 clickable | | The Soul Desires, Loves, and Lets Go An ego response is always an inadequate or even wrong response to the moment. It will not deepen or broaden life, love, or inner laughter. Your ego self is always attached to mere externals, since it has no inner substance itself. The ego defines itself by its attachments and revulsions. The soul does not attach nor does it hate; it desires and loves and lets go. Please think about that, it can change your very notion of religion. —from the book Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps by Richard Rohr, OFM |  MorningOffering.com | †Holy Quote
"He took what is mine in order that He might impart to me what is His. He took it not to overturn it but to fill it."
– St. Ambrose † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"A hidden and obscure life affords great security to those who sincerely desire to love God. Our Divine Master Himself deigned to teach us this by His own example, for He spent thirty years in the obscurity of Nazareth and the workshop of a humble carpenter. In imitation of their Divine Model, many saints withdrew into the desert and lived in remote caves to escape the esteem of men. The desire to put ourselves forward and merit the plaudits of men, to be regarded as very successful in our undertakings, is, according to St. Vincent de Paul, an evil that causes us to forget our God; it vitiates our holiest actions and more than anything else impedes our progress in the spiritual life. To be pleasing and acceptable in the sight of God, we must therefore banish from our hearts the desire to appear before men to win their approval and applause and especially the desire to rule over others."
— St. Alphonsus Liguiori, p. 128-9
AN EXCERPT FROM
12 Steps to Holiness and Salvation † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are."
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 |  click to read more | | Saint Hilary of Poitiers' Story This staunch defender of the divinity of Christ was a gentle and courteous man, devoted to writing some of the greatest theology on the Trinity, and was like his Master in being labeled a "disturber of the peace." In a very troubled period in the Church, his holiness was lived out in both scholarship and controversy. He was bishop of Poitiers in France. Raised a pagan, he was converted to Christianity when he met his God of nature in the Scriptures. His wife was still living when he was chosen, against his will, to be the bishop of Poitiers in France. He was soon taken up with battling what became the scourge of the fourth century, Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ. The heresy spread rapidly. Saint Jerome said "The world groaned and marveled to find that it was Arian." When Emperor Constantius ordered all the bishops of the West to sign a condemnation of Athanasius, the great defender of the faith in the East, Hilary refused and was banished from France to far off Phrygia. Eventually he was called the "Athanasius of the West." While writing in exile, he was invited by some semi-Arians (hoping for reconciliation) to a council the emperor called to counteract the Council of Nicea. But Hilary predictably defended the Church, and when he sought public debate with the heretical bishop who had exiled him, the Arians, dreading the meeting and its outcome, pleaded with the emperor to send this troublemaker back home. Hilary was welcomed by his people.
Reflection Christ said his coming would bring not peace but a sword (see Matthew 10:34). The Gospels offer no support for us if we fantasize about a sunlit holiness that knows no problems. Christ did not escape at the last moment, though he did live happily ever after—after a life of controversy, problems, pain and frustration. Hilary, like all saints, simply had more of the same. | onday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 305
Reading 1 1 Sm 1:1-8 There was a certain man from Ramathaim, Elkanah by name,
a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim.
He was the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu,
son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
He had two wives, one named Hannah, the other Peninnah;
Peninnah had children, but Hannah was childless.
This man regularly went on pilgrimage from his city
to worship the LORD of hosts and to sacrifice to him at Shiloh,
where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas,
were ministering as priests of the LORD.
When the day came for Elkanah to offer sacrifice,
he used to give a portion each to his wife Peninnah
and to all her sons and daughters,
but a double portion to Hannah because he loved her,
though the LORD had made her barren.
Her rival, to upset her, turned it into a constant reproach to her
that the LORD had left her barren.
This went on year after year;
each time they made their pilgrimage to the sanctuary of the LORD,
Peninnah would approach her,
and Hannah would weep and refuse to eat.
Her husband Elkanah used to ask her:
"Hannah, why do you weep, and why do you refuse to eat?
Why do you grieve?
Am I not more to you than ten sons?" Responsorial Psalm 116:12-13, 14-17, 18-19 R. (17a) To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
or:
R. Alleluia.
How shall I make a return to the LORD for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
or:
R. Alleluia.
My vows to the LORD I will pay in the presence of all his people.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
R. To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
or:
R. Alleluia.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people,
In the courts of the house of the LORD,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
R. To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Mk 1:15 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand;
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 1:14-20 After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God:
"This is the time of fulfillment.
The Kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the Gospel." As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them,
"Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Then they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along a little farther
and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They too were in a boat mending their nets.
Then he called them.
