Words of Consolation - God will test His children....

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=5N2iXWNmkO4
21st February - Feast of St Peter Damian O.S.B. Bishop and Doctor of the Church
God tests and purifies his children because He cares for them and for their growth

http://www.chastitysf.com/damian_letter.htm

and..
http://www.ibreviary.com/m/breviario.php?s=ufficio_delle_letture

and even....

Malachi 3:3
³ He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,

Malakija 3:3
[Mal:3:3] U joqgħod isaffi u jnaddaf il-fidda, u jnaddaf 'l ulied Levi, u jsaffihom bħad-deheb u l-fidda, u huma jsiru għall-Mulej nies li jagħmlu l-offerta bis-sewwa.

TEMPTATION -- Lk 4:1-13 -- Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness - It-tiġrib ta' Ġesù fid-dezert

. Lk 4:1-13 -- Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness - It-tiġrib ta' Ġesù fid-deżert

IN YEAR C - SUNDAY GOSPEL OF WEEK 1 OF LENT
Evanġelju
Ġesù, mimli bl-Ispirtu s-Santu, mar fid-desert fejn kien imġarrab mix-Xitan
Lq 4, 1-13

Qari mill-Evanġelju skont San Luqa

F’dak iż-żmien, [Lq:4:1] Ġesù, mimli bl-Ispirtu s-Santu, raġa' lura mill-Ġordan u l-Ispirtu ħadu fid-deżert. [Lq:4:2] Hemm għal erbgħin jum Ġesù kien imġarrab mix-Xitan. Matul dawk il-jiem ma kiel xejn; u mbagħad, meta għaddew dawk il-jiem, ħadu l-ġuħ. [Lq:4:3] U x-Xitan qallu: "Jekk inti Bin Alla, għid lil din il-ġebla ssir ħobż." [Lq:4:4] Wieġbu Ġesù: "Hemm miktub li 'l-bniedem mhux bil-ħobż biss jgħix.' "

[Lq:4:5] Mbagħad ix-Xitan ħadu fl-għoli u wrieh is-saltniet tad-dinja kollha f'daqqa. [Lq:4:6] Qallu x-Xitan: "Nagħtik is-setgħa fuq dawn kollha, bil-glorja tagħhom ukoll għax hija ngħatat lili, u jiena nagħtiha lil min irrid. [Lq:4:7] Jekk tinxteħet quddiemi tagħtini qima, kollha tiegħek tkun." [Lq:4:8] Ġesù wieġbu u qallu: "Hemm miktub, 'Lill-Mulej Alla tiegħek tagħti qima, u lilu biss taqdi.' "

[Lq:4:9] Mbagħad ix-Xitan ħadu Ġerusalemm, qiegħdu fuq  il-quċċata tat-tempju, u qallu: "Jekk inti Bin Alla, inxteħet minn hawn għal isfel. [Lq:4:10] Għax hemm miktub li 'Lill-anġli tiegħu jordnalhom biex jieħdu ħsiebek sewwa,' [Lq:4:11] u li fuq idejhom jerfgħuk, ħalli ma taħbatx riġlek ma' xi ġebla.' " [Lq:4:12] Wieġeb Ġesù u qallu: "Jingħad, 'Iġġarrabx lill-Mulej Alla tiegħek.' "

[Lq:4:13] Mbagħad ix-Xitan meta temm dan it-tiġrib kollu, telaq minn ħdejh sa ma wasal il-waqt.

Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
R/. Tifħir lilek Kristu


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>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

THE THREE STAGES OF TEMPTATION
- SUGGESTION TO SIN;
- PLEASURE TO SIN;
BUT THE RESULT DEPENDS ON OUR THREE CHOICES OF
- CONSENT TO SIN =
--- EITHER NO TO CONSENT TO SIN;
--- PARTIAL (half resistence) CONSENT TO SIN
--- OR FULL CONSENT TO SIN.





Homily on Lk 4:1-13 in MALTESE by Fr George Dalli
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Raa3oylsenQ

or click on arrow in video below

.....LEAD US NOT.....(ref. to the Gospel when Jesus thought us how to pray to Our Father - Mt 6:7-15
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CH3rArAxSo

or click on arrow in video below

 
....When you pray.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=1CH3rArAxSo

or click on arrow in video below

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Prayer for Aid in Fasting (St. Joseph Studite, Lenten Triodion)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XTTkD0nko0

~Pope Benedict XVI on Fasting~

......"Fasting means abstaining from food, but includes other forms of self-denial to promote a more sober lifestyle. But that still isn't the full meaning of fasting, which is the external sign of the internal reality of our commitment to abstain from evil with the help of God and to live the Gospel . . ."

