†Saint Quote
"What is a vocation? It is a gift from God, so it comes from God. If it is a gift from God, our concern must be to know God's will. We must enter that path: if God wants, when God wants, how God wants. Never force the door."
— St. Gianna Molla † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Although we feel the humiliation keenly when we are insulted, persecuted, or calumniated, this does not mean that we cannot suffer such trials with sentiments of true humility, subjecting nature to reason and faith, and sacrificing the resentment of our self-love to the love of God. We are not made of stone, so that we need be insensible or senseless in order to be humble. Of some martyrs we read that they writhed under their torments; of others, that they more or less rejoiced in them, according to the greater or lesser degree of unction they received from the Holy Ghost; and all were rewarded by the crown of glory, as it is not the pain or the feeling that makes the martyr, but the supernatural motive of virtue. In the same way some humble persons feel pleasure in being humiliated, and some feel sadness, especially when weighted down with calumny; and yet they all belong to the sphere of the humble, because it is not the humiliation nor the suffering alone which makes the soul humble, but the interior act by which this same humiliation is accepted and received through motives of Christian humility, and especially of a desire to resemble Jesus Christ, who though entitled to all the honors the world could offer Him, bore humiliation and scorn for the glory of His eternal Father."
— Fr. Cajetan da Bergamo, p. 19-20
AN EXCERPT FROM
Humility Of Heart † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
James 1:2-4 |  click to read more | | ST. PETER CHRYSOLOGUS St. Peter Chrysologus (406-450 A.D.) was born in Imola, Italy. He was an adult convert to Christianity and studied under his bishop, Cornelius, who ordained him a deacon. In his day the city of Ravenna was the center of the Roman Empire, making the Archbishop of Ravenna an important position in the Church. When the Archbishop of Ravenna died, a new archbishop was elected by the clergy and the people of Ravenna. Bishop Cornelius of Imola went to Rome with his deacon, St. Peter Chyrsologus, to have the Ravenna appointment confirmed by Pope Sixtus III. When the pope saw St. Peter, he appointed him the new Archbishop of Ravenna instead. St. Peter was an effective shepherd who stamped out paganism, heresy, and ecclesiastical abuses from his diocese, earning the high regard of Emperor Valentinan III who resided in Ravenna. He also organized services to help the poor of the city. St. Peter was renowed for his profound and eloquent sermons, and his skill with taking complex theological truths and putting them in plain language, earning him the name 'Chrysologus' meaning 'the man of golden speech' or 'golden word' as well as the 'Doctor of Homilies.' In 1729, Pope Benedict XIII declared him a Doctor of the Church. His feast day is July 30. | Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 405
Reading I Lv 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34b-37 The LORD said to Moses,
"These are the festivals of the LORD which you shall celebrate
at their proper time with a sacred assembly.
The Passover of the LORD falls on the fourteenth day of the first month,
at the evening twilight.
The fifteenth day of this month is the LORD's feast of Unleavened Bread.
For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.
On the first of these days you shall hold a sacred assembly
and do no sort of work.
On each of the seven days you shall offer an oblation to the LORD.
Then on the seventh day you shall again hold a sacred assembly
and do no sort of work." The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the children of Israel and tell them:
When you come into the land which I am giving you,
and reap your harvest,
you shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest
to the priest, who shall wave the sheaf before the LORD
that it may be acceptable for you.
On the day after the sabbath the priest shall do this. "Beginning with the day after the sabbath,
the day on which you bring the wave-offering sheaf,
you shall count seven full weeks,
and then on the day after the seventh week, the fiftieth day,
you shall present the new cereal offering to the LORD. "The tenth of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement,
when you shall hold a sacred assembly and mortify yourselves
and offer an oblation to the LORD. "The fifteenth day of this seventh month is the LORD's feast of Booths,
which shall continue for seven days.
On the first day there shall be a sacred assembly,
and you shall do no sort of work.
For seven days you shall offer an oblation to the LORD,
and on the eighth day you shall again hold a sacred assembly
and offer an oblation to the LORD.
On that solemn closing you shall do no sort of work. "These, therefore, are the festivals of the LORD
on which you shall proclaim a sacred assembly,
and offer as an oblation to the LORD burnt offerings and cereal offerings,
sacrifices and libations, as prescribed for each day." Responsorial Psalm 81:3-4, 5-6, 10-11ab R. (2a) Sing with joy to God our help.
Take up a melody, and sound the timbrel, the pleasant harp and the lyre.
Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our solemn feast.
R. Sing with joy to God our help.
For it is a statute in Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob,
Who made it a decree for Joseph when he came forth from the land of Egypt.
R. Sing with joy to God our help.
There shall be no strange god among you nor shall you worship any alien god.
I, the LORD, am your God who led you forth from the land of Egypt.
R. Sing with joy to God our help. Alleluia 1 Pt 1:25 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of the Lord remains forever;
This is the word that has been proclaimed to you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 13:54-58 Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue.
They were astonished and said,
"Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?
Is he not the carpenter's son?
Is not his mother named Mary
and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
Are not his sisters all with us?
Where did this man get all this?"
