 From: MorningOffering Website | † Quote of the Day "The school of Christ is the school of love. In the last day, when the general examination takes place ... Love will be the whole syllabus." -St. Robert Bellarmine Today's Meditation "Set free from human judgment, we should count as true only what God sees in us, what he knows, and what he judges. God does not judge as man does. Man sees only the countenance, only the exterior. God penetrates to the depths of our hearts. God does not change as man does. His judgment is in no way inconstant. He is the only one upon whom we should rely. How happy we are then, and how peaceful! We are no longer dazzled by appearances, or stirred up by opinions; we are united to the truth and depend upon it alone. I am praised, blamed, treated with indifference, disdained, ignored, or forgotten; none of this can touch me. I will be no less than I am. Men and women want to play at being a creator. They want to give me existence in their opinion, but this existence that they want to give me is nothingness. It is an illusion, a shadow, an appearance, that is, at bottom, nothingness. What is this shadow, always following me, behind me, at my side? Is it me, or something that belongs to me? No. Yet does not this shadow seem to move with me? No matter: it is not me. So it is with the judgements of men: they would follow me everywhere, paint me, sketch me, make me move according to their whim, and, in the end, give me some sort of existence ... but I am disabused of this error. I am content with a hidden life. How peaceful it is! Whether I truly live this Christian life of which St. Paul speaks, I do not know, nor can I know with certainty. But I hope that I do, and I trust in God's goodness to help me." —Bishop Jacques-Benigne Bossuet, p. 99-101
An excerpt from Meditations for Lent Daily Verse "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil." -2 Corinthians 5:10 |  EWTN Daily Saint | | St John Of Egypt St. John of Egypt (4th c.), also known as John the Hermit or John the Anchorite, worked alongside his father, a carpenter, until he was twenty-five years old. He then discerned a call from God to go out into the desert and become a hermit. He spent sixteen years in spiritual training under the care of a religious superior who commanded him to perform difficult and unreasonable tasks, which John obeyed with childlike simplicity. After this time of spiritual training he withdrew into greater solitude in a small cell at the top of a cliff, praying incessantly and avoiding contact with people for the last fifty years of his life. He had the gift of prophecy and could perform miracles, and foretold to Emperor Theodosius his future victories as well as the time of his death. People traveled from afar for his counsel or blessings, and to hear him preach. He would receive visitors two days a week from a tiny window in his cell. He became so famous for his holiness that St. Augustine wrote of him, making reference to the devils who came to tempt John continually. St. John of Egypt's feast day is March 27th. | Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent Lectionary: 255 Reading 1 Jeremiah 20:10-13 I hear the whisperings of many:
"Terror on every side!
Denounce! let us denounce him!"
All those who were my friends
are on the watch for any misstep of mine.
"Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail,
and take our vengeance on him."
But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion:
my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.
In their failure they will be put to utter shame,
to lasting, unforgettable confusion.
O LORD of hosts, you who test the just,
who probe mind and heart,
Let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause.
Sing to the LORD,
praise the LORD,
For he has rescued the life of the poor
from the power of the wicked! Responsorial Psalm Psalm 18:2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 7 R. (see 7) In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
The breakers of death surged round about me,
the destroying floods overwhelmed me;
The cords of the nether world enmeshed me,
the snares of death overtook me.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
In my distress I called upon the LORD
and cried out to my God;
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice. Verse Before the Gospel John 6:63c, 68c Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life. Gospel John 10:31-42 The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus.
Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from my Father.
For which of these are you trying to stone me?"
The Jews answered him,
"We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy.
You, a man, are making yourself God."
Jesus answered them,
"Is it not written in your law, 'I said, 'You are gods"'?
If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came,
and Scripture cannot be set aside,
can you say that the one
whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world
blasphemes because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?
If I do not perform my Father's works, do not believe me;
but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me,
believe the works, so that you may realize and understand
that the Father is in me and I am in the Father."
Then they tried again to arrest him;
but he escaped from their power. He went back across the Jordan
to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained.
Many came to him and said,
"John performed no sign,
but everything John said about this man was true."
