Quote: "I will attempt day by day to break my will into pieces. I want to do God's Holy Will, not my own." -St. Gabriel Possenti Today's Meditation "God sees you in secret. Know that He sees into your very depths, infinitely farther than you do yourself. Make a simple, lively act of faith in His presence. Christian soul, place yourself entirely under His gaze. He is very near. He is present, for He gives being and motion to all things. Yet you must believe more; you must believe with a lively faith that He is present to you by giving you all of your good thoughts from within, as holding in His hand the source from which they come, and not only the good thoughts, but also whatever good desires, good resolutions, and every good act of the will, from its very first beginning and birth to its final perfection. Believe, too, that He is in the souls of the just, and that He makes His dwelling there within, according to these words of the Lord: 'We will come to Him and make our home with Him' (John 14:23). He is there in a stable and permanent way: He makes His home there. Desire that He should be in you in this way. Offer yourself to Him as His dwelling and temple. Now come out, and with the same faith that enables you to see Him within you, look upon Him in Heaven, where He manifests Himself to His beloved. It is there that He awaits you. Run. Fly. Break your chains; break all the bonds that tie you down to flesh and blood. O God, when shall I see You? When will I have that pure heart that enables You to be seen, in Yourself, outside of Yourself, everywhere? O Light that enlightens the world! O Life that gives life to all the living! O Truth that feeds us all! O Good that satisfies us all! O Love that binds all together! I praise you, my heavenly Father, who sees me in secret." —Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, p. 4-5
An excerpt from Meditations for Lent Daily Verse "Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." -Isaiah 53:4-6 |  EWTN Daily Saint | | St Polycarp Of Smyrna St. Polycarp of Smyrna (c. 69-155 A.D.) became a Christian in his youth, a disciple of St. John the Evangelist. St. John ordained him Bishop of Smyrna (in modern day Turkey) and from this position Polycarp became one of the most illustrious of the Apostolic Fathers. His closeness with the Apostles, and the long life that he lived, enabled him to protect the Church against heresy. The account of his martyrdom is well-preserved and is one of the earliest in the Church. Knowing the government was seeking his life, he received a vision while praying that he would be burned alive. After his capture he was encouraged to submit to Caeser in order to be released, but he refused. He was then taken to a public arena to be killed. He gave an outstanding testimony, declaring that he had served Christ for 86 years. Witnesses of his execution saw the flames surround his body without burning it, and that Polycarp began to glow and emit a sweet aroma. This amazed the crowds, and his executioners were then ordered to stab him to death. St. Polycarp is the patron saint against dysentery and earache. His feast day is February 23rd. | Monday of the First Week of Lent Lectionary: 224 Reading 1 Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18 The LORD said to Moses,
"Speak to the whole assembly of the children of Israel and tell them:
Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy. "You shall not steal.
You shall not lie or speak falsely to one another.
You shall not swear falsely by my name,
thus profaning the name of your God.
I am the LORD. "You shall not defraud or rob your neighbor.
You shall not withhold overnight the wages of your day laborer.
You shall not curse the deaf,
or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,
but you shall fear your God.
I am the LORD. "You shall not act dishonestly in rendering judgment.
Show neither partiality to the weak nor deference to the mighty,
but judge your fellow men justly.
You shall not go about spreading slander among your kin;
nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor's life is at stake.
I am the LORD. "You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart.
Though you may have to reprove him,
do not incur sin because of him.
Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
I am the LORD." Responsorial Psalm Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15 R. (John 6:63b) Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart.
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart
find favor before you,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life. Verse Before the Gospel 2 Corinthians 6:2b Behold, now is a very acceptable time;
behold, now is the day of salvation. Gospel Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus said to his disciples:
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right,
'Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.'
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'
And the king will say to them in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Then he will say to those on his left,
'Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'
Then they will answer and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?'
He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.'
