† Quote of the Day "If only I could put into everybody's heart the fire I have in my breast, which makes me burn with such love for the Heart of Jesus and the Heart of Mary!" — St. Jacinta Marto Today's Meditation "God gives us certain abilities and interests and they are truly that: gifts. This means we should approach them with gratitude and mission. Comparing ourselves to others, then, is pointless and begrudges the giver. How exquisite that we all have different gifts. And the reality that he's bestowed them on us should embolden us to develop them and serve him and others through them." –Carrie Gress and Noelle Mering, p.123 An excerpt from Theology of Home II: The Spiritual Art of Homemaking Daily Verse "But you are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises" of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." — 1 Peter 2:9 | St.s Francisco Jacinta Marto St. Francisco (1908-1919) and St. Jacinta Marto (1910–1920) were siblings and the youngest of the three shepherd children, who, along with their cousin, Lúcia Santos, witnessed three apparitions of an angel in 1916 and six apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1917 while tending sheep in the countryside of Fatima, Portugal. They were entrusted by Our Lady of Fatima with many messages and warnings for the world, and that they were to do penance and pray for the conversion of sinners. Both became prayerful mystics, much wiser than their age, on account of these visits. Although only young children, they faithfully offered up many sacrifices as Our Lady requested, by praying the rosary daily, giving their lunches to the poor, denying themselves water on hot days, wearing a rough rope next to her skin, calmly facing ridicule on account of the apparitions, and bravely enduring the suffering that ended in their deaths. The Blessed Mother told Francisco and Jacinta that they would die young and that she would soon come to take them to heaven. Francisco and Jacinta both fell sick from influenza in 1918. Francisco died first, and Jacinta the next year after a long illness and two hospitalizations. They were canonized by Pope Francis on May 13, 2017, the 100th anniversary of the first Apparition of Our Lady of Fátima. Their feast day is February 20th. Find a Devotional for This Saint: St. Jacinta Marto. | Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Genesis 9:1-13 God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them:
"Be fertile and multiply and fill the earth.
Dread fear of you shall come upon all the animals of the earth
and all the birds of the air,
upon all the creatures that move about on the ground
and all the fishes of the sea;
into your power they are delivered.
Every creature that is alive shall be yours to eat;
I give them all to you as I did the green plants.
Only flesh with its lifeblood still in it you shall not eat.
For your own lifeblood, too, I will demand an accounting:
from every animal I will demand it,
and from one man in regard to his fellow man
I will demand an accounting for human life. If anyone sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed;
For in the image of God
has man been made. Be fertile, then, and multiply;
abound on earth and subdue it." God said to Noah and to his sons with him:
"See, I am now establishing my covenant with you
and your descendants after you
and with every living creature that was with you:
all the birds, and the various tame and wild animals
that were with you and came out of the ark.
I will establish my covenant with you,
that never again shall all bodily creatures be destroyed
by the waters of a flood;
there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth."
God added:
"This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come,
of the covenant between me and you
and every living creature with you:
I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign
of the covenant between me and the earth." Responsorial Psalm Psalm 102:16-18, 19-21, 29 and 22-23 R. (20b) From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth. The nations shall revere your name, O LORD,
and all the kings of the earth your glory,
When the LORD has rebuilt Zion
and appeared in his glory;
When he has regarded the prayer of the destitute,
and not despised their prayer.
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
Let this be written for the generation to come,
and let his future creatures praise the LORD:
"The LORD looked down from his holy height,
from heaven he beheld the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoners,
to release those doomed to die."
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
The children of your servants shall abide,
and their posterity shall continue in your presence,
That the name of the LORD may be declared in Zion,
and his praise, in Jerusalem,
When the peoples gather together,
and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth. Alleluia See John 6:63c, 68c John 6:63c, 68c R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mark 8:27-33 Jesus and his disciples set out
for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Along the way he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that I am?"
They said in reply,
"John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others one of the prophets."
And he asked them,
"But who do you say that I am?"
Peter said to him in reply,
"You are the Christ." Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him. He began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed, and rise after three days.
He spoke this openly.
