†Quote of the Day "Every grace granted to man has three degrees in order; for by God it is communicated to Christ, from Christ it passes to the Virgin, and from the Virgin it descends to us."
–St. Bernardine of Siena Today's Meditation "My daughter, faithfully live up to the words which I speak to you. Do not value any external thing too highly, even if it were to seem very precious to you. Let go of yourself, and abide with Me continually. Entrust everything to Me and do nothing on your own, and you will always have great freedom of spirit. No circumstances or events will ever be able to upset you. Set little store on what people say. Let everyone judge you as they like. Do not make excuses for yourself, it will do you no harm. Give away everything at the first sign of a demand, even if they were the most necessary things. Do not ask for anything without consulting Me. Allow them to take away even what is due you – respect, your good name – let your spirit rise above all that. And so, set free from everything, rest close to My Heart, not allowing your peace to be disturbed by anything. My pupil, consider the words which I have spoken to you."
—Jesus to St. Faustina, 1685 An Excerpt From
Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska - Divine Mercy in My Soul Daily Verse "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him,and he will make straight your paths."
–Proverbs 3:5-6 | St. Marguerite Bourgeoys St. Marguerite Bourgeoys (1620-1700) was born in France to a large middle-class Christian family. After having a deep religious experience at the age of 20, Marguerite dedicated her life to God through the Virgin Mary. She then joined an aposolate which served God by educating underprivileged children. When she was 32 the governor of Fort Ville-Marie (now Montreal, Canada), visited Marguerite's town and invited her to be a missionary in the New World as a lay teacher, instructing the children of the colonists and the Native Americans. Marguerite agreed and made the long ocean journey. Realizing the importance of the family in establishing New France, Marguerite mentored young ladies and prepared them for marriage and family life as pioneer women. She signed as a witness on the marriage certificates of many early settlers. As a result of these activities she was affectionately called the "Mother of the Colony." She also worked to build the first church and the first school. She also founded the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal, which is an active religious order to this day. For her great apostolic and missionary activity she is considered the co-foundress of Montreal. She is also the first woman saint of the Catholic Church in Canada. Her feast day is January 12. | Friday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Reading I 1 Sm 8:4-7, 10-22a All the elders of Israel came in a body to Samuel at Ramah
and said to him, "Now that you are old,
and your sons do not follow your example,
appoint a king over us, as other nations have, to judge us." Samuel was displeased when they asked for a king to judge them.
He prayed to the LORD, however, who said in answer:
"Grant the people's every request.
It is not you they reject, they are rejecting me as their king." Samuel delivered the message of the LORD in full
to those who were asking him for a king.
He told them:
"The rights of the king who will rule you will be as follows:
He will take your sons and assign them to his chariots and horses,
and they will run before his chariot.
He will also appoint from among them his commanders of groups
of a thousand and of a hundred soldiers.
He will set them to do his plowing and his harvesting,
and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.
He will use your daughters as ointment makers, as cooks, and as bakers.
He will take the best of your fields, vineyards, and olive groves,
and give them to his officials.
He will tithe your crops and your vineyards,
and give the revenue to his eunuchs and his slaves.
He will take your male and female servants,
as well as your best oxen and your asses,
and use them to do his work.
He will tithe your flocks and you yourselves will become his slaves.
When this takes place,
you will complain against the king whom you have chosen,
but on that day the LORD will not answer you." The people, however, refused to listen to Samuel's warning and said,
"Not so! There must be a king over us.
We too must be like other nations,
with a king to rule us and to lead us in warfare
and fight our battles."
When Samuel had listened to all the people had to say,
he repeated it to the LORD, who then said to him,
"Grant their request and appoint a king to rule them." Responsorial Psalm 89:16-17, 18-19 R. (2) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Blessed the people who know the joyful shout; in the light of your countenance, O LORD, they walk.
At your name they rejoice all the day, and through your justice they are exalted.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
For you are the splendor of their strength, and by your favor our horn is exalted.
For to the LORD belongs our shield, and to the Holy One of Israel, our King.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord. Alleluia Lk 7:16 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 2:1-12 When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days,
it became known that he was at home.
Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them,
not even around the door,
and he preached the word to them.
They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd,
they opened up the roof above him.
After they had broken through,
they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him,
"Child, your sins are forgiven."
Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves,
"Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming.
Who but God alone can forgive sins?"
Jesus immediately knew in his mind what
they were thinking to themselves,
so he said, "Why are you thinking such things in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say to the paralytic,
'Your sins are forgiven,'
or to say, 'Rise, pick up your mat and walk'?
