 From: MorningOffering Website | Quote: "The Lord manifests Himself to those who stop for some time in peace and humility of heart. If you look in murky and turbulent waters, you cannot see the reflection of your face. If you want to see the face of Christ, stop and collect your thoughts in silence, and close the door of your soul to the noise of external things." -St. Anthony of Padua Today's Meditation "Now man need not hide from God as Adam did; for He can be seen through Christ's human nature. Christ did not gain one perfection more by becoming man, nor did He lose anything of what He possessed as God. There was the Almightiness of God in the movement of His arm, the infinite love of God in the beatings of His human heart and the Unmeasured Compassion of God to sinners in His eyes. God was now manifest in the flesh; this is what is called the Incarnation. The whole range of the Divine attributes of power and goodness, justice, love, beauty, were in Him. And when Our Divine Lord acted and spoke, God in His perfect nature became manifest to those who saw Him and heard Him and touched Him. As He told Philip later on: Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father [John 14:9]." —Fulton J. Sheen, p. 21
An excerpt from Life of Christ Daily Verse "For many, as I have often told you and now tell you even in tears, conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction. Their God is their stomach; their glory is in their "shame." Their minds are occupied with earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." -Philippians 3:18-20 |  EWTN Daily Saint | | St Casimir Of Poland St. Casimir of Poland (1458-1484) was the second son of King Casimir IV and Queen Elizabeth of Austria, one of thirteen children born to them in the royal palace at Cracow. Casimir committed his life to God from an early age, thanks in part to a brilliant and pious priest who served as the royal tutor. He turned away from the privileges of his station in life and instead exercised extreme asceticism and self-denial. He wore a hairshirt under his clothes, slept on the cold ground, and knelt in prayer for long hours outside of locked churches. At the age of thirteen the Hungarians requested Prince Casimir to rule their country as king, which he accepted in the hope of defending the Christian nation against the Turks. However, the plan did not come to fruition and he returned home to continue his life of prayer, penance, and generosity to the poor. He later ruled Poland for a few short years while his father attended royal business in Lithuania. Casimir took a vow of celibacy which he upheld despite immense political pressure to marry. He suffered from a chronic lung condition, which he succumbed to in 1484 at the age of 25. Many miracles were attributed to his intercession after his death. St. Casimir is the patron saint of Poland, Lithuania, and young people. His feast day is March 4th. | Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent Lectionary: 232 Reading 1 Jeremiah 18:18-20 The people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem said,
"Come, let us contrive a plot against Jeremiah.
It will not mean the loss of instruction from the priests,
nor of counsel from the wise, nor of messages from the prophets.
And so, let us destroy him by his own tongue;
let us carefully note his every word." Heed me, O LORD,
and listen to what my adversaries say.
Must good be repaid with evil
that they should dig a pit to take my life?
Remember that I stood before you
to speak in their behalf,
to turn away your wrath from them. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 31:5-6, 14, 15-16 R. (17b) Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
You will free me from the snare they set for me,
for you are my refuge.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
I hear the whispers of the crowd, that frighten me from every side,
as they consult together against me, plotting to take my life.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.
But my trust is in you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my God."
In your hands is my destiny; rescue me
from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your kindness. Verse Before the Gospel John 8:12 I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life. Gospel Matthew 20:17-28 As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem,
he took the Twelve disciples aside by themselves,
and said to them on the way,
"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,
and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests
and the scribes,
and they will condemn him to death,
and hand him over to the Gentiles
to be mocked and scourged and crucified,
and he will be raised on the third day." Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons
and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.
He said to her, "What do you wish?"
She answered him,
"Command that these two sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom."
Jesus said in reply,
"You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?"
They said to him, "We can."
He replied,
"My chalice you will indeed drink,
but to sit at my right and at my left,
this is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."
When the ten heard this,
they became indignant at the two brothers.
