Quote: "Christ made my soul beautiful with the jewels of grace and virtue. I belong to Him whom the angels serve." -St. Agnes Today's Meditation ""Jesus himself came to live at the heart of the tragic reality of human sinfulness. It is enough to read his genealogy cited in the Gospels of Saint Matthew and Saint Luke to be convinced of this, since we can see it in the names of persons whose lives involve problematic and immoral situations. Christ thus comes to take humanity in the midst of its sin for the salvation of all. This is what is at stake in the Divine Mercy that must pour out on our families, in which jealousy, discord, and profound rifts sometimes prevail." —Robert Cardinal Sarah, p. 31
An excerpt from Couples, Awaken Your Love Daily Verse "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; be not frightened, neither be dismayed; for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." -Joshua 1:9 | St Agnes Of Rome St. Agnes (c. 291–304 A.D.) was born to a noble Roman family. She was a beautiful young woman of twelve or thirteen years of age when many suitors desired her hand in marriage. Instead of marrying, St. Agnes committed herself to a life of consecrated virginity as a spouse of Christ. She was then denounced to the authorities as a Christian during the persecutions of Roman Emperor Diocletian. She was condemned to be dragged naked through the streets into a brothel to be sexually abused. She miraculously escaped from this predicament with her virginity preserved, and was then condemned to be burned at the stake. Again, by a miracle, her persecutors were unable to carry out her sentence. Finally, they put her to death by beheading. Of all the virgin martyrs, St. Agnes is held in the first place by the Church. She is one of the seven women, besides the Virgin Mary, commemorated by name in the Roman Canon of the Mass. St. Agnes' name means 'chaste' and she is the patroness of girls, chastity, engaged couples, virgins, rape victims, and the Girl Scouts. Her feast day is January 21st. | | Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr | | --- | ▪ Readings for the Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr
David spoke to Saul:
"Let your majesty not lose courage.
I am at your service to go and fight this Philistine."
But Saul answered David,
"You cannot go up against this Philistine and fight with him,
for you are only a youth, while he has been a warrior from his youth." David continued:
"The LORD, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear,
will also keep me safe from the clutches of this Philistine."
Saul answered David, "Go! the LORD will be with you." Then, staff in hand, David selected five smooth stones from the wadi
and put them in the pocket of his shepherd's bag.
With his sling also ready to hand, he approached the Philistine. With his shield bearer marching before him,
the Philistine also advanced closer and closer to David.
When he had sized David up,
and seen that he was youthful, and ruddy, and handsome in appearance,
the Philistine held David in contempt.
The Philistine said to David,
"Am I a dog that you come against me with a staff?"
Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods
and said to him, "Come here to me,
and I will leave your flesh for the birds of the air
and the beasts of the field."
David answered him:
"You come against me with sword and spear and scimitar,
but I come against you in the name of the LORD of hosts,
the God of the armies of Israel that you have insulted.
Today the LORD shall deliver you into my hand;
I will strike you down and cut off your head.
This very day I will leave your corpse
and the corpses of the Philistine army for the birds of the air
and the beasts of the field;
thus the whole land shall learn that Israel has a God.
All this multitude, too,
shall learn that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves.
For the battle is the LORD's and he shall deliver you into our hands." The Philistine then moved to meet David at close quarters,
while David ran quickly toward the battle line
in the direction of the Philistine.
David put his hand into the bag and took out a stone,
hurled it with the sling,
and struck the Philistine on the forehead.
The stone embedded itself in his brow,
and he fell prostrate on the ground.
Thus David overcame the Philistine with sling and stone;
he struck the Philistine mortally, and did it without a sword.
Then David ran and stood over him;
with the Philistine's own sword which he drew from its sheath
he dispatched him and cut off his head. R. (1) Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
who trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war.
R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
My refuge and my fortress,
my stronghold, my deliverer,
My shield, in whom I trust,
who subdues my people under me.
