† Quote of the Day "Fix your minds on the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Inflamed with love for us, he came down from heaven to redeem us. For our sake he endured every torment of body and soul and shrank from no bodily pain. He himself gave us an example of perfect patience and love. We, then, are to be patient in adversity." — St. Francis of Paola Today's Meditation "Let us not fancy that if we cry a great deal we have done all that is needed—rather we must work hard and practice the virtues: that is the essential—leaving tears to fall when God sends them, without trying to force ourselves to shed them. Then, if we do not take too much notice of them, they will leave the parched soil of our souls well watered, making it fertile in good fruit; for this is the water which falls from Heaven. ... I think it is best for us to place ourselves in the presence of God, contemplate His mercy and grandeur and our own vileness and leave Him to give us what He will, whether water or drought, for He knows best what is good for us; thus we enjoy peace and the devil will have less chance to deceive us." —St. Teresa of Avila, p. 147 An excerpt from Interior Castle Daily Verse "On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and exclaimed, "Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as scripture says: 'Rivers of living water will flow from within him.'"" — John 7:37-8 | Julian The Hospitaller St. Julian the Hospitaller (4th c.) came from a wealthy noble family in Europe. Little of his life is known with certainty. According to legend he married a noble widow, and was put under a curse at some point in his life. The curse was that he would one day kill his parents. To prevent this from happening, Julian and his wife moved far away from them. Julian's parents later found their whereabouts and made an unexpected visit while Julian was away. Julian's wife offered them her bed to sleep for the night. When Julian arrived home and found his bed occupied with a couple, he slew them both assuming it was his wife with another man. When Julian learned the truth, he was horrified by his actions and spent the rest of his life in penance. He and his wife went on a pilgrimage to Rome, and on their return established a hospital to continue their penance, dedicating their lives to caring for the poor and sick. One day a leper came to stay in the hospital; after Julian cared for his wounds, the leper revealed himself to be an angel and told Julian that God granted him absolution for his sins. The hospital was built near a river that was often crossed by pilgrims on their way to the Crusades. St. Julian the Hospitaller is the patron saint of hospitality, travelers, innkeepers, boatmen, pilgrims, and knights. His feast day is celebrated on February 12th. | Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Genesis 2:4b-9, 15-17 At the time when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens --
while as yet there was no field shrub on earth
and no grass of the field had sprouted,
for the LORD God had sent no rain upon the earth
and there was no man to till the soil,
but a stream was welling up out of the earth
and was watering all the surface of the ground --
the LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground
and blew into his nostrils the breath of life,
and so man became a living being. Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east,
and he placed there the man whom he had formed.
Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow
that were delightful to look at and good for food,
with the tree of life in the middle of the garden
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The LORD God then took the man
and settled him in the garden of Eden,
to cultivate and care for it.
The LORD God gave man this order:
"You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden
except the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
From that tree you shall not eat;
the moment you eat from it you are surely doomed to die." Responsorial Psalm Psalm 104:1-2a, 27-28, 29bc-30 R. (1a) O bless the Lord, my soul!
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
All creatures look to you
to give them food in due time.
When you give it to them, they gather it;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul! Alleluia John 17:17b, 17a R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your word, O Lord, is truth:
consecrate us in the truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mark 7:14-23 Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them,
"Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile." When he got home away from the crowd
his disciples questioned him about the parable.
He said to them,
"Are even you likewise without understanding?
Do you not realize that everything
that goes into a person from outside cannot defile,
since it enters not the heart but the stomach
and passes out into the latrine?"
(Thus he declared all foods clean.)
"But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.
