†Saint Quote
"You must accept your cross; if you bear it courageously it will carry you to Heaven."
–St. John Vianney †Today's Meditation
"Souls who spread the honor of My mercy I shield through their entire lives as a tender mother her infant, and at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them, but the Merciful Savior. At that last hour, a soul has nothing with which to defend itself except My mercy. Happy is the soul that during its lifetime immersed itself in the Fountain of Mercy, because justice will have no hold on it."
—Jesus to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, 1075 An Excerpt From
Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska - Divine Mercy in My Soul †Daily Verse
"If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory."
–Colossians 3:1-4 |  click to read more | | St. Juliana St. Juliana of Nicomedia (c. 270 A.D.), also known as St. Juliana of Cumae, was the daughter of noble pagan parents, born in Nicomedia, a Greek city in ancient Turkey. Although her father was hostile to Christians, Juliana secretly accepted baptism. Her father arranged her marriage to a pagan nobleman and Roman senator. When the time for her wedding came, Juliana refused her consent to be married unless her betrothed converted to the Christian faith. Her father retaliated by mercilessly abusing her, but Juliana would not give in. Her betrothed then denounced her as a Christian before the tribunal under the persecutions of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. St. Juliana was unwavering in her faith, even after the devil himself appeared to tempt her during her sufferings. She was then publicly tortured by being burned, boiled in oil, and finally beheaded. Some accounts say she died together with St. Barbara. Many were converted to the Christian faith upon witnessing her fortitude in the face of her tortures. St. Juliana is the patron saint of sickness and bodily ills. Her feast day is February 16th. | Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Gn 9:1-13 God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them:
"Be fertile and multiply and fill the earth.
Dread fear of you shall come upon all the animals of the earth
and all the birds of the air,
upon all the creatures that move about on the ground
and all the fishes of the sea;
into your power they are delivered.
Every creature that is alive shall be yours to eat;
I give them all to you as I did the green plants.
Only flesh with its lifeblood still in it you shall not eat.
For your own lifeblood, too, I will demand an accounting:
from every animal I will demand it,
and from one man in regard to his fellow man
I will demand an accounting for human life. If anyone sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed;
For in the image of God
has man been made. Be fertile, then, and multiply;
abound on earth and subdue it." God said to Noah and to his sons with him:
"See, I am now establishing my covenant with you
and your descendants after you
and with every living creature that was with you:
all the birds, and the various tame and wild animals
that were with you and came out of the ark.
I will establish my covenant with you,
that never again shall all bodily creatures be destroyed
by the waters of a flood;
there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth."
God added:
"This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come,
of the covenant between me and you
and every living creature with you:
I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign
of the covenant between me and the earth." Responsorial Psalm Ps 102:16-18, 19-21, 29 and 22-23 R. (20b) From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth. The nations shall revere your name, O LORD,
and all the kings of the earth your glory,
When the LORD has rebuilt Zion
and appeared in his glory;
When he has regarded the prayer of the destitute,
and not despised their prayer.
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
Let this be written for the generation to come,
and let his future creatures praise the LORD:
"The LORD looked down from his holy height,
from heaven he beheld the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoners,
to release those doomed to die."
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
The children of your servants shall abide,
and their posterity shall continue in your presence,
That the name of the LORD may be declared in Zion,
and his praise, in Jerusalem,
When the peoples gather together,
and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth. Alleluia See Jn 6:63c, 68c See Jn 6:63c, 68c R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 8:27-33 Jesus and his disciples set out
for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Along the way he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that I am?"
They said in reply,
"John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others one of the prophets."
And he asked them,
"But who do you say that I am?"
Peter said to him in reply,
"You are the Christ." Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him. He began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed, and rise after three days.
He spoke this openly.
