SAINT POLYCARP

Bishop, Martyr
(+ 167)

St. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, was a disciple of St. John. He wrote to the Philippians, exhorting them to mutual love and to hatred of heresy. When the apostate Marcion met St. Polycarp at Rome, he asked the aged Saint if he knew him. "Yes," St. Polycarp answered, "I know you for the first-born of Satan." These were the words of a Saint most loving and most charitable, and specially noted for his compassion to sinners. He hated heresy, because he loved God and man so much.

In 167, persecution broke out in Smyrna. When Polycarp heard that his pursuers were at the door, he said, "The will of God be done; " and meeting them, he begged to be left alone for a little time, which he spent in prayer for "the Catholic Church throughout the world."

He was brought to Smyrna early on Holy Saturday; and, as he entered, a voice was heard from heaven, "Polycarp, be strong." When the proconsul besought him to curse Christ and go free, Polycarp answered, "Eighty-six years I have served Him, and He never did me wrong; how can I blaspheme my King and Saviour?" When he threatened him with fire, Polycarp told him this fire of his lasted but a little, while the fire prepared for the wicked lasted forever. At the stake he thanked God aloud for letting him drink of Christ's chalice. The fire was lighted, but it did him no hurt; so he was stabbed to the heart, and his dead body was burnt. "Then," say the writers of his acts, "we took up the bones, more precious than the richest jewels or gold, and deposited them in a fitting place, at which may God grant us to assemble with joy to celebrate the birthday of the martyr to his life in heaven!"

Other Saints of the Day:

• St. Peter Damian
• St. Cerneuf
• St. Alexander Akimetes
• St. Boswell
• St. Zebinus
• St. Willigis
• St. Serenus the Gardener
• St. Dositheus
• St. Felix of Brescia
• St. Florentius
• St. Jurmin
• St. Lazarus Zographos
• St. Romana
• St. Martha
• St. Ordonius
• St. Medrald
• St. Milburga
• St. Polycarp of Smyrna

Blessed Isabel of France
(1225 - 1270)

Isabel was sister of St. Louis and daughter of King Louis VIII of France and Blanche of Castile. When still a child at court, Isabel, or Elizabeth, showed an extraordinary devotion to exercises of piety, modesty, and other virtues. She refused offers of marriage from several noble suitors to continue her life of virginity consecrated to God.

She ministered to the sick and the poor, and after the death of her mother, founded the Franciscan Monastery of the Humility of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Longchamps in Paris. She lived there in austerity but never became a nun and refused to become abbess.

She died there on February 22, and after nine days her body was exhumed, when it showed no signs of decay, and many miracles were wrought at her grave. Her cult was approved in 1521.

Other Saints of the Day:

• St. Peter Damian
• St. Cerneuf
• St. Alexander Akimetes
• St. Boswell
• St. Zebinus
• St. Willigis
• St. Serenus the Gardener
• St. Dositheus
• St. Felix of Brescia
• St. Florentius
• St. Jurmin
• St. Lazarus Zographos
• St. Romana
• St. Martha
• St. Ordonius
• St. Medrald
• St. Milburga
• St. Polycarp of Smyrna

Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Mateo 16:13-19)

Nagkadto si Jesus sa kadutaan sang Cesarea Filipos sa diin nagpamangkot siya sa iya mga gintuton-an, "Sin-o bala ang Anak sang Tawo suno sa mga tawo?"

Nagsabat sila, "May nagasiling nga si Juan nga Bautista. May iban nga nagasiling nga si Elias kag may iban pa gid nga nagasiling nga si Jeremias ukon iban nga mga propeta."

Si Jesus nagpamangkot sa ila, "Pero suno sa inyo, sin-o bala ako?"

Si Simon Pedro nagsabat, "Ikaw ang Cristo, ang Anak sang Dios nga buhi!"

Si Jesus nagsabat, "Bulahan ka, Simon, anak ni Juan! Kay ini nga kamatuoran wala ginpahayag sa imo sang tawo, kundi sang akon Amay sa langit.

Kag ako nagasiling sa imo, ikaw si Pedro nga kon sayuron 'Bato' kag sa sini nga bato pagatukuron ko ang akon iglesya. Bisan ang gahom sang kamatayon indi makadaog sa iya.

Ihatag ko sa imo ang mga yabi sang Ginharian sang langit, kag kon ano ang imo ginadumilian sa duta pagadumilian mn didto sa langit, kag kon ano ang imo ginatugutan sa duta pagatugutan pagatugutan man didto sa langit."

***

Meditation:
At an opportune time Jesus tests his disciples with a crucial question: Who do men say that I am and who do you say that I am? He was widely recognized in Israel as a mighty man of God, even being compared with the greatest of the prophets, John the Baptist, Elijah, and Jeremiah. Peter, always quick to respond, exclaimed that he was the Christ, the Son of the living God. No mortal being could have revealed this to Peter; but only God. Jesus then confers on Peter authority to govern the church that Jesus would build, a church that no powers would overcome. Jesus plays on Peter's name which is the same word for "rock" in both Aramaic and Greek. To call someone a "rock" is one of the greatest of compliments. The ancient rabbis had a saying that when God saw Abraham, he exclaimed: "I have discovered a rock to found the world upon". Through Abraham God established a nation for himself. Through faith Peter grasped who Jesus truly was. He was the first apostle to recognize Jesus as the Anointed One (Messiah and Christ) and the only begotten Son of God. The New Testament describes the church as a spiritual house or temple with each member joined together as living stones (see 1 Peter 2:5). Faith in Jesus Christ makes us into rocks or spiritual stones. The Lord Jesus tests each of us personally with the same question: Who do you say that I am?

"Lord Jesus, I profess and believe that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. You are my Lord and my Savior. Make my faith strong like Peter's and give me boldness to speak of you to others that they may come to know you personally as Lord and Savior and grow in the knowledge of your love".

SAINT PETER DAMIAN
Bishop and Doctor of the Church
(1007-1072)

St. Peter Damian was born in 1007, and lost both parents at an early age. His eldest brother, in whose hands he was left, treated him so cruelly that a younger brother, a priest, moved by his piteous state, sent him to the University of Parma, where he acquired great distinction. His studies were sanctified by vigils, fasts, and prayers, till at last, thinking that all this was only serving God by halves, he resolved to leave the world.

He joined the monks at Font-Avellano, then in the greatest repute, and by his wisdom and sanctity rose to be Superior. He was employed on the most delicate and difficult missions, amongst others the reform of ecclesiastical communities, which was effected by his zeal.

Seven Popes in succession made him their constant adviser, and he was at last created Cardinal Bishop of Ostia. He withstood Henry IV. of Germany, and labored in defence of Alexander II. against the Antipope, whom he forced to yield and seek for pardon.

