Coping with Change The word change normally refers to new beginnings. But transformation, the mystery we're examining, more often happens not when something new begins, but when something old falls apart. The pain of something old falling apart—chaos—invites the soul to listen at a deeper level. It invites, and sometimes forces, the soul to go to a new place because the old place is falling apart. Most of us would never go to new places in any other way. The mystics use many words to describe this chaos: fire, dark night, death, emptiness, abandonment, trial, the Evil One. Whatever it is, it does not feel good and it does not feel like God. We will do anything to keep the old thing from falling apart. This is when we need patience and guidance, and the freedom to let go instead of tightening our controls and certitudes. Perhaps Jesus is describing just this phenomenon when he says, "It is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Matthew 7:13–14). Not accidentally, he mentions this narrow road right after teaching the Golden Rule. He knows how much letting go it takes to "treat others as you would like them to treat you" (7:12). So, a change can force a transformation. Spiritual transformation always includes a usually disconcerting reorientation. It can either help people to find a new meaning or it can force people to close down and slowly turn bitter. The difference is determined precisely by the quality of our inner life, our spirituality. —from The Wisdom Pattern: Order, Disorder, Reorder
by Richard Rohr, OFM |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"The Cross is the way to Paradise, but only when it is borne willingly."
— St. Paul of the Cross † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"There was much in the Magdalen that she had never used, perhaps never dreamed of, until she came to our Lord. He revealed to her the secret of true self-development, which is another word for sanctity. And she found under His guidance that everything in her had henceforth to be used, and used in a fuller and richer way than she had ever imagined possible. It was in no narrow school of self-limitation, in no morbid school of false asceticism, that this poor sinner was educated in the principles of sanctity, but in the large and merciful school of Him who has been ever since the hope of the hopeless, the friend of publicans and sinners; who knows full well that what men need is not to crush and kill their powers, but to find their true use and to use them; that holiness is not the emptying of life, but the filling; that despair has wrapped its dark cloud around many a soul because it found itself in possession of powers that it abused and could not destroy and did not know how to use. Christ taught them the great and inspiriting doctrine 'I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.'"
— Fr. Basil W. Maturin, p. 40
AN EXCERPT FROM
Christian Self-Mastery † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; be not frightened, neither be dismayed; for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
Joshua 1:9 |  click to read more | | ST. AGNES OF ROME St. Agnes (c. 291–304 A.D.) was born to a noble Roman family. She was a beautiful young woman of twelve or thirteen years of age when many suitors desired her hand in marriage. Instead of marrying, St. Agnes committed herself to a life of consecrated virginity as a spouse of Christ. She was then denounced to the authorities as a Christian during the persecutions of Roman Emperor Diocletian. She was condemned to be dragged naked through the streets into a brothel to be sexually abused. She miraculously escaped from this predicament with her virginity preserved, and was then condemned to be burned at the stake. Again, by a miracle, her persecutors were unable to carry out her sentence. Finally, they put her to death by beheading. Of all the virgin martyrs, St. Agnes is held in the first place by the Church. She is one of the seven women, besides the Virgin Mary, commemorated by name in the Roman Canon of the Mass. St. Agnes' name means 'chaste' and she is the patroness of girls, chastity, engaged couples, virgins, rape victims, and the Girl Scouts. Her feast day is January 21st. | Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr Lectionary: 314
Reading I Heb 7:25—8:6 Jesus is always able to save those who approach God through him,
since he lives forever to make intercession for them. It was fitting that we should have such a high priest:
holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners,
higher than the heavens.
He has no need, as did the high priests,
to offer sacrifice day after day,
first for his own sins and then for those of the people;
he did that once for all when he offered himself.
For the law appoints men subject to weakness to be high priests,
but the word of the oath, which was taken after the law,
appoints a son, who has been made perfect forever. The main point of what has been said is this:
we have such a high priest,
who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne
of the Majesty in heaven, a minister of the sanctuary
and of the true tabernacle that the Lord, not man, set up.
Now every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices;
thus the necessity for this one also to have something to offer.
If then he were on earth, he would not be a priest,
since there are those who offer gifts according to the law.
They worship in a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary,
as Moses was warned when he was about to erect the tabernacle.
For God says, "See that you make everything
according to the pattern shown you on the mountain."
Now he has obtained so much more excellent a ministry
as he is mediator of a better covenant,
enacted on better promises. Responsorial Psalm 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17 R. (8a and 9a) 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.
