predication.net

Marek was of Jewish descent from the tribe of Levi and was initially named John. Only later did he take the name favored by the Romans, Mark (= translated “meek.” Cf. Acts 13:5, 13; 15:39; 12:12). He was converted to faith in Jesus Christ by the holy apostle Peter, who calls him his spiritual son. Mark became a disciple of St. Peter and participated in the Apostle Paul’s missionary journeys. (E.g., Acts 12:25) Around 62, he helped preach to the Apostle Paul in Rome, and in 64, he likewise preached the Word of God in that city, called Babylon, together with the Apostle Peter. (1 Peter 5:13) Mark, at the requests of the Roman believers, wrote a Gospel which is second in the order of the Gospels and is essentially the recorded sermons of St. Peter. Peter read, edited, and approved the Gospel. Oral Tradition teaches it there as well. “Mark the disciple and interpreter of Peter, according to what he had heard Peter tell, was asked by the brethren at Rome and wrote a short Gospel. Peter heard of it, approved and confirmed it, and delivered to the churches in his power the Gospel of Mark to be read.” (Testimony of St. Hieronymus)

Later, Peter ordained Mark a bishop, sending him to preach the Word of God in Aquileia and Egypt. Before that, however, Mark also preached the Lord Jesus in Libya. He converted many Gentiles in Egypt by preaching the Gospel and chose Alexandria as his episcopal seat. In Alexandria, according to Tradition, a confident unbeliever, Ananias, was also converted and later became Mark’s successor in the episcopal ministry. It occurred as follows. One day, Mark went to have his shoes repaired by the cobbler Aanian, who accidentally pricked his hand with an awl. In doing so, he mentioned the name of God in vain.

Mark picked up on this and began to tell him about the one true God, the prophets, and Christ. Ananias replied, “I have never heard of these things. As the disciples are taught, I have only heard of the Iliad and Odysseus’ errant ways.” Then he began contradicting Marcus, but the latter told him: “If thou hadst believed in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, thy finger would have been healed.” Then, the saint made the cross sign on the wounded thumb, and the finger was healed immediately. And Anian believed in Christ and was baptized with the whole house. The pagans, however, were furious at the success of Mark’s Christian mission in Egypt. They attacked him in the temple, put a noose around his neck, and dragged him through the streets of the city. Eventually, they put him in prison. He did not complain about his suffering for Jesus’ sake but cried out: “I thank you, my Lord Jesus Christ, that you have made me worthy to suffer anything for your name’s sake.” “Peace be unto thee, Mark, my Evangelist!” The next day, the Gentiles repeated the cruel scene of torture until the saint gave his soul into the hands of Christ on the 25th of April, 67.

In the first Christian era, the four evangelists, according to the vision of the prophet Ezekiel (Ez. 1:10), were identified by the forms of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. St. Mark’s emblem is the Lion because his Gospel begins by telling of the Lord’s forerunner, John the Baptist, who preached repentance in the wilderness and thus prepared the people for the coming of the Messiah. The Lion is called the king of the wilderness, so Mark’s account of the Good News speaks of the wilderness at the beginning. Another interpretation of the character of the Lion is that Mark begins his Gospel with the penitent proclamation of St. John the Baptist, which, like the roaring of a lion, is meant to awaken sinners from their slumber in their sins. As contemporary Christians, we can take our cue from Mark in that we will often meditate on the holy Gospels, and while we are reverencing the name of Christ, we will thank God and praise Him for it.

Prayer: O God, who hast glorified thy blessed evangelist Mark to preach the Gospel: grant us, we pray thee, that we may continually prosper by his instruction and be protected by his intercession, through Christ our Lord. 

 Imagine such a situation. You are sitting in a car or bus that does not have proper brakes. You sit and wait to die, and you don’t know it. If you had known it, suspected it, you would certainly have done something to prevent it, to stop it. You would not get into this vehicle unless this severe fault, like bad brakes, were fixed. The lives of those who refused to believe in Christ should be changed as soon as possible because they are like those who get into a vehicle without brakes. The words of the Gospel remind us of this: “He who despises me and does not accept my words has his judge” (Jn 12:48).

