† Quote of the Day "Be one of the small number who find the way to life, and enter by the narrow gate into Heaven. Take care not to follow the majority and the common herd, so many of whom are lost. Do not be deceived; there are only two roads: one that leads to life and is narrow; the other that leads to death and is wide. There is no middle way." — St. Louis de Montfort Today's Meditation "The soul, enlightened by faith, judges of things in a very different way to those who, having only the standard of the senses by which to measure them, ignore the inestimable treasure they contain . . . the soul that recognizes the will of God in every smallest event, and also in those that are most distressing and direful, receives all with an equal joy, pleasure and respect. It throws open all its doors to receive with honor what others fear and fly from with horror. The outward appearance may be mean and contemptible, but beneath this abject garb the heart discovers and honors the majesty of the king. The deeper the abasement of his entry in such a guise and in secret the more does the heart become filled with love." —Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade, p. 23-24 An excerpt from Abandonment to Divine Providence Daily Verse "I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep thy word. I do not turn aside from thy ordinances, for thou hast taught me. How sweet are thy words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way." — Psalm 119:101-4 | St. Manettus And The Seven Founders Of The Order Of Servites
St. Manettus (d. 1268), also known as St. Benedict dell'Antella, was one of the Seven Founders of the Order of Servites. Between 1225 and 1227 in the city of Florence, Italy, seven cloth merchants from the city's prominent families joined the Confraternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They desired to live a penitential life dedicated to her title of Mother of Sorrows. Our Lady appeared to the seven men on the feast of the Assumption in 1233, asking them to live a life of seclusion and prayer. They obeyed and lived an austere life for many years. Mary appeared to the seven again in 1240, giving them a black habit and a scroll titled "Servants of Mary," and asking them to found a religious order following the Rule of St. Augustine. The Servites became one of the five original mendicant religious orders. Their special charism is devotion to the Passion of Jesus and the Seven Sorrows of Mary. Only one of the seven founders lived to see the order formally approved by Rome in 1304. It has since spread throughout the world and remains active to this day. The feast day of its Seven Holy Founders of the Order of Servites (Servants of Mary) is February 17. | Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Genesis 4:1-15, 25 The man had relations with his wife Eve,
and she conceived and bore Cain, saying,
"I have produced a man with the help of the LORD."
Next she bore his brother Abel.
Abel became a keeper of flocks, and Cain a tiller of the soil.
In the course of time Cain brought an offering to the LORD
from the fruit of the soil,
while Abel, for his part,
brought one of the best firstlings of his flock.
The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,
but on Cain and his offering he did not.
Cain greatly resented this and was crestfallen.
So the LORD said to Cain:
"Why are you so resentful and crestfallen.
If you do well, you can hold up your head;
but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door:
his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master." Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let us go out in the field."
When they were in the field,
Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Then the LORD asked Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"
He answered, "I do not know.
Am I my brother's keeper?"
The LORD then said: "What have you done!
Listen: your brother's blood cries out to me from the soil!
Therefore you shall be banned from the soil
that opened its mouth to receive
your brother's blood from your hand.
If you till the soil, it shall no longer give you its produce.
You shall become a restless wanderer on the earth."
Cain said to the LORD: "My punishment is too great to bear.
Since you have now banished me from the soil,
and I must avoid your presence
and become a restless wanderer on the earth,
anyone may kill me at sight."
"Not so!" the LORD said to him.
"If anyone kills Cain, Cain shall be avenged sevenfold."
So the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest anyone should kill him at sight. Adam again had relations with his wife,
and she gave birth to a son whom she called Seth.
"God has granted me more offspring in place of Abel," she said,
"because Cain slew him." Responsorial Psalm Psalm 50:1,8, 16bc-17, 20-21 R. (14a) Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
God the LORD has spoken and summoned the earth,
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
"Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always." R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
"Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?" R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
"You sit speaking against your brother;
against your mother's son you spread rumors.
When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes." R. Offer to God a sacrifice of praise. Alleluia John 14:6 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mark 8:11-13 The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus,
seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.
He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said,
"Why does this generation seek a sign?
Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation."
