†Quote of the Day O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the salvation of souls, the reparation of sins, the reunion of all Christians, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father this month. Amen. Quote of the Day "We must not wish anything other than what happens from moment to moment, all the while, however, exercising ourselves in goodness. And to refuse to exercise oneself in goodness, and to insist upon simply awaiting what God might send, would be simply to tempt God."
–St. Catherine of Genoa Today's Meditation "Love is an excellent thing, a great good indeed, which alone maketh light all that is burdensome and equally bears all that is unequal. For it carries a burden without being burdened and makes all that which is bitter sweet and savory. The love of Jesus is noble and generous; it spurs us on to do great things and excites us to desire always that which is most perfect."
—Thomas à Kempis, p. 87 | Saint Anastasius the Persian St. Anastasius the Persian (7th c.) was the son of a Persian sorcerer. He became a Zoroastrian soldier in the army of Khosrau II, the Persian monarch who absconded the True Cross of Christ from Jerusalem and took it to Persia in 614. St. Anastasius inquired about the mysterious Cross and the Christian religion and as a result soon converted to the true Faith, left the army, received baptism, and became a monk at a monastery in Jerusalem. He lived there seven years until he was called by God to martyrdom among his people. He went to Caesarea to preach, which was then under Persian rule. He was captured and subject to cruel tortures. He was promised freedom and a high position in the kingdom if he would simply denounce his faith, which he refused. St. Anastasius was strangled and beheaded. His feast day is January 22. | Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children • Readings for the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children Reading 1 2 Sm 5:1-7, 10 All the tribes of Israel came to David in Hebron and said:
"Here we are, your bone and your flesh.
In days past, when Saul was our king,
it was you who led the children of Israel out and brought them back.
And the LORD said to you, 'You shall shepherd my people Israel
and shall be commander of Israel.'"
When all the elders of Israel came to David in Hebron,
King David made an agreement with them there before the LORD,
and they anointed him king of Israel.
David was thirty years old when he became king,
and he reigned for forty years:
seven years and six months in Hebron over Judah,
and thirty-three years in Jerusalem
over all Israel and Judah. Then the king and his men set out for Jerusalem
against the Jebusites who inhabited the region.
David was told, "You cannot enter here:
the blind and the lame will drive you away!"
which was their way of saying, "David cannot enter here."
But David did take the stronghold of Zion, which is the City of David. David grew steadily more powerful,
for the LORD of hosts was with him. Responsorial Psalm PS 89:20, 21-22, 25-26 R. (25a) My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him.
Once you spoke in a vision,
and to your faithful ones you said:
"On a champion I have placed a crown;
over the people I have set a youth."
R. My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him.
"I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him,
That my hand may be always with him,
and that my arm may make him strong."
R. My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him.
"My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him,
and through my name shall his horn be exalted.
I will set his hand upon the sea,
his right hand upon the rivers."
R. My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him. Alleluia SEE 2 TM 1:10 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 3:22-30 The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus,
"He is possessed by Beelzebul," and
"By the prince of demons he drives out demons." Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables,
"How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house is divided against itself,
that house will not be able to stand.
And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided,
he cannot stand;
that is the end of him.
But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then he can plunder his house.
Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies
that people utter will be forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness,
but is guilty of an everlasting sin."
For they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."
| Daily Meditation: 2 Samuel 5:1-7, 10 Here we are, your bone and your flesh. (2 Samuel 5:1) David had all the characteristics of the hero in a blockbuster Hollywood movie. He had a moving origin story. He was exceedingly handsome and charismatic. He inspired people to follow him, even on impossibly dangerous missions. He was a mighty warrior, a prayerful poet, and a constant friend. Of course, all the tribes would come together, proclaim themselves his "bone" and his "flesh," and unite under him as their king (2 Samuel 5:1)! But for all his heroic characteristics, David didn't fully live up to everyone's image of an ideal leader. Scripture doesn't hide the times when he fell prey to lust or when his pride and selfishness plunged the nation into chaos. Part of the problem, of course, was David's own sin and weakness. But part of the problem was also the people's expectations. Rather than trusting in the Lord, the Israelites relied too much on David, who was only human. They expected their new king to do for them what only God could do. This philosophy is still alive today. But the truth is that no human leader can take the place of God. No human leader can bring deep and abiding peace to our hearts, let alone an end to war and strife. No human leader can release us from the guilt and shame caused by sin. And no human leader can bring an end to the age-old prejudices that keep people apart. Only God can do that. That's why the Church sets aside certain days specifically for turning to the Lord in prayer. For example, the Church in the United States observes today as a "Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children." Prayer is exactly the right place to start. It's in prayer that we can beg the Lord for justice for the unborn. It's in prayer that we can ask the Spirit to change people's hearts. It's also in prayer that God can give us the patience and kindness to treat those who disagree with us with love. Jesus is the only true answer to the sin and darkness in the world—because he is the only true answer to the sin and darkness in the human heart. So let's turn to him and pray: "Lord, increase your love in us, and bring people everywhere to respect your gift of human life!" Psalm 89:20-22, 25-26
Mark 3:22-30 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:
Audio English | In the Gospel today we heard:
"But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then he can plunder his house.
Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies
that people utter will be forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness,
but is guilty of an everlasting sin."
For they had said, "He has an unclean spirit." ....." end of Gospel verse.
. . . | Beloved brothers and sisters who are alive and hearing this message today, God saved you. You are alive because you are saved. And some of us here are alive because some of our mothers said "I Choose Life". And Jesus said "I AM THE LIFE". In other words, not only are we alive in the flesh...but baptized, meaning alive in the spirit and soul, we are alive forever. What a gift!
Just today I read a story that Pope John Paul II was here because his mother said "I'll risk my life against my doctor's suggestions to abort". They kept telling her to abort the child that she might live.
But she did the complete opposite, she said "I'll choose life, that we might live" and can you imagine having given life to a Pope, and even more amazing, a saint! And what's amazing about all this? We are all saints, or we have what it takes to be saints!
Life is winning, and it will always win in the end. There was a saint that said that all the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.
I think of so many until this day, that are told to abort, for whatever reason. And most often, it is untrue. There is a real thirst for death, both of physical and spiritual nature. But our Lord comes to open our eyes, that we might live and live more abundantly. There come the lights from a huge city saying that "we don't fit' and "we are killing the earth with so many people". These are lies from the pits of hell. It is darkness that hates people. And this darkness starts from within, when we doubt, and then lead up all the way to complete hatred.
So how do we reverse this hatred? You reverse all the way to that initial doubt. Faith. Now life can begin at this conception.
And let it be an immaculate conception, and immaculate faith, a beautiful light for our Lord Jesus to see in us, and this means much.
As we speak, we are renovating our church altar to put a new tabernacle at the center of the altar, not at a dark corner like most modern churches within the last 40 years have done. And now the issue in my mind is "where do we put the light for the tabernacle"? You see, we always have to have a light on when the Blessed Sacrament is held in the tabernacle.
And in the same way, we too are supposed to have our lights on symbolizing that Christ is within our temple tarbernacle!
Lord, you have come into the world in the womb, and to the earth the tomb. And I see the tabernacle as both womb and tomb, because He is there, abandoned most often, locked away, and then in Mass the tomb is opened, He arises, and comes to us all, to feed us when we see fit. Shouldn't that be always? And how will He find us in this dark world if our light of love for Him is not always on? Let us pray today:
Lord, I am going to let my shine for You. Help me love thee more and more! |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse
Proverbs 15:9 9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but he loves him who pursues righteousness. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
