†Quote of the Day "By reason of His immensity, God is present everywhere; but there are two places where He dwells in a particular manner. One is in the highest heavens, where He is present by that glory which He communicates to the blessed; the other is on earth—within the humble soul that loves Him."
–St. Alphonsus Liguori Today's Meditation "What made the holy apostles and martyrs endure fierce agony and bitter torments, except faith, and especially faith in the resurrection? What is it that today makes true followers of Christ cast luxuries aside, leave pleasures behind, and endure difficulties and pain? It is living faith that expresses itself through love . . . It is because of faith that we exchange the present for the future."
—Pope Benedict XIV, p. 205 Daily Verse He who keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble."
–Proverbs 21:23 | St. Brigid of Ireland St. Brigid of Ireland (451–525 A.D.), also known as St. Brigit of Kildare, was born to a pagan Irish chieftain and a Christian slave mother. Being the daughter of a slave woman, she also was a slave, and worked as a dairy maid. She became known for her virtuous life and her charity to the poor. Recognizing her great piety and special graces, a Christian king convinced her father to grant Brigid her freedom. Once free to follow her own course in life, St. Brigid refused marriage, consecrated herself to Christ, and became Ireland's first nun. She also formed Ireland's first convent at Kildare and became its abbess. She went on to found many other religious communities, as well as a School of Art famous for its metal working and illuminated manuscripts. St. Brigid was known for her extraordinary spirituality, even converting her father to the faith after he witnessed her fashioning the sign of the cross from strands of rushes. She was also a contemporary and friend of St. Patrick. When she died, her sisters kept a fire burning in an enclosure at her Kildare convent. This fire burned for centuries, tended by the sisters and not burning out until the 13th century. It was later re-lit and burned for 400 more years until the Protestant revolt. St. Brigid is the patroness of Ireland and many other causes, most notably of dairy and milk maids, chicken farmers, travelers, and sailors. Her feast day is February 1st. | Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 1 Kgs 2:1-4, 10-12 When the time of David's death drew near,
he gave these instructions to his son Solomon:
"I am going the way of all flesh.
Take courage and be a man.
Keep the mandate of the LORD, your God, following his ways
and observing his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees
as they are written in the law of Moses,
that you may succeed in whatever you do,
wherever you turn, and the LORD may fulfill
the promise he made on my behalf when he said,
'If your sons so conduct themselves
that they remain faithful to me with their whole heart
and with their whole soul,
you shall always have someone of your line
on the throne of Israel.'" David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David.
The length of David's reign over Israel was forty years:
he reigned seven years in Hebron
and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. Solomon was seated on the throne of his father David,
with his sovereignty firmly established. Responsorial Psalm 1 Chronicles 29:10, 11ab, 11d-12a, 12bcd R. (12b) Lord, you are exalted over all.
"Blessed may you be, O LORD,
God of Israel our father,
from eternity to eternity."
R. Lord, you are exalted over all.
"Yours, O LORD, are grandeur and power,
majesty, splendor, and glory."
R. Lord, you are exalted over all.
"LORD, you are exalted over all.
Yours, O LORD, is the sovereignty;
you are exalted as head over all.
Riches and honor are from you."
R. Lord, you are exalted over all.
"In your hand are power and might;
it is yours to give grandeur and strength to all."
R. Lord, you are exalted over all. Alleluia Mk 1:15 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand;
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 6:7-13 Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two
and gave them authority over unclean spirits.
He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick
–no food, no sack, no money in their belts.
They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic.
He said to them,
"Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there.
Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you,
leave there and shake the dust off your feet
in testimony against them."
So they went off and preached repentance.
The Twelve drove out many demons,
and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
| Daily Meditation: Mark 6:7-13 Jesus . . . gave them authority over unclean spirits. (Mark 6:7) The British author C. S. Lewis once wrote, "There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them." The topic of "unclean spirits" can spark an "unhealthy interest" in us or just fill us with fear. But in today's Gospel, Jesus teaches us that while evil spirits do exist, we should not fear them (Mark 6:7). As he gathers the apostles and sends them out to advance the kingdom of God, he also gives them—ordinary men—authority over these spirits. As a result, they "drove out many demons" (6:13). Jesus wants us to live in the freedom that he won for us and invites us to participate in the work of advancing his kingdom. We can do that by acting on the authority we've received in Baptism. How? First, recognize that one way the enemy influences us is by convincing us to believe things that are not true. Take a moment to invite the Lord to reveal any lies that may have entered your mind: "I'm not worthy to be loved" or "I will always be rejected" or "My value is based on what I achieve." Then, counter these lies by speaking God's truths. For example, say out loud, "Nothing can separate me from God's love" (Romans 8:38-39) or "I am worth more than many sparrows" (Luke 12:7). Allow these truths to renew your way of thinking and speaking. Second, act on the words in today's Gospel by speaking directly to the "unclean spirits" you think are behind these lies. Whether you are praying for yourself or with someone else, command them in the name of Jesus to leave. Pray with confidence and with an awareness of the authority that Jesus has given you. Know that he is with you every time you call on his name. "Jesus, help me embrace the authority you have given me." 1 Kings 2:1-4, 10-12
(Psalm) 1 Chronicles 29:10-12 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:
Audio English | In the Gospel today we heard:
"He said to them,
"Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there.
Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you,
leave there and shake the dust off your feet
in testimony against them."
So they went off and preached repentance.
The Twelve drove out many demons,
and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them......" end of Gospel verse.
. . . | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus sends the Twelve on their mission to announce the nearness of the kingdom. I want to say a few things about our embracing our mission and being equipped for it.
What do you need for your mission? You need a keen sense of God as the absolute center of your life. In a word, you require the spiritual gifts of piety and fear of the Lord. I realize that these terms can sound fussy and puritanical, but they are actually naming something strong and essential.
You need fear of the Lord, which does not mean that you are afraid of God. It means that nothing to you is more important than God, that everything in your life centers around and is subordinate to your love for God. And your equipping needs to include piety. That means that you honor God above everything else, that you worship him alone. These spiritual gifts enable you to find true balance; they allow you to know what your life is about.
Equipped with these gifts, you are ready for mission. Having received the fire of the Holy Spirit, you are ready to set the world on fire......." end quote Bishop Barron.
Our Lord commanded not only the Apostles, the 12 disciples to go out to the world and preach and baptize and heal all, which is exactly what priests do, but we are all called to do the same! Why? How can I say that? Because, when you were baptized, you too were baptized a priest, prophet, and king! What a gift in Holy Baptism! Amen? You too are called to preach. You too are called to holiness. To lead by example. To bring Christ to the world. To baptize souls. To preach! How? How can you in your own little corner of the world? And how can I go two by two as the Lord sent out his called ones? Our Lord calls out not just 12 by over 70 pairs to go ahead of Him in Luke:10: Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two "After this the Lord appointed seventy-two[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road." end quote.
He said to go into all homes, preach, and heal, and receive whatever they give. This means living only on God's word, and this means living in His divine providence. This means, then, fully trusting in the Word and the Word that is made flesh on the Holy Altar.
And with this Word, demons are driven away, not killed, just shushed away, to regain territory that belongs to God our Father.
And with this Word, comes healing. Most healing that we need is spiritual. Not all. But I would say most. For what is more important? The flesh? Or the Soul? And because our soul gives life to the flesh, then our souls have to be in a sound, a healthy state, and this comes by being one with our God. I'm not talking Yoga here! LOL, nor am I talking Indian beliefs, LOL. But I am saying we are called to be One in the Holy Spirit of God. And about Yoga and Indian beliefs, these things can deviate one from the sound truth of Jesus, so do not rely on those that cannot be full of grace that is offered by our Lord Himself! Salvation is at hand.
And so, let's say your a mother, full time busy, or a worker, or a dad full time busy. How can you do all these things our Lord is asking?
It's easy.
How? Be one with the Lord! LOL.
All day you can glorify Him with your hands, your mind, your actions. You can offer sufferings to unite with His sufferings and to alleviate Him in His sufferings.
All day we can pray for others. And throughout the day, we encounter people, related or not, that need the Gospel that you have just heard to enter their soul, to grow in their faith.
And an easy way is to share things about our faith in social media, texting, emails, and the strongest is word of mouth, and even stronger, a real life example, your living testimony of no duplicity, an honest Christ Follower that preaches, baptizes, and heals and drives out evil spirits in the territory you are at in the world right now. Let us pray today:
Lord, You have put me in a special place, because You think of me as special. I have a unique environment. I have unique abilities. A have though, a common oneness in the world in Your living body in the world. I pray that you reside in my heart, and take the best place in my heart, where it is nice and warm, and roomy, my house is Your house, my life is Your life. You make it shine! You make it beautiful! Help me worship You and adore you there at the center of my temple! |  Click for Audio | Wow! Perfect.
Random Bible Verse 1
Matthew 16:24 Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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