†Saint Quote
"Quote of the Day
"I know well that the greater and more beautiful the work is, the more terrible will be the storms that rage against it."
–St. Faustina †Today's Meditation
"Love is a strong force — a great good in every way; it alone can make our burdens light, and alone it bears in equal balance what is pleasing and displeasing. It carries a burden and does not feel it; it makes all that is bitter taste sweet. … Nothing is sweeter than love, nothing higher, nothing stronger, nothing larger, nothing more joyful, nothing fuller, nothing better in heaven or on earth; for love is born of God and can find its rest only in God above all He has created. Such lovers fly high, run swiftly and rejoice. Their souls are free; they give all for all and have all in all. For they rest in One supreme Goodness above all things, from Whom all other good flows and proceeds. They look not only at the gifts, but at the Giver, Who is above all gifts."
—Thomas à Kempis, p. 108 An Excerpt From
Imitation of Christ †Daily Verse
"But as it is written: "What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him," this God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God."
–1 Corinthians 2:9-10 St. Perpetua & St. Felicity St. Perpetua and St. Felicity (d. 203 A.D.) were friends who lived in Carthage, North Africa. They were both catechumens preparing to receive the Church's sacraments: Perpetua was a married noblewoman nursing her first child, and Felicity was a pregnant Christian slave who worked as a household servant. Because Christianity was forbidden, they were seized along with two companions, one of them being their catechist. Perpetua's baptism was hastened after her arrest, and God told her to pray for strength to withstand her coming trials. While in prison she kept a detailed diary of her sufferings and mystical visions, one of the oldest and most treasured of early Christian writings. Her father, a pagan, pleaded with her to deny her faith, even bringing her infant, for whom she was anxious, to the prison in order to persuade her to apostatize. She refused. Felicity also remained steadfast in her faith, giving birth to a daughter while in prison a few days before her execution. Perpetua, Felicity, and their companions were condemned to be torn by wild animals in the arena. Perpetua understood that their contest was not with animals, but with the devil. She walked into the arena and met her fate with a joy and bravery that astonished many onlookers. Perpetua, Felicity, and their companions were mauled and then beheaded on March 7, 203. St. Perpetua and St. Felicity share a feast day on March 7th. |  click to read more | | St. Colette St. Colette (1381-1447) was born in Picardy, France, the daughter of a poor carpenter who served the local Benedictine abbey. Her parents conceived her in their old age after praying to St. Nicholas for a child, naming Colette after him. She became well known for her faith and spiritual wisdom from a young age. After the death of her parents she joined the Third Order of St. Francis and became a hermit. She led a life of asceticism and solitude until a dream revealed that God willed her to reform the Poor Clares. She obeyed and joined the Poor Clares in 1406. Her mission of reformation was sanctioned by Benedict XIII of Avignon (the anti-pope) who appointed her superior of each of the convents she reformed. Despite resistance from within the Poor Clares, she successfully reformed several existing convents and founded 17 new ones dedicated to a stricter observance of the Poor Clares, known as the Colettines. She experienced visions and ecstasies of Christ's Passion, and even prophesied her own death. Through her life's work, St. Colette's reformation breathed new life into the Poor Clares and created a lasting model of spirituality. St. Colette's feast day is March 6th.
Find a Devotional for This Saint | Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent • Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saints Perpetua and Felicity, martyrs Reading 1 Is 1:10, 16-20 Hear the word of the LORD,
princes of Sodom!
Listen to the instruction of our God,
people of Gomorrah! Wash yourselves clean!
Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes;
cease doing evil; learn to do good.
Make justice your aim: redress the wronged,
hear the orphan's plea, defend the widow. Come now, let us set things right,
says the LORD:
Though your sins be like scarlet,
they may become white as snow;
Though they be crimson red,
they may become white as wool.
If you are willing, and obey,
you shall eat the good things of the land;
But if you refuse and resist,
the sword shall consume you:
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken! Responsorial Psalm Ps 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23 R. (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold."
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?"
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"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.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God."
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God. Verse Before the Gospel Ez 18:31 Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, says the LORD,
and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Gospel Mt 23:1-12 Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,
"The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry
and lay them on people's shoulders,
but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen.
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.'
As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.'
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called 'Master';
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."