The situation of those who have lost faith or have not believed in Christ is therefore critical because they do not realize how their eternal happiness is threatened. They must understand that whoever refuses to believe in Christ should try to change his position. We see how many ways God tries to show man how his life is threatened, not only here on earth but especially in his eternal life. Disbelief in Christ is also disbelief in God, and God wants to save all people. Saint Paul says that God created us without us, but he can save us only with our contribution. He sent us his Son, who taught us everything we must do to be saved. Jesus taught us about two gifts that we must not overlook, namely that we have a reason, which makes us the pinnacle of all creation, and free will, which must cooperate with reason also in the matter of the salvation of our soul. However, let us remember that God allows us to be tested today. Not to lose us but to make us more worthy of his love. Therefore, sometimes, it blinds our eyes and hardens our hearts so that we can then touch the bottom of God’s grace. Thus, let’s properly understand that such states in our life can also be a gift from God: A person is dissatisfied with himself when he experiences disappointment, he feels the illness of his body or a neighbor, – he experiences the death of a loved one, he feels the temptation of body and soul. God does not allow this to destroy man even more or because he is not interested in his creation, but on the contrary. In our faith, we should also correctly understand the words of the old Christian proverb: “Whom the Lord God loves, he visits with the cross.”

We penetrate and immerse ourselves in God’s essence to the extent that our desires are comprehensive and fierce. So teaches St. Thomas Aquinas. Those who will have greater glory in heaven and more robust and intense desires for God on earth. The arrow that flies out of a more strongly drawn bow has incredible speed and penetrates more deeply into the target. Also, the believing soul penetrates more deeply into the nature of God, and the more deeply it has a greater desire for God.

Manna says Francis of Sales everyone ate but liked it differently, depending on their taste. But it was enjoyed thoroughly, partially, because it had many different flavors. In heaven, we shall see and taste the whole Godhead, but neither the blessed nor all together will see and taste the Godhead completely. The immensity of God will always have infinitely more beauties for us to see and taste them all. Even if we satisfy and satiate all the desires of our heart, even if we fill it to the brim with the highest good, even then, there will remain much that we will not see, that we will not experience. Even the fish enjoy the unheard-of greatness of the Ocean, yet not one has seen all the shores or been in all the waters. Birds, too, fly at will and enjoy the breadth of the air, but they have yet to make it everywhere. Even our spirit will take its flight at will according to the whole span of its flight in the divine sphere. We shall enjoy these divine abysses without measure or limitation. O God, what is admirable is what the blissful souls see. But how much more admirable is what they do not see? And yet what they gaze upon satiates and satisfies them perfectly. St. Teresa of Jesus explains how there is fullness of blessedness in every chosen one, even in the face of inequality of rewards. One day, I expressed to my sister my astonishment that God had not given equal glory to all the elect. That is why all will not be blessed. Then my sister sent me Father’s large cup, set it beside my smaller cup, and filled both to the brim with water. She asked me which was fuller. I told her they were both equally full. Sister then instructed me that in heaven, the last of the elect will not envy the happiness of the first. 

Saint George comes from Cappadocia. He was the son of wealthy parents. His father died early, and his mother moved to Palestine, where she had large estates.

