† ".If you forgive men. .... "

† Quote of the Day "There is nothing the devil fears so much, or so much tries to hinder, as prayer." — St. Philip Neri Today's Meditation "Everyth

Web Version   Subscribe   Forward   † Quote of the Day "There is nothing the devil fears so much, or so much tries to hinder, as prayer." — St. Philip Neri Today's Meditation "Everything that exists is a gift from God. Yet oftentimes we look to the things and creatures created by God for a satisfaction and fulfillment that only God Himself can provide. When the soul wraps itself around the things and the people of this world, looking for satisfaction or fulfillment that only God can give, it produces a distortion in itself, and in others as well. Many spiritual writers call the process of unwinding this possessive, self-centered, clinging, and disordered seeking of things and persons 'detachment'. The goal of the process of detachment is not to stop loving the things and people of this world, but, quite to the contrary, to love them even more truly in God, under the reign of Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Things and people become even more beautiful and delightful when we see them in this light. There are almost always painful dimensions to this process of 'letting go' in order to love more, but it's the pain of true healing and liberation. Christian detachment is an important part of the process by which we enter into a realm of great freedom and joy." —Ralph Martin, p.205 An excerpt from The Fulfillment of All Desire Daily Verse "For it is not those who hear the law who are just in the sight of God; rather, those who observe the law will be justified." — Romans 2:13 St. Eulogius Of Cordoba St. Eulogius of Cordoba (9th c.) was a priest from a prominent Christian family in Cordoba (Cordova), Spain. He was well-educated, humble, gentle, friendly, and a gifted leader with the charism of encouragement, especially towards Christians facing martyrdom. In his time Cordoba was the capital of the Muslim conquerors of Catholic Spain. The Muslim leaders allowed Christians to live in relative peace until a persecution arose when some of the Muslim population began converting to Christianity. They imprisoned the clergy, including Eulogius. While in prison Eulogius read the Bible to his companions and exhorted them to faithfulness in the face of martyrdom. He also wrote to two other young female converts who were facing threats, instructing them that no matter how terribly they were physically abused, it could not harm their souls, and that they must fight for their faith till death and leave God to defend his Church. St. Eulogius was released and later jailed again for hiding a young female convert who fled from her family in fear of her life. St. Eulogius' judge offered him escape if he would weaken the practice of his religion, but instead he preached the Gospel to the presiding court. He was immediately beheaded. St. Eulogius' feast day is March 11th. Tuesday of the First Week of Lent Reading 1 Isaiah 55:10-11 Thus says the LORD: Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down And do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, Giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 34:4-5, 6-7, 16-17, 18-19 R. (18b) From all their distress God rescues the just. Glorify the LORD with me, let us together extol his name. I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. R. From all their distress God rescues the just. Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him. R. From all their distress God rescues the just. The LORD has eyes for the just, and ears for their cry. The LORD confronts the evildoers, to destroy remembrance of them from the earth. R. From all their distress God rescues the just. When the just cry out, the LORD hears them, and from all their distress he rescues them. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves. R. From all their distress God rescues the just. Verse Before the Gospel Matthew 4:4b One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. Gospel Matthew 6:7-15 Jesus said to his disciples: "In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. "This is how you are to pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. "If you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions." Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! Daily Meditation: Isaiah 55:10-11 My word . . . shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11) We can be so used to getting what we want quickly. Imagine you want a loaf of bread. All you need to do is go to a grocery store and buy it. But what goes into making that purchase possible? It starts with farmers. They plant a crop of wheat, then wait from three to six months to see a harvest. Then the grain goes to a mill to be ground into flour. And then someone takes that flour and makes the bread. It doesn't come to you instantly! Today's first reading talks about the way that God's word goes forth and accomplishes his will. The prophet compares it to the way that rain and snow come down from heaven and make the earth fruitful and give "bread to the one who eats" (Isaiah 55:10). But like that loaf of bread in the grocery store, it can sometimes take a while for us to see God's