 clickable | | Spirituality Is about Letting Go Letting go is not in anybody's program for happiness, and yet all mature spirituality, in one sense or another, is about letting go and unlearning. You can take that as an absolute. As German mystic-philosopher Meister Eckhart said, the spiritual life has much more to do with subtraction than it does with addition. —from the book Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps by Richard Rohr, OFM Breathing Under Water by Richard Rohr |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like."
– St. Augustine † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Not to try to live in interior silence is equivalent to giving up the effort to lead a truly Christian life. The Christian life is a life of faith, lived in the invisible for what is invisible. Anyone who is not in constant contact with the invisible world runs the risk of remaining always on the threshold of a true Christian life. ... Solitude is the stronghold of the strong. Strength is an active virtue, and our power of keeping silence marks the level of our capacity for action. 'Without this interior cell, we would be incapable of doing great things, either for ourselves or for others.'"
— Raoul Plus, S.J., p. 40-1
AN EXCERPT FROM
How to Pray Always †VERSE OF THE DAY
"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart."
Jeremiah 29:11-13 |  click to read more | | ST. MARIANNE COPE St. Marianne Cope (1838–1918), also known as St. Marianne of Molokai, was a German-born American immigrant. She worked in a New York factory before entering the Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis in Syracuse. She spent her early years serving as a leader in health care and education. When the Hawaiian government was searching for a religious order to run a station for victims of leprosy, the Syracuse sisters volunteered immediately. Mother Marianne and six other sisters left for Hawaii in 1883. She devoted 35 years to caring for those afflicted with Hansen's disease (leprosy) in Molokai, Hawaii. She also opened a hospital and a school for girls on the island of Maui, and took charge of the home St. Damien of Molokai established for men and boys. Mother Marianne changed life on Molokai by introducing cleanliness, dignity, and fun into the colony. Despite her direct contact with leprosy patients over many years, she was not afflicted by the disease, which some consider miraculous. She was canonized in 2012 and her feast day is January 23. | Thursday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 314
Reading 1 1 Sm 18:6-9; 19:1-7 When David and Saul approached
(on David's return after slaying the Philistine),
women came out from each of the cities of Israel to meet King Saul,
singing and dancing, with tambourines, joyful songs, and sistrums.
The women played and sang: "Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his ten thousands." Saul was very angry and resentful of the song, for he thought:
"They give David ten thousands, but only thousands to me.
All that remains for him is the kingship."
And from that day on, Saul was jealous of David. Saul discussed his intention of killing David
with his son Jonathan and with all his servants.
But Saul's son Jonathan, who was very fond of David, told him:
"My father Saul is trying to kill you.
Therefore, please be on your guard tomorrow morning;
get out of sight and remain in hiding.
I, however, will go out and stand beside my father
in the countryside where you are, and will speak to him about you.
If I learn anything, I will let you know." Jonathan then spoke well of David to his father Saul, saying to him:
"Let not your majesty sin against his servant David,
for he has committed no offense against you,
but has helped you very much by his deeds.
When he took his life in his hands and slew the Philistine,
and the LORD brought about a great victory
for all Israel through him,
you were glad to see it.
Why, then, should you become guilty of shedding innocent blood
by killing David without cause?"
Saul heeded Jonathan's plea and swore,
"As the LORD lives, he shall not be killed."
So Jonathan summoned David and repeated the whole conversation to him.
Jonathan then brought David to Saul, and David served him as before. Responsorial Psalm 56:2-3, 9-10a, 10b-11, 12-13 R. (5b) In God I trust; I shall not fear.
Have mercy on me, O God, for men trample upon me;
all the day they press their attack against me.
My adversaries trample upon me all the day;
yes, many fight against me.
R. In God I trust; I shall not fear.
My wanderings you have counted;
my tears are stored in your flask;
are they not recorded in your book?
Then do my enemies turn back,
when I call upon you.
R. In God I trust; I shall not fear.
Now I know that God is with me.
In God, in whose promise I glory,
in God I trust without fear;
what can flesh do against me?
R. In God I trust; I shall not fear.
I am bound, O God, by vows to you;
your thank offerings I will fulfill.