But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth"
–he said to the paralytic,
"I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home."
He rose, picked up his mat at once,
and went away in the sight of everyone.
They were all astounded
and glorified God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this."
| Daily Meditation: Mark 2:1-12 Child, your sins are forgiven. (Mark 2:5) Picture yourself in the crowd that day. You've heard about Jesus' ability to work miracles—and now here he is. You make your way through the crowd to Jesus' house and somehow find a spot just inside the door. You see a man totally paralyzed being lowered through the roof. And then a few minutes later he walks out on his own. It's an event you will never forget. But you might not remember Jesus' first words to the man: "Your sins are forgiven" (Mark 2:5). After all, the sight of him getting up and walking could easily make you forget how utterly astounding Jesus' words were. As amazing as any physical healing is, being delivered from sin is a much bigger miracle. By forgiving this man's sins, Jesus revealed that he himself is God, because only God can forgive sins. And when Jesus forgives our sins, he releases us from the bondage and "paralysis" that sin creates in our lives. He sets us free and opens our hearts to know the love of our God. That's the grace we have access to through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. But there may be times when we lose sight of that grace. Confession can seem like a relatively mundane event. Maybe even a bit routine. You go into the confessional, admit your sins, and say the Act of Contrition. You might start to wonder if anything is really happening. But don't lose sight of what occurs during the sacrament: Jesus is there in the person of the priest, not only forgiving your sins—which would be miracle enough—but also beginning to heal your soul from the effects of sin. He says to you, "Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more" (John 8:11). His healing words help you get up and move forward. Every Confession is an outpouring of God's mercy that restores you and frees you to walk in his grace and love. You may not feel any different when you leave the confessional. But each time, like the man healed from paralysis, you can receive the miracle of freedom from sin and its effects. So take to heart Jesus' words to you: "Child, your sins are forgiven" (Mark 2:5)! "Lord, thank you for your great mercy! Help me to never take it for granted." 1 Samuel 8:4-7, 10-22
Psalm 89:16-19 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:
Audio English | In the Gospel today we heard:
"But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth"
–he said to the paralytic,
"I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home."
He rose, picked up his mat at once,
and went away in the sight of everyone.
They were all astounded
and glorified God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this."......" end of Gospel verse.
. . . | From Bishop Barron today:
"Friends, in our Gospel today, Jesus says matter-of-factly before healing the paralytic, "Child, your sins are forgiven." Shocked, the Pharisees respond, "He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?"
They were quite right, of course, which is the whole point. If you had hurt me, I could with some legitimacy offer you my personal forgiveness of your offense. But if someone else had harmed you, I could scarcely offer that person my forgiveness for his sin. The only way that such a statement could be anything but blasphemous would be if I were the one who is offended in every sin. And this is what the Pharisees correctly intuited.
G.K. Chesterton said that even those who reject the doctrine of the Incarnation (like the Pharisees) are different for having heard it. The claim that God became one of us changes the imagination, compelling a reassessment of both God and the world. This odd assertion is made, implicitly or explicitly, on practically every page of the New Testament.
Therefore, when Jesus forgives the paralytic's sin, the Pharisees respond that only God can forgive sins, thereby, despite themselves, professing faith in the Good News...." end quote Bishop Barron.
Our Lord performed many miracles, but this one raised many eyebrows, not because of what He did, but mostly because what He said. And what He did was to prove what He had said, that He has power to forgive, and to set us free from bondage from sin and especially sin that causes death. I've said it many times over, that our spiritual health affects our physical health. The Jews believed it, and even modern psychology proves it. What is happening within, affects our exterior bodies. Our souls matter. The spirits in ours souls matter. And so, when our Lord saves us from our sins, He saves the body yes, but He is actually saving our souls! And the souls can go on forever! This is amazing and good news.
The Pharisees didn't believe it, not even when they seen it right in front of them. The miracle was to prove that He had this authority from God! And so, we should learn, that it is not all about seeing to believe. I've been on a rant in my preaching lately with youth, and adults last night in a prayer worship gathering....that we are not necessarily blessed for seeing, but we are blessed for not seeing and believing.
Faith matters. It is not only a gift from God to us, but from us to Our Father who is in Heaven. Pray with me:
Lord, My Savior, my everything, my all, You are amazing. I want to amaze Thee. Help us amaze Thee!! |  Click To Hear | Wow. Amazing Random Bible Verse 1
John 14:16–17 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper,1 to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
