Quote: "Here is a rule for everyday life: Do not do anything which you cannot offer to God."
-St. John Vianney Today's Meditation "And let me make it quite clear that when Christians say the Christ-life is in them, they do not mean simply something mental or moral. When they speak of being 'in Christ' or of Christ being 'in them', this is not simply a way of saying that they are thinking about Christ or copying Him. They mean that Christ is actually operating through them; that the whole mass of Christians are the physical organism through which Christ acts—that we are His fingers and muscles, the cells of His body. And perhaps that explains one or two things. It explains why this new life is spread not only by purely mental acts like belief, but by bodily acts like baptism and Holy Communion. It is not merely the spreading of an idea; it is more like evolution—a biological or superbiological fact. There is no good trying to be more spiritual than God. God never meant man to be a purely spiritual creature. That is why He uses material things like bread and wine to put the new life into us. We may think this rather crude and unspiritual. God does not: He invented eating. He likes matter. He invented it." —C.S. Lewis, p. 64
An excerpt from Mere Christianity Daily Verse "Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him."
-Proverbs 30:5 | St Sebastian St. Sebastian (d. c. 288 A.D.) was born in Gaul, present-day France, to wealthy Italian parents. According to tradition he went to Rome to serve and encourage the Christians who were being persecuted under the Roman Emperor Diocletian. To do so effectively and without suspicion, he enrolled in the Roman army as an officer. In this position he did much to encourage the faith of the Christians in the face of brutal martyrdom, and in the process made many new converts through his gift of healing. Once he was discovered to be a Christian, he was seized by Roman officers, tied to a tree, and shot through with arrows. He survived this, and was healed by St. Irene of Rome. Being fully recovered, he returned to preach to Diocletian himself. Diocletian then had him beaten to death with clubs. St. Sebastian is the patron of many causes, most notably of archers, athletes, police officers, soldiers, and against plague victims and enemies of religion. St. Sebastian's feast day is January 20th. | | Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time | The LORD said to Samuel:
"How long will you grieve for Saul,
whom I have rejected as king of Israel?
Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way.
I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem,
for I have chosen my king from among his sons."
But Samuel replied:
"How can I go?
Saul will hear of it and kill me."
To this the LORD answered:
"Take a heifer along and say,
'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.'
Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I myself will tell you what to do;
you are to anoint for me the one I point out to you." Samuel did as the LORD had commanded him.
When he entered Bethlehem,
the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and inquired,
"Is your visit peaceful, O seer?"
He replied:
"Yes! I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.
So cleanse yourselves and join me today for the banquet."
He also had Jesse and his sons cleanse themselves
and invited them to the sacrifice.
As they came, he looked at Eliab and thought,
"Surely the LORD's anointed is here before him."
But the LORD said to Samuel:
"Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature,
because I have rejected him.
Not as man sees does God see,
because he sees the appearance
but the LORD looks into the heart."
Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him before Samuel,
who said, "The LORD has not chosen him."
Next Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said,
"The LORD has not chosen this one either."
In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel,
but Samuel said to Jesse,
"The LORD has not chosen any one of these."
Then Samuel asked Jesse,
"Are these all the sons you have?"
Jesse replied,
"There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep."
Samuel said to Jesse,
"Send for him;
we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here."
Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them.
He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold
and making a splendid appearance.
The LORD said,
"There–anoint him, for this is he!"
Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand,
anointed him in the midst of his brothers;
and from that day on, the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David.
When Samuel took his leave, he went to Ramah. R. (21a) I have found David, my servant.
Once you spoke in a vision, and to your faithful ones you said:
"On a champion I have placed a crown; over the people I have set a youth."
R. I have found David, my servant.
"I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him,
That my hand may be always with him, and that my arm may make him strong."
R. I have found David, my servant.
"He shall say of me, 'You are my father, my God, the Rock, my savior.'
And I will make him the first-born, highest of the kings of the earth."
R. I have found David, my servant. R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know what is the hope
that belongs to our call.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath,
his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain.
At this the Pharisees said to him,
"Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?"
He said to them,
"Have you never read what David did
when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?
How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest
and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat,
and shared it with his companions?"
