† Quote of the Day "Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire." — St. Catherine of Siena Today's Meditation "You were not faint of heart, Joseph. You were a man after God's own heart. And so, as He loves [Mary], so in proportion did you. You were betrothed. You touched that hand when you made your espousals. Did it burn? Were you branded? That hand would be yours. It would fit into your rough and worn palm and find security and strength there. Did you stare at your hand that night by the candlelight? Did you marvel that something so poor held something so rich? A man knows when he is out of his league. He rises or recedes. You rose." –Fr. Matthew Kauth, p.170
An excerpt from The Imitation of Saint Joseph Daily Verse "[May you be] strengthened with every power, in accord with his glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light." — Colossians 1:11-12 | St. Richard The King St. Richard the King (c. 720 A.D.), also known as Richard the Pilgrim, was a Saxon king born in Wessex, England, who was related by blood to the royal house of Kent. His brother-in-law was St. Boniface, and three of his children are numbered among the saints: St. Willibald, St. Winnebald, and St. Walburga. When Willibald was gravely ill as a child, Richard's prayers for his son are said to have saved his life. He wrapped his child in a blanket and took him to the foot of a large crucifix erected near their village, and the child recovered. When Willibald was grown, he convinced his father and brother to accompany him on a missionary pilgrimage to Rome and the Holy Land. St. Richard agreed, renounced his royal estate, and embarked on the journey with his two sons, while his daughter entered a convent. In Italy he became sick and died, and was buried in Tuscany at the Church of San Frediano. Numerous miracles are reported to have occurred at his tomb. Some of his relics were transported to Eichstatt, Germany, where his son Winnebald would become Bishop. His feast day is celebrated on February 7th. | Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 327
Reading 1 Hebrews 13:1-8 Let brotherly love continue.
Do not neglect hospitality,
for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.
Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment,
and of the ill-treated as of yourselves,
for you also are in the body.
Let marriage be honored among all
and the marriage bed be kept undefiled,
for God will judge the immoral and adulterers.
Let your life be free from love of money
but be content with what you have,
for he has said, I will never forsake you or abandon you.
Thus we may say with confidence: The Lord is my helper,
and I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me? Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you.
Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 27:1, 3, 5, 8b-9abc R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart will not fear;
Though war be waged upon me,
even then will I trust.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
For he will hide me in his abode
in the day of trouble;
He will conceal me in the shelter of his tent,
he will set me high upon a rock.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Alleluia Luke 8:15 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart,
and yield a harvest through perseverance.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mark 6:14-29 King Herod heard about Jesus, for his fame had become widespread,
and people were saying,
"John the Baptist has been raised from the dead;
That is why mighty powers are at work in him."
Others were saying, "He is Elijah";
still others, "He is a prophet like any of the prophets."
But when Herod learned of it, he said,
"It is John whom I beheaded. He has been raised up." Herod was the one who had John arrested and bound in prison
on account of Herodias,
the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.
John had said to Herod,
"It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."
Herodias harbored a grudge against him
and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.
Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,
and kept him in custody.
When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,
yet he liked to listen to him.
Herodias had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday,
gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers,
and the leading men of Galilee.
His own daughter came in and performed a dance
that delighted Herod and his guests.
The king said to the girl,
"Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you."
He even swore many things to her,
"I will grant you whatever you ask of me,
even to half of my kingdom." She went out and said to her mother,
"What shall I ask for?"
Her mother replied, "The head of John the Baptist."
The girl hurried back to the king's presence and made her request,
"I want you to give me at once on a platter
the head of John the Baptist."
The king was deeply distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests
he did not wish to break his word to her.
So he promptly dispatched an executioner
with orders to bring back his head.
He went off and beheaded him in the prison.
He brought in the head on a platter
and gave it to the girl.
The girl in turn gave it to her mother.