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples,
rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Genesis 9:1-13 I am now establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you. (Genesis 9:9) After the devastation of the flood, God made a covenant with Noah and his descendants: "Never again shall all bodily creatures be destroyed by the waters of a flood" (Genesis 9:11). God would once again allow the human race to flourish, even though he knew that "the desires of the human heart are evil" (8:21). He even placed a rainbow in the sky as a sign of his promise (9:13). But why did God make this covenant with Noah when he knew in advance that his people would continue to do evil and fall into sin? Why did he do it when he knew that even the once-righteous Noah would eventually fall (Genesis 9:20-27)? The Lord did it because he wanted this special covenant relationship with the people he had created. He did it because he is good and merciful, not because we are. And so he offers Noah and his descendants a "reboot"—a chance to once again "be fertile and multiply and fill the earth" (9:1; see 1:28). One thing we know from the story of Noah is that God has not abandoned us. On the contrary, he has bound himself to us. He has made a covenant with us, not on the basis of human strength, but on the basis of his unchanging devotion to us. Whether every day is a breeze or a hurricane for you, God loves you as a father loves his child. Whether you move toward him or away from him, God is constant in his commitment to you. Like Noah, we know what God has saved us from. In Noah's case, it was a devastating flood; in our case, it was sin and death. We also know what we have been saved for. Through the new covenant sealed with the blood of Jesus, we have been saved for a friendship with the Lord that is beyond our imagining. We can know him in a way no other creature can. And we can live with him forever. Let's lean into that friendship today by spending time with our heavenly Father and praising him for his goodness and mercy. May we always place our hope not in ourselves but in the constancy of his love for us! "Lord God, thank you for your unwavering love for me and for all of humanity" Psalm 102:16-23, 29
Mark 8:27-33 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "And he asked them,
"But who do you say that I am?"
Peter said to him in reply,
"You are the Christ."
Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.
He began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed, and rise after three days.
He spoke this openly.
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples,
rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." ......" - Word of the Lord! | From Bishop Barron:
"Finally, Simon Peter speaks: "You are the Christ." In Matthew's version of the scene, Peter says, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." This is the mystical faith that stands at the heart of Christianity. To hold this Petrine faith is to be a Christian; to deny it is not to be a Christian......." end quote.
From Spanish Reflection of Roberto Juarez:
"Peter, with good intentions but not yet understanding the divine plan, wants to spare Jesus suffering. However, Jesus corrects him firmly, because to reject the cross is to reject God's will.
• Do I sometimes try to avoid the cross in my life instead of embracing it with trust in God?
• Do I seek God's plans or do I just follow my own human desires and thoughts?
This gospel invites us to recognize Jesus not only as the glorious Messiah, but also as the suffering Servant who redeems us through the cross. Following Christ involves accepting his way, even when it challenges or makes us uncomfortable. ...." end quote.
Our Lord asks us to: "But...who do YOU say that I Am?".
Is our Lord a stranger to you? Who is this man on the cross we see on a crucifix? How do people have an intimate relationship with their Lord and Savior? And how can I teach what I don't know or have?
How can we go on preaching the Word of God and not truly know Him?
Today's little saints can give us a clue. Little Francisco, Saint Francisco, and little Saint Jacinta, they developed an intimate relationship to the Almighty. Somehow, they were open to a prayer life. They'd go off doing their chores, like tending sheep in the mountains, but they'd huddle to pray every day. An angel appeared. A year later, Mother Mary appeared. It was through the little ones that the catastrophes of world wars would have to be yielded, a phenomenal message of penance, repentance, and prayer. An atonement really. The kids showed how. They offered fasting, alms-giving, and prayers for the world to be restored, like during the times of the flood of Noah. Noah heeded the message of the Lord, a prophet. Many heeded the message of Our Lady of Fatima, and these little prophets are held as an example, a shining light to our world that is always susceptible to trouble and calamity. The evil one is in the world to make that happen, not by the will of God, but by the free will given to mankind. These are great liturgical setups for what is coming...40 days of the Passion of Christ, of fasting, of giving, of deeper prayer, so that we might get to know more intimately, by getting rid of bad habits, and sin, and introducing more of Him, our Lord, into our lives. A good lent is a life well spent. To know Him, to Love Him, to serve Him...and the center point...is to love Him, in the world, in each other. Yes, it is difficult, but with Him...all things are possible....like a stranger on the cross becoming the most powerful relation to the Almighty, the one we are to fear of ever losing....Love Almighty.
Lord, help us, we need You, every day, ever more...to love, and to hold, to cherish with all we have..... |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Acts 2:38 "And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Word of the Lord. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