At the age of twenty, he had already attained great military rank. He was the darling of the then-ruler Diocletian. The appointed Emperor summoned advisers to Nicomedia one day to determine the fate of the Christians in the future. It was only a formal consultation, for the Emperor was determined to persecute the Christians. The final resolution of the consultation was postponed until the third day.
For those three days, St. George asked God to avert the Emperor’s evil intent regarding the Christians. God, however, dealt differently than St. George wished. He also wanted to reward him with the glory of a martyr.
On the third, fateful day, a young, bold, well-dressed officer, George, came before the Emperor and said to him:
“Most illustrious Emperor, why do you postpone indefinitely the solution of serious questions of state, and occupy yourself with how to commit crime? Why do you want to cane innocent people, Christians who faithfully serve your country, and force them to worship idols, devils, while you neither acknowledge God, who created heaven and earth, nor allow them to worship Him!”
The Emperor groaned on hearing these words. The first to respond to them was Magnentius, who put a question to St. George:
“Who gave thee this boldness?”
– The truth – replied St. George.
What truth – Magnentius asked again
Isus Christos, Whom you persecute, in Whom I believe and faithfully serve.
After this short dialogue, the Emperor also took the floor.
You know well, George, that I love you – began the Emperor – Obey me, sacrifice to my gods, and you will win my love even more.
I pray God, said George, that your eyes may be opened, that you also may know the Lord, for whom I am willing to die.
After these words, they began to torture him. All night in fetters, he remained lying in the prison with a brand and a heavy stone on his chest. The next day, they tortured him on the wheel, on which he lost much blood so that he died. The Emperor, after a few snide remarks, retired to his temple to sacrifice the gods for the murder of the Christian George. God, however, did not leave His servant to be a reproach to the pagans.
The angel stopped the wheel and healed the martyr with the words:
“Fear not, George, your God is with you”.
The healed martyr hastened to the Emperor to present himself alive and well and convince him of the power of Christ, for whom he would sacrifice himself.
When the crowd surrounding the Emperor saw him, they exclaimed in unison:
“Great is the God of the Christians!”
The Emperor did not learn from this.
His wife, Alexandra, believed and cried out with the others for the glory of God, but the Emperor had them all slaughtered. Magnentius saved the empress from his wrath, for he immediately had her taken to the imperial palace.
St. George was thrown into the lime for three days.
He was brought alive and well again before the Emperor on the fourth day.
Tell me, St. George, – the Emperor begged the martyr – by what magic are you so invincible?
These are no enchantments – replied the saint – it is the power of God that protects me from the wiles of the devil whom you serve.
After this conversation, new torments began. George was put into red-hot boots with sharp nails protruding so that they dug into his feet, and he was driven in these shoes to the prison.
Then, the sorcerer Anastasius was transferred to poison him. The appointee offered to drink the poison to him, but it remained without the expected effect.
If thou wilt raise the dead – said the sorcerer to the saint – I too will believe in thy God.
I will do this also – said St. George – but not for your sake, but for the sake of the people, who, because of such as yourself, do not know the true God.
They brought him to the grave of the dead.
St. George fervently prayed to Him, Who is “the Resurrection and our life,” remembering His words:
“Have faith in God… and whatever you ask for in prayer, believe, and it will be given to you” (Mk 11:23-25).
Whoever spoke these words remained faithful to them this time.
The dead rose.
Anastasius also fulfilled his promise – he glorified Christ with the one George had raised, and they were both beheaded for it.
St. George was again thrown into prison.
The next day, they again forced him to sacrifice to the pagan gods.
Show them to me!” cried the martyr.
The Emperor was pleased with this exclamation of St. George, for he thought he would obey him already.
St. George came to his divinity house and, by the name of Isus only, demolished all his idols—his gods.
Then, Empress Alexandra also appeared and asked the martyr to pray for her. The Emperor condemned both to death by beheading.
Saint George came from Cappadocia. He was the son of wealthy parents. His father died early, and his mother moved to Palestine, where she had large estates.