He was charged, as Papal Legate, with the repression of simony; again, was commissioned to settle discords amongst various bishops, and finally, in 1072, to adjust the affairs of the Church at Ravenna. He was laid low by a fever on his homeward journey, and died at Faenza, in a monastery of his order, on the eighth day of his sickness, whilst the monks chanted matins around him.

Other Saints of the Day:

• St. Avitus II of Clermont
• St. Valerius
• St. Verulus and Companions
• St. Severian
• St. Felix of Metz
• St. Gundebert
• St. Paterius
• Bl. Pepin of Landen
• St. Peter the Scribe

Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Lucas 4:1-13)

Si Jesus nga napun-an sang Espiritu Santo nagbalik halin sa Jordan, kag gindala siya sang Espiritu sa disierto.

Didto ginsulay siya sang Yawa sa sulod sang 40 ka adlaw. Wala sia magkaon sa sulod sina nga mga inadlaw, kag sa tapos sadto gingutom siya.

Karon ang yawa nagsiling sa iya, "Kon ikaw ang Anak sang Dios, sugoa ining bato nga mangintinapay."

Nagsabat si Jesus, "Ang Kasulatan nagasiling, 'Indi lamang sa tinapay mabuhi ang tawo.' "

Dayon gindala sia sang Yawa sa isa ka mataas nga lugar kag ginpakita sa iya sa isa ka pamisok ang tanan nga ginharian sang kalibutan.

Nagsiling ang Yawa, "Ihatag ko sa imo ining tanan nga kagamhanan kag kamanggaran. Gintugyan ini tanan sa akon kag sarang ko ini mahatag sa bisan kay sin-o nga luyag ko hatagan.

Ini tanan mangin-imo kon magsimba ka sa akon."

Nagsabat si Jesus, "Ang Kasulatan nagasiling, 'Magsimba ka sa Ginoo nga imo Dios kag siya lamang ang imo alagaron.' "

Gindala pa gid sia sang Yawa sa Jerusalem kag ginpatindog sia sa pinakamataas nga bahin sang templo kag nagsiling sa iya, "Kon Anak ka sang Dios, lukso ka paidalom.

Kay ang Kasulatan nagasiling, 'Ang Dios magasugo sang iya mga anghel sa pagbantay sa imo.

Bayawon ka nila sa ila mga kamot agod indi makasandad ang imo mga tiil sa bato.' "

Nagsabat si Jesus sa iya, "Ang Kasulatan nagasiling, 'Indi mo pagsulayon ang Ginoo nga imo Dios.' "

Sang matapos sang Yawa ang tanan nga paagi sang pagsulay, ginbayaan niya anay si Jesus tubtob nga may kahigayunan na man sia.

***

Meditation:
What motivated Jesus to spend 40 days and nights of solitude, prayer and fasting in the Judean wilderness? This desert landscape was largely uninhabitable and was full of dangers for anyone who dared to venture in it for long. Danger from scorching heat by day and extreme cold at night, danger from wild animals and scorpions, plus the deprivation of food and the scarcity of water.

For the chosen people of Israel the desert was a place of testing, encounter, and renewal. When the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt, they wandered 40 years in the wilderness. This was seen as a time of purification and preparation for entry into the promised land. Moses went to the mountain of the Lord at Sinai and stayed there for 40 days and nights in prayer and fasting (Exodus 24:18). Elijah, after he was fed with bread from heaven, journeyed without any food for 40 days to the mountain of God. (1 Kings 19:8). Jesus journeyed without any food to the wilderness for 40 days to prepare himself for the mission that the Father had sent him to accomplish.

Why did Jesus choose such a barren, lonely place for an intense and long period of sustained prayer and fasting? Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell us in their gospel accounts that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. Mark states it most emphatically: “The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness” (Mark 1:12). What compelled Jesus to seek solitude, away from his family and friends, for such a lengthy period? Was it simply a test to prepare him for his mission? Or did Satan want to lure him into a trap? The word tempt in English usually means to entice someone to do what is wrong or forbidden. The scriptural word used here also means test in the sense of proving and purifying someone to see if there are ready for the task at hand. We test flight pilots to see that they are fit to fly under all conditions, including times of adverse turbulence and poor visibility. Likewise God tests his servants to see if they are fit and ready to be used by him. On many occasions God tested Abraham to prove his faith and to strengthen his hope in God's promises. Abraham obeyed willingly even when God asked him to sacrifice Isaac, the son of promise. When the Israelites were sorely tested in Egypt for more than 400 years, they did not forget God. They kept God's word and remembered his promise to bring them freedom from their enemies.

Jesus was no exception to this pattern of testing. He went to the desert without food or shelter. Adam and Eve had everything they needed in the Garden of Paradise. But they ate of the forbidden fruit out of disobedience because they trusted in themselves rather than in God. They were cast out of Paradise and driven into the wilderness. Jesus freely enters the wilderness in order to regain Paradise for those who lost it. Jesus refuses food to show his dependence on the bread of heaven, the word of God, that would sustain him not only in his physical hunger, but in his hour of temptation as well. When Satan tempts Jesus to turn stones into bread, Jesus replies with the words of scripture, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (quote from Deuteronomy 8:3; see also Matthew 4:4).

Where did Jesus find the strength to survive the desert's harsh conditions and the tempter's seduction? He fed on God's word and found strength in doing his Father's will. Satan will surely tempt us and he will try his best to get us to choose our will over God's will. If he can’t make us renounce our faith or sin mortally, he will then try to get us to make choices that will lead us, little by little, away from what God wants for us.

Jesus was tempted like us and he overcame sin not by his own human effort but by the grace and strength which his Father gave to him. He had to renounce his will for the will of his Father. He succeeded because he wanted to please his Father and he trusted that his Father would give him the strength to overcome the obstacles that stood in the way. Luke says that Jesus was “full of the Holy Spirit” (Luke 4:1). When tempted by the devil Jesus did not try to fight his adversary on his own human strength. He relied on the power which the Spirit gave him. Jesus came to overthrow the evil one who held us captive to sin and fear of death (Hebrews 2:14). His obedience to his Father’s will and his willingness to embrace the cross reversed the curse of Adam’s disobedience. His victory over sin and death won for us not only pardon for our sins but adoption as sons and daughters of God.

How can we overcome sin and oppression in our personal lives? The Lord Jesus gives us his Holy Spirit to help us in our weakness (Romans 8:26) and to be our guide and consoler in temptation and testing (1 Corinthians 10:13). The Lord gives grace to the humble who acknowledge their dependence on him (James 4:6) and he helps us to stand against the attacks of our enemy, Satan, who seeks to destroy us (1 Peter 5:8-10; Ephesians 6:10-18). The Lord Jesus is ever ready to pour out his Spirit upon us that we may have the strength and courage we need to resist sin and to reject the lies and deceits of Satan. God wants us to “fight the good fight of the faith” (1 Timothy 6:12) with the power and strength which comes from the Holy Spirit. Do you rely on the Lord for your strength and help?

