† Quote of the Day "Without love, deeds, even the most brilliant, count as nothing." — St. Therese of Lisieux Today's Meditation "I've appointed the Devil to tempt and to trouble My creatures in this life [St. Catherine of Siena reports that Our Lord said to her]. I've done this, not so that My creatures will be overcome, but so that they may overcome, proving their virtue and receiving from Me the glory of victory. And no one should fear any battle or temptation of the Devil that may come to him, because I've made My creatures strong, and I've given them strength of will, fortified in the Blood of My Son. Neither the Devil nor any other creature can control this free will, because it's yours, given to you by Me. By your own choice, then, you hold it or let it go if you please. It's a weapon, and if you place it in the hands of the Devil, it right away becomes a knife that he'll use to stab and kill you. On the other hand, if you don't place this knife that is your will into the hands of the Devil—that is, if you don't consent to his temptations and harassments—you will never be injured by the guilt of sin in any temptation. Instead, you'll actually be strengthened by the temptation, as long as you open the eyes of your mind to see My love, and to understand why I allowed you to be tempted: so you could develop virtue by having it proved. My love permits these temptations, for the Devil is weak. He can do nothing by himself unless I allow him. So I let him tempt you because I love you, not because I hate you. I want you to conquer, not to be conquered, and to come to a perfect knowledge of yourself and of Me." —St. Catherine of Siena, p. 159-160
An excerpt from Manual for Spiritual Warfare Daily Verse "Hearken to me, you who pursue deliverance, you who seek the Lord; look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were digged." — Isaiah 51:1 | Blessed Katarzyna Faron Bl. Katarzyna Celestyna (Catherine Celestine) Faron (1913-1944) was born in Zabrzez, Poland. At the age of five she was orphaned and raised by pious, childless relatives. Desiring the religious life, she entered the Congregation of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate in 1930. She served in the community as a kindergarten teacher and catechist. After the breakout of World War II she became the leader of her religious house, ran an orphanage, and helped the poor. She was eventually arrested by the Gestapo, charged with conspiracy against the Nazis, and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp on the feast of Epiphany in 1943, where she was assigned to manual labor digging ditches. She praised God in all her suffering and resigned herself to following His will. Due to the poor conditions she developed typhoid fever and tuberculosis. Because she completed the nine First Fridays devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, she trusted that she wouldn't die without Holy Communion, as Our Lord promised. On December 8, 1943, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, she received Holy Communion as viaticum which was secretly brought to the camp by a prisoner priest. While on her deathbed she prayed intensely for various intentions on a rosary made of bread. According to witnesses she offered her sufferings for the conversion of a priest who had fallen away from the Church, who did eventually return to the true Faith. Bl. Katarzyn finally died from her illness on Easter morning. She is one of the 108 beatified Polish Catholic Martyrs killed during World War II by Nazi Germany. Her feast day is April 9th. | Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent Reading 1 Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95 King Nebuchadnezzar said:
"Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
that you will not serve my god,
or worship the golden statue that I set up?
Be ready now to fall down and worship the statue I had made,
whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet,
flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe,
and all the other musical instruments;
otherwise, you shall be instantly cast into the white-hot furnace;
and who is the God who can deliver you out of my hands?"
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar,
"There is no need for us to defend ourselves before you
in this matter.
If our God, whom we serve,
can save us from the white-hot furnace
and from your hands, O king, may he save us!
But even if he will not, know, O king,
that we will not serve your god
or worship the golden statue that you set up." King Nebuchadnezzar's face became livid with utter rage
against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times more than usual
and had some of the strongest men in his army
bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
and cast them into the white-hot furnace. Nebuchadnezzar rose in haste and asked his nobles,
"Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?"
"Assuredly, O king," they answered.
"But," he replied, "I see four men unfettered and unhurt,
walking in the fire, and the fourth looks like a son of God."
Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed,
"Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
who sent his angel to deliver the servants who trusted in him;
they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their bodies
rather than serve or worship any god
except their own God." Responsorial Psalm Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56 R. (52b) Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim;
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,
praiseworthy and glorious forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever! Verse Before the Gospel See Luke 8:15 Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart
and yield a harvest through perseverance. Gospel John 8:31-42 Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him,
"If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham
and have never been enslaved to anyone.
How can you say, 'You will become free'?"
Jesus answered them, "Amen, amen, I say to you,
everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.
A slave does not remain in a household forever,
but a son always remains.
So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free.
I know that you are descendants of Abraham.
But you are trying to kill me,
because my word has no room among you.
I tell you what I have seen in the Father's presence;
then do what you have heard from the Father." They answered and said to him, "Our father is Abraham."
Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children,
you would be doing the works of Abraham.
But now you are trying to kill me,
a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God;
Abraham did not do this.
You are doing the works of your father!"
So they said to him, "We were not born of fornication.
We have one Father, God."
Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me,
for I came from God and am here;
I did not come on my own, but he sent me."
| Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: John 8:31-42 The truth will set you free. (John 8:32) If there is anyone who can understand the freedom that Jesus is talking about in today's Gospel, it's Holly. When she arrived at prison to begin serving her sentence, she was filled with shame and bitterness, especially about having her children taken away. She doubted there was a God—"and if there was, I didn't think he liked me very much," she said. But prison proved to be a turning point for her. She began attending Mass and developed the practice of praying and reading the Scriptures every day. Over time, she gave her life to the Lord and was received into the Catholic Church. Now out of prison, Holly manages a transitional home for women recovering from addiction. Holly had discovered the truth of Jesus, and that truth set her free! Holly learned a key lesson: nothing imprisons us more than our sins. Ironically, the place that most symbolizes the loss of freedom—a prison—became the place where she found true freedom through the healing power of Christ. She had been alienated from God, but she discovered that Jesus—and his word—were true. And it was her belief and her reliance on the grace and truth of the Lord that finally loosened the grip that sin had on her. Jesus promises all of us that when we "remain" in his word, the truth contained in that word will set us free (John 8:31, 32). We are all on a journey toward that freedom. Ours may not be as dramatic as Holly's, but the destination is the same: Jesus, who liberates us from sin and our bondage to guilt and shame. When we dwell on Jesus and ponder his words, we find the grip of sin loosening. We begin to feel a fire in our hearts because we are experiencing the power of his love. And that love leads us to action. It leads us to care for the least among us, and it leads us to share the good news of Christ with those trapped in sin. We discover the paradoxical secret to happiness: that freedom comes not from going our own way, but from following Jesus, the Savior who truly sets us free! "Jesus, thank you for your words, which bring life to my soul, and for your love, which frees me from the bondage of sin!" Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95
(Psalm) Daniel 3:52-56 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel:
"They answered and said to him, "Our father is Abraham."
Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children,
you would be doing the works of Abraham.
But now you are trying to kill me,
a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God;
Abraham did not do this.
You are doing the works of your father!"......" - Word of the Lord! | From Roberto Juarez: "What does it mean to me to be free? Do I seek the truth that Christ offers me?
Many times we believe that freedom is doing what we want. But Jesus reveals to us that true freedom is born of love and truth. Only when the heart is at peace with God, when it lives in the light of Christ, are we truly free.
Sin enslaves, because it closes us in on ourselves, it makes us react from pride, envy, fear, guilt... Instead, Jesus frees us with his Word, with his forgiveness, with his mercy. Abiding in Him gives us a new identity: we are no longer slaves, but children.
And to be children is to live trusting in the Father's love, knowing that our lives are in safe hands. We don't need to pretend, we don't need to look outside for what only God can give us.
Lord Jesus,
You are the Truth that illuminates my life.
Give me the grace to abide in your Word,
to be your disciple every day.
Free me from everything that binds me,
of every sin that prevents me from loving you freely.
Make me live as a child of the Father,
And give me an open, humble heart
able to recognize your voice and follow you with joy.
Amen.
......" end quote Roberto Juarez.
From brother Adrian:
Bishop Robert Barron ends his reflection today with this line: "This spiritual frustration, this inner warfare, this debility of soul, is sin." Our Lord responded to them "Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here;
I did not come on my own, but he sent me." Some couldn't believe it. And today, I could rightly say, that the Lord has been sent into the prophets of today, even myself here, to speak to you, to speak to all people, to say that God is here speaking. But with so many voices claiming this, how can we know the truth? There's over 60,000 denominations of Christianity, and many new are forming even until today. Who has the truth to believe in and to follow? I don't like to dissuade people from their beliefs, all I do is encourage them to seek the truth, deeper and deeper. If they dig deep enough, they will accept the Church fathers, who believed Christ very words.
But the important message is always projected. Jesus is put at the forefront of all of our faith. He is the new Adam, the new Abraham, the new Moses, the new Elijah, the new Prophet. Yet He came, and yet they didn't believe. Yet He still reigns and lives today.
Our Lord says to us all:
"If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
Remain. There one thing I have been noticing and going into deep thought of lately, and that is constancy. We as a people, love a constant thread in our lives. The Holy Church is that constant that lives on the constancy of God Himself. The daily tradition, the yearly liturgy, and the works of God that all become one. They say that families that move many times as kids are growing up, make it hard for kids to thrive, but, on the contrary, a constant home can make good roots for a child to thrive.
The message is then, for you, to remain. Where have you gone? Where have your thoughts been going? Remain in God, and remain in the truth, and the truth has a name...it is Jesus our Lord! Lord, help us be constant forever, both now and forever, one in You, with You, and through You Lord Jesus, my King and my love. | Random Bible Verse
1 Peter 2:9 [1 Peter 2] " But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."
Word of the Lord. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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