†Saint Quote
"Happiness can only be achieved by looking inward and learning to enjoy whatever life has, and this requires transforming greed into gratitude."
–St. John Chrysostom †Today's Meditation
"Now, man is afraid of death by nature, afraid of the decay of the body. But here is a really starling fact: whoever has put on the faith of the Cross despises even what is naturally dreadful, and for Christ's sake is not afraid of death. So if anyone is skeptical even now, after so many proofs, and after so many have become martyrs to Christ, and after those who are champions in Christ have shown scorn for death every day—if his mind is still doubtful about whether death has been brought to nothing and come to an end—well, he's right to wonder at such a great thing. But he should not be stubborn in his skepticism, or cynical in the face of what is so obvious. Let him who is skeptical about the victory over death receive the faith of Christ, and come over to his teaching. Then he will see how weak death is, and the triumph over it. Many who used to be skeptics and scoffers have later believed, and despised death even enough to become martyrs for Christ himself."
—St. Athanasius, p.15 †Daily Verse
"Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me. I cried aloud to him, and he was extolled with my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has given heed to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!" –Psalm 66:16-20 |  click to read more | | St. John of God St. John of God (1495-1550) was born in Portugal to poor and devout Christian parents. How he came to be separated from them and homeless at the age of 8 is uncertain, but he eventually found work as a shepherd until the age of 22. At that time he enlisted as a soldier in the Roman Emperor's army to escape an offer of marriage to the shepherd's daughter. There he led a wild and dissolute life; fond memories of his parents is all that kept the spark of faith alive in his heart. At the age of 40 he left the army and reformed himself, beginning with a penitential pilgrimage to St. James of Compostella (The Way of St. James) in Spain. Appalled at his sinful and wasted life, he was determined to spend his remaining days in good works. He was affirmed in this direction by a vision of the Infant Jesus and a sermon of St. John of Avila, who was to become his spiritual director. He later dedicated his life in service to the poor, homeless, and sick, especially the mentally ill, by starting a hospital and homeless shelter. Many people were attracted to him and his work, and he organized his followers into the Order of Hospitallers. They were approved by the Holy See as the Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God, which still exists to this day. St. John of God is the patron saint of many causes, especially of hospitals, hospital workers, nurses, the sick, and the dying. His feast day is March 8. | Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent Lectionary: 232
Reading 1 Jer 18:18-20 The people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem said,
"Come, let us contrive a plot against Jeremiah.
It will not mean the loss of instruction from the priests,
nor of counsel from the wise, nor of messages from the prophets.
And so, let us destroy him by his own tongue;
let us carefully note his every word." Heed me, O LORD,
and listen to what my adversaries say.
Must good be repaid with evil
that they should dig a pit to take my life?
Remember that I stood before you
to speak in their behalf,
to turn away your wrath from them. Responsorial Psalm 31:5-6, 14, 15-16 R. (17b) Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
You will free me from the snare they set for me,
for you are my refuge.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
I hear the whispers of the crowd, that frighten me from every side,
as they consult together against me, plotting to take my life.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
But my trust is in you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my God."
In your hands is my destiny; rescue me
from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your kindness. Verse Before the Gospel Jn 8:12 I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life. Gospel Mt 20:17-28 As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem,
he took the Twelve disciples aside by themselves,
and said to them on the way,
"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,
and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests
and the scribes,
and they will condemn him to death,
and hand him over to the Gentiles
to be mocked and scourged and crucified,
and he will be raised on the third day." Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons
and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.
He said to her, "What do you wish?"
She answered him,
"Command that these two sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom."
Jesus said in reply,
"You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?"
They said to him, "We can."
He replied,
"My chalice you will indeed drink,
but to sit at my right and at my left,
this is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."
When the ten heard this,
they became indignant at the two brothers.
But Jesus summoned them and said,
"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many." | Daily Meditation: Matthew 20:17-28 Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom. (Matthew 20:21) Mothers always want the best for their children, and the mother of James and John was no different. If her sons were going to give up everything to follow Jesus, she wanted them to be rewarded with the privilege of sitting at his right and left side when he came into his kingdom! Jesus' response must have caught her completely by surprise. He said that he had no control over where her sons would sit. And if it was beyond his control, then it was certainly beyond her control! What she and her sons should have really been focusing on was being last, not first; being a servant, not a master. That might have been tough for this mother to hear. Sometimes it's hard for us to hear, too. After all, we like to have things our own way. We like to be recognized. But we can turn things around if we practice letting go of control and letting go of our own plans. We can become more humble if we practice trusting and accepting God's plan. We can imitate Jesus as we find opportunities to serve and not look for recognition. Lent is a great opportunity to embrace this process more deeply and to seek the Holy Spirit's help. For example, let's say you're stuck in traffic when you're in a hurry to get somewhere. Instead of focusing on your frustration, realize that you've been given a few extra minutes to pray. Or you can pay attention to how you react when you don't receive some affirmation you thought you deserved for a good deed. Let the Spirit strengthen your heart to continue serving even if no one notices. Or when your prayers are not answered as you expected, ask the Spirit to help you trust that God can bring something good out of the situation nevertheless (Romans 8:28). We all want to become more like Jesus and to learn to follow his plan for our lives. And that's a lifelong quest! But we can trust God to help us surrender control. We can trust that his plan for us really is what's best for us. "Lord, help me to do your will in all things." Jeremiah 18:18-20
Psalm 31:5-6, 14-16 |  click to hear 2cents | Listen to my2cents audio. Share the link if you like: https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/folders/1f9gDNPmrP5yB42-LZXsPPZ4pp8tYIcIV?pli=1&sort=7&direction=d | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"Remember that I stood before you
to speak in their behalf,
to turn away your wrath from them." Our Lord stands on our behalf....tli this day. Taste and see how merciful and loving our Lord is. | We pray today:
"But my trust is in you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my God."
In your hands is my destiny; rescue me
from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.
Save me, O Lord, in your kindnes | In the Gospel today we heard our Lord:
"Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many." In the Book of Heaven, one sees that our Lord is still at work at every moment.
So how could we not be at work as our Father is at work? It's the cup of blessing He offers for the whole world. | From Bishop Barron today; "Friends, in today's Gospel, the mother of James and John asks Jesus in their name that they be honored in his kingdom. Jesus patiently attends to their request and tries to clarify and redirect it. Then his final answer comes: "But to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." The Father has prepared the place for one who will reign with Jesus when he comes into his glory. On Good Friday afternoon, the good thief turned to the crucified Jesus and made a request that was similar to that of James and John: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." And to him Jesus responded, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." This crucified criminal was indeed in the very place that James and John, in their naïve ambition, coveted. The one who was drinking the same cup of suffering as Jesus was privileged to reign with him. Let there be no limit to your ambition, as long as it conduces you to that place alongside of the crucified Christ." ....†....
Lord, let me be Your Servant....let me yoke with You.
.......... |  Hear it click | Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 12:18 18 There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
