 From: MorningOffering Website | † Quote of the Day " "Pray with great confidence, with confidence based on the goodness and infinite generosity of God and upon the promises of Jesus Christ. God is a spring of living water which flows unceasingly into the hearts of those who pray."" -St. Louis De Montfort Today's Meditation "I saw my Guardian Angel, who ordered me to follow him. In a moment I was in a misty place full of fire in which there was a great crowd of suffering souls. They were praying fervently, but without effect for themselves; only we can come to their aid. The flames which were burning them do not touch me at all. My Guardian Angel did not leave me for an instant. I asked these souls what their greatest suffering was. They answered me in one voice that their greatest torment was longing for God . . . [I heard an interior voice] which said, My mercy does not want this, but justice demands it." —St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, p. 35
An excerpt from Hungry Souls Daily Verse "If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing." -1 John 1:9 |  EWTN Daily Saint | | St Cyril Of Jerusalem St. Cyril of Jerusalem (315-386 A.D.) was a well-educated man from Jerusalem and a scholar of Sacred Scripture. He was ordained a priest by the bishop of Jerusalem shortly after the legalization of Christianity in the Roman Empire. He was given the task of catechizing new Christians leading up to and immediately following their baptism. Later he himself became bishop of Jerusalem, and soon after his ordination a miraculous apparition of a cross appeared in the sky, visible to the whole city. Because St. Cyril defended Christ's full humanity and divinity against the Arian heresy, he was exiled from his bishopric three times in twenty years due to misunderstandings, intrigue, and politics. Saint Cyril of Jerusalem is one of the early Church Fathers and one of the most important sources for how the early Church celebrated the liturgy and sacraments during the first few decades after Christianity was legalized. For St. Cyril's work in catechesis he was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1883. His feast day is March 18th. | Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent Lectionary: 246 Reading 1 Isaiah 49:8-15 Thus says the LORD:
In a time of favor I answer you,
on the day of salvation I help you;
and I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people,
To restore the land
and allot the desolate heritages,
Saying to the prisoners: Come out!
To those in darkness: Show yourselves!
Along the ways they shall find pasture,
on every bare height shall their pastures be.
They shall not hunger or thirst,
nor shall the scorching wind or the sun strike them;
For he who pities them leads them
and guides them beside springs of water.
I will cut a road through all my mountains,
and make my highways level.
See, some shall come from afar,
others from the north and the west,
and some from the land of Syene.
Sing out, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth,
break forth into song, you mountains.
For the LORD comforts his people
and shows mercy to his afflicted. But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me;
my Lord has forgotten me."
Can a mother forget her infant,
be without tenderness for the child of her womb?
Even should she forget,
I will never forget you. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 145:8-9, 13cd-14, 17-18 R. (8a) The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful. Verse Before the Gospel John 11:25a, 26 I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;
whoever believes in me will never die. Gospel John 5:17-30 Jesus answered the Jews:
"My Father is at work until now, so I am at work."
For this reason they tried all the more to kill him,
because he not only broke the sabbath
but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God. Jesus answered and said to them,
"Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own,
but only what he sees the Father doing;
for what he does, the Son will do also.
For the Father loves the Son
and shows him everything that he himself does,
and he will show him greater works than these,
so that you may be amazed.
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life,
so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes.
Nor does the Father judge anyone,
but he has given all judgment to the Son,
so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.
Whoever does not honor the Son
does not honor the Father who sent him.
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word
and believes in the one who sent me
has eternal life and will not come to condemnation,
but has passed from death to life.
Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here
when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God,
and those who hear will live.
For just as the Father has life in himself,
so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself.
And he gave him power to exercise judgment,
because he is the Son of Man.
