†Saint Quote
"I urge you with all the strength of my soul to approach the Eucharistic Table as often as possible. Feed on this Bread of the Angels from which you will draw the strength to fight inner struggles." Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati †Meditation
"And it is only by the observance of the first and greatest commandment that we can keep the second. The more we love God, the more we shall love man; the less we love God, the less we shall, in the true sense of the word, love man. Our love will become capricious, fitful, and unreliable—not charity, but passion. If you feel that your love for your fellowman is dying out in the fumes of selfishness, there is but one way to revive it: strive for, pray for, the love of God. As the heart turns toward its source, it will be quickened and expanded. There is no true, no lasting spirit of charity apart from the practice of religion. Therefore, we cannot keep those commandments which teach us our duty to men unless we are keeping those which teach us our duty to God."
—Fr. Basil W. Maturin, p. 160
Cover image from the book, Christian Self-Mastery
An Excerpt From Christian Self-Mastery
Recommended Reads
†Daily Verse "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." Isaiah 61:10 |  click to read more | | St. Catherine of Sweden St. Catherine of Sweden (1331-1381) was the fourth of eight children born to St. Bridget of Sweden and her husband, Ulfo. As a child she was sent by her parents to be educated in a convent, and was later given in marriage to a German nobleman. Catherine was able to persuade her husband, a virtuous young man, to live together in a mutual vow of perpetual chastity. They lived happily together in complete devotion to God. After the death of her father, and with her husband's consent, Catherine accompanied her mother to Rome. While there, Catherine's husband died. She continued to be a companion to her mother and rejected further offers of marriage. Her mother worked to establish a new religious order, called the Order of the Holy Savior, or the Bridgettines. After her mother's death, Catherine took her body back to Sweden for burial while continuing the work of establishing the Bridgettines. She later traveled back to Rome to advocate for her mother's canonization and for Pope Urban VI to ratify her Order. While in Rome she became great friends with St. Catherine of Siena. St. Catherine of Sweden finally returned to Sweden and became abbess of the newly founded Bridgettines, living the rest of her days as a model of prayer and penance. St. Catherine of Sweden is the patron saint against abortions and miscarriages. Her feast day is March 24th. | Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent Lectionary: 248
Reading 1 Wis 2:1a, 12-22 The wicked said among themselves,
thinking not aright:
"Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us;
he sets himself against our doings,
Reproaches us for transgressions of the law
and charges us with violations of our training.
He professes to have knowledge of God
and styles himself a child of the LORD.
To us he is the censure of our thoughts;
merely to see him is a hardship for us,
Because his life is not like that of others,
and different are his ways.
He judges us debased;
he holds aloof from our paths as from things impure.
He calls blest the destiny of the just
and boasts that God is his Father.
Let us see whether his words be true;
let us find out what will happen to him.
For if the just one be the son of God, he will defend him
and deliver him from the hand of his foes.
With revilement and torture let us put him to the test
that we may have proof of his gentleness
and try his patience.
Let us condemn him to a shameful death;
for according to his own words, God will take care of him."
These were their thoughts, but they erred;
for their wickedness blinded them,
and they knew not the hidden counsels of God;
neither did they count on a recompense of holiness
nor discern the innocent souls' reward. Responsorial Psalm Ps 34:17-18, 19-20, 21 and 23 R. (19a) The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
Many are the troubles of the just man,
but out of them all the LORD delivers him.
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
He watches over all his bones;
not one of them shall be broken.
The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;
no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. Verse Before the Gospel Mt 4:4b One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. Gospel Jn 7:1-2, 10, 25-30 Jesus moved about within Galilee;
he did not wish to travel in Judea,
because the Jews were trying to kill him.
But the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near. But when his brothers had gone up to the feast,
he himself also went up, not openly but as it were in secret. Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said,
"Is he not the one they are trying to kill?
And look, he is speaking openly and they say nothing to him.
Could the authorities have realized that he is the Christ?
But we know where he is from.
When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from."
So Jesus cried out in the temple area as he was teaching and said,
"You know me and also know where I am from.
Yet I did not come on my own,
but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true.
I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me."
