†Saint Quote
"Without a doubt, obedience is more meritorious than any other penance. And what greater penance can there be than keeping one's will continually submissive and obedient?"
–St. Catherine of Bologna †Today's Meditation
"So, if God has not resolved to cast His work back into nothingness forever, if this earth, sanctified by the footsteps of Christ, is destined, once radiant and renewed, to remain forever, then man must rise again in a future life to reconquer its scepter and kingship. Hence, once more, it follows that death means not ruin but restoration. If God has decreed that our earthly abode shall one day be dissolved, it is not for the purpose of despoiling us of it, but to render it subtle, immortal, serene. His aim may be compared to that of an architect, says St. John Chrysostom, who has the inhabitants leave his house for a short period, in order to have him return with greater glory to that same house, now rebuilt in greater splendor."
— Fr. Charles Arminjon, p. 84 An Excerpt From
The End of the Present World †Daily Verse
"Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is his name: Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things which you have not known."
–Jeremiah 33: 2-3 |  click to read more | | Saint Lawrence of Canterbury St. Lawrence of Canterbury (d. 619 A.D.) was among the original band of missionaries sent from Rome to evangelize England with St. Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury. As a fruit of their labor the region's most powerful ruler, the King of Kent, became a baptized Christian along with many of his countrymen. When Augustine died, Lawrence became Canterbury's second Archbishop. He was a zealous leader and urged the Celtic bishops to keep peace and unity with Rome. When the King of Kent died, his pagan son caused great damage to the faith of the people and the mission work which had been done among them; because of this, some of the missionaries fled to Gaul. Lawrence was so upset by the abandonment of Christianity among his flock that he considered abandoning his bishopric as well. In response, St. Peter the Apostle appeared to him in a vision, rebuked him, and scourged him so badly that Lawrence had physical marks on his body from the encounter. St. Lawrence then relayed his vision to the king and showed him his wounds, causing the king to convert to the Christian faith as his father did. St. Lawrence's feast day is February 2nd. | Feast of the Presentation of the Lord Reading I Mal 3:1-4 Thus says the Lord GOD:
Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me;
And suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek,
And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Yes, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.
But who will endure the day of his coming? And who can stand when he appears?
For he is like the refiner's fire, or like the fuller's lye.
He will sit refining and purifying silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi,
Refining them like gold or like silver that they may offer due sacrifice to the Lord.
Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem will please the Lord, as in the days of old, as in years gone by. Responsorial Psalm 24:7, 8, 9, 10 R. (8) Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up, O gates, your lintels; reach up, you ancient portals, that the king of glory may come in!
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Who is this king of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle.
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up, O gates, your lintels; reach up, you ancient portals, that the king of glory may come in!
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Who is this king of glory? The LORD of hosts; he is the king of glory.
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord! Reading II Heb 2:14-18 Since the children share in blood and flesh,
Jesus likewise shared in them,
that through death he might destroy the one
who has the power of death, that is, the Devil,
and free those who through fear of death
had been subject to slavery all their life.
Surely he did not help angels
but rather the descendants of Abraham;
therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters
in every way,
that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God
to expiate the sins of the people.
Because he himself was tested through what he suffered,
he is able to help those who are being tested. Alleluia Lk 2:32 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A light of revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 2:22-40 or 2:22-32 When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord. Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: "Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel." The child's father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
"Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
--and you yourself a sword will pierce--
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
There was also a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him. | Daily Meditation: Malachi 3:1-4 Suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek. (Malachi 3:1) Malachi's words seem written just for today's feast of the Presentation of the Lord: Jesus came "suddenly" into the Temple (3:1). Quietly, without fanfare, in the arms of his mother, yes, but suddenly nonetheless—in an unexpected way. Simeon had been waiting for years to see him, even though he didn't know exactly who he was waiting for. And so when the Spirit led him into the Temple to meet this poor, humble infant, he was probably surprised. This was the Messiah that Simeon was longing for. Just as it was for Simeon and the whole people of Israel, so it is for you: there is always something both expected and unexpected about Jesus' coming. Like Simeon, you may have a time of waiting and then a surprising but joyful fulfillment. For example, maybe you're agonizing over a complicated relationship, and out of the blue, an idea for reconciliation comes to you. Or just when you're ready to give up fighting a long-standing temptation, you suddenly find the grace to resist. Maybe you're not even seeking Jesus very eagerly. But then, during Mass or in prayer, his Spirit brings his word to life in you in a new and powerful way. It's like two sides of a coin. We long for Jesus; we look for his coming into the "temple" of our lives and the situations that weigh on us. And when Jesus does come, it's often not in the way we expect or even hope for. You might associate waiting and longing for the Lord with Advent. But Advent is long past. The feast of the Presentation is a reminder that seeking the Lord and waiting for his coming isn't just for one season of the year. He can come suddenly into the temple of your life at any time, even today! So stay faithful. Be ready. And be open to surprises as he answers your prayers or shows himself to you in a new and unexpected way. "Lord, I long for you. Come into my life today." Psalm 24:7-10
Hebrews 2:14-18
Luke 2:22-40 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"And suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek, And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire." Isn't it something to get something unexpectedly? And that is how life happens, and that is how our Lord appears, and that is how His second coming will come. Will we be awake? Or will we be half asleep? Everything we do should be in consideration of this moment. | We pray in Psalms:
"Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up, O gates, your lintels; reach up, you ancient portals, that the king of glory may come in! Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!"
