†Saint Quote
"Where there is no obedience there is no virtue, where there is no virtue there is no good, where there is no good there is no love, where there is no love, there is no God, and where there is no God there is no Paradise."
— St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"A sculptor who wishes to carve a figure out of a block uses his chisel, first cutting away great chunks of marble, then smaller pieces, until he finally reaches a point where only a brush of hand is needed to reveal the figure. In the same way, the soul has to undergo tremendous mortifications at first, and then more refined detachments, until finally its Divine image is revealed. Because mortification is recognized as a practice of death, there is fittingly inscribed on the tomb of Duns Scotus, Bis Mortus; Semel Sepultus (twice died, but buried only once). When we die to something, something comes alive within us. If we die to self, charity comes alive; if we die to pride, service comes alive; if we die to lust, reverence for personality comes alive; if we die to anger, love comes alive."
— Fulton J. Sheen, p. 219
AN EXCERPT FROM
Peace of Soul ⛪ TODAY'S FEAST DAY⛪ FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION
The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord takes place on August 6th, an event mentioned in all three synoptic Gospels. After revealing that he would be put to death in Jerusalem, Jesus took the three disciples of his inner circle to the summit of Mount Tabor in order to reveal his glory to them. Peter, James, and John saw Jesus transfigured before them, radiant in the fullness of his glory as he truly was, the Son of God. Next to Jesus were Moses and Elijah as witnesses to Christ's fulfillment of the Old Testament law and prophets. St. Matthew writes of the event by saying, "He was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow."
See More About Today's Feast > † VERSE OF THE DAY
"The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip."
Psalm 37:30-31 |  click to read more | | BL. MARIA FRANCESCA RUBATTO Bl. Maria Francesca of Jesus Rubatto (1844– 1904) was one of eight children from an Italian family. Her father died when she was four. In her teenage years she received an offer of marriage, which she declined as she had taken a vow of virginity from an early age. When she was nineteen, after the death of her mother, Maria moved to Turin and befriended a noblewoman who gave her assistance. Maria taught catechism to the woman's children, in addition to the other children in the city. She also had a habit of visiting the sick and poor. One day a construction worker had an accident while building a convent, and Maria, who was walking nearby, helped him and gave him money so that he could recover from his injury. The sisters of the convent took notice of Maria for this act of charity and desired that she join their community. Maria accepted their invitation and was later appointed superior of this new community of Capuchin Franciscan sisters. She had a desire to serve in the overseas missions, and in 1892 left Italy and crossed the Atlantic Ocean to South America. She made this journey seven times in her work of founding Catholic missions in Uruguay and Argentina. Her feast day is August 6th. | Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord Lectionary: 614
Reading I Dn 7:9-10, 13-14 As I watched: Thrones were set up and the Ancient One took his throne. His clothing was bright as snow, and the hair on his head as white as wool; his throne was flames of fire, with wheels of burning fire. A surging stream of fire flowed out from where he sat; Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him, and myriads upon myriads attended him.
The court was convened and the books were opened. As the visions during the night continued, I saw: One like a Son of man coming, on the clouds of heaven; When he reached the Ancient One and was presented before him, The one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship; all peoples, nations, and languages serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed. Responsorial Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 9 R. (1a and 9a) The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice; let the many islands be glad.
Clouds and darkness are round about him, justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the LORD of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice, and all peoples see his glory.
R. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.
Because you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth, exalted far above all gods.
R. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth. Reading II 2 Pt 1:16-19 Beloved:
We did not follow cleverly devised myths
when we made known to you
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.
For he received honor and glory from God the Father
when that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory,
"This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased."
We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven
while we were with him on the holy mountain.
Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable.
You will do well to be attentive to it,
as to a lamp shining in a dark place,
until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Alleluia Mt 17:5c R. Alleluia, alleluia.
This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 9:2-10 Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John,
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them,
and his clothes became dazzling white,
such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses,
and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
"Rabbi, it is good that we are here!