“Lord Jesus, your word is life and joy for me. Fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may have the strength and courage to embrace your will in all things and to renounce whatever is contrary to it.”

SAINT EUCHERIUS
Bishop
(+ 743)

This Saint was born at Orleans, of a very illustrious family. At his birth his parents dedicated him to God, and set him to study when he was but seven years old, resolving to omit nothing that could be done toward cultivating his mind or forming his heart His improvement in virtue kept pace with his progress in learning: he meditated assiduously on the sacred writings, especially on St. Paul's manner of speaking on the world and its enjoyments as mere empty shadows that deceive us and vanish away. These reflections at length sank so deep into his mind that he resolved to quit the world. To put this design in execution, about the year 714 he retired to the abbey of Jumiége in Normandy, where he spent six or seven years in the practice of penitential austerities and obedience.

Suavaric, his uncle, Bishop of Orleans, having died, the senate and people, with the clergy of that city, begged permission to elect Eucherius to the vacant see. The Saint entreated his monks to screen him from the dangers that threatened him; but they preferred the public good to their private inclinations, and resigned him for that important charge. He was consecrated with universal applause in 721.

Charles Martel, to defray the expenses of his wars and other undertakings, often stripped the churches of their revenues. St. Eucherius reproved these encroachments with so much zeal that, in the year 737, Charles banished him to Cologne. The extraordinary esteem which his virtue procured him in that city moved Charles to order him to be conveyed thence to a strong place in the territory of Liege. Robert, the governor of that country, was so charmed with his virtue that he made him the distributor of his large alms, and allowed him to retire to the monastery of Sarchinium, or St. Tron's.

Here prayer and contemplation were his whole employment till the year 743, in which he died, on the 20th of February.

Other Saints of the Day:

• St. Amata
  St. Bolcan
  St. Valerius
  St. Wulfric
  Sts. Tyrannio & Silvanus
  St. Sadoth
  St. Colgan
  St. Eleutherius of Tournai
  St. Leo of Catania
  Martyrs of Tyre

Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Lucas 5:27-32)

Sa tapos sini naggwa si Jesus kag nakita niya si Levi nga isa ka manugsukot sang buhis nga yara sa iya opisina. Nagsiling si Jesus sa iya, "Upod ka sa akon."

Nagtindog si Levi, ginbayaan niya ang tanan kag nag-upod sa iya.

Dayon si Levi naghiwat sing dako nga punsyon sa iya balay para kay Jesus, kag didto upod nila ang madamo nga mga manugsukot sang buhis kag iban pa nga mga bisita.

May mga Pariseo kag mga manunudlo sang Kasuguan nga kaupod nila nga nagareklamo sa mga gintuton-an ni Jesus. Nagsiling sila, "Ngaa bala nga nagakaon kamo kag nagainom upod sa mga manugsukot sang buhis kag sa mga makasasala?"

Si Jesus nagsabat sa ila, "Ang maayo wala nagakinahanglan sang manugbolong, kundi ang nagamasakit lang.

Wala ako nagkari sa pagtawag sang mga matarong, kundi sang mga makasasala sa paghinulsol."

***

Meditation:
When your neighbor stumbles through sin or ignorance, do you point the finger to criticize or do you lend a helping hand to lift him up? The prophet Isaiah tells us that God repays in kind. When we bless others, especially those who need spiritual as well and physical help, God in turn blesses us. When Jesus called a despised tax collector to be his disciple he surprised everyone including Levi (also known as Matthew). The religious leaders were especially upset with Jesus’ behavior towards public sinners like Levi. People in Palestine were divided into roughly two groups: the orthodox Jews who rigidly kept the law and all its petty regulations, and the rest who didn't keep all the minute regulations. The orthodox treated the latter like second class citizens. They scrupulously avoided their company, refused to do business with them, refused to give or receive anything from them, refused to intermarry, and avoided any form of entertainment with them, including table fellowship. Jesus' association with the latter, especially with tax collectors and sinners, shocked the sensibilities of these orthodox Jews.

When the Pharisees challenged Jesus unorthodox behavior in eating with public sinners, Jesus' defence was quite simple. A doctor doesn't need to treat healthy people; instead he goes to those who are sick. Jesus likewise sought out those in the greatest need. A true physician seeks healing of the whole person – body, mind, and spirit. Jesus came as the divine physician and good shepherd to care for his people and to restore them to wholeness of life. The orthodox were so preoccupied with their own practice of religion that they neglected to help the very people who needed the greatest care. Their religion was selfish because they didn't want to have anything to do with people not like themselves. Jesus stated his mission in unequivocal terms: I came not to call the righteous, but to call sinners. Ironically the orthodox were as needy as those they despised. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Do you thank the Lord for the great mercy he has shown to you? And do you seek the good of all your neighbors and show them mercy and kindness?

What does it mean to “leave all and follow the Lord”? Bede the Venerable, a 7th century church father comments on Matthew’s conversion to discipleship: “By ‘follow’ he meant not so much the movement of feet as of the heart, the carrying out of a way of life. For one who says that he lives in Christ ought himself to walk just as he walked, not to aim at earthly things, not to pursue perishable gains, but to flee base praise, to embrace willingly the contempt of all that is worldly for the sake of heavenly glory, to do good to all, to inflict injuries upon no one in bitterness, to suffer patiently those injuries that come to oneself, to ask God’s forgiveness for those who oppress, never to seek one’s own glory but always God’s, and to uphold whatever helps one love heavenly things. This is what is meant by following Christ. In this way, disregarding earthly gains, Matthew attached himself to the band of followers of One who had no riches. For the Lord himself, who outwardly called Matthew by a word, inwardly bestowed upon him the gift of an invisible impulse so that he was able to follow.” Are you ready to forsake all for Christ?

"Lord Jesus, our Savior, let us now come to you: Our hearts are cold; Lord, warm them with your selfless love. Our hearts are sinful; cleanse them with your precious blood. Our hearts are weak; strengthen them with your joyous Spirit. Our hearts are empty; fill them with your divine presence. Lord Jesus, our hearts are yours; possess them always and only for yourself." (Prayer of Augustine, 354-430)

SAINT BARBATUS
Bishop
(+ 682)

St. Barbatus was born in the territory of Benevento in Italy, toward the end of the pontificate of St. Gregory the Great, in the beginning of the seventh century. His parents gave him a Christian education, and Barbatus in his youth laid the foundation of that eminent sanctity which recommends him to our veneration.

