Quote: " "When one has nothing more to lose, the heart is inaccessible to fear." " -St. Thodore Gurin Today's Meditation "A full day can be exhausting, and this is certainly true for fathers. The end of a workday is often a prelude to a busy evening with family. It requires self-control to overcome a flagging spirit, and to be present and loving at home...Saint Joseph had to push past his fatigue. He may have had tough days, but God's grace gave him the power of self-control to be loving anyway." –Ceil Ryan D'Acquisto, p.361
An excerpt from Every Day With Saint Joseph Daily Verse "For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, "Abba, Father!" The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him." -Romans 8:15-17 |  EWTN Daily Saint | | St Jane Of Valois St. Jane of Valois (1464-1505) was born to French King Louis XI and Charlotte of Savoy. Much of her life was marked by neglect and emotional abuse. Her father resented her because she was a sickly and deformed female child. He sent her away to a remote country home where she was carelessly raised before being married off at the age of nine to her cousin, the Duke of Orléans. Her husband likewise despised and publicly humiliated her, and their marriage was never consummated. Jane had a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary from a young age, especially in the mystery of the Incarnation. One day Our Lady appeared to Jane and told her that in the future she would found a religious community. Through her veneration of the Blessed Mother, Jane found the strength to be a loyal and devoted wife during her painful twenty-two year marriage. When her husband became king, he had their marriage annulled. This left Jane free to found the Order of the Annunciation dedicated to imitating Mary's virtues, as Our Lady foretold. She also gave her Order the duty of constant prayer for the souls of her father and husband who both mistreated her. St. Jane of Valois' feast day is February 4th.
Find a devotional for this saint | Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 325 Reading 1 2 Samuel 24:2, 9-17 King David said to Joab and the leaders of the army who were with him,
"Tour all the tribes in Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba
and register the people, that I may know their number."
Joab then reported to the king the number of people registered:
in Israel, eight hundred thousand men fit for military service;
in Judah, five hundred thousand. Afterward, however, David regretted having numbered the people,
and said to the LORD:
"I have sinned grievously in what I have done.
But now, LORD, forgive the guilt of your servant,
for I have been very foolish."
When David rose in the morning,
the LORD had spoken to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying:
"Go and say to David, 'This is what the LORD says:
I offer you three alternatives;
choose one of them, and I will inflict it on you.'"
Gad then went to David to inform him.
He asked: "Do you want a three years' famine to come upon your land,
or to flee from your enemy three months while he pursues you,
or to have a three days' pestilence in your land?
Now consider and decide what I must reply to him who sent me."
David answered Gad: "I am in very serious difficulty.
Let us fall by the hand of God, for he is most merciful;
but let me not fall by the hand of man."
Thus David chose the pestilence.
Now it was the time of the wheat harvest
when the plague broke out among the people.
The LORD then sent a pestilence over Israel
from morning until the time appointed,
and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beer-sheba died.
But when the angel stretched forth his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it,
the LORD regretted the calamity
and said to the angel causing the destruction among the people,
"Enough now! Stay your hand."
The angel of the LORD was then standing
at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
When David saw the angel who was striking the people,
he said to the LORD: "It is I who have sinned;
it is I, the shepherd, who have done wrong.
But these are sheep; what have they done?
Punish me and my kindred." Responsorial Psalm Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7 R. (see 5c) Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile.
R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
my guilt I covered not.
I said, "I confess my faults to the LORD,"
and you took away the guilt of my sin.
R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
For this shall every faithful man pray to you
in time of stress.
Though deep waters overflow,
they shall not reach him.
R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.
You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;
with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.
R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done. Alleluia John 10:27 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mark 6:1-6 Jesus departed from there and came to his native place,
accompanied by his disciples.
When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue,
and many who heard him were astonished.
They said, "Where did this man get all this?
What kind of wisdom has been given him?
What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!
Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary,
and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon?
And are not his sisters here with us?"
And they took offense at him.
Jesus said to them,
"A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and among his own kin and in his own house."
So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,
apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.