And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them,
"A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and in his own house." And he did not work many mighty deeds there
because of their lack of faith. | Daily Meditation: Matthew 13:54-58 Is he not the carpenter's son? (Matthew 13:55) Can't you just imagine their eyes rolling and the incredulous tone in their voice? These Nazarenes had known Jesus and his family—and their familiarity led them to reject him and his teaching. Matthew tells us, "They took offense at him" (Matthew 13:57). It's an age-old story: familiarity breeds contempt. But we shouldn't be so quick to judge Jesus' townspeople. We all know how easily we can be blinded by our own preconceptions. The people in the synagogue had likely watched Jesus grow up. A carpenter by trade, Jesus probably didn't get extensive religious training. So naturally, they wondered where all this wisdom was coming from. They couldn't believe that Jesus was anything more than a carpenter's son. As a result, Jesus "did not work many mighty deeds there" (Matthew 13:58). What a missed opportunity! Jesus came home, ready to work miracles and explain the mysteries of God, and his neighbors couldn't get past their old ideas of who he was. Every day, Jesus stands ready to teach us, heal us, and fill us with his love. And some days, like the people of Nazareth, we don't give him a chance. We don't necessarily reject Jesus outright. Sometimes we're just too busy. Other times, we can't accept the way he comes to us, or we feel threatened by what he says. And sadly, we miss the grace that he wants to give us. You are already trying to listen to Jesus today—that's why you're reading this reflection! But on some level, everyone has preconceptions about Jesus that God wants to clear up. Perhaps you think that God failed to answer a prayer in the past, so you doubt that he would act now. Maybe you still see Jesus as somewhat distant or his teaching as not really related to your ordinary life. Ask Jesus to open your eyes a little bit more today. Ask him to help you see that he is so much more loving, so much more powerful, and so much closer to you than you have imagined. Today, don't let your familiarity blind you to his goodness. Open your heart to him and let him bring you to deeper faith. "Jesus, I want to know you more. Come, Lord, and increase my faith!" Leviticus 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34-37
Psalm 81:3-6, 10-11 |  Listen to 2cents | my2cents:
""These, therefore, are the festivals of the LORD
on which you shall proclaim a sacred assembly,
and offer as an oblation to the LORD burnt offerings and cereal offerings,
sacrifices and libations, as prescribed for each day."
And we continue the feasts and festivals in the Holy Catholic Church. We continue what God has desired, that was all fulfilled in Jesus, His Son, His flesh that is not flesh of the world...but divine. And He becomes one with us. | We pray today:
"There shall be no strange god among you nor shall you worship any alien god.
I, the LORD, am your God who led you forth from the land of Egypt.
Sing with joy to God our help."
And so the people of God fled the land that had many gods, to the promised land, that would have the only one and true God. And our Lord Himself becomes the way to that promised Land, that fulfills the Mosaic journey, that began with Abraham, to Moses, to all the prophets, and to all the shepherds. And it continues in every Christ follower today. | You've read the holy Gospel, and you've heard what was said:
"Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue.
They were astonished and said,
"Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?
Is he not the carpenter's son?
Is not his mother named Mary
and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
Are not his sisters all with us?
Where did this man get all this?"
And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them,
"A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and in his own house." And he did not work many mighty deeds there
because of their lack of faith. | What is peculiar about everyone that couldn't believe He was the Christ?
What happens in the story of His hometown? Not much, right? LOL.
And so the prophet goes unheard. What He said was not really believed. What He proclaimed was not followed. What He offered was not accepted. Who He longed for, did not open their arms in return. His own people. It is the story then, of a true prophet.
And so the question is, have you become this prophet, therefore, this Christ?
Because if you truly follow Him, you too will at some point face rejection. At some point, nobody will really care or listen to you at home, because they know who you are. As if God couldn't speak through people?
I'd advise you today, to listen to people, when they advise you towards God, and holiness, and purity.
Too often we throw the baby with the bathwater.
Too often we dismiss everything by dismissing one thing.
Too often the worldly believe they know better.
Too often then, we are closed to God, therefore, closed to humility.
How can we know when God is speaking?
In my life, His message is bothersome.
In my life, His message seems like that soft voice I don't want to listen to.
In my life, His voice is blocked out by many thoughts and activity.
Oh the devil loves buys (distracted) people. And the devil loves even more, the lazy people, who are most often distracted and busy people.
Does that make sense? It will when we realize, God is speaking and demanding from us something we should strive for; faith.
And so in the end, the people of our Lord's hometown could be said to have been faithless.
Of all the places that should've accepted Him, you'd think it'd be His own people. And now, we can stop pointing fingers, for all of us now are in His hometown.
Do you believe? Do you really believe? I ask because recent polls on the "faithful" say only about 30% actually believe...that He is in the Eucharist.
And if that is the case, then it means everything else can be a wash, everything else can be disbelief.
So what is faith? It is believing in the unseen. It is believing in what we have been told by the prophets. It is stepping out in His name. And this is why this message has reached you...to instill in you the gift of Faith, to open yourself to Faith...to JESUS our Lord, our Christ, and Savior, our everything in life! Let's pray:
Lord, I desire to see You, in everything and every one today.
I pray that I may be open to receive You with open arms.
I pray that I may find myself in the assembly You call for...of the true and faithful.
Amen | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse from online generator: WOW
Deuteronomy 6:4–5
4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.1 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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