So they tried to arrest him,
but no one laid a hand upon him,
because his hour had not yet come. | Daily Meditation: John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30 The one who sent me, whom you do not know . . . (John 7:28) The authorities were trying to kill Jesus. That's why he was reluctant to travel to Jerusalem for the feast of Tabernacles (John 7:1, 2). They didn't understand who he was. They could only see the ways he challenged them and their assumptions. So it seemed better to them if Jesus just disappeared. How could this be? How could they miss out on who Jesus was? We can get a hint from today's first reading from the Book of Wisdom. It's almost uncanny the way it seems to describe the thoughts of these leaders. The "wicked," it says, hate the righteous one because he is "obnoxious" to them (Wisdom 2:1, 2). So they want to get rid of him. But as the reading points out, this seemed like a good idea to them because they were "blinded"; they didn't know the "hidden counsels of God" (2:21, 22). These leaders of Israel just couldn't see how God could possibly be present in the man before them. For instance, when Jesus spoke of God's mercy, they bristled because they thought he was offering it too freely. Where was his adherence to all their treasured traditions that had been set up to guard against disobedience and sacrilege? And so, blinded by their presumptions, they resisted the mercy of God in Christ—for themselves as well as for everyone else. Sometimes we make the same mistake. We don't realize that God stands ready to welcome us instead of angrily waiting for our next misstep. That's why we sometimes avoid the Sacrament of Reconciliation. But that's where we come face-to-face with the God who saves and redeems us. We see that he doesn't keep a list of our sins but freely offers us forgiveness and peace. We encounter the surprising, life-changing compassion of God. We experience a mercy so filled with love that it doesn't just forgive our sins; it changes our hearts. So go ahead and look for a chance to go to Confession before Lent is over. Approach your Father and let him show you his heart of mercy and love. "Lord, I want to know your mercy and love!" Wisdom 2:1, 12-22
Psalm 34:17-21, 23 |  click to hear 2cents | Listen to my2cents audio. Share the link if you like: Click to hear it | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings..." Nowadays, it's not that different than back then. There are groups and people that think this way, that God's ways are against them. That these Christian people are obnoxious. That they are against their plans...of world domination. Even though they will never succeed, they will do a lot of damage along the way in their attempts.
What does this mean? It means something personal to each one of us. This message is an eye opener to everyone who has eyes or ears to see and hear. It means humility hides. It means we try to be in control. It means faithlessness. The message is asking for us to open our eyes to the reality that we fail to see. | We pray today:
"The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
Many are the troubles of the just man, but out of them all the LORD delivers him. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted" | In the Gospel today we heard our Lord:
_"But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, he himself also went up, not openly but as it were in secret.
Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said,
"Is he not the one they are trying to kill?" end quote from the book of John. Hold up just a second. Did the bible just say that the Lord wanted to go with His brothers, to the feast of tabernacles? Here we go again with the protestants questioning His purity of His mother, with blood brothers, but nowadays everybody calls themselves brothers with no doubt or question! I digress.
Our Lord wanted to celebrate what would be His eternal home, for He would be the new bread, for the new tabernacles that would spread out across the entire world. Right now I've been involved in many months of planning a new tabernacle and placement in our church. During the revolutions of sex back in the 60's and 70's, their also came a revolution in the church, of new liturgy planning to open up more of the church to the world, and with it came new Mass orders and music allowance, lectors, and less Latin. It has left some good things and not so good things. One of the things I've noticed is the tabernacles, in many new churches, are now off to a side, in a dark corner...and what is in the tabernacle? The Eucharist. The very Blood, Body, Soul, and Divinity of God. For the life of me, it doesn't make sense, it disturbs me that He is not at the center of our Church, and thus, center of our lives. It disturbs me when I enter other churches and I have to look for Him, His tabernacle. It should not be hidden! Our Lord should be the shining light of our lives! Our Lord should be the main focus of our talk, of our walk, of our every life decisions. He should not be a side note.
Our Lord Jesus risks His life to go to the most beautiful of feasts...of tabernacles. " he Jewish people built temporary shelters for the feast to remember their deliverance from Egypt by the hand of God. The Feast of Tabernacles is known by many names: Feast of Shelters, Feast of Booths, Feast of Ingathering, and Sukkot. The word sukkot means "booths."
Sukkot is Israel's "Thanksgiving." It is a joyous harvest festival celebrating the completion of the agricultural year."_ And our Lord is all about the harvest. He IS THANKSGIVING in the Holy Eucharist.
He wishes to be one in our booth, our temple, and this outdoor and indoor event is one of joy, one of sharing, one of life celebrated for God and with God.
How can He be set aside?
He Will NOT! | Let's pray:
....†....
Lord, I wish to be there, with booths, I love it when we have outdoor celebrations at church with You and for You! Help us glorify You and make You the center of our lives more truly and forever!
.......... |  Hear it click | Random Bible Verse 1
1 John 3:2 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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