†Saint Quote
"Christian optimism is not a sugary optimism, nor is it a mere human confidence that everything will turn out all right. It is an optimism that sinks its roots into an awareness of our freedom, and the sure knowledge of the power of grace. It is an optimism that leads us to make demands on ourselves, to struggle to respond at every moment to God's call."
— St. Josemaria Escriva † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"St. Bridget once received and bore patiently a succession of trials from various persons. One of them made an insulting remark to her; another praised her in her presence, but complained of her in her absence; another calumniated her; another spoke ill of a servant of God, in her presence, to her great displeasure; one did her a grievous wrong, and she blessed her; one caused her a loss, and she prayed for her; and a seventh gave her false information of the death of her son, which she received with tranquility and resignation. After all this, St. Agnes the Martyr appeared to her, bringing in her hand a most beautiful crown adorned with seven precious stones, telling her that they had been placed there by these seven persons. Then she put it upon her head and disappeared. How could so much have been gained by any other exercise? The Blessed Angela di Foligno, when asked how she was able to receive and endure sufferings with so much cheerfulness, replied: 'Believe me, the grandeur and value of sufferings are not known to us. For, if we knew the worth of our trials, they would become for us objects of plunder, and we should go about trying to snatch from one another opportunities to suffer.'" † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Philippians 2:5-11 |  click to read more | | ST. VERONICA
St. Veronica (1st c.) is one of the holy women of Jerusalem who accompanied Jesus on the Way of the Cross. Out of her sorrow and compassion she offered Jesus her veil to wipe the blood and sweat from his face as He carried the cross on the way to His crucifixion. In gratitude for her simple yet gracious act, Jesus left an image of His face on the cloth. According to tradition, Veronica afterwards went to Rome and brought the cloth with her. This piece of cloth, known as Veronica's Veil, has been venerated as a holy and miraculous image of Jesus Christ ever since. It has been kept since ancient times in St. Peter's Basilica. On the Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross) in Jerusalem there is a small chapel called the Chapel of the Holy Face that was built on the site of St. Veronica's home and the location where the miracle took place. St. Veronica's feast day is July 12th. | Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 389
Reading I Ex 1:8-14, 22 A new king, who knew nothing of Joseph, came to power in Egypt.
He said to his subjects, "Look how numerous and powerful
the people of the children of Israel are growing, more so than we ourselves!
Come, let us deal shrewdly with them to stop their increase;
otherwise, in time of war they too may join our enemies
to fight against us, and so leave our country." Accordingly, taskmasters were set over the children of Israel
to oppress them with forced labor.
Thus they had to build for Pharaoh
the supply cities of Pithom and Raamses.
Yet the more they were oppressed,
the more they multiplied and spread.
The Egyptians, then, dreaded the children of Israel
and reduced them to cruel slavery,
making life bitter for them with hard work in mortar and brick
and all kinds of field work—the whole cruel fate of slaves. Pharaoh then commanded all his subjects,
"Throw into the river every boy that is born to the Hebrews,
but you may let all the girls live." Responsorial Psalm 124:1b-3, 4-6, 7-8 R. (8a) Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Had not the LORD been with us– let Israel say, had not the LORD been with us–
When men rose up against us, then would they have swallowed us alive,
When their fury was inflamed against us.
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us; over us then would have swept the raging waters.
Blessed be the LORD, who did not leave us a prey to their teeth.
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
We were rescued like a bird from the fowlers' snare;
Broken was the snare, and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord. Alleluia Mt 5:10 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 10:34—11:1 Jesus said to his Apostles:
"Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.
I have come to bring not peace but the sword.
