Quote: "Love is an excellent thing, a great good indeed, which alone maketh light all that is burdensome and equally bears all that is unequal. For it carries a burden without being burdened and makes all that which is bitter sweet and savory. The love of Jesus is noble and generous; it spurs us on to do great things and excites us to desire always that which is most perfect."
—Thomas à Kempis, p. 87 Today's Meditation ""Jesus himself came to live at the heart of the tragic reality of human sinfulness. It is enough to read his genealogy cited in the Gospels of Saint Matthew and Saint Luke to be convinced of this, since we can see it in the names of persons whose lives involve problematic and immoral situations. Christ thus comes to take humanity in the midst of its sin for the salvation of all. This is what is at stake in the Divine Mercy that must pour out on our families, in which jealousy, discord, and profound rifts sometimes prevail." —Robert Cardinal Sarah, p. 31
An excerpt from Couples, Awaken Your Love Daily Verse "I praise thee, for thou art fearful and wonderful. Wonderful are thy works! Thou knowest me right well; my frame was not hidden from thee, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth. Thy eyes beheld my unformed substance; in thy book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them." Psalm 139:14-16 | St. Anastasius the Persian (7th c.) was the son of a Persian sorcerer. He became a Zoroastrian soldier in the army of Khosrau II, the Persian monarch who absconded the True Cross of Christ from Jerusalem and took it to Persia in 614. St. Anastasius inquired about the mysterious Cross and the Christian religion and as a result soon converted to the true Faith, left the army, received baptism, and became a monk at a monastery in Jerusalem. He lived there seven years until he was called by God to martyrdom among his people. He went to Caesarea to preach, which was then under Persian rule. He was captured and subject to cruel tortures. He was promised freedom and a high position in the kingdom if he would simply denounce his faith, which he refused. St. Anastasius was strangled and beheaded. His feast day is January 22. | Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children Lectionary: 314 Reading 1 1 Samuel 18:6-9; 19:1-7 When David and Saul approached
(on David's return after slaying the Philistine),
women came out from each of the cities of Israel to meet King Saul,
singing and dancing, with tambourines, joyful songs, and sistrums.
The women played and sang: "Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his ten thousands." Saul was very angry and resentful of the song, for he thought:
"They give David ten thousands, but only thousands to me.
All that remains for him is the kingship."
And from that day on, Saul was jealous of David. Saul discussed his intention of killing David
with his son Jonathan and with all his servants.
But Saul's son Jonathan, who was very fond of David, told him:
"My father Saul is trying to kill you.
Therefore, please be on your guard tomorrow morning;
get out of sight and remain in hiding.
I, however, will go out and stand beside my father
in the countryside where you are, and will speak to him about you.
If I learn anything, I will let you know." Jonathan then spoke well of David to his father Saul, saying to him:
"Let not your majesty sin against his servant David,
for he has committed no offense against you,
but has helped you very much by his deeds.
When he took his life in his hands and slew the Philistine,
and the LORD brought about a great victory
for all Israel through him,
you were glad to see it.
Why, then, should you become guilty of shedding innocent blood
by killing David without cause?"
Saul heeded Jonathan's plea and swore,
"As the LORD lives, he shall not be killed."
So Jonathan summoned David and repeated the whole conversation to him.
Jonathan then brought David to Saul, and David served him as before. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 56:2-3, 9-10a, 10b-11, 12-13 R. (5b) In God I trust; I shall not fear.
Have mercy on me, O God, for men trample upon me;
all the day they press their attack against me.
My adversaries trample upon me all the day;
yes, many fight against me.
R. In God I trust; I shall not fear.
My wanderings you have counted;
my tears are stored in your flask;
are they not recorded in your book?
Then do my enemies turn back,
when I call upon you.
R. In God I trust; I shall not fear.
Now I know that God is with me.
In God, in whose promise I glory,
in God I trust without fear;
what can flesh do against me?
R. In God I trust; I shall not fear.
I am bound, O God, by vows to you;
your thank offerings I will fulfill.
For you have rescued me from death,
my feet, too, from stumbling;
that I may walk before God in the light of the living.
R. In God I trust; I shall not fear. Alleluia 2 Timothy 1:10 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mark 3:7-12 Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples.
A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea.
Hearing what he was doing,
a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem,
from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan,
and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.
He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd,
so that they would not crush him.
He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases
were pressing upon him to touch him.
And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him
and shout, "You are the Son of God."
