† Quote of the Day "What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like." St. Augustine Today's Meditation "Not to try to live in interior silence is equivalent to giving up the effort to lead a truly Christian life. The Christian life is a life of faith, lived in the invisible for what is invisible. Anyone who is not in constant contact with the invisible world runs the risk of remaining always on the threshold of a true Christian life. … Solitude is the stronghold of the strong. Strength is an active virtue, and our power of keeping silence marks the level of our capacity for action. 'Without this interior cell, we would be incapable of doing great things, either for ourselves or for others.'"
—Raoul Plus, S.J., p. 40-41
Cover image from the book, How to Pray Always
An Excerpt From How to Pray Always Daily Verse "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you, says the Lord." Jeremiah 29:11-13 | St. Marianne Cope (1838–1918), also known as St. Marianne of Molokai, was a German-born American immigrant. She worked in a New York factory before entering the Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis in Syracuse. She spent her early years serving as a leader in health care and education. When the Hawaiian government was searching for a religious order to run a station for victims of leprosy, the Syracuse sisters volunteered immediately. Mother Marianne and six other sisters left for Hawaii in 1883. She devoted 35 years to caring for those afflicted with Hansen's disease (leprosy) in Molokai, Hawaii. She also opened a hospital and a school for girls on the island of Maui, and took charge of the home St. Damien of Molokai established for men and boys. Mother Marianne changed life on Molokai by introducing cleanliness, dignity, and fun into the colony. Despite her direct contact with leprosy patients over many years, she was not afflicted by the disease, which some consider miraculous. She was canonized in 2012 and her feast day is January 23. | Thursday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Hebrews 7:25—8:6 Jesus is always able to save those who approach God through him,
since he lives forever to make intercession for them. It was fitting that we should have such a high priest:
holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners,
higher than the heavens.
He has no need, as did the high priests,
to offer sacrifice day after day,
first for his own sins and then for those of the people;
he did that once for all when he offered himself.
For the law appoints men subject to weakness to be high priests,
but the word of the oath, which was taken after the law,
appoints a son, who has been made perfect forever. The main point of what has been said is this:
we have such a high priest,
who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne
of the Majesty in heaven, a minister of the sanctuary
and of the true tabernacle that the Lord, not man, set up.
Now every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices;
thus the necessity for this one also to have something to offer.
If then he were on earth, he would not be a priest,
since there are those who offer gifts according to the law.
They worship in a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary,
as Moses was warned when he was about to erect the tabernacle.
For God says, "See that you make everything
according to the pattern shown you on the mountain."
Now he has obtained so much more excellent a ministry
as he is mediator of a better covenant,
enacted on better promises. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17 R. (8a and 9a) Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not; then said I, "Behold I come."
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
"In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart!"
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly; I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
May all who seek you exult and be glad in you,
And may those who love your salvation say ever, "The LORD be glorified."
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will. Alleluia 2 Timothy 1:10 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mark 3:7-12 Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples.
A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea.
Hearing what he was doing,
a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem,
from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan,
and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.
He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd,
so that they would not crush him.
He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases
were pressing upon him to touch him.
And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him
and shout, "You are the Son of God."
He warned them sternly not to make him known. | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Mark 3:7-12 Those who had diseases were pressing upon him. (Mark 3:10) We've seen the movie and rock stars who arrive for a premiere or concert surrounded by a crush of fans. Jesus, in today's Gospel, looks a lot like those celebrities. He even asks his own "bodyguards," his disciples, to get a boat ready for him so he can escape the crowd (Mark 3:9)! Just like the "superfans" of today, many in the crowd back then were focused on themselves more than on Jesus. They wanted to be near him out of a desire to satisfy their curiosity or to be able to tell their friends about the encounter. They were more interested in seeing miracles or being healed than in listening to what he had to say. His teachings—especially the difficult ones like loving one's enemies—were probably not what most of them were expecting. This is the central challenge of the gospel. Jesus didn't enter our world just to give us things. He didn't come to take away our suffering. No one, not even Jesus himself, is spared the emotional and physical pain of this world. No, he came to restore our relationship with God. And he did it by enduring all manner of injustice and suffering, even to the point of his death on the cross. Of course Jesus loves us—and very deeply. Of course he wants to bless us—and very richly. But he also calls us to repent of our sins, take up our cross, and follow him. He wants us to do everything we can to make our relationship with him the focal point of our lives, even if we don't get everything we want in this world. This is not to dismiss the crowds Jesus saw that day as hopelessly selfish. They were only doing what they were used to doing. Remember, too, that this passage occurs very early in Jesus' ministry, when people were only starting to understand who he was. Jesus understood that, and he was very patient and very generous in working with them. And that's the way he is with us. He wants to transform us into disciples committed to loving God and caring for one another more than ourselves. And he knows that will only happen as we decide every day to follow in his footsteps. After all, being a disciple is so much more rewarding than being a superfan! "Jesus, help me to follow you with my whole heart." Hebrews 7:25–8:6
Psalm 40:7-10, 17 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd,
so that they would not crush him.
