 From: MorningOffering Website | Quote: "[Jesus'] body was for Him not a limitation, but an instrument, so that He was both in it and in all things, and outside all things, resting in the Father above. At one and the same time—this is the wonder—as man He was a human life, and as Word He was sustaining the life of the universe, and as Son He was in constant union with the Father." St. Athanasius of Alexandria Today's Meditation "See, you're bought at a great price. We're told that in Scripture over and over and over. Jesus died for you! And, because He bought you at a great price, you have to understand that you're never alone. You are very, very special to God. But some of you who don't understand that think that God doesn't care. I get that feeling myself sometimes. I've said to Our Lord, "Look, don't You care? Whose side are You on?" I have myself been disheartened. But, in spite of the difficulties within and without, I try to keep my eyes on Jesus and know that Our Lord and Savior loves me, knows me, and has chosen me to be great in His eyes – to be holy, to be saintly, to be compassionate, and to be good."
—Mother Angelica, p. 44 Daily Verse "At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known. So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:12-13 |  EWTN Daily Saint | | St. Porphyry St. Porphyry (Porphyrius) of Gaza (c. 347-420 A.D.) was born in Thessalonica in present-day Greece. Although a wealthy man, at the age of 25 he went to live in Egypt as a desert hermit. He later moved to Palestine near the Jordan River, then to Jerusalem itself. He did great penances and would often visit the holy places where Jesus lived and walked, despite his poor health. He then renounced all material goods and his inheritance and became a priest in Jerusalem at the age of 40. The relics of the True Cross in Jerusalem were entrusted to his care. Despite his protests he was ordained Bishop of Gaza, a pagan stronghold with an insignificant Christian community. Gaza's pagans were hostile, and St. Porphyry appealed to the emperor for protection and for the destruction of pagan temples, which he obtained. St. Porphyry built a Christian church on the site of the most important pagan temple dedicated to the chief god, so that he could say Mass in the place where the devil was previously most honored. St. Porphyry labored for his flock and won many converts through his miracles, though pagan opposition continued throughout his life. He was successful in spreading the Christian faith across his diocese. His feast day is February 26. | Thursday of the First Week in Lent Lectionary: 227 Reading I Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25 Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish,
had recourse to the LORD.
She lay prostrate upon the ground, together with her handmaids,
from morning until evening, and said:
"God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, blessed are you.
Help me, who am alone and have no help but you,
for I am taking my life in my hand.
As a child I used to hear from the books of my forefathers
that you, O LORD, always free those who are pleasing to you.
Now help me, who am alone and have no one but you,
O LORD, my God. "And now, come to help me, an orphan.
Put in my mouth persuasive words in the presence of the lion
and turn his heart to hatred for our enemy,
so that he and those who are in league with him may perish.
Save us from the hand of our enemies;
turn our mourning into gladness
and our sorrows into wholeness." Responsorial Psalm Psalm 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8 R. (3a) Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth; in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple and give thanks to your name.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Because of your kindness and your truth; for you have made great above all things your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me; your kindness, O LORD, endures forever; forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me. Verse Before the Gospel Psalm 51:12a, 14a A clean heart create for me, O God;
give me back the joy of your salvation. Gospel Matthew 7:7-12 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which one of you would hand his son a stone
when he asked for a loaf of bread,
or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things
to those who ask him. "Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the law and the prophets." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! |  From Word Among Us WAU.org | Daily Meditation: Matthew 7:7-12 Everyone who asks, receives. (Matthew 7:8) Are there days when you feel as if Jesus' words here just don't apply to you? Days—or even longer—when you think that God is, in fact, handing you a stone or a snake instead of bread or a fish (Matthew 7:9-10)? Or maybe you struggle to understand why, when you "ask," "seek," or "knock," it seems as if he's just not answering (7:7). Your faith tells you that God is all good and all loving, but your experience seems to be pointing in a different direction. Why is this? Here's an answer you may not like—but it's an honest one: we simply don't know. It could be that his answer to your prayer is a quiet no. It could be that you're asking for the wrong thing and that God has something better in mind for you. Or it could be "not yet"—he will respond, but just not right now. Or it could be something altogether different. Whatever the reason, you are facing the mystery of God's will, and it can sometimes be hard to accept it. But even if the answer, or "non-answer," is not very comforting, Jesus' promise remains true: "everyone who asks, receives" (Matthew 7:8). Everyone receives. Maybe in ways we don't expect. Maybe in ways we cannot perceive. Maybe in ways we will experience only in heaven. But our heavenly Father hears every prayer we offer. He hears the cries of our hearts. And he gives us the grace we need, the wisdom we need, or the courage or hope or correction or refocus that we need. Sometimes, he even gives us the silence that we need so that we will continue to grapple with our feelings and come to a better grasp of his calling and direction for us. Jesus promises that God will "give good things to those who ask him" (Matthew 7:11). He is faithful. He is loving. He is just. He is kind and merciful. Hold onto those truths, no matter what you are dealing with. Grasp them tightly. Inscribe them in your memory. Write them on a piece of paper, and keep it in your pocket as a reminder. Give yourself the gift of time, and ask the Lord to give you the gift of patience. He won't fail you. Make this your prayer, day and night: "The Lord will complete what he has done for me; your kindness, O Lord, endures forever; forsake not the work of your hands" (Psalm 138:8). Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25
Psalm 138:1-3, 7-8 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "...If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things
to those who ask him. "Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the law and the prophets." ..." Word of the Lord.