For you have rescued me from death,
my feet, too, from stumbling;
that I may walk before God in the light of the living.
R. In God I trust; I shall not fear. Alleluia 2 Tm 1:10 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 3:7-12 Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples.
A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea.
Hearing what he was doing,
a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem,
from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan,
and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.
He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd,
so that they would not crush him.
He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases
were pressing upon him to touch him.
And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him
and shout, "You are the Son of God."
He warned them sternly not to make him known. | Catholic Meditations
Meditation: Mark 3:7-12 Saint Vincent, Deacon and Martyr (Optional Memorial) . . . because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him. (Mark 3:9) Reports of the healings in Capernaum had drawn a crowd—one so large that it threatened to crush Jesus. Without phones or newspapers, mail or texts, the news had spread as far as Tyre and Sidon, about fifty miles to the north, and Idumea, more than seventy-five miles to the south. How had accounts of Jesus' healings reached so far? We have to assume that one person told another, who told another, who told another. It was almost certainly that simple. And that powerful. When God acts, amazement follows. Imagine hearing of sickness healed, lifeless limbs restored, and despair and dejection banished. If you heard enough of these healings, you might dare to think that miracles are possible even for you. The news could rouse your hunger and give birth to hope. Even hearing of "little" things like worries eased, an unexpected kindness, or getting a good night's sleep could have a similar effect. The simple spoken word is powerful, and you can share that kind of good news. If you think God has done something in your life, tell someone about it. If you think God has shown something to you in prayer, or if a reading at Mass resounds in your heart, tell someone. It's possible that you will ignite hope or faith in them. You don't have to dramatize it, and you don't have to speak to multitudes. Try telling just one person, simply and plainly, about what God has done for you. Then leave room for the Holy Spirit to spark deeper faith. You don't have to convince anyone either. God can do that, since his words and actions come with a power all their own. The world is hungry for the presence of God, and you can point out where you see him and how you see him at work. And if you think you have nothing to say, ask him today to give you something you can share. Always be on the lookout for where God is at work speaking, healing, and encouraging. "Lord, help me see where you're working today, and give me confidence to tell someone about what you're doing." 1 Samuel 18:6-9; 19:1-7
Psalm 56:2-3, 9-13 |  clickable | Eventually, if only at our death, we must meet reality face to face. So we had better begin rehearsing now.
— Peter Kreeft
from Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Heaven | my2cents:
"Jonathan then brought David to Saul, and David served him as before."
Saul was jealous. Jealousy that brings death. What was the root of jealousy? What is it? Low self esteem? Pride? Fear? All of the above? David came back to serve him. What is your fear? Could it be pride? | Let us pray: "In God I trust; I shall not fear. Now I know that God is with me. In God, in whose promise I glory, in God I trust without fear;
what can flesh do against me?" | We heard today: "whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him and shout, "You are the Son of God."
Why is it that evil recognizes God and we don't? Evil recognizes good and we don't. This is the reason our Lord was persecuted... a failure to recognize what is good. Failure by following our own whims and not being truly open to our Lord! | Bishop Barron said today:
"Friends, in today's Gospel Jesus cured so many people that he had to climb into a boat to escape the press of the crowd. To this day the Church carries on his gracious healing ministry.
We recall that the Apostles of Jesus simply continued what the Master did. And one of the principal marks of the Lord's ministry was clearly healing. There was, of course, a deep biblical conviction that when the day of the Lord arrives, creation would be set right. What we witness in the healings of Jesus is just this repairing of creation.
If you doubt that miracles of physical healing still take place in the life of the Church, I invite you to read Craig Keener's book Miracles or visit the Church in Africa, Asia, or Latin America, where the expectation of the miraculous is taken for granted. But the Church also brings healing to mind, soul, will, and imagination. The Bible knows that sin has done tremendous damage to us, and anyone involved in pastoral ministry knows what this looks like: broken minds, divided hearts, addicted passions. " News spread like wildfire.
You too, do this. Go see Him, for yourself. Witness and even be a part of the miracle network. Soon, His news will spread to all the corners. |  click to hear a message | ->Random Bible Verse 1<
Proverbs 15:26
The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD, but gracious words are pure. Thank You Lord | |
