†Saint Quote
"The Divine Heart is an ocean full of all good things, wherein poor souls can cast all their needs; it is an ocean full of joy to drown all our sadness, an ocean of humility to drown our folly, an ocean of mercy to those in distress, an ocean of love in which to submerge our poverty."
–St. Margaret Mary †Today's Meditation
"It is necessary to have an absolutely sure intention in all our actions, so that the generous fulfillment of our daily duties may be directed toward the highest supernatural ideal. Thus, our life, apart from moments of prayer, will be a prayerful life. It is clear that the habit of giving an upward glance to God at the moment of action is a great assistance in aiding us to behave always with a pure intention and in freeing us from our natural impulses and fancies, so, that, retaining our self-mastery, or rather, God becoming the sole Master, all our movements become dependent upon the Holy Spirit. We see in the Gospel that whenever our Lord was about to undertake some important step, He always paused for a moment to raise His eyes to Heaven, and only after this moment of recollection did He take up the work He had to do. 'He lifted up His eyes to Heaven' is a phrase that recurs with significant frequency. And doubtless, when there was no outward sign of this prayer, there was the inward offering. The ideal is the same for us. The constant subjection of self to the guidance of the Holy Spirit is made easier from the fact of His presence in the soul, where He is asked explicitly to preside over all our doings . . . We shall not submit wholeheartedly to the invisible Guest unless He is kept in close proximity to us."
—Raoul Plus, S.J., p. 37-38 An Excerpt From
How to Pray Always †Daily Verse
"For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, "Fear not, I will help you.""
–Isaiah 41:13 |  click to read more | | St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne (634-687 A.D.) was born in present-day Scotland to a lowly family, and worked as a shepherd near the Melrose Abbey monastery. A child playmate prophesied that he would one day become a bishop. And one day, while tending to his sheep, St. Cuthbert saw in a vision the soul of St. Aidan, the Bishop of Lindisfarne, carried to heaven by angels. This mystical experience inspired in him a desire to become a monk. After spending time as a soldier defending his home region of Northumbria against attack, he arrived on horseback, armed with a spear, seeking entrance at the monastery. He was received and became a monk in the Celtic Christian tradition. He grew in holiness and learning, and after serving as prior he withdrew from the community into the lifestyle of a solitary hermit. After several years of a quiet life of prayer and penance, he was persuaded to return to active life as the Bishop of Lindisfarne. A year later he became sick and died. Miracles were reported at his grave; in fact, so numerous were the reported miracles that Cuthbert was called the "Wonder-worker of England." Throughout the Middle Ages the shrine of Cuthbert remained one of the most popular places of pilgrimage in northern England. His feast day is March 20th. | Solemnity of Saint Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary Lectionary: 543
Reading 1 2 Sm 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16 The LORD spoke to Nathan and said:
"Go, tell my servant David,
'When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors,
I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins,
and I will make his kingdom firm.
It is he who shall build a house for my name.
And I will make his royal throne firm forever.
I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me.
Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever.'" Responsorial Psalm Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29 R. (37) The son of David will live for ever.
The promises of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness,
For you have said, "My kindness is established forever";
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. The son of David will live for ever.
"I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
Forever will I confirm your posterity
and establish your throne for all generations."
R. The son of David will live for ever.
"He shall say of me, 'You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.'
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm."
R. The son of David will live for ever. Reading 2 Rom 4:13, 16-18, 22 Brothers and sisters:
It was not through the law
that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants
that he would inherit the world,
but through the righteousness that comes from faith.
For this reason, it depends on faith,
so that it may be a gift,
and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants,
not to those who only adhere to the law
but to those who follow the faith of Abraham,
who is the father of all of us, as it is written,
I have made you father of many nations.
He is our father in the sight of God,
in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead
and calls into being what does not exist.
He believed, hoping against hope,
that he would become the father of many nations,
according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be.
That is why it was credited to him as righteousness. Verse Before the Gospel Ps 84:5 Blessed are those who dwell in your house, O Lord;
they never cease to praise you. GospeL Mt 1:16, 18-21, 24a Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ. Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
"Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins."
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.
or
Lk 2:41-51a
Each year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
"Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety."
