 | Quote: "Be one of the small number who find the way to life, and enter by the narrow gate into Heaven. Take care not to follow the majority and the common herd, so many of whom are lost. Do not be deceived; there are only two roads: one that leads to life and is narrow; the other that leads to death and is wide. There is no middle way." -St. Louis de Montfort Today's Meditation "The soul, enlightened by faith, judges of things in a very different way to those who, having only the standard of the senses by which to measure them, ignore the inestimable treasure they contain . . . the soul that recognizes the will of God in every smallest event, and also in those that are most distressing and direful, receives all with an equal joy, pleasure and respect. It throws open all its doors to receive with honor what others fear and fly from with horror. The outward appearance may be mean and contemptible, but beneath this abject garb the heart discovers and honors the majesty of the king. The deeper the abasement of his entry in such a guise and in secret the more does the heart become filled with love." —Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade, p. 23-24
An excerpt from Abandonment to Divine Providence Daily Verse "I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep thy word. I do not turn aside from thy ordinances, for thou hast taught me. How sweet are thy words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way." -Psalm 119:101-4 |  EWTN Daily Saint | | St Manettus And The Seven Founders Of The Order Of Servites St. Manettus (d. 1268), also known as St. Benedict dell'Antella, was one of the Seven Founders of the Order of Servites. Between 1225 and 1227 in the city of Florence, Italy, seven cloth merchants from the city's prominent families joined the Confraternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They desired to live a penitential life dedicated to her title of Mother of Sorrows. Our Lady appeared to the seven men on the feast of the Assumption in 1233, asking them to live a life of seclusion and prayer. They obeyed and lived an austere life for many years. Mary appeared to the seven again in 1240, giving them a black habit and a scroll titled "Servants of Mary," and asking them to found a religious order following the Rule of St. Augustine. The Servites became one of the five original mendicant religious orders. Their special charism is devotion to the Passion of Jesus and the Seven Sorrows of Mary. Only one of the seven founders lived to see the order formally approved by Rome in 1304. It has since spread throughout the world and remains active to this day. The feast day of its Seven Holy Founders of the Order of Servites (Servants of Mary) is February 17. | Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 336 Reading 1 James 1:12-18 Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation,
for when he has been proven he will receive the crown of life
that he promised to those who love him.
No one experiencing temptation should say,
"I am being tempted by God";
for God is not subject to temptation to evil,
and he himself tempts no one.
Rather, each person is tempted when lured and enticed by his desire.
Then desire conceives and brings forth sin,
and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers and sisters:
all good giving and every perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change.
He willed to give us birth by the word of truth
that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 94:12-13a, 14-15, 18-19 R. (12a) Blessed the man you instruct, O Lord.
Blessed the man whom you instruct, O LORD,
whom by your law you teach,
Giving him rest from evil days.
R. Blessed the man you instruct, O Lord.
For the LORD will not cast off his people,
nor abandon his inheritance;
But judgment shall again be with justice,
and all the upright of heart shall follow it.
R. Blessed the man you instruct, O Lord.
When I say, "My foot is slipping,"
your mercy, O LORD, sustains me;
When cares abound within me,
your comfort gladdens my soul.
R. Blessed the man you instruct, O Lord. Alleluia John 14:23 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord;
and my Father will love him
and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mark 8:14-21 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread,
and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.
Jesus enjoined them, "Watch out,
guard against the leaven of the Pharisees
and the leaven of Herod."
They concluded among themselves that
it was because they had no bread.
When he became aware of this he said to them,
"Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread?
Do you not yet understand or comprehend?
Are your hearts hardened?
Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?
And do you not remember,
when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand,
how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?"
They answered him, "Twelve."
"When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand,
how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?"
They answered him, "Seven."
