† Quote of the Day "He took what is mine in order that He might impart to me what is His. He took it not to overturn it but to fill it." — St. Ambrose Today's Meditation "Beauty is Life-Giving - Beauty nourishes our souls the way food nourishes our bodies. Search for the beauty that is all around you, and try to see God's face in every person you meet. 'Joy is beholding the beauty of God in all creation' (Blessed Julian of Norwich). Dear Lord, help me to see You in everyone I meet." —Father John Catoir, p.165
An excerpt from Uplifting Thoughts for Every Day Daily Verse "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." — Psalm 19:14 | St. Hilary of Poitiers St. Hilary of Poitiers (300–368 A.D.) was born in France to noble pagan parents. He was well instructed in philosophy and converted to Christianity after studying the Old and New Testaments. He was baptized into the Church along with his wife and daughter. He was widely respected by the people of Poitiers, so much so that they elected him their bishop. Hilary worked hard to defend the Catholic Church against the entrenched heresy of Arianism which resulted in his four-year exile to Phrygia, and his popular title, "Hammer of the Arians." Although he was a gentle and courteous man, he was labeled a 'disturber of the peace' for defending Jesus' sacred humanity and divinity against the Arian heretics, the only orthodox bishop in his region doing so. He was renowned for his great learning and sanctity, and for defending the Church valiantly in word and by pen. While in exile he wrote numerous and important theological works resulting in his title as a Doctor of the Church. St. Hilary's feast day is January 13. | Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Reading I Hebrews 1:1-6 Brothers and sisters:
In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways
to our ancestors through the prophets;
in these last days, he spoke to us through the Son,
whom he made heir of all things
and through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word. When he had accomplished purification from sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high, as far superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
For to which of the angels did God ever say: You are my Son; this day I have begotten you?
Or again: I will be a father to him, and he shall be a Son to me?
And again, when he leads the first born into the world, he says: Let all the angels of God worship him. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 97:1 and 2b, 6 and 7c, 9 R. (see 7c) Let all his angels worship him.
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice; let the many isles be glad. Justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R. Let all his angels worship him.
The heavens proclaim his justice, and all peoples see his glory.
Let all his angels worship him.
R. Let all his angels worship him.
Because you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth, exalted far above all gods.
R. Let all his angels worship him. Alleluia Mark 1:15 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand;
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mark 1:14-20 After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God:
"This is the time of fulfillment.
The Kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the Gospel."
As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;
they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them,
"Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Then they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along a little farther
and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They too were in a boat mending their nets.
Then he called them.
So they left their father Zebedee in the boat
along with the hired men and followed him. | Daily Meditation: Hebrews 1:1-6 When he had accomplished purification from sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Hebrews 1:3) Today, we begin reading from the Letter to the Hebrews. Right away the author uses a phrase—"he had accomplished purification from sins"—that tells us something that we'll be looking at for the next few weeks. This letter, probably written a little before AD 70, seems to have been addressed to Jewish Christians. They would have been very familiar with the idea of the "purification" mentioned here. According to the Law of Moses, the high priest was commanded to make annual sacrifices to purify the people from their sins (see Leviticus 16). But the author of Hebrews explains that Jesus took care of sin once and for all. A little later on, he calls Jesus the "high priest of our confession" (Hebrews 3:1). He says that while the Jewish high priest made offerings and sacrifices for the people's sins every year, Jesus made only one. That "one sacrifice for sins" (10:12) accomplished for all time what all those other sacrifices could not. It freed us from the bondage of sin and death. Why did the author feel the need to remind his readers of these truths? Because many of them were no longer living in Jerusalem, and they were facing opposition and persecution from their pagan neighbors. He must have understood how tempting it was for them to give up, to lose sight of the wonder of God's revelation through Jesus. And so he wanted to encourage them to ponder the magnificence of Jesus and the perfection of his sacrifice on their behalf. Keep this background in mind as you're reading through Hebrews in the coming weeks, especially if you feel like you could use some encouragement. Jesus, the One who "accomplished purification," is the One who "sustains all things by his mighty word" and is now seated "at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1:3). He is the One through whom God has spoken to us. And the purification he accomplished was not just for the readers of the Letter to the Hebrews—it was for you! "Lord, thank you for coming to purify me! May I grow to love you more and more each day!" Psalm 97:1-2, 6-7, 9
Mark 1:14-20 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | In the Holy Scripture we hear today: "This is the time of fulfillment.
The Kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the Gospel."
As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;
they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them,
"Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men....." end Gospel quote, word of the Lord. | A reflection from a Spanish source today:
"With this announcement we begin the week and so many weeks that there will be throughout the year. It's about believing that there really is something new between us, a new opportunity, a new beginning. It is about assuming that, even if we are what we are, God believes in us and we have the possibility of starting over. We already know what we are like and what we give of ourselves, we know our miseries, our pettiness, our selfishness, our myopia that so often prevents us from seeing beyond our nose, our navel, our interests. And yet, God, the Kingdom of the Kingdom, is with us and in Jesus he opens up a new future, a new hope. We can change, we can improve, we can make a kingdom where we have so often created violence and pain.
Not only that. God is counting on us to proclaim that new kingdom, that new hope: "Come with me, and I will make you fishers of man". The call to those fishermen to leave everything and follow him, resonates today in our ears. We too must become heralds of the Kingdom by our words and our deeds, by the witness of our lives." end quote from .Fernando Torres, cmf.
A 2nd Spanish reflection From Roberto Juarez reflections:
"The disciples respond immediately to Jesus' call. They leave their networks and follow him. This radical response shows their willingness to abandon their former life to follow Jesus. It is an act of faith and trust in the Master and Lord.
Are we willing to leave behind our comforts and securities to follow Jesus? Are we willing to commit ourselves to His kingdom message and live according to His teachings? Jesus' call is for everyone, no matter our background or circumstances. Jesus invites us to join him in the mission of proclaiming and living the gospel of God's kingdom in our world."
And a 3rd reflection in Spanish said:
"May we not be afraid to work with others, to form community, to build networks, not so much "inviting others to work with us" (and as long as we are the ones who have the last word...), but with humility to contribute our own, recognizing the good that others do.
In this way we will continue to be "prophets of hope", that is, heralds that the Kingdom is already among us." end quote from Salesians Argentina.
And now a 4th reflection, are you willing for more?
Who can make more room for our Lord in their lives?
The Apostles, the first Disciples, they made all the room for the Christ, the Messiah. He had not even performed miracles yet and they followed Him, they simply...believed.
We are in our day, very skeptical of everything. We've been burnt. We have clicked on too many false advertisements. Me and my son were looking for a pickup truck for him, as an early graduation and Christmas present. We clicked on a picture a dealer had put online marketplace, and twice we went to the different places only to be told the truck was no longer available and wanted us to by other units we didn't like. It can make one cynical. We can begin to feel like too many are liars, and are wasting our time. We even drove 5 hours to one place and were turned down. But, we had an ace up our sleeves. We had one that was for sure locked in. The dealer was responsive, we spoke and we saw the truck for ourselves there 5 hours away in the same city.
And that is the one that was true and we bought in the end. What was the secret again? We had prayed. You should see how things go for a prayerful person that puts everything in God's hands. Some saints asked for guidance on everything from Our Father. This is good. As I write, I'm watching our workers make decisions on their own. Some good, some not that good, but the real issue is bad communication.
And the worst bad communication is zero communication. I wish they'd tell me even on little things, not to be a micro manager, but to be in that constant check in, with positive notes. For example, they took a different truck I had not mentioned, which is ok, but would be good to know.
With that being said. Recall the call of our Lord who wants us to follow Him.
Can you leave your family to follow our Lord and Messiah? LOL. Most married folks with little kids would say no way right away!
Can you leave your job? Say what? Are you crazy? Wait a moment please.
Yesterday, I got up after Mass to announce a coming men's conference to our Parish, exciting, for our new building and it's never been done here before.
I asked all the men to save the date. Mark their calendars. Ask off from work. Change your plans as of right now. This is an invitation, but I was issuing more of a command because I had been asking the Lord to speak through me after receiving Him in the Eucharist. Ears perked up, I could tell.
Would you leave all at least for those few hours? Would you leave all for a few minutes of intense prayer with God our Father? Is it that hard to ask of us to spend more intimate time with Him?
What sacrifice would it take?
It would take the sacrifice of self, but it would not be a sacrifice if we had love.
Out of love we would pay whatever it takes that what God our Father would ask of us today.
And so the response is one of love, and our answer reveals the love of the Father inside of us now. |  audio | WOW. Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 12:11 11 Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