He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases
were pressing upon him to touch him.
And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him
and shout, "You are the Son of God."
He warned them sternly not to make him known." - Word of the Lord! | From Bishop Barron: "Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus cured so many people that he had to climb into a boat to escape the press of the crowd. To this day the Church carries on his gracious healing ministry.
We recall that the Apostles of Jesus simply continued what the Master did. And one of the principal marks of the Lord's ministry was clearly healing. There was, of course, a deep biblical conviction that when the day of the Lord arrives, creation would be set right. What we witness in the healings of Jesus is just this repairing of creation.
If you doubt that miracles of physical healing still take place in the life of the Church, I invite you to read Craig Keener's book Miracles or visit the Church in Africa, Asia, or Latin America, where the expectation of the miraculous is taken for granted. But the Church also brings healing to mind, soul, will, and imagination. The Bible knows that sin has done tremendous damage to us, and anyone involved in pastoral ministry knows what this looks like: broken minds, divided hearts, addicted passions.
....." end quote.
From Roberto Juarez reflections;
"The unclean spirits, when they see him, fall at his feet and cry out, "You are the Son of God." But Jesus commands them to be quiet.This recognition by demons highlights Jesus' divine authority, which even the powers of evil cannot ignore. However, Jesus does not allow them to speak, perhaps to prevent their identity from being misinterpreted at that time. Acknowledging Jesus as the Son of God involves more than words. Do our daily actions and decisions reflect that He is the center of our lives? Throughout the passage, we see a Jesus who is approachable, compassionate, and willing to minister to people's needs. He does not reject anyone who seeks him, but offers healing, comfort, and hope.Do we imitate Jesus' compassion in ministering to the needs of those around us? Are we willing to be instruments of His love for others?" END QUOTE.
Imagine yourself in the Gospel readings, every time you read the bible. Imagine yourself in the picture, at scene, in the crowds, following our Lord, grasping at Him, seeking Him, and then answer the question, "why are you following Jesus?"
The truth is, we need Him. And you want to know something special? He needs you too.
He needs you to do God's will, yes, but we are the body, called to be in one communion with Him, and the word communion is made of two words, "common" and "union".
When is the last time you stopped by a church, just to say hello to Him?
If you cannot answer that question, then, answer the next, "are you really seeking Him or following Him?"
Because, many times we say we believe in God, but for selfish benefit. Or, we too are of the current generation that believes in the spoiled attitude of being "entitled" and claiming rights to His throne and Lordship, just for being called His child.
Are you wanting the truth?
Yesterday, I was talking with a brother in Christ, and in conversation, he recalled the day me and him were called to speak at his niece's quinceanera, the big 15th birthday bash speaking to the crowd gathered in her honor. She chose him, whom she relies on to take her to church and help her in faith, and then chose me to do a blessing and a talk before the crowd.
The brother said that I had hurt the feelings of her daddy with what I said about fathers and men in this girl's life. My words come across strong and crass at times, but aimed with flames with the one shot I got at burning the house down with the fire of God's love that is burning inside of my heart whence I call upon His name to speak before the crowds. My response to the conversation yesterday was "I did it on purpose, it was not mean to be a soft talk to men to be men of God". I had said simply that this little girl needed more godly men in her life, and not worldly men that think they are "machos" and take advantage of women.
And I say this thinking of the men's conference I am helping put together, and we want the word out, so I made an ad to be boosted on Facebook. Mind you, I don't think I did it right, I believe it blasted to all men and women and all over the United States. And the responses and comments on it? Nothing but sad and deplorable attacks, with things of attacking priests, the saints, altar boys and molestations, and anything you can think of including one ridiculous comment saying that Christ was the Antichrist himself. This was the response I saw out of 1200 impressions, about 4 likes, and about 30 horrible comments from all sorts of people from atheists quoting bible versus left and right and protestants saying Catholics have lost their touch with Jesus, most of them past Catholics themselves.
I don't mind the horrible accusations, if I had the time, I would respond to all lovingly and help them understand with the apologetics, a clear defense tactic in faith, that is always helpful in such cases when done with great love and grace.
But I do mind, that very few came to Him, to His rescue.
There were only 4 likes, which means this was in a way shared.
But nearly ten times more were the attacks.
This is exactly why I throw words with fire, because of how lax men can be when it comes to truly stand up and be for Christ in every sense of the word, in our holiness, in our mannerisms, in our thoughts, and lastly, in our actions.
Why do we follow Him, if we truly do not desire Him to truly reign supreme in our lives?
My friend, these are training and proving grounds we walk on.
We are not to be tepid or timid, or worse, neutral in our faith. Neutrality is brooding grounds for fatality, beginning with oneself.
Lord, I love healing, I love when You heal, and I love to help others heal. What we need now, is to heal the brokenness, the distance from You in our world today. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 15:22 22 Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
