†Quote of the Day "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 startling 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 | 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. | Friday of the Third Week of Lent Reading 1 Hos 14:2-10 Thus says the LORD:
Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God;
you have collapsed through your guilt.
Take with you words,
and return to the LORD;
Say to him, "Forgive all iniquity,
and receive what is good, that we may render
as offerings the bullocks from our stalls.
Assyria will not save us,
nor shall we have horses to mount;
We shall say no more, 'Our god,'
to the work of our hands;
for in you the orphan finds compassion." I will heal their defection, says the LORD,
I will love them freely;
for my wrath is turned away from them.
I will be like the dew for Israel:
he shall blossom like the lily;
He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar,
and put forth his shoots.
His splendor shall be like the olive tree
and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar.
Again they shall dwell in his shade
and raise grain;
They shall blossom like the vine,
and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim! What more has he to do with idols?
I have humbled him, but I will prosper him.
"I am like a verdant cypress tree"–
Because of me you bear fruit! Let him who is wise understand these things;
let him who is prudent know them.
Straight are the paths of the LORD,
in them the just walk,
but sinners stumble in them. Responsorial Psalm Ps 81:6c-8a, 8bc-9, 10-11ab, 14 and 17 R. (see 11 and 9a) I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
An unfamiliar speech I hear:
"I relieved his shoulder of the burden;
his hands were freed from the basket.
In distress you called, and I rescued you."
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
"Unseen, I answered you in thunder;
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
Hear, my people, and I will admonish you;
O Israel, will you not hear me?"
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
"There shall be no strange god among you
nor shall you worship any alien god.
I, the LORD, am your God
who led you forth from the land of Egypt."
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice.
"If only my people would hear me,
and Israel walk in my ways,
I would feed them with the best of wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would fill them."
R. I am the Lord your God: hear my voice. Verse Before the Gospel Mt 4:17 Repent, says the Lord;
the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. Gospel Mk 12:28-34 One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
"Which is the first of all the commandments?"
Jesus replied, "The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these."
The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher.
You are right in saying,
He is One and there is no other than he.
And to love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding,
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,
he said to him,
"You are not far from the Kingdom of God."
And no one dared to ask him any more questions. | Daily Meditation: Hosea 14:2-10 Take with you words, and return to the Lord. (Hosea 14:3) "Talk is cheap." "Names will never hurt me." In a world where sayings like these are often thrown around, the prophet Hosea—who lived around 750 BC—tells us something very different. When the people of Israel had fallen into idolatry, God sent Hosea to them with a simple message. God wasn't demanding a grand gesture or a costly sacrifice from them. Instead, he simply asked them to speak to him: "Take with you words, and return to the Lord" (Hosea 14:3). He asked them to give voice to their heartfelt repentance and their longing to be restored to him. Hosea's message is a moving reflection of how deeply God desires a living relationship with his people. He makes it clear that returning to the Lord does more than wipe our slate clean. It also opens up a process of healing between those who love one another. Take with you words. Isn't that at the heart of the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Every Confession is meant to be a sacred encounter in which we can speak words that heal wounds in our relationship with God. What kind of words? Not necessarily the most eloquent or impassioned words, but the most open and honest ones. Words that reflect our desire to put aside whatever has caused a rift between us and the Lord. Many parishes will have expanded opportunities for Confession this season—so make plans to go! But before you do, ask the Spirit to help you be forthright, clear, and direct in your language. Ask for the courage to name your sins, even if you feel embarrassed or uncomfortable. Believe that if you bring words of humility and repentance, the Lord himself will respond with words of mercy, comfort, and healing. God doesn't want us to wallow in guilt, just as he didn't want the Israelites to be lost in their sin. He doesn't want to burden you with shame; he wants to set you free so that you can live as the beloved child you truly are. Let's all bring our words to the Lord so that he can bring us his healing, reconciling love! "Holy Spirit, help me to speak words of truth and humility and love as I confess my sins." Psalm 81:6-11, 14, 17
Mark 12:28-34 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:
Audio English | In the Gospel today we heard:
"The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself." end quote. | From Bishop Barron:
"There is a strict logic at work here. When you really love someone, you tend to love, as well, what they love. Well, what does God love? He loves everything and everyone that he has made. So, if you want to love God, and you find this move difficult because God seems so distant, love everyone you come across for the sake of God. " End quote Bishop Barron. From a Spanish reflection today:
"It is not a new message. It has been repeated many times in the readings. It is important to keep this in mind because sometimes it is easier for us to make sacrifices, prayers and holocausts than to truly love our neighbors in need." end quote Fernando Torres.
