†Saint Quote
"Three things are necessary to everyone: truth of faith which brings understanding, love of Christ which brings compassion, and endurance of hope which brings perseverance."
— St. Bonaventure † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"My Heart overflows with great mercy for souls, and especially for poor sinners. If only they could understand that I am the best of Fathers to them and that it is for them that the Blood and Water flowed from My Heart as from a fount overflowing with mercy. For them I dwell in the tabernacle as King of Mercy. I desire to bestow My graces upon souls, but they do not want to accept them. You, at least, come to Me as often as possible and take these graces they do not want to accept. In this way you will console My Heart. Oh, how indifferent are souls to so much goodness, to so many proofs of love! My Heart drinks only of the ingratitude and forgetfulness of souls living in the world. They have time for everything, but they have no time to come to Me for graces."
— St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, p. 367
AN EXCERPT FROM
Diary of St. Faustina † VERSE OF THE DAY
"But even if you should suffer because of righteousness, blessed are you. Do not be afraid or terrified with fear of them, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame."
1 Peter 3:14-16 |  click to read more | | ST. REGINA Saint Regina (d. 286 A.D.) was born to pagan parents in France. Her mother died in childbirth, and her father gave her to the care of a Christian nurse who secretly baptized her and raised her in the Christian faith. As Regina grew older her embrace of Christianity became evident, and her father disowned her as a result. Regina then went to live with her Christian nurse. They lived in poverty, and Regina tended sheep to help support the household. This solitude allowed her time to pray and meditate on the lives of the saints. When she was fifteen years of age, a Roman proconsul by the name of Olybrius was determined to marry her. He became greatly disturbed when he discovered that she was a Christian. He asked her to renounce her faith in order to save her life and secure a prosperous marriage with him. Regina staunchly refused to deny her faith, having already taken a vow of virginity to Christ. For her defiance she was cast into prison. Hoping that her resolve would gradually weaken, Olybrius visited her in prison and asked her once more to renounce her faith. Regina's determination only increased with time, and she again refused. Olybrius, angered, had her severely tortured with her body being scourged, burned, and raked. Finally, she was beheaded. Her resolve under torture and the appearance of a dove above her head caused witnesses to convert to Christianity. After her death many miracles were attributed to her relics. St. Regina is the patron of poor people, shepherdesses, and torture victims. Her feast day is September 7th. | Tuesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 438
Reading I Col 2:6-15 Brothers and sisters:
As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him,
rooted in him and built upon him
and established in the faith as you were taught,
abounding in thanksgiving.
See to it that no one captivate you with an empty, seductive philosophy
according to the tradition of men,
according to the elemental powers of the world
and not according to Christ. For in him dwells the whole fullness of the deity bodily,
and you share in this fullness in him,
who is the head of every principality and power.
In him you were also circumcised
with a circumcision not administered by hand,
by stripping off the carnal body, with the circumcision of Christ.
You were buried with him in baptism,
in which you were also raised with him
through faith in the power of God,
who raised him from the dead.
And even when you were dead in transgressions
and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
he brought you to life along with him,
having forgiven us all our transgressions;
obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims,
which was opposed to us,
he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross;
despoiling the principalities and the powers,
he made a public spectacle of them,
leading them away in triumph by it. Responsorial Psalm 145:1b-2, 8-9, 10-11 R. (9) The Lord is compassionate toward all his works.
I will extol you, O my God and King, and I will bless your name forever and ever.
Every day will I bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever.
R. The Lord is compassionate toward all his works.
The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is compassionate toward all his works.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD, and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom and speak of your might.
R. The Lord is compassionate toward all his works. Alleluia See Jn 15:16 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I chose you from the world,
that you may go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 6:12-19 Jesus departed to the mountain to pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to God.
When day came, he called his disciples to himself,
and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:
Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,
James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,
Simon who was called a Zealot,
and Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground.
A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people
from all Judea and Jerusalem
and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon
came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases;
and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured.
Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him
because power came forth from him and healed them all. | Daily Meditation: Luke 6:12-19 He spent the night in prayer to God. (Luke 6:12) This was a really busy day for Jesus, wasn't it? He picked twelve apostles. Then he taught a large crowd. Then he healed all the sick in the crowd and cast out demons from them. And he did all this after having spent the entire night in prayer! Obviously, this is no coincidence. Clearly, Jesus felt the need to pray before accomplishing all these things. But what do you think that prayer was like? Do you think he had to ask his Father, "Whom should I pick for my apostles tomorrow?" or "What should I say to the crowd?" or "How am I going to heal all those people?" Getting answers to those questions was probably part of his prayer. But more than anything else, he prayed to enjoy communion with his Father. He prayed because he was one with the Father and he wanted to savor that oneness. He needed to say, "I love you, Father!" and to hear the Father say to him, "I love you, Son!" All the amazing things he did the next day flowed out of that loving relationship. At its heart, that's what prayer is all about—our relationship with the Lord. Of course, we should petition him for our needs, and of course, he loves to hear those requests. But our most fundamental need is to be in communion with God, the source of our life. Prayer is meant to be a loving conversation in which we express our love for God and he expresses his love for us. Today, try approaching prayer that way. Think of it as a chance to meet with your heavenly Father. Start by offering him praise for his goodness, faithfulness, and mercy. Thank him for all the blessings he's given you. Tell him how much you love him. Then listen for his response. He will remind you of his love in different ways. He may say "I love you" in the silence of your heart or in a favorite Scripture passage. He may remind you of a time when he blessed you in the past. And best of all, he will fill you with his Spirit so that you can live as his beloved child. "Father, I love you more than anything! Thank you for loving me and making me your child!" Colossians 2:6-15
Psalm 145:1-2, 8-11 |  Listen to 2cents | From Saint Paul:
"Brothers and sisters:
As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him,
rooted in him and built upon him
and established in the faith as you were taught,
abounding in thanksgiving.
See to it that no one captivate you with an empty, seductive philosophy
according to the tradition of men,
according to the elemental powers of the world
and not according to Christ."
What if I told you that all the same philosophies still exist, from the time of our Lord to today? They are rooted in the same, either of man or of God. Look at the roots, and then look at the fruits. That is how you will know what is based on God or on something else. | We pray in the Psalms:
"Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD, and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom and speak of your might. The Lord is compassionate toward all his works."
To who do you turn for healing? To who do you turn for wisdom? To who do you turn for advice on which way to go? To who do you turn to show you how to live? It is the Lord that should be all in all. | From the Gospel of Luke we hear:
"Jesus departed to the mountain to pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to God.
When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve..."
Our Lord prays.
Our Lord prays all night.
Our Lord separates to pray.
Our Lord closes the door to the inner room, and prays.
Right? He shows us how we are to begin something important...with prayer.
I will tell you that is the secret to success in ministry...pray. Once you pray, you bind yourself to the Holy Spirit. With this, how can you fail? You cannot! You will not! And after the prayer, our Lord comes down the mountain, having chosen the 12 disciples, and we hear the rest: | "... he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground.
A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people
from all Judea and Jerusalem
and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon
came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases;
and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured.
Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him
because power came forth from him and healed them all." So who do you go to for healing? Who do you go to, to learn? Who do you go to, to follow? With a little injury to myself, I turn to the Lord. With a little scare, this sheep runs to the Shepherd. The more the scare, the more I run to Him.
Are you scared? About physical ailments? Storms? Pandemics? Wars? Some say no, most will not admit...the truth. Deep down, we need security. Some find it in their own thoughts and philosophies, some find it in guns, and one or the other is not good without a real anchor...Jesus. If you think I am strong, I am not, I am weak, therefore...for my turning to Him I am strengthened, My Lord is My Strength. He is My ALL. They told us that people flocked to Him, to touch Him.
Let's flock! Let's go together to our Lord! Yes alone time to pray is good, that's like 23 hours a day except the time you sleep. The one hour of prayer together is a power hour. Powerful things happen when we gather with Him...faith is contagious. If you have it, others will have it. If you don't have it, others will not...like oil in the virgin's lamps for the groom.
I write to you in faith.
What's more, my little faith will make a bigger faith in the next person. And the fire grows. And the Lord's light shows. And we will proclaim "He is HERE!". Because He is.
And this is amazing. You are God's child. He is Your Father. He is your doctor. He is your mentor. He has a full time power angel watching over you, like a security guard, you are so super special.
I was in adoration with my wife, and suddenly I felt an enveloping spiritual embrace coming over...my wife, I sensed and knew it. I knew she had been covered and it was amazing. Suddenly, she stood up, and went to the Blessed Sacrament and knelt, raised her hands in worship and adoration.
She didn't know she was embraced until I told her afterwards, but something drove her to more adoration and praise. But I knew what it was...God's enveloping Love...from our Father in Heaven.
You see? We were gathered...in prayer...and amazing things happen. Gather my people! Flock to pray together! You won't even know what happened to you, but you will leave lifted when we encounter Him! Let's pray:
Lord, I want to praise You and worship You forever!
But I want to do this with the flock, Your Children!
Help me help those around me come ever closer to You!
You know this is my deepest desire...a bond that lasts forever with True Love from Heaven! | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: WOW! Check out this random verse just pulled up for us: 1 Corinthians 6:19–20
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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