He said to them, "Do you still not understand?" | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! |  wau.org | Daily Meditation: Mark 8:14-21 Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear? (Mark 8:18) Listening can be hard. There are lots of obstacles: people don't always communicate clearly, or we might overreact to what we're hearing. But perhaps the most common obstacle to listening is when we think we already know what someone is trying to say, and we don't pay close enough attention to their words. Our minds are already full of our own thoughts and assumptions and judgments. It appears that the disciples are guilty of this kind of poor listening in today's Gospel reading. After a busy time of ministry and travel, they have their minds on their next meal. When Jesus tries to give them a spiritual warning, they assume he is talking about food. So Jesus tries to make it clear that he's not worried about where dinner is going to come from. He has already shown that he can provide food—loaves and fishes aplenty, in fact! No, he wants his disciples' minds to be fixed on larger issues. This story shows us that, as hard as it can be to listen to other people, it can be even harder to listen to God. It takes time to begin to see things from his perspective. It takes dedication and humility to be able to hear what he wants to say to us. Just think: does it make sense to worry about not having bread in the boat when you've just seen Jesus feed thousands of people with just a few loaves and fish? There were even leftovers! But like the disciples, we can focus on our immediate needs and problems, which can keep us from hearing the Lord as he seeks to teach us the eternal truths of his kingdom. Of course God is concerned about your daily needs. But don't let them be the only things you bring to him in prayer. Take time to listen to him, to hear him on his terms. Remember: he wants to reveal his heart to you. He wants to share his thoughts with you. He wants to give you his perspective on your life. So listen for God's voice today. Even if all you "hear" at first is silence, know that he is present to you. Rest in him; wait on him. Let his word become the bread that sustains you. "Lord, give me ears to hear your voice." James 1:12-18
Psalm 94:12-15, 18-19 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "... Do you not yet understand or comprehend?
Are your hearts hardened?
Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?
And do you not remember,
when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand,
how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?"
They answered him, "Twelve."
"When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand,
how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?"
They answered him, "Seven."
He said to them, "Do you still not understand?" ....." Word of the Lord.
| The last part of Roberto Juarez Daily Reflection says: "The problem is not a lack of intelligence, but a lack of spiritual memory. They have seen the miracle, but they have not let it transform their thinking.
We too can remember many of God's interventions in our lives: moments of grace, unexpected help, providential solutions. And yet, in the face of a new difficulty, we once again act as if everything depended exclusively on us.
Mature faith involves grateful remembrance.
Jesus asks, "Are your hearts hardened?" Hardening of heart in the Bible does not necessarily mean deliberate evil, but an inability to perceive God's action. It is a spiritual insensitivity.
One can be close to Jesus – in the same boat – and yet not understand him. One can listen to His Word and still think with purely human schemes.
This text invites us to ask ourselves: What concerns occupy my boat today? Am I interpreting my life only in material terms? Do I remember what God has done for me?
In the boat there was only "one loaf of bread". The detail is symbolic. For the believing reader, that "one loaf" evokes the very presence of Jesus. While He is in the boat, the essentials are not lacking.
The problem was not a lack of bread, but a lack of confidence.
The dangerous leaven is not scarcity, but the unbelief that ferments inside.
This gospel does not end with an explicit solution. It ends with an open-ended question:
"Do you still not understand?" It is a question that resonates with us as well. Jesus does not only want us to remember past miracles; He wants us to understand who He is. In the midst of our worries, He invites us to raise our gaze, to remember, to trust.
Let us ask him today for an attentive heart, capable of recognizing his presence in the boat of our lives. May we not allow ourselves to be contaminated by the leaven of distrust or superficiality. And that we learn to live from the certainty that, if He is with us, there is no lack of what is necessary." end quote.
What is the "Leaven of Herod" as our Lord asks us to beware of?
Artificial intelligence says: "In the Catholic understanding, the "leaven of Herod" (Mark 8:15) refers to a corrupting, worldly influence—specifically, the mindset of political expediency, secularism, and the pursuit of power, pleasure, or personal security at the expense of moral truth
. While the "leaven of the Pharisees" signifies hypocrisy and rigid, legalistic religion, the leaven of Herod represents a more secular, compromising attitude that often aligns itself with worldly power to maintain control, often leading to a disregard for God's law." end quote. And now, let me ask you this question, what is the problem with witchcraft and things of darkness related? To put spells on others, to curse others...is to wish control over others.
This is the leaven of Herod, faithlessness.
Listen closely. They had one WHOLE LOAF of bread in the boat with Jesus.
Our Lord asked them to remember what He had just done, feeding thousands upon thousands with a few loaves, one loaf to feed 1,000 men.
And here they were, worried about what they had in front of them, as if it were not enough.
There they had Jesus...was He not enough?
Their sense of security was the material things in front of them.
And our Lord says "stop looking down below...look up to Me instead!".
He is amazed at how blind they are. " Are your hearts hardened?
Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear? " Lent is tomorrow. It is meant to be spent. Your time, your money, everything in the trifecta for the Trinity, the most Holy Trinity. Prayer time. Fasting, sacrificing time. Giving, money and talents time.
Do not look at the little you got, for you have MORE than enough...with Jesus...
Let us venture into the desert with Him and see where HE leads us! |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 145:18–19 "The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them." . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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