 From: MorningOffering Website | Quote: "Heaven is filled with converted sinners of all kinds, and there is room for more." -St. Joseph Cafasso Today's Meditation "Often Jesus asks the sick to believe. He makes use of signs to heal: spittle and the laying on of hands, mud and washing. The sick try to touch Him, 'for power came forth from Him and healed them all'. And so in the sacraments Christ continues to 'touch' us in order to heal us. Moved by so much suffering Christ not only allows Himself to be touched by the sick, but He makes their miseries His own: 'He took our infirmities and bore our diseases'. But He did not heal all the sick. His healings were signs of the coming of the Kingdom of God. They announced a more radical healing: the victory over sin and death through His Passover. On the cross Christ took upon Himself the whole weight of evil and took away the 'sin of the world', of which illness is only a consequence. By His passion and death on the cross Christ has given a new meaning to suffering: it can henceforth configure us to Him and unite us with His redemptive Passion." —Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1504-1505
An excerpt from Catechism of the Catholic Church Daily Verse "His divine power has bestowed on us everything that makes for life and devotion, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and power. Through these, he has bestowed on us the precious and very great promises, so that through them you may come to share in the divine nature, after escaping from the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire." -2 Peter 1:3-4 |  EWTN Daily Saint | | Saint John Joseph Of The Cross St. John-Joseph of the Cross (1654-1739) was born on the island of Ischia, near Naples. He joined the Franciscan Order of the Strict Observance (the reform of St. Peter of Alcantara) at age sixteen. His influence was great despite his young age, and after three years he was sent to help found a new order of friars in Piedmont, where he was ordained to the priesthood. He codified a set of guidelines for spiritual and daily life that were approved by the Holy See and became a lasting model for religious communities. In 1702 he was appointed Vicar Provincial of the Alcantarine Reform in Italy. During his time as Vicar he implemented a rule that no beggar would be turned away without assistance, and in times of extreme scarcity he would offer his own portion to the poor. He was known as a deeply holy man who served Christ and the monastic community through daily acts of mortification and humility. Despite his high ranking position, he continued to lead a life of service and took on menial tasks whenever possible, from working in the kitchen to chopping firewood. He was said to have performed numerous miracles as well as the gift of prophecy. St. John-Joseph of the Cross is the patron saint of Ischia and his feast day is March 5th. | Thursday of the Second Week of Lent Lectionary: 233 Reading 1 Jeremiah 17:5-10 Thus says the LORD:
Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings,
who seeks his strength in flesh,
whose heart turns away from the LORD.
He is like a barren bush in the desert
that enjoys no change of season,
But stands in a lava waste,
a salt and empty earth.
Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose hope is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters
that stretches out its roots to the stream:
It fears not the heat when it comes,
its leaves stay green;
In the year of drought it shows no distress,
but still bears fruit.
More tortuous than all else is the human heart,
beyond remedy; who can understand it?
I, the LORD, alone probe the mind
and test the heart,
To reward everyone according to his ways,
according to the merit of his deeds. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6 R. (40:5a) Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so, the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord. Verse Before the Gospel See Luke 8:15 Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart
and yield a harvest through perseverance. Gospel Luke 16:19-31 Jesus said to the Pharisees:
"There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen
and dined sumptuously each day.
And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps
that fell from the rich man's table.
Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.
When the poor man died,
he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.
The rich man also died and was buried,
and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,
he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off
and Lazarus at his side.
And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me.
Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,
for I am suffering torment in these flames.'
Abraham replied, 'My child,
remember that you received what was good during your lifetime
while Lazarus likewise received what was bad;
but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.
Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established
to prevent anyone from crossing
who might wish to go from our side to yours
or from your side to ours.'
He said, 'Then I beg you, father, send him
to my father's house,
for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them,
lest they too come to this place of torment.'
But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets.
Let them listen to them.'
