"Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation (Jn. 5:28-29)."
Before the reform of the Roman Calendar this was the feast of St. John de Brefeuf. His feast has been transferred to October 19.
Meditation - The Tree of Knowledge and the Cross
The sin that was wrought through the tree was undone by the obedience of the tree, obedience to God whereby the Son of man was nailed to the tree, destroying the knowledge of evil, and bringing in and conferring the knowledge of good; and evil is disobedience to God, as obedience to God is good. And therefore the Word says through Isaiah the prophet, foretelling what was to come to pass in the futurefor it was because they told the future that they were "prophets"the Word says through him as follows: I refuse not, and do not gainsay, my back have I delivered to blows and my cheeks to buffets, and I have not turned away my face from the contumely of them that spat. [Is. 50, 6] So by obedience, whereby He obeyed unto death, hanging on the tree, He undid the old disobedience wrought in the tree. And because He is Himself the Word of God Almighty, who in His invisible form pervades us universally in the whole world, and encompasses both its length and breadth and height and depthfor by God's Word everything is disposed and administeredthe Son of God was also crucified in these, imprinted in the form of a cross on the universe; for He had necessarily, in becoming visible, to bring to light the universality of His cross, in order to show openly through His visible form that activity of His: that it is He who makes bright the height, that is, what is in heaven, and holds the deep, which is in the bowels of the earth, and stretches forth and extends the length from East to West, navigating also the Northern parts and the breadth of the South, and calling in all the dispersed from all sides to the knowledge of the Father. St. Irenaeus
Things to Do:
The Station is in the church of St. Mark, which was built in the fourth century in honor of the evangelist, by the holy Pope Mark, whose relics are kept there.
3rd Week of Lent
. . . a little girl. (2 Kings 5:2)
Have you ever looked at a famous painting, and at first glance, it appears to be almost ordinary? But then you look closer, and you see the artists use of shadow and light, perspective, and contrast—and the scene comes alive before your eyes! Todays story about Naaman is like that. A little girl, a grizzly prophet, and a minor river—nothing too impressive, and yet they all work together in a miraculous way. They show that the small and the humble can bring great glory to the Lord.
Why is this? Its because they arent prone to drawing attention to themselves. All they want to do is follow the Lord; they dont worry about whether people see it or not. The scene with the little girl moves us because it comes from such an unexpected place, a place of purity and sincerity and simplicity.
Dont you love how God reveals himself through unlikely people and circumstances? The Bible tells us about Gideon, the youngest of the least of the families of Israel, who leads his people to victory. There is Ruth, a widowed and impoverished foreigner, who wins the heart of a wealthy Israelite and becomes part of Jesus family tree. And theres King David. This heroic leader was just a young shepherd boy when the Lord chose him.
Dont think that God cant use you! You may not be wealthy or powerful or famous. You may feel that you dont have a lot of control over your circumstances, either. But none of that matters to God. In fact, you might be just the right person he is looking for. Just as he worked through a little girl to change the course of history, he can use you to bring powerful change to the people around you.
Whether youre doing the dishes, shoveling snow, or filing papers, you can be a vessel of Jesus love and grace. A simple word of encouragement, spoken from a heart of love and trust, can do far more than you can imagine. Just ask that little girl who set Naaman on the road to healing!
Lord, use me to reveal your love.
Psalm 42:2-3; 43:3-4
Luke 4:24-30