God's Mercy Transforms Us One of Pope Francis's favorite themes is mercy. He writes, "God's mercy transforms human hearts; it enables us, through the experience of a faithful love, to become merciful in turn. In an ever new miracle, divine mercy shines forth in our lives, inspiring each of us to love our neighbor and to devote ourselves to what the Church's tradition calls the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. These works remind us that faith finds expression in concrete everyday actions meant to help our neighbors in body and spirit. On such things will we be judged." Again and again Jesus shows that God is merciful, loving, waiting to give us everything that is good. "Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened." We read a passage like this one from Matthew's Gospel ,and we can't believe that it's that easy. But the revelation of the Gospels is that our God is bigger and greater and more loving and trustworthy than even the best human being we have known. Once we realize the great truth in this, we let God's mercy overflow to everyone we meet. —from the book The Hope of Lent: Daily Reflections from Pope Francis
by Diane M. Houdek |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"Who except God can give you peace? Has the world ever been able to satisfy the heart?"
— St. Gerard Majella †MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"This is the difference between a journey on earth, and that which leads to Heaven. For in the former, not only may we stop without fear of going backward, but rest is necessary that we may sustain our strength to the journey's end; however, in the latter journey which leads to perfection, our growth in strength is proportionate to our advance, inasmuch as the inferior appetites which throw all possible obstacles in our path to Heaven, grow gradually weaker while our good inclinations acquire new strength. Thus as we advance in piety, our early difficulties fade into the background, and a certain delight, with which God sweetens the bitterness of this life, increases in our souls. Going cheerfully on from virtue to virtue, we finally reach the summit of the mountain."
— Dom Lorenzo Scupoli, pp. 117-18
AN EXCERPT FROM
The Spiritual Combat †VERSE OF THE DAY
"Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread forth the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: "I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness."
Isaiah 42:5-7 |  click to read more | | ST. WALBURGA St. Walburga (710-777 A.D.) was born near Devonshire, England, the daughter of St. Richard the Pilgrim (a Saxon king) and the sister of Sts. Willibald and Winebald. When she was eleven her father and brothers went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, while her father placed her in a convent famous for its holiness. She was well educated according to her rank, became a nun, and lived there for twenty-six years. Her uncle, St. Boniface, then brought her to what is now Germany to help him evangelize that country and establish the Church there. In this missionary activity she joined her brothers who were also laboring for the faith in that country, one as an abbot, the other as a bishop. Because of her education she was able to document the travels of her brother in the Holy Land, and for this work she became the first female author of England and Germany. She was known as a miracle worker and healer both in her life and after her death. St. Walburga's relics have the miraculous property of exuding oil to which many cures have been ascribed through the centuries. St. Walburga is the patron saint of sailors, mariners, and farmers, and against hydrophobia, famine, coughs, rabies, plague, and storms. St. Walburga's feast day is February 25th. | Thursday of the First Week of Lent Lectionary: 227
Reading I Est C:12, 14-16, 23-25 Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish,
had recourse to the LORD.
She lay prostrate upon the ground, together with her handmaids,
from morning until evening, and said:
"God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, blessed are you.
Help me, who am alone and have no help but you,
for I am taking my life in my hand.
As a child I used to hear from the books of my forefathers
that you, O LORD, always free those who are pleasing to you.
Now help me, who am alone and have no one but you,
O LORD, my God. "And now, come to help me, an orphan.
Put in my mouth persuasive words in the presence of the lion
and turn his heart to hatred for our enemy,
so that he and those who are in league with him may perish.
Save us from the hand of our enemies;
turn our mourning into gladness
and our sorrows into wholeness." Responsorial Psalm 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8 R. (3a) Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth; in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple and give thanks to your name.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Because of your kindness and your truth; for you have made great above all things your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me.
