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For everything, there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.
~~ECCLESIASTES 3:1 (ESV)
A woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.
MATTHEW 26:7 (NIV)
That day, rather than sadness, we felt a joyful sense of release and freedom. We were unencumbered, ready to follow Jesus anywhere. Our sacrifices seemed small in comparison to the rich blessings we received in answering His call.
I believe that Lazarus's sister Mery felt this same sense of release as she offered her most valuable possession to Jesus, her Lord. In an act of overwhelming adoration, she freely poured out costly perfume on Him. What some viewed as a waste of resources, Jesus saw as Mary's act of sacrificial worship. The one who had sat at His feet had listened (Luke 10:39). She got it and prepared Jesus for His death.
FAITH STEP: As an act of sacrificial worship, consider what you can offer Jesus, even if it means risking the ridicule of those who simply don't get it.

Good morning, Holy Spirit, family, friends, and all who see our post.
Thank You, Holy Spirit, for yesterday's blessings, and a new Wednesday full of faith, hope, knowledge, wisdom, energy, patience, good health, peace, and LOVE. AMEN
JEREMIAH 52:1-17 (KJV)
ZEDEKIAH AND THE ARMY FLEE
ZEDEKIAH was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.
For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, till he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it, and built forts against it round about. ..
And the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of Jerusalem round about.
Then Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carried away captives certain of the poor of the people, and the residue of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude.
But Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard left certain of the poor of the land for vinedressers and for husbandmen.
Also the pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD, and the bases, and the brasen sea that was in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans brake, and carried all the brass of them to Babylon.

TUESDAY OF HOLY WEEK - MARCH 26, 2024
"I will lay down my life for you." - Jn 13:37

Consider not only the physical wounds Jesus endured in His Passion but also the psychological and emotional wounds inflicted upon Him when He was betrayed. Not only by Judas, but by Peter, too. Perhaps you know what it feels like to be betrayed. Or have you been the one who has betrayed another?
Place yourself in the scent of the Last Supper in the Upper Room. Which person do you most relate with at this time - Peter, confident in his faithfulness but not yet realizing that in the face of persecution he will renounce the Lord; John, who rests his head on the Lord's Heart; another apostle confused at what Jesus is saying and having many questions in his heart; or Judas, who is willing to hand over the Lord for a sum of money?
No matter where you find yourself, even in the place of Judas, the Lord's mercy is available to you. If you find yourself off the Lord's path this Lent, this Holy Week, renew your commitment to Jesus. Implore Him for His mercy. Even Judas could have come to Jesus for mercy, as Peter did. No matter how great the sin, nothing is outside God's mercy.
All of us are called to rest on the Lord's Heart as John did. Draw near to His Sacred Heart this day and listen to it beating with love for you. If you allow yourself to do this, you will have the strength to follow Him even to the Cross, as St. John did.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.
~~JAMES 1:17 (ESV)
So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.
JOHN 12:10-11 (NIV)
The religious leaders who plotted to crucify Jesus wanted to kill Lazarus as well. But what had Lazarus done to deserve such a sentence other than serve as living proof of the Messiah's miracle-working power? He was guilty by association.
That made me wonder. Am I so closely associated with Christ that I'm guilty of acting like Him? Can I be accused and convicted of imitating His behavior? Of reflecting His nature? When people loo at my life, are they convinced I'm a Christian by the love I express? I hope so.
FAITH STEP: Today, strive to live so much like Jesus that anyone who looks at your life would deem you guilty by association with Him.

Good morning, Jesus Christ, family, friends, and all who see our post.
Thank You, Jesus Christ, for yesterday's blessings, and a new Tuesday full of hope, grace, happiness, energy, peace, and LOVE. AMEN
WORDS WRITTEN AGAINST BABYLON
Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the LORD.
A sound of a cry cometh from Babylon, and great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans:
Because the LORD hath spoiled Babylon, and destroyed out of her the great voice; when her waves do roar like great waters, a noise of their voice is uttered:
Because the spoiler is come upon her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken, every one of their bows is broken: for the LORD God of recompenses shall surely requite. ...
And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, When thou comest to Babylon, and shalt see, and shalt read all these words;
Then shalt thou say, O LORD, thou hast spoken against this place, to cut it off, that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolater for ever.
And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates:
And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.

MONDAY OF HOLY WEEK-MARCH 25, 2024
"The Lord is my light and my salvation." -Ps 27:1A

Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One, the One prophesied in the reading we hear from Isaiah today. Mary, Lazarus and Martha's sister, recognizes Jesus is the Christ, and she anoints His feet with costly perfumed oil. Why did Jesus say that this was a good use of her money? Because the poor will always be with them, but He wouldn't. He knew the time for His death was approaching. What does this teach us today? That Jesus is always to be the center of our lives. We must give everything we have and everything we are to Him, which naturally will flow to serving the poor.
We, too, as Christians (which means "little anointed ones") must fulfill the prophesy of Isaiah: to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness (see Is 42:7). We are called to bear His light, with the oil of the Holy Spirit, to those around us. We are also called to honor, worship, and adore Jesus, especially in this holiest of weeks.

