†Saint Quote
"Quote of the Day
"Cheerfulness strengthens the heart and makes us persevere in a good life. Therefore the servant of God ought always to be in good spirits."
–St. Philip Neri †Today's Meditation
"The fact that we can't save ourselves is something we acknowledge in words, but in fact we find it very hard to accept. We'd all like to be saved by our own efforts…to shine in other people's eyes, even on the spiritual level. Worldly people want to be highly regarded because they have luxurious cars, expensive watches, designer clothes, professional prestige, and go around with beautiful people. As good Christians, we may want to stand out for our virtues, charisms, experience, and sound judgement. Then we consider that we are on the right path. But in fact we're in danger of ending up with exactly the same mindset as the worldly people described above. Very often, without realizing it, we have a worldly outlook on the spiritual life: self-fulfillment, self-affirmation, expansion of the ego, etc. And spiritual pride, we must be aware, is sometimes more destructive than social, worldly pride." —Fr. Jacques Philippe, pg. 34-35 An Excerpt From
The Way of Trust and Love †Daily Verse
"Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."
–Matthew 10:29-31 |  click to read more | | †St. Conon of Naso St. Conon of Naso (1139–1236) was a wealthy nobleman, the son of a Count, from Naso, Italy. He was a devout young man, and at the age of 15 become a monk. He lived as a hermit until being called to serve the local monastery as its abbot. Upon the death of his parents he distributed his inheritance to the poor. While on pilgrimage to Jerusalem he had a vision of a priest he knew being choked by a snake. Conan raced to the priest to warn him of the danger. The priest's heart was convicted by the truth of the vision and confessed that he was hoarding money and neglecting the poor. Under Conan's direction the priest gave his excessive savings to the poor and recommitted his life to serving others. After his death, Conon was hailed as a miracle worker. The city of Naso experienced a series of terrible storms which destroyed crops and disrupted the shipping trade, and the city ran out of grain and other food supplies. When the famine became severe, St. Conon appeared in a vision to a ship captain who was preparing to transport a load of grain. Conon told the captain to change course and take the grain to Naso. The captain obeyed the vision and arrived in Naso with food to relieve the famine. St. Conon's feast day is March 28th. | Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent Reading I Is 65:17-21 Thus says the LORD:
Lo, I am about to create new heavens and a new earth;
The things of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind.
Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness in what I create;
For I create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight;
I will rejoice in Jerusalem and exult in my people.
No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there, or the sound of crying;
No longer shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not round out his full lifetime;
He dies a mere youth who reaches but a hundred years, and he who fails of a hundred shall be thought accursed.
They shall live in the houses they build, and eat the fruit of the vineyards they plant. Responsorial Psalm 30:2 and 4, 5-6, 11-12a and 13b R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the nether world; you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment; a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in, but with the dawn, rejoicing.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
"Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me; O LORD, be my helper."
You changed my mourning into dancing; O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me. Verse Before the Gospel Am 5:14 Seek good and not evil so that you may live,
and the LORD will be with you. Gospel Jn 4:43-54 At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee.
For Jesus himself testified
that a prophet has no honor in his native place.
When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him,
since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast;
for they themselves had gone to the feast. Then he returned to Cana in Galilee,
where he had made the water wine.
Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum.
When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea,
he went to him and asked him to come down
and heal his son, who was near death.
Jesus said to him,
"Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe."
The royal official said to him,
"Sir, come down before my child dies."
Jesus said to him, "You may go; your son will live."
The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.
While the man was on his way back,
his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live.
He asked them when he began to recover.
They told him,
"The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon."
The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him,
"Your son will live,"
and he and his whole household came to believe.
