
his hands were freed from the basket.
In distress you called, and I rescued you."
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
"Unseen, I answered you in thunder;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
Hear, my people, and I will admonish you;
O Israel, will you not hear me?"
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
"There shall be no strange god among you nor shall you worship any alien god.
I, the LORD, am your God
who led you forth from the land of Egypt."
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
"If only my people would hear me,
and Israel walk in my ways,
I would feed them with the best of wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would fill them."
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice. Verse Before the Gospel Mt 4:17 Repent, says the Lord;
the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. Gospel Mk 12:28-34 One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
"Which is the first of all the commandments?"
Jesus replied, "The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these."
The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher.
You are right in saying,
He is One and there is no other than he.
And to love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding,
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,
he said to him,
"You are not far from the Kingdom of God."
And no one dared to ask him any more questions. | Today's Meditation: Mark 12:28-34 To love [God] with all your heart, . . . and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. (Mark 12:33) When you hear Jesus say these words, you might wonder, "Isn't Lent all about making sacrifices, like spending more time in prayer or fasting or giving alms? Don't these practices have any value in God's eyes?" Of course, Jesus is pleased with all we are doing this Lent. But he wants us to do these actions not just out of a sense of duty or obligation but also with a desire to love him and the people he has created in his image. We do these things because God has loved us first. Furthermore, by sacrificing our time, talent, and treasure, we are acknowledging that all we have has been given to us by God in the first place. By offering it back to him, we are simply responding to the abundant love and generosity he has shown us. Not only do our sacrifices and offerings express love for God and his people. They also build on that love and cause it to grow. For example, if you sacrifice some sleep so that you can make it to an early daily Mass, you are receiving more of Jesus' grace and peace. If you spend your Saturdays at a soup kitchen, you are growing in mercy and compassion for the needy. Contributing to an inner-city student's private school tuition can give you a personal connection to someone you might never otherwise know or pray for. Fasting provides you with more time and space to think about God and the sacrifice he made to save us. Do you see the circular pattern here? As we sacrifice out of love for God and neighbor, we grow more in love for God and neighbor. Our sacrifices bear the fruit of love and mercy, perhaps in ways we don't even realize. Lent is not just about making sacrifices but about growing in love for God and neighbor through our sacrifices. May our Lenten practices prepare our hearts to rejoice in Christ's resurrection on Easter Day—and may our desire to offer our lives for God and neighbor continue to grow throughout the year. "Lord Jesus, may each sacrifice I make increase my love for you and for your people." Hosea 14:2-10
Psalm 81:6-11, 14, 17 |  clickable | St. Joseph was the true and worthy Spouse of Mary, supplying in a visible manner the place of Mary's Invisible Spouse, the Holy Ghost. He was a virgin, and his virginity was the faithful mirror of the virginity of Mary. He was the Cherub, placed to guard the new terrestrial Paradise from the intrusion of every foe.
— St. John Henry Newman
from his "Triduo to St. Joseph" found in the book
Prayers, Verses and Devotions | my2cents:
Opening Scripture says today: "Thus says the LORD:
Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God; you have collapsed through your guilt. Take with you words, and return to the LORD". Can you make a sign that says REPENT ? Can you make that sign happen? Can you show the sign to the world? Yes. I've been thinking of making a sign to post for public to see. But the sign has already existed. The sign is the sign of Jonah. The sign we all see is the sign of the cross. God's message resounds "turn away from sin and see me". | We pray today the first commandments and among them we hear: " I am the Lord your God: hear my voice. "If only my people would hear me,
and Israel walk in my ways, I would feed them with the best of wheat, and with honey from the rock I would fill them." He says "you shall have no strange gods before me". Do you see others worshipping strange gods? Who do they rely on? Where do they say their strength comes from? There are new gods now, of science and technology man made religions, and they can be right out deceiving. God calls us to realize the true factor of life. | We heard in the Gospel:
"One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
"Which is the first of all the commandments?"
He is asking for the pivotal answer, that on which everything hinges. What is most important in life? What is most important in the way of living life? What makes everything work right? What is the truth? And God responds in Jesus: | Jesus replied, "The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these."
How do you love God with all your heart? Randomly opening The Imitation of Christ by Thomas `a Kempis, it says:
"Only be glad when you have done well. Evil persons are never really happy, nor do they feel peace within them; for "there is no peace for the wicked, says the Lord" (Isa 48:22).
Even though the wicked may protest that peace is theirs and that no evil shall harm them, do not believe them. For God's wrath will suddenly overtake them, and all they have done will be brought to nothing and their plans destroyed.
2. Those who love God will glory in tribulation, for their only joy is to glory in the cross of Jesus Christ, our Lord. The glory given and received by humans lasts but a little while and usually it is followed by sadness. The Glory of good persons is in their own consciences, not in the praise of others. The happiness of good is in God and of God and their joy is in the truth."
And in this first love, falls the rest:
Loving God with all your soul? That is a fact that comes from a true love of God.
And your mind is rendered to that love, your mind follows the spirit. The mind is then...secondary, and then, strength. Your strength comes from this state. And so it all begins with God, and the love situation with God.
This is a calling to return. God says "Come back to Me, with all your heart, with all your soul, mind, and strength". He wants all of you. How is it that we can return? Like a child returning to the Father. Like taking that first step on a journey. And then another, and another. For the day has enough tribulations, yet God provides grace. And you must seek and desire grace. You must hunger for grace. Fast today, and always, always remember the sacrifice and where it takes you....to the Father...Our Father. Lord, this day, the Sun shines, and the Son sees all. Lord be with us, and let us find your hand and never let go. Thank you for showing us the sign of the Way, your life in offering and giving and thanksgiving. |  click to hear a message | Random Bible verse from an online generator: Psalm 130:5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; | 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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