He was amazed at their lack of faith. | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! |  click to see website | | Daily Meditation: Mark 6:1-6 Where did this man get all this? (Mark 6:2) How could Jesus' own hometown neighbors be so dismissive of him? If it weren't so unsettling, it would be almost comical to hear them ask the equivalent of Who does he think he is? We know who he is, and we assume they should as well! But just for a moment, imagine that you are one of those townsfolk that day. For the past thirty years or so, you've watched Jesus grow up into a fine young man. But now you hear people saying that he is also a powerful man of God: he heals, he casts out demons, and he—an ordinary tradesman—teaches the Torah with authority! And now here he is, expecting you to believe . . . in him. So, along with your fellow Nazarenes, you are confronted with the mystery of the Incarnation: God became man. And he became this man, Jesus, standing in front of you. So of course you ask, "Where did this man get all this?" This man. It is easier to believe an abstract theory about an invisible God than it is to place all your hope in a specific person, no matter how powerful or compassionate he may be. But now this man, Jesus, turns toward you. He looks into your eyes and offers you his hand. He speaks about God in new ways that help you understand your life in a new light. In this man, you begin to realize that you are truly encountering God. He knows you to your deepest core. He knows all your sins, weaknesses, and fears. But he also knows all that is good: your hopes and longings, your desire to serve God and be pure in heart. Then he invites you, personally, to "repent, and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15). You are certain that God himself is offering you forgiveness, freedom, and new life. So how will you respond here and now? This man is the Lord. This man suffered, died, and rose for you. This man now reigns at the Father's right hand, but he still makes himself present to you, saying, "Repent, and believe in me." Can you say yes to him today? "Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. Thank you, Lord, for saving me!" 2 Samuel 24:2, 9-17
Psalm 32:1-2, 5-7 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "... They said, "Where did this man get all this?
What kind of wisdom has been given him?
What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!
Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary,
and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon?
And are not his sisters here with us?"
And they took offense at him.
Jesus said to them,
"A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and among his own kin and in his own house."
So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,
apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.
He was amazed at their lack of faith....." Word of the Lord.
| From Roberto Juarez: "This rejection hurts more because it comes from their own. Today too, it can happen that Jesus is rejected not outside, but inside: in believing environments, in communities, even in our own hearts. Sometimes we prefer a Jesus to our measure, who does not question too much, who does not bother our securities.
Nazareth challenges us: do we recognize God in the everyday, in the simple, in the close? Or do we only look for it in the extraordinary? Jesus presents himself as a God incarnate in daily life, at work, in human relationships. If we don't know how to look there, we can lose it.
However, rejection does not stop Jesus' mission. Mark tells us that he continued to go around the surrounding villages teaching. The unbelief of some does not quench God's faithfulness. He continues to call, to offer, to sow.
This Gospel invites us to review our faith: do we allow ourselves to be surprised by God? Do we listen to his word with an open heart? Or are we trapped in prejudices, customs and resistance?
Today let us ask the Lord for a simple and humble heart, capable of recognizing his presence even in the ordinary. May we not be like Nazareth, closed because we believe that we already know Jesus, but disciples open to let ourselves be transformed by Him every day." End quote.
From Bishop Barron:
"As far as we can determine, Jesus was not formally trained in a rabbinic school, nor was he educated to be a temple priest or a scribe, nor was he a devotee of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, or the Essenes. He was, if I can use a somewhat anachronistic term, a layman. And this made his arrival on the public scene all the more astounding. For this Nazarene carpenter with no formal religious education or affiliation began to speak and act with an unprecedented authority. To the crowds who listened to him preach, he blithely declared, "You have heard it said, but I say . . ." He was referring, of course, to the Torah, the teaching of Moses, the court of final appeal to any faithful rabbis; and therefore, he was claiming for himself an authority greater than that of Israel's most significant teacher and lawgiver. " end quote.
The people on the Sabbath in the synagogue were amazed by Jesus...but, in the wrong way. They rejected Him.
They asked "where did He get all this from?"
Our Lord was not able to do any mighty deed for them from there on in His Native place.
It reminds me of this past weekend in our Parish, a visiting priest came, spoke mostly about ICE and politics and how we need to protect life, but during the homily, some people walked out. I only know this because we invited the priest to eat lunch afterwards and he mentioned it.
Rejections. We have our limits? I actually made a whole podcast and youtube video describing the whole ordeal which you can listen to online:
Youtube Link Here
or
Podcast Here It goes deep into the detail, mostly of the encounter with the father that spoke words some didn't want to hear.
And the Gospel we had just heard was about "blessed are the meek" and this means the humble.
I know I had a hard time swallowing what seemed like was going to be about politics, but it was not. It was about the meek and helping the innocent...defend life. Step up to the plate, our Lord is asking for warriors then, but not fighting with force but with humility, and truth. Stepping up to speak God's will, and let the rejections begin.
Then we will know where evil works. Then we will know what path to stay on...the path of righteousness and truth, God Himself. |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
2 Corinthians 7:1 "Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body1 and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God." . . . . . . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
