Quote: "To convert somebody, go and take them by the hand and guide them." -St. Thomas Aquinas Today's Meditation "What are we to say of the charity and compassion of the Blessed Virgin, who for nine months bore, and still carries in her heart, the only Son of God, the uncreated charity which knows no bounds? If, as often as we approach a fire, we are affected by its heat, have we not reason to believe that whoever approaches the heart of the Mother of Mercies, ever burning with her most ardent charity, must be profoundly affected in proportion to the frequency of his petitions, the humility and confidence in his heart?" —Dom Lorenzo Scupoli, p.151
An excerpt from The Spiritual Combat and A Treatise on Peace of Soul Daily Verse "The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." -1 Corinthians 1:18 |  EWTN Daily Saint | | St. Scholastica (480–542 A.D.) was born in Nursia, Italy, to a noble Roman family, along with her twin brother, the famous St. Benedict of Nursia. Their mother died in childbirth. Scholastica was dedicated to God as a child, and from a young age both siblings sensed a special divine calling. They both entered religious life and established communities within five miles of each other; St. Scholastica led a convent near Monte Cassino where Benedict established his world-renowned monastery. Because of the isolated nature of their vocations, the siblings only met once a year at a local farmhouse to discuss spiritual matters. During what was to be their final meeting, St. Scholastica had a premonition that her death was imminent. She asked Benedict to spend the night at the farmhouse so they could continue their visit, but he refused as it was forbidden in his monastic rule. Scholastica turned her request to God and prayed that her brother would stay with her. Suddenly a great thunderstorm erupted that made travel impossible, and Benedict was forced to stay. Scholastica died a few days later, and in a vision St. Benedict saw her soul leave her body in the form of a dove. St. Scholastica is the patron of nuns and against lightening, rain, and storms. Her feast day is February 10. | Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin Lectionary: 330 Reading 1 1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30 Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD
in the presence of the whole community of Israel,
and stretching forth his hands toward heaven,
he said, "LORD, God of Israel,
there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below;
you keep your covenant of mercy with your servants
who are faithful to you with their whole heart. "Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth?
If the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you,
how much less this temple which I have built!
Look kindly on the prayer and petition of your servant, O LORD, my God,
and listen to the cry of supplication which I, your servant,
utter before you this day.
May your eyes watch night and day over this temple,
the place where you have decreed you shall be honored;
may you heed the prayer which I, your servant, offer in this place.
Listen to the petitions of your servant and of your people Israel
which they offer in this place.
Listen from your heavenly dwelling and grant pardon." Responsorial psalm Psalm 84:3, 4, 5 and 10, 11 R. (2) How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
My soul yearns and pines
for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and my flesh
cry out for the living God.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest
in which she puts her young—
Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my king and my God!
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
Blessed they who dwell in your house!
continually they praise you.
O God, behold our shield,
and look upon the face of your anointed.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
I had rather one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I had rather lie at the threshold of the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God! Alleluia Psalm 119:36, 29b R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Incline my heart, O God, to your decrees;
and favor me with your law.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mark 7:1-13 When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem
gathered around Jesus,
they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals
with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.
(For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews,
do not eat without carefully washing their hands,
keeping the tradition of the elders.
And on coming from the marketplace
they do not eat without purifying themselves.
And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed,
the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds.)
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him,
"Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders
but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?"
He responded,
"Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites,
as it is written: This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
In vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts. You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition."
He went on to say,
"How well you have set aside the commandment of God
in order to uphold your tradition!
For Moses said,
Honor your father and your mother,
and Whoever curses father or mother shall die.
Yet you say,
'If someone says to father or mother,
"Any support you might have had from me is qorban"'
(meaning, dedicated to God),
you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother.
You nullify the word of God
in favor of your tradition that you have handed on.
