†Saint Quote
"If you want God to hear your prayers, hear the voice of the poor. If you wish God to anticipate your wants, provide those of the needy without waiting for them to ask you."
–St. Thomas of Villanova †Today's Meditation
"It is undoubtedly true that each of us, men and women, irresponsible and thoughtless as we often are, hold within our hands the happiness and sorrows of others. We cannot help it or escape from it. The power is in us inalienably almost from birth to death—in us, because we are persons—and we are responsible for the use we make of it. Indeed, so mysterious is this power that the very presence of a person who does not realize his responsibility is often the source of the keenest pain of all . . . The failure to exercise the power to give happiness to others is not merely negative in its results; it is the source of the most positive suffering of all. Thus there is no escape from the responsibility involved in the possession of this power. Not to use it where it is due is to destroy all happiness. Strange power, indeed, to be committed to such weak and unworthy hands; yet there could be but one thing worse: that none could interfere with the joys and sorrows of others. We might envy their happiness and pity their sorrows, but we could not help them. It would be a world of isolated individuals wrapped in inviolable selfishness; each must take care of himself and the world must go its way."
— Fr. Basil W. Maturin, p. 149 Christian Self-Mastery, p149
An Excerpt From
Christian Self-Mastery, p149 †Daily Verse
"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears turned to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against evildoers."
–1 Peter 3:12 |  click to read more | | St. John Neumann St. John Neumann (1811-1860) was born in Bohemia in what is now the Czech Republic. He entered the seminary, and when the day came for his ordination to the priesthood, his bishop fell ill and couldn't proceed with the ceremony. However, because Bohemia had an over-abundance of priests, John's ordination was never rescheduled. Undeterred in pursuing his priestly vocation, John decided to go to America to seek ordination. He came to the United States in 1836 as a missionary priest to serve America's European immigrant population. He was ordained in New York, joined the Redemptorists, and was later consecrated a bishop. He is famous for knowing twelve languages and for being the first American man and American bishop to be canonized. St. John Neumann left his impact on the United States by building a vast number of churches, schools, hospitals, and orphanages. The number of parochial school students greatly increased in his diocese. St. John Neumann had a strong effect on the religious life of the laity in the United States, especially in his promotion of devotion to the Holy Eucharist. His feast day is January 5th. | Memorial of Saint John Neumann, Bishop
Lectionary: 214 Reading I 1 Jn 4:11-18 Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also must love one another.
No one has ever seen God.
Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us,
and his love is brought to perfection in us. This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us,
that he has given us of his Spirit.
Moreover, we have seen and testify
that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world.
Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,
God remains in him and he in God.
We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.
In this is love brought to perfection among us,
that we have confidence on the day of judgment
because as he is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love,
but perfect love drives out fear
because fear has to do with punishment,
and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. Responsorial Psalm 72:1-2, 10, 12-13 R. (see 11) Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king, and with your justice, the king's son;
He shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts; the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you. Alleluia See 1 Tm 3:16 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Glory to you, O Christ, proclaimed to the Gentiles.
Glory to you, O Christ, believed in throughout the world.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 6:45-52 After the five thousand had eaten and were satisfied,
Jesus made his disciples get into the boat
and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida,
while he dismissed the crowd.
And when he had taken leave of them,
he went off to the mountain to pray.
When it was evening,
the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore.
Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing,
for the wind was against them.
About the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea.
He meant to pass by them.
But when they saw him walking on the sea,
they thought it was a ghost and cried out.
They had all seen him and were terrified.
But at once he spoke with them,
"Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!"
He got into the boat with them and the wind died down.
They were completely astounded.
They had not understood the incident of the loaves.
On the contrary, their hearts were hardened. | DAILY MEDITATION: MARK 6:45-52
He saw that they were tossed about while rowing, for the wind was against them. (Mark 6:48) Every sailor knows that sailing with the wind is easy and going against it is hard. In fact, it's nearly impossible to reach a destination by sailing directly into the wind. The boat stalls and is said to be "in irons." Experienced fishermen know to "tack," directing the boat at an angle and zigzagging back and forth toward their target. But neither tacking nor rowing could help the disciples in today's Gospel. The wind was just too strong. Tempers might have flared aboard the boat as the disciples tried unsuccessfully to reach shore. Perhaps they blamed each other for the unfortunate voyage. Their strength and strategies exhausted, they might have resigned themselves to drifting until morning. But Jesus saw their plight. Though it was pitch-dark, Jesus saw them. Though they were far out at sea, obscured by choppy waves, Jesus saw them. He saw them and he came to their aid. And when he saw how frightened they were, he reassured them by saying, "Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid" (Mark 6:50). Like the disciples, sometimes we feel tossed about and vulnerable. We might feel stuck, as if we can't make any headway against forces stronger than we are. In these moments, we may wonder if God knows or cares about our situation. But today's passage assures us that Jesus sees and Jesus cares. We are never too far off, never outside the Lord's sight, never beyond the reach of his love. Just as Jesus saw the disciples from afar, he sees our struggles and the forces that harass us. And he comes to us and reminds us, "It is I." Today Jesus wants to be close to you. He wants to enter your "boat" and bring peace to your heart. Just as he revealed himself as Lord over the wind and waves, he wants to remind you that he is the powerful I AM. He sees you, he loves you, and he is interceding for you right now. He can—and will—help you with anything that you face today. He will join you in your troubles and give you strength and hope. "Take courage," he says, "it is I" (Mark 6:50). "Be near me, Lord Jesus. Calm the winds about me." 1 John 4:11-18
Psalm 72:1-2, 10, 12-13 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"There is no fear in love,
but perfect love drives out fear
because fear has to do with punishment,
and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love." What would my faith be like if I had no fear?
And how can I get that kind of faith?
Perfect Love.
God calls us to Perfect Love. | We pray in Psalms:
"For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you." | We heard in the Gospel today:
_"...when they saw him walking on the sea,
they thought it was a ghost and cried out.
They had all seen him and were terrified.
But at once he spoke with them,
"Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!" _ Why were they afraid? Had they not witnessed perfect Love at the breaking of the bread and feeding thousands? Or had they thought that feat was of their own doing? The end of the Gospel says "They had not understood the incident of the loaves.
On the contrary, their hearts were hardened." I always tell people that to receive The Eucharist, we are to receive Him completely open to Him...and have no guile, sin, we shouldn't even doubt....because the Eucharist can act as a hardener to what is in your heart. We are to have perfect Love.
Whole God. Hold His hand. | From Bishop Barron today:
Friends, our Gospel today is the story of Jesus walking on the water. Water is, throughout the Scriptures, a symbol of danger. At the very beginning, the spirit of the Lord hovered over the surface of the waters. This signals God's lordship over all of the powers of disorder. In all four Gospels, there is a version of this story of Jesus mastering the waves. The boat, with Peter and the other disciples, is evocative of the Church. It moves through the waters as the Church will move through time. Storms—chaos, corruption, stupidity, danger, persecution—will inevitably arise. Now during the fourth watch of the night, which is to say the darkest time of the night, Jesus comes walking on the sea. This is meant to be an affirmation of his divinity: just as the spirit of God hovered over the waters at the beginning, so Jesus hovers over them now. So he says to his terrified disciples: "Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!" Let's pray:
Heavenly Father
It gets dark and stormy quick.
Hold my hand.
Comfort us who are afflicted.
Show us Your Mercy and Grace.
Let us be one with Perfect Love. Amen. I pray for Your healing touch to heal my dad....Perfect Love cast out darkness...come into our boat...never leave...come into our heart forever | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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