If you will believe the words of Our Father, He desires love. And love is to will the good of the other. It is not for oneself. Our world preaches "self love" and "self care" and there is some good to be taken in that, but some take it to the extreme, to save one's one self and lose everyone else along the process.
What if God has us on earth just for that purpose alone? That He may love through us!
When the Eucharistic miracles turn the Eucharist into blood and flesh, the scientists say the analysis shows that it is blood from a 33 year old man, who suffered great trauma, and that these cells are from the heart.
This is God's heart pouring Himself out on all the altars all over the world. Tell me He doesn't want you to eat of His heart and become one with His heart and share His heart with the world!
For a while, I was doing this to help me love neighbor more, so I could love God more, and I need to get back at it: Every time I'd meet someone throughout the day, at work, out and about, anywhere, even among family now, I would be on the lookout for Jesus in every soul. Why?
I'll share a story I heard that can shed light on the answer:
"There is a story about a certain monastery that was going through a time of crisis. Some of the monks had left the monastery; no new candidates joined them in years; and people were no longer coming for prayer and spiritual direction as they used to. The few monks that remained became old, depressed and bitter in their relationship with one another. But, the abbot heard about a holy man; a hermit living alone in the woods and decided to consult him. He told the hermit how bad things had become and that only seven old monks remained. Praying on this, the hermit told the abbot that he has a secret for him: one of the monks currently living in his monastery was actually the Messiah, but He was living in such a way that no one could recognize Him.
With this revelation the abbot returned to his monastery, and recounted what the holy hermit told him to the community. The aging monks looked at each other in disbelief, trying to discern who among them could be the Christ. Could it be Brother Mark who prays all the time? But he has a holier-than-thou attitude toward others. Could it be Bother Joseph who is always ready to help? But he is always eating and cannot fast. The abbot reminded them that the Messiah had adopted some bad habits as a way of disguising His true identity. This only made them more confused and they could not figure out who was Christ among them. At the end of the meeting what each one knew for sure was that any of the monks, excepting himself, could be Christ.
From that day the monks began to treat one another with greater respect and humility, knowing that the person they were speaking to could, in fact, be Christ. They began to show more love for one another, their common life became more brotherly and their common prayer more fervent. Slowly people began to take notice of the new spirit in the monastery and began coming back for retreats and spiritual direction. Word began to spread and, before you know it, candidates began to show up and the monastery began to grow again in number as the monks grew in zeal and holiness. All this because a man of God drew their attention to a simple truth: that Christ was living in their midst as one of them." My life has forever changed thinking and knowing that Christ is in those I meet daily. How do I love Him? How do I forgive Him? For those that slap me across the face, how do I respond to our Father?
For those that ridicule me and tell me truths I don't want to hear? How do I react? To those in dire need of help, how do I help? For those that don't want to be bothered, and they rather die alone, how do I reach them?
My brothers and sisters in Christ, we are one Body in our Holy Baptism. Every cell is important. Everything you do is important. Every person is important. Do you think God wants someone to die without feeling His love? What good are all my fasts and sacrifices if I don't have love?
And if you've listened so far, I have 2 more things to say:
1.) Love fuels Heaven.
2.) The home you make for God in your heart, that room He will give to you in His Heart in Heaven. Lord, less of me in my heart, and more of Thee!
If only I could love You with all my heart, mind, soul, all my strength! I can't do it without You! |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Ecclesiastes 7:9 9 Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart1 of fools. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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