 From: MorningOffering Website | Quote of the Day "Force yourself, if necessary, always to forgive those who offend you, from the very first moment. For the greatest injury or offense you can suffer from them is nothing compared to what God has forgiven you." -St. Josemaria Escriva Today's Meditation "Like an hourglass with a certain number of grains of sand within it, God has appointed your life to last only a certain number of days, and you have absolutely no idea how many there are. ... In God's presence, consider: I have no idea when my life will end. All I know is that death will come for me eventually. Am I doing anything to prepare for the real possibility that God may call me, sooner rather than later? If he called me into eternity today, would I be ready?" — Patrick Madrid, p. 190
An excerpt from A Year with the Bible Daily Verse "For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with devotion, devotion with mutual affection, mutual affection with love. If these are yours and increase in abundance, they will keep you from being idle or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." -2 Peter 1:5-8 |  EWTN Daily Saint | | St Luigi Orione St. Luigi Orione (1872-1940) was born in northern Italy and entered a Franciscan friary at the age of 13, but had to leave due to poor health. He became a pupil of St. John Bosco at his Turin oratory for boys, and later entered the diocesan seminary. While still a seminarian he opened his own oratory and boarding school to provide for the Christian training and education of boys. This institution became a well-spring for new vocations to the priesthood. He also traveled and founded many other pious congregations for clergy and lay people alike, including two religious orders. The ideal of St. Luigi's life was to provide for the spiritual welfare of others and to serve Jesus Christ and his Church. Many people were attracted to him and his work, and he cared in a special way for the sick, the disabled, and the poor. He was a preacher and confessor, as well as an organizer of pilgrimages, missions, processions, and other public celebrations of the faith. He loved Our Lady deeply and fostered devotion to her among his seminarians. Today his apostolate encompasses about 300 foundations, including schools, hospitals, assisted living facilities, and learning centers on nearly every continent. His body is incorrupt, and he was canonized in 2004. St. Luigi Orione's feast day is March 12th. | Thursday of the Third Week of Lent Lectionary: 240 Reading 1 Jeremiah 7:23-28 Thus says the LORD:
This is what I commanded my people:
Listen to my voice;
then I will be your God and you shall be my people.
Walk in all the ways that I command you,
so that you may prosper. But they obeyed not, nor did they pay heed.
They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts
and turned their backs, not their faces, to me.
From the day that your fathers left the land of Egypt even to this day,
I have sent you untiringly all my servants the prophets.
Yet they have not obeyed me nor paid heed;
they have stiffened their necks and done worse than their fathers.
When you speak all these words to them,
they will not listen to you either;
when you call to them, they will not answer you.
Say to them:
This is the nation that does not listen
to the voice of the LORD, its God,
or take correction.
Faithfulness has disappeared;
the word itself is banished from their speech. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9 R. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works."
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Verse Before the Gospel Joel 2:12-13 Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
for I am gracious and merciful. Gospel Luke 11:14-23 Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute,
and when the demon had gone out,
the mute man spoke and the crowds were amazed.
Some of them said, "By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,
he drives out demons."
Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.
But he knew their thoughts and said to them,
"Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste
and house will fall against house.
And if Satan is divided against himself,
how will his kingdom stand?
For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.
If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,
by whom do your own people drive them out?
Therefore they will be your judges.
But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,
then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,
his possessions are safe.
But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,
he takes away the armor on which he relied
and distributes the spoils.
Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! |  From Word Among Us WAU.org | Daily Meditation: Jeremiah 7:23-28 I have sent you untiringly all my servants the prophets. (Jeremiah 7:25) Speaking through the prophet Jeremiah, God reminded his people of something that had happened centuries earlier. He wanted them to think about how he had used Moses to lead his people out of Egyptian bondage so that they would remember his mercy and turn away from their own sin. But he also reminded them that the story of the Exodus wasn't simply a one-time event. It became a recurring cycle. Israel repeatedly found themselves trapped in crises, often as a result of their transgressions. And just as reliably, God intervened to rescue them. Now, what's true of God's people as a whole is also true of us as individuals. You can probably pinpoint moments in your life when God intervened to forgive and rescue you. Those events usually followed the same pattern God outlines in today's reading. You needed to be rescue from the consequences of your own sins, and God led you out of your predicament. On the surface, this might sound like a comforting assurance of God's faithfulness. But it can also be deflating to acknowledge the repetitive nature of your problems. Instead of delighting in God's mercy for you, you might feel ashamed that you keep sinning and needing God to step in. But pause and consider that word "untiringly" (Jeremiah 7:25). God never grows impatient or exasperated. Whether it's over centuries of his people's wavering faithfulness or over the course of a day as you stumble in and out of sin, he is always ready to rescue you. Even better? You can overcome this cycle—and not by achieving some impossible level of perfection! In Jesus, God himself has entered our world and broken the age-old pattern of sin and liberation followed again by sin. Like Moses bringing the people through the Red Sea, Jesus has carried you through the waters of Baptism. He washed you clean from sin and rescued you from the power of death. And most wonderful, he filled you with his own Spirit, who can transform you over time so that sin doesn't have the same hold on you. So rejoice today! You have become a new creation. The old futile cycle of sin has been broken. Forever. Thank you, Jesus, for revealing the Father's untiring love and for rescuing me once and for all! Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9
Luke 11:14-23 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "... But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,
then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,
his possessions are safe.
