† Quote of the Day "If the heart wanders or is distracted, bring it back to the point quite gently and replace it tenderly in its Master's presence. And even if you did nothing during the whole of your hour but bring your heart back and place it again in Our Lord's presence, though it went away every time you brought it back, your hour would be very well employed." — St. Francis de Sales Today's Meditation "Why? Why do you need more? Sometimes this is the result of not trusting in God to meet our needs. But just as food can't bring enduring peace to our bodies, money can't bring a similar kind of peace to our souls." —Matt Fradd, p.44
An excerpt from How to Be Happy, Saint Thomas' Secret to a Good Life Daily Verse "Though the fig tree do not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." — Habakkuk 3:17-18 | St. Felix Of Nola St. Felix of Nola (d. 250 A.D.) was born in Italy near Naples, the son of a Syrian soldier. After his father's death, Felix gave his goods to the poor and entered the priesthood. He was ordained by his bishop, St. Maximus of Nola, and served as his assistant. When persecution against Christians increased under Roman Emperor Decius, St. Maximus hid in the desert while St. Felix was captured, tortured, and thrown into prison. While in prison an angel appeared to Felix and freed him from his chains, bidding him to go to the aid of his bishop, St. Maximus, who was at the point of starving to death. After assisting the bishop, Felix fled from his captors by hiding in a hole. Miraculously, a spider quickly spun a web over the hole and prevented St. Felix from being caught by his pursuers. Felix continued hiding in a dry well for six months until the persecution abated. Afterwards he declined an offer to become the bishop of Nola following the death of St. Maximus. Felix's property was confiscated in the persecutions, so he lived his remaining years farming a few acres of rented land for his own sustenance as well as alms for the poor. His feast day is January 14. | Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Reading I Hebrews 2:5-12 It was not to angels that God subjected the world to come,
of which we are speaking.
Instead, someone has testified somewhere: What is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor, subjecting all things under his feet.
In "subjecting" all things to him,
he left nothing not "subject to him."
Yet at present we do not see "all things subject to him,"
but we do see Jesus "crowned with glory and honor"
because he suffered death,
he who "for a little while" was made "lower than the angels,"
that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
For it was fitting that he,
for whom and through whom all things exist,
in bringing many children to glory,
should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering.
He who consecrates
and those who are being consecrated all have one origin.
Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them "brothers" saying: I will proclaim your name to my brethren, in the midst of the assembly I will praise you. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 8:2ab and 5, 6-7, 8-9 R. (see 7) You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.
O LORD, our Lord, how glorious is your name over all the earth!
What is man that you should be mindful of him, or the son of man that you should care for him?
R. You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.
You have made him little less than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands, putting all things under his feet.
R. You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.
All sheep and oxen, yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea, and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
R. You have given your Son rule over the works of your hands. Alleluia 1 Thessalonians 2:13 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Receive the word of God, not as the word of men,
but as it truly is, the word of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mark 1:21-28 Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers,
and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!"
Jesus rebuked him and said, "Quiet! Come out of him!"
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
All were amazed and asked one another,
"What is this?
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him."
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.
| Daily Meditation: Mark 1:21-28 He taught them as one having authority. (Mark 1:22) A man enters a fancy hotel, eyes the lobby furniture critically, and turns a chair over to examine a leg that looks broken. Other guests look surprised. Then they see a hotel attendant running over and are even more startled when the stranger gives an order and the attendant complies. It all becomes clear when another employee tells them, "That's the owner's son. His dad has put him in charge of this hotel." Today's Gospel makes it clear that God the Father has put his Son, Jesus, in charge. Jesus even has authority over demons (Mark 1:24-26)! That's why, after he drives out the unclean spirit in the synagogue, the people say, "What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him" (1:27). This is good news for us! Right from the first chapter of his Gospel, Mark is showing us that Jesus has authority over all creation. He has the authority to free us, heal us, and lead us to the truth. And just as he delivered the man from an unclean spirit, he has authority over every illness, every sin, and every form of bondage in our lives. It can be easy to reduce our faith to a set of abstract beliefs or notions about God. Yes, we know that he loves us and forgives our sins. But abstract knowledge can go only so far. We still function as if we're on our own, so we try to deal with our problems all by ourselves. And when we fail, we tell ourselves, "This can't really change" or "I need to try harder to fix it." But we're not alone! Jesus' authority is more than a concept; he has the power to save us and to free us. This is not something he wants us to simply accept in theory; he wants us to exercise our faith by placing our trials and challenges under his authority! Whatever difficulty you might be experiencing right now, or whatever situation you feel most bound by, bring it to Jesus. Proclaim, "Jesus, I believe that you are Lord and that you have the authority to set me free! Thank you, Lord, that I am not left to deal with this on my own." Keep believing and praying, and then watch for signs of his power in your life. "Jesus, you are the Lord of the universe and the Lord of my life!" Hebrews 2:5-12
Psalm 8:2, 5-9 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | In the Holy Scripture we hear today: "...." end Gospel quote, word of the Lord. | From a Spanish Reflection:
"The proclamation of the good news is not a mere advertising slogan. It has concrete effects on people's lives. It frees from all that oppresses and allows people to rise up and take charge of their lives. Jesus' authority goes far beyond the authority of the scribes. Their authority came from having devoted many hours to the study of the law. Jesus' authority came from a special and intimate relationship with God, with his Abba, his experience of God had enabled him to know him beyond anything the books could say. His authority, his word, reaches to the bottom of our hearts, frees us and leads us to live a new life. That is why his fame reached all of Galilee and beyond. Therefore, it would be good for us to be attentive to what Jesus does and says every day. In him we will find freedom and hope." end quote from Fernando Torres, cmf.
