†Saint Said:
"Act as if everyday were the last of your life, and each action the last you perform."
— St. Alphonsus Liguori † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"People often think of Christian morality as a kind of bargain in which God says, 'If you keep a lot of rules I'll reward you, and if you don't I'll do the other thing.' I do not think that is the best way of looking at it. I would much rather say that every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow-creatures, and with itself. To be the one kind of creature is heaven: that is, it is joy and peace and knowledge and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness. Each of us at this moment is progressing to the one state or the other."
— C. S. Lewis, p. 92
AN EXCERPT FROM
Mere Christianity †VERSE OF THE DAY
"In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word. When he had accomplished purification from sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high."
Hebrews 1:1-3 |  click to read more | | STS. PETER AND PAUL St. Peter and St. Paul (1st c.) were the foremost Apostles of Jesus Christ; St. Peter was the leader of the Twelve, while St. Paul followed Christ after His ascension into heaven. Together the two saints are the founders of the Church in Rome through their apostolic preaching, ministry, and martyrdom in that city. They are the solid rock on which the foundation of the Catholic Church is built, and they will forever remain her protectors and guides. To them Rome owes her true greatness, for it was under God's providential guidance that they transformed the capital of the Roman Empire into the heart of the Church, with the mission to radiate the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ throughout the world. Both saints were martyred in close proximity to one another; Peter first, then Paul, though some traditions claim they were killed on the same day. St. Peter was crucified upside down and buried on the hill of the Vatican where St. Peter's Basilica now stands. St. Paul was beheaded on the via Ostia and buried where the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls now stands. St. Peter and St. Paul are the patron saints of Rome and they share a feast day on June 29, a tradition going back to the earliest centuries of the Church.
See more about St. Peter.
See more about St. Paul. | Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles Mass during the Day Lectionary: 591
Reading I Acts 12:1-11 In those days, King Herod laid hands upon some members of the Church to harm them.
He had James, the brother of John, killed by the sword,
and when he saw that this was pleasing to the Jews
he proceeded to arrest Peter also.
–It was the feast of Unleavened Bread.–
He had him taken into custody and put in prison
under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each.
He intended to bring him before the people after Passover.
Peter thus was being kept in prison,
but prayer by the Church was fervently being made
to God on his behalf. On the very night before Herod was to bring him to trial,
Peter, secured by double chains,
was sleeping between two soldiers,
while outside the door guards kept watch on the prison.
Suddenly the angel of the Lord stood by him
and a light shone in the cell.
He tapped Peter on the side and awakened him, saying,
"Get up quickly."
The chains fell from his wrists.
The angel said to him, "Put on your belt and your sandals."
He did so.
Then he said to him, "Put on your cloak and follow me."
So he followed him out,
not realizing that what was happening through the angel was real;
he thought he was seeing a vision.
They passed the first guard, then the second,
and came to the iron gate leading out to the city,
which opened for them by itself.
They emerged and made their way down an alley,
and suddenly the angel left him.
Then Peter recovered his senses and said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people had been expecting." Responsorial Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 R. (5) The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
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. The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
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. The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
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. The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
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. The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him. Reading II 2 Tm 4:6-8, 17-18 I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation,
and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have competed well; I have finished the race;
I have kept the faith.
From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,
which the Lord, the just judge,
will award to me on that day, and not only to me,
but to all who have longed for his appearance. The Lord stood by me and gave me strength,
so that through me the proclamation might be completed
and all the Gentiles might hear it.
And I was rescued from the lion's mouth.
The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat
and will bring me safe to his heavenly Kingdom.
To him be glory forever and ever. Amen. Alleluia Mt 16:18 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 16:13-19 When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi
he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter said in reply,
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." | Daily Meditation: 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18 I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:7) Have you ever heard of sports psychologists? One of their main roles is to help athletes recover from a big mistake during a game. They help the athlete acknowledge the problem, analyze what went wrong, and make the necessary adjustments so that they can regain their confidence. Today we celebrate the feast day of Sts. Peter and Paul. The New Testament is filled with stories about how these men heroically devoted themselves to building the Church, but it doesn't shy away from recounting times when they made their own mistakes. All we have to do is remember the story of Peter denying Jesus three times and Paul's violent persecution of Jesus' early followers! Those early failings could have made these two apostles feel too ashamed to take up roles of leadership in the Church. But they were able to let go of that shame and move forward with confidence in God's mercy and love. They may not have had a sports psychologist to counsel them, but they had something even better: the Holy Spirit. Perhaps the memory of your own past failings has been holding you back. Maybe you think that there are other people better suited to serve at your parish or in your neighborhood. If that sounds like you, remember Peter and Paul. Let their examples inspire you to move beyond your past. Let them convince you that you don't have to be defined by your sins or your weaknesses or your failings. Covered in the mercy of Christ, you can serve and make a difference. Remember also the Holy Spirit. Ask him for the courage you need to step out in faith. Ask him to give you a double portion of God's love and to help you grow in confidence. Part of what separates saints like Peter and Paul from the rest of us is their humble ability to learn from their failings and their willingness to keep serving the Lord in spite of them. May we all learn how to keep moving forward, no matter what! "Holy Spirit, help me grow through my mistakes as I serve your people." Acts 12:1-11
Psalm 34:2-9 |  Listen to 2cents | my2cents:
Today's first reading ended:
"They emerged and made their way down an alley, and suddenly the angel left him.
Then Peter recovered his senses and said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people had been expecting." | We pray in the Psalms, the Lord's language:
" The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
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."
Sin brings shame and it is the devil's duty to shame you and keep you in shame...until...one repents, until one comes clean with our Lord, and then, your face becomes radiant, with light, the light of God, no more shame, no more guilt, just living in mercy in a humble attitude. | Our Lord speaks:
"When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
Pause for a moment to reflect. Again. "Who do people say that He is?".
Ask people in the world and you'll get strange answers. From weird, to bad, to really bad. Let's keep reading: | "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." So there's a couple of takeaways here.
First, Jesus built a church. On a man. And He gave Him authority, in what seems ultimate say and authority.
Anything outside this church is susceptible to failure beyond the failures of Peter's own failures and by this I mean the Church, the Catholic (Universal) Church Jesus built.
What is the greatest failures as of late, especially with the 50,000 splits from the Catholic Church called protestant denominations? And new splits happening so many times per year!? What are we to make of all this mess? We need unity. The latest and furthest denominations teach more and more against the Catholic Church, claiming THEY have the authority.
This is the problem of all problems, claiming authority. There are some officials in governments that claim they are even above all churches, and the church therefore must do as they say.
What does the Catholic Church say about all this?
We are obedient. We do everything governments ask, except...to betray our Lord and His commandments, and the first being that God is our Lord and Father above all.
And so once again, the question is "Who do YOU say that I AM?"
Yesterday, I was interviewed by a local Catholic Radio station, to share my faith. Click to see: https://youtu.be/QuVe3SSVKhs. There, I was asked about my faith, and I responded at one point that "I needed to realize who I am before God". Meaning, who we are and what we are when we come to Him. Once we realize who we are before Him, we then can answer who He is.
I am second. I am last. I am least. I am of God. I am His. I am made in His image. I am a child. I am His child.
Keep reading this and saying this to yourself, and believe.
We are His creation, we are His children, we are of God, we are His. We are made in his image.
So what does God look like if we are made in His image?
Take a good look at yourself and others. Who do you say He is? I'm not taking any chances with sin. I'm going to take my chances in loving the least among us...and perhaps tend to God Himself! Let's pray:
Lord, I look to see Thy holy face, and I wonder, am I accepting, of Your needs? Am I accepting Thy Holy will? Do I love Thee as I ought? And so, I'm applying myself to Your precious will in Thy precious Church that holds You at the center as the source and summit of our Faith. To behold You in ways not known to the wise or the proud. To behold You My Savior and King, for that is Who You Are. Amazing! | from your brother in Christ our Lord,
adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse from online generator: Ephesians 4:31–32
31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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