And many there began to believe in him. | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! |  From Word Among Us WAU.org | Daily Meditation: John 10:31-42 Even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize and understand. (John 10:38) This was not the first time Jesus' enemies picked up stones to hurl at him. At every turn, they tried to trip him up and catch any misstep. Yet in spite of it all, Jesus kept inviting them to believe in him. In today's Gospel, he implored them to set aside their skepticism about his words and look at his actions instead. If my words are confusing you, Jesus was saying, look at my works. Aren't they evidence enough for you to start to believe in me? What were those "works"? A man paralyzed for thirty-eight years was completely healed (John 5:1-18). A couple of loaves of bread and a few fish fed five thousand people (6:1-15). A woman caught in adultery was saved from stoning and received mercy (8:1-11). A man who had been blind since birth could now see (9:1-7). Only God could do such things! Jesus wants his works to speak to you as well. Now, you're probably familiar with the stories about Jesus and the impressive miracles he worked in the Bible. But make no mistake, he is still working today. He is even working in the people around you. So ask the Holy Spirit to help you recognize these works. You might notice a recent widow in your parish who is able to find joy after her husband has passed away. Or maybe you'll realize your neighbor has been patiently caring for his wife for months without complaint. You might even find yourself in financial need and receive a welcome bonus. These moments of grace come from God's hands. The more of them you see for what they are, the more you will believe, especially when times of doubt or anxiety make your faith feel shaky. Set your eyes on Jesus—both on what he has done in the past and what he is doing right now. Believe, too, that he wants to work just as much in your life. If he kept trying to convince his "enemies," why wouldn't he work just as hard to help you know him better? "Jesus, you bring miracles to life around me. Open my eyes to see your works and believe in you." Jeremiah 20:10-13
Psalm 18:2-7 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: ".. If I do not perform my Father's works, do not believe me;
but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me,
believe the works, so that you may realize and understand
that the Father is in me and I am in the Father."
Then they tried again to arrest him;
but he escaped from their power. He went back across the Jordan
to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained.
Many came to him and said,
"John performed no sign,
but everything John said about this man was true."
And many there began to believe in him. ...." | From Roberto Juarez: "This Gospel places us before a personal decision. We can react like those who reject Jesus, because he makes us uncomfortable or does not fit into our schemes. Or we can open ourselves to Him, acknowledge His presence, trust His word. We too are called to look at his works, at the good he generates, at the life he transmits, at the hope he awakens.
Brothers and sisters, today Jesus tells us: "The Father is in me and I in the Father." It is an invitation to discover in Christ the face of God. Let us ask the Lord for an open heart to welcome him, a faith that does not remain in words, but is based on his life, and the ability to recognize his presence in our midst. And may we, like those who came to him by the Jordan, may we also truly say, "We believe in him." end quote.
From Bishop Barron:
"At the Last Supper, Jesus would further explain his intimate relationship with the Father. There he lays out for us the coinherence that obtains at the most fundamental dimension of being, that is to say, within the very existence of God. "Master," Philip said to him, "Show us the Father, and that will be enough for us." Jesus replied, "Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." How can this be true, unless the Father and the Son coinhere in each other? Though Father and Son are truly distinct, they are utterly implicated in each other by a mutual act of love. As Jesus says, "The Father who dwells in me is doing his works." end quote.
Our Lord was trying to explain to us who He was, but "we just know better than that" is the normal attitude. Blocked. Our hearts are blocked. Our minds get blocked. And so, our soul is locked to Him.
He said:
"If I do not perform my Father's works, do not believe me;
but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me,
believe the works, so that you may realize and understand
that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." Why are we so blocked to Him? Some of us try and try not to be, but we remain blocked to Him.
I say this thinking of my own boys. One of them, I have to repeatedly tell them something and they don't seem to comprehend. They don't listen. He does NOT remember to do what I ask him to do, and I am getting tired of him not listening. He is a good kid. I know he loves me...but why doesn't he listen to me? I don't understand why....he is so blocked! Why doesn't it compute? He helps at the choir at Mass, and there too, there is a process, and even last night I reminded him AGAIN to clean up after himself, but it does not compute! The lesson I keep harking on is responsibility, that's it! Why is that so hard?
Why are we blocked to Father's will? Why is it that what I say does not reign supreme in my son's heart?
Why is it that what our Father in Heaven says...it just does not reign supreme in our hearts?
Why are we so blocked up?
My boy is a good boy, many people tell me. But what I see? A lack. This is called "want" in many explanations of the bible.
A lack is a want. What we believe to be good, there is still a lack that we fail to see, in ourselves.
Lent is ending soon, Palm Sunday is upon us. And because of this spiritual blockage, our Lord has to lay down His life for many to see.
You see, He was explaining that His works, the simple works should have opened our eyes to Him...God Himself. But, a miracle does not seem to be enough for the world.
For example, even today, we have physical proof of a Eucharist, a consecrated bread the host, turned into physical heart cells of a human 33 year old man; a man that was tortured scientists say, but...a peculiar thing, those cells are alive! GOD IS ALIVE. GOD IS AMONG US.
I hate going through darkness, I hate hearing of hatred and wars, we all do. But, these are the times to turn to God!
I can only think of punishing my son right now, for his own good. To open his eyes. I told him for example: "I'm tired of telling you to turn off the lights every night, I believe you will have to start paying electricity yourself". This caught his attention. I have not punished him yet...but I am warning him. Is it right that I have to keep paying for his disobedience?
Think Christ, He has to continuously pay for our sins. Protestants got it wrong. He didn't pay once and for all 2,000 years ago. He still suffers. We have been given lent to suffer with Christ. How could we not do His will? |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse Psalm 33:6
" By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host." | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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