 clickable | | Finding Strength in Acceptance Those who care for the dying say that the most important ingredient in a good death is meaning. And meaning means connection. The sense of belonging, of being linked to another or to otherness itself. Meaning is more than explanation. Explanations, dogma, ring hollow at such times of unavoidable encounter with reality. (How we do anything to avoid reality!) At these times we find ourselves totally defenseless and exposed in front of the tribunal of reality. Concept turns into truth and we'd like to run as far away from it as possible. It is the totality of it that matters, and this makes the Passion of the Christ so absolute and so much of a portal for all humanity to enter utter, undifferentiated, stark reality. Then we are led into a form of experience so outside our realm of comfort and familiarity that we can neither explain nor control it. It just happens—a devastating loss or disappointment, a reversal of expectations or dreams, a turning upside down of, well, everything. At such times our only defense is our sense of defenselessness. Because it is the only thing there is, it is the most authentic thing we can identify with. Not just our weakness, but our acceptance of our weakness, proves—against all the odds—to be our strength and resilience. This transports us from the universe of the ego—which is a reflection and false representation of reality—into another world. —from the book Sensing God: Learning to Meditate during Lent by Laurence Freeman, OSB |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"Even on the cross He did not hide Himself from sight; rather, He made all creation witness to the presence of its Maker. Then, having once let it be seen that it was truly dead, He did not allow that temple of His body to linger long, but forthwith on the third day raised it up, impassible and incorruptible, the pledge and token of His victory. "
— St. Athanasius of Alexandria † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"We firmly believe, and hence we hope that, just as Christ is truly risen from the dead and lives for ever, so after death the righteous will live for ever with the risen Christ and he will raise them up on the last day. Our resurrection, like his own, will be the work of the Most Holy Trinity."
— (CCC, 989)
AN EXCERPT FROM
Catechism of the Catholic Church † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Ah, my Lord God! You made the heavens and the earth with your great power and your outstretched arm; nothing is too difficult for you. ... Great and mighty God, whose name is Lord of hosts, great in counsel, mighty in deed, whose eyes are fixed on all the ways of mortals, giving to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their deeds."
Jeremiah 32:17-19 |  click to read more | | ST. RICHARD OF CHICHESTER St. Richard of Chichester (1197-1253), also known as St. Richard de Wyche, was born in Worcestershire, England to a land-owning squire. His father died when he was young, causing the family to suffer hardship for many years. The situation became dire enough for Richard to suspend his studies to take over the family estates and make them profitable again. He went on to Oxford to study for the priesthood, and was so poor that he and two companions shared a set of clothes which they took turns wearing to class. He obtained degrees at the universities in Paris and Bologna before being appointed as the Chancellor of Oxford University. Richard became well-known for his learning and sanctity. As a result he next became Chancellor for the Archbishop of Canterbury, St. Edmund Rich, to whom he was a faithful companion and advisor. Years later St. Richard was ordained the Bishop of Chichester. In this position he entered into power struggles with King Henry III, who withheld his diocesan revenues and blocked his access to the cathedral. St. Richard had many accomplishments as bishop, including establishing greater order and reverence to the liturgy, vigorously defending the rights of the Church, assisting the poor and the oppressed, and preaching a crusade against the Saracens at the request of the Pope. He died of fever surrounded by his closest friends at about 56 years of age. He was buried in the Chichester Cathedral and his shrine became a popular place of pilgrimage before being destroyed by King Henry VIII. St. Richard's feast day is April 3rd. | Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent Reading 1 Jer 20:10-13 I hear the whisperings of many:
"Terror on every side!
Denounce! let us denounce him!"
All those who were my friends
are on the watch for any misstep of mine.
"Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail,
and take our vengeance on him."
But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion:
my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.
In their failure they will be put to utter shame,
to lasting, unforgettable confusion.
O LORD of hosts, you who test the just,
who probe mind and heart,
Let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause.
Sing to the LORD,
praise the LORD,
For he has rescued the life of the poor
from the power of the wicked! Responsorial Psalm 18:2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 7 R. (see 7) In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
The breakers of death surged round about me,
the destroying floods overwhelmed me;
The cords of the nether world enmeshed me,
the snares of death overtook me.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
In my distress I called upon the LORD
and cried out to my God;
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice. Verse Before the Gospel Jn 6:63c, 68c Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life. Gospel Jn 10:31-42 The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus.
Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from my Father.
For which of these are you trying to stone me?"
The Jews answered him,
"We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy.
You, a man, are making yourself God."
Jesus answered them,
"Is it not written in your law, 'I said, 'You are gods"'?
If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came,
and Scripture cannot be set aside,
can you say that the one
whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world
blasphemes because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?
If I do not perform my Father's works, do not believe me;
but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me,
believe the works, so that you may realize and understand
that the Father is in me and I am in the Father."
Then they tried again to arrest him;
but he escaped from their power.