But Jesus summoned them and said,
"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! |  From Word Among Us WAU.org | Daily Meditation: Matthew 20:17-28 Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant. (Matthew 20:26) You probably would have been indignant, too, if you were there when the mother of James and John asked Jesus to "command" that they sit, "one at your right and the other at your left" (Matthew 20:21)! But while his other disciples were offended, Jesus replied, "You do not know what you are asking." And he used this moment to teach about true greatness: "Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant" (20:22, 26). The truth is, we were made for greatness. The desire to do great things is part of how God created us. Some of us have dreamed of being an accomplished scientist or a famous actor or a wealthy businessman. These are all good ambitions, but perhaps we have become too concerned with how an important title or position of power can earn us respect and admiration. That's not why God gave us the desire to do great things. Jesus makes it clear that his kingdom isn't about power and honor or title or selfish ambition. It's about humility and service. It's about caring for one another and lifting up the lowly. Ask Jesus today, "How can I be truly 'great'? How can I serve you and others?" You might be surprised that it's not as complicated as you might think! Do you excel in academics? You can use your gift to tutor a student who is struggling. Are you a good public speaker? You can offer to lector at Mass or help with an OCIA class. Sometimes true greatness asks that you step into a role you don't feel fully qualified for. You may be asked to serve as an usher at Mass, but you think of yourself as an introvert. Or a younger couple might surprise you by asking you and your spouse for advice and counsel. Even in ways that you may feel weak, you can serve God and share his love—sometimes with just a simple "I will hold you in prayer today" or even a "Good morning" before Mass begins. Even these small gestures can lead you toward the greatness God wants for you. Don't overcomplicate what it means to be great. Just use the gifts God has given you to serve him and others. And even when you feel weak, be assured that you are doing a great thing in God's eyes. "Lord, help me to be 'great' today!" Jeremiah 18:18-20
Psalm 31:5-6, 14-16 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "... But Jesus summoned them and said,
"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many." ..." | From Roberto Juarez: " Here's the central point. The world is structured according to the logic of domination: those who have power exercise it; whoever is at the top imposes. But in the community of Jesus a different logic must prevail. "Whoever wants to be great, let him be your servant; whoever wants to be first, let him be your slave." It is not an optional recommendation; it is the constitution of the Kingdom. Christian greatness is measured by service. Jesus does not limit himself to giving a moral standard. He bases his teaching on his own identity: "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." Here we find the core of the Christian mystery. The Lord, being the Son of God, does not claim privileges. He lowers himself, he surrenders himself, he becomes a servant. The term "ransom" evokes the liberation of a slave by paying a price. Christ pays with his own life to free us from sin. Service is not an accessory gesture in Jesus; it is the very expression of his redemptive mission. This Gospel challenges us on several levels:
In personal life: Do I seek recognition? Does it hurt me not to occupy the place I think I deserve? Do I serve when no one is watching? In community life: In the parish, in the family, at work: Do I understand authority as a domain or as a responsibility of service? Every form of Christian leadership is diakonia, that is, service.
In spirituality: Do I accept the chalice that the Lord offers me? Or do I try to follow Christ only when the path is comfortable?
Let us not forget the context: Jesus goes up to Jerusalem. We are also on the way. Each Eucharist is a symbolic ascent with Him into the paschal mystery. To participate in the Mass is to enter into the logic of service and self-giving. When we receive the Body of Christ, we welcome the one who became a servant. And that transforms our way of life. Today's Gospel presents us with a clear choice: We can live according to the logic of the world – competition, power, prestige – or according to the logic of the Kingdom – service, dedication, humility.
Christ does not deceive us: the way passes through the chalice. But he doesn't leave us alone either: he drank it first. Let us ask for the grace to understand that true greatness is not in occupying the first place, but in loving to the end. At the end of our lives, may we not be remembered for the power we wielded, but for the service we offered. And may we be able to say, with truth, that we have followed the Master on his path of surrender." end quote.
Our Lord said "whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did ..."
What I see often though, is this Word of God often ignored. This hurts the precious heart of our Lord.
Everyone wants to have a say, but very few want to be told what to do.
As they say "too many chiefs, not enough Indians".
It is difficult to work where there are too many chiefs. But our Lord was training the future leaders, the 12 Apostles, and so, our Lord was teaching them HOW TO LEAD. By being the suffering servant.
You see, the reason people want to lead sometimes, is so everyone else has to do all the heavy lifting.
In my many years of ministries, being the head of an organization means one thing, mainly, I have to be the biggest servant. At work, I have to be on top of everything and answer to the problems and have solutions. At home, I try to direct organization as well, but I have to let myself get in there and try to get my hands dirty as well. In church? Oh boy, do you really want to know? Lots of work. LOTS AND LOTS of heavy duty work. To try to make meetings nowadays feels like herding cats. "When can we meet?" is the question. And many can't make the meeting if you set a date. And even if you float the meeting dates, it seems to get even harder trying to accommodate others...for the Lord.
We fail to set priorities. We fail to do some heavy lifting of crosses. This means sacrifices. You're going to have to give up sports, family time, and work to make some church ministries. And if you are not in ministries, think of how hard it is to gather all your kids or family for a united prayer effort, DAILY. And it gets even more involved. Think of your own spirituality. How hard is it to be devoted to daily devotions and visits to our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament?
And one more thing. Stick your nose out for the Lord. See what happens. You might get it smacked and broken. What will happen then if you stick your neck out for the Lord? You might get wrung and hung. And this can happen...if you give all your heart to the Lord. It will get beat up.
For this, our Lord says "Take heart, I have conquered the world". So have faith! No need to look out for yourself...no, look out for God's Heart. Seek Him first. Life comes first. Jesus is the LIFE! |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Ephesians 6:10 [Ephesians 6]
The Whole Armor of God
" Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might." . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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