"In our own day, fasting seems to have lost something of its spiritual meaning, and has taken on, in a culture characterized by the search for material well-being, a therapeutic value for the care of one's body. Fasting certainly bring benefits to physical well-being, but for believers, it is, in the first place, a "therapy" to heal all that prevents them from conformity to the will of God."

"Through fasting and praying, we allow Him to come and satisfy the deepest hunger that we experience in the depths of our being: the hunger and thirst for God."

"It seems abundantly clear that fasting represents an important ascetical practice, a spiritual arm to do battle against every possible disordered attachment to ourselves. Freely chosen detachment from the pleasure of food and other material goods helps the disciple of Christ to control the appetites of nature, weakened by original sin, whose negative effects impact the entire human person. Quite opportunely, an ancient hymn of the Lenten Liturgy exhorts: 'Let us use sparingly words, food and drink, sleep and amusements. May we be more alert in the custody of our senses.' Since all of us are weighed down by sin and its consequences, fasting is proposed to us as an instrument to restore friendship with God."......

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1100951.htm

February 14 - Saints Cyril, Monk and Methodius, Bishop. FEAST

SAN ĊIRILLU Saċerdot 827-869 

u 

SAN METODJU Isqof 826-885

14 ta’ Frar
FESTA TA'
SAN ĊIRILLU Saċerdot: 827 - 869 u
SAN METODJU Isqof: 826 – 885

San Ċirillu u San Metodju kienu aħwa minn Tessalonika (Salonika), il-Greċja. San Ċirillu li kien xi sena iżgħar minn ħuh, kien jismu Kostantinu, u biddel ismu meta sar patri, ftit ġimgħat qabel miet. Huwa studja l-Universita’ Imperjali ta’ Kostantinopli fejn fost l-għalliema kellu lill Fozju. Metodju ħalla minn Gvernatur ta’ Kolonja Slava fil-Provinċja ta’ Opsikion, biex ordna saċerdot.
Fis-sena 861, fuq talba ta’ l-Imperatur tal-Lvant Mikiel III, iż-żewġ aħwa marru jevanġelizzaw fl-inħawi li llum jagħmlu parti mir-Russja u l-Bulgarija u għamlu suċċess kbir għax kellhom ħafna u ħafna konverżjonijiet.

F’863, il-Prinċep Rotislav ta’ Moravja (fiċ-Ċekoslavakkja u l-Jugoslavja) talab biex jintbagħtu missjunarji Nsara ħalli jxerrdu l-Kristjaneżmu f’pajjiżu. Fozju li issa kien il-Patrijarka ta’ Kostantinopli reħa dan ix-xogħol f’idejn dawn iż-żewġ aħwa. It-tnejn flimkien ippreparaw kotba liturġiċi u qalbu l-Iskrittura fi lsien il-poplu Slav, b’tipi li saru magħrufa bħala ”Ċirilliċi”. Ċirillu kien ivvinta alfabet li għadu jiġi wżat sal-lum fil-liturġija Jugoslava, u minnu tnisslu l-alfabet Russu, Bulgaru u Serbjan.
Billi bdew jinqdew bl-ilsien Slav tal-poplu, ir-Re Lwiġi u l-isqfijiet Ġermaniżi bdew jarawhom koroh u bdew jagħmlulhom il-bsaten fir-roti. Għalhekk Ċirillu u Metodju, fis-sena 869, marru Ruma biex jiddefendu ruħhom, u l-Papa Adrijanu II laqagħhom u approva x-xogħol tagħhom. Ċirillu sar patri imma miet f’Ruma, fl-14 ta’ Frar 869.
Metodju ġie kkonsagrat isqof u mar ikompli jaħdem waħdu fil-missjoni ta’ Pannonja (Ungerija), u wara l-Papa ħatru Arċisqof ral-Moravja u tal-Pannonja u għamel is-sede tiegħu indipendenti mill-Ġermanja. Miet fis-6 ta’ April 885, f’Velahard, Ċekoslovakkja. Bil-priedki u bil-kitba tagħhom, San Ċirillu u San Metodju wasslu l-Kristjaniżmu fil-pajjiżi tal-Bulgarija, Jugoslavja, Ungerija, Ċekoslovakkja, u wkoll f’partijiet mill-Polonja u r-Russja.

Talba
Mulej, Alla li tista’ kollox, ibni l-Knisja tiegħek u saħħaħha dejjem f’għaqda waħda. (laikos)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0tQw56IIeM

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