† Quote of the Day "Christ made my soul beautiful with the jewels of grace and virtue. I belong to Him whom the angels serve." — St. Agnes Today's Meditation "Jesus himself came to live at the heart of the tragic reality of human sinfulness. It is enough to read his genealogy cited in the Gospels of Saint Matthew and Saint Luke to be convinced of this, since we can see it in the names of persons whose lives involve problematic and immoral situations. Christ thus comes to take humanity in the midst of its sin for the salvation of all. This is what is at stake in the Divine Mercy that must pour out on our families, in which jealousy, discord, and profound rifts sometimes prevail." —Robert Cardinal Sarah, p. 31
An excerpt from Couples, Awaken Your Love Daily Verse "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; be not frightened, neither be dismayed; for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." — Joshua 1:9 | St. Agnes Of Rome St. Agnes (c. 291–304 A.D.) was born to a noble Roman family. She was a beautiful young woman of twelve or thirteen years of age when many suitors desired her hand in marriage. Instead of marrying, St. Agnes committed herself to a life of consecrated virginity as a spouse of Christ. She was then denounced to the authorities as a Christian during the persecutions of Roman Emperor Diocletian. She was condemned to be dragged naked through the streets into a brothel to be sexually abused. She miraculously escaped from this predicament with her virginity preserved, and was then condemned to be burned at the stake. Again, by a miracle, her persecutors were unable to carry out her sentence. Finally, they put her to death by beheading. Of all the virgin martyrs, St. Agnes is held in the first place by the Church. She is one of the seven women, besides the Virgin Mary, commemorated by name in the Roman Canon of the Mass. St. Agnes' name means 'chaste' and she is the patroness of girls, chastity, engaged couples, virgins, rape victims, and the Girl Scouts. Her feast day is January 21st. | Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr • Readings for the Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr Reading 1 Hebrews 6:10-20 Brothers and sisters:
God is not unjust so as to overlook your work
and the love you have demonstrated for his name
by having served and continuing to serve the holy ones.
We earnestly desire each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness
for the fulfillment of hope until the end,
so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who,
through faith and patience, are inheriting the promises.
When God made the promise to Abraham,
since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself,
and said, I will indeed bless you and multiply you.
And so, after patient waiting, Abraham obtained the promise.
Now, men swear by someone greater than themselves;
for them an oath serves as a guarantee
and puts an end to all argument.
So when God wanted to give the heirs of his promise
an even clearer demonstration of the immutability of his purpose,
he intervened with an oath,
so that by two immutable things,
in which it was impossible for God to lie,
we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged
to hold fast to the hope that lies before us.
This we have as an anchor of the soul,
sure and firm, which reaches into the interior behind the veil,
where Jesus has entered on our behalf as forerunner,
becoming high priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 111:1-2, 4-5, 9, 10c R. (5) The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart in the company and assembly of the just.
Great are the works of the LORD, exquisite in all their delights.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has won renown for his wondrous deeds; gracious and merciful is the LORD.
He has given food to those who fear him; he will forever be mindful of his covenant.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has sent deliverance to his people; he has ratified his covenant forever; holy and awesome is his name. His praise endures forever.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Ephesians 1:17-18 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know what is the hope
that belongs to our call.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mark 2:23-28 As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath,
his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain.
At this the Pharisees said to him,
"Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?"
He said to them,
"Have you never read what David did
when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?
How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest
and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat,
and shared it with his companions?"
Then he said to them,
"The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath."
| Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Hebrews 6:10-20 This we have as an anchor of the soul, . . . which reaches into the interior behind the veil. (Hebrews 6:19) Picture a large, exposed bay on a blustery day. The sea surges and froths, but the fishing boat tied up by the shore is completely secure. Its anchor holds it steady even as the waves pound against its side. That's how the author of the Letter to the Hebrews describes the great gift of hope. It's like an anchor for our souls that keeps us calm when everything around us is swirling in great agitation. And what is that hope anchored to? The same thing that kept our great forefather Abraham at peace: the promises of a faithful, loving God (Hebrews 6:13-14; Genesis 22:17). But hope doesn't just secure you in one spot. The author of Hebrews went on to say that hope reaches "behind the veil," right into the sanctuary of heaven (6:19). It's hope that keeps you looking toward—and racing toward—the future, when you will finally be united with the Lord. Another image can help here. Think of a kite surfer racing across the water. Harnessed to a large, powerful kite, he is being whisked forward by a power greater than his own. He, too, is anchored, but to the sky above, not the seabed below! Similarly, the gift of hope keeps you anchored to heaven. And just as the kite surfer is propelled forward, so, too, is your hope in heaven moving you forward. Yes, the love of God is stable and unchanging like a rock, but it is also active and dynamic like the wind. It keeps you peaceful and calm even as it breathes life into you and propels you forward. It keeps you rooted in the eternal unchanging truths of the gospel even as it energizes you and moves you ever closer toward the perfect joy of heaven. You may feel today that you need to be anchored safely to the Lord as storms rage around you. Or you may need a fresh wind from the Spirit to enliven you and help you get unstuck. Or you may need a mixture of both. Whatever your situation and whatever your need, keep your heart fixed on the Lord! Place your hope in his promises, because hope doesn't disappoint (Romans 5:5)! "Lord, fill me with hope that helps me to stand firm when I need to—and to run toward you when I need to!" Psalm 111:1-2, 4-5, 9-10
Mark 2:23-28 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | In the Holy Scripture we hear today: "At this the Pharisees said to him,
"Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?"
He said to them,
"Have you never read what David did
when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?
How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest
and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat,
and shared it with his companions?"
Then he said to them,
"The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath."...." end Gospel quote, word of the Lord. | From Bishop Barron: "And the claim of the first Christians was Iesous Kyrios—Jesus is Lord. This was bound to annoy both Jews and Gentiles. The Jews would be massively put off by the use of the term Kyrios in describing an ordinary human being. Moreover, the implication that this man was the Messiah of Israel—when he had died at the hands of Israel's enemies—was simply blasphemous.
And for the Greeks, this claim was subversive, for a watchword of the time was Kaiser Kyrios—the emperor is lord. A new system of allegiance was being proposed, a new type of ordering and lordship—and this was indeed a threat to the regnant system.
Christians should enter the public arena boldly and confidently, for we are not announcing a private or personal spirituality, but rather declaring a new King under whose lordship everything must fall. If Jesus is truly Lord, then government, business, family life, the arts, sexuality, and entertainment all come properly under his headship....." end quote.
Our Lord asked them if they couldn't remember when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread.
Our Lord said that the "Son of Man Is LORD even of the Sabbath".
In those two lines, He called Himself "Son of Man" and "High Priest".
From Catholic Answers, AI says: In Catholicism, "Son of Man" refers to Jesus Christ using a title that emphasizes his human nature, drawing from the Book of Daniel where "Son of Man" is a prophetic title for the Messiah, signifying that Jesus is both fully God and fully human.
And so, in saying these things, He reveals that He is the Messiah, that is, if they will believe...that the Kingdom of God is at hand in Him.
The Sabbath was made for Man, for us to rest, and refocus, to put our lives in order for God. But they had made it to be that man was made for the Sabbath, a confusion occurred, so that all man did was to make laws for the sabbath. It is the purpose then, of the congregation and the priest that is revealed. That we honor God on the Sabbath yes, but never to let go of righteousness, and mercy, that we are to receive on that day. So many prayers we pray in Holy Mass are so good for each of us and for the whole church, yes, and the charge at the last blessing, the final blessing of the priest, sends us forth on a mission after being fed mana, bread from Heaven, the very body of Christ, and this was the purpose of the Sabbath. That this rest, this re-energizing, this feast, it was intended from the beginning of time for man to partake of the divinity of God in Heaven in a phenomenal way, physical, spiritual, and this is metaphysical. We are bound to Him, and this is an honor.
And the binding agent, is the Son of Man, both God and Human, water and blood, soul and divinity, to mingle with us, that we might live and rest, that is, to live in the fullness of God's bounty forever.
As you know, life passes fast. We are called to seize the day, take advantage of every day of life, a present, a gift from God.
Lord, may we honor You on the Sabbath, not just with our lips, but with all our heart, mind, body, and souls, so that this connection, this unification may serve for the greater Glory of God, our Eternal Love. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Galatians 5:24 [Galatians 5] 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. "Word of the Lord!" | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