R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
O God, I will sing a new song to you;
with a ten-stringed lyre I will chant your praise,
You who give victory to kings,
and deliver David, your servant from the evil sword.
R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock! R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Jesus entered the synagogue.
There was a man there who had a withered hand.
They watched Jesus closely
to see if he would cure him on the sabbath
so that they might accuse him.
He said to the man with the withered hand,
"Come up here before us."
Then he said to the Pharisees,
"Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?"
But they remained silent.
Looking around at them with anger
and grieved at their hardness of heart,
Jesus said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."
He stretched it out and his hand was restored.
The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel
with the Herodians against him to put him to death. - - - | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: 1 Samuel 17:32-33, 37, 40-51 Today the Lord shall deliver you into my hand. (1 Samuel 17:46) Wouldn't it be wonderful to throw a rock at your problems and watch them all disappear? That's what David did: he chucked a stone at Goliath, and the dreaded giant collapsed. But there is more to this story than David's bravery. As his words to Goliath show, David relied on the Lord to give him victory. How else could one small stone make such a big difference? God wants us to learn this combination of faith and action that David showed, that cooperation between God's grace and our work that can lead us into victory. David's words, "Today the Lord shall deliver you into my hand," show how much he placed his confidence in the Lord (1 Samuel 17:46). But even as he spoke these words of defiant faith, he picked up a stone, took aim, and fired a deadly shot. Try to imagine what would have happened if David had merely boasted in the Lord but had not done anything. It could have been tragic! How often do we think that relying on God means being passive, and therefore neglect the work that he calls us to do? On the other hand, how often do we rely on our own strength, doing the "work of the Lord" but neglecting the "Lord of the work"? Both approaches are risky. The first one can leave us feeling fruitless and frustrated. The second one can leave us either full of ourselves or worn-out and dispirited. But the middle way—the way of cooperation between divine grace and human work—brings not only fruitfulness but refreshment and joy as well. It's a challenging combination. We need to humble ourselves and recognize that we are weak without the Lord. But we also need to believe that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. We need to learn the art of being still and knowing that he is God, and we also need to learn how to step out of the boat and onto the surging waters of life. What Goliath are you facing right now? How can you step out in faith, trusting in God's power as you fling your stone? "Jesus, I embrace the victory you have given me on the cross. I place my confidence in your power and in the talents you have given me." Psalm 144:1-2, 9-10
Mark 3:1-6 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "...He said to the man with the withered hand,
"Come up here before us."
Then he said to the Pharisees,
"Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?"
But they remained silent.
Looking around at them with anger
and grieved at their hardness of heart,
Jesus said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."
He stretched it out and his hand was restored.
The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel
with the Herodians against him to put him to death. ...." Word of the Lord. | From Roberto Juarez: "Jesus' question continues to resonate today: what is permissible, to do good or evil? To build unity or to feed division? Neutrality does not exist. Silence in the face of suffering, injustice or the breakdown of communion is also a form of hardness of heart. This text invites us to examine our own hearts. Are we able to rejoice in the good that others do, even if they do not think or act exactly as we do? Do we know how to recognize God's action beyond our schemes? Christian unity begins when we learn to put the wounded human being at the centre, when we are able to reach out to others, even those who are different. Only from there can we walk towards true communion. Let us ask the Lord, in this special week, to free us from hardness of heart. May he grant us the wisdom to discern what is essential and the humility to allow ourselves to be challenged by his word. May we know how to reach out and collaborate with Him in the work of healing and uniting." end quote.
From Bishop Barron:
"Jesus was demonstrating precisely what the kingdom of the God of Israel looks like. This way of life inevitably aroused the opposition of the powers of the day. At the height of his ministry, Jesus faced resistance from the "world," to use a term typical of the New Testament, which means a whole set of cruelty, betrayal, denial, violence, corruption, and hatred by which human affairs are typically ordered. He allowed all that darkness to cover him, crush him, turn him off. Then, on the third day, he rose from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit, and thereby overcame, tolerated, and triumphed over all darkness." end quote.
