† Quote of the Day "Pray, hope and don't worry. Anxiety doesn't help at all. Our Merciful Lord will listen to your prayer."
— Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina Today's Meditation "Thus sin renders the soul miserable, weak and torpid, inconstant in doing good, cowardly in resisting temptation, slothful in the observance of God's commandments. It deprives her of true liberty and of that sovereignty which she should never resign; it makes her a slave to the world, the flesh, and the devil; it subjects her to a harder and more wretched servitude than that of the unhappy Israelites in Egypt or Babylon. Sin so dulls and stupefies the spiritual senses of man that he is deaf to God's voice and inspirations; blind to the dreadful calamities which threaten him; insensible to the sweet odor of virtue and the example of the saints; incapable of tasting how sweet the Lord is, or feeling the touch of His benign hand in the benefits which should be a constant incitement to his greater love. Moreover, sin destroys the peace and joy of a good conscience, takes away the soul's fervor, and leaves her an object abominable in the eyes of God and His saints. The grace of justification delivers us from all these miseries. For God, in His infinite mercy, is not content with effacing our sins and restoring us to His favor; He delivers us from the evils sin has brought upon us, and renews the interior man in his former strength and beauty. Thus He heals our wounds, breaks our bonds, moderates the violence of our passions, restores with true liberty the supernatural beauty of the soul, reestablishes us in the peace and joy of a good conscience, reanimates our interior senses, inspires us with ardor for good and a salutary hatred of sin, makes us strong and constant in resisting evil, and thus enriches us with an abundance of good works. In fine, He so perfectly renews the inner man with all his faculties that the Apostle calls those who are thus justified new men and new creatures." —Venerable Louis Of Grenada, p. 46
An excerpt from The Sinner's Guide
The Sinner's Guide Daily Verse "For to you has been granted, for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him."
— Philippians 1:29 | St. Bernadette Soubirous Of Lourdes St. Bernadette Soubirous (1844–1879) was the eldest of nine children born to an impoverished family from Lourdes, France. She was a sickly child who suffered from severe asthma her entire life. While out collecting firewood on February 11, 1858, at the age of 14, Bernadette saw an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a grotto cave on the banks of the Gave River. It was the first of 18 times that the Blessed Mother would appear to her. Bernadette faced much controversy and opposition as a result of her visions, including humiliating interrogations from both the civil and ecclesiastical authorities. Yet, many of the townspeople believed her and gathered at the grotto when she continued to have visits from the Virgin Mary. During one of the visits a hidden spring was shown to St. Bernadette which proved to have miraculous healing power. When Our Lady finally revealed her name to Bernadette as the "Immaculate Conception," the local bishop acknowledged the visions as authentic. As requested by Our Lady of Lourdes, a church was erected at the site of the grotto and spring. Today, Lourdes is one of the most visited Catholic pilgrimage shrines in the world. Multitudes have experienced medically documented cures of body and soul from the Lourdes waters. St. Bernadette became a nun and died at a convent in Nevers, France, on April 16,1879, at the age of 35. She was canonized in 1933 by Pope Pius XI. Her feast day is April 16th. | Wednesday of Holy Week Reading 1 Isaiah 50:4-9a The Lord GOD has given me
a well-trained tongue,
That I might know how to speak to the weary
a word that will rouse them.
Morning after morning
he opens my ear that I may hear;
And I have not rebelled,
have not turned back.
I gave my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;
My face I did not shield
from buffets and spitting. The Lord GOD is my help,
therefore I am not disgraced;
I have set my face like flint,
knowing that I shall not be put to shame.
He is near who upholds my right;
if anyone wishes to oppose me,
let us appear together.
Who disputes my right?
Let him confront me.
See, the Lord GOD is my help;
who will prove me wrong? Responsorial Psalm Psalm 69:8-10, 21-22, 31 and 33-34 R. (14c) Lord, in your great love, answer me.
For your sake I bear insult,
and shame covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my brothers,
a stranger to my mother's sons,
because zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me. R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Insult has broken my heart, and I am weak,
I looked for sympathy, but there was none;
for consolers, not one could I find.
Rather they put gall in my food,
and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
I will praise the name of God in song,
and I will glorify him with thanksgiving:
"See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not."