| Daily Meditation: Matthew 23:1-12 All their works are performed to be seen. (Matthew 23:5) Jesus didn't mince words in criticizing those scribes and Pharisees who highlighted their outward displays of holiness. That's because he knew that they weren't living up to the standard they expected from others. We can be sure they had good intentions. They studied the Law of Moses because they truly wanted to follow the Lord, but they let their human pride get in the way of their sincere devotion. They modified their religious clothing to make it stand out more and sought the respect of the people, not for their love for God, but for their position in society (Matthew 23:5-7). We might wonder why these men were so concerned about other people's opinions. It's not that they were insecure. It's more likely that they were trying to protect their faith against corruption by their Roman occupiers. Wanting to preserve Judaism at all costs, they stressed ritual and tradition to the point that they lost sight of what it was all for. And in the process, they started looking down on those who didn't live up to their standards. None of us is above this kind of temptation. We may not carry enormous Bibles or wear huge crosses, but we may still want to be recognized and applauded for our faith or our reputation for holiness. Or we may hide our gifts, afraid that they're not sufficiently worthy of admiration—a more subtle form of pride. But our weaknesses in these areas shouldn't discourage us. On the contrary, they should make us all the more eager to seek God's mercy and grace to change! If you want to be humble, you don't have to look any further than Jesus for your example. He never tried to get attention, and he never promoted himself. But he drew far more people to himself than these scribes and Pharisees ever could. That's because he had what they needed—the love of his heavenly Father. You don't have to impress anyone if you are following Jesus. You just have to stay close to him, and people will recognize his presence within you! "Father, free me from the desire for praise and honor. Help me to give glory to you alone." Isaiah 1:10, 16-20
Psalm 50:8-9, 16-17, 21, 23 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good.
Make justice your aim: redress the wronged,
hear the orphan's plea, defend the widow." Wash clean? You mean showers? Haha, remember we are going deeper than the superficial. Baptism washes away original sin, but then we continue to sin, and so we go wash away in His blood, in Holy Confession, and did you know that Holy Communion, the Eucharist can help wash away sins too? It's true, sanctifying grace comes into our souls, and this is amazing, that this brushes away the darkness, and more light becomes a fixture of our very being. Then we can cease to do evil, and learn to do more good. We can then become just and have authority to help those in the wrong, so they too may come to that same light.
And who is the orphan? I take scripture literally, I write new songs when I hear "sing a new song". And when I hear the word orphans, I start looking for real orphans in the world.
But remember, things go deep here too. What is an orphan? One who is without a mother or father, right? I try to help an orphanage in Mexico all the time, and we communicate just about weekly on various things, we ask each other for prayer and they often ask for material help.
But what about the every day orphans in our lives? Who are they?
My Catholic Family, our orphans are those without our Blessed Mother, and live not knowing our Beloved Father in Heaven. Things go real deep, and orphans need to be tended to, so they can have their plea's heard, their prayers...of this search for their identity...the holiness and fulfillment of all things...our Father in Heaven. | We pray today:
"Why do you recite my statutes, and profess my covenant with your mouth, Though you hate discipline and cast my words behind you?". To the upright I will show the saving power of God" | In the Gospel today we heard our Lord:
"The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example." Ever seen a not so good Bishop, or Priest? They exist! They are what the world calls "simply human". Sad thing is, instead of people helping them, or praying for them, they choose to ridicule them and stop going to church because of them. But our Lord says to do the opposite. He says to observe what they tell you. Hidden word here is: Obedience.
Heaven follows this law perfectly.
In our fallen world, we do not follow Heaven's laws very well. We somewhat obey. We somewhat love. But we do not obey as we ought. We are not to imitate the bad priests, but to follow God's laws as they say to do. And if you are knowledgeable in God's laws, you would already know this full well and act on it. | "They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.'
As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.''
Boy do people love attention and getting "credit" for works. I often tell ministries to stop trying to get attention or notoriety. Some holy orders, I forget which, Carmelites or some group are not even supposed to receive awards, or public recognition. But the world teaches the opposite, and that self esteem and ego are to reign supreme...and I hate what is under the surface...the most evil lure...called pride. "Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Christ."
Protestants love to throw a certain few "one liners" at Catholics, and here is one of their favorites, "call NO ONE FATHER!". Haha! Yet they call their dads fathers, or fill all paperwork as fathers, and some that really love religion and Christianity actually start reading and loving the "Church FATHERS". These are the founders of Christianity itself.
So what's up with not being able to call someone father or master?
The obvious truth is that no one on earth is to be held in or on the same level as our God, all deserving of all our love, attention, and worship. Those would be false gods or idols.
But we call our priest a "Father" because in the Holy Sacraments he like a father, giving birth to children in Baptism, and guiding us throughout our lives, and becoming the hands of Christ on the altar, and becoming Christ in the Confessional, for God the Father acts through them. There used to be a day when a priest was loved, as a real father. Nowadays, they are shamed and ridiculed at every little chance the media gets. Priests need our prayers, and support, and our love, and our encouragement. Children make their father honored, on earth as it is in Heaven. "The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Take it from a guy who is in tons of ministries. We lead from behind. If you want to lead, be prepared to serve the most and care the most. If you want to lead, be prepared to bleed.
If you want to lead, be prepared to set the benchmark for the next to surpass.
If you want to be great, in Heaven, then be prepared to be the least on earth....the most ridiculed, the most laughed at, the most picked on, the most with a target on their back.
Yes, this is true. So what can we do? You'd better latch on to the cross of Christ, and let Him do all the leading, and heavy lifting. This is lent, a life of sacrifice, a life well spent. ....†....
Lord, how do I give You better honor and glory? Let my soul magnify Your Presence, that the world may know You are living and active, and truly moving in Love.
.......... |  Hear it click | Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 31:1–2 Into Your Hand I Commit My Spirit
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 31 In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me!
2 Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