Now this was the second sign Jesus did
when he came to Galilee from Judea.
| Today's Meditation
Daily Meditation: Isaiah 65:17-21 No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there. (Isaiah 65:19) We've all seen how the Covid-19 pandemic has devastated families and communities. But even during "normal" times, experiences like broken relationships or the loss of a baby can still cause us great pain. In these moments, the Scriptures offer us great comfort. Some passages give us words to voice our sorrow to the Lord, and others, like today's first reading, reassure us that one day all will be restored. Think of David's psalms: many are psalms of lament. He shows us that it's okay to express our brokenness, confusion, and pain to the Lord. He did not hold back. He dared to ask questions that seem like they shouldn't be allowed. Yet after he poured out his heart, he often ended in a prayer of trust that God would one day make everything right. David did not have passages like this one from Isaiah to reassure him, but we do. Scripture verses like these remind us of our heavenly home, where there will be no more suffering or sadness (Isaiah 65:19). They tell of a time when every tear will be wiped away and every relationship will be restored. As Christians, we believe that Jesus is the fulfillment of these words. He has promised to prepare a place for us: a place of complete well-being for every part of his creation (John 14:2-3; Revelation 21:4). He has promised us a place with him, where there is no suffering, only joy and wholeness. Perhaps you have lost someone you love, and this season of sacrifice is yet another reminder of the difficult path you are on. Or maybe you are facing some other kind of struggle that is challenging you in unforeseen ways. God knows where you are. He's inviting you to come and tell him about your pain, even if it's something that happened a long time ago. He is saying, "My beloved child, I am holding you; trust in me. One day, all of this will be made new." If it feels hard to believe this, that's okay; just hold on to Jesus' promise that he is with you. As you are ready, bring your questions and everything else to him. Let him remind you of the joyous day when you will see him face-to-face. "Lord, help me to trust you on this journey to heaven." Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13
John 4:43-54 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"For I create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight"
What is this "new" Jerusalem that our Lord has created? And where is it?
Would you really like to know? It begins in our heart. That is where the Kingdom is founded.
In Heaven, there are many things going on. Many are busy, everything is a million times more in every aspect, with joy, with holiness, with exuberant praise to God. I say this because I once asked our Lord to hear Heaven's choirs praising Him, and with only hearing a few seconds, I was already blown away and my mind and body were exhausted because of the sheer magnitude and power that was in the sound. Yet, God works in silence too, and mostly in the quietest of moments of our lives. We can only take so much. And it is right, and just. We are fragile beings, like little flowers. Mother Mary says she sees us like flowers. Mother Mary loves flowers...souls for God, His creation. | We pray in Psalms:
"Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment; a lifetime, his good will. At nightfall, weeping enters in, but with the dawn, rejoicing. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me." | In today's Gospel we heard:
"Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe." The royal official said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies." How hard is it to believe? It can be hard right? Even last night, at sunset I was praying to God, telling Him that it is so hard not to have interaction. Like, my dad that passed with the pandemic, I miss the interaction, hearing him, being with him, and I think what most of us his children miss is him checking up on us, to see how we were doing. Who does that now?
Well, truth be told, God does.
He checks up on us. He sends Himself through people, other people, to see how you are doing, and to raise your spirit, and to assure you of your joy that is within, because He lives within.
But I prayed with tears, "God, tell the saints and angels that they are so lucky they get to interact with You our Father, to speak with you, to hear you clearly, to not have silence or feel left out or alone". And I prayed that all the saints and angels to give God our Father an extra great big hug for us who so desire we could do.
But as it stands, we have to wait.
We have to....faith.
Wait on the Lord.
And this is a double meaning.
To wait on someone is to serve them.
To wait for someone means to hope, in joyful expectation. | And so our Lord tells the man that not all can have miracles to believe. Some of us just have to believe. But so that most will just believe, a miracle ushers forth.
A son is healed. Life is restored. Love and mercy are made known.
Do you believe? Then believe how powerful faith is. A small prayer means very much.
In the next life, it's not about mortal bodies and how we interact, but it is merely about a word. It makes everything. A thought makes things come to be in an instant. Therefore, think of the power of our thoughts and prayers. In the next life, it is about being. Think about it. We can be with God and our loved ones without needing physical presence. Just be with God and He who is all in all can be with us and within us. I hope this registers on realms little known to man. Everything hinges on Love and God is Love. I'm trusting in Love. This means volumes. More than we may ever know. | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator:
James 1:19–20
Hearing and Doing the Word 19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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