The innocence, simplicity, and purity of his manners, and his extraordinary progress in all virtues, qualified him for the service of the altar, to which he was assumed by taking Holy Orders as soon as the canons of the Church would allow it. He was immediately employed by his bishop in preaching, for which he had an extraordinary talent, and, after some time, made curate of St. Basil's in Morcona, a town near Benevento. His parishioners were steeled in their irregularities, and they treated him as a disturber of their peace, and persecuted him with the utmost violence. Finding their malice conquered by his patience and humility, and his character shining still more bright, they had recourse to slanders, in which their virulence and success were such that he was obliged to withdraw his charitable endeavors among them.

Barbatus returned to Benevento, where he was received with joy. When St. Barbatus entered upon his ministry in that city, the Christians themselves retained many idolatrous superstitions, which even their duke, Prince Romuald, authorized by his example, though son of Grimoald, King of the Lombards, who had edified all Italy by his conversion. They expressed a religious veneration for a golden viper, and prostrated themselves before it; they also paid superstitious honor to a tree, on which they hung the skin of a wild beast; and those ceremonies were closed by public games, in which the skin served for a mark at which bowmen shot arrows over their shoulders. St. Barbatus preached zealously against these abuses, and at length he roused the attention of the people by foretelling the distress of their city, and the calamities which it was to suffer from the army of the Emperor Constans, who, landing soon after in Italy, laid siege to Benevento.

Ildebrand, Bishop of Benevento, dying during the siege, after the public tranquillity was restored St. Barbatus was consecrated bishop on the 10th of March, 663. Barbatus, being invested with the episcopal character, pursued and completed the good work which he had so happily begun, and destroyed every trace of superstition in the whole state. In the year 680 he assisted in a council held by Pope Agatho at Rome, and the year following in the Sixth General Council held at Constantinople against the Monothelites.

He did not long survive this great assembly, for he died on the 29th of February, 682, being about seventy years old, almost nineteen of which he had spent in the episcopal chair.

Other Saints of the Day:

• St. Alvarez
• St. Alvarez of Corova
• St. Auxibius
• St. Beatus
• St. Boniface of Lausanne
• St. Valerius
• St. Zambdas
• St. Belina
• Bl. Lucy
• St. Odran

SAINT FLAVIAN
Bishop and Martyr
(+ 449)

FLAVIAN was elected Patriarch of Constantinople in 447. His short episcopate of two years was a time of conflict and persecution from the first. Chrysaphius, the emperor's favorite, tried to extort a large sum of money from him on the occasion of his consecration. His fidelity in refusing this simoniacal betrayal of his trust brought on him the enmity of the most powerful man in the empire.

A graver trouble soon arose. In 448 Flavian had to condemn the rising heresy of the monk Eutyches, who obstinately denied that Our Lord was in two perfect natures after His Incarnation. Eutyches drew to his cause all the bad elements which so early gathered about the Byzantine court. His intrigues were long baffled by the vigilance of Flavian; but at last he obtained from the emperor the assembly of a council at Ephesus, in August 449, presided over by his friend Dioscorus, Patriarch of Alexandria. Into this "robber council," as it is called, Eutyches entered, surrounded by soldiers. The Roman legates could not even read the Pope's letters; and at the first sign of resistance to the condemnation of Flavian, fresh troops entered with drawn swords, and, in spite of the protests of the legates, terrified most of the bishops into acquiescence.

The fury of Dioscorus reached its height when Flavian appealed to the Holy See. Then it was that he so forgot his apostolic office as to lay violent hands on his adversary. St. Flavian was set upon by Dioscorus and others, thrown down, beaten, kicked, and finally carried into banishment. Let us contrast their ends. Flavian clung to the teaching of the Roman Pontiff, and sealed his faith with his blood. Dioscorus excommunicated the Vicar of Christ, and died obstinate and impenitent in the heresy of Eutyches.

Other Saints of the Day:

• St. Simon
• St. Agatha Lin
• St. Angilbert
• Bl. William Harrington
• St. Theotonius
• St. Charalampias
• St. Colman of Lindisfarne
• St. Flavian of Constantinople
• Bl. John Pibush
• St. Leo & Paregorius
• St. Lucius
• Bl. Martin
• St. Maximus

The Seven Holy Founders of the Order of Servites

Seven laymen of the city of Florence, in the mid-thirteenth century, renounced the world and lived as hermits on Monte Senario, about 12 miles from Florence.

They had a particular devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary; they spent themselves in the care of others and eventually in preaching throughout Tuscany.

The Order of Servites was founded from those who came to follow them, and was recognised by the Holy See in 1304.

Other Saints of the Day:

• St. Alexis Falconieri
• St. Benedict of Cagliari
• St. Theodulus
• St. Constabilis
• St. Donatus
• St. Evermod
• St. Fintan
• St. Fortchern
• St. Faustinus & Companions
• St. Habet Deus
• St. Hugh dei Lippi Uggucioni
• St. Julian of Caesarea
• St. Loman
• St. Manettus
• St. Polychronius

Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Mateo 6:1-6.16-18)

"Mag-andam kamo nga indi magpakita-kita lang sa mga tawo sang inyo maayo nga ginahimo. Kay kon magpakita-kita kamo wala na kamo sing balos sa inyo Amay nga yara sa langit.

"Gani kon ikaw magpanglimos, indi mo ini pag-ipanugidsogid subong sang ginahimo sang mga salimpapaw sa mga sinagoga kag sa mga dalan. Ginahimo nila ina agod nga ang mga tawo magdayaw sa ila. Dumdoma ninyo ini! Nabaton na nila ang ila balos.

Pero kon magbulig kamo sa tawo nga nagakinahanglan, himoa nga bisan ang imo mahirop nga abyan indi makahibalo, kundi ikaw lamang. Kag ang imo Amay nga nagatan-aw sang imo ginahimo sa tago magabalos sa imo."

"Kon magpangamuyo kamo, indi kamo magmanginkaangay sa mga tawo nga salimpapaw. Luyag sila magpangamuyo nga nagatindog sa mga sinagoga kag sa mga ginsang-an sang mga dalan, agod makita nga mga makita sila sang mga tawo. Dumdoma ninyo ini! Nabaton na nila ang ila balos.

Pero kon magpangamuyo ka, sulod ka sa imo kuwarto, sirahi ang puwertahan kag magpangamuyo ka sa imo Amay nga indi makita. Kag ang imo Amay nga nagatan-aw sang imo ginahimo sa tago magabalos sa imo.

"Kag kon magpuasa kamo, indi kamo magpakita nga masinulob-on kamo subong sang mga salimpapaw, kay luyag sila magpakita sa ila guya sang ila kagutom agod nga ang mga tawo makahibalo nga nagapuasa sila. Dumdoma ninyo ini! Nabaton na nila ang ila balos.