When his disciples heard about it,
they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Hebrews 13:1-8 Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment. (Hebrews 13:3) What does it mean to be "mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment" (Hebrews 13:3, emphasis added)? Today's passage reminds us that we—whether in prison or not—are all brothers and sisters in Christ. We belong to one another, and together we make up the body of Christ. So let's consider how we can deepen our understanding of how we are all one in Christ and then put it into action. For many of us, the experience of incarceration is distant and hard to relate to. But for nearly two million Americans, including ninety thousand of you, our readers, it is not a distant thought—it's a daily reality. For example, prison can be dehumanizing. Strip searches, drug tests, movement restrictions, and isolation: these are frequent occurrences. For those who have not experienced imprisonment, this can be hard to imagine. But have you ever been stuck in one place, unable to leave and unsure how long you would have to be there? In a traffic jam, for example? Or waiting in line to renew your driver's license? Ponder that situation, and imagine it lasting not just minutes or hours but months and years. Even happy occasions are bittersweet in prison. Weekend visits from family and friends can be joyful—if they happen at all. They can be reminders of life "outside"—but it's a life that you're missing out on. Imagine your own experience of fleeting joy, like the visit of a grandchild who lives far away or a rare visit to your extended family halfway across the country. Now imagine that the wait between visits has become much, much longer and far more fleeting. If you're "on the outside," let these simple exercises deepen your compassion for your incarcerated brothers and sisters. Set some time aside to pray especially for them. And if you're "on the inside," pray for those on the inside with you. Look into connecting with organizations like Kairos, which foster a deep and life-changing encounter with Jesus. Let's all "be mindful of prisoners," because we are all one family! "Lord, mold my heart to have greater compassion for my brothers and sisters living behind bars." Psalm 27:1, 3, 5, 8-9
Mark 6:14-29 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "The king said to the girl,
"Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you."
He even swore many things to her,
"I will grant you whatever you ask of me,
even to half of my kingdom." She went out and said to her mother,
"What shall I ask for?"
Her mother replied, "The head of John the Baptist."
The girl hurried back to the king's presence and made her request,
"I want you to give me at once on a platter
the head of John the Baptist."
The king was deeply distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests
he did not wish to break his word to her.
So he promptly dispatched an executioner
with orders to bring back his head....." - Word of the Lord! | From Bishop Barron today:
"Friends, today's Gospel gives an account of Herod's murder of John the Baptist. John is a proto-martyr, anticipating the martyrdom of many Christians.
Martyrdom has always been an important chapter of the Christian story, from believers in the early Church who refused to sacrifice to Rome's pagan gods, to great saints of the Middle Ages such as Thomas Becket who refused to compromise their beliefs for the sake of the state, to modern martyrs killed in what St. John Paul II called odium caritatis, "hatred of charity," such as Archbishop Óscar Romero of El Salvador. In the early twenty-first century, martyrdom remains a stunningly common fact of Christian life.
The example of the martyrs draws people to wonder what it is that would induce so many to make the ultimate sacrifice. As the Church Father Tertullian remarked, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church............" end quote.
From Roberto Juarez:
"Herod knew that John was a righteous man, but he gave in to the pressure of his surroundings. How many times have I made wrong decisions for fear of the opinion of others?
Herod was attracted by the truth John proclaimed, but he did not have the strength to follow it. Am I letting my weaknesses lead me away from God, or am I struggling to do His will?...." end quote.
And a 2nd Spanish reflection ended:
"Surely we do not have anyone beheaded, but sometimes, because of pride, we also make wrong decisions. Let us ask the Lord to help us to be humble, to do what is right, even if it costs us.. ." end quote Alejandro Carbajo.
We heard earlier in the Holy Gospel:
"His own daughter came in and performed a dance
that delighted Herod and his guests.
The king said to the girl,
"Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you."
He even swore many things to her,
"I will grant you whatever you ask of me,
even to half of my kingdom." A delightful dance cost the head of Saint John the Baptist. Right? That was the price? The value? How much do we value human life? On a whim, an instant of anger, we dismiss the whole cost of someone else's life, and cast them into an abyss. How terrible is that? Where is humility in that? How quick are you to anger or get hurt? It wasn't Herod's idea to kill someone, it was his wife, that he had taken from his brother. It was her pride at stake. And now, it was King Herod's pride at stake.
What was at stake? Their image. Their image was an idol. To be a king made you a god in their eyes. They had image to keep up with, no matter the cost. That is why in those days, a harsh king would kill many, even newborn boys, like the time of our Lord's birth, another King Herod. They would kill their own family members and wives if need be, to protect themselves, to supposedly "defend themselves". A far cry than the reason our Lord came to die.
All of today's scripture is asking us, pleading us to turn to the Lord. The saint associated with the phrase "to love is to will the good of the other" is Saint Thomas Aquinas. This is a well-known quote from his theological writings, defining love as actively desiring what is best for another person.
And so, in a person that is watching out only for themselves, this person has no love for the other, and any other for that matter!
This is a stark contrast to the Son of God and the Son of Man. God is creator, all mighty, our core of love, our core of life, because of Him everything exists.
Yet, He takes a seed to plant in the soil, the earth, the humus, of which humans come, all of us. And the seed is made flesh. The seed is the word of God, from whom the beginning came. And God is love.
Respect is one thing, but love goes to a dimension few really dare to live and die for. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Matthew 5:5 5 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
