†Saint Quote
""Be one of the small number who find the way to life, and enter by the narrow gate into Heaven. Take care not to follow the majority and the common herd, so many of whom are lost. Do not be deceived; there are only two roads: one that leads to life and is narrow; the other that leads to death and is wide. There is no middle way."
— St. Louis de Montfort †MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"What is this brightness—with which God fills the soul of the just—but that clear knowledge of all that is necessary for salvation? He shows them the beauty of virtue and the deformity of vice. He reveals to them the vanity of the world, the treasures of grace, the greatness of eternal glory, and the sweetness of the consolations of the Holy Spirit. He teaches them to apprehend the goodness of God, the malice of the evil one, the shortness of life, and the fatal error of those whose hopes are centered in this world alone. Hence the equanimity of the just. They are neither puffed up by prosperity nor cast down by adversity.'A holy man', says Solomon, 'continueth in wisdom as the sun, but a fool is changed as the moon.' (Ecclus. 27:12). Unmoved by the winds of false doctrine, the just man continues steadfast in Christ, immoveable in charity, unswerving in faith."
— Venerable Louis Of Grenada, p. 135
AN EXCERPT FROM
The Sinner's Guide † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, "Be strong, fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.""
Isaiah 35:3-4 |  click to read more | | ST. MARIA FAUSTINA KOWALSKA St. Maria Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938), baptized with the name Helena, was one of ten children born to a devout, peasant farming family in Poland. She grew up during the tough years leading up to and following the first World War, and received little formal education. She worked as a poor housekeeper before following her religious vocation at the age of 20, entering the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Krakow. There she was given simple, humble jobs which hid her deep interior life. St. Faustina was graced with mystical visions and revelations from Jesus, as well as her Guardian Angel and certain saints. Jesus gave her the mission to proclaim his infinite, powerful, loving mercy to the whole world, especially to hardened sinners and those facing the hour of their death. St. Faustina, as Jesus' "secretary and apostle of Divine Mercy", faithfully recorded these messages in great detail in a nearly 700-page diary. In it she promoted devotion to the Divine Mercy of Jesus Christ as instructed by Our Lord himself, now famous throughout the Church, and a great consolation for many souls who would otherwise fear to approach God because of their burden of sin. She died at the age of 33 from tuberculosis. Pope St. John Paul II made St. Faustina the first saint of the new millennium. Her feast day is October 5th. | Tuesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 462
Reading I Jon 3:1-10 The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:
"Set out for the great city of Nineveh,
and announce to it the message that I will tell you."
So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh,
according to the LORD's bidding.
Now Nineveh was an enormously large city;
it took three days to go through it.
Jonah began his journey through the city,
and had gone but a single day's walk announcing,
"Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,"
when the people of Nineveh believed God;
they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small,
put on sackcloth. When the news reached the king of Nineveh,
he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe,
covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes.
Then he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh,
by decree of the king and his nobles:
"Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep,
shall taste anything;
they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water.
Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth
and call loudly to God;
every man shall turn from his evil way
and from the violence he has in hand.
Who knows, God may relent and forgive,
and withhold his blazing wrath,
so that we shall not perish."
When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way,
he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them;
he did not carry it out. Responsorial Psalm 130:1b-2, 3-4ab, 7-8 R. (3) If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive to my voice in supplication.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities, LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness, that you may be revered.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
Let Israel wait for the LORD,
For with the LORD is kindness and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel from all their iniquities.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand? Alleluia Lk 11:28 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are those who hear the word of God
and observe it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 10:38-42 Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
"Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply,
"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her." | Daily Meditation: Jonah 3:1-10 The people of Nineveh believed God. (Jonah 3:5) The prophet Nahum called Nineveh "the bloody city, all lies, Full of plunder . . . A multitude of slain, a mass of corpses" (3:1, 3). The primary task of its king was to wage military campaigns, guided by Ashur, the Assyrian god of war. These were ruthless and destructive people living in a swiftly expanding empire. That's an important consideration to keep in mind as we read the Book of Jonah because without it, we may not fully appreciate the story's message: that God's word has the power to change hearts and lives. How do we know the focus is on God's word and not on Jonah? Because Jonah wasn't anyone special. Why would hardened warriors trust a stranger from out of town doling out unsolicited military advice? Jonah had no proof to back up his claims, and his words weren't logical given Assyria's military successes. What's more, his message was not from Ashur or some other pagan god. Still, when Jonah shouted out exactly what God had said—that the powerful city of Nineveh would be overthrown in forty days unless the people repented—they listened and changed (3:4-5). The king covered himself with sackcloth, sat in ashes, and called on everyone in the city to "turn from his evil way and from the violence he has in hand" (3:6, 8). He decreed a fast not just for the people but for the cattle and sheep as well (3:7). What an unexpected outcome! At its core, the Book of Jonah reveals that the word of God, spoken by an ordinary person, is powerful and effective. It captures hearts. It converts sinners. It brings people to repentance. It doesn't force its way; God's word simply takes effect. As you marvel at this, remember that God's living and effective word is still powerful in and of itself today. So never discount the value of sharing Scripture with people. If God prompts you to speak his word to someone else, remember that it's the message of God, not the messenger, that changes hearts and lives. Thank God for that! "Father, give me the courage to speak your word." Psalm 130:1-4, 7-8
Luke 10:38-42 |  Listen to 2cents | From Today's Holy Scripture:
""Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,"
when the people of Nineveh believed God;
they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth." What's funny is that the story is still true today. God's warning is here, "repent...or face consequences". Just think about your sinful desires and pleasures and lifestyles. Just think and let's use drugs as a perfect example of a physical sin that can be compared to a spiritual sin.
