The Grace of Solitude To have a place of solitude is an inestimable gift. It makes it easy to let the heart expand, to let the senses wake up, one by one, to come alive with fresh vitality. Yet, whatever our circumstances, we need to somehow set aside a time and a place for this kind of experience. It is a necessity in everyone's life, not a luxury. What comes alive in those moments of solitude is more than eyes or ears; our heart listens and rises to respond. All of us—each in a different measure—have need of solitude, because we need to cultivate mindfulness. —from the book The Way of Silence: Engaging the Sacred in Daily Life
by David Steindl-Rast, OSB |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"If you learn everything except Christ, you learn nothing. If you learn nothing except Christ, you learn everything."
— St. Bonaventure † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Man will not consent to drive away the money-changers from the temple of his soul until he realizes that it is a Holy of Holies—not a house of traffic, but in very truth the house of God. We thus reach two striking conclusions: There cannot be entire dependence upon the Holy Spirit's guidance, which is the true meaning of living in Christ, without complete self-renunciation. There cannot be complete self-renunciation without the constant underlying spirit of faith, without the habit of interior silence, a silence where God is dwelling. Many do not see the connection between thoughts about the King and the service of the King; between the interior silence ... and the continual detachment ... If we look closer, it will be seen that there is a strong, close, unbreakable link between the two. Find a recollected person, and he will be detached; seek one who is detached, and he will be recollected. To have found one is to have discovered the other ... Anyone who tries, on a given day, to practice either recollection or detachment cannot ignore the fact that he is doing a double stroke of work."
— Raoul Plus, S.J., p. 39-40
AN EXCERPT FROM
How to Pray Always ⛪TODAY'S FEAST DAY SOLEMNITY OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD
The Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord is closely connected with the Solemnity of the Epiphany; both are biblical manifestations of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. On the occasion of Jesus' baptism in the Jordan river at the hands of St. John the Baptist, the voice of God was audibly heard to declare to the gathered crowd, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." At his baptism Jesus sanctified the earth's waters, giving water the power to beget sons of God through the Sacrament of Baptism. Through the cleansing waters of baptism Jesus heals our sinful nature and clothes us with his own Divine life, bringing us into the Kingdom of God. It is by imitating Our Lord in his Baptism that a person becomes a Christian, the first sacrament of initiation into the Church. The feast of the Baptism of the Lord marks the end of the Christmas season on the new liturgical calendar. † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him,and he will make straight your paths."
Proverbs 3:5-6 |  click to read more | | ST. MARGUERITE BOURGEOYS St. Marguerite Bourgeoys (1620-1700) was born in France to a large middle-class Christian family. After having a deep religious experience at the age of 20, Marguerite dedicated her life to God through the Virgin Mary. She then joined an aposolate which served God by educating underprivileged children. When she was 32 the governor of Fort Ville-Marie (now Montreal, Canada), visited Marguerite's town and invited her to be a missionary in the New World as a lay teacher, instructing the children of the colonists and the Native Americans. Marguerite agreed and made the long ocean journey. Realizing the importance of the family in establishing New France, Marguerite mentored young ladies and prepared them for marriage and family life as pioneer women. She signed as a witness on the marriage certificates of many early settlers. As a result of these activities she was affectionately called the "Mother of the Colony." She also worked to build the first church and the first school. She also founded the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal, which is an active religious order to this day. For her great apostolic and missionary activity she is considered the co-foundress of Montreal. She is also the first woman saint of the Catholic Church in Canada. Her feast day is January 12. | Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 306
Reading I Heb 2:5-12 It was not to angels that God subjected the world to come,
of which we are speaking.
Instead, someone has testified somewhere: What is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor, subjecting all things under his feet. In "subjecting" all things to him,
he left nothing not "subject to him."
Yet at present we do not see "all things subject to him,"
but we do see Jesus "crowned with glory and honor"
because he suffered death,
he who "for a little while" was made "lower than the angels,"
that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that he,
for whom and through whom all things exist,
in bringing many children to glory,
should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering.
He who consecrates
and those who are being consecrated all have one origin.
Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them "brothers" saying: I will proclaim your name to my brethren, in the midst of the assembly I will praise you. Responsorial Psalm 8:2ab and 5, 6-7, 8-9 R. (see 7) You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.
O LORD, our Lord, how glorious is your name over all the earth!
What is man that you should be mindful of him, or the son of man that you should care for him?
R. You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.
You have made him little less than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands, putting all things under his feet.
R. You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.
All sheep and oxen, yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea, and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
R. You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands. Alleluia See 1 Thes 2:13 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Receive the word of God, not as the word of men,
but as it truly is, the word of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 1:21-28 Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers,
and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!"
Jesus rebuked him and said, "Quiet! Come out of him!"
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
All were amazed and asked one another,
"What is this?
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him."
