Quote: "If only I could put into everybody's heart the fire I have in my breast, which makes me burn with such love for the Heart of Jesus and the Heart of Mary!"" -St. Jacinta Marto Today's Meditation "God gives us certain abilities and interests and they are truly that: gifts. This means we should approach them with gratitude and mission. Comparing ourselves to others, then, is pointless and begrudges the giver. How exquisite that we all have different gifts. And the reality that he's bestowed them on us should embolden us to develop them and serve him and others through them." –Carrie Gress and Noelle Mering, p.123
An excerpt from Theology of Home II: The Spiritual Art of Homemaking Daily Verse "But you are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises" of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." -1 Peter 2:9 |  EWTN Daily Saint | | Sts Francisco Jacinta Marto St. Francisco (1908-1919) and St. Jacinta Marto (1910–1920) were siblings and the youngest of the three shepherd children, who, along with their cousin, Lúcia Santos, witnessed three apparitions of an angel in 1916 and six apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1917 while tending sheep in the countryside of Fatima, Portugal. They were entrusted by Our Lady of Fatima with many messages and warnings for the world, and that they were to do penance and pray for the conversion of sinners. Both became prayerful mystics, much wiser than their age, on account of these visits. Although only young children, they faithfully offered up many sacrifices as Our Lady requested, by praying the rosary daily, giving their lunches to the poor, denying themselves water on hot days, wearing a rough rope next to her skin, calmly facing ridicule on account of the apparitions, and bravely enduring the suffering that ended in their deaths. The Blessed Mother told Francisco and Jacinta that they would die young and that she would soon come to take them to heaven. Francisco and Jacinta both fell sick from influenza in 1918. Francisco died first, and Jacinta the next year after a long illness and two hospitalizations. They were canonized by Pope Francis on May 13, 2017, the 100th anniversary of the first Apparition of Our Lady of Fátima. Their feast day is February 20th. | Friday after Ash Wednesday Lectionary: 221 Reading 1 Isaiah 58:1-9a Thus says the Lord GOD:
Cry out full-throated and unsparingly,
lift up your voice like a trumpet blast;
Tell my people their wickedness,
and the house of Jacob their sins.
They seek me day after day,
and desire to know my ways,
Like a nation that has done what is just
and not abandoned the law of their God;
They ask me to declare what is due them,
pleased to gain access to God.
"Why do we fast, and you do not see it?
afflict ourselves, and you take no note of it?" Lo, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits,
and drive all your laborers.
Yes, your fast ends in quarreling and fighting,
striking with wicked claw.
Would that today you might fast
so as to make your voice heard on high!
Is this the manner of fasting I wish,
of keeping a day of penance:
That a man bow his head like a reed
and lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Do you call this a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD?
This, rather, is the fasting that I wish:
releasing those bound unjustly,
untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed,
breaking every yoke;
Sharing your bread with the hungry,
sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;
Clothing the naked when you see them,
and not turning your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your wound shall quickly be healed;
Your vindication shall go before you,
and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer,
you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am! Responsorial Psalm Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 18-19 R. (19b) A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
"Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight."
R. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R. A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn. Verse Before the Gospel See Amos 5:14 Seek good and not evil so that you may live,
and the Lord will be with you. Gospel Matthew 9:14-15 The disciples of John approached Jesus and said,
"Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,
but your disciples do not fast?"
Jesus answered them, "Can the wedding guests mourn
as long as the bridegroom is with them?
