† Quote of the Day "Keep to the ancient way and custom of the Church, established and confirmed by so many Saints under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And live a new life. Pray, and get others to pray, that God not abandon His Church, but reform it as He pleases, and as He sees best for us, and more to His honour and glory." — St. Angela Merici Today's Meditation "Now surely I do see what an immense effect such a doctrine [of the Holy Trinity] must have upon life. It is no mere question for theologians, but one that concerns every living soul. Whatever is allowed by God's power must be guided by His wisdom and urged on by His love. All that happens to me in life, the little worries and the great anxieties, the crises and the daily annoyances, the sorrows and the joys, the harms that reach me through the sins of others, the great crimes of history, the huge and devastating wars, the partings and loves and the whole cycle of human experience are permitted by Power, which is itself wise and loving. These three Persons determine my life, and, since I walk by faith, I must surely grow very patient in my attitude toward life. For how can I complain or criticize God's Providence, since it all comes under that triple influence of Power, Wisdom, and Love? Under the guidance, then, of this mystery, I can walk through the valley of death or the more perilous borders of sin without loss of courage or hopefulness. Nothing can make me afraid. How these are separate, yet one, I do not know, nor can I reconcile in my concrete experience the claims of each. It is always a mystery, but a mystery in which I believe. Whatever Power allows on earth is designed in Wisdom and attuned by Love." —Fr. Bede Jarrett, p. 10
An excerpt from Classic Catholic Meditations Daily Verse "Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall. No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it." — 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 | Saint Angela Merici St. Angela Merici (1474 – 1540) was born in the region of Lombardy, Italy. Her deep piety drew her to make a private vow of virginity at a young age. Her parents died when she was ten, and soon afterwards she lost her sister with whom she was very close. Angela went to live with her uncle, and, despite lacking a formal education, she grew in wisdom and virtue. She committed herself to prayer, penance, and serving the poor, eventually joining the Third Order of St. Francis at the age of fifteen. When her uncle died she returned to her home, and, seeing a great need for the education of young girls in the Christian faith, began a school for girls in her house. She daily gathered all the little girls of her village and taught them the faith. St. Angela became known for her holiness, and soon she was invited to establish another school in a neighboring town. One day while in prayer she received a vision that she would start a religious order intended for the religious education of girls. This was realized when St. Angela founded the Ursulines under the patronage of St. Ursula. St. Angela Merici is the patron saint against illness, death of parents, and of the disabled and handicapped. Her feast day is January 27. | Monday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Hebrews 9:15, 24-28 Christ is mediator of a new covenant:
since a death has taken place
for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant,
those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance. For Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands,
a copy of the true one, but heaven itself,
that he might now appear before God on our behalf.
Not that he might offer himself repeatedly,
as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary
with blood that is not his own;
if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly
from the foundation of the world.
But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages
to take away sin by his sacrifice.
Just as it is appointed that human beings die once,
and after this the judgment, so also Christ,
offered once to take away the sins of many,
will appear a second time, not to take away sin
but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6 R. (1a) Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds. 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 3:22-30 The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus,
"He is possessed by Beelzebul," and
"By the prince of demons he drives out demons." Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables,
"How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house is divided against itself,
that house will not be able to stand.
And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided,
he cannot stand;
that is the end of him.
But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then he can plunder his house.
Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies
that people utter will be forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness,
but is guilty of an everlasting sin."