But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,
he takes away the armor on which he relied
and distributes the spoils.
Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters." ..." | From Bishop Barron: "The demonic power is always one of scattering. It breaks up communion. But Jesus, as always, is the voice of communio, of one bringing things back together. Think back to Jesus's feeding of the five thousand. Facing a large, hungry crowd, his disciples beg him to "dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves." But Jesus answers, "There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves." Whatever drives the Church apart is an echo of this "dismiss the crowds" impulse and a reminder of the demonic tendency to divide. In times of trial and threat, this is a very common instinct. We blame, attack, break up, and disperse. But Jesus is right: "There is no need for them to go away." end quote.
From Roberto Juarez:
" Jesus affirms something decisive: "If I cast out demons with the finger of God, then the Kingdom of God has come to you." Here the core of the Gospel appears. With Jesus, the Kingdom of God is already present. It's not just a promise for the future; begins to become a reality in his person. Every time Jesus delivers someone from evil, every time he heals, every time he forgives, he is showing that God is at work in the midst of the world. Evil does not have the last word. Jesus then uses a very graphic image. It speaks of a strong man who keeps his house well protected. As long as no one beats him, his assets are safe. But if someone stronger comes along and defeats him, he takes away his weapons and divides the loot. The picture is clear: the "strong man" represents the power of evil that enslaves the human being. But Jesus is the strongest. He comes to liberate, to break the chains, to restore freedom. This is the profound meaning of his mission.
The Gospel ends with a very forceful phrase: "He who is not with me is against me; he who does not gather with me scatters." Jesus tells us that before Him there is no neutrality. You cannot remain indefinitely in a position of indecision. Faith involves a choice. Following Christ means orienting our lives towards Him, letting His word guide our decisions. Sometimes we think that it is enough not to do evil. But the Gospel invites us to something else: to participate actively in the work of good. This passage also reminds us that the Christian life includes spiritual combat. Evil is not just an abstract idea. It exists in many forms: selfishness, lying, injustice, violence, resentment. Every day in our lives there is a small battle between light and darkness. But the Gospel gives us great hope: Christ is stronger. When we lean on Him, evil does not have the last word. What does it mean to be with Christ? It means listening to his word. It means living according to the gospel.
It means letting His Spirit transform our hearts. Being with Christ also means collaborating with him in building the Kingdom: sowing peace, justice, reconciliation, hope. Every gesture of love, every act of forgiveness, every humble service is a way of gathering with Christ.
Today's Gospel reminds us that Jesus came to free human beings from the power of evil. With him the Kingdom of God begins. But that Kingdom needs our answer. We cannot live in indifference. Let us ask the Lord for the grace to always be on his side, to trust in his strength and to collaborate with him in building a more just and fraternal world. May our life not scatter, but gather with Christ." end quote.
Lent has a powerful purpose...to make us more powerful! Can you believe that? To empower us with the grace and power to conquer ourselves for Christ. Can you believe that?
Sin...makes you weak. It can make you so weak, that you have not the will-power to unite yourself with the flock of God's people. Have you seen how predators attack in Africa? Some of them chase the herd until a weak one falls prey. And then, on other attacks, the lions or dogs will jump on an animal weighing it down until it gives in and falls and is devoured, taken over. These forces are formidable...in the spiritual life.
What has been weighing you down? What sins have been hounding you? What sin has been holding you down lately?
Now, let's look at ourselves...can get away from the predators this Lent? We can!
Now, let's look away from ourselves, can we help others that are being attacked? We can!
Lent is supposed to open our eyes. The strength of sin is weakness, permission to evil to do what it would like...like enter your home. And if left unattended, would take over the home.
Just this morning a worker said he has a house in Mexico, and a bad person moved into his house, which is something that happens in border towns...abandoned houses, thugs move in and make illegal activity start...and then they possess the house, even threatening the real owners with their lives. It has happened to many people, even today. Now he is trying to get involved and seeing what he can do to get them out. I said good luck, get the authorities involved.
The same with us in the spiritual realms, we need the ultimate authority...JESUS CHRIST.
We need Him. Every light of every soul is important. You see the atrocities of war? The innocent lives taken? One life is too many. Yet, the dark powers want a fight, to divide nations, and peoples hearts.
The same happens in your life, your family, your community.
We cannot be weak in the faith. More fasting, more giving, more prayer is called on us...for a GOOD reason.
So much is at stake. God needs warriors like Jesus. That by the finger of God He might shine the light in the darkness for evil to scatter. |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Philippians 1:21 " For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