So they left their father Zebedee in the boat
along with the hired men and followed him. | Meditation: Mark 1:14-20 Saint Hilary, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Optional Memorial) and First Week in Ordinary Time "They left their father . . . and followed him. (Mark 1:20)" Do you remember your teenage years, when you used to be able to sleep through a blaring alarm clock? But for those of us who became parents, the slightest noise from our little children made us jump out of bed to check on them. What made the difference? Simply this: at his birth, that little baby found his way into our hearts and has been there ever since. Ask any parent, and they will tell you that a day doesn't go by without them thinking of their children—and often worrying about them. In today's Gospel, we see Peter, James, John, and Andrew all drop what they were doing to follow Jesus. One invitation from him, and they spring into action, much like the way parents spring into action at the sound of their children. How did that happen? Well, it wasn't magic. It probably wasn't even the first time they had encountered Jesus. As he usually did, Mark used as few words as possible to describe a much longer process: "Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God" (1:14). He could well have been in Galilee for quite a while before he called these disciples. He could have spent days or even weeks talking about the mercy and salvation of God. He could have spent hours with them, preparing them to make a decision. So he could have already found his way into their hearts by the time he called them to follow him. Of course, we don't know what made the disciples so responsive to Jesus' call. But we do know that they were willing to follow him, haltingly at first, but more and more faithfully as the years went by. This mirrors our own experience. The more time we spend with Jesus, the more he finds his way into our hearts. Our bond with him deepens. We become more convinced of his love for us, and his will for us becomes sweeter and more attractive. Most important, we begin to love him back. We find that he has captivated our hearts, and we become more willing to move when he calls us. Jesus has a beautiful plan for you; come close to him today and let him help you embrace it more deeply. "Lord, give me a willing heart so that I can follow you more closely." 1 Samuel 1:1-8
Psalm 116:12-19 |  clickable | Food isn't just about calories and fat, vitamins and minerals, additives and preservatives. It's about God. It's about community. It's about life. Food is one of God's most precious gifts, a sign of the Lord's goodness, abundance, creativity, and love. Most important, it's the very thing that God becomes for us in the Eucharist.
— Emily Stimpson Chapman
from The Catholic Table | my2cents:
"Why do you grieve? Am I not more to you than ten sons?"
What is God saying here? Why would you want something more...if you have everything with Me? | "My vows to the LORD I will pay in the presence of all his people. Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones.
O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your handmaid; you have loosed my bonds. To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise."
Precious death? He knows. He knows more than you know. As a matter of fact, He not only knows more....He loves more. When we forget a soul...God does not. He thinks of you more than you think. | Our Lord said today:
"This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel."
Was this message just for those...chosen? Why would we read something that was just for them? Like the annunciation of our Lord, with Blessed Mother Mary, was it just for her? No. It is for the whole world, the news, the good news....the urgent news. Repent. And Believe. Did He leave His Mother to the beloved disciple only? No. The task is for the whole world. | Our Lord commands: ""Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."
He began the annunciation. He announces "The Kingdom of God is at hand." The time of fulfillment is here and now. You are charged with fulfilling His command.
And what transpires is a message of urgency. And you can tell by the disciples' answer. "Then they left their nets and followed him." They left all their "nets". That what was woven, their webs of life. This is the moment they died...their first death...to the world. From this moment on, they become precious and faithful, for their death.
Yesterday, we started a new book in our bible sharing. The Evangelical Catholic. The scripture was about the men that raised the roof, opened the roof of a house to haul up a crippled man, up and over, and in to the house where Jesus was in..."his home". I remember noticing and even saying out loud in answer to a question..."notice the urgency of the men that took the crippled man to Jesus". There is a sense of urgency...of utmost importance. This is the opposite of sloth, of procrastination, of "waiting to see". Their lives were one of action. "Where there's a will, there's a way". Let's blow a hole on the side of the house! Right? What will it take? Are you waiting still? Waiting for a sign? Waiting on reconciling? Waiting on the whole repenting thing? Repent NOW! Reconcile NOW! Come after Jesus NOW! Came AFTER. This mean He leads. Do you have a sense of urgency? Maybe you feel like me, sometimes, like you're going in circles and nowhere fast, just spinning your wheels. I see people get exasperated, up, and quit. Waiting is too much. We want results and we want them now! But the Church doesn't work that way. Jesus doesn't use worldly time either. In comes faith.
Come After Me.
Has someone invited you to Him and ministry, don't you think it may be God asking you personally? Think Evangelization.
Is life all about ministries then? Like me? Yes and no. Vocations come to the picture. A married person has a evangelization "ministry". An ordained person has a ministry. A lay person has their orders, and a clerical person has Holy Orders. Now we must consider the aspect of AUTHORITY.
If you follow authority, Jesus is the ultimate authority coming to you.
You don't have to do what He says. Countless souls have decided not follow orders. I even told my CCD kids, "you don't have to do none of the things taught by the church...you can choose to do your own thing, go splatter yourself if you like! Or...you can follow God's ways...and be saved". I was talking of course, about free will.
Do you feel a call by the Lord coming? Is something tugging at your heart?
Discern, yes. Pray about it yes, but don't dwell on it. Procrastination could be a sign of sloth, an evil attribute of an evil root. Loose the bonds. Lose the webs. Jesus 1st, I am second. Randomly opening the book Imitation of Christ by Thomas Kempis: "Our Peace Must Not Depened Upon Human Beings Christ: My child, if to satisfy yourself and to seek the society of any person you place all your contentment in that person, you will become entangled and lose your peace. On the other hand, if you have recourse only to Me, the living and everlasting Truth, you will not be overwhelmed if friends forsake you or you lose them by death.
Whoever they may be, your friends must be loved for My sake, no matter how good they appear to you, or how dear they are to you in this life. No friendship can be profitable or lasting in this life, nor is it a true and pure love which does not have its source in Me. Your affection toward those you love should be so mortified that you would be willing to be without friends at all. To that degree by which you withdraw from all earthly consolation, such will be your approach to God; and so much higher do you ascend to God, as you lower yourself and become despicable in your own estimation. |  click to hear a message | Random Bible Verse 1 Matthew 5:11
11 "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Thank You Lord | |