Do not be amazed at this,
because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs
will hear his voice and will come out,
those who have done good deeds
to the resurrection of life,
but those who have done wicked deeds
to the resurrection of condemnation. "I cannot do anything on my own;
I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just,
because I do not seek my own will
but the will of the one who sent me." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! |  From Word Among Us WAU.org | Daily Meditation: Isaiah 49:8-15 Can a mother forget her infant? (Isaiah 49:15) There's something poignant about the image of a mother holding her newborn child—even if the baby is wailing! Imagining the mother's loving gaze as she cradles her infant close to her chest can make us feel safe and secure. We see in her loving tenacity that she is the child's first defender, first comforter, and first source of well-being. This same image comes at the end of today's first reading. The Lord had just announced restoration and salvation for his people: "On the day of salvation I help you" (Isaiah 49:8). He had just promised to remove all obstacles and meet their every need: "They shall not hunger or thirst. . . . I will cut a road through all my mountains" (49:10, 11). And yet, in response to such promises, "Zion said, 'The Lord has forsaken me'" (49:14). God had to reassure them that he treasured them even more than a mother cares for her newborn child. Even if she should forget, the Lord says, "I will never forget you" (49:15). Like the Israelites, you might find it hard to receive God's promises of blessing if you feel forgotten or abandoned. Maybe there are "mountains" in your path, and you don't see any level highway being cut through them. Maybe you're thirsting for comfort or assurance but you can't see "springs of water" bubbling up (Isaiah 49:10). What can you do? You can remember how infants "help" their mothers remember them—they cry when they have a need! Like God's people in the first reading, you can cry out to the Lord. You can trust that the One who leads you has compassion on you (Isaiah 49:10). You can be assured that he will take better care of you than a mother responding to the needs of her newborn son or daughter (49:15). So today, if you're feeling forsaken, like the people of Zion, imagine yourself as an infant being cradled in the arms of your heavenly Father. Cry out for him to hold you close to his heart. Let his loving gaze, his strong arms, and his soothing voice reassure you that he has not forgotten you. He will always show you his tender mercy. He really does have good plans for you. Rest and relax in his loving embrace. "Thank you, Lord, that you never forget me." Psalm 145:8-9, 13-14, 17-18
John 5:17-30 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "..For just as the Father has life in himself,
so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself.
And he gave him power to exercise judgment,
because he is the Son of Man.
Do not be amazed at this,
because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs
will hear his voice and will come out,
those who have done good deeds
to the resurrection of life,
but those who have done wicked deeds
to the resurrection of condemnation. "I cannot do anything on my own;
I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just,
because I do not seek my own will
but the will of the one who sent me..." | From Bishop Barron: "Jesus saved us by the whole course of his obedience. His life was an obedient response to the will of God, a displacement of his own concerns in favor of the Father's: "Amen, amen, I say to you, a Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees his Father doing; for what he does, his Son will do also." end quote.
From Roberto Juarez: "Jesus also speaks of an "hour" that is coming: "The hour is coming, and it is now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear it will live." That "hour" is the moment of salvation. It's now. Every time we hear the Gospel, every time God speaks to us, we are offered the possibility of truly living. But there is also a call to responsibility: "Those who have done good will go forth for a resurrection of life; those who have done evil, for a resurrection of judgment." Our life has a weight, an orientation. Our decisions matter.
Finally, Jesus affirms that the Father has given him authority to judge. But he adds something very important: "My judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me." Christ's judgment is not arbitrary. It is a judgment of truth and love. God does not want to condemn, but to save. But it respects human freedom.
This Gospel places us before the mystery of Christ. Jesus is not just another teacher. It is the Son, the one who shares in the life and action of the Father. He comes to give us life. Today we are invited to take a concrete step: to listen to His word, to believe in Him, to live according to His will. Because those who welcome Christ have already begun to live eternal life. Let us ask the Lord to open our hearts to hear his voice. And that, passing from death to life, we may live as children in the Son." end quote.
Who has come to be an imitator of Christ? There are some of us who love to read about Him. We love to hear about the good things, but where are His true friends and followers when it comes time for the cross?
I say this because of my many studies in Him. Yes, God is all goodness, and yes, I always equate faith with love, and yes, I always exclaim that Jesus is the very heart of God as is evident in Eucharistic miracles. But, where are the true lovers of God's divine will?
Our Lord warns us of those who will resurrect to life...or condemnation. He is the very Word, the judgement.
I remember one near death experience guy that said he once saw our Lord Jesus' normal beautiful eyes in his encounter, those beautiful eyes once turned into this blazing fire that scared the living daylights out of this man saying "I never want to experience that judgement myself".
But is it God judging? Is it God doing all the condemnation? Most of all that we do unto ourselves. With the very mouth we can bless with, we use it to curse, speaking ill of things, and misconstrued ideas. We should be saying His words in our daily lives: "I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me." It is the very words of His prayer. "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it in Heaven", amen? Did you pause for a moment to reflect on these words of His Sacred Heart? We should pray as our Lord "Here I Am, I Come To Do YOUR WILL". And so, I want to encourage you to do this, as Lent is fast coming to an end almost in 10 days.
Have we done His will?
Have we repented?
Have we been giving?
Have we made ourselves more like Himself, in obedience, in humility, and reverence to God and one another?
Have we shared the Gospel? Or do we wait for people to come ask us for it?
Have we shared with others without them asking of our time, talent, and treasure?
or have we kept to ourselves, in our own little world, not letting anyone one really in, because we are so afraid....to invest, give ourselves trustingly into His arms, His Holy will? |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse Isaiah 55:10–11 "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment