†Saint Quote
"The accidents of life separate us from our dearest friends, but let us not despair. God is like a looking glass in which souls see each other. The more we are united to Him by love, the nearer we are to those who belong to Him."
— St. Elizabeth Ann Seton † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Yet such are the pity and compassion of this Lord of ours, so desirous is He that we should seek Him and enjoy His company, that in one way or another He never ceases calling us to Him . . . God here speaks to souls through words uttered by pious people, by sermons or good books, and in many other such ways. Sometimes He calls souls by means of sickness or troubles, or by some truth He teaches them during prayer, for tepid as they may be in seeking Him, yet God holds them very dear."
— St. Teresa of Avila, p.26
AN EXCERPT FROM
Interior Castle † VERSE OF THE DAY
"And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it."
John 14:13-14 |  click to read more | | POPE ST. CELESTINE I Pope St. Celestine I (d. 432 A.D.) was a Roman deacon who was elected Supreme Pontiff in 422 A.D. He was a contemporary of St. Augustine, and it is said that the two were good friends. He also lived with St. Ambrose in Milan prior to serving in Rome. Pope St. Celestine lead the Church for nine years during a troubled time of social upheaval. Within the Church there were multiple dangerous heresies spreading and corrupting the faith of the people, especially Nestorianism and Pelagianism, which he staunchly fought against, and for this he is known as a defender of orthodox doctrine. Outside the Church, barbarian hordes were invading the West, leading to the collapse of the Roman Empire. Pope St. Celestine I worked to restore the churches that were attacked when Alaric the Goth sacked Rome. He also established the papal diplomatic service to send ambassadors, known as nuncios, from the Vatican to other governments around the world. He is also the Holy Father who sent St. Patrick to evangelize Ireland, and who introduced the responsorial psalm into the papal Mass at Rome. His feast day is July 27th. | Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 402
Reading I Ex 33:7-11; 34:5b-9, 28 The tent, which was called the meeting tent,
Moses used to pitch at some distance away, outside the camp.
Anyone who wished to consult the LORD
would go to this meeting tent outside the camp.
Whenever Moses went out to the tent, the people would all rise
and stand at the entrance of their own tents,
watching Moses until he entered the tent.
As Moses entered the tent, the column of cloud would come down
and stand at its entrance while the LORD spoke with Moses.
On seeing the column of cloud stand at the entrance of the tent,
all the people would rise and worship
at the entrance of their own tents.
The LORD used to speak to Moses face to face,
as one man speaks to another.
Moses would then return to the camp,
but his young assistant, Joshua, son of Nun,
would not move out of the tent. Moses stood there with the LORD and proclaimed his name, "LORD."
Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out,
"The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God,
slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity,
continuing his kindness for a thousand generations,
and forgiving wickedness and crime and sin;
yet not declaring the guilty guiltless,
but punishing children and grandchildren
to the third and fourth generation for their fathers' wickedness!"
Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship.
Then he said, "If I find favor with you, O LORD,
do come along in our company.
This is indeed a stiff-necked people;
yet pardon our wickedness and sins,
and receive us as your own." So Moses stayed there with the LORD for forty days and forty nights,
without eating any food or drinking any water,
and he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant,
the ten commandments. Responsorial Psalm 103:6-7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13 R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.
The LORD secures justice and the rights of all the oppressed.
He has made known his ways to Moses, and his deeds to the children of Israel.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD, slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
He will not always chide, nor does he keep his wrath forever.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us, nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
For as the heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful. Alleluia R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower;
all who come to him will live for ever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia Gospel Mt 13:36-43 Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house.
His disciples approached him and said,
"Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."
He said in reply, "He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,
the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom.
The weeds are the children of the Evil One,
and the enemy who sows them is the Devil.
The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire,
so will it be at the end of the age.
The Son of Man will send his angels,
and they will collect out of his Kingdom
all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.
They will throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the Kingdom of their Father.
Whoever has ears ought to hear." | Daily Meditation: Exodus 33:7-11; 34:5-9, 28 Joshua, son of Nun, would not move out of the tent. (Exodus 33:11) Watching the sun rise above the horizon can take your breath away. Shimmering colors flood the skies and illuminate the earth below. Even dark clouds become a canvas for God's painting of a new day. You don't want to look away even for a moment, lest you miss it. You linger, transfixed, as you marvel at God's creation. Something similar seems to have happened to Joshua in today's first reading. Moses and Joshua had gone to consult the Lord in the tent of meeting, "outside the camp" (Exodus 33:7). When Moses entered, a cloud descended, and God spoke to him "face to face, as one man speaks to another" (33:11). How powerful it must have been for Joshua to witness these encounters! Even after Moses left, Joshua remained; he "would not move out of the tent" (33:11). Beholding the glory of the Lord in the tent made Joshua want to linger there as long as possible. He must have hungered for the same close friendship with God that he saw Moses had. Imagine the questions he asked the Lord and his eagerness as he listened for answers. The presence of the Lord had captivated him and moved his heart to linger, to listen, to learn. And learn he did! So much so that years later, God chose Joshua to lead his people across the Jordan into the Promised Land. Today, this same God waits to meet with you! "The Lord, a merciful and gracious God," desires to reveal himself to you, as he did with Moses and Joshua (Exodus 34:6). So let this story stir up your desire to see your heavenly Father "face to face" (33:11). It may happen in a dramatic way as it did for Moses and Joshua, or it may happen in a more quiet meeting. However it happens, don't limit the Lord; he will come and reveal himself. All he asks is a seeking, open heart. Where is your "tent of meeting" today? A quiet corner of your home? At Mass? Or maybe in Eucharistic Adoration? Wherever it is, God is present. Like Joshua, stay there: pour out your heart, your questions, and your love. And wait to see what God will do. "I treasure my time in your presence, Lord. Reveal yourself to me." Psalm 103:6-13
Matthew 13:36-43 |  Listen to 2cents | my2cents:
"Whenever Moses went out to the tent, the people would all rise
and stand at the entrance of their own tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent."
And thus, in the same way, we all stand when Mass begins, as the Priest "en persona Christi" enters to meet the Holy of Holies, and often seen in the incense if it is used, on the altar, and all at their tents stand and then sit and wait for the sacrifice of Moses, until He returns. | We pray today in the Psalms as we learned were introduced to the Mass in the year of the 400's:
"Not according to our sins does he deal with us, nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
For as the heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him. The Lord is kind and merciful."
So long as you can breathe, you have a prayer, so long as you can think, you can reach out, and it is good to have this thought and prayer always, praying and thinking of our Lord. It should be your being. | Our Lord speaks:
""He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,
the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom.
The weeds are the children of the Evil One,
and the enemy who sows them is the Devil.
The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire,
so will it be at the end of the age.
The Son of Man will send his angels,
and they will collect out of his Kingdom
all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.
They will throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the Kingdom of their Father.
Whoever has ears ought to hear." | So is this parable called the parable of the weeds? LOL. Because the whole talk focuses on the weeds.
Bishop Barron says today:
"Friends, in our Gospel today, Jesus explains the parable of the weeds among the wheat. God's word creates the Church, the community of those who strive to build up the kingdom. But this Church is never absolutely pure and untrammeled, for God's ways are opposed by a spiritual power, an enemy. His task is to sow weeds among the wheat—clandestinely, quietly, unobtrusively.
This sort of coming together of good and evil is to be expected. The Church will always be a place of saints and sinners, and the sinners will often look like saints. The enemy of the Church, who never rests, ensures it.
Vigilance in regards to evil is necessary in a fallen world, yet we must be wary of a zeal that, in its passion for setting things right, comes to believe that evil can be dealt with by destroying what is good.
In the midst of a fallen world, what is expected of us is that we live in hope that at the end, at harvest time, the Master will separate the good from the bad." I'm sure you have seen weeds, everywhere, in the wild, in your yard. They blend in with other plants many times. I live out in the country and I have no fences, except the backyard. Weeds make their way. I have on tree that grows like weeds and pops up in the most peculiar places. What's the point?
Evil has a way of making its way into the most undesirable places, even in church. So if it is not a perfect church, then why go? LOL. Truth is, we should ask "then why NOT go?"
Church is a place for sinners, it is a hospital for sinners and our Lord Jesus is the Master Physician.
In a place like Alcoholics Anonymous, you find one alcoholic meeting another, both in a place desiring to heal.
But some are forced there, not desiring to heal.
And there is a weed.
The undesirable desire. And there are many other kinds of weeds.
Some actually kind of look nice, but if you let them, they will take over the whole place, and nothing else can grow.
Therefore, let us turn to what God wants to see. Let's pray:
Lord, I want to see what You desire, and after finding Your will, make it my desire, to be wheat, and not weed, to be food, and not poison. Help us do Thy Holy Will, now and forever! | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse from online generator: Philippians 2:9–11 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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