 clickable | | The Importance of Friends Friends are people who are there for us when we need them. Often we don't know who among our acquaintances are true friends until circumstances reveal it. This being-there-for of friendship applies not only in times when external events overwhelm us and we feel helpless and alone. Friends also, on occasion, save us from ourselves. Our inner high and low pressures threaten us with a personal implosion. A friend knows us well enough to recognize this and does not walk away. Friendship, like the relationship that Jesus describes himself having with his "Father," is like the digital cloud. Everything here down below is stored up there, non-geographically, but accessible from any physical point and at every moment. Both friends are there together in the cloud. But they are also individuals, living the friendship in all the changing circumstances of life. Perhaps this helps us understand why the way this relationship with the Father is described sounds both deeply intimate and way beyond our grasp. —from the book Sensing God: Learning to Meditate during Lent by Laurence Freeman, OSB |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"Apart from the cross, there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven."
— St. Rose of Lima †MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"The queen bee never settles in her hive without being surrounded by her swarm, and charity never takes possession of the heart without bringing in her train all other virtues, exercising them and bringing them into play as a general his troops. But she does not call them forth suddenly, all at once, nor in all times and places. The good man is like a tree planted by the water-side that will bring forth its fruit in due season, because when a soul is watered with charity, it brings forth good works seasonably and with discretion."
— St. Francis de Sales, p.117
AN EXCERPT FROM
An Introduction to the Devout Life ⛪THE ANNUNCIATION
The Solemnity of the Annunciation, celebrated on March 25th, honors the profound meeting between the Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary, as recorded in St. Luke's Gospel. On this day St. Gabriel announced to Mary Immaculate that she would miraculously conceive a Child by the Holy Spirit, the long-awaited Messiah who would save mankind from their sins. This is the moment of the Blessed Virgin Mary's great fiat of perfect submission to the Divine will. This day on which the Church celebrates the Incarnation of Jesus Christ in the womb of His Blessed Mother is exactly nine months before the Feast of the Nativity on December 25th. †VERSE OF THE DAY
"Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. For great is your steadfast love toward me."
Psalm 86:11-13 |  click to read more | | ST. DISMAS St. Dismas (1st c.) is the name Church tradition has given to the "Good Thief," one of the two criminals who were crucified alongside Jesus Christ on Good Friday. All we know about St. Dismas is what is mentioned of him in the Gospels: "Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, 'Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.' The other [St. Dismas] however, rebuking him, said in reply, 'Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.'" Then St. Dismas, as an expression of his faith in Christ as the Messiah, said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus replied to St. Dismas, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:39-42). The feast day of St. Dismas is March 25. | Annunciation of the Lord The feast of the Annunciation, now recognized as a solemnity, was first celebrated in the fourth or fifth century. Its central focus is the Incarnation: God has become one of us. From all eternity God had decided that the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity should become human. Now, as Luke 1:26-38 tells us, the decision is being realized. The God-Man embraces all humanity, indeed all creation, to bring it to God in one great act of love. Because human beings have rejected God, Jesus will accept a life of suffering and an agonizing death: "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:13). Mary has an important role to play in God's plan. From all eternity, God destined her to be the mother of Jesus and closely related to him in the creation and redemption of the world. We could say that God's decrees of creation and redemption are joined in the decree of Incarnation. Because Mary is God's instrument in the Incarnation, she has a role to play with Jesus in creation and redemption. It is a God-given role. It is God's grace from beginning to end. Mary becomes the eminent figure she is only by God's grace. She is the empty space where God could act. Everything she is she owes to the Trinity. Mary is the virgin-mother who fulfills Isaiah 7:14 in a way that Isaiah could not have imagined. She is united with her son in carrying out the will of God (Psalm 40:8-9; Hebrews 10:7-9; Luke 1:38). Together with Jesus, the privileged and graced Mary is the link between heaven and earth. She is the human being who best, after Jesus, exemplifies the possibilities of human existence. She received into her lowliness the infinite love of God. She shows how an ordinary human being can reflect God in the ordinary circumstances of life. She exemplifies what the Church and every member of the Church is meant to become. She is the ultimate product of the creative and redemptive power of God. She manifests what the Incarnation is meant to accomplish for all of us.
Reflection Sometimes spiritual writers are accused of putting Mary on a pedestal and thereby, discouraging ordinary humans from imitating her. Perhaps such an observation is misguided. God did put Mary on a pedestal and has put all human beings on a pedestal. We have scarcely begun to realize the magnificence of divine grace, the wonder of God's freely given love. The marvel of Mary—even in the midst of her very ordinary life—is God's shout to us to wake up to the marvelous creatures that we all are by divine design. | « March 24 | March 26 »
Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
Lectionary: 545
Reading 1 Is 7:10-14; 8:10 The LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying:
Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God;
let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!