May all who seek you exult and be glad in you,
And may those who love your salvation say ever, "The LORD be glorified."
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will. Alleluia See 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. | Daily Meditation: Hebrews 7:25–8:6 Jesus . . . lives forever to make intercession. (Hebrews 7:25) Jesus lives forever to make intercession for you. Even on your worst day, when your temper has flared or you've had one drink too many, when bitterness seethes inside you or whatever you struggle with rears its ugly head, Jesus is interceding for you. Write it down: "Jesus pleads for me." He continually exclaims to his Father, "Forgive them, they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). That is the foundation for our hope. It gives us confidence to approach him, knowing, as St. Francis de Sales wrote, that "God will help us; we will do better." We will do better because now Jesus intercedes for us as high priest and mediator of a new and better covenant. He goes to the Father and asks him to forgive our faults and failings. He stands there, appealing for mercy for us from the Father of mercies and entreating the God of all comfort to comfort us as we seek to love and serve him. Jesus is not watching to see if we will manage to live holier lives—he is helping us to do it! Jesus brings you to God and asks him for the help you need to become holy as he is holy. He implores his Father for the mercy, guidance, and strength you need to carry on in your life of faith. He pleads for you—constantly and eternally—with an enduring love and concern for you. He is there this minute, carrying you and your needs to the Father, because he knows you can't do it on your own. He is that committed to you. Think about just one area in your life in which you struggle. It might be a difficult relationship or doubt or fear. Now picture Jesus holding it in his hands, which are stretched out to the Father. Thank Jesus for interceding for you. Thank him for helping you overcome that area. Trust him to pour grace into that area, and then look for new ideas, directions, and opportunities that offer a possibility for change. Embrace them, ponder how best to proceed (it's not always prudent to plunge immediately ahead), and act on them when you can. God will help you; you will do better. "Thank you, Jesus! I believe that through your intercession and help, I will do better." Psalm 40:7-10, 17
Mark 3:7-12 |  clickable | One of the stark differences between the pro-choice and pro-life positions is that the issue of abortion is almost always described by the pro-choice people as a 'difficult' and 'complex' issue, while those words are almost never used by the pro-life side. Mother Teresa was exactly on target when she said, 'If abortion isn't wrong, then nothing is wrong.
— Peter Kreeft
from the book Three Approaches to Abortion |  Bro Adrian asking you to pray 9 Days for life too, and at an abortion clinic near you on the day of the Unborn and through lent! | | my2cents:
"Now he has obtained so much more excellent a ministry as he is mediator of a better covenant,
enacted on better promises."
It takes much to trust...doesn't it?
Can we trust? Can we fully trust? That's been the main downfall of many...failed relationships. And now God offers a better promise? What happened to the first promises? LOL. Want the truth? We messed them up! It's like He changes the promises for our own good! | We pray:
"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." Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will."
And here is all He asks for, like the Son of God in the Garden of sorrows. Open to obedience. And the reply "Here I am Lord"...I come to do YOUR will. | In the Holy Gospel we heard: "He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him."
Everyone was flocking to Him...to see, to touch, to hear, to be healed.
What did they want? I believe what they want, is what we all want...true love.
Tired of the world, we want peace, and joy, and love. And so like them, we must flock to Him. Looking back at my college years, the whole ordeal was stress. Living away from home. Mostly alone. Studying. Working. Sinning. Say what? Yeah, sorry. I bring it up because that's what came up on meditation today. I was a ball of anxiety, and lost. I was unsure of where to go, where I was leading to, lonely, not married. And the party life continued to be my hope for happiness. Isn't that the case for most? Some seem to have it all. All in order. They got everything...while I am just a lost fool. | "He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him."
Our Lord as a human, could not handle the pressure of all of us pressing Him. That is why He had to die and return as the Holy Spirit.
"He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases
were pressing upon him to touch him." And today, we cannot crush Him, but too, we cannot see Him, or touch Him, or even hear Him...or can we?
There is a tremendous amount of healing in the Holy Catholic church today. Jesus is in it, in the Sacraments. It is THE source of all healing.
Those who have heard Him, and felt Him, are now great witnesses, especially those who are healed go off to evangelize the world..telling the good news...the Holy Gospel. That our Lord is alive. Look what He has done!
And I am one of them.
Eternally grateful...I hope. Lord, I want to spend my eternity giving thanks, and doing Your Holy and most Precious Will! | from your brother in Christ our Lord,
adrian | Random online bible verse: AMEN!
6 So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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