†Saint Quote
"We find ourselves in this earth as in a tempestuous sea, in a desert, in a vale of tears. Now then, Mary is the Star of the Sea, the solace of our desert, the light that guides us towards heaven."
–St. John Bosco †Today's Meditation
"Christ not only was obedient to His heavenly Father by giving up His life on the cross, He continues this obedience by remaining with us in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. That is His greatest triumph of love, which according to His promise, He will fulfill until the end of the world. Our Lord, glorified in heaven, yet wishing to abide with us in unceasing unity, is obedient to the first invocation of the priest, who in His name, repeats the words of consecration: "This is my body…this is my blood" (Matthew 26:26,28). Christ does not look upon the person who utters these words, nor upon his degree of perfection, but He is obedient to every priest without exception, in order to descend on our altars and give Himself to us entirely."
—Mother Raphael Lubowidzka of the sweetest Heart of Jesus, CSFN, p.65-66 An Excerpt From
100 Holy Hours for Women †Daily Verse
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult."
–Psalm 46: 1-3 |  click to read more | |  Listen to the Saint of the Day Here Audio | St. John (Don) Bosco St. John Bosco (1815–1888) was born in Italy to a poor farming family. His father died when he was two, leaving his religious instruction to his pious mother. At the age of nine he had his first of many powerful visions which would come throughout his life. In it, Jesus and the Virgin Mary showed him that he was to instruct poor, wayward boys and bring them back to God. John eventually joined the priesthood, paying his way through school with odd jobs. As a priest he began ministering to the poor and neglected boys of Turin, Italy, who were driven to desperate conditions in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. Many of these street boys ended up in prison as teenagers. Don Bosco became a mentor and spiritual director to them, helping them to live a life of virtue and saving many from a future of crime and poverty. He met with them as a group – called the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales – and catechized them as a kindly spiritual father. He also established the Salesians of Don Bosco, priests and brothers who minister to and educate boys under the patronage of the great spiritual director, St. Francis de Sales. Don Bosco is the patron saint of boys, laborers, young people, students, and Mexican young people. His feast day is January 31st. | Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest • Readings for the Memorial of Saint John Bosco, priest Reading I Heb 12:1-4 Brothers and sisters:
Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us
and persevere in running the race that lies before us
while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus,
the leader and perfecter of faith.
For the sake of the joy that lay before him
Jesus endured the cross, despising its shame,
and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God.
Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners,
in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.
In your struggle against sin
you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood. Responsorial Psalm Ps 22:26b-27, 28 and 30, 31-32
R. (see 27b) They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.
I will fulfill my vows before those who fear him.
The lowly shall eat their fill;
they who seek the LORD shall praise him:
"May your hearts be ever merry!"
R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.
All the ends of the earth
shall remember and turn to the LORD;
All the families of the nations
shall bow down before him.
To him alone shall bow down
all who sleep in the earth;
Before him shall bend
all who go down into the dust.
R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.
And to him my soul shall live;
my descendants shall serve him.
Let the coming generation be told of the LORD
that they may proclaim to a people yet to be born
the justice he has shown.
R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you. Alleluia Mt 8:17 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ took away our infirmities
and bore our diseases.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 5:21-43 When Jesus had crossed again in the boat
to the other side,
a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.
One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.
Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying,
"My daughter is at the point of death.
Please, come lay your hands on her
that she may get well and live."
He went off with him
and a large crowd followed him. There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.
She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors
and had spent all that she had.
Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.
She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd
and touched his cloak.
She said, "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured."
Immediately her flow of blood dried up.
She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him,
turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who has touched my clothes?"
But his disciples said to him,
"You see how the crowd is pressing upon you,
and yet you ask, Who touched me?"
And he looked around to see who had done it.
The woman, realizing what had happened to her,
approached in fear and trembling.
She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.
He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you.
Go in peace and be cured of your affliction." While he was still speaking,
people from the synagogue official's house arrived and said,
"Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?"
Disregarding the message that was reported,
Jesus said to the synagogue official,
"Do not be afraid; just have faith."
He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside
except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.
When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official,
he caught sight of a commotion,
people weeping and wailing loudly.
So he went in and said to them,
"Why this commotion and weeping?
The child is not dead but asleep."
And they ridiculed him.
Then he put them all out.
He took along the child's father and mother
and those who were with him
and entered the room where the child was.
He took the child by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum,"
which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!"
The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.
At that they were utterly astounded.
