†Saint Quote
""Realize it, my brethren; —every one who breathes, high and low, educated and ignorant, young and old, man and woman, has a mission, has a work. We are not sent into this world for nothing; we are not born at random; . . . God sees every one of us; He creates every soul, He lodges it in the body, one by one, for a purpose. He needs, He deigns to need, every one of us. He has an end for each of us; we are all equal in His sight, and we are placed in our different ranks and stations, not to get what we can out of them for ourselves, but to labor in them for Him. As Christ has His work, we too have ours; as He rejoiced to do His work, we must rejoice in ours also."
–St. John Henry Newman †Today's Meditation
"When one is given the Spirit of wisdom, one is able to perceive God's fingerprints upon the wonders of the world. One is able to see the pattern God has established in history (world history, faith history, and even our own personal history). This should leave us with a sense of comfort, for it means that life is not chaotic. God has a plan."
—Rev. Jude Winkler, OFM, p. 62 An Excerpt From
Daily Meditations with the Holy Spirit †Daily Verse
"Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intervene; then his own arm brought him victory, and his righteousness upheld him. He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in fury as a mantle."
–Isaiah 59: 15-17 |  click to read more | | St. Frances of Rome St. Frances of Rome (1384-1440) was born to a noble family in Rome. As a young girl her desire to become a nun was refused by her father, who instead arranged her marriage at the age of 12. St. Frances accepted this as God's will for her life. She was married for 40 years and had children, two of whom died from the plague. In her time Rome was at war and the city was in chaos from political disarray and widespread disease. St. Frances responded by converting her home into a hospital. She drove with a wagon into the streets and collected the sick and stranded in order to care for them. She miraculously cured many people, and also began the city's first orphanage. She inspired many women to join her in this life of prayer and good works, and eventually founded a congregation of lay oblates attached to the Benedictine monastery known as the Oblates of St. Frances of Rome. After her husband's death she entered religious life as the group's superior. One of the great mystics of her time, she dictated 97 visions and was visibly guided by her guardian angel throughout her life. St. Frances of Rome is the patron saint of many causes, including motorists, pilots, women, widows, and against plague and the death of children. On her feast day many priests bless cars due to her patronage of cars and drivers. Her feast day is March 9th. | Wednesday of the First Week in Lent Lectionary: 226
Reading I Jon 3:1-10 The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:
"Set out for the great city of Nineveh,
and announce to it the message that I will tell you."
So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh,
according to the LORD's bidding.
Now Nineveh was an enormously large city;
it took three days to go through it.
Jonah began his journey through the city,
and had gone but a single day's walk announcing,
"Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,"
when the people of Nineveh believed God;
they proclaimed a fast
and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth. When the news reached the king of Nineveh,
he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe,
covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes.
Then he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh,
by decree of the king and his nobles:
"Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep,
shall taste anything;
they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water.
Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth and call loudly to God;
every man shall turn from his evil way
and from the violence he has in hand.
Who knows, God may relent and forgive, and withhold his blazing wrath,
so that we shall not perish."
When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way,
he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them;
he did not carry it out. Responsorial Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19 R. (19b) A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me.
R. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices; should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn. Verse Before the Gospel Jl 2:12-13 Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart
for I am gracious and merciful. Gospel Lk 11:29-32 While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,
"This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.
Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
At the judgment
the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation
and she will condemn them,
because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
and there is something greater than Solomon here.
At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it,
because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,
and there is something greater than Jonah here." | Daily Meditation: Matthew 6:7-15 This is how you are to pray. (Matthew 6:9) By teaching us the Lord's Prayer, Jesus is offering us more than the right words to say. He is giving us the keys to a more intimate, fruitful, and fulfilling relationship with his heavenly Father. Today, let's focus on several phrases in this prayer to see how they can help us deepen our friendship with him. Our Father (Matthew 6:9). You have the same heavenly Father as Jesus, and as his adopted son or daughter, you belong to him. In fact, you can be just as secure in his love for you as Jesus was—and as any child is who has a good and loving parent. Thy will be done (Matthew 6:10). Your Father wants you to pray for his will to be done because it's what will bless you in the most perfect way. He sees a much bigger picture than you do. This requires you to trust that his way is better than yours and to obey him, even when you'd rather go your own way. Give us this day our daily bread (Matthew 6:11). God wants you to depend on him to provide for all your needs. He is the source of everything you have—every breath you take, every bite of food you eat, and every other blessing you enjoy. Beyond just material blessings, he wants you to ask him for the grace, strength, and love you need to follow him each day. Forgive us our trespasses (Matthew 6:12). Your Father sent his Son to earth to open the way to heaven. He wants everyone to be saved. All he asks of you is to repent of your sins and try your best to follow him. He knows how hard this can be, so he promises that every time you say the Lord's Prayer, you have the opportunity to be reconciled with him. Love, trust, obedience, dependence, and repentance. Today, as you pray the Our Father, consider how it contains within itself the ingredients for the kind of relationship that God desires with each one of us, his beloved sons and daughters. Thank him for the ways you've experienced his fatherly care in your life—and then keep the conversation going! "Jesus, thank you for teaching me how to pray 'to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God'" (John 20:17). Isaiah 55:10-11
Psalm 34:4-7, 16-19 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented..." What did God repent from? First, see what people repented from: evil. Then God repented from "the evil that he had threatened to do to them". It wasn't even His deal to release evil, it was the people that were bringing evil upon themselves. Why does God allow evil? We are allowed what we desire. Therefore, we are not allowed to say God is not good. If we repent, He repents. How amazing is this? Faith. Free will. Freedom to love as we please, or turning from love. | We pray in Psalms:
"A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn." Fr. Mark Goring on youtube told a story of a mystic that could see suffering souls in purgatory, and it was about a woman that was seen suffering in the worst parts of purgatory. For what? Why so much suffering? She had refused to forgive her friend, even on her friend was dying. This goes back to free will against Love.