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me. Verse Before the Gospel Hail to you, our King;
you alone are compassionate with our errors. Or
Hail to you, our King, obedient to the Father;
you were led to your crucifixion like a gentle lamb to the slaughter. Gospel Matthew 26:14-25 One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot,
went to the chief priests and said,
"What are you willing to give me
if I hand him over to you?"
They paid him thirty pieces of silver,
and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over. On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
the disciples approached Jesus and said,
"Where do you want us to prepare
for you to eat the Passover?"
He said,
"Go into the city to a certain man and tell him,
'The teacher says, "My appointed time draws near;
in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples.""'
The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered,
and prepared the Passover. When it was evening,
he reclined at table with the Twelve.
And while they were eating, he said,
"Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me."
Deeply distressed at this,
they began to say to him one after another,
"Surely it is not I, Lord?"
He said in reply,
"He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me
is the one who will betray me.
The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him,
but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.
It would be better for that man if he had never been born."
Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply,
"Surely it is not I, Rabbi?"
He answered, "You have said so." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Judas, his betrayer, said in reply, "Surely it is not I, Rabbi?" (Matthew 26:25) The apostles were "deeply distressed" because Jesus had just said that one of them would betray him. So they went around the table, one by one, and asked incredulously, "Surely it is not I, Lord?" (Matthew 26:22). Judas, the true betrayer, added his voice to this chorus. But notice that he was the only one who addressed Jesus as "Rabbi" instead of "Lord" (26:25). Perhaps this was an appropriate title for Judas to use because it seems as if he was questioning whether Jesus was really his Lord. Perhaps he had expected that Jesus would be proclaimed as Messiah and take the throne to rule Israel. As one of Jesus' closest followers, he might have counted on becoming famous, basking in the glow of Jesus' glory and enjoying all the perks that come with being close to power and royalty. But now it was clear that Jesus wasn't going to rule Judea. In fact, his words and actions were placing him (and the apostles) on the wrong side of the influential and powerful. Judas chose to have no part of it. He thought he had a better plan. Instead of following Jesus to the cross, he wanted to be behind the wheel, calling the shots for himself and for Jesus. There are times when we also risk placing Jesus in the back seat. How? When we rush headlong into our own plans without considering what he wants for us. Or when we think, like Judas, that we have a better plan and try to convince Jesus why he should agree with us. Because Jesus is our Lord and not just our teacher or friend, we must be sure we are following him. It grieved the Lord to see Judas turning away from him. Jesus doesn't want you to go your own way, either. Instead, he wants to lead you on a closer walk with him. Today, visualize giving Jesus the driver's seat of your life. Ask him to help you keep your eyes fixed on him and to embrace the path he has for you. Remember, Jesus is more than a teacher or a prophet or a rabbi; he is Lord. Let him be the Lord of your life! "Jesus, you are my Lord! I will follow wherever you lead me." Isaiah 50:4-9
Psalm 69:8-10, 21-22, 31, 33-34 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: In the Gospel we hear today:
""He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me
is the one who will betray me.
The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him,
but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.
It would be better for that man if he had never been born."
Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply,
"Surely it is not I, Rabbi?"
He answered, "You have said so."........" - Word of the Lord! | From Bishop Barron: "Friends, in today's Gospel, the Lord recognizes Judas as his betrayer. And after this he performs his greatest wonder. In the course of the supper, Jesus identifies himself so radically with the Passover bread and wine that they become his Body and his Blood. Like broken bread, the Lord says, his body will be given away in love; and like spilled wine, his blood will be poured out on behalf of many. How does this terrible gathering come to a close? They sing! Matthew tells us, "When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." Can you imagine a condemned criminal blithely singing on the eve of his execution? Wouldn't there be something odd, even macabre, about such a display? But Jesus knows—and his Church knows with him—that this joyful outburst, precisely at that awful time, is altogether appropriate. This is not to deny for a moment the terror of that night nor the seriousness of what will follow the next day; but it is to acknowledge that an act of total love is the passage to fullness of life......." end quote.
