†Saint Quote
"Pray, hope and don't worry. Anxiety doesn't help at all. Our Merciful Lord will listen to your prayer."
–Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina †Today's Meditation
"Thus sin renders the soul miserable, weak and torpid, inconstant in doing good, cowardly in resisting temptation, slothful in the observance of God's commandments. It deprives her of true liberty and of that sovereignty which she should never resign; it makes her a slave to the world, the flesh, and the devil; it subjects her to a harder and more wretched servitude than that of the unhappy Israelites in Egypt or Babylon. Sin so dulls and stupefies the spiritual senses of man that he is deaf to God's voice and inspirations; blind to the dreadful calamities which threaten him; insensible to the sweet odor of virtue and the example of the saints; incapable of tasting how sweet the Lord is, or feeling the touch of His benign hand in the benefits which should be a constant incitement to his greater love. Moreover, sin destroys the peace and joy of a good conscience, takes away the soul's fervor, and leaves her an object abominable in the eyes of God and His saints. The grace of justification delivers us from all these miseries. For God, in His infinite mercy, is not content with effacing our sins and restoring us to His favor; He delivers us from the evils sin has brought upon us, and renews the interior man in his former strength and beauty. Thus He heals our wounds, breaks our bonds, moderates the violence of our passions, restores with true liberty the supernatural beauty of the soul, reestablishes us in the peace and joy of a good conscience, reanimates our interior senses, inspires us with ardor for good and a salutary hatred of sin, makes us strong and constant in resisting evil, and thus enriches us with an abundance of good works. In fine, He so perfectly renews the inner man with all his faculties that the Apostle calls those who are thus justified new men and new creatures."
—Venerable Louis Of Grenada, p. 46 An Excerpt From
The Sinner's Guide †Daily Verse
"For to you has been granted, for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him."
–Philippians 1:29 |  click to read more | | St. Berthold of Mt. Carmel St. Berthold of Mt. Carmel (d. 1195), also known as Bartoldus of Calabria, was born in France, the son of a Count. He excelled at his studies and was ordained a priest. Berthold's brother, Aymeric, became the Latin patriarch of Antioch. The two joined together to participate in a Crusade to the Holy Land. While in the Holy Land, Berthold traveled to Mount Carmel and built a monastery and church dedicated to the Prophet Elijah. He gathered together a number of hermits scattered throughout Palestine to live together in imitation of the life of the great prophet as recorded in the Old Testament. Berthold became the group's superior and stayed with the community at Mount Carmel for 45 years until his death in 1195. It was the life and work of St. Berthold that laid the foundation for the Carmelite Order, whose rule was approved by Pope Honorius III in 1226. St. Berthold's feast day is March 29. | Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent Reading 1 Dn 3:14-20, 91-92, 95 King Nebuchadnezzar said:
""Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
that you will not serve my god,
or worship the golden statue that I set up?
Be ready now to fall down and worship the statue I had made,
whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet,
flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe,
and all the other musical instruments;
otherwise, you shall be instantly cast into the white-hot furnace;
and who is the God who can deliver you out of my hands?""
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar,
""There is no need for us to defend ourselves before you
in this matter.
If our God, whom we serve,
can save us from the white-hot furnace
and from your hands, O king, may he save us!
But even if he will not, know, O king,
that we will not serve your god
or worship the golden statue that you set up."" King Nebuchadnezzar's face became livid with utter rage
against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times more than usual
and had some of the strongest men in his army
bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
and cast them into the white-hot furnace. Nebuchadnezzar rose in haste and asked his nobles,
""Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?""
""Assuredly, O king,"" they answered.
""But,"" he replied, ""I see four men unfettered and unhurt,
walking in the fire, and the fourth looks like a son of God.""
Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed,
""Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
who sent his angel to deliver the servants who trusted in him;
they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their bodies
rather than serve or worship any god
except their own God."" Responsorial Psalm Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56 R. (52b) Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim;
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,
praiseworthy and glorious forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever! Verse Before the Gospel See Lk 8:15 Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart
and yield a harvest through perseverance. Gospel Jn 8:31-42 Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him,
"If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham
and have never been enslaved to anyone.
How can you say, 'You will become free'?"
Jesus answered them, "Amen, amen, I say to you,
everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.
A slave does not remain in a household forever,
but a son always remains.
So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free.
I know that you are descendants of Abraham.
But you are trying to kill me,
because my word has no room among you.
I tell you what I have seen in the Father's presence;
then do what you have heard from the Father." They answered and said to him, "Our father is Abraham."
Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children,
you would be doing the works of Abraham.
But now you are trying to kill me,
a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God;
Abraham did not do this.
You are doing the works of your father!"
So they said to him, "We were not born of fornication.
We have one Father, God."
Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me,
for I came from God and am here;
I did not come on my own, but he sent me."
| Daily Meditation: Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95 Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. (Daniel 3:95) Miriam was having a hard time. She had lost two close friends within the same month through tragic, unexpected circumstances. Shortly afterward, without warning, her landlord chose not to renew her lease. She found herself homeless and had to sleep on friends' couches while planning her next move. Meanwhile, her ailing parents required her financial and emotional support. But through it all, Miriam found strength from God in prayer. She continued her after-school program for at-risk youth, and her brave resilience gave hope to her students. Like Miriam's story, today's reading about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego can remind us where our strength comes from. God didn't ask these men to muster up from within themselves the courage to face the inferno. Rather, he himself became their refuge, their hope, and their deliverer. Through their trust in the Lord—and despite King Nebuchadnezzar's threats—the three young men found the strength to persevere and the resilience to hold fast to their faith. Just as God strengthened Miriam and helped Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, he will provide for us. As we seek him each day, he offers us the grace we need for the circumstances of our lives. A single mother working a second job to provide for her family can find the strength to carry on. A widower struggling with grief can find a mustard seed of hope each morning. God longs to give each of us his abundant grace, no matter our situation. When we rely on the Lord's power rather than our own resources, beautiful things can happen. Not only can we find the strength to endure, but we may also discover that our witness produces faith in people around us. King Nebuchadnezzar praised God when the men emerged from the fiery furnace unharmed. Miriam's students found hope through her trust in the Lord. In him, no suffering is wasted. Know that your faith can bring light to people in darkness, hope to those in pain, and grace to those who are struggling. "Jesus, when I feel tired, weak, or alone, help me to find my strength and hope in you." (Psalm) Daniel 3:52-56
John 8:31-42 |  click to hear 2cents | Listen to my2cents audio. Share the link if you like: Click to hear it | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"If our God, whom we serve, can save us from the white-hot furnace and from your hands, O king, may he save us! But even if he will not, know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the golden statue that you set up." end quote Deuteronomy. What an amazing verse of truth. What kind of truth makes someone speak so boldly, as to give their entire life to God and not any king on earth? This is why communists and dictators hate the scripture, because THEY want to rule. But it gets worse than that. It comes down to oneself, letting God rule, or other things or people rule your life. Others control your happiness, because you let them. Others control your goals, because you let them lead you. Others control your spirits, because you let them inside, and decide which spirits enter your soul. An addict cannot change with external factors. Prisons are temporary patches. It's what's inside that matters. AA does more for a poor addict than 10 years locked up, because inside jails you can still be an addict, and even feeding your addictions. You see, what I am saying is that it must come from within, your choice. What will rule your life? Who will be the absolute love of your life? Let it be our Father in Heaven. | We pray today:
"Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; And blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages." Glory and praise for ever!" | In the Gospel today we heard: ""If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." A sincere confession will do more than years of sitting in front of counselors of the world and months of seeing an exorcist.
You see, it stems from within. Yes we can get help, but they say most people in need of help will not get it. Our job then, is to realize what God our Father wants, to help each other to Heaven.
The Pharisees, the Jews didn't like this truth coming from our Lord though:
"We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, 'You will become free'?"
Well there was a lie they didn't know they were living! The descendants of Abraham eventually became enslaved, for hundreds of years to the Egyptians. And what I mean, is yes physically, but more spiritually....they became enslaved because they drank their water, at their leaven, their bread, what they were fed about religion and lifestyles. They loved the easy life, and the easy life gobbled them up easily for at least 400 years, with an extremely washed down faith.
Our Lord opens our eyes.
The light exposes the lies.
Nothing will remain hidden, all will come to light. | From Bishop Barron today:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, the Lord tells some Jewish listeners that they are enslaved to sin and that the truth will set them free.
Jesus was distinguishing between sins and sin, between the underlying disease and its many symptoms. When the Curé d'Ars was asked what wisdom he had gained about human nature from his many years of hearing confessions, he responded, "People are much sadder than they seem." Blaise Pascal rests his apologetic for Christianity on the simple fact that all people are unhappy. This universal, enduring, and stubborn sadness is sin.
Now, this does not mean that sin is identical to psychological depression. The worst sinners can be the most psychologically well-adjusted people, and the greatest saints can be, by any ordinary measure, quite unhappy.
When I speak of sadness in this context, I mean the deep sense of unfulfillment. We want the truth and we get it, if at all, in dribs and drabs; we want the good, and we achieve it only rarely; we seem to know what we ought to be, but we are in fact something else. This spiritual frustration, this inner warfare, this debility of soul, is sin."
end quote.
. . . . .
And so they were trying to kill Him, the truth. Then He said: " "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my own, but he sent me." Watch this truth and I hope we believe it, as I quote Him again: "I Came from God and AM HERE".
He is here. Especially in the Holy Eucharist. Boy, most times in Adoration, the sprinklers come on to turn out the fire, my eyes water when my heart burns.
What is this burning in my chest?
IT IS THE LORD.
I BELIEVE! ...†...
Lord, let us love Thee for an eternity with Thee! |  Hear it click | Random Bible Verse 1
Philippians 2:13 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
