 From: MorningOffering Website | † Quote of the Day "It is a lesson we all need—to let alone the things that do not concern us. He has other ways for others to follow Him; all do not go by the same path. It is for each of us to learn the path by which He requires us to follow Him, and to follow Him in that path." St. Katharine Drexel
Today's Meditation "In truth, if the earth and all it contains must one day disappear by fire, the goods of this world are no more to be esteemed than wood and straw. What point is there, then, in making them the object of our desires and cares? Why seek to build and leave marks of our genius and power where we have no permanent abode, and where the form of this world will be removed, like a tent that has no travelers to shelter? It may be said that it will be a thousand years before this frightening cataclysm takes place; but Christ has said that a thousand years are but an instant compared with eternity, and when the moment comes—when, from the land of the future life, we are the witnesses and actors in that supreme drama—the whole span of humanity will seem so short to us that we shall scarcely consider it to have lasted a single day … Christ tells us to meditate upon these great teachings, for it is certain that we shall be taken by surprise, and that the time will come sooner than we think."
—Father Charles Arminjon, p. 28 Daily Verse "Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine, by the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21 |  EWTN Daily Saint | | St. Margaret Clitherow St. Margaret Clitherow (1556-1586), also called Margaret of York, lived in York, England, the daughter of a candlemaker and wife of a wealthy Protestant butcher. She was raised Anglican just after the time that King Henry VIII severed the Church of England from communion with the Roman Catholic Church. A few years after her marriage, at the age of 18, she converted to the Catholic Church due to the work of covert missionary Catholic priests. While her husband remained Protestant, she aided persecuted Catholics by sheltering priests (which included her brother-in-law) and having Mass and Confessions said in her home, which became a safe house and hiding place for priests. Margaret witnessed the torturous death of many of the priests she aided, and she would publicly pray on the spot of their martyrdom. Undaunted in her work, she was imprisoned numerous times. On her final arrest she was charged for harboring Catholic priests and was condemned to a public execution by being crushed to death, a martyrdom of which she considered herself unworthy. All three of her children entered the religious life, two priests and a nun. St. Margaret Clitherow, the "Pearl of York," is the patron saint of martyrs, businesswomen, and converts. Her feast day is March 26th. | Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent Lectionary: 254 Reading 1 Genesis 17:3-9 When Abram prostrated himself, God spoke to him:
"My covenant with you is this:
you are to become the father of a host of nations.
No longer shall you be called Abram;
your name shall be Abraham,
for I am making you the father of a host of nations.
I will render you exceedingly fertile;
I will make nations of you;
kings shall stem from you.
I will maintain my covenant with you
and your descendants after you
throughout the ages as an everlasting pact,
to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
I will give to you
and to your descendants after you
the land in which you are now staying,
the whole land of Canaan, as a permanent possession;
and I will be their God." God also said to Abraham:
"On your part, you and your descendants after you
must keep my covenant throughout the ages." Responsorial Psalm Psalm 105:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 R. (8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations –
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever. Verse Before the Gospel Psalm 95:8 If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts. Gospel John 8:51-59 Jesus said to the Jews:
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever keeps my word will never see death."
So the Jews said to him,
"Now we are sure that you are possessed.
Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say,
'Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.'
Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?
Or the prophets, who died?
Who do you make yourself out to be?"
Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing;
but it is my Father who glorifies me,
of whom you say, 'He is our God.'
You do not know him, but I know him.
And if I should say that I do not know him,
I would be like you a liar.
But I do know him and I keep his word.
Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day;
he saw it and was glad."
So the Jews said to him,
"You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?"
Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you,
before Abraham came to be, I AM."
So they picked up stones to throw at him;
but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area. | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! |  From Word Among Us WAU.org | Daily Meditation: Genesis 17:3-9 I will maintain my covenant with you. (Genesis 17:7) What an awesome promise God made to Abraham! Don't worry; I will keep my covenant. Remember, Abraham was childless when God first promised to make him the father of a "great nation" (Genesis 12:2). And Abraham took God at his word. It would be decades before he saw that promise's fulfillment in the birth of his son Isaac. But Abraham trusted in the Lord nonetheless and remained faithful at several key moments in his life. Yet those decades of waiting weren't all roses and sunshine for Abraham. There were times when he used deception to protect himself (Genesis 12:10-20), when he wavered in his trust in God (16:1-4), and one instance when he treated his wife appallingly (20:1-18). These aren't the actions of someone we would consider a hero of faith! What set Abraham apart was not just his personal virtue, but God's goodness. It's true that Abraham had his less-than-favorable moments, yet God was utterly faithful to him! He had promised, "I will maintain my covenant with you" (Genesis 17:7), and he never backed away from that promise. He never wavered, and he never made his promise conditional on Abraham always behaving perfectly. And so Abraham became a testament to God's powerful steadfast faithfulness, a testament that still gives us hope today. God says the same thing to you: "I will maintain my covenant with you." He will stick with you even when, like Abraham, you turn from him. That's because his mercy and his faithfulness go hand in hand. He is always ready to forgive, always offering more grace as he continues to call you along the path of holiness. Today, remember God's promises to you. The promise that your life can become a reflection of your Father's mercy and faithfulness. The promise that hope and joy can radiate out from you because the Holy Spirit is at work in you. And in those times when you fall into sin, remember his promise of forgiveness. Your God loves you too much to abandon you! "Thank you, Lord, for your amazing faithfulness! Help me to stay as faithful to you as you are faithful to me." Psalm 105:4-9
John 8:51-59 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: ".. So the Jews said to him,
"You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?"
Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you,
before Abraham came to be, I AM."
So they picked up stones to throw at him;
but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area. ...." | From Roberto Juarez: "And then comes the strongest statement: "Before Abraham existed, I Am." It doesn't say "I was." It Says "I Am." It is the very name of God revealed to Moses. Jesus is affirming his divinity. It's not just a messenger. He is not just a prophet. He's God made man. The reaction is immediate: "Then they took stones to throw them away." In the face of this statement, there is no middle ground. Either it is accepted in faith, or rejected. Jesus leaves no room for a comfortable position. This Gospel is directly questioning us. We also have to answer the question: Who is Jesus to me? It is not enough to admire or respect him. The Christian faith consists in recognizing in Him the Son of God, the "I Am," to the Lord of life. And this has consequences to trust in His word, to live according to His Gospel, to support us in Him even in the face of death. Today Jesus offers us an extraordinary promise: "He who keeps my word will not see death forever." It is an invitation to live with hope, not to be locked in the immediate, in the passing. Let us ask the Lord for a firm faith to recognize Him as the Son of God, a heart open to welcome His word, and the confidence to know that, with Him, life is stronger than death. That we do not stay in unbelief or superficiality. And that we may say with conviction Jesus is the Lord, the "I Am," the source of life.
From Bishop Barron: "Moses makes bold to ask, "If I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what do I tell them?" God replies: "I am who I am." What does that mean? God is saying, in essence, "I cannot be defined, described, or delimited. I am not a being, but rather the sheer act of to-be itself." "This is what you will tell the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you." The sheer act of being itself cannot be avoided, and it cannot be controlled. It can only be surrendered to in faith. How shocking and strange Jesus's listeners must have found it when Jesus took this name for himself!" end quote.
"You have seen Abraham??" Really? Abraham was what, over two thousand years before Christ? How can our Lord have said that?
And then He said "I AM". EEK! This is actually what finally got Him crucified after so many false attempts before the Sanhedrin and Caiaphas the high priest, the chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin, which we will hear about on Palm Sunday already upon us this weekend. They got him by saying ""This man said, 'I can destroy the temple of God and within three days rebuild it.'"
We will hear:
Then the high priest said to him,
"I order you to tell us under oath before the living God
whether you are the Christ, the Son of God."
Jesus said to him in reply,
"You have said so.
But I tell you:
From now on you will see 'the Son of Man
seated at the right hand of the Power'
and 'coming on the clouds of heaven.'"
Then the high priest tore his robes and said,
"He has blasphemed!
What further need have we of witnesses?"
And the Lord's Passion ensues.
Holy Week will begin.
God has seen Abraham, Jesus has seen Abraham already. This means Christ existed before Abraham.
Christ is saying "whoever has seen Me has seen the Father".
Last night, a newcomer to our bible community study stayed after class and he wanted to know why I had said I had seen a vision of our Lord, he wanted more details. This guy, we grew up together, he still is trying to be a priest, and I had thought about it for a while too. I explained that when I was taken away in the vision, I saw our Lord on the cross breathing His last on the cross, and the biggest sensation...was the knowing, and what I sensed in my heart was "My Father, Our Father is on the cross dying for you and for me". It meant so much more than when my earthly dad passed away a couple years ago, and he had been the center of our livelihood for work, faith, and family. But this vision was probably 13 years ago when I experienced the vision...and on my dad's death bed, I told him about that vision. To have faith. To be strong. My heart is making my eyes well up with tears now. And, in the vision though, I turned for a moment to see all others there in the church, and I could not see people, but lights where they should be sitting...some lights were on, some were not on, some were brighter than others. My friend hearing me out said "sometimes I wonder if my light goes out". I said "I wish I knew who had their lights on as well!".
Today, all we have is the Word of God, the Christ.
To believe is to live, to disbelieve is to die, and exist in the darkness. God help us truly live. |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
1 John 4:4 " Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
