†Saint Quote
"I see clearly with the interior eye, that the sweet God loves with a pure love the creature that He has created, and has a hatred for nothing but sin, which is more opposed to Him than can be thought or imagined."
–St. Catherine of Genoa †Today's Meditation
"Throughout Sacred Scripture, we find that when God's people fast, the power of their prayers is increased, especially when they are engaged in spiritual warfare. In the Old Testament, the Lord told Isaiah that a fast properly undertaken would 'loose the bonds of wickedness … undo the thongs of the yoke … let the oppressed go free' (Is. 58:6) … In the New Testament, we find that Jesus fasted for forty days and nights in the wilderness in preparation for His battle with Satan, who came to tempt Him (see Lk 4:1-2) … If prayer is a spiritual weapon, fasting is the spiritual whetstone on which it is sharpened. It's the spiritual muscle that, when exercised regularly, strengthens the thrust of that weapon to pierce the Enemy and drive him away."
—Paul Thigpen, p. 42 An Excerpt From
Manual for Spiritual Warfare †Daily Verse
"My children, I am writing this to you so that you may not commit sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one. He is expiation for our sins, and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world."
–1 John 2:1-2 |  click to read more | | Saint Paul Miki and Companions St. Paul Miki (1562–1597) and his twenty-five companions, known as the Martyrs of Nagasaki, were crucified for the faith in Nagasaki, Japan, in 1597. A Japanese layman of great nobility and wealth, Paul was converted to Christianity by St. Francis Xavier. Although the Christian missionaries did not meet with opposition initially, the Japanese rulers eventually launched a brutal campaign to wipe out its progress. The twenty-six men were forced to march 600 miles to meet their death in Nagasaki. The group included Franciscan and Jesuit missionaries and Japanese converts. They were repeatedly offered freedom if they would renounce Christianity; they all declined. When the march ended the martyrs were tied to crosses. They prayed and sang while Paul Miki preached the Gospel in a loud voice. The martyrs were then stabbed to death while they hung on their crosses. The crowd who witnessed the testimony of Paul Miki and his companions would immortalize his words and use them to further spread Christianity in Japan. Their collective feast day is February 6th. | Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs Lectionary: 329
Reading 1 Gn 1:1-19 In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth,
the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss,
while a mighty wind swept over the waters. Then God said,
"Let there be light," and there was light.
God saw how good the light was.
God then separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night."
Thus evening came, and morning followed–the first day. Then God said,
"Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters,
to separate one body of water from the other."
And so it happened:
God made the dome,
and it separated the water above the dome from the water below it.
God called the dome "the sky."
Evening came, and morning followed–the second day. Then God said,
"Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin,
so that the dry land may appear."
And so it happened:
the water under the sky was gathered into its basin,
and the dry land appeared.
God called the dry land "the earth,"
and the basin of the water he called "the sea."
God saw how good it was.
Then God said,
"Let the earth bring forth vegetation:
every kind of plant that bears seed
and every kind of fruit tree on earth
that bears fruit with its seed in it."
And so it happened:
the earth brought forth every kind of plant that bears seed
and every kind of fruit tree on earth that
bears fruit with its seed in it.
God saw how good it was.
Evening came, and morning followed–the third day. Then God said:
"Let there be lights in the dome of the sky,
to separate day from night.
Let them mark the fixed times, the days and the years,
and serve as luminaries in the dome of the sky,
to shed light upon the earth."
And so it happened:
God made the two great lights,
the greater one to govern the day,
and the lesser one to govern the night;
and he made the stars.
God set them in the dome of the sky,
to shed light upon the earth,
to govern the day and the night,
and to separate the light from the darkness.
God saw how good it was.
Evening came, and morning followed–the fourth day. Responsorial Psalm Ps 104:1-2a, 5-6, 10 and 12, 24 and 35c R. (31b) May the Lord be glad in his works.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.
R. May the Lord be glad in his works.
You fixed the earth upon its foundation,
not to be moved forever;
With the ocean, as with a garment, you covered it;
above the mountains the waters stood.
R. May the Lord be glad in his works.
You send forth springs into the watercourses
that wind among the mountains.
Beside them the birds of heaven dwell;
from among the branches they send forth their song.
R. May the Lord be glad in his works.
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you have wrought them all—
the earth is full of your creatures;
Bless the LORD, O my soul! Alleluia.
R. May the Lord be glad in his works. Alleluia Mt 4:23 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 6:53-56 After making the crossing to the other side of the sea,
Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret
and tied up there.
As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him.
They scurried about the surrounding country
and began to bring in the sick on mats
to wherever they heard he was.
Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered,
they laid the sick in the marketplaces
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak;
and as many as touched it were healed. | Daily Meditation: Genesis 1:1-19 The earth was a formless wasteland. (Genesis 1:2) This description of the earth doesn't bring to mind an image of God's goodness and love, does it? But in today's first reading, the earth and the skies slowly change. They become progressively more beautiful and filled with life. Yes, it's a story of how God created the universe, but we can also see in it a reflection of how God works to bring us out of darkness and into the light of his love. Whether it took six days or six billion years to create the universe, what's clear is that God took his time. He didn't create everything in an instant, with all the stars, planets, oceans, and creatures immediately in place. He started with a wasteland. Can you think of a "wasteland" in your life? You may be struggling with an addiction, a loss of income, or the death of a loved one. Or maybe your wastelands are a little less dramatic, like a stubborn bad habit or trouble at work. Whatever it is, it can sometimes feel as if God is absent and you can see no end in sight. But God has not left you alone! In fact, he is already at work in a hidden, mysterious way. Note that in the wasteland in Genesis, there were already signs of God's presence: in the water and in the wind, both of which are typically signs of the Holy Spirit. Whether your wastelands are the result of your own sins or circumstances beyond your control, remember that God is still with you. The more you turn to him, the more you'll discover his creative, healing grace. You may start to see him in the "wind" and the "waters" that surround you. And seeing him, you'll be able to trust that he knows what he is doing. So be patient. God is an expert in bringing light and beauty out of our wastelands. Let him work at his own perfect pace. Be alert as well to the signs of hope that he gives you, even in your darkest times. You can be confident that death and destruction will never have the final say. They are merely the "barren" landscape that God can use to create something even more beautiful! "Father, even when life seems barren or hopeless, help me to trust in your creative presence with me." Psalm 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12, 24, 35
Mark 6:53-56 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw how good the light was.
God then separated the light from the darkness." In the beginning of "man", when God breathed into man and gave him life, I personally believe the light came in a different way into the world, the first man we call "Adam". And then to the next one, Abraham, a people separated, set apart, a light on top of a hill, and then we have Christ, the actual one on a hill, God's light. | We pray today:
"How manifold are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you have wrought them all—
the earth is full of your creatures;
Bless the LORD, O my soul! Alleluia.
May the Lord be glad in his works" | In the Gospel today we heard:
" Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered,
they laid the sick in the marketplaces
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak;
and as many as touched it were healed." What great faith people had back then, huh? Does that even exist today? It does, in certain parts, and you'd only see it if you knew where the wind blows, and the waters and thew wind carry the Holy Spriit too. What does this mean? It means you don't know how things grow, yet we know. People flocked to get healed, to get restored, to feel life again. I see this in 3rd world countries, some, not all, real faith alive. Just over the weekend I ran into a video where in Kenya, the mother of God seems to be making an appearance. Strange images, strange excitement, everyone hungry there, really wanting to see, and feel, all things hope, and light.
I saw Fr. Larry Richards, a freqenter on EWTN last night. It was about a 2.5hr drive to go, left my wife and kids, and it wasn't easy to pull away for a nice Sunday afternoon, but it definitely was a pull. That is the story of a life being led by the Spirit. Several men had agreed to go see Fr. Larry, and only one wound up going. On our way back, me and the brother that went were impressed with the talk, and wished so much the others would've gone, and why? So their fire too would be lit more! That's all we care for. And what was the message? What was said? Too many things, too much meat. But the gist of it is, that we must spend more intimate time with our Lord. How do you grow love?
We are expected to be fruitful, and how will you be without Him and the center and giving the fruit! LOL.
We were given many times scriptures from John 15, which I should have memorized by now since I always get that for some reason after going to confession as penance.
And so, we remember the martyrs that died back then, and still die today.
My dad passed away last year, and in 2 weeks it will be the one year anniversary. At that time, my mom will be flying to the Holy Land, and the worries are the violence. The continuous martyrs still being gunned down today. And this at the city of Peace! Jerusalem! And this among religions that declare they are of peace! Why is it like this?
Because, not everyone has true peace. Those with guns in their hands do not have true peace. They want power by death.
Thank our Lord, on of our priests from Africa, I heard they got their mother back from a kidnapping and a ransom had to be given. We were praying they wouldn't hurt her. But even if then, it would've been a light on a hill, like the sacrifice of our Lord on the cross. | ....†....
Lord, we need to truly seek You and hunger for You, and yearn to be with You. Help us be disciplined to be Your true disciples.
.......... |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse 1
Joshua 1:8 [Joshua 1] 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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