He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham,
but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
Then Abraham said,
'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded
if someone should rise from the dead.'" | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! |  From Word Among Us WAU.org | Daily Meditation: Jeremiah 17:5-10 Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord. (Jeremiah 17:7) For Jeremiah, it's all about who you trust. In today's first reading, Jeremiah is talking to the people of Judah as they face exile to Babylon. He presents two alternative ways of dealing with the threats confronting them. The person who trusts in human strength, with his heart turned away from the Lord, is "cursed," like a "barren bush" in a "lava waste" (Jeremiah 17:5-6). But the person who trusts in the Lord is richly blessed, like a tree planted next to a stream (17:7-8). Today, let's listen to Jeremiah as we consider what happens when we trust in the Lord. We are like a tree planted beside the waters. When we trust the Lord, we plant ourselves right next to him. He becomes for us a stream of living water in the desert, flowing next to us, enabling us to receive his life and his blessings. We stretch out our roots to the stream. We know God is the source of life, and so we call upon him, reaching out the "roots" of our faith to receive his living waters. We make this act of trust in prayer as we acknowledge our need for the Lord and his grace. We believe that his grace is not a trickle; it is a freely flowing stream, even in the desert. We fear not the heat when it comes. In the year of drought, we show no distress. God knows that we will face the "heat" of difficulties in life: questions, unexpected challenges, personal struggles. We will experience the "drought" of loss and sorrow. But planted close to the stream, with roots stretched into those living waters, we always have access to God's presence. Our distress is calmed as we recall how he has comforted and provided for us in the past. We know that he will sustain us now and always. We bear fruit. As we trust in the Lord, we allow him to provide for and tend us. He makes us fruitful as we surrender our sorrows and difficulties to him. He helps us bear the fruit of his Spirit: love and peace and patience and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). All of these blessings are the fruit of trusting in the Lord. And they are blessings he longs to pour out on you! "Lord God, thank you for the blessings that come when I trust in you!" Psalm 1:1-4, 6
Luke 16:19-31 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "... But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets.
Let them listen to them.'
He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham,
but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
Then Abraham said,
'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded
if someone should rise from the dead.'" ..." | From Bishop Barron: "Friends, today's Gospel reading is the story of the poor man Lazarus, who sat outside the door of a rich man and "would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man's table." The rich man isn't named, and that's very interesting. In the ancient world, the rich and powerful were the ones who deserved to have their names mentioned. Whose names weren't mentioned? The poor and the marginalized. So this is a very interesting reversal that is going on here. And we know this story well, right? Day after day, the rich man walks past Lazarus, in and out of his house. When Lazarus dies, he's taken to the "bosom of Abraham." But the rich man dies and he's taken to the underworld. Again another reversal. You'd expect that God has blessed the rich and powerful and cursed those who are poor and hopeless. But that's not the way the Bible imagines this situation. It's Lazarus who's carried to paradise and the rich man who's carried downward. There's the revolutionary quality of the Bible, turning our expectations upside down. How much do we care for those who are poor? Can we name them, or are they for us, as for ancient peoples, just a nameless mass of suffering people? And are we committed to helping these people by performing the corporal works of mercy?" end quote.
From Roberto Juarez: "The parable underscores something fundamental: the time to change is now. After death there is no possibility of reconfiguring life. While we are in this world, we can open the door, cross the distance, reach out. Every Eucharist reminds us that Christ became poor for us. The one given to us at the altar is the same one that is identified with the little ones. Today's Gospel presents us with a choice: We can live ignoring those who suffer, or we can allow ourselves to be challenged and act. The eternal abyss begins as a small daily indifference. Let us ask the Lord for a sensitive heart, capable of seeing and compassion. May we not wait until it is too late to discover that the brother was at our door. And that, at the end of our lives, we may hear not a reproach, but a welcome:
"Come, blessed of my Father."
end quote.
Someone came back from the dead, to let us know God's will. Then, He ascended into Heaven.
If you will not believe an eye witness, then who can you believe?
In the faith of Christ, we have millions and millions of witnesses.
Is your life a living witness? Let us consider this lenten call...to be the light, one with the light, the very life of Christ. |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
1 Corinthians 15:58 " Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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