† Quote of the Day "Let us love God, but with the strength of our arms, in the sweat of our brow." — St. Vincent de Paul Today's Meditation "Yes, my heart's dear one, Jesus, is here with His cross. Since you are one of His favorites, he wants to make you into His likeness; why be afraid that you will not have the strength to carry this cross without a struggle? On the way to Calvary, Jesus did indeed fall three times and you, poor little child, would like to be different from your spouse, would rather not fall a hundred times if necessary to prove your love to Him by getting back up with even more strength than before your fall!" —St. Therese of Lisieux, p. 87
An excerpt from St. Therese of Lisieux, Meditations with the Little Flower Daily Verse "Now this is the message that we have heard from him and proclaim to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say, 'We have fellowship with him,' while we continue to walk in darkness, we lie and do not act in truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin." — 1 John 1:5-7 | St. Peter Damian St. Peter Damian (1007-1072 A.D.) was born in Ravenna, Italy, the youngest of a large and noble yet poor family. After his birth his mother initially refused to nurse him due to the strain he would put on the family, and he nearly died. He was later orphaned and suffered from extreme poverty. One brother adopted him, but neglected him and treated him like a slave. Another brother, a priest, recognizing that Peter had great intelligence, took him in and provided for his education. Peter excelled in his studies and in religious piety. By the time he was twenty-five he became a professor famous for his work in theology and canon law. Bothered by the distractions of university life, at twenty-eight he left his position to become a Benedictine monk and to lead a quiet life of fervent prayer and self-mortification. He lived during a time of great corruption in the Church, and became heavily involved in the controversies and crises of the day, advocating for reform and greater discipline in religious life. He was an influential figure, a friend and adviser to both popes and emperors, and was made a bishop and cardinal. Due to his academic prowess and prolific theological writings, St. Peter Damian was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1823. His feast day is February 21. | Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Genesis 11:1-9 The whole world spoke the same language, using the same words.
While the people were migrating in the east,
they came upon a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.
They said to one another,
"Come, let us mold bricks and harden them with fire."
They used bricks for stone, and bitumen for mortar.
Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city
and a tower with its top in the sky,
and so make a name for ourselves;
otherwise we shall be scattered all over the earth." The LORD came down to see the city and the tower
that they had built.
Then the LORD said: "If now, while they are one people,
all speaking the same language,
they have started to do this,
nothing will later stop them from doing whatever they presume to do.
Let us then go down and there confuse their language,
so that one will not understand what another says."
Thus the LORD scattered them from there all over the earth,
and they stopped building the city.
That is why it was called Babel,
because there the LORD confused the speech of all the world.
It was from that place that he scattered them all over the earth. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 33:10-11, 12-13, 14-15 R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
The LORD brings to nought the plans of nations;
he foils the designs of peoples.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down;
he sees all mankind.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
From his fixed throne he beholds
all who dwell on the earth,
He who fashioned the heart of each,
he who knows all their works.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own. Alleluia John 15:15b R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I call you my friends, says the Lord,
for I have made known to you all that the Father has told me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mark 8:34—9:1 Jesus summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them,
"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake
and that of the Gospel will save it.
What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
What could one give in exchange for his life?
Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words
in this faithless and sinful generation,
the Son of Man will be ashamed of
when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." He also said to them,
"Amen, I say to you,
there are some standing here who will not taste death
until they see that the Kingdom of God has come in power." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Genesis: 11:1-9 Let us . . . make a name for ourselves. (Genesis 11:4) Today's first reading tells the story of a people whose advances in technology enabled them to create something new and exciting: the first skyscraper. What a way, they thought, to "make a name" for themselves (Genesis 11:4)! We can see these kinds of towers today in our modern skyscrapers. What could be a better example of humans' mastery over their surroundings than a big-city skyline? There is nothing necessarily evil about constructing a very tall building. But great human accomplishments can also lead people to forget the One who is ultimately in charge. This is what happened in Babel: the people's desire to make a "name" for themselves reflects their desire to become like gods themselves—complete with their own temple that reached to the heavens. But all human technology—engineering, weaponry, businesses, governments, and all other signs of human domination—is trivial compared to the greatness of the Lord. As today's responsorial psalm says, "The Lord brings to nought the plans of nations; he foils the designs of peoples" (33:10). And that's exactly what happened to the Tower of Babel: God interrupted this exercise in pride (Genesis 11:8). It's tempting to get caught up in building our own personal "cities" and "towers," too: a successful career, the best clothes, a new car, and so on. But all this is fleeting. Our true home is in heaven, and that's where our primary focus needs to be. That's how we please the Lord and build a life that has lasting meaning and purpose. Today's Gospel presents another kind of city: "the Kingdom of God" (Mark 9:1). That kingdom was inaugurated by Jesus as he hung, helpless, on a cross. It is founded on the witness of lowly tradesmen-turned-apostles. Even to this day, it is built through humility and self-giving love, not by constructing towers of pride and self-preservation. It grows stronger as we deny ourselves and take up the cross, not as we build ourselves up at the expense of the lost and the needy. That's because only love and mercy, not power and domination, will last. "Jesus, help me to work with you in building the kingdom of heaven." Psalm 33:10-15
Mark 8:34-9: | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake
and that of the Gospel will save it.
What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
What could one give in exchange for his life?
Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words
in this faithless and sinful generation,
the Son of Man will be ashamed of
when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." ......" - Word of the Lord! | From Bishop Barron:
"In this scene, he gathers the crowd with his disciples and pronounces the formula for following him. We ought to be listening too with great attention: "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." The path of discipleship is the path of self-sacrificing love, and that means the path of suffering. Then the great paradox: "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it." Put that over your door, on the refrigerator, on your screensaver. There is no better one-line guide to the happy life......." end quote.
From Spanish Reflection of Roberto Juarez:
"Am I building the Kingdom of God in my life and in my community?
• How can I live with more hope and confidence in Christ's promises?
Today's Gospel challenges us to make a radical decision: to follow Jesus with all our hearts, without fear of sacrifice or the cross. He invites us to live with our eyes fixed on eternal life, trusting that to lose our lives for Christ's sake is actually to gain everything....." end quote.
From the book of Genesis: "Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and so make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered all over the earth." Everyone wants to make a name for themselves, as a group, a community, or a nation. As we speak, I was reading a story about 70 Christian martyrs that were recently decapitated in Congo, most probably by a militant group...that is trying to make a name for themselves....does that sound like some sort of pride?
We are reading things from the beginning of time, the book of Genesis, and they still ring very true in our day. Today, our Lord says that to follow Him: "whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it."
These Christians that were just martyred for their faith, saved their lives. Sounds backwards, but, the real eternal life begins when we pass through this world. We cannot focus on making ourselves great, as the communist mentality says to do, about the self rising and preserving their self image of greatness forever...in the eyes of man. But those are substandard and do not meet the eyes of God.
We love to be united and to grow. I see my own family, it is great to be united and grow, but can we live together in the same household, or same city forever? Time is limited, and time is precious. Therefore, let us give the most precious...of love, to God and His Gospel, our neighbor, our world through our Lord.
Lord, help us accomplish Your will. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Hebrews 13:5 [Hebrews 13] 5 "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
Word of the Lord. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