promises fulfilled. It's easy to get impatient, especially when you're praying for God's promises to come to pass in your life or in the life of a loved one. It can be hard to persevere when you can't see how God will work everything out. You want to be able to get an immediate answer to your prayers. You want to see the joy and peace and goodness of the Holy Spirit fully achieved in your life. You want to feel complete victory over long-standing sinful habits. But remember the bread. A good loaf of bread takes a while. And to see God's good will be fulfilled, you might also need to be patient. But you can trust that his word is always effective. Just look over salvation history. You can see God's faithfulness when he called a people to himself; he taught the Israelites and led them to the Promised Land. You can see it when, in the fullness of time, Jesus—the Word made flesh—came into the world for our salvation. You can see it in the establishment and growth of the Church over the centuries. And you can likely see it in your own life, too. Because God is good and loving—and he keeps his word to us! "Lord, your word never fails!" Psalm 34:4-7, 16-19 Matthew 6:7-15 Reflections with Brother Adrian: Hear AI Read it for u From today's Holy Gospel: "Jesus said to his disciples: "In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. "This is how you are to pray......" - Word of the Lord! From Roberto Juarez: "Jesus teaches us that prayer is not a mechanical ritual, but a sincere dialogue with God. It is not a question of the number of words, but of trust and love. God already knows our needs, but He wants us to approach Him with an open heart. Do I pray with my heart or do I just repeat meaningless words? The Lord's Prayer is a perfect model of prayer: • "Our Father" → reminds us that we are children of God and brothers and sisters among us. • "Hallowed be your Name" → We express our desire for God to be glorified in the world. • "Thy Kingdom come" → We long for His love and justice to transform humanity. • "Thy will be done" → We open ourselves to accept His plans in our lives. • "Give us this day our daily bread" → We trust in His providence for material and spiritual things. • "Forgive us our trespasses as we also forgive" → We commit ourselves to living in forgiveness. • "Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil" → We ask for your strength to overcome sin. When I pray the Lord's Prayer, do I do so with awareness and commitment? Forgiveness is key in the Christian life. We cannot receive God's love if we are not willing to share it with others. Do I have grudges in my heart? Am I willing to forgive as God forgives me? • What is my prayer like? Do I seek a sincere encounter with God or do I just repeat words without thinking? • How do I live forgiveness? Am I able to forgive or do I hold resentments in my heart? • Do I put my life in God's hands? Do I trust in His will and His providence every day? 'Good Father, Teach me to pray with my heart, with trust and love. Help me to live the Lord's Prayer not only with my lips, but also with my lips. but with my life. Give me a humble heart to forgive and strength to do your will each day.' Amen....." end of quote from Roberto. Bishop Robert Barron said today: "Salvation, therefore, is a matter of the meeting of heaven and earth, so that God might reign as thoroughly here below as he does on high. Jesus' great prayer, which is constantly on the lips of Christians, is distinctively Jewish in inspiration: "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." This is decidedly not a prayer that we might escape from the earth, but rather that earth and heaven might come together. The Lord's Prayer raises to a new level what the prophet Isaiah anticipated: "The earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." The first Christians saw the Resurrection of Jesus as the commencement of the process by which earth and heaven were being reconciled. They appreciated the risen Christ as the one who would bring the justice of heaven to this world......" end quote. Our Lord came from Heaven, to show us how to live, and how to pray. How did He live? We learn that He lived in Holy Obedience. We learn, that He lived a life of giving. We learned that He looked at people with love, and other scoundrels He would speak with direct truths. He lived speaking about His Father, and Our Father. He lived explaining the desires of Heaven, as if to be explaining what is to be expected of us, direct from the heart of Heaven...God our Father. His Prayer, The Lord's Prayer, is the foundation of life. It stemmed from upwards of 13 daily Jewish prayers, condensed into one easy to remember, but not to be taken lightly, formidable prayer. Maybe for Lent, we should take this prayer to heart. Maybe we should pray it slowly, and faithfully, and let every word sink into our soul. That we might live, both now and forever...on earth...as it is in Heaven.... audio Random Bible Verse 1 Ephesians 4:29 "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." Word of the Lord If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com God Bless You! Peace Going4th For questions or comments contact Adrian@going4th.com. 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