†Saint Quote
"Heaven is filled with converted sinners of all kinds, and there is room for more."
–St. Joseph Cafasso †Today's Meditation
"Often Jesus asks the sick to believe. He makes use of signs to heal: spittle and the laying on of hands, mud and washing. The sick try to touch him, 'for power came forth from him and healed them all'. And so in the sacraments Christ continues to 'touch' us in order to heal us. Moved by so much suffering Christ not only allows himself to be touched by the sick, but he makes their miseries his own: 'He took our infirmities and bore our diseases'. But he did not heal all the sick. His healings were signs of the coming of the Kingdom of God. They announced a more radical healing: the victory over sin and death through his Passover. On the cross Christ took upon himself the whole weight of evil and took away the 'sin of the world', of which illness is only a consequence. By his passion and death on the cross Christ has given a new meaning to suffering: it can henceforth configure us to him and unite us with his redemptive Passion."
—Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1504-1505 †Daily Verse
"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love." –Ephesians 3:14-17 †Ash Wednesday
In biblical times it was common to sprinkle ashes on the head as a sign of repentance and humility. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, which is the time we contemplate our relationship with God and identify the areas in our spiritual life that need work. The ashes are a physical reminder of our Lenten journey; by receiving the ashes on our heads and keeping them on through the day, we are recognizing that life passes away on earth. Therefore we strive during Lent to turn away from sin, refocus our lives on following God's commandments, and look towards the Kingdom of Heaven. |  click to read more | | St. Margaret of Cortona St. Margaret of Cortona (1247-1297) was born in Tuscany, Italy, the only child of a working-class family. She lost her mother at age seven, and had a poor relationship with her stepmother. Margaret was spoiled, willful, reckless, and beautiful, and at the age of seventeen she left her father's house in the night and became the mistress of a young nobleman. She lived with him in his family castle for nine years and bore him a son, but he did not marry her due to her lower social class. One day he did not return home from a journey, and his hound came back to the castle alone. The dog led Margaret into the nearby wood where she discovered her lover brutally murdered. This shook her to her core. Her eyes were opened to the sinfulness of her way of life, and she became deeply repentant. She left his family castle with her son and sought out the Franciscan friars for spiritual direction. She then reformed her life through intense prayer, penance, and self-discipline, eventually joining the Third Order of St. Francis, and living in strict poverty and great charity towards the poor. St. Margaret of Cortona is the patron saint of the homeless, reformed prostitutes, midwives, single laywomen, the mentally ill, and the falsely accused. Her feast day is February 22nd. | Ash Wednesday Reading 1 Jl 2:12-18 Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;
Rend your hearts, not your garments,
and return to the LORD, your God.
For gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger, rich in kindness,
and relenting in punishment.
Perhaps he will again relent
and leave behind him a blessing,
Offerings and libations
for the LORD, your God. Blow the trumpet in Zion!
proclaim a fast,
call an assembly;
Gather the people,
notify the congregation;
Assemble the elders,
gather the children
and the infants at the breast;
Let the bridegroom quit his room
and the bride her chamber.
Between the porch and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep,
And say, "Spare, O LORD, your people,
and make not your heritage a reproach,
with the nations ruling over them!
Why should they say among the peoples,
'Where is their God?'" Then the LORD was stirred to concern for his land
and took pity on his people. Responsorial Psalm Ps 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13, 14 and 17 R. (see 3a) Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
"Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight."
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned. Reading 2 2 Cor 5:20—6:2 Brothers and sisters:
We are ambassadors for Christ,
as if God were appealing through us.
We implore you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,
so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Working together, then,
we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
For he says: In an acceptable time I heard you,
and on the day of salvation I helped you. Behold, now is a very acceptable time;
behold, now is the day of salvation.
Verse Before the Gospel See Ps 95:8
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts. Gospel Mt 6:1-6, 16-18 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. "When you pray,
do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room,
close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. "When you fast,
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you."
