†Saint Quote
""In order to be an image of God, the spirit must turn to what is eternal, hold it in spirit, keep it in memory, and by loving it, embrace it in the will."
–St. Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) †Today's Meditation
"Prayer is, as it were, being alone with God. A soul prays only when it is turned toward God, and for so long as it remains so. As soon as it turns away, it stops praying. The preparation for prayer is thus the movement of turning to God and away from all that is not God. That is why we are so right when we define prayer as this movement. Prayer is essentially a 'raising up', an elevation. We begin to pray when we detach ourselves from created objects and raise ourselves up to the Creator."
—Dom Augustin Guillerand, p. 91 An Excerpt From
The Prayer of the Presence of God, 91 †Daily Verse
"Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall. No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it."
–1 Corinthians 10:12-13 |  click to read more | | Saint Angela Merici St. Angela Merici (1474 – 1540) was born in the region of Lombardy, Italy. Her deep piety drew her to make a private vow of virginity at a young age. Her parents died when she was ten, and soon afterwards she lost her sister with whom she was very close. Angela went to live with her uncle, and, despite lacking a formal education, she grew in wisdom and virtue. She committed herself to prayer, penance, and serving the poor, eventually joining the Third Order of St. Francis at the age of fifteen. When her uncle died she returned to her home, and, seeing a great need for the education of young girls in the Christian faith, began a school for girls in her house. She daily gathered all the little girls of her village and taught them the faith. St. Angela became known for her holiness, and soon she was invited to establish another school in a neighboring town. One day while in prayer she received a vision that she would start a religious order intended for the religious education of girls. This was realized when St. Angela founded the Ursulines under the patronage of St. Ursula. St. Angela Merici is the patron saint against illness, death of parents, and of the disabled and handicapped. Her feast day is January 27. | Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 320
Reading I 2 Sm 7:18-19, 24-29 After Nathan had spoken to King David,
the king went in and sat before the LORD and said,
"Who am I, Lord GOD, and who are the members of my house,
that you have brought me to this point?
Yet even this you see as too little, Lord GOD;
you have also spoken of the house of your servant
for a long time to come:
this too you have shown to man, Lord GOD! "You have established for yourself your people Israel as yours forever,
and you, LORD, have become their God.
And now, LORD God, confirm for all time the prophecy you have made
concerning your servant and his house,
and do as you have promised.
Your name will be forever great, when men say,
'The LORD of hosts is God of Israel,'
and the house of your servant David stands firm before you.
It is you, LORD of hosts, God of Israel,
who said in a revelation to your servant,
'I will build a house for you.'
Therefore your servant now finds the courage to make this prayer to you.
And now, Lord GOD, you are God and your words are truth;
you have made this generous promise to your servant.
Do, then, bless the house of your servant
that it may be before you forever;
for you, Lord GOD, have promised,
and by your blessing the house of your servant
shall be blessed forever." Responsorial Psalm 132:1-2, 3-5, 11, 12, 13-14 R. (Lk 1:32b) The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
LORD, remember David and all his anxious care;
How he swore an oath to the LORD, vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob.
R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
"I will not enter the house where I live, nor lie on the couch where I sleep;
I will give my eyes no sleep, my eyelids no rest,
Till I find a home for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob."
R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
The LORD swore an oath to David a firm promise from which he will not withdraw:
"Your own offspring I will set upon your throne."
R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
"If your sons keep my covenant, and the decrees which I shall teach them,
Their sons, too, forever shall sit upon your throne."
R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father.
For the LORD has chosen Zion, he prefers her for his dwelling:
"Zion is my resting place forever; in her I will dwell, for I prefer her."
R. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father. Alleluia Ps 119:105 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A lamp to my feet is your word,
a light to my path.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 4:21-25 Jesus said to his disciples,
"Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket
or under a bed,
and not to be placed on a lampstand?
For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible;
nothing is secret except to come to light.
Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear."
He also told them, "Take care what you hear.
The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you,
and still more will be given to you.