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples,
rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."
| Daily Meditation: Genesis 9:1-13 I am now establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you. (Genesis 9:9) What's a covenant? If you were reading through the Old Testament, the first time you'd see that word is in the story of Noah, first in Genesis 6:18 and then in today's passage. In a literal sense, a covenant is a binding agreement between two parties. Common in ancient times, it united the two parties unconditionally. What sets God's covenant with Noah apart from all others is that it was not merely a legal arrangement between two tribes or people. It was forged in God's own heart. He initiated this covenant. He bound himself to his creation and promised that he would be faithful to watch over his people. It was God's own life-giving promise to protect Noah and his family, to guide them, and to cause them to flourish. God promised to continue this blessing for generations in an "everlasting covenant" (Genesis 9:16). It was a commitment to Noah's descendants, and it extends to each one of us in Christ. God never forgets his oath. He has joined himself to us and committed himself fully to us because he loves us. And in his faithfulness, when just the right time had come, he brought this covenant to perfection in the new covenant through the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus. You are part of this covenant. God has joined himself to you in an everlasting bond of love. His commitment to you began when he formed you and created you (Psalm 139:13-16). It continued when he welcomed you into his family at your baptism. You are now part of the new covenant, ratified by Jesus' precious blood. And he invites you to reaffirm your covenant with him every time you pray, join in the celebration at Mass, or receive the other sacraments. Our God has shown an unbelievable commitment to each one of us. Even when we fall short, he still extends his love and protection to us. He will never abandon us. He has even given us the grace we need to turn to him and unite ourselves to him. This is what a faithful covenant relationship looks like! "Father, thank you for your covenant with Noah that reaches through time and reveals your faithful love!" Psalm 102:16-23, 29
Mark 8:27-33 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come, of the covenant between me and you
and every living creature with you:
I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign
of the covenant between me and the earth." One of the hardest things I've had to endure, was the passing of my dad, the boss all my life, in family business, and family affairs, and all aspects even in faith. The day after his passing, I saw a rainbow. It reminded me of God's promise. A new covenant. A new life. Darkness and tempests behind, not easy to process, but faith must carry us through. And to be honest, I took hope from this picture 6 days after my dad's passing, a double rainbow overlooking some of our trucks and my house. My pain was not healed, may never fully heal, but you can tell God is telling you something; "Take heart, I Am here with you". When you see a rainbow, it is God's promise, His covenant. The light now ushers out from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, rays of light, mercy, and grace, from blood and water. | We pray today:
"The children of your servants shall abide, and their posterity shall continue in your presence, That the name of the LORD may be declared in Zion, and his praise, in Jerusalem, When the peoples gather together, and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth."
As we speak, my mom, who has suffered greatly the loss of my dad, she took courage to fulfill a lifelong dream...to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. In one or two days she will be at Mt. Sinai where Moses received the 10 commandments. And then, she will eventually visit the Holy Land and Mt. Zion. They say that to go from Mt. Sinai to Mt. Zion, is to move from judgement to grace. But for sure, to live in God's grace one must live in order and obedience, all things Heavenly. | In the Gospel today we heard:
"Along the way he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that I am?" Nowadays, ask Joe off the street and the youth, and chances are you will get an answer that is indifferent.
They say Christianity is supposedly on the decline. Lately they say governement is looking into calling Catholics extremists as if terrorists. And this the people of Christ!
What about God? What god? Right? Because, the atrocity of the thought, is the time when satan gave doubt to Eve, and this was the beginning of people making themselves gods, like in a communist regime, where supposedly "man" is like gods, and what they say goes. This ushers in extreme disorder, and death begins to knock harder at the door because that is the power of darkness.
So many make out our God to be so much less! If He were everything to you, it would show without you ever saying a word! If He were your King, you would be found slaving away as a good and faithful servant in His Kingdom!
But as it stands, He is seen more of a boss, than a Father. He is seen more of a type of leader, but not really the Father of everything. And so we live in a mundane and world trying to be more and more gray, more neutral. But this is not what God likes. | _"Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples,
rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." _ Our thoughts are not His thoughts.
Our plans are not His plans.
Today, we are being challenged with the hardest question, because it calls for an honest and true answer.
Who do you say that He is? This is personal. This is for the whole world. Who is He? Is He your King, your everything, your true love? Or...not? ....†....
Lord, I can only hope that we truly seek You, and on the way to love You, and in finding You, love you forever.
.......... |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 3:7–8 [Proverbs 3] 7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your flesh1 and refreshment2 to your bones. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