At the age of twenty, he had already attained great military rank. He was the darling of the then-ruler Diocletian. The appointed Emperor summoned advisers to Nicomedia one day to determine the fate of the Christians in the future. It was only a formal consultation, for the Emperor was determined to persecute the Christians. The final resolution of the consultation was postponed until the third day.
For those three days, St. George asked God to avert the Emperor’s evil intent regarding the Christians. God, however, dealt differently than St. George wished. He also wanted to reward him with the glory of a martyr.
On the third, fateful day, a young, bold, well-dressed officer, George, came before the Emperor and said to him:
“Most illustrious Emperor, why do you postpone indefinitely the solution of serious questions of state, and occupy yourself with how to commit crime? Why do you want to cane innocent people, Christians who faithfully serve your country, and force them to worship idols, devils, while you neither acknowledge God, who created heaven and earth, nor allow them to worship Him!”
The Emperor groaned on hearing these words. The first to respond to them was Magnentius, who put a question to St. George:
“Who gave thee this boldness?”
– The truth – replied St. George.
What truth – Magnentius asked again
Isus Christos, Whom you persecute, in Whom I believe and faithfully serve.
After this short dialogue, the Emperor also took the floor.
You know well, George, that I love you – began the Emperor – Obey me, sacrifice to my gods, and you will win my love even more.
I pray God, said George, that your eyes may be opened, that you also may know the Lord, for whom I am willing to die.
After these words, they began to torture him. All night in fetters, he remained lying in the prison with a brand and a heavy stone on his chest. The next day, they tortured him on the wheel, on which he lost so much blood that he died. The Emperor, after a few snide remarks, retired to his temple to sacrifice the gods for the murder of the Christian George. God, however, did not leave His servant to be a reproach to the pagans.
The angel stopped the wheel and healed the martyr with the words:
“Fear not, George, your God is with you.”
The healed martyr hastened to the Emperor to present himself alive and well and convince him of the power of Christ, for whom he would sacrifice himself.
When the crowd surrounding the Emperor saw him, they exclaimed in unison:
“Great is the God of the Christians!”
The Emperor did not learn from this.
His wife, Alexandra, believed and cried out with the others for the glory of God, but the Emperor had them all slaughtered. Magnentius saved the empress from his wrath, for he immediately had her taken to the imperial palace.
St. George was thrown into the lime for three days.
He was brought before the Emperor on the fourth day, alive and wellEmperor
Tell me, St. George – the Emperor begged the martyr – by what magic are you so invincible?
These are no enchantments – replied the saint – it is the power of God that protects me from the wiles of the devil whom you serve.
After this conversation, new torments began. George was put into red-hot boots with sharp nails protruding so that they dug into his feet, and he was driven in these shoes to the prison.
Then, the sorcerer Anastasius was transferred to poison him. The appointee offered to drink the poison to him, but it remained without the expected effect.
If thou wilt raise the dead – said the sorcerer to the saint – I too will believe in thy God.
I will do this also – said St. George – but not for your sake, but for the sake of the people, who, because of such as yourself, do not know the true God.
They brought him to the grave of the dead.
St. George fervently prayed to Him, Who is “the Resurrection and our life,” remembering His words:
“Have faith in God… and whatever you ask for in prayer, believe, and it will be given to you” (Mk 11:23-25).
Whoever spoke these words remained faithful to them this time.
The dead rose.
Anastasius also fulfilled his promise – he glorified Christ with the one George had raised, and they were both beheaded for it.
St. George was again thrown into prison.
The next day, they again forced him to sacrifice to the pagan gods.
Show them to me!” cried the martyr.
The Emperor was pleased with this exclamation of St. George, for he thought he would obey him already.
St. George came to his divinity house and, by the name of Isus only, demolished all his idols—his gods.
Then, Empress Alexandra also appeared and asked the martyr to pray for her—the Emperor condemned both to death by beheading.

Attorney Liz Yore explains in an interview for the Fatima TV YouTube channel how the treaty between the Catholic Church and the Communist Party of China, negotiated for the Vatican by proven serial sex maniac McCarrick, an envoy and close friend of Pope Francis, appointed by him as chief negotiator, despite warnings from Vigan, or also despite Benedict XVI’s warnings to the Vatican. Because of his scandals, it is incredibly damaging to the underground Catholic Church in China – ergo, the only true Catholic Church in China.

The official Patriotic Church, sanctioned by the Communist Party of China (CPC), has adopted the principles of communism into its teachings, including the rewriting of the Bible. The CCP uses this covenant to justify its actions, the destruction of Catholic churches, the arrest of priests, etc. Cardinal Zeno warned the Vatican not to sign this treaty because doing so would cause disaster, and the Communists would use it to confirm their immoral actions.

And he was right – there are indeed countless human rights crimes, with ten human rights organizations already fighting against human rights violations and religious freedom. Despite the Vatican’s admission of problems, the Vatican has repeatedly renewed the treaty, saying that dialogue and listening must continue… The words of Cardinal Zen, who fought steadfastly all along against signing it because he knew what was going to happen to the underground Church and orthodox Catholics in China, as it was finally confirmed, were not taken into account at all – neither in the first signing nor in the now twofold renewal.

A well-known attorney, whom you may know from shows such as Faith & Reason or Steve Bannon’s broadcasts, where she has appeared many times, explains how the agreement came about and why she considers this the worst thing Francis has done during his pontificate. The interview was recorded as late as 2023.

