Knocking and Naming

The 40 Martyrs of Sebaste

Loyola Press Faith formation publisher

Incensed by the soldiers’ obstinacy, the governor ordered that they be stripped and left to die standing on a frozen lake. He arranged a fire and warm bath on the shore to tempt them to apostatize. All forty signed a will, drafted by St. Meletius, the youngest, that expressed their faith, unity, and courage:

When we by God’s grace and the common prayers of all shall furnish the strife set before us, and come to the rewards of the high calling, we desire that then this will of ours may be respected . . .For although we come from different localities, we have chosen one and the same resting-place because we have set before ourselves one common strife for the prize. These things have seemed good to the Holy Spirit and have pleased us. Therefore we . . . brothers in Christ beseech our honored parents and relatives to have no grief or distress, but to respect the decision of our brotherly fellowship, and to consent heartily to our wishes, so that you may receive from our common Father the great recompense of obedience and of sharing in our sufferings. . .
(3 Minute Read)

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
– Mt 7:7-8

Ask, and all good things will be given you

Catholic Daily Reflections Daily reflections on the Gospel

Jesus is very clear that when we ask, we will receive, when we seek, we will find, and when we knock, the door will be opened to you.  But is that your experience?  Sometimes we can ask, and ask, and beg, and it appears that our prayer goes unanswered, at least in the way we want it to be answered.  So what does Jesus mean when He says to “ask…seek…knock” and you will receive?

The key to understanding this exhortation from our Lord is that, as the Scripture above states, through our prayer, God will give “good things to those who ask.”  He doesn’t promise us whatever we ask for; rather, He promises that which is truly good and good, in particular, for our eternal salvation.
(3 Minute Read / Podcast)

What's in a name?

Names are deeply important. Today we thought we'd spend a moment in the Catechism with paragraphs 2156-2159 to learn why:

III The Christian Name

2156 The sacrament of Baptism is conferred "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." In Baptism, the Lord's name sanctifies man, and the Christian receives his name in the Church. This can be the name of a saint, that is, of a disciple who has lived a life of exemplary fidelity to the Lord. The patron saint provides a model of charity; we are assured of his intercession. The "baptismal name" can also express a Christian mystery or Christian virtue. "Parents, sponsors, and the pastor are to see that a name is not given which is foreign to Christian sentiment."

2157 The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father. The sign of the cross strengthens us in temptations and difficulties.

2158 God calls each one by name. Everyone's name is sacred. The name is the icon of the person. It demands respect as a sign of the dignity of the one who bears it.

2159 The name one receives is a name for eternity. In the kingdom, the mysterious and unique character of each person marked with God's name will shine forth in splendor. "To him who conquers . . . I will give a white stone, with a new name written on the stone which no one knows except him who receives it." "Then I looked, and Lo, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him a hundred and forty- four thousand who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads."

Lent is about more than just you

Radiant Magazine Resources for young adult women

These everyday sacrifices and sufferings, though small in comparison to what some people face daily, are not in vain. In love do we choose to give up certain comforts and conveniences, and the more we live for someone other than ourselves, the more my husband and I grow in holiness, humility and detachment, and the more we learn that love requires sacrifice.

When we sacrifice for what we love, we’re not just proving that we can love others by muscling our way through life’s challenges. Our selfishness, our egos and our pride are actually being healed and remedied through the very sufferings we choose to accept. The sacrifices we make are the purifying medicine that makes love what it’s supposed to be: the image of love God had for us when he created us.
(4 Minute Read)

Prayer Requests

Please pray for my brother, Robert, to be healed of his cancer.
– Lynn

For a recent heartbreak. For both of us to be consoled and healed, and to hear more clearly the will of God.
– Anonymous

Praying for the people of Ukraine and all affected in this war that God will see them through all challenges of war. And for my niece Ngozi for a spouse, a man that knows God and who will walk with her in the journey of faith.
– Christie

Please pray for Eric M’s conversion and salvation.
– Alfred

For help in battling with envy, jealousy, and comparing myself with other people, specially my siblings.
– Doris

Prayer Challenge

Given the power of names and that of invoking the intercession of the saints, it is no accident that all 40 names of the martyrs of Sebaste were preserved for our sake. Let us take a moment to implore their intercession today:

Hesychius, Meliton, Heraclius, Smaragdus, Domnus, Eunoicus, Valens, Vivianus, Claudius, Priscus, Theodulus, Euthychius, John, Xantheas, Helianus, Sisinius, Cyrion, Angius, Aetius, Flavius, Acacius, Ecditius, Lysimachus, Alexander, Elias, Candidus, Theophilus, Dometian, Gaius, Gorgonius, Eutyches, Athanasius, Cyril, Sacerdon, Nicholas, Valaerius, Philoctimon, Severian, Chudion, and Aglaius…

…Pray for us!

A.M.D.G.