† Quote of the Day
"When one has nothing more to lose, the heart is inaccessible to fear." — St. Thodore Gurin Today's Meditation "A full day can be exhausting, and this is certainly true for fathers. The end of a workday is often a prelude to a busy evening with family. It requires self-control to overcome a flagging spirit, and to be present and loving at home...Saint Joseph had to push past his fatigue. He may have had tough days, but God's grace gave him the power of self-control to be loving anyway." –Ceil Ryan D'Acquisto, p.361
An excerpt from Every Day With Saint Joseph Daily Verse "For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, "Abba, Father!" The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him." — Romans 8:15-17 | St. Jane Of Valois St. Jane of Valois (1464-1505) was born to French King Louis XI and Charlotte of Savoy. Much of her life was marked by neglect and emotional abuse. Her father resented her because she was a sickly and deformed female child. He sent her away to a remote country home where she was carelessly raised before being married off at the age of nine to her cousin, the Duke of Orléans. Her husband likewise despised and publicly humiliated her, and their marriage was never consummated. Jane had a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary from a young age, especially in the mystery of the Incarnation. One day Our Lady appeared to Jane and told her that in the future she would found a religious community. Through her veneration of the Blessed Mother, Jane found the strength to be a loyal and devoted wife during her painful twenty-two year marriage. When her husband became king, he had their marriage annulled. This left Jane free to found the Order of the Annunciation dedicated to imitating Mary's virtues, as Our Lady foretold. She also gave her Order the duty of constant prayer for the souls of her father and husband who both mistreated her. St. Jane of Valois' feast day is February 4th. | Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Hebrews 12:1-4 Brothers and sisters:
Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us
and persevere in running the race that lies before us
while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus,
the leader and perfecter of faith.
For the sake of the joy that lay before him
Jesus endured the cross, despising its shame,
and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God.
Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners,
in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.
In your struggle against sin
you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 22:26b-27, 28 and 30, 31-32 R. (see 27b) They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.
I will fulfill my vows before those who fear him.
The lowly shall eat their fill;
they who seek the LORD shall praise him:
"May your hearts be ever merry!"
R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.
All the ends of the earth
shall remember and turn to the LORD;
All the families of the nations
shall bow down before him.
To him alone shall bow down
all who sleep in the earth;
Before him shall bend
all who go down into the dust.
R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you.
And to him my soul shall live;
my descendants shall serve him.
Let the coming generation be told of the LORD
that they may proclaim to a people yet to be born
the justice he has shown.
R. They will praise you, Lord, who long for you. Alleluia Matthew 8:17
---------------------l
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ took away our infirmities
and bore our diseases.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mark 5:21-43 When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side,
a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.
One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.
Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying,
"My daughter is at the point of death.
Please, come lay your hands on her
that she may get well and live."
He went off with him
and a large crowd followed him. There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.
She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors
and had spent all that she had.
Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.
She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd
and touched his cloak.
She said, "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured."
Immediately her flow of blood dried up.
She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him,
turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who has touched my clothes?"
But his disciples said to him,
"You see how the crowd is pressing upon you,
and yet you ask, Who touched me?"
And he looked around to see who had done it.
The woman, realizing what had happened to her,
approached in fear and trembling.
She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.
He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you.
Go in peace and be cured of your affliction." While he was still speaking,
people from the synagogue official's house arrived and said,
"Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?"
Disregarding the message that was reported,
Jesus said to the synagogue official,
"Do not be afraid; just have faith."
He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside
except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.
When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official,
he caught sight of a commotion,
people weeping and wailing loudly.
So he went in and said to them,
"Why this commotion and weeping?
The child is not dead but asleep."
And they ridiculed him.
Then he put them all out.
He took along the child's father and mother
and those who were with him
and entered the room where the child was.
He took the child by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum,"
which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!"
The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.
At that they were utterly astounded.
He gave strict orders that no one should know this
and said that she should be given something to eat.
| Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Hebrews 12:1-4 We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. (Hebrews 12:1) When we experience difficulties or challenges, it's easy to get downcast, literally and figuratively. It's tempting to keep our eyes on the ground and on every reason we have for being discouraged. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews has a simple suggestion for us: look up! Lift your eyes and fix your gaze on Jesus and the great "cloud of witnesses"—saints and martyrs and heroes of the faith—who surround him (Hebrews 12:1). Why? Because even in the midst of their challenges, they still radiated a sense of joy and triumph. Take Jesus, for example. He embraced the suffering of the cross because he loves us and because he could see the big picture. He did it "for the sake of the joy that lay before him" (Hebrews 12:2). That joy wasn't simply his own resurrection; it was his confidence that he could open the way for everyone to share eternal life with him. Like Jesus, the saints also saw their difficulties in light of the joy that lay before them. They had the joy of knowing they were redeemed and beloved of God! They had the joy of knowing that their lives of prayer and service were building the kingdom of God. And they had the joyful hope of heaven. For instance, St. John Bosco's ready laugh and magic tricks made him an attractive mentor to the at-risk boys he served. Blessed Catherine Jarrige is described by a biographer as "a high-spirited, mischievous, prank-pulling adult . . . who smuggled priests to safety" during the French Revolution. St. Philip Neri is known as the saint of joy partly because he refused to take himself seriously. Is something weighing you down today? Try taking up what the responsorial psalm urges: "May your hearts be ever merry!" (Psalm 22:27). This doesn't mean making light of your suffering. It means that by looking to Jesus and the saints, you can find greater confidence in your calling and joy in your destiny. Just for a little while, let your burdens slide off your shoulders and look up with delight to behold Jesus and all of his "merry" friends. "Jesus, help me to raise my eyes to you. Thank you for all your joyful followers, here on earth and in heaven above." Psalm 22:26-28, 30-32
Mark 5:21-43 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "She said, "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured."
Immediately her flow of blood dried up.
She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him,
turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who has touched my clothes?"
But his disciples said to him,
"You see how the crowd is pressing upon you,
and yet you ask, Who touched me?"
And he looked around to see who had done it.
The woman, realizing what had happened to her,
approached in fear and trembling.
She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.
He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you.
Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.
..." - Word of the Lord! | From Bishop Barron today:
"Friends, the centerpiece of today's Gospel is Jesus healing the hemorrhaging woman. Having a flow of blood for twelve years meant that anyone with whom she came in contact would be considered unclean. She couldn't, in any meaningful sense, participate in the ordinary life of her society.
The woman touches Jesus—and how radical and dangerous an act this was, since it should have rendered him unclean. But so great is her faith that her touch, instead, renders her clean. Jesus effectively restores her to full participation in her community.
But what is perhaps most important is this: Jesus implicitly puts an end to the ritual code of the book of Leviticus. What he implies is that the identity of the new Israel, the Church, would not be through ritual behaviors but through imitation of him. Notice please how central this is in the New Testament. We hear elsewhere in the Gospels that Jesus declares all foods clean, and throughout the letters of Paul we hear a steady polemic against the Law. All of this is meant to show that Jesus is at the center of the new community." end quote.
From Roberto Juarez:
"Just as he freed the possessed man, Jesus wants to free us from This encounter shows us that Jesus not only heals physically, but also restores people's dignity and inner peace.
While this is happening, they come to tell Jairus: "Your daughter has died. Why bother Master any more?"
But Jesus encourages him: "Do not be afraid; just have faith."
Jesus arrives at Jairus' house and, despite the disbelief of those present, takes the girl by the hand and says to her: "Talitha kum" (Child, I say to you, arise)."
The girl revives, and everyone's amazement is total. With this miracle, Jesus shows us that He has power over death and that faith in Him gives us life.
Jairus and the sick woman teach us that true faith clings to Jesus, even in the most difficult moments. Is my faith that strong, or do I get carried away by hopelessness in the face of problems?
The woman not only received physical healing, but also emotional and spiritual restoration. How many times do I seek human solutions without first turning to Jesus, the only one who can give me peace and fulfillment?
When all seemed lost, Jesus said to Jairus, "Do not be afraid; just have faith." Do I trust Jesus even when the situation seems impossible?...." end quote.
And a 2nd Spanish reflection ended:
"Finally, this text also reminds us of God's infinite compassion. Jesus makes no distinction between people, but attends to all those who, in faith, draw near to him. Jesus' response to the faith of Jairus and the woman shows that social status, illness or suffering does not matter; God is always willing to heal, restore, and give life.
May this passage spur us to renew our faith, to approach Jesus with confidence and to believe that, in him, we find true healing, both in body and soul." end quote Alejandro Carbajo.
Our God is infinitely good. We will never know how many souls He has saved. We will might never know who all has been saved repeatedly in this life from maladies that attack us on all fronts, spiritual, and physical, and do not forget that the spiritual affects the physical.
And so let us look to the symptoms to seek alleviation. To seek healing. To seek Christ our Savior, to seek the one who saves and always saves if we only call out to Him in truth, and true love.
And there is where true faith can begin to grow. All the ones who are healed, first...believed.
The first step in this love connection, is our step into faith towards Him, to touch Him, to speak with Him, to receive something Good from God Himself, and then, the next step? We don't often hear about it...but it is the step of thankfulness. There is where saints are made. There is where we all can begin to shine for God. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Romans 13:10 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
