Then the LORD said (to Elijah), “Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD; the LORD will be passing by.” 
A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the LORD–but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake–but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was fire–but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave. A voice said to him, “Elijah, why are you here?” 1 Kings 19:11-13
Why are YOU here?
Was it to discover magnificent colors? Was it to find colorful music or awesome videos? Was it just curiosity? Was it accidental? Were you really looking for God, for Hope, for true LOVE somewhere in this menagerie we call the web? Or were you just hiding in a cave, waiting on the Lord to whisper in your ear – a Word – LIFE! Life, it’s in You! And YOU are beautiful in the Eyes of God, no matter what the world may say or think.
You are Loved, beloved!!
Every day the Lord whispers in our ears – Words of HOPE, Words of LOVE, and maybe not even words – just His JOY in our hearts. Let’s follow the Scriptures of our daily Mass and see if we can catch those Words – simple but beautiful Whispers to the Wind . . .
For Daily Scripture Quotes:
Link to Scriptures by Date
To find Quote sources, click on Link above, select Today’s Readings or pick date from calendar.
Link for information on the day’s saints is at the bottom of this page.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Quotes for reflection:
02-29-12
Jesus said, “Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so will the Son of Man be to this generation.” Lk 11: 29-32
Jonah cried out, “‘Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,’
When the people of Nineveh believed God;
they proclaimed a fast…” Jon 3:1-10
Long time gone since John the Baptist and Jesus cried out for our salvation.
“Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!”
And now He’s gone. But His Word and His Spirit remain,
WHISPERING,
“Come back, beloved.”
02-28-12
“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.” Ps 34
Is Lent already getting hard?
The first couple weeks will probably be the hardest.
Then our new and better selves will emerge and begin to form habits.
Maybe a habit of strength against temptations.
Maybe a habit of giving more than taking.
Maybe a habit of prayer, or love, or less complaining.
But through it all, always remember, beloved, “The Lord is close…”
And when more help is needed, just pray as Jesus taught us . . .
“..lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Mt 6:7-15
… And He WILL, Beloved, He DOES!
02-27-12
Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.“
“For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.” Mt 25:31-46
There are those “Works of Mercy” again (see Whispers: 02-24-12).
But this time instead of coming from the mouth of Isaiah,
these are the Words of Jesus.
God adds from the Book of Leviticus to Moses,
“Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.”
“Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Lv 19:1-18
That’s us, beloved!
02-26-12
(First Sunday of Lent)
“The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert,
and he remained in the desert for forty days,
tempted by Satan.” Mk 1:12-15
and Jesus said,
“This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel.“
Thus were the people in the time of Noah warned by his building
of a huge ark, upon God’s command. Repent and believe!
If you are just coming to Jesus for the first time, welcome, beloved.
If, like me, you’ve been here a while, welcome back to Lent!
Repent, renew, and live again the very best of life,
with Jesus.
02-25-12
“Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, ‘Follow me.’“
“I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”
Lk 5:27-32
Levi (Matthew) was so happy with this new calling that he threw
a huge banquet for Jesus and just about everyone else.
Another miraculous healing by our great physician!
FOLLOW ME,
beloved!
02-24-12
The Lord God said, “This, rather, is the fasting that I wish:
releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke;
Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke;
Sharing your bread with the hungry,
sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;
Clothing the naked when you see them,
and not turning your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your wound shall quickly be healed;” Is 58:1-9
Sounds like ‘Works of Mercy’, see also Mt 25:31-46
Jesus said, “Can the wedding guests mourn
as long as the bridegroom is with them?
The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast.” Mt 9:14-15
How we hunger and thirst for You, Jesus!
And yet, You are here –
in my beloved.
To you, beloved, I offer my fasting!
May God bless you always!
02-23-12
(St. Polycarp)
Moses said, “I have set before you life and death,
the blessing and the curse.