R.Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me; your kindness, O LORD, endures forever; forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me. Verse before the Gospel Ps 51:12a, 14a A clean heart create for me, O God;
give me back the joy of your salvation. Gospel Mt 7:7-12 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which one of you would hand his son a stone
when he asked for a loaf of bread,
or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things
to those who ask him. "Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the law and the prophets." | Daily Meditation: Matthew 7:7-12 Everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:8) Picture a parent teaching their young son how to ride a bike. As the boy teeters off, the parent runs behind, holding the bike steady when it wobbles, encouraging him to keep going when he feels nervous. Eventually, the child is able to ride by himself, and his beaming smile shows it: he trusts that his mom or dad will be there to help him, and that trust has given him the confidence he needs. Just as every parent wants to instill confidence in their child, God wants to instill confidence in us as we pray. Not just self-confidence, of course, but "God-confidence" as well—the confidence that comes from faith in our heavenly Father. As we pray, we see that the One we're asking is good. We see that he is trustworthy. We see that we can rely on him. Jesus tells us that to develop this faith, we need to "ask," "seek," and "knock" in prayer (Matthew 7:7). The original language implies a continual asking, seeking, knocking. In other words, we're to be persistent. Whatever happens, don't give up. As we ask and keep asking, we open our hearts to a deeper experience of God's goodness because we begin to see how much he cares for our every need. As we seek and keep seeking, we learn that he is trustworthy because we discover that he won't abandon us. As we knock and keep knocking, we begin to understand his justice and generosity because we find him giving us not necessarily what we want but exactly what we need. In all of this, our relationship with our heavenly Father grows deeper and deeper. So persist in bringing your needs to God in prayer. Trust that he wants to give you good things. Believe that he will bring good even out of difficulty or suffering. He wants you to be confident in him. Because with every prayer, you are getting closer to your heavenly Father and learning to rely on him more. And that is the most valuable result of any prayer you could pray! "Father, I come to you with all my needs and anxieties. Help me grow in trust in your goodness and love." Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25
Psalm 138:1-3, 7-8 |  clickable | It is prayer that will bring joy into your lives and help you to overcome the obstacles of Christian living... When you go to Jesus in prayer–and through Him to the Father–you will always find inspiration in Mary, His mother. With every generation of disciples you will learn to prayer with her, and with her to await the action of the Holy Spirit in your lives.
— St. John Paul II | my2cents:
Esther prayed: "Save us from the hand of our enemies; turn our mourning into gladness and our sorrows into wholeness."
She was falsely accused. Our Lord was falsely accused too. Her humble and true prayers were heard, her life was spared. Our Lord's prayers were heard, and He gave up His life.
How do you pray? What was Esther's prayers all about? Then the story we hear is of one of mercy. God has mercy, yet He sacrifices Himself before all. That is a tall and wondrous order my friend. | We prayed and praised today: "I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth; in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise; I will worship at your holy temple and give thanks to your name. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me." Has our Father ever answered a single prayer of yours? How did it feel? How do you feel today? Because to me, a single prayer to be answered calls for an eternity of gratitude, and that is why I write to you. | Our Lord says to us: "...everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. " That is why we hear of swarms surrounding Him, of all sorts of religions, all coming to Him when He walked this earth in flesh. And all who merely touched Him were healed, thousands of whom we have not heard of yet. And I wonder, is that the case today? I say yes. Where thousands touched Him then, millions upon millions have been touched by Him since then. And I speak of a healing touch yes, but there's something more than healing that means reconciliation. There's grace to be had when we touch Him. | Ask...of Him. Ask for Him.
I believe we need to re-learn how to pray. What are our prayers like? I'd say most of our prayers are probably petitions, pleadings, just real needy children that we become. We become stress and worry warts, full of anxiety, locked in our own depression, and heads. We don't rightly ask for Him and of Him.
"If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him." What is my vision of Heaven? Right now, everything in my world is self focused. Everyone loves to focus on oneself. And this becomes an inward implosion. This is the gravity of Homosexual unions, where it focuses on the person, and not on being life giving people. So what is the vision of Heaven? No one knows exactly the beatific vision, but I so wish I could laugh innocently, whole heartedly, but most laughs I hear come from raunchy jokes, most laughs are dry, jokes about others, jokes that just don't make holy sense. And I believe I know the culprit...concupiscence...our tendency to sin.
So, if we do lent right, if we truly repent of sin, we will not return to sin, the dun heap of darkness.
If we truly repent in lent, our prayers will go from Esther's to our Lord's, taken up to the extreme. Self sacrifice, a true dependency on God our Father.
So don't be afraid to ask...for the good. I know I am afraid to ask for the good, because I know it will entail...self sacrifice. I want that holy innocence, but I don't' want to give up myself. I want to be a saint, but I don't want to give what it takes. Perhaps a weekly confession. Perhaps all my time and money. Or perhaps my very life! Lord, We need Your grace. We need to see Your face. We need to be Your face with grace to the world. I pray that we can be what You desire, to be Holy Yours and forever. I pray for the good that you desire for us all.... | from your brother in Christ our Lord,
adrian | Random online bible verse from a random verse generator: Matthew 5:9
9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons1 of God. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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