He gave strict orders that no one should know this
and said that she should be given something to eat.
| Daily Meditation: Mark 5:21-43 Little girl, I say to you, arise! (Mark 5:41) Some versions of the Bible put the words of Jesus in red print as a way of drawing our attention to what the Lord said as he walked the earth. Of course, the words we read are just a translation. But today's Gospel passage is different. Talitha koum isn't a translation; these are the exact Aramaic words that Jesus would have said. Imagine yourself in this scene. Perhaps you are the anxious parent or a scornful mourner or one of the disciples standing outside Jairus' home. Linger with these bystanders as long as you like. But then lie down in that bed of nothingness as that lifeless girl. Suddenly two words break into your darkness: Talitha koum! At this moment, there is nothing but silence in the room. Jesus is speaking to you alone. He has made it possible for you to hear his voice. Then you notice that he is holding your hand. Power flows from him, enabling you to rise from your deathbed. But don't hurry off just yet! Jesus is smiling at you. Just as he singled out one bleeding woman in a crowd of people a few moments earlier, he is looking intently now—at you. With a firm love that can heal any disease and calm any storm, he is telling you to get up: arise! God often tells his servants to arise. He told Elijah, "Arise, go to Zarephath. . . . I have commanded a widow there to feed you" (1 Kings 17:9). He told a dead man, the only son of a widow, "Young man, I tell you, arise!" (Luke 7:14). A blind man outside Jericho heard, "Take courage; get up, he is calling you" (Mark 10:49). An angel told the deacon Philip, "Get up and head south" (Acts 8:26). Arise! Get up! I have a plan for you! We may not know exactly what will happen next, but we can be sure that God has everything in hand. Today during your prayer, stand up as straight and tall as you can. Ask God what he wants you to do next. Don't worry if it sounds impossible. Just keep your eyes "fixed on Jesus" (Hebrews 12:2). If he can raise the dead, he can surely take care of you! "Jesus, I stand ready to do whatever you call me to." Hebrews 12:1-4
Psalm 22:26-28, 30-32 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners, in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin
you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood." Christ gives us strength in His blood, that we may shed our blood for Him. Just because we don't see it, it doesn't mean it isn't happening. People this day, as in the last 100 years have shed the most blood for Christ than ever in the History of Christianity. As we speak we are praying for a friend priest's mother who was kidnapped, and hoping for a safe return in Africa. We are one bad step away from letting "world rulers" rule out God from our lives. And how can we counter such atrocities? We persevere until we shed blood, but first comes much sweat, and tears. We lift a finger because we actually care. | We pray today;
"All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD;
All the families of the nations shall bow down before him. To him alone shall bow down all who sleep in the earth; Before him shall bend all who go down into the dust. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you." | In the Gospel today we heard:
"Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, "Do not be afraid; just have faith."
He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside"
As I was trying to watch a Fr. Mark Goring video on TV last night, one of my boys was trying to ask me why so few apparitions have come in our world. I couldn't answer that to a 10 year old easily. I said that they often come with warnings and pleadings in apparitions with a special message from Heaven. Like when wars might come, or disasters, or when nothing else seems to work...Heaven intervenes.
And the thing is, it still doesn't completely work, I mean, the world doesn't completely change, because everyone hears but doubts. And the world cannot operate on doubts, but on faith.
This is why I write to you, so that your faith my grow in holy fervor, and that your endurance may be the way to perseverance. Our Lord says to do the opposite of fear....faith.
So much of the world operates in fear. So many seem to be more afraid of the devil than of God, and this means giving power to the devil than to give Honor and Glory and thus our will and power to God, our very lives!
So many flock to worldly music, and scary movies, and tune into politics and world news, but not that many truly tune into the Living Word of God.
This is why I write, to give life to the living God, so that you might not fear.
Exorcists learn quickly that the devil is not to be feared, but that we should fear to let the devil inside. The fear they experience is a greater fear of God, and this my friend, makes one holier, turn to God more.
It seems to me, and I've been telling everyone lately, that the more I listen to the Book of Heaven, the greater and greater God seems to be, like approaching a far away mountain that, as I get closer, it seems to be growing ever more immense.
And it should be the case until He envelops a soul. | As I attempted to write to you, some strange things were happening inside of me, and was prompted to write to others at the same time. I wrote a song that I may enter into the Eucharistic Renewal challenge due in April and it was based on today's Gospel. And, I wrote a letter to men, a couple pages worth of writing, showing that men are on the downfall of humanity, literally losing themselves genetically, physically, and spiritually. And it begins in the small microcosms and even the molecular level of our faith.
And now, we have our Lord asking us like the little girl, to arise with Him, and then? To eat. And He gives us His body to eat, and this is forever food.
Have no fearmy child, just have faith. Arise my child, and take our Lord by the hand. He has given His life so that you may have life, with Him, in love, and forever! ....†....
Lord, if only I may be Your Love forever, that is all I would desire
.......... |  click to hear | Philippians 3:13–14 [Philippians 3] 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
