†Saint Quote
"When we appeal to the throne of grace we do so through Mary, honoring God by honoring His Mother, imitating Him by exalting her, touching the most responsive chord in the Sacred Heart of Christ with the sweet name of Mary."
— St. Robert Bellarmine † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"No one denies that Jesus Christ is our only mediator of justice, and that he by his merits has obtained our reconciliation with God. But, on the other hand, it is impious to assert that God is not pleased to grant graces at the intercession of his saints, and more especially of Mary his mother, whom Jesus desires so much to see loved and honored by all. Who can pretend that the honor bestowed on a mother doesn't redound to the honor of the son? For this reason St. Bernard says, 'We must not imagine that we obscure the glory of the Son by the great praise we lavish on the mother; for the more she is honored, the greater is the glory of her Son.'"
— St. Alphonsus Liguori, p. 3
AN EXCERPT FROM
A Year with Mary †VERSE OF THE DAY
"As you do not know how the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything."
Ecclesiastes 11:5 |  click to read more | | ST. FILIPPO SMALDONE St. Filippo Smaldone (1848–1923) was born in Naples, Italy, during a time of upheaval and unrest both in Italy and in the Church. He decided to become a priest, and while in seminary he took on a personal apostolate of assisting the deaf and mute community in Naples. He dedicated so much time to this work that he barely passed his exams. After his ordination he continued to assist the marginalized of his community, especially the sick. When the plague hit his city he contracted it, however, he was healed after praying to Our Lady of Pompeii, to whom he had a special devotion. He continued his pioneer work in the education of the deaf and mute, though he became discouraged at the difficulty of the task and considered going into the foreign missions instead. Dissuaded from the abandonment of his work by his confessor, St. Filippo committed his life's mission to the needs of the deaf and mute, training a group of nuns in the work which grew into a new religious foundation. He later expanded his work to include children that were blind, orphaned, and abandoned. His feast day is June 4th. | Friday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 357
Reading I Tb 11:5-17 Anna sat watching the road by which her son was to come.
When she saw him coming, she exclaimed to his father,
"Tobit, your son is coming, and the man who traveled with him!" Raphael said to Tobiah before he reached his father:
"I am certain that his eyes will be opened.
Smear the fish gall on them.
This medicine will make the cataracts shrink and peel off from his eyes;
then your father will again be able to see the light of day." Then Anna ran up to her son, threw her arms around him,
and said to him,
"Now that I have seen you again, son, I am ready to die!"
And she sobbed aloud. Tobit got up and stumbled out through the courtyard gate.
Tobiah went up to him with the fish gall in his hand,
and holding him firmly, blew into his eyes.
"Courage, father," he said.
Next he smeared the medicine on his eyes, and it made them smart.
Then, beginning at the corners of Tobit's eyes,
Tobiah used both hands to peel off the cataracts. When Tobit saw his son, he threw his arms around him and wept.
He exclaimed, "I can see you, son, the light of my eyes!"
Then he said: "Blessed be God, and praised be his great name, and blessed be all his holy angels. May his holy name be praised throughout all the ages, Because it was he who scourged me, and it is he who has had mercy on me. Behold, I now see my son Tobiah!" Then Tobit went back in, rejoicing and praising God with full voice
for everything that had happened.
Tobiah told his father that
the Lord God had granted him a successful journey;
that he had brought back the money;
and that he had married Raguel's daughter Sarah,
who would arrive shortly,
for she was approaching the gate of Nineveh. Tobit and Anna rejoiced
and went out to the gate of Nineveh
to meet their daughter-in-law.
When the people of Nineveh saw Tobit walking along briskly,
with no one leading him by the hand, they were amazed.
Before them all Tobit proclaimed
how God had mercifully restored sight to his eyes.
When Tobit reached Sarah, the wife of his son Tobiah,
he greeted her: "Welcome, my daughter!
Blessed be your God for bringing you to us, daughter!
Blessed is your father, and blessed is my son Tobiah,
and blessed are you, daughter!
Welcome to your home with blessing and joy.
Come in, daughter!"
That day there was joy for all the Jews who lived in Nineveh. Responsorial Psalm 146:1b-2, 6c-7, 8-9a, 9bc-10 R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD, O my soul; I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live.
R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.
R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains, but the way of the wicked he thwarts
The LORD shall reign forever, your God, O Zion, through all generations! Alleluia.
R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 14:23 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him
and we will come to him.
. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 12:35-37 As Jesus was teaching in the temple area he said,
"How do the scribes claim that the Christ is the son of David?
David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said: The Lord said to my lord, 'Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies under your feet.' David himself calls him 'lord';
so how is he his son?"
