'The divine Heart of Jesus must be so entirely substituted for our own, that He alone may live and act in us and for us; His Will must so annihilate ours that it may have absolute freedom to act without any resistance on our part; in fact, His affections, thoughts and desires must take the place of ours: thus He will love Himself with His own love in us and for us.'

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)

"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42).

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3730560/posts

Saint of the Day — Blessed Sebastian of Aparici

Information: St. Tarasius

Feast Day: February 25

Born: 750 at Constantinople

Died: 25 February 806

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Monday, February 25

Liturgical Color: Green

Originally abstaining during Lent included
meat and any food obtained from flesh
-animals including milk, cheese, eggs,
butter, etc. The 1910 Code of Canon Law
reduced the requirements of abstinence
to include only the flesh of animals.

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: February 25th

Monday of the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time

MASS READINGS

February 25, 2019 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, always pondering spiritual things, we may carry out in both word and deed that which is pleasing to you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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Recipes (3)

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Ordinary Time, Pre-Lent: Table Blessing 2

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Library (1)

A Tree Planted Near Running Waters | Sr. Maria-Walburga Schortemeyer O.S.B.

» Enjoy our Liturgical Seasons series of e-books!

Old Calendar: St. Walburga, abbess (Hist)

Historically today is the feast of St. Walburga, sister of Sts. Willibald and Winebald. She became a nun at Wimborne in Dorset under St. Tatta and followed St. Lioba to Germany at the invitation of St. Boniface. She died abbess of Hiedenheim, whence her relics were translated to Eichstatt.

St. Walburga
St. Walburga was born around 710. She is the daughter of St. Richard and the niece of St. Boniface. When St. Richard set out for a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with his sons, Ss. Willibald & Winibald, he entrusted 11 year old Walburga to the monastery school at Wimborne. She remained as a nun, spending a total of 26 years there.

When St. Boniface put out an appeal for nuns to help him in the evangelization of Germany, St. Walburga answered the call. On the way to Germany, there was a terrible storm at sea. Walburga knelt on the deck of the ship and prayed. The sea immediately became calm. Some sailors witnessed this and spread the word that she was a wonderworker, so she was received in Germany with great respect.

At first, she lived at Bischofsheim, under the rule of St. Lioba. Then she was made abbess at Heidenheim, near to where her brother, Winibald served as an abbot over a men's monastery. After his death, she ruled both monasteries. She worked many miracles in the course of her ministry. She wrote a biography of her brother, Winibald, and of Willibald's travels in Palestine, in Latin. She is regarded as the first woman author in both England and Germany.

On September 23, 776, she assisted Willibald in translating the uncorrupt relics of their brother, Winibald, to a new tomb in the church at Heidenheim. Shortly after this, she fell ill. Willibald cared for her until she died on February 25, 777, then placed her next to Winibald in the tomb.

After St. Willibald's death in 786, people gradually forgot St. Walburga and the church fell into disrepair. In 870, Bishop Oktar was having Heidenheim restored. Some workmen desecrated Walburga's grave. She appeared in a dream to the bishop, who then translated her relics to Eichstadt. In 893, St. Walburga's body was found to be immersed in a mysterious sweet-smelling liquid. It was found to work miraculous healings. The liquid, called St. Walburga's oil, has flowed from her body, ever since, except for a brief period when the church was put under the interdict after robbers shed the blood of a bell-ringer in the church. Portions of St. Walburga's relics have taken to several other cities and her oil to all parts of the world.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Sirach 1:1-10

7th Week in Ordinary Time

Who can number these? . . . Who can explore these? (Sirach 1:2, 3)

Modern-day scientists can answer many of Sirach’s “unanswerable questions.” Sands of the seashore? Take the amount of grains of sand in a teaspoon and multiply it by the volume of all the beaches and deserts on earth: scientists estimate it’s over seven quintillion (that’s seven with eighteen zeroes after it). The depths of the abyss? Through unmanned submarines, scientists can descend three miles into the deep chasms of the ocean and study its mysteries.

But that knowledge is not the wisdom Sirach is talking about.

From now until Ash Wednesday, we will be reading from the Book of Sirach, a collection of sayings and moral teachings that is part of the wisdom literature in the Hebrew Bible. Today’s reading is a poetic introduction to the book, and it highlights this essential point: all wisdom comes from the Lord (Sirach 1:1). Wisdom helps us see the world as God does. Wisdom helps us know how to live in this world that God has created. Wisdom helps us understand who we are and how we should relate to the people in our lives. In short, wisdom—God’s wisdom—is available to guide every aspect of our lives.

Isn’t that good news? God doesn’t keep his wisdom to himself. He freely—lavishly—gives it to his friends. That includes you!

One of the most obvious ways God shares his wisdom is through his word. Sirach says, “The word of God on high is the fountain of wisdom” (1:5). St. Paul would agree—he urges Timothy to use the Scriptures to teach, correct, and train himself in all areas of righteous living (2 Timothy 3:16).