He warned them sternly not to make him known. | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Mark 3:7-12 He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him. (Mark 3:9) Our plugged-in culture almost guarantees that we are bombarded with bad news every day. Even in our local communities, we can be overwhelmed by the needs of those around us. Then we look at Jesus, and we think, "He's the Son of God. At least he can do something about it!" But we can do something, too. Today, the Church honors someone who did: Blessed László Batthyány-Strattmann (1870–1931). Born into an aristocratic Austro-Hungarian family, he received a fine education and was heir to a title and an estate. László could have lived in ease, but after a deep conversion experience, he decided to follow his childhood dream of giving free medical help to the poor. He studied medicine and became a prominent eye doctor. With his wife, Maria Teresa, he converted a wing of his castle into a state-of-the-art hospital. He paid for the whole staff out of his own funds, and he cared for as many as a hundred patients a day. When someone couldn't afford treatment, he asked that they pray for him instead. Of course, very few of us have the means that László Batthyány-Strattmann had. But that doesn't really matter. The poor patients who prayed for him did what they could—and László knew their prayers made a difference. In today's Gospel, the apostles couldn't yet perform miracles, but they could help manage the crowds so that as many as possible could reach Jesus. Most of us aren't lawmakers, but today, as we join the Church in praying for the legal protection of unborn children, we can help establish a culture that welcomes all human life in our homes and among our friends. Everything you do matters! Every time you imitate Jesus by offering yourself for others, you become an instrument of his healing power. You welcome him into new situations every time you put your faith into action. So prepare a meal for someone who is bedridden, visit someone who is lonely, teach a child to read, or offer to pray with a parishioner. And expect beautiful things to happen because you are working side by side with the Lord! "Blessed László, pray that I can become a vessel of Christ's healing love!" 1 Samuel 18:6-9; 19:1-7
Psalm 56:2-3, 9-13 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "... He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd,
so that they would not crush him.
He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases
were pressing upon him to touch him.
And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him
and shout, "You are the Son of God."
He warned them sternly not to make him known. ...." Word of the Lord. | From Bishop Barron: "Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus cured so many people that he had to climb into a boat to escape the press of the crowd. To this day the Church carries on his gracious healing ministry. We recall that the apostles of Jesus simply continued what the Master did. And one of the principal marks of the Lord's ministry was clearly healing. There was, of course, a deep biblical conviction that when the day of the Lord arrives, creation would be set right. What we witness in the healings of Jesus is just this repairing of creation. If you doubt that miracles of physical healing still take place in the life of the Church, I invite you to read Craig Keener's book Miracles or visit the Church in Africa, Asia, or Latin America, where the expectation of the miraculous is taken for granted. But the Church also brings healing to mind, soul, will, and imagination. The Bible knows that sin has done tremendous damage to us, and anyone involved in pastoral ministry knows what this looks like: broken minds, divided hearts, addicted passions." end quote.
Have you ever been to a place of tremendous healing? There are places in the world where they say many miracles are happening. I would say that the vast majority of healing miracles are not ever recorded. And sadly, many are not remembered anymore.
To this day, millions flock to Marian Apparition sites. A few handfuls leave with spectacular miracles.
Is our God to be considered a miracle dispensation machine? Of course not. But, He does expect miracles from us as well.
Can we make a miracle happen...in His name?
I say this because, as I read, a thought hit me, as if we all ask our Lord "where are you? We need you right here, right now!". And, a thought hit me as if He would say "Look, look at your hands, and your feet, your body...I can do anything I wish with you". As if to say "have I not created you to make the impossible, a real possibility?", is this not what a miracle is as well?
Our Lord is indeed healing my friends, all day, every day. But, not enough have been brought to Him. And, of the throngs brought to Him, not many have a well formed faith.
But, isn't faith a gift? Yes. Yes it is a tremendous gift. A gift, though, that not many avail themselves to. Faith to move mountains? Where is that kind of faith?
Our Lord is astounded at some in the bible, of their tremendous faith, and He is surprised, even of His own disciples at times, of their lack of faith.
Of course, I wouldn't leave you withuot a deep definition from artificial intelligence! LOL. And so let us define faith, and always look up things with "catholic understanding" so you don't get tons of other thoughts and opinions. Faith.
"In Catholicism, faith is
a supernatural virtue and a free, human act, defined as believing in God and all He has revealed, requiring assent of the mind and will, and leading to a personal, trusting relationship and commitment to Him, enabled by God's grace. It's both a gift (grace) and a response (assent) to divine revelation, meaning we trust God's word as truth, going beyond mere reason to embrace mysteries hidden in God, working through love and action (charity)."
You see, it is about the will, the human will. Ultimately, amen? Where is the intersection of the Divine will, and our human will?
The world is a continuous battle. Life on earth is a mission. It is not to be indulged and all about self satisfaction. NO! For Heaven's no.
On earth, we forget, that we are in a battle. A mission. The Church Militant. Where, the Divine will must be sought out. That is your mission. Seek His Mission. And how will you know His will, if all you do is your own will? Seek. And He will set forth the life He desires where you are. To bless this mess.
He did send somebody in your part of the world, did He not? He sent His baptized child....you. |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Romans 8:31 [Romans 8]
God's Everlasting Love "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be1 against us?" . . . . . . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
