 clickable | | Do We Limit Belonging? All morality that was ever developed in any tradition in the world can be reduced to the principle of acting as one acts toward those with whom one belongs. And the differences between the different codes of morality are only the limits that we draw for belonging: "These are the ones toward whom you have to act morally, and the others are 'the others,' outside." And when you really live with common sense, that has no limitations; you live out of a morality that includes everybody, and therefore you behave toward everybody as one behaves when one belongs. That is what Jesus meant when he said "the kingdom of God"—and any other term of that sort that you get from any religious tradition will fit in here. —from the book The Way of Silence: Engaging the Sacred in Daily Lifeby Brother David Steindl-Rast |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
January 15, 2020 "We have received baptism, entrance into the Church, and the honor of being called Christians. Yet what good will this do us if we are Christians in name only and not in fact?"
– St. Andrew Kim Taegon †Meditation of the Day "Many people seem to worry themselves a great deal more over the things they cannot help than over the things that they can. ... This want of proportion is doubtless observable in myself. Do I think more of the accidents of birth, fortune, and personal appearance than of the self that I have created? For I myself am responsible for myself. 'To be born a gentleman is an accident; to die one is an achievement.' Other things, then, I may not be able to help; but myself, I can. As I am at this very moment, as my character is—truthful or untruthful, pure or impure, patient or impatient, slow to wrath or quick-tempered, eager, enthusiastic, energetic, or lazy and dull and wasteful of time—I have no one to thank but myself ... the fact remains that I myself alone am responsible for my own character; for character is an artificial thing that is not born, but made." — Fr. Bede Jarrett, p. 371-2 An Excerpt From Classic Catholic
Meditations †Verse of the Day "For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another." Romans 12:3-5 |  click to read more | | St. Arnold Janssen St. Arnold Janssen (1837–1909) was born in Germany to a large Catholic family. He was a man of simple faith who studied theology, entered the priesthood, and served as a school teacher. He had a profound devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which awakened in him an increasing desire for missionary work. This led him to found The Little Messenger of the Sacred Heart, a monthly magazine sharing news of the Church's missionary activities and encouraging German Catholics to do more to help the missions. This was during a time of anti-Catholic persecution in Germany, and many priests were expelled from the country. Arnold suggested that these expelled priests serve in the missions, and for this purpose he founded the Society of the Divine Word, known as the Divine Word Missionaries, a religious congregation of missionary priests and lay brothers. He also founded two Orders of religious sisters associated with this missionary activity. Today more than 6,000 Divine Word Missionaries are active in 63 countries. St. Arnold was canonized in 2003 by Pope St. John Paul II. His feast day is celebrated on January 15. | Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 1 Sm 3:1-10, 19-20 During the time young Samuel was minister to the LORD under Eli,
a revelation of the LORD was uncommon and vision infrequent.
One day Eli was asleep in his usual place.
His eyes had lately grown so weak that he could not see.
The lamp of God was not yet extinguished,
and Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the LORD
where the ark of God was.
The LORD called to Samuel, who answered, "Here I am." Samuel ran to Eli and said, "Here I am. You called me."
"I did not call you," Eli said. "Go back to sleep."
So he went back to sleep.
Again the LORD called Samuel, who rose and went to Eli.
"Here I am," he said. "You called me."
But Eli answered, "I did not call you, my son. Go back to sleep."
At that time Samuel was not familiar with the LORD,
because the LORD had not revealed anything to him as yet.
The LORD called Samuel again, for the third time.
Getting up and going to Eli, he said, "Here I am.
You called me."
Then Eli understood that the LORD was calling the youth.
So Eli said to Samuel, "Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply,
'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'"
When Samuel went to sleep in his place,
the LORD came and revealed his presence,
calling out as before, "Samuel, Samuel!"
Samuel answered, "Speak, for your servant is listening." Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him,
not permitting any word of his to be without effect.
Thus all Israel from Dan to Beersheba
came to know that Samuel was an accredited prophet of the LORD. Responsorial Psalm 40:2 and 5, 7-8a, 8b-9, 10 R. (8a and 9a) Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me and heard my cry.
Blessed the man who makes the LORD his trust;
who turns not to idolatry
or to those who stray after falsehood.
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, "Behold I come."
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
"In the written scroll it is prescribed for me.
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!"
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will. Alleluia Jn 10:27 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord.
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 1:29-39 On leaving the synagogue
Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.
They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.
Then the fever left her and she waited on them. When it was evening, after sunset,
they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.
The whole town was gathered at the door.
He cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and he drove out many demons,
not permitting them to speak because they knew him. Rising very early before dawn,
he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.