Let us make three tents:
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;
from the cloud came a voice,
"This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them. As they were coming down from the mountain,
he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,
except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So they kept the matter to themselves,
questioning what rising from the dead meant. | Daily Meditation: Mark 9:2-10 He was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white. (Mark 9:2-3) What a privilege it was for Peter, James, and John to see Jesus transfigured in glory! One moment, Jesus stood before them looking like just another man; then the next moment, they saw, with their own eyes, his glorious divinity as the Son of God. Peter, James, and John were not the only people in Scripture who witnessed the glory of God. Moses encountered it on Mount Sinai, so much so that his face became radiant (Exodus 34:29-35). The prophet Isaiah saw God seated on his heavenly throne, "the train of his garment filling the temple" (6:1). The prophet Ezekiel saw the glory of the Lord rising up and leaving the Temple in Jerusalem (10:18). And poor shepherds in the fields of Bethlehem saw the glory of God when a host of angels came to announce the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:8-9). God's glory does not always manifest itself in such spectacular ways, but that doesn't mean it isn't there. It radiated from Jesus not just at the Transfiguration but for the entire time he walked the earth. It was present in all that he said and did—in his preaching, in his healing, and even in his dying on the cross. Today the risen Jesus radiates his glory in us and among us, even—and maybe especially—in the ordinary. We just have to train our eyes to see it. Where might you see the glory of God? Maybe in a beautiful sunrise or in the face of a newborn baby. But you might also see it in less obvious ways: in the way your spouse faithfully serves your family, in an answer to prayer, in the reconciliation of a relationship. You will see it when the priest lifts up the host at Mass, but you'll also see it in the bowed head of a fellow parishioner praying quietly in an empty and darkened church. Today, look for signs of God's glory. It will be there, wherever God is present, active, and working in the hearts of his people. "Lord, show me your glory!" Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 9
2 Peter 1:16-19 |  Listen to 2cents | my2cents:
From today's first Holy Scripture:
" One like a Son of man coming, on the clouds of heaven; When he reached the Ancient One and was presented before him, The one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship; all peoples, nations, and languages serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed." No matter who or what exists...it is now under His eternal dominion. He is King. No matter what life decisions you choose, He is King. No matter what situations arise, He is Lord. And we should take comfort in this alone! | We pray today:
"The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the LORD of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice, and all peoples see his glory. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.
Because you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth, exalted far above all gods. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth." | In the Holy Gospel of Mark we heard:
"Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John,
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them,
and his clothes became dazzling white,
such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses,
and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
"Rabbi, it is good that we are here!" | Pause right there. Up the mountain He goes with 3 Disciples.
Up on the mountain He becomes transformed into white light. Elijah and Moses appear, and they speak. And in another scripture, we heard that they were talking about the Exodus of our Christ our Lord, Jesus (through the defeat of death and sin). This is the moment they had all been waiting for, that is, of all the prophets that had ever existed. Waiting for the Promised land of Moses. Waiting for all the peoples to come to Jesus as Elijah had anticipated. The revelation of the light to the world of darkness.
Before we finish the Gospel, I want us to consider the importance of light. We can not have life as we know it without light. And we can say this about our Lord. Light is in a way, invisible, yet visible. We can see different colors of light through mediums of material. It carries rays, or rays carry light. Rays are captured by all, plants, and humans, and it does something to us, physically, therefore, mentally, therefore, spiritually. We are supremely designed with God's image. Every person therefore, is special in His eyes. And so, the disciples felt this embrace of light, and said "it is good that we are here!". When I'm living in the light, I have joy my friend. I no longer seek happiness, for I am joyful. I no longer seek thrills as I did as youth, for now I have found peace. I no longer seek for meaning of life, for I have seen the light. At times, in the presence of the Lord in Holy Adoration, or just a visit to the Blessed Sacrament in the Tabernacle, I feel so much peace, I wish I could just stay there in serenity...forever. What a heavenly vision, no?
The Gospel continues:
"Let us make three tents:
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;
from the cloud came a voice,
"This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them." When our Blessed Mother revealed Christ to the world in His first miracle at the wedding of Cana, she said "do whatever He tells you".
And this time, God Himself tells us Himself, no longer a prophetess and a queen to tell us, but God Himself, demands and commands that we listen to Him.
Now that your attention is captive, how are you to listen? With an open and sincere heart. How can you capture the light if you do not open yourself? The sunflower they say, follows the sun all day. And so shall we be, like the flower, following the Son of God all the days of our lives. Follow Him, and follow closely, and if you fall, call, call out to Him, and He will meet you.
After Mass of the Transfiguration today, I saw the white dressed priest open up the confessional...a small intimate room, and the light was on, and the door was open, I saw a lady walk in prepared, to meet our Lord, at the transfiguration, to become enlightened.
God has opened His arms on the cross for us. God has been revealed and made available to all. There is not a corner that the light of God cannot penetrate. He walks through walls, His being is invisible, and is made visible when needed. Do you need to see to believe? First we must believe! First comes faith. I have seen, and it is nice, but I already believed. You see, God can let us see things unseen, without physically seeing them. And I can now relay to you what I have seen...faith is real. Faith is beyond what we care to believe. Peter saw and was amazed...yet still failed our Lord during His passion. You see? I have seen our Lord and have failed our Lord miserably. You see? Do you really think seeing will change anything? It's not everything. Faith then becomes a gift to God. The little girl with plastic pearls wouldn't trade them for the real pearls her daddy offered. She held on to her plastic world, fake world, that she believed to be better, for she was attached.
Our Lord is offering Himself in the Bread from Heaven. And it turned bleached white during Mass. Do you believe? Or do you have to see? White means purity, and only the pure will see Him and leave with a light that transforms the world. Let's pray:
Lord, I want to be dazzling white too! Pure, and purely yours, like the virgins that declared in faith that You were worth it. To say my sacrifice for Love means everything to Me, because You have said Thy name is I AM, and Thy Holy Word says God is Love.
Jesus, I believe then in the great, " I AM .... LOVE"
And You call us to this absolute sincerity. Help us Love Thee More and More, with all our mind, strength, soul, everything!
I love Thee My Lord and My GOD! | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse from online generator: AMEN! 11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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