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Friday, August 16, 2019

⛪ ...If That Is The Case . . .⛪

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Living the Gospel Every Day
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The Gospel is only ever lived out during the seemingly little things of the everyday. In office cubicles, on subway cars, along rural highways, at home or at play—in these places is where the quotidian reality of Christian life unfolds, or it doesn't, according to our choices. Too often we look to saints or other exemplars of Christian living and romanticize their famous actions or behaviors. We forget that Francis and Clare of Assisi, Ignatius Loyola, Catherine McAuley, and Dorothy Day all woke up each morning, went to bed each evening, and tried their best to follow Christ during the hours in between. What makes them models of Christian life is not some singular display of faithfulness, but instead the culmination of a lifelong effort to make the little things, like lunch or work, into moments of encountering others that then help proclaim the good news of God's love to the world.

—from the book God Is Not Fair, and Other Reasons for Gratitude by Daniel P. Horan, OFM

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† Saint Quote"Even when God's will does not correspond to your own desires, it is always beneficial for you."
— St. Arnold Janssen

Meditation of the Day

"I believe we shall never learn to know ourselves except by endeavoring to know God, for, beholding His greatness we are struck by our own baseness, His purity shows our foulness, and by meditating on His humility we find how very far we are from being humble. Two advantages are gained by this practice. First, it is clear that white looks far whiter when placed near something black, and on the contrary, black never looks so dark as when seen beside something white. Secondly, our understanding and will become more noble and capable of good in every way when we turn from ourselves to God: it is very injurious never to raise our minds above the mire of our own faults."

— St. Teresa of Avila, p. 17

An Excerpt From Interior Castle

Verse of the Day

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching.

2 Timothy 4:1-2

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Saint Stephen of Hungary

(975 – August 15, 1038)

Saint Stephen of Hungary's Story

The Church is universal, but its expression is always affected—for good or ill—by local culture. There are no "generic" Christians; there are Mexican Christians, Polish Christians, Filipino Christians. This fact is evident in the life of Stephen, national hero and spiritual patron of Hungary.

Born a pagan, he was baptized around the age of 10, together with his father, chief of the Magyars, a group who migrated to the Danube area in the ninth century. At 20, he married Gisela, sister to the future emperor, Saint Henry. When he succeeded his father, Stephen adopted a policy of Christianization of the country for both political and religious reasons. He suppressed a series of revolts by pagan nobles and welded the Magyars into a strong national group. He asked the pope to provide for the Church's organization in Hungary—and also requested that the pope confer the title of king upon him. He was crowned on Christmas day in 1001.

Stephen established a system of tithes to support churches and pastors and to relieve the poor. Out of every 10 towns one had to build a church and support a priest. He abolished pagan customs with a certain amount of violence, and commanded all to marry, except clergy and religious. He was easily accessible to all, especially the poor.

In 1031, his son Emeric died, and the rest of Stephen's days were embittered by controversy over his successor. His nephews attempted to kill him. He died in 1038 and was canonized, along with his son, in 1083.
Reflection

God's gift of holiness is a Christlike love of God and humanity. Love must sometimes bear a stern countenance for the sake of ultimate good. Christ attacked hypocrites among the Pharisees, but died forgiving them. Paul excommunicated the incestuous man at Corinth "that his spirit may be saved." Some Christians fought the Crusades with noble zeal, in spite of the unworthy motives of others.

Today, after senseless wars, and with a deeper understanding of the complex nature of human motives, we shrink from any use of violence—physical or "silent." This wholesome development continues as people debate whether it is possible for a Christian to be an absolute pacifist or whether evil must sometimes be repelled by force.
Saint Stephen of Hungary is the Patron Saint of:

Bricklayers
Hungary

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Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 417

Reading 1

Jos 24:1-13

Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem,
summoning their elders, their leaders,
their judges and their officers.
When they stood in ranks before God, Joshua addressed all the people:
"Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel:
In times past your fathers, down to Terah,
father of Abraham and Nahor,
dwelt beyond the River and served other gods.
But I brought your father Abraham from the region beyond the River
and led him through the entire land of Canaan.
I made his descendants numerous, and gave him Isaac.
To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau.
To Esau I assigned the mountain region of Seir in which to settle,
while Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.

"Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and smote Egypt with the prodigies
which I wrought in her midst.
Afterward I led you out of Egypt, and when you reached the sea,
the Egyptians pursued your fathers to the Red Sea
with chariots and horsemen.
Because they cried out to the LORD,
he put darkness between your people and the Egyptians,
upon whom he brought the sea so that it engulfed them.
After you witnessed what I did to Egypt,
and dwelt a long time in the desert,
I brought you into the land of the Amorites
who lived east of the Jordan.
They fought against you, but I delivered them into your power.
You took possession of their land, and I destroyed them,
the two kings of the Amorites, before you.
Then Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab,
prepared to war against Israel.
He summoned Balaam, son of Beor, to curse you;
but I would not listen to Balaam.
On the contrary, he had to bless you, and I saved you from him.
Once you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho,
the men of Jericho fought against you,
but I delivered them also into your power.
And I sent the hornets ahead of you that drove them
(the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites,
Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites)
out of your way; it was not your sword or your bow.

"I gave you a land that you had not tilled
and cities that you had not built, to dwell in;
you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves
which you did not plant."

