†Saint Quote
""In tribulation immediately draw near to God with confidence, and you will receive strength, enlightenment, and instruction."
–St. John of the Cross †Today's Meditation
"From the natural point of view we come to know God from the vestiges of Himself that He has left in the splendors of the visible universe: the blazing red sunset, the snow-covered mountain peaks, the graceful flight of a bird, the breathtakingly magnificent complexity of a single living cell. On a still more exalted level we know Him in the loveliness of the saints – but it remains a knowledge of the infinite through the finite."
—Fr. Thomas Dubay, p. 188-89 An Excerpt From
Fire Within †Daily Verse
"Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world. Yet the world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever."
–1 John 2:15-17 |  click to read more | | Saint Macarius of Jerusalem St. Macarius of Jerusalem (4th c.) was the Bishop of Jerusalem from 312-335 A.D. Little is known of his life before this time. He took part in the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. and vigorously opposed the Arian heresy, which greatly threatened the early Church. It is believed that he was one of the bishops who helped draft the Nicene Creed. St. Athanasius, his contemporary, refers to Macarius as an example of "the honest and simple style of apostolical men." After the council, St. Macarius accompanied St. Helen, the queen mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, in her successful search for the True Cross that Jesus was crucified upon. It was he who suggested to St. Helen that she would identify the real Cross by touching all three of those she found to a seriously ill woman, and observe which one brought immediate healing. Following the discovery of the True Cross in this miraculous manner, Constantine wrote to Bishop Macarius requesting that he oversee the construction of a magnificent church in Jerusalem, the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, to commemorate the sites of the Crucifixion and Burial of Christ, which still exists today as one of the most important Christian pilgrimage sites in the world. His feast day is March 10th.
Find a Devotional for This Saint | Thursday of the First Week in Lent Lectionary: 227
Reading I Est C:12, 14-16, 23-25 Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish,
had recourse to the LORD.
She lay prostrate upon the ground, together with her handmaids,
from morning until evening, and said:
"God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, blessed are you.
Help me, who am alone and have no help but you,
for I am taking my life in my hand.
As a child I used to hear from the books of my forefathers
that you, O LORD, always free those who are pleasing to you.
Now help me, who am alone and have no one but you,
O LORD, my God. "And now, come to help me, an orphan.
Put in my mouth persuasive words in the presence of the lion
and turn his heart to hatred for our enemy,
so that he and those who are in league with him may perish.
Save us from the hand of our enemies;
turn our mourning into gladness
and our sorrows into wholeness." Responsorial Psalm 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8 R. (3a) Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth; in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple and give thanks to your name.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Because of your kindness and your truth; for you have made great above all things your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me; your kindness, O LORD, endures forever; forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me. Verse Before the Gospel Ps 51:12a, 14a A clean heart create for me, O God;
give me back the joy of your salvation. Gospel Mt 7:7-12 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which one of you would hand his son a stone
when he asked for a loaf of bread,
or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things
to those who ask him. "Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the law and the prophets." | Daily Meditation: Matthew 7:7-12 Ask . . . ; seek . . . ; knock. (Matthew 7:7) There are a lot of less than ideal things we do just to save time. Fast-food restaurants are convenient, but we know that they're not as nutritious as a home-cooked meal. Speed-reading courses help us get through a book quickly, but we risk coming away with less depth and clarity than if we had taken our time. If you're single, you may have even tried speed dating and ended up meeting a lot of people, but only superficially. Clearly, there are some things you shouldn't hurry! That's also true in the spiritual realm. Sometimes we want something so badly that we try to take shortcuts. Maybe we set out to find peace or fulfillment on our own when we might do better to wait for God to guide us. Later we realize that if we had taken time out to ask, seek, and knock, we would have found something far deeper, something that doesn't ebb and flow with our circumstances. If you want to see good and lasting results, you need to exercise your faith and trust. And sometimes that means waiting patiently for the Lord to act. When we wait on the Lord like this, it shows that we believe that he hears us. It shows that we trust that he will give us bread, not a stone (Matthew 7:9). God will take care of you! He will answer you in the way that's best for you—and at the time that is most helpful for you. A good father doesn't always give his children exactly what they want when they want it. He knows it is far better to give what that child needs, when he needs it, in the way that will help him the most. What do you need the Lord to help you with? Go ahead and ask him for it. Tell him that you're willing to wait for his wisdom and his timing. As you do, you'll find him eager to fulfill your needs and to further the plan he has for you in just the way he has intended. He really does want to bless you! "Lord, open my eyes to your wisdom and generosity. Thank you for being not just a good provider but a Father who wants the very best for me and for those I love." Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25
Psalm 138:1-3, 7-8 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"Help me, who am alone and have no help but you, for I am taking my life in my hand." Esther was facing a life and death situation. She began prayers that are unforgettable. She had recourse to our Lord.
"help me, who am alone and have no one but you, O LORD, my God. And now, come to help me, an orphan." They say the Lord hears, the cry, of the poor. This is actually good news. Now who is truly poor? Who does God hear? Esther was a Queen. But her life was threatened. Who is poor then? God knows. He sees souls clearly. | We pray in Psalms:
"Because of your kindness and your truth; for you have made great above all things your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me. Your right hand saves me." | Our Lord speaks:
""Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." I remember taking off in the dark of the night to church, to pray for my dad when he was in the hospital before passing. The church doors were locked, because they fear vandalism on the church as has been on the rise in the last couple years throughout the country. I was out in the cold, balling my heart out, crying, and physically knocking on the door, pleading the Lord to open up, to hear my prayer. Did the doors open up? Were they magically unlocked so I could come in from the cold dark night? No. But to me, I knew what God knows...I was seeking help, in my distress. Our Lord continues: "For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." But the doors weren't opened to me. So what now? You have to keep reading...and believing. "If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him." Our Lord says we're not even as good as He can be, so truly He can give much more than we could ever give. This is called benevolent love. This means He is inherently Good and cannot give anything but what is for good...and the better. So it boils down to what we believe is good and what He knows is good. I believed praying for my dad's life was good, right? That he might be spared from death, right? That was my view of good. Yet, my good, my thoughts, were not His thoughts. I can only believe that God has a greater good in mind, for him, and the whole world. Jesus, I trust in You. | Now we are talking about being submissive. Now we are coming before our Lord, in obedience with our lives. Now we are to live belief, all things faith. He says: "Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets." The people call this "the Golden Rule". And for good reason. Much of our Lord's laws hinge on this rule. It is evident in the Lord's prayer; "forgive us, as we forgive others".
And to be honest...yes I can forgive others, but to treat others as I'd like to be treated is a tough pill. Some people treat me with so much love, that I think "I'm not like that" and I admire their great love. It is the old ways. I remember most nobility when I was growing up. Especially in a third world country, old Mexico. People make you feel so special. Some appreciate, some do not. I appreciate. I want to be like those that love. I want to be hospitable. I want to shower them with gifts. Some weird news I heard was that money was going to be devalued, and that spoke to me, because it was a prophetic message that means more than money. It means that we shall start giving. It means do or die. It means this is the day. It means stop leaving for tomorrow what you could do today...for God our Father, in the name of Love: His Holy Name. | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian Pray with me this prayer and a soul can be saved and make up for 1,000 blasphemies. Pray it all you can. Jesus, Mary, I love you, Save Souls |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: WOW 1 Corinthians 4:20 20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