Drugs induce a person, they seduce a person, to go into a mode physically.
Spiritually, sin calls one one, seduction, to go into a feat of being, "you will be like God" said the serpent, the snake in the garden.
Which is more seductive? A quick drug "high" or a seduction that places you higher than the others?
In sin, you get trapped. And so does the spiritual sin. People are trapped. They can't let go...of themselves.
Now. How I wish this message of my heart would go out to the world. And it goes like this:
" What Have You Got To Lose". Repent!
If you contract this disease of the creatures of the night, the bat flu, there are two possible outcomes, either you will live, or you will die. But how you come out of it will make the difference.
1. Let's say you pray for salvation. If it was through faith, you will be different, for your life was saved by faith. And if you die, you would have given your life to God already, repented, and your prayers are heard, and you belong to God, not the dark.
2. Let's say you don't pray (as if to negate God, saying you don't need Him). And you die, then this means you will die in your sin, darkness, and to darkness forever you will go. It's a no brainer to turn to our Lord. It is what I see as a win/win situation. You could save some years of life and receive an eternal life to boot!
The King of Nineveh knew that there's more to lose if you don't repent, smart man.
But the proud resist God's call, and they persist in their stubbornness. And they cease to exist because of what they choose to persist. | We pray in Psalms:
"If you, O LORD, mark iniquities, LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness, that you may be revered." What then is the message of the cross with our Lord crucified?
Believe it or not, it is hope, and it is salvation. Darkness desires you to give up hope. But that does not mean that hope ceases to exist.
Darkness teaches that there is no god and if there is one it is not good. Listen carefully..they are saying that hope does not exist.
Listen carefully to the messages of the worldly. And then do the opposite, for they are based on lies, not truth.
What is truth? Listen to the Truth. | Our Lord speaks, the TRUTH speaks:
"Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
"Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply,
"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her." | At this point of year, I should be Martha, worried about a hundred things heading up our local family festival. Right? So many things to do! So many worries! So many anxieties! So much stress! Why would anybody want to sign up for this? It is in a way, an uphill battle, like the building for church we've been saving up for, for over 10 years. Many nay-sayers are slayers. Many negative people saying "what for!" and "can you really afford it?" and then I hear "I'll never live to see the day". I am not lying, these are things I've heard throughout the years. Why build Noah's ark? Right? Everyone else rather sit back, drink, be merry, and hello! YOLO! Right? While a fool like me chops wood, all the while hanging on to faith.
Martha, Martha, MARTHA!
Mary sat at the feet of Jesus. Technically she wasn't supposed to do that, only men sit there to learn. But it was a moment for God to reveal something important. "Let the women and children come to Me". He came for children, and for woman. He is Man, and He came for Wo-man and children.
He, the Carpenter, the builder of the ark, would come to bring His love to Heaven, and You are His love.
Mary, Mary.
You have chosen the better part for reading thus far, hanging on to the Word of Life. She chose Jesus. She chose life. She shows us that choosing Him is not impossible.
So, the contemplative life, or the action filled life for God? That is the question. The worry life, or the non-worry life? Sometimes people think that living secluded, like a hermit would be all the answers. Not really. I've visited hermits, one of them I've targeted as my own Spiritual Director. Their life is not better, it is dedicated, yes, but it is still possible for the mind to go crazy alone. You see, even there, you have to have the faith that God calls for, even more-so then.
It takes much strength to be faithful, to fast, to pray, to be grace filled. And to do so, we have to have much love, discipline to be a disciple of Christ.
So what do I do in my case today?
I work with faith. In spanish they say "uno pone y Dios dispone", as if to say "one proposes and God disposes".
That is to say like Saint Augustine: "Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you." Let's Pray:
O Lord, hear our cry, our sincere pleading,
help us desire You more and more,
and I know the cost, the sacrifice it will call for,
and so I pray for grace to fast, to repent, and to choose the better part...Your Most Precious and Sacred Heart! In Your Precious Name My King Jesus we pray. Mary and Mary, at the foot of the cross, pray for us! | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: WOW! Mt 12:50 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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