Quote: ""What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like."" -St. Augustine Today's Meditation "Not to try to live in interior silence is equivalent to giving up the effort to lead a truly Christian life. The Christian life is a life of faith, lived in the invisible for what is invisible. Anyone who is not in constant contact with the invisible world runs the risk of remaining always on the threshold of a true Christian life. ... Solitude is the stronghold of the strong. Strength is an active virtue, and our power of keeping silence marks the level of our capacity for action. 'Without this interior cell, we would be incapable of doing great things, either for ourselves or for others.'" —Raoul Plus, S.J., p. 40-41
An excerpt from How to Pray Always Daily Verse "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you, says the Lord." -Jeremiah 29:11-13 | St Marianne Cope St. Marianne Cope (1838–1918), also known as St. Marianne of Molokai, was a German-born American immigrant. She worked in a New York factory before entering the Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis in Syracuse. She spent her early years serving as a leader in health care and education. When the Hawaiian government was searching for a religious order to run a station for victims of leprosy, the Syracuse sisters volunteered immediately. Mother Marianne and six other sisters left for Hawaii in 1883. She devoted 35 years to caring for those afflicted with Hansen's disease (leprosy) in Molokai, Hawaii. She also opened a hospital and a school for girls on the island of Maui, and took charge of the home St. Damien of Molokai established for men and boys. Mother Marianne changed life on Molokai by introducing cleanliness, dignity, and fun into the colony. Despite her direct contact with leprosy patients over many years, she was not afflicted by the disease, which some consider miraculous. She was canonized in 2012 and her feast day is January 23. | Friday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 315 Reading 1 1 Samuel 24:3-21 Saul took three thousand picked men from all Israel
and went in search of David and his men
in the direction of the wild goat crags.
When he came to the sheepfolds along the way, he found a cave,
which he entered to relieve himself.
David and his men were occupying the inmost recesses of the cave. David's servants said to him,
"This is the day of which the LORD said to you,
'I will deliver your enemy into your grasp;
do with him as you see fit.'"
So David moved up and stealthily cut off an end of Saul's mantle.
Afterward, however, David regretted that he had cut off
an end of Saul's mantle.
He said to his men,
"The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master,
the LORD's anointed, as to lay a hand on him,
for he is the LORD's anointed."
With these words David restrained his men
and would not permit them to attack Saul.
Saul then left the cave and went on his way.
David also stepped out of the cave, calling to Saul,
"My lord the king!"
When Saul looked back, David bowed to the ground in homage and asked Saul:
"Why do you listen to those who say,
'David is trying to harm you'?
You see for yourself today that the LORD just now delivered you
into my grasp in the cave.
I had some thought of killing you, but I took pity on you instead.
I decided, 'I will not raise a hand against my lord,
for he is the LORD's anointed and a father to me.'
Look here at this end of your mantle which I hold.
Since I cut off an end of your mantle and did not kill you,
see and be convinced that I plan no harm and no rebellion.
I have done you no wrong,
though you are hunting me down to take my life.
The LORD will judge between me and you,
and the LORD will exact justice from you in my case.
I shall not touch you.
The old proverb says, 'From the wicked comes forth wickedness.'
So I will take no action against you.
Against whom are you on campaign, O king of Israel?
Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog, or a single flea!
The LORD will be the judge; he will decide between me and you.
May he see this, and take my part,
and grant me justice beyond your reach!"
When David finished saying these things to Saul, Saul answered,
"Is that your voice, my son David?"
And Saul wept aloud.
Saul then said to David: "You are in the right rather than I;
you have treated me generously, while I have done you harm.
Great is the generosity you showed me today,
when the LORD delivered me into your grasp
and you did not kill me.
For if a man meets his enemy, does he send him away unharmed?
May the LORD reward you generously for what you have done this day.
And now, I know that you shall surely be king
and that sovereignty over Israel shall come into your possession." Responsorial Psalm Psalm 57:2, 3-4, 6 and 11 R. (2a) Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.
Have mercy on me, O God; have mercy on me,
for in you I take refuge.
In the shadow of your wings I take refuge,
till harm pass by.
R. Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.
I call to God the Most High,
to God, my benefactor.
May he send from heaven and save me;
may he make those a reproach who trample upon me;
may God send his mercy and his faithfulness.
R. Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.
Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
above all the earth be your glory!
For your mercy towers to the heavens,
and your faithfulness to the skies.
R. Have mercy on me, God, have mercy. Alleluia 2 Corinthians 5:19 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mark 3:13-19 Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted
and they came to him.
