†Quote of the Day "The life of the body is the soul; the life of the soul is God."
–St. Anthony of Padua Today's Meditation "Much that is true of human relationships is also true of our relationship with God. Human relationships of friendship or marriage need time, attention, and care for them to continue and to grow. The same is true of our relationship with God. We have been called to union but we need to respond. As we turn to God in conversion or in a deeper awakening, besides turning away from deliberate sin—which deforms the soul, blocks the relationship and offends the Person who has sacrificed His life for us—we need to positively build the relationship by paying attention to the One who loves us. Prayer is at root simply paying attention to God."
—Ralph Martin, p. 121 An Excerpt From
The Fulfillment of All Desire Daily Verse "He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
–Micah 6:8 | St. Canute IV of Denmark St. Canute IV of Denmark (1042 – 1086 A.D.), also known as Canute the Holy, was one of thirteen sons born to the king of Denmark. Canute later succeeded his brother to the throne and reigned as king from 1080 to 1086. He was a devout Catholic, a zealous propagator of the faith, and a brave warrior, in addition to being a man of prayer, penance, austerity, and charity towards the poor and weak among his people. The happiness of his people and the interests of the Church were his motivation, often putting him in opposition to the aristocracy. He fought against the barbarian nations and worked to strengthen the power of the monarchy, but some of his laws were unpopular and caused unrest among the people. Canute sought to expand Denmak's territory and believed he had a claim to the English throne. In 1085 he gathered his fleet and planned an invasion of England to overthrow William the Conquerer, a plan which was never realized. Instead, a revolt broke out against Canute, causing him to take refuge inside St. Alban's Priory in Odense. Canute, his brother, and seventeen of his men were pursued and killed by rebels in front of the altar. He was named a martyr for the faith, and many miracles were reported at his tomb. He was canonized in the year 1101, the first Danish saint. St. Canute is the patron saint of Denmark. His feast day is January 19. | Reading 1 1 Sm 24:3-21 Saul took three thousand picked men from all Israel
and went in search of David and his men
in the direction of the wild goat crags.
When he came to the sheepfolds along the way, he found a cave,
which he entered to relieve himself.
David and his men were occupying the inmost recesses of the cave. David's servants said to him,
"This is the day of which the LORD said to you,
'I will deliver your enemy into your grasp;
do with him as you see fit.'"
So David moved up and stealthily cut off an end of Saul's mantle.
Afterward, however, David regretted that he had cut off
an end of Saul's mantle.
He said to his men,
"The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master,
the LORD's anointed, as to lay a hand on him,
for he is the LORD's anointed."
With these words David restrained his men
and would not permit them to attack Saul.
Saul then left the cave and went on his way.
David also stepped out of the cave, calling to Saul,
"My lord the king!"
When Saul looked back, David bowed to the ground in homage and asked Saul:
"Why do you listen to those who say,
'David is trying to harm you'?
You see for yourself today that the LORD just now delivered you
into my grasp in the cave.
I had some thought of killing you, but I took pity on you instead.
I decided, 'I will not raise a hand against my lord,
for he is the LORD's anointed and a father to me.'
Look here at this end of your mantle which I hold.
Since I cut off an end of your mantle and did not kill you,
see and be convinced that I plan no harm and no rebellion.
I have done you no wrong,
though you are hunting me down to take my life.
The LORD will judge between me and you,
and the LORD will exact justice from you in my case.
I shall not touch you.
The old proverb says, 'From the wicked comes forth wickedness.'
So I will take no action against you.
Against whom are you on campaign, O king of Israel?
Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog, or a single flea!
The LORD will be the judge; he will decide between me and you.
May he see this, and take my part,
and grant me justice beyond your reach!"
When David finished saying these things to Saul, Saul answered,
"Is that your voice, my son David?"
And Saul wept aloud.
Saul then said to David: "You are in the right rather than I;
you have treated me generously, while I have done you harm.
Great is the generosity you showed me today,
when the LORD delivered me into your grasp
and you did not kill me.
For if a man meets his enemy, does he send him away unharmed?
May the LORD reward you generously for what you have done this day.
And now, I know that you shall surely be king
and that sovereignty over Israel shall come into your possession." Responsorial Psalm PS 57:2, 3-4, 6 and 11 R. (2a) Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.
Have mercy on me, O God; have mercy on me,
for in you I take refuge.
In the shadow of your wings I take refuge,
till harm pass by.
R. Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.
I call to God the Most High,
to God, my benefactor.
May he send from heaven and save me;
may he make those a reproach who trample upon me;
may God send his mercy and his faithfulness.
R. Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.
Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
above all the earth be your glory!
For your mercy towers to the heavens,
and your faithfulness to the skies.
R. Have mercy on me, God, have mercy. Alleluia 2 Cor 5:19 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 3:13-19 Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted
and they came to him.