But Ahaz answered,
"I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!"
Then Isaiah said:
Listen, O house of David!
Is it not enough for you to weary people,
must you also weary my God?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:
the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel,
which means "God is with us!" Responsorial Psalm 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 11 R. (8a and 9a) Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Holocausts or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, "Behold I come."
R. Here I am, 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 I am, 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 I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Your justice I kept not hid within my heart;
your faithfulness and your salvation I have spoken of;
I have made no secret of your kindness and your truth
in the vast assembly.
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will. Reading 2 Heb 10:4-10 Brothers and sisters:
It is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats
take away sins.
For this reason, when Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
in holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight.
Then I said, 'As is written of me in the scroll,
behold, I come to do your will, O God.'" First he says, "Sacrifices and offerings,
holocausts and sin offerings,
you neither desired nor delighted in."
These are offered according to the law.
Then he says, "Behold, I come to do your will."
He takes away the first to establish the second.
By this "will," we have been consecrated
through the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all. Verse Before the Gospel Jn 1:14ab The Word of God became flesh and made his dwelling among us;
and we saw his glory. Gospel Lk 1:26-38 The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end."
But Mary said to the angel,
"How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?"
And the angel said to her in reply,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God."
Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her. | Today's Meditation: Luke 1:26-38 Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you. (Luke 1:28) Why do you think the angel Gabriel greeted Mary with these words? Perhaps because he wanted Mary to know that God had already filled her with all the grace she would need to say yes to bearing God's Son into the world. Maybe he also wanted to reassure her: she could count on God always being with her, not just in that blessed moment. Mary might not have had much time to reflect on the angel's greetings until later, after she had said yes to God's plan. But as the baby grew in her womb, she probably thought about it often. She knew that what God was asking of her wasn't going to be easy. No doubt this was a special child. How was she going to raise Jesus to be a king and sit on the throne of David, as the angel had said? (Luke 1:32-33). When such questions swirled in her mind, she could always go back and recall the angel's words: God was with her, and so was his grace. When has the Lord asked you to do something difficult? Maybe you were given a special needs child to raise or you are caring for an ailing spouse or parent or you're trying to work through tensions in your marriage. We all are faced with situations in which God is asking us to do what seems beyond us. We may have to say yes to the Lord not once but many times as we struggle to be obedient to his plan for our lives. But what the angel said to Mary is also true of us. Mary was born without original sin, but because of our baptism, we are also filled with God's grace. He dwells in us. That means he is always with us and that his grace is always available to us. When Mary said yes to the angel, Jesus came into the world to save us and share his divine life with us. Now we can move forward, day by day and one step at a time, to do what God is asking of us—because we too are "full of grace" (Luke 1:28)! "Lord, thank you for giving me the grace to say yes to whatever is your will for me." Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10
Psalm 40:7-11
Hebrews 10:4-10 |  clickable | Amid the present time of turmoil, let's now find greater mercy and greater glory in the greatest of the Gospels. Let's get back to the original source, the Word of God, and let it set us free from our hypocrisy so we might become authentic witnesses of Christ and the beauty of the Church. Let's learn from the apostle who rested his head on the Heart of Jesus and there discovered the deepest mysteries of the Father's love.
—Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC
from 33 Days to Greater Glory | my2cents:
" the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel,
which means "God is with us!"
What greater sign is this? That God is with us. Yet, God comes to show a greater sign...the sign of Jonah. The sign of the cross. A message never to be forgotten, because it contradicts anything and everything we dare to accomplish, He is more...and we must be less. Worship God more, and nothing else. | We pray: "Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will. Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me. Holocausts or sin-offerings you sought not; then said I, "Behold I come." You then, you show God a sign. Show Him a great sign as deep as the netherworld and as high as the sky, show Him nothing can separate you from Him. Show Him you love Him more than anybody else on earth ever could, show Him and you'll find yourself loving God in neighbor. You'll see He works and truly lives among us. God is with us. | The ArchAngel from Heaven dared to say: ""Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
He hailed mary. He exonerated her. He raised her up. He proclaimed her essence in her presence. He blessed her and forever would she be called Blessed. Blessed Mother for carrying the Blessed Sacrament...Jesus. The greeting confounded her. " she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be." This is an interesting verse, because it proposes her disposition. "Hail to me?" I'm no Queen!? Why is this angel of God hailing me? And "the Lord is WITH you?" What does THAT mean? He is normally at the temple, how can He be with ME? | "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God." And the Holy conception comes: "you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High...". She conceives but cannot perceive how this will happen because she was said to have been a consecrated virgin to God since she was a little girl, even said to have been raised in the temple. For the pure to serve God. So she asks the ArchAngel: ""How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?" It is impossible she says. She doesn't have relations and never will with man. And perplexion ensues: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God." THE SON OF GOD. WOW.