Did you see what happened? We heard "They watched Jesus closely
to see if he would cure him on the sabbath".
And He did!
Remember yesterday's reflection, I said "God comes first", which if God is Love, then "Love comes first".
Remember that as you journey through life and faith.
We mix up our priorities quick, and sadly, some are trained this way.
Some are wired differently but we can all train how to live and love like our Lord.
Our Lord got angry. We heard: "Looking around at them with anger
and grieved at their hardness of heart", and then, the others got angry, and we heard: "The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel
with the Herodians against him to put him to death."
Who were the Herodians? Ai says: "The Herodians in the Bible were a Jewish political group that supported the Herodian dynasty, particularly King Herod Antipas, favoring collaboration with Rome for political stability and power, often clashing with the stricter Pharisees who opposed foreign rule. They appeared in the Gospels plotting against Jesus with the Pharisees, seeing him as a threat to their political aims, and questioned him about paying taxes to Caesar to trap him".
Priorities rule.
What rules your life? Your own "personal problems"?
Or perhaps your own "personal passions"?
What is driving your life? And what is driving your life crazy?
These questions must be answered today.
This is the importance of saying yes to the Lord's calling. Maybe to a bible class or reunion. Maybe He's calling you to a more perfect union.
Everything can serve as a calling.
My 5 year old daughter wrote a note on a piece of paper and told me to bring it to work earlier this week. I think someone wrote for the writing was very good penmanship, and so they wrote what she dictated to write. It said " Hey dad I love you, I hope you have a great day at work, I will always be with you and I love you. Thank you for the Love!".
That was sweet. But how can she always be with me? Is it the Lord speaking through her? Now I'm thinking it as I write all this to you. The Lord is now telling me to tell you the same "I AM always with you" and "I Love you and thank you for the love!".
I moved the note around my desk and noticed the flip side of it, had a note that said "i asked God to help me grow. it started raining."
God will help you. But sometimes...Love Hurts.
This is where faith comes in. Not personal interests. Not personal gain. Love means "to will the good of the other". That is a good definition. And it is God's message written with blood. Our passions and selfishness nailed Him to the tree, the sins of the past, and the sins of the future. And so, He is forever crossed.
But this means His sacrifice is forever. A forever love.
This means, He means business.
HE gets angry. He knows we can't pay up. So HE now has to pay up for our cruelty and crimes against love.
Those particular Pharisees and Herodians, they weren't even there for God, no, to them it was all about power and pride.
My studies in theology is continuously showing how poor we are in the spirit. And it pains our Lord, those wounds get re-aggravated, reopened when we sin, especially those who have been entrusted with much.
Am I speaking of priests and bishops and such? Definitely yes, but not only them, but all who are baptized in Him!
Sin costs so much. So why do we even dabble with it?
This morning, I heard of someone that passed away. We used to be altar boys together. That was our ultimate bond, that is how we knew each other. But we grew apart as we grew older and really never saw each other again, but once or twice in life. He was much younger than I. And the news only serves me to remind us all....life is short.
Life can be bitter.
And so, let's make it sweet. How? With a pure love of God.
WE need to show God we love Him. Why? Because, He first loves us.
We can atone for sin. With Him. For Him. Alleviate some of His pain and suffering. You normally won't hear this, but these are things that are going on as we speak.
I say this as a father that has created children with their mother. I see the world through Our Father's eyes as I see my own children. They fill me and I create opportunities for them to grow. I punish them as needed. Only to help them be good. They anger me though. When they keep disobeying. Yes. When they keep forgetting to do what I ask. And it is like Our Father in Heaven.
And I blurt it out "how important are my desires to you?".
"I who give you everything.
I who love you like nobody else.
I who have held you in my arms and nurtured you with your mother.
I who bring up your miserable failings before your eyes so that you may see!
Can you not see?"
Love comes first. |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." . . . . . . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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