Today is a good day to take some time to seek God’s wisdom. Try sitting with the Scriptures for a bit, and allow them to sink into your mind and heart. Maybe use today’s readings. Or you could use a favorite psalm or a story from the Gospels. Whatever passage you choose, give yourself time to read prayerfully and to ponder what you read. Let the words open your heart to God’s heart. Let them open your eyes to the way God looks at things. Let them show you how to live.

God’s thoughts are indeed deeper than the abyss. So dive into his word, and discover all that he wants to show you.

“Father, thank you for teaching me the way of wisdom.”

Daily Gospel Commentary

Philoxenes of Mabbug (?-c.523)
Bishop in Syria
Homily 3, 52-56

"I believe! Help my unbelief"

Incline your ear and hear, open your eyes and see the marvels that faith discloses. Form for yourself new eyes, create hidden ears, you are summoned to hear hidden things…, you have been called to see spiritual realities… Come and see what as yet you are not and be renewed as you enter the new creation.

Wisdom was with your Creator in his first works (Pr 8:22), but in the second creation it was faith that accompanied him, in this second act of giving birth he took faith as his helper. Faith accompanies God in all things and he does nothing without her. It would have been easy to bring you to birth without her in the water and the Spirit, yet he does not cause you to be born in the second birth until you have recited the symbol of faith, the creed. He could have renewed you and from ancient made you new, yet he neither changes nor renews you before receiving faith in surety from you. Faith is demanded from someone who is baptized, and it is then that he receives the treasures of the water. Without faith, all is common, but when faith is there then common things appear glorious. Without faith, baptism is simply water; without faith, the life-giving mysteries are just bread and water; without the eye of faith, the old man appears simply what he is; without the eye of faith, the mysteries are common things and the wonders of the Spirit are worth nothing.

Faith looks, reflects and secretly considers the power hidden in things… For see: you bear in your hand the portion of the mystery that, naturally speaking, is common bread; faith sees it as the body of the Only-begotten… The flesh sees bread, wine, oil, water, but faith forces our sight to look spiritually at what it only sees corporally, that is to say to eat the Body instead of bread, to drink the Blood instead of wine, to see the baptism of the Spirit instead of water and the power of Christ instead of oil.

Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for February 25, 2019:

Lent starts in ten days! Discuss with your spouse about how you want to observe Lent this year, both individually and as a family.

Homily of the Day

February 25, 2019

Jesus had just come down from the mountain of Transfiguration and his face was beaming. When the people saw him, they walked towards him. He asked them what was happening and learned that his disciples were not able to solve the problem of the boy with a spirit, a deaf mute. Jesus rebuked his disciples for their lack of faith, and asked the boy to be brought to him. The parents pleaded to him, saying, “…Have pity on us and help us, if you possibly can!” (Mark 9:22) Jesus replied, “Yes, if you yourselves can! Everything is possible for the person who has faith” (Mark 9:23). And he drove away the dumb and deaf spirit from the boy.

How many times in our lives have we been beset with problems seemingly impossible to solve? How many times have we been troubled? How have we coped with these? How have we drawn from our well of faith? In the passage, the father’s reply was, “I do have faith, but not enough. Help me have more!” And the boy was healed.

Let us pray to the Holy Spirit to give us the grace of true faith.

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Espanol

All Issues > Volume 35, Issue 2

<< Monday, February 25, 2019 >>

Sirach 1:1-10
View Readings

Psalm 93:1-2, 5

Mark 9:14-29
Similar Reflections

"WILL HE FIND FAITH?" (SEE LK 18:8)

"What an unbelieving lot you are!" �Mark 9:19

Sometimes the Lord does things in our lives whether or not we have faith. Often, however, the Lord wants us to make a free decision to accept His grace. We express our freedom by faith. For example, Jesus told the father of a demon-possessed son: "Everything is possible for anyone who has faith" (Mk 9:23, JB). The father realized that Jesus was calling him to have faith. So he exclaimed: "I do have faith! Help the little faith I have!" (Mk 9:24, JB)

In that situation, Jesus called not only the father to faith but also Jesus' disciples and the large crowd with them. Jesus said: "What an unbelieving lot you are! How long must I remain with you? How long can I endure you?" (Mk 9:19) Jesus felt frustrated with those who did not have or exercise faith. Jesus promised: "I assure you, if you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you would be able to say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible for you" (Mt 17:20). We are saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8). "Without faith, it is impossible to please" God (Heb 11:6). But Jesus questioned: "When the Son of Man comes, will He find any faith on the earth?" (Lk 18:8)

Let us cry out to God: "I do believe! Help my lack of faith!" (see Mk 9:24)

Prayer: Father, increase my faith, even if I have to suffer.

Promise: "Fear of the Lord warms the heart, giving gladness and joy and length of days." —Sir 1:10

Praise: When Paul decided to stand up for Christ at work, he found he was not alone. Now several gather in Jesus' name (Mt 18:20).

What a message!