As soon as the souls of the righteous are completely purified, they will receive the reward of the beatific vision. This beatific vision has different degrees. It depends on the degree of merit. This vision perfectly satiates one’s desires and is imperishable. The beatific vision is our ultimate goal. Here, we are talking about heaven. Heaven is a direct glimpse of the incomprehensible trinity. God gives Himself to the purified soul without delay. He does not wait a moment. Our earthly sorrows are only transitory. They are like darkness that fade away. The ardent longing for the divine embrace strengthened the martyrs’ terrible torments. I see the heavens open, cried the Christian first martyr Stephen. I see Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Yes, Jesus stood and waited for the soul of his first Christian witness to fly out of the prison of the flesh and take it with him into the bosom of the Father, in one of his beautiful letters that Blessed Theophanies Vénard sent from jail on the eve of his Passion. As soon as I bow my head under the executioner’s axe, I shall immediately find myself in the presence of the Lord Jesus and say to him. Here is thy martyr, Lord. Saint Cyprian, the bishop and martyr, writes. We are down here only transiently as pilgrims and strangers.

We look forward to the day leading us all to our true home. We await the day that will deliver us from the snares of this world and allow us to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Who would not hurry from a foreign land to his homeland? Who would not long for the sooner to hang those whom he loves? We look to heaven as our fatherland. There we have our ancestors. So we have reason to hurry. A significant number of friends await us up there. What a joy it will be for us to embrace them there in the kingdom of heaven, where death does not reign, where the certainty of eternal life reigns. How immense is this everlasting, infinite happiness?

You have girded me with joy» Ps 30, 12.

Christianity, a religion of joy, is so because it shares in the joy that resides in the Holy Trinity. Joy is the very air that permeates God. We often describe God as mercy, love, and peace. In certain life circumstances, we can grasp these divine attributes with our hearts. We may experience the paternal goodness of God, who attends to our personal needs, or the mercy of Jesus Christ, who forgives our sins.

To enjoy joy, we must immerse ourselves in the atmosphere of the Holy Trinity. May God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit experience complete and perfect joy together thanks to the love with which they love each other. The ideal love in God results from the mutual self-giving of the persons of the Holy Trinity. Because as soon as there is a gift, there is potential joy. In God, this gift is complete, so his happiness is total. The Father is the joy of his Son when he gives himself entirely to him. The Son is the joy of his Father when he also gives himself entirely to him. They are each other’s joy. And to imagine it, we can say that the explosion of love between them is the person of the Holy Spirit.

Despite the noble doctrine, the Holy Scriptures do not despise the simple joys of life. He knows the joy of a rich harvest or vintage, the pleasure that we are among brothers and can glorify God together, the joy of the birth of a child, the joy that springs from the admiration of creation. Perhaps we are unaware of it, so the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche’s statement still applies: “You all seem to me to be a little redeemed.”

Christian joy presupposes a person capable of naturally rejoicing. Human joys are pleasing to God. Remember to offer him them to purify, sanctify, and intensify them. However, the discovery of true joy presupposes that we will be able to advance higher, not stop at the horizontal level of the joys offered, but that we will find a vertical direction in them.

Christian joy, being primarily spiritual, naturally extends to all natural and emotional joys. It is this spiritual joy that transforms natural joys into true joys of the human heart. However, one who fixates on human pleasures, no matter how uplifting, without seeking to connect them with their source, merely confirms their fleeting nature. Their quest for authentic joy will remain unfulfilled.

Man, a being driven by desire, is capable of experiencing joy. He cannot exist without it and seeks it with all his might. Often, the pursuit of joy and happiness inspires his actions and life choices. Yet, man is fundamentally a spiritual being. God designed him to live in communion with him; thus, no joy of this world can fully satisfy him. His heart will find true fulfillment only when he receives the joy the world cannot offer, but God freely gives it to those seeking it.

God the Father draws us to Jesus …

WHEN JESUS ​​announced in the Capernaum synagogue that he was the bread of life, those present asked with understandable human logic: “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?” So how does he say: I have come down from Heaven.” (Jn 6, 42). The Lord immediately responded and explained: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (Jn 6:44).