He went back across the Jordan
to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained.
Many came to him and said,
"John performed no sign,
but everything John said about this man was true."
And many there began to believe in him.
| Today's Meditation: John 10:31-42 Even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize and understand. (John 10:38) This is not the first time Jesus' enemies picked up stones to hurl at him. At every turn, they tried to trip him up, to catch any misstep. Yet despite all of this, Jesus kept inviting them to believe in him. In today's Gospel, he implored them to set aside their skepticism about his words and look at his actions instead. If my words are confusing you, Jesus was saying, look at my works. Aren't they evidence enough for you to start to believe in me? What were those "works"? A man paralyzed for thirty-eight years was completely healed (John 5:1-18). A couple of loaves of bread and fish fed five thousand people (John 6:1-15). A woman caught in adultery was saved from stoning and received mercy (John 8:1-11). A man who had been blind since birth could now see (John 9). Only God could do such things! Jesus wants his works to speak to you as well. Now you're probably familiar with the stories about Jesus and the impressive miracles he worked in the Bible. But make no mistake, he is still working today. He is even working in the people around you. So ask the Holy Spirit to help you recognize these works. You might notice a recent widow in your parish who is able to find joy after her husband has passed away. Or maybe you'll realize your neighbor has been patiently caring for his wife for months without complaint. You might even find yourself in financial need and receive a welcome bonus. These moments of grace come from God's hands. The more of them you see for what they are, the more you will believe, especially when times of doubt or anxiety make your faith feel shaky. Set your eyes on Jesus—both on what he has done in the past and what he is doing right now. Believe too that he wants to work just as patiently in your life. If he kept trying to convince his "enemies," why wouldn't he work just as hard to help you know him better? "Jesus, you bring miracles to life around me. Open my eyes to see your works and believe in you." Jeremiah 20:10-13
Psalm 18:2-7 |  clickable | Your purpose and that of your companions is to unite yourselves with Me as closely as possible; through love you will reconcile Earth with Heaven, you will soften the just anger of God, and you will plead for mercy for the world. I place in your care two pearls very precious to My Heart: these are the souls of priests and religious. You will pray particularly for them; their power will come from your diminishment. You will join prayers, fasts, mortifications, labors and all sufferings to My prayer, fasting, mortification, labors and sufferings and then they will have power before My Father.
—Jesus to St. Faustina
from The Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska | my2cents:
"But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion:
my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph."
In some translations the word "champion" is translated to "warrior". And it goes: "But the LORD is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten." The world calls disgrace, someone who is shamed. Be valiant. The world calls the weak to God, foolish. Be strong. What then is a warrior to God? I wrote a song about it and it speaks about a man who hits his knees and in doing so dodges the flaming arrows. When I am, I am strong. When I kneel, I stand taller, for the Lord is close to the brokenhearted, those broken and ready to be molded into someone new. | We pray today: "In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice. I love you, O LORD, my strength, O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer."
My rock, who is your rock? At some funerals I heard about the deceased was their "rock". If their rock is gone, now what? On what will you stand? Can it stand on the dead? Or does it stand on the living? The Holy Church stands on the living one Son of God. That is our true rock, He is our true rock, He is everything we stand on and stand for. | Our Lord inquired: ""I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?". It goes to show, for all the good you do, it seems you are remembered only for the bad you do. The measure with which you measure though, remember. At funerals, I don't really hear about the bad things the deceased did, mostly the good, if anything at all. The good is what we want to hear, and the good is what we want to be measured for, right? Jesus raised the dead. Not even for that would they let Him go. Jesus fed thousands and thousands with virtually nothing. Not even for that miracle would they let Him go. " | "We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy.
You, a man, are making yourself God." they said. Ahh. The real eye opener is revealed. The carers for the vineyard had usurped the vineyard, they had declared themselves the all-knowing. The good was called bad and the bad was called good. And so it is today. There are those who want to be all-knowing, and this means god. And God comes to straighten up the picture, to show us who really is God. No scientific breakthrough, no philosophy, no ideals can usurp WHO HE IS. In a nutshell...humility, the fear of the Lord must remain for us to survive in our relationship with Him.
There is one thing that came to mind as I read many reflections before writing to you...Mother of God, and in my knowing of her, as she presents herself to the world, she has the best picture of God because she beholds God, and you'd be amazed at how much grander she makes Him out to be. Our reverence and honor for Him is nothing compared to how she reverences and honors God. You have no idea who God is! Some make Him out to be a buddy, or whatever, but He is WAY WAY MORE. The whole universe cannot contain Him. And we know virtually nothing of how the universe really works. "If I do not perform my Father's works, do not believe me; but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." Do you believe? Lord, you have words of everlasting life...to who else would we dare turn to... |  click to hear a message | Random Bible verse from an online generator:
WOW! 1 Timothy 1:17 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.1 Amen. | 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 | |