And he said to them,
"Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them. | Daily Meditation: Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22 He believed, hoping against hope. (Romans 4:18) No matter what novel you read or movie you watch, there is one element that always makes for a successful story: when the hero faces a seemingly hopeless situation and must either triumph over it or be undone by it. This is one reason why so many people love St. Joseph, whom we celebrate today. He faced a number of seemingly hopeless situations, and he always triumphed over them. Recall the time when he discovered that Mary, his betrothed, was pregnant with a child not his own. Should he accept her and bring up her child as his own? How would the villagers react to such a scandal? Joseph chose the harder path and took Mary into his home. Or think of how he undertook the journey to Bethlehem with a very pregnant wife or of the challenge of raising Jesus to embrace his calling as the Messiah. Or remember the time, not long after Jesus' birth, when King Herod sent his men to kill every baby boy in Bethlehem, and Joseph had to flee with Mary and Jesus. How could they evade trained soldiers? Would he find enough work in Egypt to support his family? In each situation, the odds always seemed stacked against him, but Joseph continued on. He placed his faith in the Lord and found the grace to stand firm. Or to quote today's first reading, Joseph, like Abraham before him, "believed, hoping against hope" (Romans 4:18). And he was never disappointed. That's the power of faith: it can sustain us and fill us with hope, no matter what we are facing. Financial hardship, family infighting, racial prejudice, chronic illness, you name it. We've all faced, or are facing now, situations that appear hopeless. We've all faced, or are facing now, the temptation to give up. So thank God for this poor, silent carpenter from Nazareth! Thank God for his witness of deep trust in the Lord! May we all follow in his footsteps and, through his intercession, find the grace to continue hoping against hope. "St. Joseph, watchful guardian of the Holy Family, teach me to live in unwavering hope!" 2 Samuel 7:4-5, 12-14, 16
Psalm 89:2-5, 27, 29
Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"And I will make his royal throne firm forever. I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me." You should see the atrocity of our world, throughout the ages, because a child does not have a father. Saint Joseph had to step up, and step in, to be the father...of God our Father! We need Saint Joseph til this day, for men to step up to fill in the gap...to show faith, to show the youth the way of purity, of righteousness, of the Way of God. | We pray today:
" "He shall say of me, 'You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.'
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm."
The son of David will live for ever." | In the Gospel today we heard our Lord:
"Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ." And this is said to be the month of Saint Joseph. Next to Mary, they say that Saint Joseph has a powerful intercession in Heaven. But, to be honest, I've not tried it, or I have but have doubted. But sometimes I feel a strange notion, that he does help. And this morning I felt like praying for his protection...for my family, for my community, because of the horrible evil that is in all aspects of life around us and surrounding us. Probably the worst...is the devil inside already causing havoc, bickering, depression, and anxiety...doubt in faith, and doubt in hope, and a life that hurts to live. Would you agree? And so I'm praying for light, that hope, that joy even, the joy of saints, the joy of angels, the joy of purity, as a child laughs and loves, and plays without a worry...Father I pray, on earth as it is in Heaven. | From Bishop Barron Today:
Friends, today we celebrate the feast of St. Joseph. Every episode of Joseph's life is a crisis. He discovered that the woman to whom he was betrothed was pregnant. He resolved to divorce her quietly, but then the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream and explained the anomalous pregnancy. So Joseph understood what was happening in the context of God's providence and took Mary as his wife. Next, discovering that the child was in mortal danger, Joseph took mother and baby on a perilous journey to an unknown country. Anyone who has ever been forced to move to a new city knows something of the anxiety that Joseph must have felt. But Joseph went because God had commanded him. Finally, we hear of Joseph desperately seeking his lost twelve-year-old son. Quietly taking the child home, Joseph once more put aside his human feelings and trusted in the purposes of God. The little we know about Joseph is that he experienced heartbreak, fear unto death, and a parent's deepest anxiety. But each time, he read what happened to him as a theo-drama, not an ego-drama. This shift in attitude is what made Joseph the patron of the universal Church.
. . . . And so, today, we pray to Saint Joseph, to be our step father, to step in, to step up, to protect us, and show us the way of God and to live and die for Jesus. ....†....
Lord, that I could give my life to you, as a cheerful giver...what a blessing for Heaven this would be!
.......... |  Hear it click | Random Bible Verse
Revelation 3:20
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