Then he left them, got into the boat again,
and went off to the other shore. | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Genesis 4:1-15, 25 Cain greatly resented this and was crestfallen. (Genesis 4:5) On one level, Cain's resentment is understandable. God had accepted Abel's sacrificial offering but was not pleased with his own. Maybe Cain thought the Lord owed him more for his hard work tending his crops. Or maybe he was jealous of his younger brother. Whatever Cain's reasoning, God spoke to him directly, warning him about the danger of allowing resentment to fester. Sin, the Lord told Cain, "is a demon lurking at the door: his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master" (Genesis 4:7). But Cain didn't heed the warning. Instead of fighting the temptation to stoke his resentment, Cain gave in to bitterness. He lured his brother, Abel, out into a field and killed him. Can you identify with Cain in any way? When something good happens to someone else, do you resent it? And where might that resentment lead you? Maybe not to the violence that Cain resorted to. But it can lead to an ever-increasing separation and isolation from the people around you. For instance, if a coworker is promoted over you, you might want to avoid her or, worse, gossip about her. If your brother saves up his money to buy a new car, you might subtly begin to wish your own car were newer and let slip disparaging comments about your brother's spending habits. Or if a fellow parishioner is given more responsibility in a ministry you enjoy, your hurt feelings might lead you to drop out of that ministry altogether. All these reactions can kill relationships. So what's the answer? Listen to what the Lord told Cain. There will always be opportunities for resentment to arise—it's always "lurking at the door" (Genesis 4:7). But you don't have to give in to it. God's vision for you is an entirely different life. It's a life of freedom and joy, where you can turn your heart toward other people, whether they are a successful coworker or a sibling or a fellow parishioner. Ask for God's grace to master your tendencies toward resentment or bitterness. That's a prayer that the Lord is always happy to answer! "Lord, protect me from all resentment and bitterness. I want to be free." Psalm 50:1, 8, 16-17, 20-21
Mark 8:11-13 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus,
seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.
He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said,
"Why does this generation seek a sign?
Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation."
Then he left them, got into the boat again,
and went off to the other shore........" - Word of the Lord! | From Bishop Barron:
"One of the most fundamental statements of faith is this: your life is not about you. You're not in control. This is not your project. Rather, you are part of God's great design. To believe this in your bones and to act accordingly is to have faith......" end quote.
From Spanish Reflection of Roberto Juarez:
"Jesus sighs deeply, showing his sadness at the hardness of heart of the Pharisees. It's not that He doesn't want to give signs, but that they've seen enough to believe, but they refuse to do it. Faith is not born of trials, but of a relationship of trust with God.
• Does my faith depend on external circumstances or do I trust God even in uncertainty?
• Am I aware of the "signs" God has given me in my life?
He distances himself from the Pharisees because they are not open to receiving his message. God respects our freedom: if we harden our hearts, He does not force us to believe.
• Am I open to God's action in my life or do I cling to my own reasons?
• Do I take advantage of the opportunities God gives me to draw closer to Him?
This gospel that we have heard and meditated on invites us to reflect on our attitude toward God. Do we seek Him with a sincere heart or only when we want something from Him? True faith does not need proof, but is based on trust and love." end quote.
Our Lord said that no sign would be given to this "generation". What generation? Because He had done many signs to the people around Him, and perhaps even the Pharisees that were arguing with Him.
We all believe in God, but do we believe in the reality of Jesus, the very essence of the heart of God? Pharisees were a lay group that represented the middle class. Sadducees were a priestly aristocracy that was politically powerful and collaborated with the Romans . Pharisees believed in the immortality of the soul and bodily resurrection, and that the Law of Moses and oral traditions were authoritative.
Sadducees believed that the Torah was the only authoritative scripture, and that the soul did not live on after death.
Pharisees were heavy on Mosaic law and traditions, as supreme law. They felt they had the right to question this "Son of God", to prove Himself, not with miracles He was already doing, but something more.
What is that "something more" that we want God to do?
In these faith sharing bits, I've shared several miracles throughout. And you have perhaps been involved in miracles too. Yet, do we still doubt? If so, then, why? Why do we doubt? What more does our Lord have to do? It is very hard to console folks sometimes, something always wants to hold us down, tears, and fears, worries, and anxieties. Turn on the TV and all you get is bad news. I just walked into the office and my coworker let me know of all the shootings this weekend in the college town in Lubbock where he lives and I went to the University. One of the ones shot dead...was his own cousin, for who knows what spat and argument at a dance. Is there a good God among all the chaos we live in?
There is. And this is where our faith is going to have to enter into the scene. Enough with the animosity, and darkness of living a worldly life. Enough with the Pharisaical Phils, and Sad Sauducees, for there was also a 3rd group of Jews, and these were called the Escenes, a pure group, that always were purifying themselves, set apart, off on the desert hills, making themselves ready to usher in the Messiah. They were a holy people in every sense of the word, and it is believed Saint John the Baptist and our Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph were of this group, chaste, pure, even couples did not live together, but married for pure reasons.
We are called to revive this group among us. Yes, we believe. But even more, we can live that life of faith, of "knowing" what is necessary. To know we shall trust in the Lord, with all our heart, all our mind, and soul.
Lord, I do believe! Help my disbelief!
Help me help You in this world, that we might be truly children, a people of God our Father... |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Ephesians 2:4–7 [Ephesians 2] 4 But1 God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
