†Saint Quote
"Many people [in authority] oppose us, persecute us, and would like even to destroy us, but we must be patient. As long as their commands are not against our conscience, let us obey them, but when the case is otherwise, let us uphold the rights of God and of the Church, for those are superior to all earthly authority."
— St. John Bosco † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ's Passover, that is, of the work of salvation accomplished by the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, a work made present by the liturgical action. It is Christ himself, the eternal high priest of the New Covenant who, acting through the ministry of the priests, offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. And it is the same Christ, really present under the species of bread and wine, who is the offering of the Eucharistic sacrifice."
—Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1409-10
AN EXCERPT FROM
Catechism of the Catholic Church † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear or be in dread of them: for it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you."
Deuteronomy 31:6 |  click to read more | | BLESSED JANE OF AZA Blessed Jane of Aza (12th c.), also known as Joanna or Juana of Aza, belonged to the Spanish nobility. At a young age she married a nobleman and together they had five children. She was a pious woman known for her life of prayer and generosity to the poor. When her two eldest sons were given to the priesthood, she went to the nearby church of St. Dominic Silos, a miracle worker and a patron saint of pregnant women, to pray earnestly for another son who would carry on the succession of the family. In a dream the saint appeared to her and said that she would bear a son who would be a shining light to the Church. She also dreamed of a dog that leaped from her womb carrying a torch in its mouth, lighting all the world on fire. She gave birth to a son in answer to her prayers, and in gratitude named him Dominic. She brought her son to the altar of St. Dominic Silos and there offered him to God. At the child's baptism his godmother saw a star shining from his forehead. All of these signs were taken to mean that the child would be great. Jane brought her son up with the utmost care, and as the child grew he evidenced uncommon sanctity and virtue. When Dominic turned age seven Jane generously gave him to be educated as a priest, leaving her family without a male heir. St. Dominic went on to found the famous Order of Preachers, or Dominicans, who became known as the "Hounds of the Lord", a great preaching order against heresy and in defense of the Catholic faith. Her feast day is August 2nd. | Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 407
Reading I Nm 11:4b-15 The children of Israel lamented,
"Would that we had meat for food!
We remember the fish we used to eat without cost in Egypt,
and the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks,
the onions, and the garlic.
But now we are famished;
we see nothing before us but this manna." Manna was like coriander seed and had the color of resin.
When they had gone about and gathered it up,
the people would grind it between millstones or pound it in a mortar,
then cook it in a pot and make it into loaves,
which tasted like cakes made with oil.
At night, when the dew fell upon the camp, the manna also fell. When Moses heard the people, family after family,
crying at the entrance of their tents,
so that the LORD became very angry, he was grieved.
"Why do you treat your servant so badly?" Moses asked the Lord.
"Why are you so displeased with me
that you burden me with all this people?
Was it I who conceived all this people?
Or was it I who gave them birth,
that you tell me to carry them at my bosom,
like a foster father carrying an infant,
to the land you have promised under oath to their fathers?
Where can I get meat to give to all this people?
For they are crying to me,
'Give us meat for our food.'
I cannot carry all this people by myself,
for they are too heavy for me.
If this is the way you will deal with me,
then please do me the favor of killing me at once,
so that I need no longer face this distress." Responsorial Psalm 81:12-13, 14-15, 16-17 R. (2a) Sing with joy to God our help.
"My people heard not my voice, and Israel obeyed me not;
So I gave them up to the hardness of their hearts; they walked according to their own counsels."
R. Sing with joy to God our help.
"If only my people would hear me, and Israel walk in my ways,
Quickly would I humble their enemies; against their foes I would turn my hand."
R. Sing with joy to God our help.
"Those who hated the LORD would seek to flatter me, but their fate would endure forever,
While Israel I would feed with the best of wheat, and with honey from the rock I would fill them."
R. Sing with joy to God our help. Alleluia Mt 4:4 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 14:13-21 When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist,
he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns.
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.
When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said,
"This is a deserted place and it is already late;
dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages
and buy food for themselves."
He said to them, "There is no need for them to go away;
give them some food yourselves."
But they said to him,
"Five loaves and two fish are all we have here."
Then he said, "Bring them here to me,"
and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples,
who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied,
and they picked up the fragments left over–
twelve wicker baskets full.
Those who ate were about five thousand men,
not counting women and children. | Daily Meditation: Numbers 11:4-15 We see nothing before us but this manna. (Numbers 11:6) Can a miracle ever become ordinary? The answer is probably yes and no. For example, think about today's first reading. For more than a year, God had been miraculously raining down manna from heaven to sustain the Israelites during their odyssey in the wilderness (Numbers 11:9). But just about anyone who eats the same food for days in a row—let alone a year—will tire of it. After all, there are only so many ways to cook manna! So some of the people eventually lost sight of the miracle of God's provision. Instead, they focused on the monotony of the same ordinary wafer day after day. For them, familiarity bred frustration, not continual awe. But it didn't have to be that way. These Israelites could have recognized their growing discontent as understandable, considering the circumstances, and decided not to give in to it. Instead of seeing "nothing . . . but this manna," they could have remembered that God was caring for them in the arid desert of Sinai (Numbers 11:6). They could have rejoiced that he was still journeying with them. At least they could have reminded each other what it was like to go hungry! How about you? Do you ever get tired of the ordinary "miracles" of life? Whether it's working in the "same old job," serving in the same parish, or (fill in the blank), it's only natural to take the familiar—but grace-filled—for granted. We might forget that the job was an answer to prayer. Or that we've experienced God's healing presence in our parish. Provisions from God that once seemed fresh may eventually feel bland. If you follow those thoughts too far, you may end up confusing the miraculous for the mundane. It doesn't have to be this way! Today, take a few moments to thank God for your "manna"—for all the ways he provides for you every day. If you've drifted toward discontentment, turn back to the Lord and tell him how grateful you are—or at least how grateful you want to be. At the same time, ask him to help you see the deeper truth: God is always with you, and he is always caring for you. "Lord, thank you for providing for me! May I never lose sight of your love!" Psalm 81:12-17
Matthew 14:13-21 |  Listen to 2cents | my2cents:
"Where can I get meat to give to all this people?
