.: † ". Along the Way ."

Thursday, February 17, 2022

† ". Along the Way ."

†Saint Quote
""Great love can change small things into great ones, and it is only love which lends value to our actions."
–St. Faustina Kowalska

†Today's Meditation
"And it is only by the observance of the first and greatest commandment that we can keep the second. The more we love God, the more we shall love man; the less we love God, the less we shall, in the true sense of the word, love man. Our love will become capricious, fitful, and unreliable—not charity, but passion. If you feel that your love for your fellowman is dying out in the fumes of selfishness, there is but one way to revive it: strive for, pray for, the love of God. As the heart turns toward its source, it will be quickened and expanded. There is no true, no lasting spirit of charity apart from the practice of religion. Therefore, we cannot keep those commandments which teach us our duty to men unless we are keeping those which teach us our duty to God."
—Fr. Basil W. Maturin, p. 160

An Excerpt From
Christian Self-Mastery

†Daily Verse
"I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep thy word. I do not turn aside from thy ordinances, for thou hast taught me. How sweet are thy words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way."

–Psalm 119:101-4

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St. Manettus and the Seven Founders of the Order of Servites

St. Manettus (d. 1268), also known as St. Benedict dell'Antella, was one of the Seven Founders of the Order of Servites. Between 1225 and 1227 in the city of Florence, Italy, seven cloth merchants from the city's prominent families joined the Confraternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They desired to live a penitential life dedicated to her title of Mother of Sorrows. Our Lady appeared to the seven men on the feast of the Assumption in 1233, asking them to live a life of seclusion and prayer. They obeyed and lived an austere life for many years. Mary appeared to the seven again in 1240, giving them a black habit and a scroll titled "Servants of Mary," and asking them to found a religious order following the Rule of St. Augustine. The Servites became one of the five original mendicant religious orders. Their special charism is devotion to the Passion of Jesus and the Seven Sorrows of Mary. Only one of the seven founders lived to see the order formally approved by Rome in 1304. It has since spread throughout the world and remains active to this day. The feast day of its Seven Holy Founders of the Order of Servites (Servants of Mary) is February 17.

Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 338
Reading I

Jas 2:1-9

My brothers and sisters, show no partiality
as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.
For if a man with gold rings and fine clothes

comes into your assembly,
and a poor person with shabby clothes also comes in,

and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes
and say, "Sit here, please,"
while you say to the poor one, "Stand there," or "Sit at my feet,"
have you not made distinctions among yourselves
and become judges with evil designs?

Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters.
Did not God choose those who are poor in the world
to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom
that he promised to those who love him?
But you dishonored the poor.
Are not the rich oppressing you?
And do they themselves not haul you off to court?
Is it not they who blaspheme the noble name that was invoked over you?
However, if you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture,
You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well.
But if you show partiality, you commit sin,
and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

Responsorial Psalm

34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R. (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
I will bless the LORD at all times;

his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;

the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
Glorify the LORD with me,

let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me

and delivered me from all my fears.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,

and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,

and from all his distress he saved him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
Alleluia
See John 6:63c, 68c

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mk 8:27-33

Jesus and his disciples set out
for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Along the way he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that I am?"
They said in reply,
"John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others one of the prophets."
And he asked them,
"But who do you say that I am?"
Peter said to him in reply,
"You are the Christ."
Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.

He began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed, and rise after three days.
He spoke this openly.
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples,
rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."

Daily Meditation: Mark 8:27-33

Who do you say that I am? (Mark 8:29)

Poor Peter! He had started off so well. Jesus' question, "Who do you say that I am?" had silenced the other disciples, but Peter spoke for all of them: "You are the Christ" (Mark 8:29). He professed that Jesus was more than a teacher, a prophet, or a healer. He was the Messiah.

However, Peter's shining moment was short-lived. Once Jesus explained that he would be rejected and killed, Peter rebuked him. Suffering didn't fit in with Peter's idea of a Messiah.

This wouldn't be the last time Peter got it wrong. Despite his faith in Jesus, Peter would deny the Lord in his hour of need. How could Peter have known so much yet known so little?

Like us, Peter had some understanding, but he had a long way to go. Full knowledge didn't come all at once for Peter. He couldn't just give the right answer and consider it done. His understanding had to unfold more and more each day, with every step he took following Jesus. Even Peter's failures would teach him about his Master. And like Peter, it's as we follow Jesus that our understanding will grow as well.

Today and every day, Jesus asks us, "Who do you say that I am?" Like Peter, we can give the right answer: we know he is the Son of God. But also like Peter, our answer needs to mature. Peter had much to learn, and so do we. And we can learn by following Jesus. By spending time with him. By listening to his voice and doing our best to obey his commands. As we follow him, our relationship with him deepens and our faith gets stronger. And like Peter, we come to know Jesus enough to trust and obey him, even when we don't understand it all.

There is a "knowing" that comes only as we stumble, fall, and return to following Jesus anew. In our journey of sin and grace, we come to know who Jesus truly is. He reveals himself to us even through our failures.

Follow Jesus today; listen and obey his word. Like Peter, you will find a Messiah who is more merciful and more powerful than you ever dared to dream.

"Lord Jesus, I want to follow you today."

James 2:1-9
Psalm 34:2-7

From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"However, if you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors."

We pray in Psalms:
" Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him. The Lord hears the cry of the poor."

Our Lord speaks in the Holy Gospel:
"At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."

The saints say that suffering is what is needed to be closer with God. Padre Pio suffered much. Mother Angelic founder of EWTN, chose to suffer much.

Some sufferings aren't asked for, most just come. And we can turn them into sacrificial prayer, an offering to God.
This morning, I woke up to a pain in my heart. Not so physical, but spiritual. Maybe even emotional. I used to wake up in distress, with dad's calls, now I wake up in pains. I got ready to go to the office, but I couldn't, by the time I walked out the door I was already in full sob mode, tears, and distress.

How do you offer that? I couldn't go to the office, our family business. So I went to the only place I could think of. The Blessed Sacrament. There, with much duress, I prayed and offered all to God. It wasn't easy, it took about an hour to get through the prayer. Prayer hasn't been easy. It's not that easy to pray with a dagger in your heart. But there are two ways to die; for yourself, or for God.

That is to say, for no love, or for Love.

Let's pray:
Lord, Heavenly Father,
We do not think the way you do, therefore, we are confused because our will is not in line with Yours.
I pray that you come into our hearts and illuminate our darkness.

from your brother in Christ,
Adrian

I am in limbo, in the time between the passing and the time of the funeral. I am praying for resurrection. For Hope to become made alive in all of us.