†Saint Quote
"What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like."
–St. Augustine †Today's Meditation
"Not to try to live in interior silence is equivalent to giving up the effort to lead a truly Christian life. The Christian life is a life of faith, lived in the invisible for what is invisible. Anyone who is not in constant contact with the invisible world runs the risk of remaining always on the threshold of a true Christian life. … Solitude is the stronghold of the strong. Strength is an active virtue, and our power of keeping silence marks the level of our capacity for action. 'Without this interior cell, we would be incapable of doing great things, either for ourselves or for others.'"
—Raoul Plus, S.J., p. 40-41 An Excerpt From
How to Pray Always †Daily Verse
"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you, says the Lord."
–Jeremiah 29:11-13 |  click to read more | | St. Marianne Cope St. Marianne Cope (1838–1918), also known as St. Marianne of Molokai, was a German-born American immigrant. She worked in a New York factory before entering the Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis in Syracuse. She spent her early years serving as a leader in health care and education. When the Hawaiian government was searching for a religious order to run a station for victims of leprosy, the Syracuse sisters volunteered immediately. Mother Marianne and six other sisters left for Hawaii in 1883. She devoted 35 years to caring for those afflicted with Hansen's disease (leprosy) in Molokai, Hawaii. She also opened a hospital and a school for girls on the island of Maui, and took charge of the home St. Damien of Molokai established for men and boys. Mother Marianne changed life on Molokai by introducing cleanliness, dignity, and fun into the colony. Despite her direct contact with leprosy patients over many years, she was not afflicted by the disease, which some consider miraculous. She was canonized in 2012 and her feast day is January 23. | Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children Reading 1 Heb 9:15, 24-28 Christ is mediator of a new covenant:
since a death has taken place
for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant,
those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance. For Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands,
a copy of the true one, but heaven itself,
that he might now appear before God on our behalf.
Not that he might offer himself repeatedly,
as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary
with blood that is not his own;
if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly
from the foundation of the world.
But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages
to take away sin by his sacrifice.
Just as it is appointed that human beings die once,
and after this the judgment, so also Christ,
offered once to take away the sins of many,
will appear a second time, not to take away sin
but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him. Responsorial Psalm Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6 R. (1a) Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds. Alleluia See 2 Tm 1:10 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 3:22-30 The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus,
"He is possessed by Beelzebul," and
"By the prince of demons he drives out demons." Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables,
"How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house is divided against itself,
that house will not be able to stand.
And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided,
he cannot stand;
that is the end of him.
But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then he can plunder his house.
Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies
that people utter will be forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness,
but is guilty of an everlasting sin."
For they had said, "He has an unclean spirit." | Daily Meditation: Hebrews 9:15, 24-28 Christ offered [sacrifice] once to take away the sins of many. (Hebrews 9:28) With its references to Old Testament sacrifices and its theological commentary, the Letter to the Hebrews can be a challenging read. But at its heart, Hebrews focuses our attention on Jesus' greatest act of love: when he offered himself for the sins of the whole world. Hebrews acts as a megaphone announcing, "Look at how much Jesus loves you!" In today's first reading, we hear that Jesus' ministry and sacrifice far surpass those of the Old Testament. It tells us that only Jesus, the Son of God, could accomplish the complete forgiveness of our sins that the former sacrifices pointed to. Even more, Jesus didn't offer his sacrifice in a physical sanctuary like the Temple. Rather, he entered heaven itself! And best of all, Jesus continues to pray for us in heaven, where he constantly makes intercession "before God on our behalf" (Hebrews 9:24). On this day when many of us pray for the protection of unborn children, we can draw hope from this passage. Jesus, our compassionate high priest, offered himself for every sin, including abortion. How he must suffer over every lost child! How he must grieve for every woman who feels alone or thinks she has no other option but to end her pregnancy! That's why he endured the shame of the cross: to win forgiveness for every sin, no matter how grievous. Even now, Jesus stands before his heavenly Father interceding for us. He is offering mercy and healing to every family wounded by abortion. He is pouring out grace for every man or woman who feels alone as they consider the future of their unborn child. And he is interceding for each of us, that we might meet the needs of every child and every parent. Let's join him in praying that God's kingdom would come—so that there will be no more abortion or poverty or hunger or violence. May God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven! "Jesus, you take away every sin! Have mercy on us and on the whole world." Psalm 98:1-6
Mark 3:22-30 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"For Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands,
a copy of the true one, but heaven itself,
that he might now appear before God on our behalf." What do I see mostly and lately in the world? A lack of reverence and fear of the Lord. And the more I listen to the book of Heaven, the more I am beginning to fear our Lord...the due justice, the due honor, the due sacrifice, the due of my justice to Him, by honoring His will, and to treat Him as my King, not just anything else. | We pray today;
"Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds." | In the Gospel today we heard:
""How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand." | From a Spanish reflection today:
"And Jesus takes advantage of this occasion to offer us a good teaching. We can wonder if God will be able to forgive our sins, no matter how strong they are. Going to multiple passages of Jesus, the answer is affirmative. Our God, whatever we do, we leave his house like the prodigal son, he will always have his hand raised to continue offering us his love and his forgiveness. But there is an exception. God will not be able to forgive those who do not want to receive forgiveness from him, who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, which is the same as going against the light. That he wants to remain in the darkness, in his sin. But God's offer to grant his forgiveness to those who come to him with a repentant heart still stands. But God cannot forgive whom he does not want to be forgiven." All of the Holy Sacraments avail grace...if we want it. I'm constantly teaching that we will only receive to the degree that we avail ourselves to Christ. If we don't want forgiveness, you don't get it either! That's the horrible part about not being closer to Christ...to see your true dark spots in your soul, and those spots only increase when you stay away from Him. Think Confessions. Think of any time He invites you to something closer to Him, even pains and sorrow. They accused our Lord of being darkness. Sounds horrible right? But see who points the finger...darkness points the finger, the accuser is right there.
I write to you so that you will desire to be closer to our Lord Jesus, that you will be fearing Him more, fearing to lose His love, fearing to know How great He is. He is in charge of the whole world. Jesus still suffers, by being alive in each of us, suffering with us. Jesus our Lord saves. He heals, and He will not heal those who need suffering, for Him, and the whole world. Does that make sense? Because obedience calls for humility. There are still those who say God is NOT good. What does this say? It says something hidden; that we are better and know better! That is scary, to say you know better, and this is the danger of Adam and Eve who wanted knowledge tempted by the dark side. And they got to know each other in a way that caused havoc, they only got to know darkness.
And so if you don't know what this means...it means trust and obey God our Father, and through whom He decided to show us the only way to live...through Jesus our Lord and our God. ...............
Lord, I love You, Help us Love You more rightly and justly, with all our minds, hearts, and souls!
............................ |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse 1
Random Bible Verse 1
1 John 3:2 [1 John 3] 2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears1 we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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