Simon and those who were with him pursued him
and on finding him said, "Everyone is looking for you."
He told them, "Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come."
So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons
throughout the whole of Galilee. | Meditation:1 Samuel 3:1-10, 19-20 View NAB Reading at USCCB.orgSubscriber? Login to view archives 1st Week in Ordinary Time Speak, for your servant is listening. (1 Samuel 3:10) Yesterday, we saw how Eli mistook Hannah's prayer for a child as the babbling of a drunken woman. Today, we see Eli mistaking young Samuel's story of voices in the dark for nothing more than dreams coming from the boy's vivid imagination. In both stories, Eli learns a vital lesson about listening—both to other people and, ultimately, to God. In his book How to Speak, How to Listen, philosopher Mortimer J. Adler explains what it means to approach a conversation with our ears ready to really hear. He points to a common tendency to not pay close attention because we think we already know what the other person is about to say. Instead, we focus mostly on what we'll say in response. This seems to be Eli's situation when Samuel wakes him up repeatedly, claiming to have heard a voice calling his name. Rather than asking Samuel to describe what he heard, Eli dismisses him brusquely and goes back to sleep. Eli thinks he knows exactly what is going on, and he has his response ready to go, probably before Samuel even finishes his story. It isn't until the third time that the old man finally pays attention to Samuel's story and helps him become the prophet God intended him to be. This story has so many memorable elements—a tired, old man; his eager young charge; and a case of mistaken identity—that we might miss the spiritual truth behind it. By telling us that even Eli got it wrong sometimes, it offers us a word of encouragement to learn to listen carefully to God. It tells us that the more we practice, the better we become at identifying God's voice and his messages to us. But it also tells us that no matter how experienced we are in the spiritual life, we won't always get it right. At least not on the first try. Only by spending time in prayer each day can we sharpen our spiritual "hearing," while at the same time growing in the humility we'll need when we make a mistake. So take Adler's advice: listen carefully, especially in your prayer and when you read Scripture. Don't make the mistake of thinking you already know what is coming. God might just surprise you. "Father, amid the distractions I will face today, help me to keep an open heart so that I can also keep my ears open to hear you." Psalm 40:2, 5, 7-10
Mark 1:29-39 |  clickable | I left the world I knew in order to reenter it on a more profound level. Many people don't understand the difference between a vocation and your own idea about something. A vocation is a call—one you don't necessarily want. The only thing I ever wanted to be was an actress. But I was called by God. — Mother Dolores Heart
from The Ear of the Heart | my2cents:
Samuel answered, "Speak, for your servant is listening."
Someone told me that last week in adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament, a young non Catholic was invited, and he heard suddenly "Welcome Home'.
This troubled him. He didn't know whether to leave or what to do next. He looked at my Godson who made eye contact with him and he felt reassured to stay and fulfill his hour.
Such is the confusion when we don't recognize God speaking. We need a sense of direction. | Let us pray: "Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, "Behold I come."
A contrite heart...a true spirit is worth more.
Blind trust gains more understanding...for instance....a poor widow that gives everything to God in the temple. | In the holy Gospel we heard 'He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.
Then the fever left her and she waited on them."
Such is the response to God's touch.
Those of us who have been touched by God now find ourselves serving Him.
And it is an act of love.
Yet...God continues.
Let's go to another village and touch more souls for God.
And the touch drove out many demons and sicknesses to boot.
And the cause of many infirmities are evils too.
You can get worried sick, can't you?
So let us grasp our Lord by the hand.
Search and be open to His voice always...and we will always affect and have effect in all we do...for His Kingdom. | From Bishop Barren Mark 1:29-39 Friends, in today's Gospel Jesus heals many of the townspeople of Capernaum. His healing of physical ailments points to his spiritual healing—to his being the doctor of the soul. The Gospels are filled with accounts of Jesus' healing encounters with those whose spiritual energies are unable to flow. Much of Jesus' ministry consisted in teaching people how to see (the kingdom of God), how to hear (the voice of the Spirit), how to walk (overcoming the paralysis of the heart), and how to be free of themselves so as to discover God. Jesus was referred to in the early Church as the Savior (salvator in Latin). The term speaks of the one who brings healing—indeed, our word salve is closely related to salvus, meaning health. When the soul is healthy, it is in a living relationship with God. When the soul is sick, the entire person becomes ill, because all flows from and depends upon the dynamic encounter with the source of being and life who is God. We heal the soul by bringing to bear the salvator, the healer, the one who in his person reconciled us with God and opened the soul to the divine power. |  click to hear a message | Random Bible Verse 1 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. Thank You Lord | |