From Roberto Juarez: "The figure of Judas Iscariot becomes a symbol of betrayal from within, of the heart that, although close to Jesus, closes itself to love and allows itself to be seduced by personal interest. Thirty silver coins: the value for which it was sold to the Master. A petty price for an infinite love. During the Passover meal, Jesus does not directly accuse Judas, but gives him the opportunity to go back, to reconsider. He gives him his word, his bread, his presence. But Judas has already made up his mind. The disciples, upon hearing the announcement of the betrayal, examine themselves. "Is it I, Lord?" — a question that reveals humility and vulnerability, and that we could all ask ourselves today. How many times have I preferred "the coins" of the world—comfort, recognition, ego—over Jesus?
Are there attitudes in my life that resemble those of Judas: lukewarmness, double life, indifference?
Do I have the courage to ask myself sincerely, "Is it I, Lord?" and open myself to his light to return?
Jesus does not close the door to anyone, not even to those who betray him. The table is set, Easter is on, and your love is stronger than any rejection. Lord Jesus,
on this day when we remember the betrayal of Judas,
We ask you to enlighten our hearts. Show us our small and big infidelities.
Not to condemn us, but to heal us. Give us the grace to be honest with you,
not to hide or justify ourselves,
but to look you in the eye and let your love transform us. Make us able to prepare with you for the Passover,
to accompany you faithfully,
and to renew our trust in your mercy. Amen.... " End quote.
From brother Adrian: Some call this day "Spy Wednesday" to remember what Judas did when he betrayed the Lord.
Did he really betray the Lord? Yes.
Is it fair that Judas was chosen as the one to betray the Lord as if destined to be doomed?
For a mortal sin, the Holy Church teaches that one of the requirements for it to be a mortal sin is that you have to have full knowledge of what you are doing...on purpose.
I try to give everybody a chance to understand them, and the same with Judas the Iscariot, but our Lord said that it would've been better if the betrayer had not been born! This is an eye opening saying, and has eternal ramifications.
Let's get deep in theology and apologetics a defense of the Catholic faith, the true meaning of scripture and explanation of it here; so learn your faith, or else too, we could be a traitor that has failed miserably at the testament of faith.
We know Judas betrayed, sold out our Lord for some silver, some money which he was known to hold for the disciples, and there are demons that are tied with money, the main god being called Mammon, the love of money. I often think of this when I handle cash, I want to wash my hands after handling cash, but not so much physically, but spiritually, because we can be seduced, and induced to want more, infinitely more, for what? Greed, and power. The power to buy, consumerism is an example of this.
So, let's say, Judas, was an opportunist, he knew our Lord was going to turn himself in anyway! Why not cash in then! This is what we call in the bull market "insider trading" knowing secrets others do not, to take advantage of profits. Was this a mortal sin? To betray the Lord like this? I bet this sin was forgivable, but what happens with sin? Any sin? They lead to a greater sin, and greater debt. This is why our Lord says it'd be better not to be born.
We will soon see what happens next, with brother Judas the Iscariot, the one that betrays our Lord. He realizes what did. He begins to be tormented with demons inside to the point of total despair, and they say he hung himself. A total loss of faith, demonstrated by a little weakness for other loves and ideals.
Is your life like that?
We kind of like to dismiss some things as not a big deal. Let others live in sin, no big deal. But, they lose their lives eternally. Or we dabble with sin, and don't think twice about doing it again, and again...venial sins can become mortal sins. If I steel time, treasure, or talent, how much becomes grand theft? A lifetime of taking away...from the Lord?
And at the end, what happens? Despair. We will cry "What have I done my whole life?" Why didn't I listen? It's nobody else's fault...but mine!
You see, Lent is about to end with the Holy Three Days, called Triduum.
We had all this time we could've taken advantage, to pray more, fast more, and give more to the poor.
How stingy was I with my time for praying, connecting with God our Father?
How stingy was I with fasting, not wanting to fast much or suffer much to boost sacrifice for God?
How stingy was I with my money, not really looking to help the poor in any way? Lord, Have Mercy! Now we have to face the music, Good Friday is coming. But before that, Holy Thursday, an invitation to a feast of feasts...the Lamb of God that has come and is to come.... | Wow. Random Bible Verse 1
2 Timothy 2:15 "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,1 a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." Word of the Lord | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
