†Saint Quote
"Let us love God, but with the strength of our arms, in the sweat of our brow."
–St. Vincent de Paul †Today's Meditation
"Yes, my heart's dear one, Jesus, is here with His cross. Since you are one of His favorites, he wants to make you into His likeness; why be afraid that you will not have the strength to carry this cross without a struggle? On the way to Calvary, Jesus did indeed fall three times and you, poor little child, would like to be different from your spouse, would rather not fall a hundred times if necessary to prove your love to Him by getting back up with even more strength than before your fall!"
—St. Therese of Lisieux, p. 87 An Excerpt From
St. Therese of Lisieux, Meditations with the Little Flower †Daily Verse
"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers."
–Psalm 1: 1-3 |  click to read more | | St. Catherine del Ricci St. Catherine del Ricci (1522-1590) was born with the name Alessandra in Florence, Italy, to a respectable merchant family. Her mother died while she was very young, so that from her childhood Alessandra took the Blessed Virgin Mary as her mother. She was given to prayer and religious fervor, and at the age of fourteen decided to enter a strict Third Order Dominican convent, taking Catherine as her religious name. She developed into a great mystic with an intense devotion to the Passion of Christ. For many years Catherine would go into ecstasy from noon every Thursday through 4 p.m. on Friday, experiencing in a mystical manner the sufferings of Christ during his Passion. She was also given the spiritual gift of the stigmata; Christ's wounds would appear on her body through the course of the ecstasy. After enduring much humiliation for years on account of these sufferings, she was eventually accepted as a holy woman and later became prioress. Her advice was widely sought on many spiritual and practical matters. Despite being cloistered, she kept up a loving correspondence with many relatives, friends, and her spiritual children. Among those in her correspondence were three future popes, Pope Marcellus II, Pope Clement VIII, and Pope Leo XI. Her feast day is February 13. | Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Gn 4:1-15, 25
The man had relations with his wife Eve,
and she conceived and bore Cain, saying,
"I have produced a man with the help of the LORD."
Next she bore his brother Abel.
Abel became a keeper of flocks, and Cain a tiller of the soil.
In the course of time Cain brought an offering to the LORD
from the fruit of the soil,
while Abel, for his part,
brought one of the best firstlings of his flock.
The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,
but on Cain and his offering he did not.
Cain greatly resented this and was crestfallen.
So the LORD said to Cain:
"Why are you so resentful and crestfallen.
If you do well, you can hold up your head;
but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door:
his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master." Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let us go out in the field."
When they were in the field,
Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Then the LORD asked Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"
He answered, "I do not know.
Am I my brother's keeper?"
The LORD then said: "What have you done!
Listen: your brother's blood cries out to me from the soil!
Therefore you shall be banned from the soil
that opened its mouth to receive
your brother's blood from your hand.
If you till the soil, it shall no longer give you its produce.
You shall become a restless wanderer on the earth."
Cain said to the LORD: "My punishment is too great to bear.
Since you have now banished me from the soil,
and I must avoid your presence
and become a restless wanderer on the earth,
anyone may kill me at sight."
"Not so!" the LORD said to him.
"If anyone kills Cain, Cain shall be avenged sevenfold."
So the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest anyone should kill him at sight. Adam again had relations with his wife,
and she gave birth to a son whom she called Seth.
"God has granted me more offspring in place of Abel," she said,
"because Cain slew him." Responsorial Psalm Ps 50:1 and 8, 16bc-17, 20-21 R. (14a) Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
God the LORD has spoken and summoned the earth,
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
"Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always."
R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
"Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?"
R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
"You sit speaking against your brother;
against your mother's son you spread rumors.
When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes."
R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise. Alleluia Jn 14:6 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 8:11-13 The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus,
seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.
He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said,
"Why does this generation seek a sign?
Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation."
Then he left them, got into the boat again,
and went off to the other shore.