I'm more afraid of God today, because of what I seen happened during my dad's suffering with Covid Pneumonia. Recall the moment I saw a pure light that made me shrivel. I'm so afraid to act against purity, that pure light. Sins of impurity probably lands most souls in hell or at best, the worst of purgatory.
So, are we to be afraid of God? That's not my point. God loves us tremendously. The point is that I'm afraid to offend God, but I am now training myself to be even MORE afraid of offending Him. Can an impure soul touch God? No. Can Jesus touch an impure soul? Yes. There is a way to God the Father then. There is a way to Love through Mercy. | Our Lord speaks:
""This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah."
And our Lord goes on to tell about seeking and finding the sign, like the Queen of the South who saw how tremendously better was what she found when she sought what she had heard about and wanted to see with her very own eyes. Our Lord is saying there is much, much more than what it is we hear.
So let us put a carrot out in front of the donkey. We all fall for bait at times, why not real bait to trap souls? Shall we not use our time and talents and money wisely? I have trapped people using money into following God. Did I bribe them? Not directly. I helped the poor people and at the same time, I encouraged them to follow God and give to God themselves. Sometimes it is not necessary to talk about our Father, for people see it with our actions, and our body language does most of the talking. But let me give you some bait: Heaven.
There are a few inklings about what Heaven is like.
They say that the bible has about 700 references to the word Heaven aside from many more passages describing Heaven.
Yet, I cannot tell you what Heaven is like.
But for sure, it is where God lives.
And the presence is there.
I miss my dad's presence. I really do. And I mean more than spiritual, but the actual being in front of me. Even as I write, he is missing in the chair he used to sit at right in front of me, many times while I was writing to you in the mornings.
Guess what? You get to be in the Father's presence that is the fulfillment of all desire.
What else is Heaven like? Heaven is a transformation place, where the transformed into life from the earthly are given a glorious body like our Lord that can do things that the ordinary body cannot. There, it can see beyond comprehension. There, it can hear things beyond human ability. There it can communicate without opening lips. There, the transformed can move from place to place in the blink of an eye. Does this amaze you? Perhaps you are enticed to the bait.
What else is Heaven like? A new Jerusalem. A city beyond human comprehension to understand. Dirt is gold. Things are not like they are here in the sense of value. What we do not value on earth, in Heaven they are valued. Think of humility. Think of the dirty and forgotten people suffering in the world. Think of prisoners and the abandoned folks in nursing homes or hospital. This weekend two men asked to follow me into the nursing home to meet a blind man that I told them reminds me of visiting our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Hard to stay with them. They met him. Manuel my blind friend was so happy they were there to meet him. New friends! They said they'd come back to see him. He so looks forward to it. I know because after a few minutes, they left right away. (Remember I said how hard it is to waste time with him?) I stayed behind. I knew Manuel was so happy, I never seen him smile so big when they said they wanted to be his friend. Now: Think God with men who promise to be with Him. God looks forward to it. My earthly self worries that those men will not fulfill their promise to waste time with him. And if they don't, then I will have to do my best do more to fill empty promises. But it is not the same. A father loves each child differently. One child cannot fill the place of another.
Do you see what Heaven is like?
Father God waits for you. | There is much more to say about Heaven, but I will not take more of your time. For I have given you glimpses of visions in prior writings.
An evil generation seeks a sign. What is the opposite of this line?
A holy generation seeks no sign. We just believe. God loves a cheerful giver. He has created us to be holy. Fearless. Do I fear God? I'm afraid of something he told me while I prayed in front of the Blessed Sacrament in Exposition on a first Friday before my dad passed. He said in a stern voice and I cannot forget the message to me and the whole world. Father said with a hopeful heart but the sternest of words leaving free will upon another level. What did He say? A condition. He said these words that leave everything in one's soul, one's heart: Do Not Betray ME. Those words haunt me all day and night now. How can I betray Him? Why would I betray Him? When would I betray Him? Am I going to betray Him? Is that why He said it? Can you see why I am more afraid now? As we all should be now? Because now I'm relaying to you the prophetic message to Moses. You may choose life or death at this point. Him...or sin.
Life eternal is in Him.
Death eternal is on us if we choose sin. | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: Galatians 6:1 Brothers,1 if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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