Kon magpuasa kamo, panghilam-os kag panghusay kamo, agod nga ang iban nga mga tawo indi makahibalo nga nagapuasa kamo, kundi ang inyo lamang Amay nga indi makita. Kag ang inyo Amay nga nagatan-aw sang inyo ginahimo sa tago magabalos sa inyo."

***

Meditation:

Are you hungry for God and do you thirst for his holiness? God wants to set our hearts ablaze with the fire of his Holy Spirit that we may share in his holiness and radiate the joy of the gospel to those around us. St. Augustine of Hippo tells us that there are two kinds of people and two kinds of love: “One is holy, the other is selfish. One is subject to God; the other endeavors to equal Him.” We are what we love. God wants to free our hearts from all that would keep us captive to selfishness and sin. “Rend your hearts and not your garments” says the prophet Joel (Joel 2:12). The Holy Spirit is ever ready to transform our hearts and to lead us further in God’s way of truth and holiness.

Why did Jesus single out prayer, fasting, and almsgiving for his disciples? The Jews considered these three as the cardinal works of the religious life. These were seen as the key signs of a pious person, the three great pillars on which the good life was based. Jesus pointed to the heart of the matter. Why do you pray, fast, and give alms? To draw attention to yourself so that others may notice and think highly of you? Or to give glory to God? The Lord warns his disciples of self-seeking glory – the preoccupation with looking good and seeking praise from others. True piety is something more than feeling good or looking holy. True piety is loving devotion to God. It is an attitude of awe, reverence, worship and obedience. It is a gift and working of the Holy Spirit that enables us to devote our lives to God with a holy desire to please him in all things (Isaiah 11:1-2).

What is the sure reward which Jesus points out to his disciples? It is communion with God our Father. In him alone we find the fulness of life, happiness, and truth. May Augustine's prayer, recorded in his Confessions, be our prayer this Lent: When I am completely united to you, there will be no more sorrows or trials; entirely full of you, my life will be complete. The Lord wants to renew us each day and give us new hearts of love and compassion. Do you want to grow in your love for God and for your neighbor? Seek him expectantly in prayer, with fasting, and in generous giving to those in need.

The forty days of Lent is the annual retreat of the people of God in imitation of Jesus' forty days in the wilderness. Forty is a significant number in the scriptures. Moses went to the mountain to seek the face of God for forty days in prayer and fasting. The people of Israel were in the wilderness for forty years in preparation for their entry into the promised land. Elijah fasted for forty days as he journeyed in the wilderness to the mountain of God. We are called to journey with the Lord in a special season of prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and penitence as we prepare to celebrate the feast of Easter, the Christian Passover. The Lord gives us spiritual food and supernatural strength to seek his face and to prepare ourselves for spiritual combat and testing. We, too, must follow in the way of the cross in order to share in the victory of Christ's death and resurrection. As we begin this holy season of testing and preparation, let's ask the Lord for a fresh outpouring of his Holy Spirit that we may grow in faith, hope, and love and embrace his will more fully in our lives.

"Lord Jesus, give me a lively faith, a firm hope, a fervent charity, and a great love of you. Take from me all lukewarmness in the meditation of your word, and dullness in prayer. Give me fervor and delight in thinking of you and your grace, and fill me with compassion for others, especially those in need, that I may respond with generosity."

SAINT ONESIMUS

Disciple of St. Paul
(1st century)

He was a Phrygian by birth, slave to Philemon, a person of note of the city of Colossæ, converted to the faith by St. Paul. Having robbed his master and being obliged to fly, he providentially met with St. Paul, then a prisoner for the faith at Rome, who there converted and baptized him, and sent him with his canonical letter of recommendation to Philemon, by whom he was pardoned, set at liberty, and sent back to his spiritual father, whom he afterwards faithfully served.

That apostle made him, with Tychicus, the bearer of his Epistle to the Colossians, and afterwards, as St. Jerome and other Fathers witness, a preacher of the Gospel and a bishop. He was crowned with martyrdom under Domitian in the year 95.

Other Saints of the Day:

• St. Daniel
• St. Gilbert of Sempringham
• St. Jeremy
• St. Aganus
• St. Elias & Companions
• St. Faustinus
• St. Honestus
• St. Julian of Egypt
• St. Juliana of Cumae
• Blessed John de Britto

Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Marcos 8:14-21)

Nalipat ang mga gintuton-an sa pagdala sang tinapay luwas sang isa ka bilog nga nadala nila sa sakayan.

Ginpaandaman sila ni Jesus, "Mag-andam kamo kag magbantay sang inyo kaugalingon batok sa lebadora sang mga Pariseo kag ni Herodes."

Nagbinaisay sila kag nagsiling, "Ginhambal niya tungod kay wala kita sing tinapay."

Si Jesus nakahibalo sang ila ginabaisan, gani ginpamangkot niya sila, "Ngaa bala nga ginabaisan ninyo ang kakulang sang tinapay? Wala pa bala kamo makahibalo ukon makahangop? Mango gid bala kamo?

May mga mata man kamo, kag indi bala kamo makakita? May mga dulunggan man kamo, kag indi bala kamo makabati? Wala bala kamo makadumdum sang ginpamihakpihak ko ang lima ka bilog nga tinapay para sa 5,000 ka mga tawo? Pila ka alat ang napuno sang nabilin nga inyo gintipon?" Nagsabat sila, "Dose!"

Si Jesus nagpamangkot, "Kag sang ginpamihakpihak ko ang pito ka bilog nga tinapay para sa 4,000 ka mga tawo, pila bala ka alat ang napuno sang natipon ninyo nga sobra?" Nagsabat sila, "Pito!"

Nagpamangkot sia sa ila, "Kag indi pa bala kamo makahangop?"

***

Meditation:
What do you do when you come to the end of your resources – when you feel inadequate, shorthanded, or empty? Do you wring your hands, complain, fret, and give in to worry, fear, and despair? Mark tells us that the apostles set off in their boat across the Sea of Galilee only to discover that they forgot to bring enough food for their journey. What were they to do miles away from land and any place where they could buy food and supplies? They were anxious of course, and this was right after Jesus had performed the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes where the disciples fed more than four thousand people (Mark 8:1-9). Jesus knew the trouble in his disciples' hearts even before they could speak. Jesus dealt with their anxiety by first warning them to not fear what can harm the body rather than what can destroy the very heart and soul of their being.