Choose life, then,
that you and your descendants may live,
by loving the LORD, your God,
heeding his voice, and holding fast to him.” Dt 30:15-20
Jesus said, “whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” Lk 9:22-25
St. Polycarp did just that.
What are we willing to lose, beloved,
that we may have ETERNAL Life?
To be in God’s presence forever!
CHOOSE LIFE
(you are loved too much, beloved, not to)
02-22-12
(Ash Wednesday)
“Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.“
Click for more on Lent
.“Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,”
Joel 2:12-18
“A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.” Ps 52
.
“Brothers and sisters: We are ambassadors for Christ,
as if God were appealing through us.
We implore you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.” 2 Cor 5
Jesus said,
“. . when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
. . when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door,
and pray to your Father in secret.
. . when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”
Mt 6:1-18
• Do I feel separated from God?
He is there – anxiously waiting for me to come back.
• Is it some ‘sin’ that’s blocking my return?
St. Paul says, “Be reconciled with God and man.”
– then knock and the door will be opened.
• If I’m an ‘Ambassador for Christ’, why isn’t anyone listening?
Maybe they are, and I just don’t know it.
“Your Father sees what is hidden, and He will repay you.“
If I truly am dust, Lord, then cleanse me,
so all that will be left is –
YOU!
02-21-12
Jesus said,
“If anyone wishes to be first,
he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”
Taking a child, he placed it in their midst,
and putting his arms around it, he said to them,
“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;
and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”
Mk 9:30-37
Jesus is our link to the Father.
And we can only come to Jesus by letting go of our need for INdependence and pride.
Like that child, when we depend on Jesus,
He WILL wrap His loving arms around us and announce,
‘Father, THIS is one of Our children.’
And OH the blessings of ‘childhood’, Beloved!
02-20-12
The father of the epileptic child said to Jesus,
“I do believe, help my unbelief!“
Do we –
truly, honestly, sincerely, unquestionably believe?
And if not, what are we hanging on to –
what concepts, what past hurts, what material objects,
or who else besides Jesus?
Just let go and BELIEVE, beloved!
02-19-12
(7th Sunday Ordinary Time B)
Jesus said to the paralytic man, “Child, your sins are forgiven.”
and
‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk?‘ Mk 2:1-12
The spiritual and physical healing of the Master,
of our ever-loving God.
All it takes is a little faith;
“Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.”
02-18-12
. . . from the cloud came a voice,
“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
Mk 9:2-13
Testimony, Truth, Revelation, Epiphany, Holy Order.
02-17-12
St. James said, “just as a body without a spirit is dead,
so also faith without works is dead.” Jas 2:14-26
Always reminds me of that Indy Jones movie
where he steps off a cliff onto an invisible bridge.
Would never have gotten to the other side
without the works to prove his faith.
Indy was willing to die for the sake of saving his dad.
Are we willing to die for our faith in Jesus???
Neatly summed up by Jesus . . .
“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake and
that of the Gospel will save it.”
Mk 8:34-9:1
“The LEAP of Faith.”
02-16-12
St. James said, “if you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture,
‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’
you are doing well.
But if you show partiality, you commit sin,” Jas 2:1-9
If then, you show partiality to your neighbor,
are you not showing partiality about yourself,
– if, in fact you “love your neighbor as yourself?”
Maybe there are parts of ourselves that we DO show partiality about.
eg. “I’m good with helping, but impatient when they’re slow to learn.”
I like the good part of me, but despise the shortcomings.
Hmmmmmm.
More Love (patience) Lord, please!
God has created us as beautiful, as perfect,
or as imperfect as everyone else.
Love, ANYWAY!
Jesus asked, “But who do you say that I am?” Mk 8:27-33
No partiality now!
02-15-12
St. James said, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and
the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction
and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” Jas 1:19-27
To DO, in the world, and yet not be stained BY it!
Jesus, “. . took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village.”
And after healing him, Jesus –
“. . sent him home and said, ‘Do not even go into the village.’”
