†Saint Quote
"For all, regenerated in Christ, are made kings by the sign of the cross; they are consecrated priests by the oil of the Holy Spirit, so that beyond the special service of our ministry as priests, all spiritual and mature Christians know that they are a royal race and are sharers in the office of the priesthood. For what is more king-like than to find yourself ruler over your body after having surrendered your soul to God? And what is more priestly than to promise the Lord a pure conscience and to offer him in love unblemished victims on the altar of one's heart?"
— St. Leo the Great †MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"God never caused the virtues and singular merit of Joseph to shine with greater splendor than when He said to him by the mouth of the angel, 'Take the Child and His mother'; for in them He committed to him His most precious treasures, giving him thus the preference over all the blessed spirits of Heaven; and Joseph received these two sacred persons into his care, to be their protector, their guardian, and defender. If, then, Heaven made Joseph the protector of Jesus and Mary, we may rest assured that he was at the same time made protector and patron of all men."
— Edward Healy Thompson, p. 401
AN EXCERPT FROM
Life & Glories of St. Joseph †VERSE OF THE DAY
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."
Colossians 1:15-17 |  click to read more | | BL. ANNE OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW Bl. Anne of St. Bartholomew (1549–1626) was born in Spain, one of seven children. Her parents died when the plague swept through Spain, leaving her an orphan at the age of ten. She then became a shepherdess tending her brother's sheep. From a young age she had an extraordinary spiritual life, including being graced with many visions. In one of them the Blessed Virgin Mary told her she would become a nun, which was further encouraged by a vision of Jesus. When she tried to enter the monastery she was turned away for being too young. Years later, when her family tried to arrange her marriage, she finally entered the Carmelite monastery at the age of 21, the same one in which St. Teresa of Avila lived. St. Teresa chose Anne as her personal secretary and assistant, even though she had to teach Anne how to write. For five years St. Anne was the companion of St. Teresa of Avila, traveling with her and assisting her in the establishment of new foundations. It was in Anne's arms that St. Teresa died in 1582. After Teresa's death, Anne assisted in the foundation of several other monasteries in France, becoming prioress at three of them. She went on to found a monastery in the Netherlands where she remained until her death. After her death over 150 approved miracles (and more that have not been officially approved) were attributed to her intercession. Her feast day is June 7th. | Monday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 359
Reading I 2 Cor1:1-7 Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
and Timothy our brother,
to the Church of God that is at Corinth,
with all the holy ones throughout Achaia:
grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of compassion and the God of all encouragement,
who encourages us in our every affliction,
so that we may be able to encourage
those who are in any affliction
with the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God.
For as Christ's sufferings overflow to us,
so through Christ does our encouragement also overflow.
If we are afflicted,
it is for your encouragement and salvation;
if we are encouraged,
it is for your encouragement,
which enables you to endure the same sufferings that we suffer.
Our hope for you is firm,
for we know that as you share in the sufferings,
you also share in the encouragement. Responsorial Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD; the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Glorify the LORD with me, let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the LORD is; blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord. Alleluia Mt 5:12a R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Rejoice and be glad;
for your reward will be great in heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 5:1-12 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.
Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you." | Daily Meditation: 2 Corinthians 1:1-7 God . . . encourages us . . . so that we may be able to encourage those who are in any affliction. (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4) Since Renaissance times, two colossal fountains have adorned St. Peter's Square in the Vatican. From each fountain, water cascades down a shallow dome of stone and falls onto a lower platform. There, the water spills over again, splashing into a pool at the fountain's base. It's like having two waterfalls, one on top of the other. Hold on to this image of a two-tiered fountain. It may help clarify the mystery of God's comfort that Paul speaks about in today's reading. In this emotionally-charged letter, Paul reveals that he has suffered much while serving God (2 Corinthians 11:23-29). He has been beaten, imprisoned, and shipwrecked. He has labored without food or sleep. He has been distressed over the challenges of building churches; the Corinthians, in particular, often gave him fits. Still, Paul kept turning to the Lord for encouragement. And God, "the Father of compassion," faithfully comforted Paul, both in his prayer and through the help of his friends (2 Corinthians 1:3). This overflowing fountain of comfort helped keep Paul going. More than that, it enabled him to sing in dark dungeons (Acts 16:25). At the same time, Paul understood that the grace he was receiving wasn't only for him. God meant it to overflow from Paul into the churches and the people he served, and then for it to flow out of them and into the world. That's the mystery of God's comfort: it's meant to spill out! So when you face a hardship, remember that God is a fountain of unlimited compassion and comfort. Try to imitate Paul by turning to the Lord, trusting in his provision and care. Seek his presence in your prayer, in your worship at Mass, and in your loved ones. You may not find him right away, but you can still believe that he is with you. But don't stop there. In addition to caring for yourself, look for opportunities to care for other people. Remember those fountains in St. Peter's Square: God's comfort is meant to flow into you and out of you. "Lord, I trust that you will offer me your comfort today." Psalm 34:2-9
Matthew 5:1-12 | God wouldn't have given us an intellect, if he didn't want us to think straight.
— Msgr. Ronald Knox
from his book In Soft Garments |  Bro. Adrian Reads reflection Outloud. Click here | my2cents:
In the Gospel of Mathew we hear:
"Our hope for you is firm,
for we know that as you share in the sufferings, you also share in the encouragement."
Now there is hope. After Christ's much humiliation, mutilation, and desolation, He shows that even after all that...there is hope, and is proven in the Resurrection, the very reason we are called Christian, but even that is just a name that came about after many decades, at first, the followers of Christ were just known as followers of the Way. And the Way is in us Catholics, the Life, the Eucharist, the Body of Christ, and it calls for something many shy from...hard work, much suffering, things most are not accustomed to, especially in a world where everything is just handed to you in convenience. Let's keep that in mind as we lead into Christ's message today. | We pray in the Psalms today:
"I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD; the lowly will hear me and be glad.
Taste and see the goodness of the Lord."
Mother Teresa said:
"Our lives have to continuously feed on the Eucharist. If we were not able to see Christ under the appearance of bread, neither would it be possible for us to discover him under the humble appearances of the bruised bodies of the poor" (Mother Teresa: Her Essential Wisdom, edited by Carol Kelly-Gangi, p. 115). Who's prayer does God hear? If the poor prayed for help, Mother Teresa was there, because she prayed to help the poor. So who's prayer was answered? And what do you pray for? Can we help the poor? It's going to take much effort, and suffering, because when you help the suffering...you too start suffering. Again...who prays like that? | Our Lord speaks from the Mount:
""Blessed are the poor in spirit"
But who are the poor in spirit? We better find out because "theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven! "Blessed are they who mourn" for they will be comforted.
"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land." Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.
Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you." | Back to the suffering for God. Back to being meek, and back to persecutions, and back to thirsting for righteousness.
The world tells you not to suffer for God.
The world tells you...not to lift a finger for Him. The world whispers doubts in your head (you don't need to pray, you don't need church, you don't need to do anything, especially if it costs you something).
But the world does not tell you that if you do nothing, you do nothing for God, and God calls us to invest our talents until He returns. He calls for obedience, and love of obedience.
Let us be found in His Business as when our Lord was found by Joseph and Mary our Mother.
I write to encourage you.
Be encouraged by this message. Let us pray:
Lord, blessed are those who do Your Holy Will, for we shall be like You, perfect, we shall love like You, perfect, we shall be the Way, like You, perfect. Infuse in us a grace and faith that moves mountains, and sets the light on top of the mountain forever...saying Here I Am, I give thanks, and I come to do Thy precious will... | from your brother in Christ our Lord,
adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse from online generator: Proverbs 15:22
22 Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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