| Daily Meditation: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 When you pray . . . (Matthew 6:5) Welcome to the season of Lent! Whether you are a longtime or first-time reader of our magazine or somewhere in between, we are sure that these next forty days can be a time of great blessing. Every Lent, we take up the spiritual practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. In today's Gospel, Jesus encourages us to do them "in secret" so that our God, who sees into the "secret" of our hearts, can fill us and transform us from the inside out (Matthew 6:6). We'd like to make a suggestion as you embark on these practices: try placing a special emphasis on prayer this Lent. Tell yourself, "I want to focus on encountering the Lord. I want to hear his voice in my heart and know his love more deeply." You may, in fact, find it helpful to read our main articles in this issue, which focus on learning about prayer from Jesus himself. As you pray, try to invite the Lord into those "secret" parts of your life that may be darkened by sin or wounded by past hurts. Because the more we seek the Lord, the more we will find him. And in finding him, we'll experience a deep love and joy that can overcome every obstacle in our lives. Imagine the blessings that can come as you spend time with the Lord over these next forty days! The God "who is hidden" won't be as hidden as he once seemed (Matthew 6:18). You'll begin to love him more, and you'll come to see his cross as the ultimate act of love, both for you and for everyone around you. That love can warm your heart and help you treat everyone with that very same love. So what do you think? Are you ready? Because the Lord is. He is ready to reveal himself to you—every time you pray. "Here I am, Lord! Teach me how to seek you and find you in prayer this Lent." Joel 2:12-18
Psalm 51:3-6, 12-14, 17
2 Corinthians 5:20–6:2 |  click to hear 2cents | Listen to my2cents audio. Share the link if you like: Share 2cents | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;
Rend your hearts, not your garments,
and return to the LORD, your God." Have we no fear of the Lord our God? Scripture here screams fear. Fear to offend God, not because of the punishments that are necessary for justice, but fear because we love Him SOOO Much! If you really REALLY love somebody, you will be afraid to hurt their hearts, to betray them, to stab them while they are not looking, right? This is a true fear of the Lord, and this means a true love of the Lord. You see, Heaven operates on love. We are like love miners on earth. The Church Militant is designed to mine for Love, working this place with our hands, hearts, and souls. It goes deep...and it is a real honor...to bless God and one another. | We pray today:
"For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
"Against you only have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight."
Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned. A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me." | In the Gospel today we heard our Lord:
_"When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you"- Now is the time to give from your heart, not your wallet, not with limits. Our Lord goes on to the second point: "When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them." Now is the time to go into the desert, follow the new Moses, our Lord Jesus, to the other side, the Exodus will be Easter. Our Lord goes on to the 3rd point of Lent and our new way of life: "When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting." Today we will fast. Every Friday we will abstain and fast. Why? Because our Lord did the same and He continues to do the same through us. We are called to live Him on. He lives and acts through us! He WANTS to live closer to God our Father through us! And we will live closer because of it! | From Bishop Barron Today:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, the Lord prescribes prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as our Lenten disciplines.
The Church traditionally says there are three things we ought to do during Lent, and I put stress on the word do. In recent years, we've emphasized the interior dimensions a little too much—that Lent is primarily about attitudes, about ideas and intentions. In the traditional practice of the Church, Lent is about doing things, things that involve the body as much as the mind, that involve the exterior of your life as much as the interior.
The three great practices of Lent—prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—are three things you do. This is going to sound a little bit strange, but my recommendation for this Lent is, in a certain way, to forget about your spiritual life—by which I mean forget about looking inside at how you're progressing spiritually. Follow the Church's recommendations and do three things: pray, fast, and give alms. And as you do, pray to draw closer to the Lord as the center of your life and the reason you do everything." _ Bishop Barron We are embarking on a journey of faith. Where it leads to you, you already know. Mortification? Yes. Self denial? Yes. What other time of life will avail you this time of spiritual renewal like this? There is no better time than to do what our Lord is asking than now. If we do this, if we all repent, then perhaps He will relent. And this is good, because His Sacred Heart is relentless when it comes to mercy. You think you know mercy and love? LOL, we have a long, LONG way to go to reach Him. But we can try. Take a cue from children and pure love. They know how to love and how to give, if we let them and teach them.
What are you giving up? And will it actually hurt you to give it up? If so, then, GOOD!
What are you going to spend your money on this lent? Will it be now for the poor and forgotten? They wouldn't ask if they didn't need....to see God, that is Love, in action!
How much more will you be praying this lent? Can you add on another daily rosary, or meditation? Can you add a few minutes in deeper love connection and visitation of our Lord? Can you visit the forgotten? All of this love time is time well spent. This means you repent. This means you relent. This means God is love on the move and living in our present reality. ....†....
Most sweet Jesus, Redeemer of the human race, look down upon us humbly prostrate before Your altar. We are Yours, and Yours we wish to be; but, to be more surely united with You, behold each one of us freely consecrates himself today to Your Most Sacred Heart. Many indeed have never known You; many too, despising Your precepts, have rejected You. Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus, and draw them to Your Sacred Heart.
.......... from your brother Adrian@Going4th.com |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 4:8 [Psalm 4] 8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