Mk 8:22-26
IN the world, but not OF it!
02-14-12
(Sts. Cyril and Methodius)
St. James said,
“Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation,”
Temptation is not from God, rather,
“…each person is tempted when lured and enticed by his desire.
Then desire conceives and brings forth sin,
and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death.”
But know that, “all good giving and every perfect gift is from above,”
Jas 1:12-18
Jesus said to the apostles, “Do you still not understand?” Mk 8:14-21
Sigh!
02-13-12
St. James said, “Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters,
when you encounter various trials,” Jas 1
Easier said than done, but Jesus through the Holy Spirit, will give us
the strength of perseverance. And when we succeed in that perseverance,
there will be JOY.
Of Jesus, at the lack of faith and arrogance of the Pharisees:
“He sighed from the depth of his spirit” Mk 8
Ever sigh from the depth of your spirit?
It may be a frustration for someone’s lack of understanding of the obvious,
when you love them so much, you ache for them to know.
Yet they won’t. They’ll fight you tooth and nail
instead of experiencing the Freedom of
FLIGHT, the Joy of Jesus!
Sigh…
02-12-12
(6th Sunday of Ordinary Time B)
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “he shall cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’
As long as the sore is on him he shall declare himself unclean,
since he is in fact unclean.” Lv 13
Imagine that today;
if we were to replace the word “sore” with “sin”,
the roar might be deafening.
Sounds like the time for an Excedrin-(Migraine-strength),
OR . . .
Jesus said, “Be made clean.” Mk 1:40-45
. . . the time to ask Jesus for help.
He will give us the strength to be made clean.
All we need do is ASK.
And discover,
Oh the JOY of cleanliness!
This is why we have our beautiful Sacrament of Reconciliation.
02-11-12
“taking the seven loaves he (Jesus) gave thanks, broke them,
and gave them to his disciples to distribute,
and they distributed them to the crowd.“
In order to gain the favor of the people, Jeroboam constructed false gods
for them to worship and invented new worship ceremonies.
It was glitzy and popular and cool and modern.
The people were deceived, and followed, and were led into sin.
In order to gain the favor of God, Jesus gave thanks – constantly.
And the people followed and were blessed.
Brothers and sisters, we must be very, very careful who we follow,
and what we worship, for the deceiver is calling,
and sometimes from seemingly “high” places.
Worship God Alone.
Love Jesus. Give thanks.
Love all life,
and live!
02-10-12
(St. Scholastica)
Jesus, “put his finger into the man’s ears
and, spitting, touched his tongue;
then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,
“Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”)“
For some people, it just takes a little more effort!
But Ephphatha it was.
And the people declared, “He has done all things well.“
Eph pha tha, beloved!
02-09-12
As King Solomon grew old, he turned from the LORD, his God,
and began to worship the gods of his (many) wives.
Then the LORD said to Solomon,
“I will deprive you of the kingdom…” 1 Ki 11
. . after all that Wisdom and and all those riches!
. . . So, the moral is – NEVER, NEVER turn away from God!
The Gentile woman said to Jesus,
“Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.”
Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go.
The demon has gone out of your daughter.” Mk 7
And even if we’re counted as the dogs in life – with Faith,
Jesus WILL save us!
OH Beloved, He WILL save us!!!
02-08-12
When the queen of Sheba witnessed Solomon’s great wisdom,
“she was breathless.” 1 Ki 10
Oh my Lord.
It is You who takes my breath away Jesus!
BREATHLESS!
Jesus said, “Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile.” Mk 7
What is our Heart’s condition?
Does it exude goodness or defilement?
02-07-12
King Solomon said, “Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth?” 1 Ki 8
“How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
Blessed they who dwell in your house!” Ps 84
Jesus said to the Pharisees, “For Moses said,
‘Honor your father and your mother, and Whoever curses father or mother shall die.‘
Yet you say, If someone says to father or mother, ‘Any support you might have
had from me is qorban’ (meaning, dedicated to God),” Mk 7:1-13
. . . meaning they were not supporting their parents as they should have,
and are instead using their religion as an excuse!
