 franciscanmedia.org | The Least of These Pope Francis offers a pointed reflection on a common attitude toward health care when he imagines the conversation: "How is your health, you who are a good Christian?" "Good, thank God; but also, when I need to, I immediately go to the hospital and, since I belong to the public health system, they see me right away and give me the necessary medicines." "It's a good thing, thank the Lord. But tell me, have you thought about those who don't have this relationship with the hospital and when they arrive, they have to wait six, seven, eight hours?" He goes on to say, "I think of all the people who live this way here in Rome: children and the elderly who do not have the possibility to be seen by a doctor. And Lent is the season to think about them and how we can help these people. We should be concerned about people in difficulty and ask ourselves: What are you doing for those people?" We can recognize all too easily our tendency to settle for having our own needs met without thinking about the needs of those who lack our access to the best in health care and medicine, whether in developing countries or in our own cities and rural areas. Anytime we thank God (or our employers) for our health coverage, we should also give thought to those who don't have these basic needs met in any substantial way. At the very least, we can resist the temptation to criticize the poor for what we might perceive as some "entitlement" because they qualify for Medicaid. But we can do better than that by working through the complex and often vexing issue of reforming our own health care system. While no government program is going to be without its flaws, we have an obligation as Christians to make sure we don't settle for having merely our own needs met. —from the book The Hope of Lent: Daily Reflections from Pope Francis
by Diane M. Houdek |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"It is not the actual physical exertion that counts towards a man's progress, nor the nature of the task, but by the spirit of faith with which it is undertaken."
— St. Francis Xavier †MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Thus sin renders the soul miserable, weak and torpid, inconstant in doing good, cowardly in resisting temptation, slothful in the observance of God's commandments. It deprives her of true liberty and of that sovereignty which she should never resign; it makes her a slave to the world, the flesh, and the devil; it subjects her to a harder and more wretched servitude than that of the unhappy Israelites in Egypt or Babylon. Sin so dulls and stupefies the spiritual senses of man that he is deaf to God's voice and inspirations; blind to the dreadful calamities which threaten him; insensible to the sweet odor of virtue and the example of the saints; incapable of tasting how sweet the Lord is, or feeling the touch of His benign hand in the benefits which should be a constant incitement to his greater love. Moreover, sin destroys the peace and joy of a good conscience, takes away the soul's fervor, and leaves her an object abominable in the eyes of God and His saints. The grace of justification delivers us from all these miseries. For God, in His infinite mercy, is not content with effacing our sins and restoring us to His favor; He delivers us from the evils sin has brought upon us, and renews the interior man in his former strength and beauty. Thus He heals our wounds, breaks our bonds, moderates the violence of our passions, restores with true liberty the supernatural beauty of the soul, reestablishes us in the peace and joy of a good conscience, reanimates our interior senses, inspires us with ardor for good and a salutary hatred of sin, makes us strong and constant in resisting evil, and thus enriches us with an abundance of good works. In fine, He so perfectly renews the inner man with all his faculties that the Apostle calls those who are thus justified new men and new creatures."
— Venerable Louis Of Grenada, p. 46
AN EXCERPT FROM
The Sinner's Guide TODAY'S FEAST DAY
†FEAST OF THE CHAIR OF ST. PETER† Enshrined in the beautiful Bernini reliquary in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome is the relic of the actual Chair of St. Peter the Apostle, venerated because it was from that very chair that the first Pope, the Vicar of Christ, imparted the Christian faith which was entrusted to him by Jesus Christ, and which has been passed on for 2,000 years through the Catholic bishops, and will continue until Christ returns. The Chair of St. Peter is a symbol of the authority and primacy of the first Bishop of Rome, and, through communion with the Roman Pontiff and his successors, the unity of the Universal Church. The feast day of the Chair of St. Peter is celebrated on February 22nd. †VERSE OF THE DAY
"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love."
Ephesians 3:14-17 |  click to read more | | ST. MARGARET OF CORTONA St. Margaret of Cortona (1247-1297) was born in Tuscany, Italy, the only child of a working-class family. She lost her mother at age seven, and had a poor relationship with her stepmother. Margaret was spoiled, willful, reckless, and beautiful, and at the age of seventeen she left her father's house in the night and became the mistress of a young nobleman. She lived with him in his family castle for nine years and bore him a son, but he did not marry her due to her lower social class. One day he did not return home from a journey, and his hound came back to the castle alone. The dog led Margaret into the nearby wood where she discovered her lover brutally murdered. This shook her to her core. Her eyes were opened to the sinfulness of her way of life, and she became deeply repentant. She left his family castle with her son and sought out the Franciscan friars for spiritual direction. She then reformed her life through intense prayer, penance, and self-discipline, eventually joining the Third Order of St. Francis, and living in strict poverty and great charity towards the poor. St. Margaret of Cortona is the patron saint of the homeless, reformed prostitutes, midwives, single laywomen, the mentally ill, and the falsely accused. Her feast day is February 22nd. | Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle Lectionary: 535
Reading I 1 Pt 5:1-4 Beloved:
I exhort the presbyters among you,
as a fellow presbyter and witness to the sufferings of Christ
and one who has a share in the glory to be revealed.