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
~~LAMENTATIONS 3:22-23 (ESV)
Do not like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
MATTHEW 6:8 (NIV)
In the early days of Jesus's life, the magi sought out the Christ child to worship Him and bring Him precious gifts. In His final earthly days, the crowds sought Him out, not for what they could do for Him, but rather for what miracle they might witness or receive.
I want to come to Jesus with words of worship and adoration, trusting Him so completely to meet my needs that I don't ask for anything. Instead, I want to offer Jesus what He wants most - my heart.
FAITH STEP: Spend some quality time today in prayer with Jesus. Rather than bringing a list of needs and wants, give Him your heart as you express your love and adoration to Him.

Good morning, God, family, friends, and all who see our post.
Thank You, God, for yesterday's blessings and a new Monday full of faith, hope, mercy, glory, strength, peace, and LOVE. AMEN
JEREMIAH 51:32-52 (KJV)
THE TIME OF BABYLON'S HARVEST
And that the passages are stopped, and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.
For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; The daughter of Babylon is like a threshingfloor, it is time to thresh her: yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall come.
Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with my delicates, he hath cast me out.
The violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon, shall the inhabitant of Zion say; and my blood upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say. ...
As Babylon hath caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth.
Ye that have escaped the sword, go away, stand not still: remember the LORd afar off, and let Jerusalem come into your mind.
We are confounded, because we have heard reproach: shame hath covered our faces for strangers are come into the sanctuaries of the LORD's house.
Wherfore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will do judgment upon her graven images: and through all her land the wounded shall groan.

SUNDAY, MARCH 24, 2024
PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD'S PASSION
"Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!"

Today marks the beginning of Holy Week. Today we remember Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. After three years of public ministry and never once allowing anyone to call Him a king, Jesus now makes the very entrance into Jerusalem that the Messiah, the Davidic King, was prophesied to make; riding on a donkey, a c**t, the foal of a donkey (see Zech 9:9).
Crowds surround Him, praising Him: "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!" (Jn 12:13). We, too, proclaim this at every Mass as we welcome the King of Kings down upon our altars - the Blood of the Covenant that frees us from our prisons of sin and the pt of death.
It is fitting that even on a day of rejoicing we remember the center of the mystery we enter into this week: the Passion and Death of our Lord. If the Gospel reading seems long, ask the Holy Spirit to help you open your heart to enter into a deep meditation on what our Lord has done for us. Come, let us worship our King.

Thank You, Heavenly Father, for shaping us closer to the image of Yourself.
Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies, you have prepared praise for yourself.
~~MATTHEW 21:16 (NRSV)
They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the king of Israel!"
JOHN 12:13 (NIV)
As I consider the crowd that surrounded Jesus when He made His way into Jerusalem that first Palm Sunday, I wonder what kind of participant I would have been in this scene. I'd like to think I'd be one of those enthusiastically shouting loud hosannas to our long-awaited King as I waved high a palm branch or draped my cloak on the road to serve as a red-carpet welcome for my Lord. Knowing myself, I fear I'd hand back, quiet and reserved, while the throng celebrated His arrival.
But Jesus knows that although I might be low-key on the outside, I, too, would be celebrating His arrival, whispering silent prayers and enthusiastic praise, thanking Him for the sacrifice He was making for me.
FAITH STEP: Picture yourself in the Jerusalem crowd. How do you think you would have participated in Jesus's arrival?

SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 2024
"[M]any went up ... to purify themselves." - Jn 11:55

The world today is divided more than ever. Peace is almost unheard of among nations. The Lord promises in the first reading today that there will be a day when never again will the nations be divided, all shall believe in Him, and there shall be a covenant of peace forever. What a cause for hope!
In the Gospel today, many people's lives have been changed by Jesus and Mary (see Jn 11:45). The Jews are afraid. They are afraid that Jesus will cause problems for them with the Romans. "[I]i is better for you that one man should die instead of the people," the high priest reasons (Jn 11:50).
Many people are afraid today. Many are afraid to leave their way of life to give themselves completely to Jesus through Mary. We are called to support and encourage those who may be doubting or afraid.
As the Jews at the end of the Gospel today were purifying themselves for the celebration of the Passover feast, let us purify ourselves for the true Passover feast: Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. Let us encourage others to believe in His Real Presence in the Eucharist and prepare ourselves by going to Confession in preparation for the celebration of the Paschal Mystery.

But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
~~MATTHEW 6:3-0 (NRSVUE)
Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth much more than many sparrows!
LUKE 12:7 (GNT)
I consoled myself with the knowledge that Jesus was constantly with me, counting and recounting the swiftly changing number of hairs on my head. Powerless to stop the rapid hair loss, I considered the message in 1 Corinthians 11:15 (NLT): "And isn't long hair a woman's pride and joy? For it has been given to her as a covering."
Jesus put my heart and mind at rest, constantly reassuring me that He is my covering (Psalm 91:4). Jesus has me covered.
FAITH STEP: What changing circumstances are you experiencing? Run a comb or brush throug your hair and thank Jesus that no matter what is happening, He's got you covered.