What is a lintel? It is a very important part of a doorway, it holds up the top, all the stones or other material to let the passage be. And the Holy Psalms ask us to lift gates, our gates, and even the lintels, and what does this mean? It means open wide, render your hearts, not your garments, because it is easier to rend garments, tear them up, than to let your heart be tore up for Him to enter. Let Him work with you. Let yourself be torn apart. That is the meaning of lintels being lifted, because you have to break the existing doorway, to allow the greater, the bigger, the One and Only, True Son of God. The Second Reading proclaims:
"Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested." Because the world treated Him without mercy, He would show them what mercy means. The world knows nothing of mercy. The Lord is not rude nor does He retaliate. He may though, bring your sins up before you...in an act of mercy. It would be better never to sin again, than to have to face the cost of a sin. And if you truly loved our Lord, you would see that your sins hurt Him physically to this day. They say impurity causes the lashings, the scourging, upon His body. And you know what else they say? That by those very wounds...we are healed. What does this mean? Mercy flows as His precious blood flows. It means an immense ocean of mercy has been poured out all over the world. And it means you have hope. If we tend to the wounds of Christ, by tending to His will. See what His wounds look like today and fall to your knees in repentance, and live afflicted as our Mother in Heaven. | Our Lord speaks in the Holy Gospel:
"Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted --and you yourself a sword will pierce--so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." A lance pierced the heart of our Lord on the cross as His Mother watched, as our Mother watched. There is an eternal affliction. There is an eternal sword in her own heart...her love. In spanish to say her love, you could say her heart, "su corazon del alma", her heart's soul. Mother Mary in Heaven is our Mother. She comes to tell us to shape up, or Our Father will do something. She is a prophetess. She is Holy. And angels tend to the wounds of Christ. Yet there is one wound that has not healed. I saw just the wound in Adoration a couple months ago. What wound was it? Which one of the hundreds? I wonder if it is the one on His side, where He was pierced with a lance? That one is the one that pours out blood and water. From there we receive mercy, grace, all things needed for a life with God, and our salvation. Would you tend to His wounds? How hard is it to tend to wounds? When I have a child bleeding, I tend to them with much compassion, and it tears at you inside. This is Mother Mary, but a million times more. No wonder so many of her statues appear to cry on their own, even one at my house. That is why I've started praying "Mother of God, Pray for Us and for the Healing of the Body of Christ". And it makes me not want to sin anymore. And we should make amends. Rend our hearts, not our garments. Once we can rend our hearts, we will become like Christ. And the world will change, and Salvation will come...unexpectedly, and we will be ready for the groom, the Love, our Heart.
Most Precious Heart of Jesus be our Love.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, be our salvation. | Let's pray:
Lord, Heavenly Father,
You are Love in Heaven. If only we'd let ourselves be revealed, you would see our True image, Your very own blood child.
We long for our true Love in Heaven to be revealed. Help us reveal Your light to the world, and dispel the darkness that surrounds us. Most Precious Blood of Jesus, save us and the whole world. | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian Progress report; I spent the day at the hospital with my dad yesterday. He needs high flow oxygen, but I pray He won't need it as his lungs heal, as is what appears to be happening in chest scans. More air appears. It is the breathe of God and our very prayers that bring life. They will check his heart today, and I pray it comes out well. We pray the divine mercy chaplet, and Lord willing, after healing, will continue this prayer for all...the whole world. |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: Proverbs 15:9
The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but he loves him who pursues righteousness. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