Jesus cautioned the disciples to beware of the bread that corrupts and leads to death, such as the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. Our "daily bread" is whatever nourishes us, not just physically, but spiritually, intellectually, and morally as well. Why did Jesus tell his disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod? To the Jew leaven was a sign of evil. It was a piece of dough left-over from a previous baking. In due course it fermented and this fermented dough became leaven. Fermentation was associated with decomposing rot. Jesus warned his disciples to avoid the evil influence of the Pharisees and of Herod who sought their own counsels rather than the will of God. As the apostles continued to worry about their lack of bread, Jesus reminded them of his miraculous provision of bread in the feeding of the four thousand. He then upbraided them for their lack of trust in God. Do you not yet understand? It's easy to get preoccupied with the problems and needs of the present moment and to forget the most important reality of all – God's abiding presence with us and his abundant provision for our lives as well. Do you pray with joyful confidence, Father, give us this day our daily bread?

"Lord Jesus, you alone can sustain me with your life-giving Word and Spirit. Give me joy and strength to serve you always and help me to turn away from the leaven of sin and worldliness which brings corruption and death."

St. Claude La Colombière

Priest S.I.
(1641-1682)

Claude La Colombière, third child of the notary Bertrand La Colombière and Margaret Coindat, was born on 2nd February 1641 at St. Symphorien d'Ozon in the Dauphine, southeastern France. After the family moved to Vienne Claude began his early education there, completing his studies in rhetoric and philosophy in Lyon.

It was during this period that Claude first sensed his vocation to the religious life in the Society of Jesus. We know nothing of the motives which led to this decision. We do know, however, from one of his early notations, that he "had a terrible aversion for the life embraced". This affirmation is not hard to understand by any who are familiar with the life of Claude, for he was very close to his family and friends and much inclined to the arts and literature and an active social life. On the other hand, he was not a person to be led primarily by his sentiments.

At 17 he entered the Jesuit Novitiate at Avignon. In 1660 he moved from the Novitiate to the College, also in Avignon, where he pronounced his first vows and completed his studies in philosophy. Afterwards he was professor of grammar and literature in the same school for another five years.

In 1666 he went to the College of Clermont in Paris for his studies in theology. Already noted for his tact, poise and dedication to the humanities, Claude was assigned by superiors in Paris the additional responsibility of tutoring the children of Louis XIV's Munster of Finance, Jean Baptiste Colbert.

His theological studies concluded and now a priest, Claude returned to Lyon. For a time he was teacher in the College, then full-time preacher and moderator of several Marian congregations.

Claude became noted for solid and serious sermons. They were ably directed at specific audiences and, faithful to their inspiration from the gospel, communicated to his listeners serenity and confidence in God. His published sermons produced and still produce significant spiritual fruits. Given the place and the short duration of his ministry, his sermons are surprisingly fresh in comparison with those of better-known orators.

The year 1674 was a decisive one for Claude, the year of his Third Probation at Maison Saint-Joseph in Lyon. During the customary month of the Exercises the Lord prepared him for the mission for which he had been chosen. His spiritual notes from this period allow one to follow step-by-step the battles and triumphs of the spirit, so extraordinarily attracted to everything human, yet so generous with God.

He took a vow to observe all the constitutions and rules of the Society of Jesus, a vow whose scope was not so much to bind him to a series of minute observances as to reproduce the sharp ideal of an apostle so richly described by St. Ignatius. So magnificent did this ideal seem to Claude that he adopted it as his program of sanctity. That it was indeed an invitation from Christ himself is evidenced by the subsequent feeling of interior liberation Claude experienced, along with the broadened horizons of the apostolate he witnesses to in his spiritual diary.

On 2nd February 1675 he pronounced his solemn profession and was named rector of the College at Paray-le-Monial. Not a few people wondered at this assignment of a talented young Jesuit to such an out-of the-way place as Paray. The explanation seems to be in the superiors' knowledge that there was in Paray an unpretentious religious of the Monastery of the Visitation, Margaret Mary Alacoque, to whom the Lord was revealing the treasures of his Heart, but who was overcome by anguish and uncertainty. She was waiting for the Lord to fulfill his promise and send her "my faithful servant and perfect friend" to help her realize the mission for which he had destined her: that of revealing to the world the unfathomable riches of his love.

After Father Colombière's arrival and her first conversations with him, Margaret Mary opened her spirit to him and told him of the many communications she believed she had received from the Lord. He assured her he accepted their authenticity and urged her to put in writing everything in their regard, and did all he could to orient and support her in carrying out the mission received. When, thanks to prayer and discernment, he became convinced that Christ wanted the spread of the devotion to his Heart, it is clear from Claude's spiritual notes that he pledged himself to this cause without reserve. In these notes it is also clear that, even before he became Margaret Mary's confessor, Claude's fidelity to the directives of St. Ignatius in the Exercises had brought him to the contemplation of the Heart of Christ as symbol of his love.

After a year and half in Paray, in 1676 Father La Colombière left for London. He had been appointed preacher to the Duchess of York - a very difficult and delicate assignment because of the conditions prevailing in England at the time. He took up residence in St. James Palace in October.

In addition to sermons in the palace chapel and unremitting spiritual direction both oral and written, Claude dedicated his time to giving thorough instruction to the many who sought reconciliation with the Church they had abandoned. And even if there were great dangers, he had the consolation of seeing many reconciled to it, so that after a year he said: "I could write a book about the mercy of God I've seen Him exercise since I arrived here!"

The intense pace of his work and the poor climate combined to undermine his health, and evidence of a serious pulmonary disease began to appear. Claude, however, made no changes in his work or life style.

Of a sudden, at the end of 1678, he was calumniously accused and arrested in connection with the Titus Oates "papist plot". After two days he was transferred to the severe King's Bench Prison where he remained for three weeks in extremely poor conditions until his expulsion from England by royal decree. This suffering further weakened Claude's health which, with ups and downs, deteriorated rapidly on his return to France.

During the summer of 1681 he returned to Paray, in very poor condition. On 15th February 1682, the first Sunday of Lent, towards evening Claude suffered the severe hemorrhage which ended his life.

On the 16th of June 1929 Pope Pius XI beatified Claude La Colombière, whose charism, according to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, was that of bringing souls to God along the gospel way of love and mercy which Christ revealed to us.

Other Saints of the Day:

• St. Jordan
• St. Walfrid
• St. Faustinus
• St. Agape
• St. Berach
• St. Walfrid
• St. Winaman
• St. Saturninus
• St. Craton
• St. Decorosus
• St. Dochow
• St. Druthmar
• St. Jovita
• St. Euseus
• St. Eusebius
• St. Georgia
• St. Farannan
• St. Faustus
• St. Joseph of Antioch
• St. Quinidius
• Sts. Faustinus and Jovita
• Bl. Michał Sopoćko

Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Marcos 8:11-13)

May mga Pariseo nga nagpalapit kay kag nagpakighusay sa kay Jesus. Luyag nila nga tilawan sia, gani nagpangayo sila sing isa ka milagro sa pagpakita nga may gahom siya halin sa Dios.