This passage introduces us “to the dynamics of faith, which is a relationship: a relationship between the human person and the person of Jesus, where the Father plays a decisive role and, naturally, the Holy Spirit, who is implicit. To believe in Jesus it is not enough just to meet him. It is not enough to just read the Bible. It is important, but it is not enough. It is not even enough to witness a miracle such as the multiplication of loaves. Many people were in close contact with Jesus and did not believe in him. They despised him and condemned him. Why? Wasn’t the Father attracted to them? It happened because their hearts were closed to the action of God’s Spirit. If we have a closed heart, faith will not enter it. God the Father always draws us to Jesus. It is we who open or close our hearts”.

The Father also draws us to his Son to learn from him and give him all the glory. This mission requires us always to try to be close to Jesus, shaped by him, and be his disciples. “Faith, which is like a seed deep in the heart, will blossom when we let the Father draw us to Jesus and we go to him with an open mind, with an open heart, without prejudices: then we recognize God’s face in his face and God’s word in his words. “Asking for the bread of life … 

SEEING GOD and meditating on him throughout the day is not an impossible goal. On the contrary, it is a promise we can achieve in different ways thanks to Jesus. The same God who put in our hearts the desire for eternity remained in the Eucharist to be always with us. Our passion for eternal love is best satisfied in Christ present in the Eucharist. We can dialogue with him in prayer, visit him in the Tabernacle, and listen to his words in the Gospel. Jesus gradually becomes our best friend, and we can ask the Father for anything in his name: “If we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, the Father will fulfill it for us; be sure of that. Prayer has always been a secret, a powerful weapon (…). Prayer is the basis of our peace”.

In this impulse of prayer, Jesus taught us to ask for this “bread of life” for this food of eternity. “Your fathers ate manna in the desert and died” (Jn 6:49), says Christ and compares himself to the food that God sent through the intercession of Moses. He points out that while the former was transitory, the Eucharist is the eternal bread; it is not an ordinary memory, but a memory, a present, as we pray in all the Eucharistic prayers and some hymns: O memoriale mortis Domini! Panis vivus, vitam praestans homini![4] “Oh, the memory of the death of Christ Jesus, our living bread, the highest sweetness of the world, grant that my spirit may always feed only on you!”. The Eucharist looks not only to the past but also to the present and the future. Our passage on earth is a pilgrimage from Eucharist to definitive participation in the heavenly banquet. “Every time the Church celebrates the Eucharist, she remembers this promise, and her gaze is directed towards the one who is to come (Revelation 1, 4)”.

“In days full of busyness and problems, but also in days of rest and relaxation, the Lord invites us not to forget that although it is necessary to take care of material bread and gain new strength, it is even more important to grow in our relationship with him, to strengthen our faith in of the one who is the bread of life, which fulfills our desire for truth and love.”The Eucharist fills us with hope…

JESUS ​​PROMISES US divine food that will always be available to us “so that no one who eats it dies” (John 6:50). Thanks to this travel document, we can believe that if we are faithful, our calling to eternal life will become a reality. Thus, God himself fills us with hope, that “theological virtue by which we long for eternal life as our happiness and expect it from God. In doing so, we place our trust in Christ’s promises and rely on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit to earn eternal life and persevere until the end of earthly life”.

Jesus concludes his sermon in the synagogue by repeating the central message of the entire speech: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.” Whoever eats this bread will live forever. Moreover, the bread that I will give is my body for the life of the world” (Jn 6, 51). The Lord promises us the unimaginable: fellowship in his own life for all eternity. This hope, though it finds its fullness in Heaven, illuminates our steps here on earth. This hope “also tells us that our daily actions have a meaning that goes beyond what we immediately see: as St. Josemaría affirmed, they acquire the vibration of eternity if we do them out of love for God and others.”

All this fills us with optimism as we realize that God is always close to us. Christian joy is based on this divine promise that we will live with him forever. For this reason, tradition calls the Eucharist “the promise of future glory” because it strengthens us on the journey of our earthly life and awakens in us the desire for eternal life; it unites us with Christ, the Virgin Mary, and all the saints.