| From Bishop Barron: "Now, we must not think of God as becoming exasperated by our prayer of petition, but the clear implication is that we will get what we want through persistence: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." How do we make sense of this? For me, the best explanation is offered by St. Augustine. He said that God doesn't always immediately give us what we ask for, and in fact, he compels us to ask again and again. The Lord wants to stretch us, expanding our desire so as to receive the gift he desires to give us. If we got everything we wanted, right away and without effort, we wouldn't appreciate what we've received, and we wouldn't really be capable of taking it in. It would be like pouring new wine into old, shrunken wineskins, resulting in a loss of both the skins and the wine. So if the gift doesn't come right away, don't despair; rather, feel your very soul expanding in anticipation." end quote.
From Roberto Juarez: The passage ends with what we call the "golden rule": "Treat others as you would have them treat you; this is what the Law and the Prophets consist of." It is no coincidence that this phrase follows the teaching on prayer. Those who learn to trust in the Father also learn to look at their brothers and sisters with the same logic. The relationship with God transforms the relationship with others. It is not enough to ask. We have to live according to what we ask. If we ask for mercy, we must offer mercy. If we ask for understanding, we must understand. If we ask for patience, we must practice it.
This Gospel can be translated into three very clear decisions for this time: 1.- Persevering prayer: do not give up easily when it seems that there is no answer. 2.- Sincere search: review what really occupies the center of our life. 3.- Fraternal coherence: applying the golden rule in our daily relationships. Lent is not a time of spiritual magic; it is a path of maturation. Perhaps the most important question is: what are we really asking for? Do we ask only for material things? Are we only asking for immediate solutions? Or do we ask for a new heart? The greatest gift that the Father wants to give us is not something external, but his Spirit, his life, his grace.
Today Jesus invites us to trust without reservation. Ask. Search. Knock. Not because God is reluctant, but because He wants us to grow in relationship with Him. And may our prayer not remain in words, but may it be translated into a new way of treating others. May this Lent find us humble to ask, restless to seek and persevering to call. And that, trusting in the Father, we also learn to live as true children of his. " end quote.
From brother Adrian: God is good, amen? Can we agree that He is good?
But what level of "good" do we make Him out to be?
Atheists love to bash on Him as not good by asking "if he were so good then why does he allow evil?"
The answer? Do you know how to respond?
The answer is: To bring about an even GREATER GOOD.
Wow.
So what does this say to us? Have faith. God is good. Even though we may not see it, not right now, not the answers you want, He sees in the greater whole, for the good of someone or something else to benefit. What if all things worked out the way you asked for? In my case, if I got what I asked for, I probably would not be here writing to you!
So what will you ask God our Father for today? Is that all we do is ask Him for stuff?
I want to start challenging people to do the opposite. Instead of always asking, how about we always thank Him, for anything good or bad. "Oh what a beautiful sunrise! Thank you God!" or "oh, I'm hurting so bad right now...thank you God, you know what this is about". And see what happens. Because in the sour moment, He can give what is necessary...grace, such as in the anointing of the sick, and mercy in the reconciliation room. What a most amazing physician...healer of the soul. How could anything else materially...matter?
I studied business at Texas Tech University. I learned many things, but only a few things stuck, like, strategic management. To plan ahead...way ahead, a greater scheme of things. Have you ever looked at your life in the greater scheme?
We will read in Sunday's gospel and hear that God has this gift of immortality. This is something that communists absolutely refuse to get, because, they think the earth is all the world has to offer. But in the world, we find God, and often in the most hidden places, if only we would seek Him everywhere.
I dare you to seek Him. When people reproach me and yell at me, even there I ask in the interior, "God, is that you speaking to me? Is there something I need to pay attention to here?" and often, there is a grain of salt and truth in the argument. And to listen...we must be humble.
How can God refuse something good then? "But Lord, I wanted you to save my dying loved one, that was a good thing to ask for!". Was it? How did you pray in those moments? With despair? With bitter anguish? Sometimes He can't hear our petitions through the yelling, the yelling we do at Him. As if He would respond "what are you yelling about? Am I not the God of the universe that knows every heart in the world? What are you screaming about? Can I not control the storms in the world? Who are you to tell me how to do and what to do? Who knows more? Who knows better? I AM the one who speaks, not in storms and tempests...but in the subtle whisper, and if you want to hear Me, then you must settle your heart, and your soul....rest in Me, I am the Good of the world, and I love You more than you will EVER know!". |  Click for Audio | WOW! Random Bible Verse 1
Titus 3:4–7 " But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