And you do many such things." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! |  click to see website | |  wau.org | Daily Meditation: 1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30 Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth? (1 Kings 8:27) Solomon is overcome with awe because God has chosen to make the newly built Temple in Jerusalem his dwelling place. He knows that the Temple is a glorious structure, but he also knows that it falls far short of the glory of the Lord. After all, nothing can compare to him! And so Solomon exclaims, "Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth?" (1 Kings 8:27). Today, let's bring a similar question to the Lord: "Can it be that God dwells in my heart, which is so prone to sin and selfishness? How could he live in a heart that has been wounded by sin—both my own and the sins of others? My heart can feel so small at times and so shrouded in darkness. How could the Lord possibly be pleased to live here? And yet, Jesus, every time I look, I find you there—and finding you fills me with joy. You heal my hurt and strengthen me against sin. Thank you, Lord, for making me into a worthy temple of your presence! "Can it be that God dwells in my parish? We don't have a lot of money. Our OCIA class is very small, and our faith formation program is always short of volunteers. Our pastoral council and other groups can seem like cliques at times. And yet faith tells me that God is here. He is present in the tabernacle, where heaven meets earth. He is present in the people when we celebrate Mass. He is present, not because we are the best parish, but because he loves us. "Can it be that God dwells in my family? We don't always get along. There's usually someone who is caught up in some kind of trouble. Not every marriage is a stellar witness to divine love. And not everyone is faithful to the Church's teachings. And yet I know that we all want to love one another, even if we don't always show it. I believe that no matter what happens, the Lord is with us, ready to help anyone who turns to him. "Can it be that God dwells with his people? With me? Yes! Not because we are saints, but because he is faithful. Simply because he loves us. And he will never stop loving us—any of us!" "Jesus, I am in awe that you dwell with us. Lord, open my eyes to see your glory!" Psalm 84:3-5, 10-11
Mark 7:1-13 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "... Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites,
as it is written: This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
In vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts. You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition."
He went on to say,
"How well you have set aside the commandment of God
in order to uphold your tradition! ....." Word of the Lord.
| From Bishop Barron: "Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus calls the Pharisees hypocrites because they "disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition." For instance: "If someone says to father or mother, 'Any support you might have had from me is qorban' (meaning, dedicated to God), you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother." If you claim to be a person of love but fail to honor your parents, something is seriously off. Thus the hypocrisy of the Pharisees is a disregard of love. In its essence, love is an act of the will—more precisely, the willing of the good of the other as other. To love is really to want what is good for someone else and then to act on that desire. Real love is a leaping outside of the narrow confines of my needs and desires and an embrace of the other's good for the other's sake. It is an escape from the black hole of the ego, which tends to draw everything around it into itself." end quote.
Our Lord comes from Heaven and says tremendous things about His expectations. It is God in Jesus the human flesh. It is God who is speaking Holy Divine Will. It is not just a prophet. It is not just an idea. It is God Himself.
In today's Gospel He speaks; "How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition!"
It is as if He says "this is YOUR tradition, not MINE".
In the Catholic Church, we have much tradition, more than any institution in the world. We have Tradition with the captial T, and small case tradition.
Ai says: "In Catholic theology, Sacred Tradition (capital 'T') refers to the unchangeable, divine deposit of faith—Apostolic teachings, scripture, and sacraments passed down through generations. Conversely, small-'t' traditions are ecclesiastical, local, or devotional practices (e.g., Marian processions, local liturgical customs) that can be modified or adapted by the Church hierarchy."
I won't go into the recent heretical groups calling themselves "traditionalists" that are splitting further and further away from the Holy Magisterium.
But if you notice, our laws, we make greater than God's laws.
And THAT is the problem.
What law had the pharisees bypassed?
They frowned on those who didn't wash the dish before eating, yet, they themselves have never washed themselves before coming to God.
Think of purification of the temple.
Last night, in our OCIA class, we discussed the body as a temple. I am not sure the message was implemented correctly, as the students said they were taking care of their body because it is "God's body". But what we should have grasped is that God desires to dwell in your Soul, not just your physical body.
You see how we can take things the wrong way? I did try to share stories of how God sees us, not as the world sees us, but He sees our souls, the state of the soul, and the purity of the soul. According to that openness, that cleanliness He can work with us in different ways.
But we make up our thoughts and ways that others should live according to. There are so many laws in our country, thousands upon thousands still being made or changed as we speak. But God, Jesus, came to speak His will.
That we should not make the Sabbath for man.
Ai says on this: "The Catholic Church interprets the Sabbath as
a gift for human flourishing, not a burden, designed for rest, worship, and family, rooted in God's example of resting on the seventh day (Exodus 20:8-11). It is a day to sanctify time, honor God as Creator, and liberate people from the "servitude of work" and consumerism, allowing for spiritual renewal."
The man was not made for the Sabbath.
Does that make sense?
Our Lord heals on the Sabbath...if we so obey.
Our Lord comes to us in the temple...if we so attend and tend to Him.
Our Lord says "Rest in Me" and you will be renewed, if we obey.
But we make people bow down to us instead? And God is in the people! What is going on?
Man was made for woman and woman was made for man.
The woman was made for man out of the man.
What does this mean? We are made for each other.
I often think of my wife and kids. How does God relate?
They say we will suffer in purgatory for the things we should have done and did not do.
What we should have done is tend to God, for we were created for God and to serve God in one another.
You see how deep things get? That you should forgive them. That you should feed them. That you should help them. That you should lovingly correct them. That you should help them to heaven. That God be glorified in His Holy, precious and divine Will ! |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Galatians 5:16–17 " But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do." . . . Word of the Lord! |  Going4th.com | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