From within the man, from his heart,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile."
| Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Mark 7:14-23 The things that come out from within are what defile. (Mark 7:15) Concupiscence. It's a word we don't hear very often in our world today, but it remains an important reality for us to understand. The Catechism defines it as "an inclination to evil" that stems from the first sin of Adam and Eve—a sin that wounded our human nature (405). Jesus acknowledges our inclination to sin in today's Gospel when he lists the many kinds of evil that can dwell in the human heart. This is what defiles us, he tells his disciples, not what "goes into a person from outside" (Mark 7:18). We might find Jesus' list of all the possible ways we can fall into sin discouraging, to say the least. None of us likes to think we are capable of such conduct. And when we do sin, we often don't like to take responsibility for what we have done. It's easier to come up with excuses than to face the reality that we are sinners. But the very fact that we are inclined to sin makes the good news of the gospel all the more amazing! Jesus knows everything about us. He knows about any darkness that might be lurking in our hearts. But he is the Master Physician who came to heal sinners (Luke 5:31-32). He is more than eager to help us root out the sin in our lives. As his "patient," we need to cooperate by examining our hearts each day. As we turn to the Holy Spirit in prayer, he will convict us of the ways in which we have strayed. Then, as we repent, he will forgive us and give us all the grace we need to turn from our sinful ways. Jesus came to give us a new heart and a new spirit. Every day we have the opportunity to ask the Lord to cleanse whatever has defiled us and protect us from the temptations that arise from concupiscence. This is the reason Jesus came to earth. This is the reason he offered himself up on the cross for us. So let's allow the Great Physician to do his healing work in us! "Lord Jesus, I need your healing touch on my heart! With David I pray, 'Wash away my guilt; and from my sin cleanse me' (Psalm 51:4)." Genesis 2:4-9, 15-17
Psalm 104:1-2, 27-30 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them,
"Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile......." - Word of the Lord! | From Bishop Barron:
"As G.K. Chesterton argued a century ago, original sin is the only doctrine for which there is empirical evidence, for we can feel it within ourselves and we can see the effects of it everywhere.
One of the surest signs of our dysfunction is that we tend to celebrate all of the wrong people and despise or look down upon the best people. Pay very close attention to the people that you don't like, to those that you consider obnoxious; it might tell you a lot about your own spiritual state." end quote. From Roberto Juarez:
"Jesus lists a series of evils that are born from within the human being: "Evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, lust, wickedness, deceit, impurity, envy, slander, pride, foolishness" (Mk 7:21-22)
These sins show that true impurity is in intentions and actions that harm others and lead us away from God.
• Which of these attitudes are present in my life?
• How can I cleanse my heart and let God transform it?
Jesus invites us to a purity that goes beyond the external. It calls us to a deep conversion, where our hearts are aligned with God's love and truth
....." end quote.
The catechism says in line 1777 that: "Moral conscience, present at the heart of the person, enjoins him at the appropriate moment to do good and to avoid evil. It also judges particular choices, approving those that are good and denouncing those that are evil. It bears witness to the authority of truth in reference to the supreme Good to which the human person is drawn, and it welcomes the commandments. When he listens to his conscience, the prudent man can hear God speaking." Today's Gospel, our Lord Himself, speaks about what defiles a person. It's not what we eat, what comes in, but what comes out. For instance, something many of us have a hard time with, is temptation. We are constantly having to take in temptations throughout our lives. We go to confessions to confess temptations. But it seems there, even there the Lord says "it's not the temptation, but what you do with them". Our bodies are a good example. All day long, we breathe in impurities, but our bodies clean it out somehow, and the same with water, and food. And so it is with the soul, the healthy soul, that can take in temptations and make it pure. We therefore, must be healthy of soul, mind, and this affects the body.
The Holy Church always teaches us to use our conscience in our daily lives, to listen then, to the purity of God's Holy voice that is instilled in our spiritual DNA.
The catechism ends with " Man has the right to act in conscience and in freedom so as personally to make moral decisions. "He must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience. Nor must he be prevented from acting according to his conscience, especially in religious matters."
Our conscience will judge us. We know what weighs on us. That's why we must touch mercy, in the confessional, for the oppression to be healed as well.
How will we stop spewing deceit, folly, arrogance, adultery, all these things that defile a person?
By allowing the Holy Spirit to sanctify our lives. By living a life in the Holy Spirit. This is Jesus. This is God in Jesus. This is living the will of God our Father.
Lord, we pray that you will sanctify us, You body, that we may begin now, to live this life of the Spirit, the Spirit of Love and mercy, grace, and a sacrifice that knows how to give good, not what defiles. Thank You Lord for this beautiful opportunity to live more intimately with You, Father. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
1 Samuel 2:2 "There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God." Word of The Lord. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