And to join her in this news of LIFE, of pregnancies, of a journey, of a newness and continuation of covenants, the Archangel says: " behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God." And the joyful expectation and jubilation begins. A new life with new life. Mary says then in obedience, and humility: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."
These are words of a servant. These are words of a maid servant. These are words of a humble servant of God. "God's will be done".
Nowadays, we hear much of what is "essential" and what is "non-essential".
What is essential? Who is deciding what is essential?
Have you decided what is essential? Who is telling you what is essential in your life? When God speaks, what is essential is revealed...His will. Randomly opening the book "Imitation of Christ" for us all:
CHRIST: My child, renounce yourself and you shall find Me. Stand as though you had not the power of choice. Cast out all self-seeking and will always be to your true advantage; for you will always gain greater grace when you have given yourself up completely to Me without taking back your gift. 1. Disciple: Lord, how often must I forsake myself and in what things must I practice self-renunciation?
2. Christ: You must forget yourself always and in all things, in small things as well as in those that are great. I make no exceptions, but want you to be divested of your self-will in all things. For how can you be wholly Mine and I totally yours, if you still entertain self-will within and outside yourself?
The sooner you accomplish this, the better will your condition be; and the more complete and sincere your renunciation, the more will you please Me and the greater will be your spiritual gain.
3. There are some who commit themselves, but with some restrictions; for they do not trust God fully and so they are busy providing for themselves. Some at first give up everything; but afterward, under the pressure of temptation, they return to what they had forsaken; and so they do not advance in virtue. Such persons will not acquire the true liberty of one who is clean of heart, nor will they obtain the grace of a most joyful familiarity with Me. To attain this, they must first wholly renounce themselves and daily offer themselves as victims of sacrifice to Me; for without this there cannot exist any lasting divine union.
4. I have often told you, and I repeat it again: forsake yourself and renounce yourself, and you shall enjoy great interior peace. Give all for all; seek nothing; take nothing back that you have given up; stand with pure detachment and with full confidence in Me, and then you shall truly possess Me.
Then you shall enjoy true freedom of heart and darkness shall not overcome you. Aim at that alone. Pray for it, desire it, that you may be divested of all self-seeking; and so, spiritually naked, follow the naked Jesus. thus you will die to yourself and live forever to and for Me. Then you will be freed from all vain imaginations and from all wicked disturbances and useless cares. Then also, will you no longer yield to unruly fears, and inordinate love will die in you.
| 1. | Disciple: Lord, how often must I forsake myself and in what things must I practice self-renunciation? | | 2. | Christ: You must forget yourself always and in all things, in small things as well as in those that are great. I make no exceptions, but want you to be divested of your self-will in all things. For how can you be wholly Mine and I totally yours, if you still entertain self-will within and outside yourself?
The sooner you accomplish this, the better will your condition be; and the more complete and sincere your renunciation, the more will you please Me and the greater will be your spiritual gain. | | 3. | There are some who commit themselves, but with some restrictions; for they do not trust God fully and so they are busy providing for themselves. Some at first give up everything; but afterward, under the pressure of temptation, they return to what they had forsaken; and so they do not advance in virtue. Such persons will not acquire the true liberty of one who is clean of heart, nor will they obtain the grace of a most joyful familiarity with Me. To attain this, they must first wholly renounce themselves and daily offer themselves as victims of sacrifice to Me; for without this there cannot exist any lasting divine union. | | 4. | I have often told you, and I repeat it again: forsake yourself and renounce yourself, and you shall enjoy great interior peace. Give all for all; seek nothing; take nothing back that you have given up; stand with pure detachment and with full confidence in Me, and then you shall truly possess Me.
Then you shall enjoy true freedom of heart and darkness shall not overcome you. Aim at that alone. Pray for it, desire it, that you may be divested of all self-seeking; and so, spiritually naked, follow the naked Jesus. thus you will die to yourself and live forever to and for Me. Then you will be freed from all vain imaginations and from all wicked disturbances and useless cares. Then also, will you no longer yield to unruly fears, and inordinate love will die in you. | |  click to hear a message | Random Bible verse from an online generator: Acts 16:31
31 And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." | 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 | |
