† Quote of the Day "Our perfection does not consist of doing extraordinary things, but to do the ordinary well." — St. Gabriel Possenti Today's Meditation "Little by little, we can make our daily life more and more prayerful, as we are able, over time, to incorporate those suggestions that work with our schedule and that we are ready for spiritually. There is a particular spiritual practice that Francis [de Sales] highly recommends that is possible for all of us: even on those 'impossible' days when we are perhaps unable to undertake our normal spiritual practices, we can stay rooted in prayer by constantly addressing brief prayers to the Lord. These can be acts of love, of adoration, of faith, of hope, of petition, or simply saying the name of Jesus—throughout the course of the day. Francis places a very high value on these simple utterances, traditionally called ejaculatory prayers or aspirations." —Ralph Martin, p. 135
An excerpt from The Fulfillment of All Desire Daily Verse "O God, thou art my God, I seek thee, my soul thirsts for thee; my flesh faints for thee, as in a dry and weary land where no water is. So I have looked upon thee in the sanctuary, beholding thy power and glory. Because thy steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise thee. So I will bless thee as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on thy name." — Psalm 63:1-4 | St. Gabriel Possenti St. Gabriel Possenti (1838-1862), also known as St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, was one of thirteen children born to a well-to-do Italian family in Assisi. As a young man he enjoyed the society and the worldly life of a typical teenager. He was known as a fancy dresser and a good dancer, he possessed good horsemanship and marksmanship, he frequented parties, and twice was engaged to be married. After his graduation from school he shocked everyone by announcing that he was going to be a Passionist priest, having been inspired to his vocation by the Blessed Virgin Mary, to whom his family had a great devotion. His life was then marked with prayer, sacrifice, and devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows, taking the religious name Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother. He was stricken with tuberculosis about a year before he was to be ordained, and died at the age of 24. Many miracles were attributed to him after his death, including the healing of St. Gemma Galgani. St. Gabriel Possenti is the patron saint of Catholic youth, seminarians, clerics, students, and Catholic Action. His feast day is February 27th. | Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Sirarch 5:1-8 Rely not on your wealth;
say not: "I have the power."
Rely not on your strength
in following the desires of your heart.
Say not: "Who can prevail against me?"
or, "Who will subdue me for my deeds?"
for God will surely exact the punishment.
Say not: "I have sinned, yet what has befallen me?"
for the Most High bides his time.
Of forgiveness be not overconfident,
adding sin upon sin.
Say not: "Great is his mercy;
my many sins he will forgive."
For mercy and anger alike are with him;
upon the wicked alights his wrath.
Delay not your conversion to the LORD,
put it not off from day to day.
For suddenly his wrath flames forth;
at the time of vengeance you will be destroyed.
Rely not upon deceitful wealth,
for it will be no help on the day of wrath. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 1:1-4, 6 R. (40:5a) Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord. Alleluia 1 Thessalonians 2:13 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Receive the word of God, not as the word of men,
but as it truly is, the word of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mark 9:41-50 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink
because you belong to Christ,
amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward. "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,
it would be better for him if a great millstone
were put around his neck
and he were thrown into the sea.
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.
It is better for you to enter into life maimed
than with two hands to go into Gehenna,
into the unquenchable fire.
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.
It is better for you to enter into life crippled
than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna.
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.
Better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye
than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna,
where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. "Everyone will be salted with fire.
Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid,
with what will you restore its flavor?
Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Sirach 5:1-8 Rely not on your strength. . . . Of forgiveness, be not overconfident. (Sirach 5:2, 5) Making presumptions about people can often land us in trouble—and that's especially true when we make presumptions about God! This is what Ben Sira, the author of the Book of Sirach, warns against in today's first reading. Ben Sira shows us two main ways we can fall into such a trap. One is to presume that we can save ourselves. He warns those who are rich and powerful not to rely on these qualities because they "will be no help on the day of wrath" (Sirach 5:1-2; 8). No matter how many material goods we have, no matter how gifted we are, we need the Lord. When we slip into an attitude of self-sufficiency, we inevitably fall. The second is to presume on God's mercy. Sirach writes, "Of forgiveness, be not overconfident, adding sin upon sin" (5:5). Yes, the Lord is kind and merciful, but to receive his forgiveness, we need to repent and ask for the grace not to sin again. The problem with both types of presumption—which the Catechism calls "sins against hope" (2092)— are that they diminish the power of the cross in our lives. If we think we can save ourselves, then we didn't need Jesus to die for us. And if we presume that he will forgive us even when we willfully sin again and again, then we cheapen the cost of his sacrifice. We take too lightly the depths of his suffering in the shedding of his blood. The remedy for slipping into such attitudes is to recall the lengths to which God went to save us. Recall that Jesus came to earth and died for you. He came so that you could be reconciled with his Father. He rose from the dead and poured out his Spirit so that you could have all the grace you need to follow him. Today, gaze at a crucifix and tell the Lord—out loud if possible—how thankful you are that he suffered and died so that you might live. The cost of his sacrifice was so great. May we never take it for granted! "Lord, help me always remember what you have done for me!" Psalm 1:1-4, 6
Mark 9:41-50 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.
Better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye
than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna,
where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.
"Everyone will be salted with fire.
Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid,
with what will you restore its flavor?
Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another......" - Word of the Lord! | From Bishop Robert Barron:
"The hand is the organ by which we reach out and grasp things. The soul is meant for union with God, but we have, instead, reached out to creatures, all of our energies grasping at finite things.
The Lord also speaks of the foot. The foot is the organ by which we set ourselves on a definite path. We are meant to walk on the path that is Christ. Do we? Or have we set out down a hundred errant paths, leading to glory, honor, power, or pleasure?
We are designed to seek after and look for God. Have we spent much of our lives looking in all the wrong places, beguiled by the beauties and enticements of this world? And are we willing to pluck out our eye spiritually, to abandon many of the preoccupations that have given us pleasure?........" end quote.
From Roberto Juarez:
"My words, attitudes, and behaviors can be an inspiration or a stumbling block for others. Am I being an example of faith and charity in my environment?
Jesus invites me to identify what distances me from God. Am I willing to let go of habits, relationships, or thoughts that damage my relationship with Him?
Does my life reflect the love, wisdom, and peace of Christ in my everyday relationships?..." end quote.
Our Lord said today: "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone
were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea."
He sounds pretty serious about sin, right?
That's because He knows better than we do, what sin does to us, it is more than detrimental, it can be deadly.
Just be neutral with sin, and see what chaos can happen.
Just sit on the fence, for instance, about abortion, and see how many more millions of unborn babies will dies.
Just sit on the fence about marriage in Church, and see how many unholy arrangements begin.
Just sit on the fence and put faith on hold, and see how many around you begin to wither away right before your very eyes.
What are you going to give up for Lent?
How about giving up being indifferent. Is that not a better sacrifice than giving up beer or coffee?
Have your coffee and reach out to those who are withering away in the faith. Or even better, give up that coffee and offer it up for those that are withering away!
Sin is not something to take lightly, and Lent is designed so that we move away from our tendency to sin and live a holier more united life to Our Father God.
If we can't stop what we watch, pluck it out! I told the youth last night in class, "can you give up your phone for Lent?" Many said they could not. I said "well, can you give up social media?", and lights began to turn on. I said "give up half an hour of phone, and spend it in prayer or reading faith filled books, see what happens", because when we sacrifice something for God, something good happens....
What is causing you to sin? What is causing you to make others sin? Being neutral? Being indifferent? Not caring enough to sacrifice for them or to reach out in person? What is causing it inside of your heart?
What is causing you to be remorseful and resentful? What is causing animosity inside your heart? The heart is not the cause, it is your mind! The heart can heal! That is a restoration God wants forever...so that on earth, it might happen forever in Heaven. Mercy, on the cross.
Let us say and pray this Lent:
"I don't want to give up anything, rather, I freely want to give with love that what I should give in loving sacrifice, I want to give to God the greater glory!" |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
1 Kings 8:56 "Blessed be the LORD who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant." Word of the Lord. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