He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles,
that they might be with him
and he might send them forth to preach
and to have authority to drive out demons:
He appointed the Twelve:
Simon, whom he named Peter;
James, son of Zebedee,
and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges,
that is, sons of thunder;
Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus;
Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean,
and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
| Daily Meditation: 1 Samuel 24:3-21 He is the Lord's anointed. (1 Samuel 24:7) Have you ever wanted to "help" God accomplish his plan for yourself or a loved one? That's the temptation David faced in today's first reading. He knew he would be king—the prophet Samuel had anointed him—but Saul still reigned (1 Samuel 16:13). David was well aware of Saul's weaknesses: he had to play the harp to soothe the king during his violent outbursts (16:14-18; 18:10-11). And while David led countless successful military expeditions, Saul remained in his palace and grew more and more jealous of David's achievements (18:9). So why does David shrink back when the perfect opportunity to take Saul out of the picture presents itself? Because David understands that Saul is still the Lord's anointed (1 Samuel 24:7). He knows that God is in control, and he trusts that the Lord will bring his good plans to fruition in his perfect time, without any outside help from David. So he remains patient. We all have situations that we would like to see change for the better. But when you're feeling frustrated by the pace of progress, when you're impatient to see results, can you imitate David and trust God's timing? The temptation to help God along can be especially strong, for example, when you're a parent. Maybe a son is struggling with substance abuse, or a daughter has stopped going to church. Your first impulse might be to jump in and try to change the situation yourself. Sometimes that's okay to do. But sometimes there are situations when it is best to wait and see what God will do. The truth is, waiting on God's timing for any situation in your life is hard. But pushing your own solution can sometimes cause more harm than good. So submit your desires to the Lord and ask for the grace to accept his timeline. Choose not to force the resolution you want. As you show patience in this way, you might be surprised to see how God is working in you. Consider David. It probably wasn't easy for him to stay his hand when he found Saul vulnerable. But exercising patience made him more ready to become the wise and holy king that God wanted him to be. It can help you grow in wisdom and holiness, too. "Lord, help me to trust you as I wait." Psalm 57:2-4, 6 and 11
Mark 3:13-19 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:
Audio English | In the Gospel today we heard:
"Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted
and they came to him.
He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles,
that they might be with him
and he might send them forth to preach
and to have authority to drive out demons:....." end of Gospel verse.
. . . | From Bishop Barron today;
"Friends, today in the Gospel, Jesus gathers his disciples. And he appoints twelve Apostles "that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach."
St. Thérèse of Lisieux tells us that she endeavored to write down her spiritual memoir at the prompting of her sister, who was also her religious superior to whom she was bound in obedience. After praying that she say nothing displeasing to Christ, she took up the Gospel of Mark, and her eyes fell on these words: "Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him."
This verse, she says, is the interpretive key to her life, for it describes the way Christ has worked in her soul: "He does not call those who are worthy, but those whom he pleases." Hers was a story of a divine love, graciously willing the good of the other, that awakens an imitative reaction in the one who is loved.
It is not a narrative of economic exchange—rewards for worthiness—but of the loop of grace, unmerited love engendering disinterested love, the divine life propagating itself in what is other.
" End Quote Bishop Barron.
In today's 1st Holy Scripture we heard:
""Is that your voice, my son David?"
And Saul wept aloud.
Saul then said to David: "You are in the right rather than I;
you have treated me generously, while I have done you harm.
Great is the generosity you showed me today,
when the LORD delivered me into your grasp
and you did not kill me." There was a battle about the chosen and appointed King here. Right? There is always a battle. And the name "Israel" means quarreling with God, or wrestling with God. Why is there always this inner turmoil? It is called concupiscence, an innate, that is a natural tendency to sin, and this is coupled with evil spirits that fuel this tendency in the world. The battle my friend, is not with people, it is with spirits.
In comes our Lord Jesus the Christ, which means Savior, Messiah.
He comes to prove that we are no longer to battle people.
Those days should be way past us, it is primitive to fight with people.
The true struggle goes much deeper. It is spiritual. And notice all I say are "battles" because truly, the whole war has already been won with the Messiah, the Christ, our Savior, Jesus King of the Universe. There is nothing to fight about!
I told this to a group last night that brought up disputes about Cursillo groups. I asked them to consider the evil spirits at work trying to destroy and divide all so the movement is watered down. But if we remain faithful, things will actually improve...as God wills.
And here is where everyone including you, comes in.
Every soul is precious to our Lord. You matter, believe it or not, and you can make a difference, for the positive or not. Therefore, everything we do and say matters.
Let us take comfort in this; that you have been chosen.
You have heard words of encouragement, to take to the ways of our Lord Jesus, the Christ. That you too can follow His ways ever closer, to a closer intimacy with the Almighty, our Father.
Your heart is ever closer to the warmth of true love and true light. Let us pray:
Lord, why have you chosen someone like me, a wretched sinner, to follow Thee? I am not worthy. But because you have chosen me, now, I ask for grace to follow you more closely, with true humility, and true love, to enlighten the world around me. |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Romans 12:2 2 Do not be conformed to this world,1 but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.2 | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