For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one's enemies will be those of his household. "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. "Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet's reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is righteous
will receive a righteous man's reward.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because he is a disciple–
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward." When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples,
he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns. | Daily Meditation: Matthew 10:34–11:1 Do not think that I have come to bring peace. (Matthew 10:34) Doesn't Jesus want us to get along? That's a fair question, given today's Gospel. His words can sound so harsh. Does he really want us to become enemies with people in our own household? No. But while Jesus doesn't want us going around causing trouble, he does want us to know that there are times when following him may result in conflict with loved ones. According to the Fathers of Vatican II, family is supposed to be "the domestic church," the place where faith is taught and encouraged to grow (Lumen Gentium, 11). But we all have family members—either close or distant—whose religious beliefs and moral expectations are different from ours. So if we are actively trying to follow Jesus, it's no surprise that we sometimes meet with some resistance in our homes. Many of the Church's greatest saints experienced this. St. Catherine of Siena, for instance, resisted her parents' efforts to make her marry. St. Thomas Aquinas' family locked him in a tower and hired a prostitute to tempt him. St. Clare of Assisi ran away from home to join St. Francis and refused her parents' attempts to bring her back. But none of these heroes of the faith lashed out or sought vengeance. They tried their best to love and forgive. Jesus never says that we shouldn't love our family. In fact, some of our conflicts may well be the result of our own pride or lack of love. But when we center our lives around Jesus and make serving him our top priority, he promises that we'll be able to love our family members better! We'll become more forgiving, more understanding, and more patient when conflicts arise. It's not always easy to live together in peace. Sometimes we cause the conflicts, and at other times we don't. But if you are trying to follow Jesus, he will find a way to bring good out of any situation. So pray for your own faith and for the faith of your loved ones, and trust that with God, all things are possible. Even acceptance, change, conversion, and reconciliation! "Jesus, help me to stay true to your law of love." Exodus 1:8-14, 22
Psalm 124:1-8 |  Listen to 2cents | my2cents:
The first Holy Scripture said:
"The Egyptians, then, dreaded the children of Israel
and reduced them to cruel slavery,
making life bitter for them with hard work in mortar and brick
and all kinds of field work—the whole cruel fate of slaves.
Pharaoh then commanded all his subjects,
"Throw into the river every boy that is born to the Hebrews,
but you may let all the girls live." And so our family built the pyramids. As they went into slavery. Mind you, this did not happen overnight. We don't becomes slaves of sin overnight. We just let it creep in. Remember, authority is the key. What you allow into your lives, the kings that you choose, the leader you choose to follow. And sin brings death. These leaders soon wanted death to the people, to control the people, population control, abortion, infanticide. Suddenly, what happened thousands of years ago, doesn't seem so different now does it? Who is your leader? Your ideal? Who is your center? | Let us pray:
"Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us; over us then would have swept the raging waters. Blessed be the LORD, who did not leave us a prey to their teeth. Our help is in the name of the Lord."
It is funny how, eventually, we will see one of the baby boys being thrown in the river, will be the savior, Moses. And it is funny how he will be used to set the Israelites free. What's funny? That eventually the Egyptians free them as God demands, but they soon go after them with an army...they want their slaves back, and what's even funnier? The slaves, eventually complain so much that they wish they were still slaves. Like a homeless man I tried to save, he eventually confided in me that drugs were his thing he fell back on to get him through the tough times...like a savior, like a false god, like those idols of Egypt that would enslave them and kill them. That's funny right? But sin is not funny. It mesmerizes you and fools you into another king to follow. | And so, our Lord and our King speaks: ""Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one's enemies will be those of his household." Pause there for a moment. Jesus brings the sword. What is the sword? It is the sword of truth. On my desk, every day, I have a sword, literally, a letter opener with an engraved message:
Hebrews 4:12
"For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double edged sword."
I was in Holy Mass just now, and this message became alive, speaking, that a celestial being speaks and it comes to be on earth. Whatever sword is formed on earth can never compare to the Word of God. His truth is always more, can we bear the message? The cross? Let's continue with our Lord's words:
""Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
I see in the world, fallen souls, and why? Because, they put their faith in beings other than God. They lose a mother, or father, or spouse or child, and they lose all hope in life, completely devastated, their lives are never the same again. They become vagabonds in the spiritual realms.
So God our Father demands and commands that we do not love any one or any thing above Him. It is in fact the very first Commandment of God. And the second props it up, for we shall have no graven images. Family first everyone says, even our priest...but with the truth...bring Christ to the Family first! Now love is entering the scene, for God in Heaven is True Love. | ""Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward..." I just sang in Mass "Blessed is he who comes, who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest". And I'm watching what I'm singing and praying, and I'm looking at the priest, looking for Christ Jesus, looking to Christ in the Eucharist. This priest comes in the name of the Lord. Do you come to the people in the name of the Lord? There is power in this visitation. Things happen. Let Christ speak. Let Christ live. Let Christ's will be done on earth as it is in Heaven! Let's pray:
My Lord, and My God, Thou hast brought the Holy Sword, Your Holy Word into my life. May it cut me, and bleed me, and may that blood poured out heal Yours in this Holy Eucharistic Union, a comingling of Body and Spirit, Heaven and Earth, a perpetual sacrifice of true love. Please Lord, let this be our Heaven with You. | from your brother in Christ our Lord,
adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse from online generator: Nahum 1:7
7 The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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