The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! |  wau.org | Daily Meditation: Matthew 9:14-15 Then . . . they will fast. (Matthew 9:15) Together with prayer and almsgiving, fasting is one of the three central practices we are called to take up during Lent. It's also the one we tend to pay the closest attention to. But why exactly is fasting such a good thing? In today's Gospel, Jesus says, "The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast" (Matthew 9:15). He is telling his disciples that because he is right there with them, they should be rejoicing, not fasting. It was an extraordinary time! But when he goes away, he says, they will take up again the time-honored spiritual practice of fasting. Jesus, our Bridegroom, has "gone away" from us as well. So we, too, fast as we await that glorious day when we finally see him face-to-face. Not to mention, we all have times when we turn away from him and focus our attention on the excesses of the world. If we are blessed with plenty of possessions, we can lose sight of our need for God. We become so caught up in what we have—and in what we think we need—that we neglect our time in his presence. Or if we are keenly aware of our lack, we can become so caught up in what we actually need that we lose sight of the Lord's love for us and his desire to help provide for us. In both cases, fasting can bring us back to God! St. John Paul II once called fasting a "therapy for the soul." It can help us "in the interior effort of listening to God" (Angelus, March 10, 1996). Denying ourselves, even of the most basic things, like food, can help us identify the attitudes that separate us from the Lord. Through fasting, we can release these attitudes to God and so come to a deeper conversion. Even if health reasons keep you from fasting from food, there are always other things you can do. You can take some of the time you spend watching TV or scrolling on social media and pray instead. You can "fast" from selfishness or from resentment against a neighbor. Whatever you do, know that God wants you to make a sincere offering to him. He wants you to turn your heart to him so that when Lent is over, you will "taste" more of the joy of his resurrection. "Lord, help me to turn my heart to you." Isaiah 58:1-9
Psalm 51:3-6, 18-19 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "...Jesus answered them, "Can the wedding guests mourn
as long as the bridegroom is with them?
The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast." ..." Word of the Lord.
| From Roberto Juarez:
"Perhaps this Gospel invites us to review the meaning of what we do. Fasting, yes. Pray, yes. Practicing charity, yes. But always from the awareness that we are invited to a relationship of love.
This text also has a profound ecclesial dimension. The Church understands herself as the bride of Christ. We are not simply a religious organization. We are a community called to live an alliance. That is why our spirituality cannot be cold or merely normative. It must be spousal: marked by love, fidelity, trusting expectation.
Today's Gospel places us before a decisive question: Are we living faith as an encounter with the Bridegroom or as a simple fulfillment of practices? The Lord does not eliminate fasting. It puts him in his true place. First the presence, the relationship, the love. And from there, everything else makes sense.
May this Lent – or this season we are living in – not simply be a collection of religious acts, but a real growth in our union with Christ. For where the Bridegroom is, there is joy. And when we learn to desire it more deeply, even fasting becomes hope." end quote.
You can find many laws and in many laws you can find many loopholes. And there are even loopholes for lent. They say certain ages don't have to fast. They say certain days are free from fasting. But those are really, bare minimums.
Today, our Lord says that while we are with Him, we do not have to fast.
Let's save that for Heaven, and the Church's feast days, on earth as it is in Heaven! Amen?
I have already been tempted on the second day of Lent. I will tell you this only to help you in your prayer and fasting. We went to a funeral vigil rosary in a city a couple of hours away. My brother in law's dad passed away, and my brother in law is my godson. So we went, and afterwards, everyone was hungry so we went to eat at a restaurant. Problem is, I gave up dinners after a certain hour. And I was feeling hungry. So we entered one of my favorite restaurants. Everyone ordered more than enough, with lots of delicious food in their to-go boxes. I only sipped on water. I thought, "maybe tomorrow I can eat" but this morning, Friday, is a day of abstaining, and I fast every Friday of the year. So, there will be no enjoyment for self. At the restaurant, I prayed in my head "Lord, accept this fasting, sot that I can be strengthened against my sinful temptations".
Finally, things work together. Did I suffer? A little. Did I gain? Yes, much. The disconnect from the body, connected me with the Spirit of God all the more.
Such is the purpose of Lent. God is calling us to a closer relationship with Him. Is that so bad?
On the contrary...it is so, so very good.
Thank you Lord. |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Romans 8:2 " For the law of the Spirit of life has set you1 free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death."
. . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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