For they are crying to me,
'Give us meat for our food.'
I cannot carry all this people by myself,
for they are too heavy for me."
Thousands came to Moses.
Billions would begin coming to Jesus through the ages.
And here we are today. They would need sustenance. Something with substance. Something for our very existence. We hungry for Him. And God knew this...in Jesus our Lord and the Christ. | We pray today:
""If only my people would hear me, and Israel walk in my ways,
Quickly would I humble their enemies;
against their foes I would turn my hand."
Sing with joy to God our help."
There are enemies of the Church. Believe it or not. There are some enemies that believe it is their sole mission to be against the Catholic Church. There are many mocking the Church, copying it, to all sorts of colors, pink, and black Masses. And these dark forces gain power...and how? With our permission. When we are permissive, we permit the atrocity of darkness to take over. How can we make our Lord hear us? We just heard it in the Psalms, humility. Humility to God.
Last week, I took a pic of our parish swimming pool party. I sent it to a friend because I noticed something during pool blessing of the meal, at the center among all who had their heads bowed to pray, a family in the center was bowing more than all the rest. I asked my friend who they were, because I wanted to get to know them...turns out, they are new to town, and not even Catholic, I'm not sure they even go to any Church. That is what amazes me my friend. Humility is made known. | In the Holy Gospel we heard:
"When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns."
Our Lord withdrew Himself, after His cousin was murdered. He withdrew, perhaps for many reasons, to pray, to make sacrifice, to recoup, to be safe maybe, but the most important reason...to be with God in such a trying and troubling time. | Yet, it is at this moment that crowds flock to Him in the desert. And once again, Moses moments begin. The people will be hungry. They will be fed Manna, meaning "what is this". And to give the explanation of Manna, He gives flesh. Jesus feeds Himself to the crowds. And 12 baskets of fragments are left over. And our Lord asks His disciples "do you understand this?".
Of course they would never understand, but they would get a fragment, a piece to go off of...on faith.
And that is you and me today. Of course we do not understand everything, those who believe they have all the answers are the most closed minded people on earth. God has made this world for us to live by faith. I am amazed at how imperfect I am. I am amazed how how perfect God is. And this is the design, that a fragment becomes a piece of the greater whole. We are made perfect only in Him, through Him, and with Him.
My advise to you is to stick to Him, so we make the greater picture of Him greater, that is, to magnify the Lord as our Mother Mary has done. That is, to become the horn of salvation, that person who proclaims the Lord with their very inmost being that has been fearfully and wonderfully made.
We went to mys sister in law's house to be with her for her upcoming birthday because this will be the first birthday she will face alone, as her husband just died, and they were in their mid 40's. She asked me and my brother in laws if we could put up a new storm door. We didn't have tools, except a couple. She put up what they had. So we spent the afternoon dismantling the old door and putting up the new one. Towards the end, I noticed we needed drill bits we didn't have to install door handle pieces. I am not from their town. So I asked natives, one brother in law from the small town, "hey, doesn't your dad or someone have drill bits". No, they said. I asked the other brother in law from the small town, "doesn't your uncle have some?" And he said "I'm not asking him for anything." So I went to the uncle to ask, and he gladly let me use anything. So the event made me realize something that I'll attempt to relay. When you close yourself to a true God relationship, you close yourself in many relationships. Your trust fails. Your love fails. Your confidence fails. Your family suffers, things are harder. All because we are not living that true friendship with the love of God and neighbor.
And this happens over and over again to all of us.
You see, our Father wants to bless us, but we choose otherwise.
I see it so often, extreme opportunities, if only the people would be faithful.
They say that the world would end hunger if all knew how to share.
But as it stands, the worldly say people are the blame for all evils, and population must be controlled to save the earth.
How far from the truth. People are not evil. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. How many satanic people have been saved through Jesus? How many murderers have repented? But as it stands, people want to make the devil king, how? Through division and hatred, and weakening of the faith.
This is where me and you can put an end to this.
Right where you are, you must become the glue. You must be the Christ in your part of the world. We are The Body. We are Him whom pours Himself out.
Jesus was needy, and the needy came to Him.
Jesus was hungry, and the hungry came to Him.
Jesus was lost, and the lost came to Him.
And He saw what was going on...the Body was coming together, and He would instill in them, the fire of God's love and light.
This was the very moment God had Him on earth for. The blood of Saint John would call for the blood of Jesus. And a counter to death began.
This is why we are pro life, from conception to natural death.
So that the future generation may see, that we love God.
A brother once asked me "how can I show God that I love Him" and I came back and said "do what He says".
And a year later...he still can't do what He says.
You see, we want to show God we love Him however we want.
But God wants us to show our love for Him, how HE wants. Let's pray:
Lord, I know what You called for, and I'm afraid of the cost.
The cost of letting go of my piece of bread. The cost of my only fish. The cost of everything I have. Instill in me and all of us, true love, therefore, the gift of true faith. So that we may follow You across the desert of Life, and into the promised Land of True Life with You for an eternity. In Thy Most Precious Name Jesus we pray.
Amen. | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse from online generator: 1 Peter 2:11
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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