Then he said to them,
"The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: 1 Samuel 16:1-13 The Lord has not chosen any one of these. (1 Samuel 16:10) The God of surprises had upended Samuel's expectations again. When God told Samuel to choose Israel's next king from among Jesse's sons, Samuel naturally thought he should pick the one who seemed the most impressive. But neither Eliab nor any of his five brothers was chosen as the right man to reign over God's people. God chose David, the youngest. David's brothers might have been offended that they hadn't been chosen to be king, but they were still members of God's people. The Lord had different plans for them. And when the Lord told Samuel that he "rejected" Eliab, he was only rejecting him for the kingship, not for who he was (1 Samuel 16:7). God loved all of Jesse's sons, just as he loves each one of us. We don't know what ultimately happened to these brothers of David. Perhaps they stayed in Bethlehem with their father, Jesse, and eventually took charge of his estate. Or maybe David tapped them for positions in his royal court. However their lives unfolded, we can hope that they lived out God's plans for them. God has chosen each of us to be his disciple and follow him. In Baptism, he gave us the greatest honor we could ever imagine: he made us his sons and daughters. But each person's path is different. The Lord knows our gifts and our weaknesses, and he has a particular calling for each of us. He has a calling for you. It may not be the exact calling you imagined, but it is always a path that will bring you closer to him. Every role that God calls you to fill is valuable and important to his kingdom, no matter how visible or invisible, how prestigious or common it seems. The sons of Jesse may have had to fight the temptation to compare themselves to their royal brother. But then again, maybe not. Maybe they trusted in God's choice, both for themselves and for David, because they knew that God loved them and had the best in mind for them. May we always trust in the Lord's desires for us! "Lord, thank you for your perfect plan for my life." Psalm 89:20-22, 27-28
Mark 2:23-28 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "... As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath,
his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain.
At this the Pharisees said to him,
"Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?"
He said to them,
"Have you never read what David did
when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry? ...." Word of the Lord. | From Roberto Juarez:
"Jesus concludes his teaching by affirming: "The Son of Man is also lord of the Sabbath." It is not an affirmation of arbitrary power, but a revelation: in Jesus, God himself interprets the law from mercy and life. In him the ultimate meaning of rest, covenant and communion with God is fulfilled. This Gospel takes on special significance in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Throughout history, many divisions among Christians have arisen precisely because of rigid interpretations of norms, practices or traditions, forgetting that the center of faith is Christ and the dignity of the person. Jesus reminds us today that unity is not built by imposing burdens, but by seeking together what gives life. When we put norms, customs or forms above love, the Gospel loses its force and communion breaks down. The question that underlies this text is still timely: what comes first in our Christian experience? Fidelity to the spirit of the Gospel or the defense of our religious securities? Unity requires discernment, humility and conversion of heart." end quote.
Yesterday's reflection was really long, so today I will try to keep it short! LOL.
What was the point of today's Gospel? A quick AI Overview:
"The Catholic understanding, rooted in Jesus' teaching in
Mark 2:27, is that the Sabbath (and by extension, the Lord's Day/Sunday) is a gift for humanity's rest, spiritual growth, and connection with God, not a burdensome rule; it's about "doing good, saving life, and honoring God," not legalistic restrictions, with Christ as Lord of the Sabbath, fulfilling its purpose for our benefit, not human enslavement." I remember a fellow cursillo brother one time in our group reunion brought up how his mom said "if you are going to church and someone needs help on your way there, stop and help them first". I had a bit of a hard time with that, but here's why: some can take this too far.
I've heard all sorts of things on this spinoff.
"Man was not made for the Sabbath" therefore, some people won't go to Mass, or they choose other things that day.
Someone's birthday is that day, so they won't go to Mass.
Or, they choose work, when they actually have a choice!
Afterall, they think, they have to pay the bills, put food on the table! And buy other things with that extra money instead.
Our Lord does not come to abolish the law, nor the smallest letter...of HIS law.
He comes with the Law of Love, the true love of God.
We see time after time, the crimes against love. And this is the clear finger He came to rule with...to simply point out the inhumanity of our humanity. Our imperfections, because of our focus. We focus on other things than the very Love of God and His Law.
And so, I leave you with the priorities of life:
First God. This means, first Love. Obedience, humility, sacrifice. Seek a true love of God. Remember He is waiting.
Second. Family. And God's family.
Third. Work, friends, and anything else. How does this work?
Jesus taught that the greatest commandments are to
love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself, stating that all Scripture hangs on these two, inseparable commands, with loving your neighbor being the practical expression of loving God. This means prioritizing God and extending that pure love to all people, recognizing that loving the visible neighbor is how we show love for the invisible God. Amen! |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse
Romans 10:17 "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." . . . . . . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