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 136:1-3, 16-18, 21-22 and 24

R. His mercy endures forever.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever;
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his mercy endures forever;
Give thanks to the LORD of lords,
for his mercy endures forever.
R. His mercy endures forever.
Who led his people through the wilderness,
for his mercy endures forever;
Who smote great kings,
for his mercy endures forever;
And slew powerful kings,
for his mercy endures forever.
R. His mercy endures forever.
And made their land a heritage,
for his mercy endures forever;
The heritage of Israel his servant,
for his mercy endures forever;
And freed us from our foes,
for his mercy endures forever.
R. His mercy endures forever.

Alleluia

See 1 Thes 2:13

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Receive the word of god, not as the word of men,
but, as it truly is, the word of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mt 19:3-12

Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying,
"Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?"
He said in reply, "Have you not read that from the beginning
the Creator made them male and female and said,
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?
So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate."
They said to him, "Then why did Moses command
that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?"
He said to them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts
Moses allowed you to divorce your wives,
but from the beginning it was not so.
I say to you, whoever divorces his wife
(unless the marriage is unlawful)
and marries another commits adultery."
His disciples said to him,
"If that is the case of a man with his wife,
it is better not to marry."
He answered, "Not all can accept this word,
but only those to whom that is granted.
Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so;
some, because they were made so by others;
some, because they have renounced marriage
for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever can accept this ought to accept it."

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Meditation: Psalm 136:1-3, 16-18, 21-22, 24

Saint Stephen of Hungary (Optional Memorial)

His mercy endures forever. (Psalm 136:1)

Both today's psalm and the first reading tell us about the faithfulness of God. They both recount all that God had done in delivering the Israelites from slavery: he led his people through the wilderness, battled their enemies, and gave them the land for their heritage. Why? Because "his mercy endures forever" (Psalm 136:1).

God wanted to remind the people of his goodness toward them so that they would remember and stay faithful as they entered the Promised Land. He knew they would be surrounded by pagans who followed many false gods, so he wanted to make sure they would choose to serve him—and only him (Joshua 24:14-15).

Recounting the Lord's mercy in our own lives has the same effect in us. When we make the effort, we can remember so many of the merciful things, both large and small, that God has done for us. And by reflecting on our own "salvation history," we'll see a pattern emerge, just as it did for Joshua and the psalmist. We'll see God's great mercy surfacing again and again. It will remind us of how often he has intervened to help us in difficult circumstances, and this will lead us to renew our commitment to obeying him and serving him. It will also give us hope as we deal with whatever challenges and sufferings we might be facing today.

Try this little exercise: compose your own psalm of praise based on your own experience of God's work in your life up to now. For example, you might write, "Give thanks to the Lord, who healed my son when he was so sick" or "Give thanks to the Lord, who gave me a new job when I was unemployed." You might even want to include the more ordinary ways he has shown you mercy: "Give thanks to the Lord for the time he protected me when my car broke down" or "Give thanks to the Lord for showing me how to listen to my grieving friend."

Pull out your psalm from time to time and add to it. The more you remember, the more your heart will overflow in love and gratitude for the God whose mercy knows no bounds!

"Lord, thank you for your enduring mercy in my life."

Joshua 24:1-13
Matthew 19:3-12

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Sacrifices made.............

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2cts

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"I made his descendants numerous..."
Prosperity meant children, not wealth. Descendants were blessings. They still are. Even though modern culture anti-children says otherwise.

Let us pray; "His mercy endures forever.
And made their land a heritage,
for his mercy endures forever;
The heritage of Israel his servant,
for his mercy endures forever;
And freed us from our foes,
for his mercy endures forever.
His mercy endures forever."

A Spanish reflection said today;

God's project was beautiful: in Paradise, love would make man and woman meet in fullness. That love was, should be, a reflection of the same love of God. But that project was shattered by sin. Now we live in a continuous and difficult effort to rebuild that dream. That is why every couple that gets married allows us to get excited again and dream that love is possible. And every failure of a couple in their love becomes a nightmare. It's not just about your failure as people. Your failure is our failure. Your pain is our pain.

Once again the dream of God has been frustrated. But the voice of Jesus continues to invite us to dream, to delude us, to try again, even if failure is before us as a possibility, because love between man and woman will always be one of the most beautiful signs of love with whom God loves us.

2cents2

Bishop Barron said today:

"Friends, in today's Gospel Jesus teaches about the sanctity and permanence of marriage. Now we begin to see why the love of a husband and wife is a sacrament of God's love. The Father and the Son—while remaining distinct—give themselves utterly to each other, and this mutual giving is the Holy Spirit.

So when two people come together in love and form one flesh, they mimic the love between the Father and the Son. And when their love gives rise to a child, this mimics sacramentally the spiration of the Holy Spirit. Father, mother, and children are evocative of the divine Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

And this is why Jesus speaks so forcefully about marriage, and why his Church, at its best, has echoed him up and down the centuries. It is because marriage is such a sacred sign that the Church has sought so assiduously to protect it.

I know that the Church gets a bad rap for surrounding marriage and sexuality with so many rules. I realize that libertarians through the ages have fought against the supposed uptight moralism of the Church. But human beings always surround precious things with laws, restrictions, and prohibitions."

God created a man and a woman and when they come together they make one new flesh reflected in their children. So has God come with humans...and we can see His reflection in His spiritual children.
See to it that you do not despise His little ones....for their Angel's always look upon their Father's face.
God lives among us...and this is amazing....

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Random Bible Verse1
John 6:51 (Listen)

51 "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."

Thank You Jesus

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