† Quote of the Day "Therefore, my brother, scorned as you are by men, lashed as it were by God, do not despair. Do not be depressed. Do not let your weakness make you impatient. Instead, let the serenity of your spirit shine through your face. Let the joy of your mind burst forth. Let words of thanks break from your lips." — St. Peter Damian Today's Meditation "'The Lord measures our perfection not by the number and greatness of the works we do for Him, but by our manner of doing them. And this manner is only the love of God with which, and for which, we do them. They are more perfect as they are done with more pure and perfect love, and as they are less mingled with the thoughts of pleasure or praise in this life or the other (St. John of the Cross).' When St. Bernard was assisting one night at Matins, he saw some angels who were carefully noting down the merit of each of the monks. The merit of those who were praying with much fervor, they set down in golden characters; of those with less fervor, in silver characters; of those with good will, but without affection, in ink; of those with sloth and drowsiness, in water; but as to those who were in mortal sin or voluntarily distracted, they wrote nothing, but, standing motionless, they lamented their blindness." —Anonymous, p. 292
An excerpt from Cultivating Virtue: Self-Mastery With the Saints Daily Verse "Consider your own calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God." — 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 | St. Bademus St. Bademus (d. 376 A.D.) was a wealthy and noble citizen of Bethlapeta in Persia. Desiring to give himself completely to God, he gave away his wealth and founded a monastery where he led a life of prayer and austerity. His sanctity was known to all, and he trained his monks to progress in devotion, virtue, and love of God. One day he and seven of his monks were abducted during the Christian persecution by King Sapor of Persia. He was chained in a dungeon for four months and whipped daily for his faith. He suffered his tortures for Christ and triumphed over them with patience and joy. One day a Christian prince named Nersan was also put into the dungeon, and, seeing the torments he would endure, apostatized from the faith in order to be released. To prove his conversion, the king ordered Nersan to slay St. Bademus on the spot. Bademus, after declaring his willingness to die for Christ, also warned Nersan of the account he would have to give to God for his actions. Nersan, timid and fearful, then killed Bademus with several awkward and misplaced blows. The pagans who were present admired the abbot's holy and resigned death, while abhorring the king's cruelty. St. Bademus' feast day is April 10th. | Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent Reading 1 Genesis 17:3-9 When Abram prostrated himself, God spoke to him:
"My covenant with you is this:
you are to become the father of a host of nations.
No longer shall you be called Abram;
your name shall be Abraham,
for I am making you the father of a host of nations.
I will render you exceedingly fertile;
I will make nations of you;
kings shall stem from you.
I will maintain my covenant with you
and your descendants after you
throughout the ages as an everlasting pact,
to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
I will give to you
and to your descendants after you
the land in which you are now staying,
the whole land of Canaan, as a permanent possession;
and I will be their God." God also said to Abraham:
"On your part, you and your descendants after you
must keep my covenant throughout the ages." Responsorial Psalm Psalm 105:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 R. (8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered. R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail. R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations –
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac. R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
Verse Before the Gospel Psalm 95:8
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts. Gospel John 8:51-59 Jesus said to the Jews:
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever keeps my word will never see death."
So the Jews said to him,
"Now we are sure that you are possessed.
Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say,
'Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.'
Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?
Or the prophets, who died?
Who do you make yourself out to be?"
Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing;
but it is my Father who glorifies me,
of whom you say, 'He is our God.'
You do not know him, but I know him.
And if I should say that I do not know him,
I would be like you a liar.
But I do know him and I keep his word.
Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day;
he saw it and was glad."
So the Jews said to him,
"You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?"
Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you,
before Abraham came to be, I AM."
So they picked up stones to throw at him;
but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area. | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Genesis 17:3-9 You and your descendants after you . . . (Genesis 17:9) In today's first reading, God promises Abraham something that seems impossible: This childless old man and his equally elderly wife will become "exceedingly fertile" (Genesis 17:6). They will become so fruitful, in fact, that they will be the foundation for a massive family tree that will include "a host of nations" (17:5). What a glorious promise—a promise that continues to unfold even today through the children of Abraham! But the Gospel for today tells us that God had an even wider calling in mind. In addition to the vast biological family that resulted from Abraham's faithfulness, the Lord created a spiritual family as well—a spiritual family tree rooted in the cross of Christ. Imagine mapping out this spiritual family tree. It would be so different from the typical one that people use to trace their ancestors. Instead of showing descendants in a more or less direct line of succession from parents to children, the lines would be much more involved. They would connect family members, of course, but also friends, extended family, and even total strangers. For example, what if you wrote down the name of that religious education teacher whose witness stays with you even today—and then drew lines connecting her to all the other students whom she also touched? Imagine, too, all the lines coming from those other students whose faith drew even more people to the Lord. Not everyone will remember that one woman, but the impression that she made is still just as real. And then there are the people she prayed for: some of them might not even know how much they owe their faith to her intercession. All that from one teacher! In prayer today, try mapping out your own spiritual genealogy. Write down the names of all the people who helped bring your faith alive. Include also the people whose faith has sustained you over the years. Then offer the Lord a prayer of thanksgiving and praise for all the ways he has used them to reach out to you. "Lord, thank you for grafting me into the family tree of Abraham and Sarah!" Psalm 105:4-9
John 8:51-59 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: Our Lord said:
"But I do know him and I keep his word.
Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day;
he saw it and was glad."
So the Jews said to him,
"You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?"
Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you,
before Abraham came to be, I AM."
So they picked up stones to throw at him;
but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area....." - Word of the Lord! | From Roberto Juarez: "The climax of the passage comes when Jesus says:
"Before Abraham was, I Am."
Here Jesus not only places himself above Abraham, but uses the name by which God revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush: I am (Exodus 3:14). This affirmation is a clear act of revelation of his divinity. That is why the Jews take stones to stone him, accusing him of blasphemy, because, in their eyes, a man could not proclaim himself equal to God.
This text calls us to recognize Jesus as the eternal Son of God, who not only teaches the truth, but is the Truth; which not only gives life, but is Life.
Jesus offers us a powerful promise: If we keep His word, we will not see death forever.
Do we really believe it? Do we trust that His Word is eternal life?
Many times, the fear of death, suffering or the future can paralyze us. But Jesus assures us that He has the last word, and it is a word of life and hope.
The challenge for us is to keep his word, to live it every day, to make it our food. To keep his word is to listen to it with the heart, to put it into practice, to let it transform our thoughts and decisions.
We are also called to contemplate Jesus in his deepest identity: not only as teacher, but as the "I Am," the God-with-us, the one who existed before all time. And this should fill our hearts with adoration, humility, and gratitude. 'Lord Jesus,
You are the "I Am," the eternal Son of the Father,
the living Word that gives life and saves.
Teach me to keep your word with faith and love,
to trust in your promise of eternal life.
Free me from the fear of death,
for I know that You sustain me and bring me to full life.
Open my eyes to recognize you as God and Savior,
and make me a witness of your love in the midst of the world.
Amen.' ......" end quote Roberto Juarez.
From brother Adrian:
They say about C.S. Lewis and his book "Mere Christianity, the former atheist presents an argument known as the "Trilemma," also known as the "Lord, liar, or lunatic"
Which category can we place Him? Either He is who He says He is, someone before Abraham, living among us, or He is lying, or He is crazy, right? But we know clearly, after 2,000 years of studying His life on earth, even with physical evidence, He is alive, in the flesh, He is alive in the Holy Spirit, and He is Lord of sin and death. He then, is, who He says He is, when He says the exact name that God named Himself at the burning bush with Moses who was about to save His people from slavery and usher them to the promised land of purification and endless proliferation of His people.
What's more, when we call someone else a liar, then, we have to stand on a basis for truth. Here is where evil has made muddy the waters in the last couple of centuries of debauchery that has turned the free world into a sex crazed and very violent place to be, especially for an unborn child, where, in the womb, it is doomed to die due to ideals that focus a person inward more than anything.
The question for Lent now for you is, who do you say that He is?
At the sound of Him declaring Himself one with God, the Jews picked up stones to kill Him on the spot. But He slipped away.
Nowadays, we don't pickup stones, we do something worse.
I remember a near death experience of a black man that flipped his car and it sunk into a lake where he drowned. He said he went to hell, and a huge figure appeared before him, huge demon with horns that sat there as if bored, and it seemed to ignore his presence, and the man yelled to get his attention after a while, but nothing...it simply didn't care.
Now THAT is evil. The man came back to life, and realized all he cared about was a sham, all the money he craved, all the women, nobody really cared there. He converted to the life that does care...to Christ our Lord, who is one with God, who is Love itself.
I hope now, that we begin then, to care about God as He cares about us, as will be evident in His Passion come Palm Sunday and culminate on Good Friday.
If only we would adhere to Him, cling to Him, be at His every beckoning call...to let Him love and care through us, both here, now....and forever. | Random Bible Verse 1
Matthew 5:46–48 [Matthew 5] "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers,1 what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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