To the one who has, more will be given;
from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." | Daily Meditation: Mark 4:21-25 Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed? (Mark 4:21) It may sound strange at first, but there's a way that God the Father has placed Jesus in our hands. Think about some of the stories in the Gospels. As a child, he depended on Mary and Joseph. When he fell asleep in a boat during a storm, he entrusted himself to the disciples' sailing expertise. And most dramatically, he allowed himself to be "handed over" to the authorities who crucified him (Mark 9:31). In a similar way, Jesus has entrusted the light of his presence into our hands. It's the "lamp" that he tells us not to hide under a "bushel basket" (Mark 4:21). Jesus is asking us to accept this lamp gratefully and to let its light shine on everyone around us. He is asking us to do more than warm ourselves in the glow of its flame; he wants us to invite other people to step into its warmth and light. "But how can I shine the light of Christ into the world?" you may be thinking. "I'm just one person—and a fallen person at that. Shouldn't I leave this to people who are better qualified?" These are good questions, but in some ways they miss the mark of what Jesus is saying here. All he is asking us to do is not hide his light. In other words, he is asking us to simply live out our faith. This means letting our actions and words reflect the love of God. Simple acts of generosity and humility and compassionate words of forgiveness and encouragement are all we need to begin, and his light will start to shine. If we can do just that, then people will notice, and opportunities to share our faith will arise naturally. That's because the Holy Spirit, who is the fire of God's love, will be working through us. So shine the light of Christ, and trust that the Holy Spirit will take care of the rest. It's true that not everyone will receive the light, but that's okay. You don't know God's plan for them. It's not for you to decide who is ready for Jesus and who is not. Just keep living out your faith, and rejoice that God has chosen you to be a light in the world. "Lord, help me to shine your light today." 2 Samuel 7:18-19, 24-29
Psalm 132:1-5, 11-14 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"Do, then, bless the house of your servant that it may be before you forever; for you, Lord GOD, have promised, and by your blessing the house of your servant shall be blessed forever." Have you ever had a "house blessing"? It usually is from a priest or a deacon. But let's not just think of our physical homes, but our spiritual homes. What happens in a church, should happen at home. Blessings, worship, sacrifice, giving. | We pray in Psalms:
"For the LORD has chosen Zion, he prefers her for his dwelling: "Zion is my resting place forever; in her I will dwell, for I prefer her." The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father." | Our Lord speaks in the Holy Gospel:
"Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light." All your secrets are known. Why not fess up, bring them up to the Lord for healing, for being liberated...and I'm thinking of Holy Confession. | From Bishop Barron Today: "Friends, today's Gospel shows how the light of Christ affects our lives. Well, light is wonderful in the measure that it illumines and brightens and delights. But light can also be disconcerting. Think of how bad most of us look in direct light! I discovered this while filming the CATHOLICISM series. I much prefer the indirect light that you can produce indoors. The full glare of the sun reveals every flaw, imperfection, and peculiarity of your face. Think of what happens when you suddenly shine a light into a dark corner in your basement or down a lonely alley. The bugs and the vermin reveal themselves. Unsavory things scurry about for cover, afraid of the light. When you invite Jesus into your life, you are inviting the light into your life. Again, this is wonderful, but it is also frightening. Jesus will shine his light in every corner of your life, in every room of your house. Things that look okay in the dark or in the indirect light will suddenly stand out in all of their unpleasantness." Our Lord continues from light:
""Take care what you hear. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you." Lately, I've been having trouble hearing...our Lord. Perhaps I had been drowning in sorrow and emotions and anxiety. I mean, I heard Him speaking through people, and even my heart...but I wasn't either believing or listening. And so I went to the Blessed Sacrament to pray about it. "Lord, help me discern Your true voice." I mean, it was to the point, that two nights ago, I sighed and prayed outloud looking at the dark and freezing skies at night "Lord my faith is shaken!". And I apologized to our Lord, and said I knew I had to trust. But what was scary is what happened the next morning. I received a text message from someone saying "Adrian, I know your faith is shaken...we have to continue to trust in God". That was very strange, like our Lord heard and angels were sent to comfort, again, for the 30th time. How many times do you have to tell your sobbing baby that "it's ok". When will the child believe? Faith my friend, is a step outside of oneself, to grasp our Lord's hand and trust in complete darkness. So take care of what you hear, yes. Bad news, rumors, negative comments, for Heaven's sake, take care, be careful! Because those things are invitations to become a reality, to destroy you inside and your peace, and that is of darkness, not of God. I only know this because I was reading Padre Pio's book and it was revealed. Darkness attempts to rob your peace and confidence, your trust in the Lord. And Padre Pio says it is perhaps the worst of sins to do so. Be careful what you hear. Learn to discern God's encouraging voice, from other voices of doubt and despair. He aims to bring you peace, and a real love relationship all the way from Heaven. Nobody in the world cares more than Him in Heaven. Let's pray:
Lord, God our Father,
I have been thrown into chaos, for reasons only You know are for the greater good and for greater glory.
I am coming out of this renewed in what I never knew needed renewing...my heart...my faith. I pray we are all renewed through this journey, because the world needs to know that You desire Mercy, Divine mercy, and all things Divine are yours, and so we reach to Heaven for this Mercy...for us, and the whole world. | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian Yesterday many prayed the Divine Mercy at 3pm for dad. He was being anointed at that time with oil given to mom by a charismatic group. Since then, dad feels different, better, slept a record 4 hours last night too. Let us pray for an amazing recovery, because nobody knows how long this would go otherwise. Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done.
P.S. If you wake up at 3am like me for some strange reason, join me at that time praying the Divine Mercy prayers for us and the whole world in great need. |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: James 4:8
8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Hebrews 2:18
18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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