Tend the flock of God in your midst,
overseeing not by constraint but willingly,
as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly.
Do not lord it over those assigned to you,
but be examples to the flock.
And when the chief Shepherd is revealed,
you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Responsorial Psalm 23:1-3a, 4, 5, 6 R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
Beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Verse before the Gospel Mt 16:18 You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church;
the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. Gospel Mt 16:13-19 When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi
he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter said in reply,
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." | Daily Meditation: Matthew 16:13-19 Upon this rock I will build my Church. (Matthew 16:18) The use of the word "chair" in the title of today's feast has a double meaning. It really does involve an actual piece of furniture. In the ancient Church, bishops had a special chair reserved for them when they preached to their people. The tradition stretches back to the time of ancient Israel, when a rabbi would teach his disciples while seated—and while his disciples stood around him. St. Peter actually had a chair, a relic of which is encased in a bronze sculpture by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. But "chair" also means an office of the Church. The feast of the Chair of Peter is a celebration of Peter's special role in teaching and leading the Church. It's also a celebration of the role that his successor, the pope, plays in every generation. The feast highlights the fact that the gospel message proclaimed by the pope can be traced all the way back to St. Peter and the twelve apostles. There's an implicit message in Bernini's sculpture. He fashioned a "throne" for Peter's chair with the statues of four Doctors of the Church—Sts. Augustine, Ambrose, John Chrysostom, and Athanasius—holding it up. By creating these statues, Bernini was telling us that Jesus didn't just put Peter "in charge"; he gave each of us a charge as well: to hold up, or take an active part, in his Church. Notice that those saints aren't exalting Peter the man. They're supporting his teachings, which come directly from Jesus. In other words, Peter does not rule alone. He is supported and upheld by everyone who follows the teachings and the commands that Jesus gave to his apostles. So let's honor this feast day with gratitude and with a promise. Let's first thank God for the role that the successor of Peter plays in every age as teacher and guardian of the gospel. Let's pray for him. And let's promise to support him in this task by living out that same gospel in our lives. "Lord, show me how I can take my place in upholding your gospel truths!" 1 Peter 5:1-4
Psalm 23:1-6 |  clickable | We always think that the core of freedom is the possibility to say "No," and consequently that freedom is manifested in opposing another contrary will to the divine will, in creating a reality that is ours alone. The contrary is true. The fundamental word of freedom is "Yes;" No does not create but destroys.
— Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI)
from the book On Love: Selected Writings | my2cents:
"Tend the flock of God in your midst..."
In your midst. Remember what God says to you today. Tend the flock. His flock. Be gentle with His people, His flock. Be attentive. A shepherd guides, yes, to good pastures, yes. A shephered is a doctor. Many people don't know, but firstly, we should see a priest before a physical doctor. Priests aren't taught this either. But yes, then He can direct spiritually. There is our shepherd. To guide, yes, to feed, yes, and to heal. And what's all of that without a true love? I wonder if animals feel this love? They say baby humans were tested. A newborn was given food, and shelter, but was not allowed to be held by anybody. Another baby was held with love but not fed. Soon they said, the baby that was not held began to show rapid signs of physical problems. You see, love makes a difference, man cannot live on bread alone. We need the love of God to thrive. God's flock needs it. I had a puppy, we raised it, gave it food, but not that much attention. A year later, as of two weeks ago, it ran away, and never came back. Can it be this way when we fail to give the love of God to a child, to instill the fear and love of God in their heart? How can you? First, it must be true, in you. It is never too late. | We prayed: "You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want."
Oil is used for two things, anointing, and healing. Our Shepherd does this in the Holy Sacraments. And in the Holy Eucharist He spreads a table, and then....lays down His life for you to eat. | Our Lord asks the never ending question: "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
And then, He goes deeper:
"But who do you say that I am?"
And be careful what you answer! Because if we say like our first Pope, Saint Peter:
""You are the Christ, the Son of the living God", then you'd better be willing to lay your life down for Him!
And so, lent, and the temptations, and the call to God, it all comes down to a new path from the heart. Doesn't it?
Saint Peter flops, He denies knowing our Lord to save his hide, but in the end, repents, and that makes all the difference my friend. | How many times have you tried to hide to save your hide?
Ho many times have you denied knowing Christ as you dabble in sin?
Enough. So how do you open yourself to Him?
Back to the flock. They say that the birth rates are dwindling more and more, and this coupled with abortions, is making for what is called a "demographic bomb", a lack of humans will come, and the replenish rate will be hard to get back. And the battle for souls will be more extreme. And this could happen by the next generation. Is it scary? How does this affect you? Can your family gather to pray? There is your flock. The future.
Have you gathered yourself to the Holy Mass? That is your flock. Have you tuned into Holy Mother Church? That is the flock that brings the people to the Covenant, the new era, promise, the life. Today, we need to support our shepherd, and how? Being faithful, even if the shepherd seems unfaithful.
In the end, it is us who are always going to be in need of the Good shepherd. Lord, Thank you for being with us to this day as our Shepherd. May we learn to love You and appreciate You, and be DOG, Dendant On God, You My Father, always and forever! | from your brother in Christ our Lord,
adrian | Random online bible verse from a random verse generator: Proverbs 15:29
9 The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