He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles,
that they might be with him
and he might send them forth to preach
and to have authority to drive out demons:
He appointed the Twelve:
Simon, whom he named Peter;
James, son of Zebedee,
and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges,
that is, sons of thunder;
Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus;
Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean,
and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him. | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: 1 Samuel 24:3-21 When the Lord delivered me into your grasp . . . you did not kill me. (1 Samuel 24:19) David's reaction to Saul was so disarming, wasn't it? Even as Saul and his army of three thousand men were tracking down David to kill him, David did something so unexpected that it left both his supporters and his enemies in shock. Given the opportunity to defend himself and take Saul's life—or at least take him captive—David did neither. His inaction didn't make sense. In fact, it seemed illogical. Even David's supporters pointed out that divine intervention must have been at work to let Saul walk right into the cave where David and his men were hiding! But David was determined to spare Saul's life, even in the face of so much hostility, because he trusted in God's plan and timing. He was fully convinced that God would do what he had promised—to raise David to become king of Israel—and that David didn't have to resort to taking matters into his own hands to make it happen. He trusted that somehow, in ways he couldn't imagine, on a timeline he didn't understand, God would fulfill his word. What's more, David had a deep respect and reverence for Saul's calling and position as king of Israel. Despite all of Saul's failings as a leader and despite knowing that Saul had forfeited his role as God's chosen king, David still honored the position that God had given Saul. And he trusted that God would take care of him. When you are tempted to take matters into your own hands or resort to sinful methods in order to accomplish something you think is good, let David's example inspire you. Place your trust even more firmly in God, the One who has the ultimate good in mind. Is there something that you want to take hold of right away, but it might not be God's timing yet? Trust him to lead you and show you when it is time to act, and when it is time to wait with hopeful expectation. Imagine handing this situation to the Lord and telling him, "Lord, I trust your plan, and I trust your timing. Thank you for caring for me in ways that I see and in ways that I don't yet see." "Lord, I trust you with my whole life!" Psalm 57:2-4, 6, 11
Mark 3:13-19 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "... Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted
and they came to him.
He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles,
that they might be with him
and he might send them forth to preach
and to have authority to drive out demons:
He appointed the Twelve ...." Word of the Lord. | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, today in the Gospel, Jesus gathers his disciples. And he appointed twelve apostles "that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach." St. Thérèse of Lisieux tells us that she endeavored to write down her spiritual memoir at the prompting of her sister, who was also her religious superior to whom she was bound in obedience. After praying that she say nothing displeasing to Christ, she took up the Gospel of Mark, and her eyes fell on these words: "Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him." This verse, she says, is the interpretive key to her life, for it describes the way Christ has worked in her soul: "He does not call those who are worthy, but those whom he pleases." Hers was a story of a divine love, graciously willing the good of the other, that awakens an imitative reaction in the one who is loved. It is not a narrative of economic exchange—rewards for worthiness—but of the loop of grace, unmerited love engendering disinterested love, the divine life propagating itself in what is other. " end quote.
From the Book Of John 15:16, we hear our Lord proclaim:
"It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another." Have you noticed how fast time passes us by?
Have you started noticing what things are really important?
Sometimes we are too busy for what is important. For some, it might be watching your diet, or exercising, and stress levels, but what about what is even more important? Your spiritual life!
And how does that affect your world?
What is this calling from above that is not simply geared towards His chosen 12, but for all of us who are chosen in the Gospel of John?
Remember what has seriously affected your own life.
What was it? A tragedy? What else affects it...daily?
Love affects it. Affection affects and has everlasting effects.
God our Lord needs nothing from our earth, but souls effects.
The effects of sin are atrocious. The effects of selfish ambition leaves the world with deadly collateral damage.
No need to think of the dictators and world leaders that are causing thousands of deaths and millions throughout history. No. Think of the devastation that happens in the home, when a spouse is unfaithful. All the children are devastated...forever. Left motherless or fatherless, crippled spiritually.
Or think of someone that was molested, or bullied. It scars someone. I know one time I was playing with my cousins in front of my house and a man in a white convertible mustang pulled up, and all my cousins got a weird vibe and seemed to back away and put me to the front as the man was asking for directions to a road a block away, and he got weird when he asked if I would jump in the car and he "would bring me right back". I backed away carefully saying no, and he drove off right away. Weird vibes were given and my cousins knew it, and made comments about it.
Things like this stay at the forefront of your memory. I felt evil that moment. And now I don't like mustang cars! LOL, I'm kidding, or am I?
Same thing when I was 5 years old, in Colorado, my bus driver didn't know I was asleep and she parked the bus at the bus barn and they left me alone. I was frightened, alone. They finally found me. But, maybe that's why I never like riding the school bus ever again for the rest of my life! LOL.
Scars. Mine are lighthearted compared to those who are traumatized in wars, or abuses, yes, but it is the point, that those things affect us.
Now.
What should affect us more...is God's mercy.
Who here has ever experienced His mercy that it left you forever grateful, forever thankful? And who here is thankful even in the hardest of times? How does that work?
This type of praise is powerful. Praising God in the toughest of times...is faith. To know He is with us. To pray for strength, yes, to grow from the tough times, that makes true grit, and true strength.
I admire the strength of women. There are things a woman does that a man cannot. And there are things a man does that a woman cannot.
In my years of reflecting and seeing life, I see things like, the many widows. Mother Mary was a widow. Now what? Now who will provide? Yaweh Yireh, God will provide. Men don't seem to last long! LOL. It is apparent because our Lord brings up the issue, and is always asking us to help the orphans, and the widows. The fatherless is a big deal. But this is where faith kicks in. This is where Our Father in Heaven kicks in. This is where He begins to fill in the gaps. I say this as I see my mom, a widow now. I see how our Lord is providing....there to heal, there to console, there to show us...to something more. Only the broken and healed can really connect with those who become broken and healed. She now reaches to those who are losing husbands, some recently within the last couple years lost husbands at very young ages. JESUS has been broken for us, because He is the healing we need.
To connect with Him. Forever.
God speaks.
His message.
His Love.
His invitation for us to be His Sacred Body on earth.
And we are, in baptism. and nourished in the Eucharist.
Lord, help us Love Thee more and more! |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse
James 1:22–25 "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing." . . . . . . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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