Nagpanghakroy si Jesus sing malawig kag nagsiling, "Ngaa bala nga ang mga tawo karon nga mga inadlaw nagapangita sang isa ka milagro? Nagasiling ako sa inyo, nga wala sing milagro nga ipakita sa sini nga mga tawo!"

Ginbayaan sila ni Jesus, nagbalik siya sa sakayan kag nagtabok sa pihak sang linaw.

***

Meditation:
Are you good at reading signs? Signs tell us what is coming ahead. The people of Jesus' time expected that the coming of the Messiah would be accompanied by extraordinary signs and wonders. The religious leaders tested Jesus to see if he had a genuine sign from heaven to back his Messianic claims. False messiahs in the past had made extraordinary claims to attract their followers, such as claiming that they could cleave the Jordan River in two or cause the walls of Jerusalem to fall. Jesus knew the hearts of those who came to test him. They were more interested in seeing signs and supernatural phenomena than they were in hearing the word of God. Simeon had prophesied at Jesus' birth that he was "destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that inner thoughts of many will be revealed" (Luke 2:34-35). Jesus gave them no sign except himself and the ultimate proof of his divinity when he rose from the dead.

The Lord reveals himself and makes his presence known to us in many ways – in his word and in the "breaking of the bread" in the Eucharist, in his church – the body of Christ, in his creation, and even in the everyday circumstances of our lives. If we seek the Lord, we will surely find him. And we can be confident that he will give us whatever we need to understand and carry out his will. Most of all the Lord assures us of his daily presence and the promise that he will never leave us. Theresa of Avila's prayer book contained a bookmark which she wrote: Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you; All things pass: God never changes. Patience achieves all it strives for. Whoever has God lacks nothing, God alone suffices. Is God enough for you?

"Lord Jesus, may I always recognize your saving presence in my life and never forget your promises when I encounter trials and difficulties. Give me a faith that never wavers, a hope that never fades, and a love that never grows cold."

BLESSED JORDAN OF SAXONY
Dominican Priest
(C. 1190-1237)

Blessed Jordan of Saxony was a German of noble descent. He received a pious upbringing, and was noted for his charity to the poor from an early age. Educated in Germany, he received his masters' degree in theology at the University of Paris.

He joined the Order of Preachers in 1220 under Saint Dominic himself and became Prior-provincial of the Order in Lombardy in 1221. He succeeded Dominic as master-general of the Order in 1222. Under his administration, the Order spread throughout Germany, and into Denmark.

He was a noted and powerful preacher; one of his sermons brought Saint Albert the Great into the Order.

Jordan is the author of Libellus de principiis Ordinis Praedicatorum ("Booklet on the beginnings of the Order of Preachers"), a Latin text which is both the earliest biography of Saint Dominic and the first narrative history of the foundation of the Order.

Spiritual director of Blessed Diana d'Andalo, he helped her found the monastery of Saint Agnes.

He died in a shipwreck off the coast of Syria while on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Other Saints of the Day:

• St. Catherine de Ricci
• St. Agabus
• Bl. Archangela Girlani
• St. Benignus
• St. Dyfnog
• St. Ermengild
• St. Gosbert
• St. Huno
• Bl. John Lantrua of Triora
• St. Julian of Lyons
• St. Lezin
• St. Martinian
• St. Modomnoc
• St. Polyeuctus

Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Marcos 8:1-10)

Sa wala lang madugay, nagtipon liwat ang madamo nga mga tawo. Sang wala na sila sing nabilin nga kalan-on, gintawag ni Jesus ang iya mga gintuton-an kag nagsiling sa ila, "Naluoy ako sa sini nga mga tawo, kay tatlo na ini ka adlaw ang ila pag-upod sa akon kag karon wala na sila sing kalan-on.

Kon papaulion ko sila nga wala makakaon basi malipong sila sa dalanon kay malayo ang ginhalinan sang iban sa ila."

Ang iya mga gintuton-an nagpamangkot sa iya, "Diin bala kita sa sini nga desierto makakita sang kalan-on nga maka-igo sa sini tanan nga mga tawo?"

Nagpamangkot si Jesus, "Pila pa ka bilog ang inyo tinapay?" Nagsabat sila, "Pito."

Ginsugo niya ang mga tawo nga maglingkod sa duta. Dayon ginkuha niya ang pito ka bilog nga tinapay, nagpasalamat sia sa Dios, ginpamihak-pihak niya ini kag ginhatag sa iya mga gintuton-an agod ipanagtag nila sa mga tawo, kag ginpanagtag ini sang mga gintuton-an.

May pila man sila ka bilog nga magagmay nga isda. Nagpasalamat si Jesus tungod sini kag iya ginsugo ang iya mga gintuton-an nga ipanagtag man ini.

Ang tanan nagkalaon kag nagkalabusog, kag ang kadamuon sang mga tawo mga 4,000.

Sa tapos sini ang mga nabilin gintipon sang mga gintuton-an kag napuno ang pito ka alat. Ginapapauli ni Jesus ang mga tawo kag sa gilayon nagsakay siya sa isa ka sakayan upod ang iya mga gintuton-an kag nagkadto sila sa distrito sang Dalmanuta.

***

Meditation:

Can anything on earth truly satisfy the hunger we experience for God? The enormous crowd that pressed upon Jesus for three days were hungry for something more than physical food. They hung upon Jesus’ words because they were hungry for God. When the disciples were confronted by Jesus with the task of feeding four thousand people many miles away from any source of food, they exclaimed: Where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them? The Israelites were confronted with the same dilemma when they fled Egypt and found themselves in a barren wilderness. Like the miraculous provision of manna in the wilderness, Jesus, himself provides bread in abundance for the hungry crowd who came out into the desert to seek him. The gospel records that all were satisfied and they took up what was leftover. When God gives he gives abundantly – more than we deserve and more than we need so that we may have something to share with others as well. The Lord Jesus nourishes and sustains us with his life-giving word and with his heavenly bread.

The sign of the multiplication of the loaves, when the Lord says the blessing, breaks and distributes through his disciples, prefigures the superabundance of the unique bread of his Eucharist or Lord’s Supper. When we receive from the Lord’s table we unite ourselves to Jesus Christ, who makes us sharers in his body and blood. Ignatius of Antioch (35-107 A.D.) calls it the "one bread that provides the medicine of immortality, the antidote for death, and the food that makes us live for ever in Jesus Christ" (Ad Eph. 20,2). This supernatural food is healing for both body and soul and strength for our journey heavenward. When you approach the Table of the Lord, what do you expect to receive? Healing, pardon, comfort, and refreshment for your soul? The Lord has much more for us, more than we can ask or imagine. The principal fruit of receiving from the Lord's Table is an intimate union with Christ himself. As bodily nourishment restores lost strength, so the Eucharist strengthens us in charity and enables us to break with disordered attachments to creatures and to be more firmly rooted in the love of Christ. Do you hunger for Jesus, the true "bread of life"?