Point being – their lifestyle was supporting their Religion rather than
the other way around.
God will make His dwelling within us – IF we make room for him.
That might mean keeping some other stuff out!
02-06-12
(Saint Paul Miki and Companions)
After Solomon had built a Temple for the Lord and
set the Ark of the Covenant within the Holy Place,
“the LORD’s glory had filled the temple of the LORD.” 1 Ki 8
The sick, “begged him (Jesus) that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak;
and as many as touched it were healed.” Mk 6:53-56
Not only the tassel of his cloak, but WE have the privilege of
intimate communion with His Body and Blood in the Blessed Sacrament!
And we are HEALED!
“Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.”
02-05-12
(Fifth Sunday Ordinary Time B)
Job said, “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle;” Job 7
St. Paul said, “when I preach, I offer the gospel free of charge” 1 Cor 9
Jesus said, “Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also.
For this purpose have I come.“
Maybe the reason there are still people out there who do not accept the Gospel
is because it IS free of charge, except to give their lives over to LOVE.
God’s LOVE is FREE.
All we need do is accept it.
Then, GIVE IT AWAY!
And when we do – our days will go by “swifter than a weaver’s shuttle!”
For then we’ll know that we are coming closer and closer to His Kingdom.
02-04-12
David’s son Solomon asked of God,
“Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart
to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.“
Jesus said to the apostles after their missionary journey,
“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.“
Gifts of the Holy Spirit:
Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding,
Counsel, Fortitude, Piety and Fear of the Lord
REST a while and Pray!
Come Holy Spirit.
02-03-12
(St. Blaise)
Of King David it was said, “With his whole being he loved his Maker
and daily had his praises sung;” Sir 47
Fitting summary to the noble story of a Godly man.
King Herod heard about Jesus, for his fame had become widespread,
and people were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead;
that is why mighty powers are at work in him.”
Others were saying, “He is Elijah”;
still others, “He is a prophet like any of the prophets.”
But when Herod learned of it, he said,
“It is John whom I beheaded. He has been raised up.”
Out of Hope, out of messianic expectation, out of Fear,
RESURRECTION was already in their thoughts.
Yet it wasn’t John, nor Elijah who was resurrected.
Jesus, our Lord and God would show them and us what TRUE resurrection
really is. And that WE will have a part in it ourselves,
in HIS KINGDOM forever.
What blessed HOPE, beloved!
02-02-12
(Feast of the Presentation of the Lord)
“Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me;
And suddenly there will come to the temple the LORD whom you seek,”
..were the words of God through the prophet Malachi, long before Jesus arrived. Mal 3:1-4
“Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord,” Lk 2
The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple as prophesied by Malachi.
Old Simeon announced, “Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.”
The LIGHT and the GLORY
for Salvation of…
ALL!
“that through death he (Jesus) might destroy the one who has the power of death,
that is, the Devil, and free those who through fear of death
had been subject to slavery all their life.” Heb 2:14-18
for
FREEDOM
from fear of death!
02-01-12
Jesus said, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and among his own kin and in his own house.” Mk 6:1-6
Today we have the saying that the “expert” is the one
with the briefcase from out of town.
Not always the case – we’ve heard some pretty sad “experts.”
Funny, seems it took Jesus to be “discarded” from His hometown,
from His home-world, to finally be recognized.
And yet, He is still among us – in our brother and sister,
in our neighbor, and even in that opposing team or country.
Can we find Him there?
Do we recognize Him now???
___________________
EARLIER MONTH’S QUOTES under the “The Lord’s Page”
in monthly subcategories of – “Whispers to the Wind”
entitled “Daily Mass Quotes” (DMQs)
___________________________________
Link to Previous Month’s DMQs
Link to Following Month’s DMQs
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(also in Time page, under Liturgical Seasons section)
Whispers to the Wind 