From Roberto Juarez reflections:
"Are we willing to acknowledge His authority over our lives? Are we willing to allow him to expel everything that distances us from God and oppresses us?
Let us trust in the authority of Jesus and turn to him for healing and deliverance. May we open our hearts to his transforming action and allow him to reign in our lives. May his authority be a reason for joy and hope for us, knowing that in him we find true freedom and fulfillment."
From Bishop Barron: "What God intended from the beginning is that our hearts be temples of his presence. But when Christ comes into our world, what does he find? He finds that the temple of our heart is filled up with all sorts of things that are not the divine power. Money, worldly success, the esteem of others, sex—whatever it is, it has now taken the place that rightfully belongs to God. Therefore, when Christ comes into your life, he will always have a cleansing role to play.
Fulton Sheen once talked about the "expulsive power" of Christ. When you place him in the center of your soul, he will expel all those things that don't belong in that center and make them find their proper place.
And so Jesus the nonviolent warrior, Jesus the judge, God's own mind, now comes into our hearts when we invite him through conversion. He will have this cleansing authority and cleansing power."
Beautiful reflections today, about Christ, the Messiah, our Savior. All reflections seem to touch on the "authority", the astounding authority of our Lord. He expels legions of demons, hundreds and thousands with a simple phrase "Be quiet. Come out of him". And they screech, leaving in great torment. I read somewhere yesterday, about demonic interactions and communications with exorcists, and I will share a few excerpts, because during an exorcism, they are made to speak in truth. And the truths we are going to hear are not what we want to hear, because they are difficult, to hinge our Lord in adoration at the center of our lives:
From triumphpilgrimages.com organization:
"The late and well-known exorcist of the diocese of Rome, Fr. Gabriele Amorth, managed to extract some shocking phrases related to Eucharistic adoration in his countless exorcisms. These words, torn from the demons, show the extraordinary power of being in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.
Below I quote some of these phrases:
• "Here He is, hidden in this white bread! But it is not hidden from us; we see it, and its light burns us. It is like a fire that we cannot extinguish!"
• "This piece of bread is not just bread. It is He, the same one who threw us out of heaven! "We hate it, but we cannot approach it!"
• "If people knew who is really there, the whole world would kneel and we would be defeated forever!"
• "Every minute spent before Him takes away our strength. It forces us to flee like cowards!"
• "This place where they worship him is full of angels. We can't get there even with our traps!
• "When you worship him, he strengthens your souls and destroys everything we have done in your lives."
• "The hour before he takes the souls we have held captive for years. It is like a great war against us that we always lose!"
• "The Holy Hour fills your homes and families with light. "We cannot bear this light, it blinds us!"
• "When you make the Holy Hour for sinners, they receive his mercy and our chains are broken. This is our sentence!"
• "These hours of silence before him are like a hammer striking our heads. We cannot resist it!"
• "When they look at him, they say nothing, but he works in their hearts. It destroys us from within!"
• "Silence before him is more powerful than a thousand words. It fills them with grace and makes them invincible!"
• "Every moment of adoration of the souls in purgatory frees them. These acts are like swords that cut our chains!"
• "The souls he frees take the earth from us and we cannot get it back!"
• "When they offer honor to the dead, we lose and they gain His light. It is unbearable!"
• "Stop honoring the satisfactions! Every act before Him destroys what we have built with such great effort."
• "When they make satisfaction for blasphemies and sacrileges, they weaken us more than they can imagine."
• "The reparative cult is poison for us. It is as if they were destroying everything we do in their souls!"
• "Those who spend time before Him are protected! It is as if they have built a fire barrier around themselves. We cannot reach them easily!"
• "Every time one of you looks at him with faith, we receive a punishment that hurts us more than a thousand chains."
• "When someone worships him with all their heart, he takes what is ours. Every time it humiliates us!"
• "These prayers before the Blessed Sacrament for sinners are our downfall. They will accept his mercy and do penance, and this will destroy our traps!"
• "When you pray for the lost before him, he shows you his love and breaks our chains. This is a disaster for us!"
• "Venerating sinners makes us powerless before them. He covers them with his blood and we can no longer touch them!"
• "The souls who dedicate themselves to Adoration are like swords that pierce us. We cannot defeat them!"
• "These small groups that honor Him are more powerful than our entire armies."
• "One hour with Him is worth more than thousands of prayers that do not take into account His presence."
• "Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is like rain that extinguishes the fires that we have lit in the world."
• "These acts of worship bring peace to the earth.
The Holy Catholic Church has been granted ultimate authority, something many reject. But it is good, and the more we are prayerful, the more the church will have light to cast out darkness, because together we make the whole of the body. Therefore, your light with Christ matters, every soul matters.
Thousands of evil spirits lurk,waiting to enter a body, and how? Traps they say. We fall for traps and temptations. Don't we? But we can seal ourselves up. Our lord can lead us away from temptations. We can engulf ourselves with the everlasting light. Let that light, His Light, be at the center of your home, your heart, your very life. This will bring joy to the world and thus, joy to our Father God, because His Son shines giving glory to God, in our sacrificial thanksgiving, a symbiotic radiation of light that is life.
Lord, Come into My heart and soul, and reign, as my love and my King, both now and forevermore! |  audio | WOW.
Random Bible Verse 1
Numbers 23:19 19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