"Lord Jesus, you alone can satisfy the hunger in our lives. Fill me with greatful joy and eager longing for the true heavenly bread which gives health, strength, and wholeness to body and soul alike.”

SAINT BENEDICT OF ANIAN
(c. 750-821)

Benedict was the son of Aigulf, Governor of Languedoc, and was born about 750. In his early youth he served as cup-bearer to King Pepin and his son Charlemagne, enjoying under them great honors and possessions.

Grace entered his soul at the age of twenty, and he resolved to reek the kingdom of God with his whole heart. Without relinquishing his place at court, he lived there a most mortified life for three years; then a narrow escape from drowning made him vow to quit the world, and he entered the cloister of St. Seine.

In reward for his heroic austerities in the monastic state, God bestowed upon him the gift of tears, and inspired him with knowledge of spiritual things. As procurator, he was most careful of the wants of the brethren, and most hospitable to the poor and to guests.

Declining to accept the abbacy, he built himself a little hermitage on the brook Anian, and lived some years in great solitude and poverty; but the fame of his sanctity drawing many souls around him, he was obliged to build a large abbey, and within a short time governed three hundred monks.

He became the great restorer of monastic discipline throughout France and Germany. First, he drew up with immense labor a code of the rules of St. Benedict, his great namesake, which he collated with those of the chief monastic founders, showing the uniformity of the exercises in each, and enforced by his "Penitential" their exact observance; secondly, he minutely regulated all matters regarding food, clothing, and every detail of life; and thirdly, by prescribing the same for all, he excluded jealousies and insured perfect charity.

In a Provincial Council held in 813, under Charlemagne, at which he was present, it was declared that all monks of the West should adopt the rule of St. Benedict.

He died in 821.

Other Saints of the Day:

• St. Buonfiglio Monaldo
• St. Febronia
• St. Julian
• St. Anthony Kauleas
• St. Anthony of Saxony
• St. Benedict Revelli
• Bl. Thomas Hemerford
• St. Damian
• St. Ethelwald
• St. Humbeline
• St. James Feun, Blessed
• St. John of Nicomedia
• St. Julian the Hospitaler
• St. Juventius of Pavia
• St. Ludan
• St. Meletius of Antioch
• St. Modestus
• St. Modestus & Ammonius
• St. Modestus & Julian

Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Marcos 7:31-37)

Dayon naghalin si Jesus sa kadutaan sang Tiro kag nagpadulong sa Linaw sang Galilea. Nag-agi siya sa Sidon kag sa mga duog nga sakop sang Decapolis.

May isa ka tawo nga bungol kag halos makahambal nga gindala sang mga tawo kay Jesus, kag nagpakiluoy sila sa iya nga itungtong niya ang iya mga kamot sa bungol.

Gindala siya ni Jesus sa unhan malayo sa madamo nga mga tawo, kag gin-gulo ni Jesus ang iya mga tudlo sa duha ka dulunggan sang tawo, nagdupla si Jesus kag gintandog niya ang dila sang tawo.

Dayon nagtangla si Jesus sa langit, nagpangamuyo sing madali kag nagsiling sa iya, "Effata," nga kon sayuron, "Magbukas ka!"

Sa gilayon nabuksan ang iya dulonggan kag nagtugak ang iya dila, kag naghambal siya sing maathag.

Dayon nagmando si Jesus sa ila tanan nga indi magpanugid sa kay bisan sin-o sang nahanabo, pero sa sagad niya dumili sa ila tapat pa gani nga ginpanugid nila.

Ang tanan nga nakabati sini natingala gid. Nagsiling sila, "Daw ano kaayo ang paghimo niya sang tanan nga mga butang. Ginahimo niya nga makabati ang mga bungol kag makahambal ang mga apa!"

***

Meditation:
How do you expect the Lord to treat you, when you ask for his help? Do you approach with fear and doubt, or with faith and confidence? Jesus never turned anyone aside who approached him with sincerity and trust. And whatever Jesus did, he did well. He demonstrated both the beauty and goodness of God in his actions. When Jesus approaches a man who is both deaf and a stutterer, Jesus shows his considerateness for this man's predicament. Jesus takes him aside privately, not doubt to remove him from embarrassment with a noisy crowd of gawkers. Jesus then puts his fingers into the deaf man's ears and he touches the man's tongue with his own spittle to physically identify with this man's infirmity and to awaken faith in him. With a word of command the poor man's ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.

What is the significance of Jesus putting his fingers into the man’s ears? Gregory the Great, a church father from the 6th century, comments on this miracle: “The Spirit is called the finger of God. When the Lord puts his fingers into the ears of the deaf mute, he was opening the soul of man to faith through the gifts of the Holy Spirit.”

The people's response to this miracle testifies to Jesus' great care for others: He has done all things well. No problem or burden was too much for Jesus' careful consideration. The Lord treats each of us with kindness and compassion and he calls us to treat one another in like kind. The Holy Spirit who dwells within us enables us to love as Jesus loves. Do you show kindness and compassion to your neighbors and do you treat them with considerateness as Jesus did?

"Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit and inflame my heart with love and compassion. Make me attentive to the needs of others that I may show them kindness and care. Make me an instrument of your mercy and peace that I may help others find healing and wholeness in you."

OUR LADY OF LOURDES
(1858)

In the fourth year after the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, when a certain girl named Bernadette asserted that she had seen the Immaculate Mother of God many times in a rock cavern, on the banks of the river Gave, near the town of Lourdes, in the diocese of Tarbes, in France, so many and great wonders took place that every prudent and devoted follower of Christ could easily know that the finger of God was there. The most famous among these is that sick people who took the water from a spring that had miraculously originated in the grotto were ever so often restored to health.

Reports of the favors which the faithful were said to have received in the sacred grotto had become very widespread, and with the gathering of people increasing daily, the Bishop of Tarbes, after a juridical inquiry into the facts, permitted the religious veneration of this Immaculate Virgin to be held in the grotto itself.

Before long a church was built, and innumerable crowds of the faithful have come there every year, and in time the name of the Immaculate Mother of God has become renowned everywhere in the world; the more so each year, as the procession of the most blessed Sacrament takes place, during which some of the sick who are brought there from all parts of the world seeking health from God through the intercession of his Immaculate Mother, grow well.

Because of all this, Pope Pius X officially extended to the Universal Church this feast which Leo XIII had permitted to be celebrated only in certain places.

Other Saints of the Day:

• St. Severinus
• St. Paschal
• St. Adolf of Osnabruck
• St. Ardanus
• St. Calocerus
• St. Desiderius
• St. Jonas
• St. Lucius