The great crowd heard this with delight. | Daily Meditation: Tobit 11:5-17 That day there was joy for all the Jews who lived in Nineveh. (Tobit 11:17) Tobit faced trial after trial. By the end of this story, however, his circumstances had flipped. Not only had his son returned with a bride, but Tobit could see again! Rejoicing, he proclaimed, "It was [God] who scourged me, and it is he who has had mercy on me" (Tobit 11:15). So how did Tobit and his family get through their trials? They held fast to their faith. Tobit didn't give up or turn away from God, even when he was being persecuted. He continued to pray and, in humility, do the next right thing (Tobit 1:3-21). Sarah didn't give up either. She married once more, hoping that her husband would not fall to the demon as her other husbands had (7:12). And Tobit's son, Tobiah, with his new wife, Sarah, offered a beautiful prayer to God asking for mercy and protection (8:5-8). It's during hard times like these that our faith can be tested. We can wonder why God is allowing bad things to happen to us or why he isn't answering our prayers. It's okay to ask these questions; sometimes it's difficult not to. But what's most important is that we don't turn away from God. When we try our best to stay close to him, we open ourselves to his love, mercy, and grace so that we too can do the next right thing. In Tobit's case, the ending was a happy one. But whether we are in a time of prosperity or facing a trial, Tobit's story shows us that as we cling to the Lord, he will sustain us. He will give us the grace to deal with whatever happens. Just as Tobit and his family had the archangel Raphael walking with them, we can trust that God will send his help to us in both expected and unexpected ways. God has a good plan for you, even if you can't see it at the moment. That plan is unfolding as you continue to remain close to him in good times and in bad times. And the good news is that a happy ending awaits you too. Just as Tobit and his family rejoiced in God's mercy and providence, so you too will one day rejoice in heaven with your Father and all your brothers and sisters in Christ. "Lord, help me to hold fast to you, whatever life brings my way." Psalm 146:1-2, 6-10
Mark 12:35-37 | Truly, I doubt not that the angels, wondering and adoring, came thronging in countless multitudes to that poor workshop to admire the humility of him who guarded that dear and divine child, and labored at his carpenter's trade to support the son and the mother who were committed to his care.
—St. Francis de Sales |  Bro. Adrian Reads reflection Outloud. Click here | my2cents:
Tobit cured his father's eyes upon his return. Tobit married a woman who was widowed 7 times. What is it about the number 8? If I remember correctly, Theologian Scholar Dr. Brant Pitre, saying that the eighth day means eternity. We don't hear that often, right? But our Lord resurrected on the 8th day, the day after the Sabbath. Tobiah, the 8th husband comes back to the father, Tobit, with the wife. Think Jesus our Lord, think the bride of Christ...the whole Church. Think of what this means for us all. He has come for us...to return with Him. Because the Old Testament was to be fulfilled in the New...Jesus Testament. | We pray in the Psalms songs of Praise:
"Praise the LORD, O my soul; I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live."
All the prayers we have been hearing are of praise, from Tobit, to Tobiah, to Sarah. All songs of praise and gratitude.
"Welcome, my daughter!
Blessed be your God for bringing you to us, daughter!
Blessed is your father, and blessed is my son Tobiah,
and blessed are you, daughter!
Welcome to your home with blessing and joy.
Come in, daughter!"
That day there was joy for all the Jews who lived in Nineveh. | Our Lord speaks in the Gospel:
"The Lord said to my lord, 'Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies under your feet.'
David himself calls him 'lord';
so how is he his son?" | This Son of David is the Son of God, this is Jesus our Lord. What does the Son of God mean to you?
Bishop Barron's daily reflection says today:
"Friends, in our Gospel today, Jesus quotes a Psalm where David calls him Lord. It calls to mind a question: Do you also recognize Jesus as Lord? Is Christ commanding your life in every detail? Is he the Lord of your family life? Of your recreational life? Of your professional life? Is he the Lord of every room in your house, including the bedroom? Does your sexuality belong to him? Do your friendships serve his purpose? Are you totally given over to him, under his lordship?
When we surrender to the path of love that he has laid out for us, our lives become infinitely lighter, easier, and more joyful, for we are moving with the divine purpose. You will have moved out of what Paul calls the way of "the flesh" and will have moved into the way of "the Spirit."
Flesh refers here, not to the body as such, but to sin. When you are caught up in patterns of self-regard and self-protection, life becomes a burden, and you find yourself taking up the weapons of war all the time. But when you recognize Jesus as Lord, you can let all of that go." Our Lord declared Himself, not only Son of David, but Son of God. In this Father relationship, we must trust what Our Father is going to do. In this case, He will subdue your enemies. Not people, don't think of enemies as merely someone you don't like or those that don't like you, but think of the real enemies. I wish my fellows would know that an enemy is the one who has caused you much pain. The pain of a divorce was caused by drugs, and alcohol and adultery under the influence and guise of something dark. The cause of pain of an abortion was caused by a decision influenced by a deceiver. Who are the enemies of God? Who is the anti-Christ? You'll never see them with your naked eyes. But you will see them with eyes of purity and holiness. You'll recognize the Truth too. And to get there, we must devote ourselves entirely to our Lord as we consecrate ourselves into His Truth. Let's pray:
Lord, every day we are bombarded by the enemy. I'm lured into temptations and into lies. I am constantly attacked for my faith. I am looked at as an enemy for defending the truth. I'm always being bribed to let go of my faith and to slip into darkness. I don't want darkness. I don't want oppression that causes depression. I want to bless You Lord at all times. Please send us Your Holy Spirit, to honor us with grace to love you truly.
And I pray with Our Mother:
Mother of God, Jesus, I pray for the healing of the body of Christ. amen. | from your brother in Christ our Lord,
adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse from online generator: Titus 3:4–7 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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