For they had said, "He has an unclean spirit." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Hebrews 9:15, 24-28 Christ is mediator of a new covenant. (Hebrews 9:15) The author of the Letter to the Hebrews spends a lot of time talking about covenants and priesthood, two things his readers would have understood well. According to the Hebrew Bible, God made a covenant with Israel and gave the Law and Temple sacrifices to set his people apart and to reconcile them to himself when they strayed. But, the author tells us, Jesus is mediator of a new covenant. He has fulfilled everything that the original covenant pointed toward! Let's lift our hearts in praise as we reflect on what Jesus has done for us to establish this new covenant! "Jesus, when you offered yourself in sacrifice to God, you didn't do it in the Temple, which was only a copy of the true sanctuary. You entered heaven itself to appear before God on my behalf (Hebrews 9:24). And the sacrifice you offered was your very self, your own body and blood. Because of this, you achieved what no Temple sacrifice could do. You defeated sin and death. How glorious you are! "Jesus, as our high priest, you don't have to offer sacrifices again and again to take away our sins. Your one sacrifice is sufficient (Hebrews 9:25). That means my sin is wiped away! I am free! Even though I may sin every day, the precious blood that you offered is always available and effective to forgive me. How awesome is the perfection of your sacrifice! I will sing your praises forever! "Jesus, because of the redemption you won for me, I am no longer condemned, no longer trapped in my transgressions (Hebrews 9:15). Your sacrifice has delivered me from the power of sin, and I can experience reconciliation and newness of life in you. Because you have freed me, I can look forward to an eternal inheritance—everlasting life with you. And that is something that you have given me access to, even today. I can't begin to comprehend this, but I rejoice in the new covenant you have made with me!" "Thank you, Jesus, for everything that you offer me in your new and eternal covenant!" Psalm 98:1-6
Mark 3:22-30 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house is divided against itself,
that house will not be able to stand....... But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then he can plunder his house.
Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies
that people utter will be forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness,
but is guilty of an everlasting sin."
For they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."........" - Word of the Lord! | From Friar Gerardo Sánchez Mielgo: "The temple has always represented a place of primary importance in the history of salvation. There dwells the glory of God. There he summons his people in the great celebrations. To participate in worship is to experience God's presence. To go up to Jerusalem, to the temple, is to come close to seeing God, that is, to experience his invisible but close presence. And this experience becomes particularly intense when they participate in the sacred banquets after the offerings. The meal next to the temple of God was a privileged occasion to experience this presence of God. But when worship is emptied of its true content, it becomes a mere soulless ritual celebration. This messenger who will precede the Lord's Day has the mission of bringing worship back to its true meaning. The men and women of our world observe, perhaps excessively, how the disciples of Jesus do not establish a firm link between what they do in worship and their response in life. This reality invites them to show the unity between the worship they practice and the life they lead....." end quote.
They accused our Lord of being bad, basically, right?
Does that happen until today? Yes. Last week I gave you a few examples of how many negative comments and accusations I received after advertising a Catholic Men's Conference.
What is terrible about the accusations? Blasphemies are terrible. What are blasphemies again? A quick search says: "the act or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things; profane talk.the act or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things; profane talk."
This is a terrible sin, but apparently, there is a level one may never go to because it will never be forgiven and that is to say that our Lord has an evil spirit, the lie, the accusation, the eternal damnation....of self.
Because ultimately we do sins...to ourselves, not just to others.
And so we damn ourselves by damning others...and even worse...our Lord Himself.
And what about all of this damnation business anyway? It is bad because it calls on division. Division in self, with evil spirits. Division in families with evil spirits, and division in church groups, because of these evil spirits that are designed to bring damnation, a death to life.
Our Lord came to unit the flock, bring back the lost. And until today, it is the case of His life...in His faithful baptized souls.
What they accused Him of was the total opposite, and He shed the light on them, that they were the ones doing the dividing.
Does being a Lover of Christ mean we are going to unite the whole world? Not always, but it can be the case, if we fight to make Heaven and earth, make inroads that are eternal unification with the Good God, our Creator and Father. Such is our task. The opposite of blaspheming. To praise God. To tell the world of His goodness. To live Heaven on earth, and if things get bad, and you still praise Him then, then even more Glory goes to Heaven. We don't see it, but the ramifications of this good act is glorious.
I had a dream this morning, and it was a dream of being in an enveloping love and praise of God, your heart knew it, your whole being knew it, and then a small channel zoomed in from a bird's eye view into a Mass with many priests and or deacons. I saw a heart warming tear come out of the celebrant at the altar and the same from another priest or deacon to his right side. The glory of the Lord had some how connected to the Heavens.
If only we knew what Heaven desires. It is God's will. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 16:3 3 Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