| Daily Meditation: Genesis 4:1-15, 25 Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. (Genesis 4:8) What a horrific scene! The first recorded sin after the fall of our first parents wasn't just a little lie or a minor disagreement. It was murder. Even worse, it was brother turning against brother. Tragically, we see this pattern of betrayal and bloodshed weave its way throughout the Old Testament—and throughout human history—destroying families and relationships along the way. But fast-forward to the New Testament. Jesus came to show us that the division and broken relationships we experience aren't inevitable. He taught us to love our enemies and to be merciful and forgiving, even if it requires us to forgive again and again (Matthew 18:22). He warned us about the destructive power of anger, which can too easily lead to murder (5:21-22). And he did more than just preach about this new way of relating. Through his death and resurrection, he gave us his Spirit, who helps us in the battle against all the vices that can destroy relationships. Yet even if we love Jesus and are striving to follow him with all our hearts, we can still struggle with the call to build strong, healthy relationships. The Fall still affects us. So many of our sins and sinful desires can divide us from one another. We can hurt each other deeply, even when it's unintentional. Even little annoyances and irritations can lead to angry words and hardened hearts. That's why we need to invite Jesus into our relationships by asking him to bless them and help us to see them as he does. Today, ask him to gently show you where resentment or bitterness has crept into your heart. Maybe there are things you need to repent of, both to the Lord and to the other person. Or maybe the Holy Spirit will help you better understand what the other person is feeling or why they are acting as they are. Even if you have experienced a major hurt, you can still invite Jesus to heal you. It may take time, so be patient. In the meantime, put your faith in him. With his grace, you can have nurturing, life-giving relationships that give glory to his name! "Jesus, I thank you for all the relationships in my life." Psalm 50:1, 8, 16-17, 20-21
Mark 8:11-13 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"Then the LORD asked Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"
He answered, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" Yes, yes you are your brother's keeper. Yes you are the keeper of your sisters. Yes, you are to keep them from harm. Yes, you are to love them, even giving your very life for your brothers and your sisters. But, the opposite happens when the ugliest of sins rears its head as the form of a demon that nobody notices...pride. Oh boy I hate pride, it can get anybody, it is always there pressuring people, and it hides itself as "esteem" or "dignity" and in other disguises. You should see how pride hurts families, church families, and friends. It kills friends' relations, it kills a church group, and it kills its own family members. Maybe not physical killings, but most of the time, it kills relationships. Lately, I've asked some long time parishioners I've ran into about the reason they left the church, and it's always someone they didn't like. And so the whole parish will now suffer because of this anger or resentment, or cause of dislike. And what's even more crazy? The person, the reason they left, won't ever know! The parish is just left with the "bad person". Or, did the bad apple leave in their fury? It is kind of complicated, but not really, for pride is not that complicated to see, it just like to lurk in darkness, and tempts everyone of any race, of any creed. Pride causes wars, and the ones who suffer are the innocent, think of divorce, or abortions, or the devastation of the neutral person who could care less. | We pray today:
""You sit speaking against your brother; against your mother's son you spread rumors.
When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it? Or do you think that I am like yourself? I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes."
Offer to God a sacrifice of praise." And rumors kill. And gossip kills. Women are notorious for gossip, but men are sly in their words too, slipping a sword with a snarky remark.
I've been trying hard lately, not to say anything negative or make a funny comment about others. Even though the other person is doing us wrong, like this ex worker that is trying to steal our work, one of the very few jobs we got going on. It is hard not to say something snarky, something negative, something like a dagger, like the one stuck in one's back. A dagger for a dagger, right? No. I just have decided to zip my lip in front of the rest. And so it should be for all of us, that we do not so freely talk unrestrained. But build each other up, for we are the body of Christ. It's not about you any more, it is about Christ our Lord. Remeber the atrocity of pride from the beginning of time. The apple was about pride, to be equal or better as gods, as was the lie of darkness. And now the pains of watching all of us experience the damnation of not doing God's will. | In the Gospel today we heard:
"Why does this generation seek a sign?
Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation." What does this mean my child?
It means that love is one way faith giving and believing. You don't give to expect something in return. Only the unfaithful demand a return. Some people are so into themselves, that they expect a "thank you" and recognition for every little thing they do. This is a sign of pride at work, demons at work. And so, the unfaithful do not receive a sign.
But God cannot help Himself, and He shows Himself and proves Himself to the faithful, to the ones full of faith.
HE lives in a love relationship, constantly communicating and communing with His beloved. What am I saying?
Try telling God you love Him, and better yet, try showing Him you love Him.
These acts of true love, hidden love, He sees, the selfless giving for His name.
He loves it A LOT. We miss the mark when we do things for the opposite reason, for recognition, for self aggrandizement, for the ego to grow.
No.
These people wanted God to jump through hoops to prove Himself. So Jesus says no. You will not see Him jump through hoops for your pleasure.
Rather, it is us who have to go through the fire, to prove our love for Him.
These tests are hard. Sometimes I wonder why it is, but it has to be, to grow closer to Him, to the true source of fire, then you will have to go through tests, and trials, and pains. But as you get closer, His light is brighter. And you see more of what He sees, and for this very reason, you would never dare look back at the plow, even if others are more loved by God, the act of humility is just that: that others may be loved more than me...so long as I am still a mere part of God's kingdom. | Litany of Humility
Author: Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val y Zulueta O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, Hear me. From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being honored, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being praised, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being preferred to others, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the desire of being approved, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being despised, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being calumniated, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, O Jesus. From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me, O Jesus. That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be praised and I go unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. ....†....
Lord, only that I may love Thee with all my heart, mind, and soul forever, more truly than ever.
.......... |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 135:5–7 [Psalm 135] 5 For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.
7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