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee. | Daily Meditation: Mark 1:21-28 I know who you are! (Mark 1:24) Zoopharmacognosy, an emerging field of science, is a big word that conveys a simple concept. It's the study of how some animals seem to know exactly what they need to be healed when they are ailing. It's why cats will eat grass when they have an upset stomach or why pregnant African elephants seek out a particular forget-me-not tree to help induce labor. Some animals will travel long distances to find just the right leaves, seeds, roots, or minerals that their bodies need. Scientists debate why we humans don't exhibit this ability as fully as some animal species, but we have something even better: the desire to seek out God. Throughout Jesus' ministry, we see this desire playing out. People traveled far and wide to seek physical and spiritual healing from Christ. Some even broke political and social standards to come to him. In today's reading, we read about a demon-possessed person presenting himself before Jesus for deliverance—even as the demon inside of him raged against the Lord. For animals, this is a matter of instinct, but for us, it's a matter of relationship. The more we get to know Jesus and the love he has for us, the more convinced we are that he offers us exactly what we need—every day. Not only do we come to believe that he has the power to heal our hurts, but we also trust that he can give us the wisdom and grace we need to live a holy life. We become convinced that staying close to him and following his commandments is the best way to avoid even getting sick in the first place—at least spiritually. So how can we get into the habit of seeking Jesus? By seeking Jesus! If you take time to turn to him at different points in the day, you'll eventually start to hear him prompting you and guiding you. You'll feel prompted to stop and pray. To avoid a particular path of sin. To follow a path you've never tried before. Listen. Every day, listen. Then follow the promptings you think Jesus is giving you. He's not testing you or playing games with you. He wants you to find his healing and his love! "Come, Holy Spirit! Teach me how to come to Jesus today and to listen to his voice." Hebrews 2:5-12
Psalm 8:2, 5-9 |  clickable | There are many ways of offending God by words; for example, by swearing and blaspheming. We must not swear by the Creator, nor by any creature, except with these three conditions -- truth, necessity, respect.
— St. Ignatius of Loyola
from The Spiritual Exercises | my2cents:
" What is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man that you care for him?"
This introductory phrase and Holy Scripture hits hard at the heart of one who has been contemplating such a gift from our Lord in Heaven. What is man? What is man that our Lord is mindful of us at all? What is man that the son of man came to save us? Why did the son of man have to taste suffering and death? Why would God Himself suffer mankind? The truth is in glory. And you can't end victory without glory. | We pray today: "You have made him little less than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him rule over the works of your hands, putting all things under his feet." And we recall the Holy of Holies. The Tabernacle. The Ark of the Covenant. And in the Old, it was 3 things: Manna from Heaven. The Commandments (tablets) and what else? The staff of Aaron. The staff meaning the blossoming shepherding, the rule, the very tool perhaps used to make the Exodus happen through the dead sea, what we'd call the red sea. And now we are speaking of Christ being the bread from Heaven, the commandments in person, and the shepherd Himself to lead us across suffering and death. | We heard: "The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes." If you got a chance to see the video I made, I ask when the lights go out, "who gave you authority to turn out the lights?" Who said it was time to turn off the lights? Who is making the world dark? And once again, what is it about this authority? Did you know that in exorcisms, ultimately, the worst cases are left to the Catholic Church? Why? Because of the ultimate authority. And the video brought up abortion mortality rates compared to the worst diseases and death tolls you can think of...and nothing comes close to those calamity. But there is something worse happening. Blasphemy. People use our Lord. They use Him. They use His holy name. They mock Him. They call Him a liar. If 48 million babies were slaughtered in 2020, that means twice that, the parents were guilty of a calamity, and quadruple that for those involved, having a hand in it, and now we are speaking of hundreds of millions of....souls. Back to Babylon. The tower was built on...sand. | An unclean spirit spoke, does this make the man with the dark spirit unclean? " "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?" and then He says something that should be considered flattering to some: "I know who you are–the Holy One of God!"
That's when humility spoke out, and our Lord shed the light against flattery: " "Quiet! Come out of him!"
Our Lord is supreme and can see who is talking. Do you have that ability? Can you develop this ability? Because, we are in the school of the cross, right? We are followers of the Way, of Christ our Lord, right?
Has anyone called you a holy roller? Mr or Mrs Holy? And they aren't doing it to flatter you. I have been, many times.
I knew right away who was speaking. Did that make the person calling me that- bad? Evil speaks through people. That doesn't make them all bad. That's why we are to forgive, because sometimes we let evil speak through us. Wouldn't you like to be forgiven? Why can't we let good speak through us? I'm going to capitalize G in good so you know I'm speaking about our Lord because I don't want to use His name lightly. Why can't we let Good speak through us? Well, we can! How? If it takes weakness to speak evil, then it takes strength to speak good. Ok? Be strong my child, be not afraid. Be strengthened to speak good, and therefore, naturally do good.
I'm not just talking, but preaching. I'm not just blabbering, but working out my salvation right along with you. I struggle to not put anyone in a negative light. Boy, that is tough! Why is there so much rioting and violence and hatred on the news? Because that's how they make money! LOL. But bring it down around you and your life. Why is there so many not living out the faith? The Way? Because of you my friend. Say WHAT? LOL. Taking jabs again, right?
No. I'm speaking frankly and in testimony. YOU must be the light. YOU must put forth the effort.
For realls: I was meditating upon our Lord's countenance before writing to you, having read many reflections and hearing daily Mass. And the message came: God is constantly giving.
He is constantly giving now from Heaven, in Holy Mass, in the Holy Spirit, in the Holy Sacraments. There is the Way and reason for life. You are being called to give. To be doers of the Word, and not hearers only.
What does today's story tell us about our Lord? He purifies the temple. Your temple is your body. He destroys the temple, but rebuilds it. But not all. Not all will be rebuilt. Why? Because not all desire to be rebuilt or to be reborn, or to be renewed. But I'm asking you to renew your vows.
And fall more in love than ever before...with our Lord. "Lord, if I love thee, help me love thee even more. I desire to give precious drops of love that I constantly receive from Your cup. " | from your brother in Christ our Lord,
adrian | Random online bible verse: Wow. Thank you Lord, I needed to hear this!
1 Corinthians 15:58 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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