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! |  wau.org | Daily Meditation: Matthew 25:31-46 Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me. (Matthew 25:40) There are many different portrayals of the apocalypse out there: movies, books, even private spiritualities. There are even more than a few within the Scriptures! Today we hear another apocalyptic reading, one that focuses on one aspect of the end times: our individual judgment. Jesus gives us a vision of what that will look like, and it's not what we might expect. The Son of Man, like a great king, comes and sits "upon his glorious throne" and he judges us one by one, separating good from evil (Matthew 25:31). And how does he decide? Scripture tells us in many places that we will be judged based on what we do (Matthew 16:27; 2 Corinthians 5:10). And today's Gospel gives a very specific picture. Is it some heroic achievement that "separates the sheep from the goats" (Matthew 25:32)? Is it a secret revelation? Or the observance of a particular devotion? No. It is how we treat other people. The Church teaches that when Jesus took on human flesh, he "united himself in some fashion with every person" (Gaudium et Spes, 22). That means that somehow, Jesus is actually present in every single person. It means that everyone is his brother or sister—our brother or sister. And it means that the way we treat each person is the way we treat Jesus (Matthew 25:40). Jesus wants us to know that our ordinary interactions and relationships—especially with our neighbors who are poor or suffering—provide us with opportunities to see, touch, and offer love to Jesus himself! As you obey Jesus' command to love as he has loved you, you will encounter Christ himself in the very people you are seeking to care for. So if you want to be ready to meet the Lord, love. Love your Lord and love your neighbor with the reverence and joy of a heart that finds its Beloved present in every person it meets. "Jesus, open my eyes to see you and love you in all my neighbors." Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18
Psalm 19:8-10, 15 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "...Then they will answer and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?'
He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.'
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life." ..." Word of the Lord.
| From Roberto Juarez:
"Today's Gospel frees us from an abstract faith. Love for God is verified in concrete love. Worship continues into the service. The Eucharist translates into charity. If we commune with Christ at the altar, we must recognize Him in our brothers and sisters.
Brothers, the final judgment will not be a theoretical exam, but a revelation of the love lived. Jesus tells us that we will find it – and we already find it – in the little ones. May this Lent not only be a time of introspection, but of active compassion. Because in the end, when we stand before Him, the question will be simple: Do we really love? May the Lord grant us an attentive, sensitive and generous heart." Ai summarizes the 1100 word reflection from Roberto Juarez as this 92 words;
" It highlights the scene of the Final Judgment, where Jesus separates people like a shepherd separates sheep from goats. The key message is that the ultimate criterion for judgment is concrete acts of charity: feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned. The meditation emphasizes that Jesus identifies Himself with those in need, and that true spirituality is shown through practical love, not just prayer or rituals. It invites readers during Lent to examine omissions, open their hearts, and recognize Christ in vulnerable people around them."
From Bishop Barron: "We do not take our money, our social status, our worldly power into the next world; but we do take the quality of our love. You might consider doing an examination of conscience at the end of each day, and use as your criterion this passage. Perhaps put it up on your wall or post it next to your bed so that you see it before you go to sleep." end quote.
From bro. Adrian: There are some denominations claiming that works are not important. That is not what Jewish people believed. That is not what the first Christians, the Catholics believed. It has always been the understanding that our Lord above expects us to care for the marginalized. But, some Jews lost the message. And, the Christians lost the message, claiming that other things were more important. It is funny, to claim allegiance to God and not do what He wants. I see it, in families, in communities, and at work. People say they work somewhere but they really don't have a heart for the company or the leaders. So what do you call that? I see Catholics that say they are believers, but as we speak, we have a group that is about to go into another Schism, a huge departure by making up their own Bishops. What do you call that? And they pride themselves in being the most "traditional", just like the Orthodox. What do you say about all these splinters and divisions?
Forget all those horrible splittings.
What about your own heart? Is the same going on? Are you claiming to be a child of God and living otherwise? You are not praying as you ought. You are not giving as you ought. You are not fasting as Jesus did.
What do you call that? Many excuse themselves and say they aren't perfect...and aren't even trying.
But Lent is a perfect time to reflect...and repent. That is what our Lord wants! Why? Because, at the end of Lent, He will be waiting for each of us with open arms! On Good Friday.
Therefore, be good.
Therefore, be holy.
A true child of God. |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Philippians 2:3 "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves."
. . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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