†Quote of the Day
"The ordinary acts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest."
–St. Thomas More †Today's Meditation
"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 Daily Verse
"Give ear to my words, O Lord; give heed to my groaning. Hearken to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to thee do I pray. O Lord, in the morning thou dost hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for thee, and watch. For thou art not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not sojourn with thee."
–Psalm 5:1-4 |  click to read more | | St. Thomas More St. Thomas More (1478–1535) was born in London, the son of a lawyer and judge. He was educated in the finest schools and became a brilliant English statesman. He served in parliament, on the King's council, as a diplomat, and in many other prominent positions in public administration. He was highly esteemed for his unfailing moral integrity, sharpness of mind, humor, and extraordinary learning. He was also a faithful Catholic, a loving husband, and a devoted father. For his great abilities he was promoted by his friend King Henry VIII to the high office of Lord Chancellor, second in position to the king. He resigned from this post when the king, in open defiance of Church teaching, sought to divorce his wife in order to marry another woman, and to declare himself sovereign of the Church in England. Thomas More, a defender against heresy, refused to condone the king's actions. After trying unsuccessfully to persuade his friend to approve of what he was doing, King Henry VIII imprisoned More in the Tower of London. At his trial, More testified boldly for Church autonomy over the state, for the authority of the pope as head of the Church, and for the indissolubility of marriage in the eyes of God. He was eventually condemned and beheaded, dying as a martyr for the Catholic faith. Thomas More is the patron saint of statesman, politicians, lawyers, civil servants, and large families. His feast day is June 22nd.
Find a Devotional for This Saint | Thursday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 2 Cor 11:1-11 Brothers and sisters:
If only you would put up with a little foolishness from me!
Please put up with me.
For I am jealous of you with the jealousy of God,
since I betrothed you to one husband
to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning,
your thoughts may be corrupted
from a sincere and pure commitment to Christ.
For if someone comes and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached,
or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received
or a different gospel from the one you accepted,
you put up with it well enough.
For I think that I am not in any way inferior to these ""superapostles.""
Even if I am untrained in speaking, I am not so in knowledge;
in every way we have made this plain to you in all things. Did I make a mistake when I humbled myself so that you might be exalted,
because I preached the Gospel of God to you without charge?
I plundered other churches by accepting from them
in order to minister to you.
And when I was with you and in need, I did not burden anyone,
for the brothers who came from Macedonia
supplied my needs.
So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way.
By the truth of Christ in me,
this boast of mine shall not be silenced
in the regions of Achaia.
And why? Because I do not love you?
God knows I do! Responsorial Psalm Ps 111:1b-2, 3-4, 7-8 R.(7a) Your works, O Lord, are justice and truth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart
in the company and assembly of the just.
Great are the works of the LORD,
exquisite in all their delights.
R. Your works, O Lord, are justice and truth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Majesty and glory are his work,
and his justice endures forever.
He has won renown for his wondrous deeds;
gracious and merciful is the LORD.
R. Your works, O Lord, are justice and truth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
sure are all his precepts,
Reliable forever and ever,
wrought in truth and equity.
R. Your works, O Lord, are justice and truth.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Rom 8:15bc R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You have received a spirit of adoption as sons
through which we cry: Abba! Father!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mt 6:7-15
Jesus said to his disciples:
"In praying, do not babble like the pagans,
who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. "This is how you are to pray: 'Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.' "If you forgive others their transgressions,
your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others,
neither will your Father forgive your transgressions." | Daily Meditation: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 . . . your heavenly Father. (Matthew 6:1) We know from the Gospels that at Jesus' baptism, God the Father identified him as his "beloved Son" (Matthew 3:17). And because Jesus is God's Son, he can call almighty God "Father." But early in his ministry, Jesus revealed something incredible when he referred to God as "your heavenly Father" (Matthew 6:1, emphasis added). With that one word, "your," Jesus made it clear that we are God's children. Like Jesus, we, too, can call him "Father" and have a personal, loving relationship with him. God loves you! He doesn't intend for you to pray, fast, or give alms in order to impress him—or anyone else for that matter. Rather, he asks you to do it out of gratitude for his love for you. Jesus said that God "sees in secret" what you are doing (Matthew 6:4). But know that your heavenly Father does more than just observe your actions. He really sees you. He understands all your fears and struggles as well as the deepest desires of your heart. He sees all your efforts to please him. And he is especially pleased when your good works are "hidden"—that is, when they are done just for him (6:18). Jesus promised his disciples that God would "repay" them for their acts of faith (Matthew 6:4, 6, 18). But he wasn't describing a worldly transaction. No, your Father repays you by drawing you close to his heart. He helps you to see that your deepest identity is as his son or daughter. He helps you to understand that as your Father, all the events and details of your life fall within his care and provision. He assures you that nothing can separate you from his love. The next time you turn to the Lord in prayer, pass up a dessert, or donate to your favorite charity, remember why you are doing these things. It's not to make yourself more worthy of God's love. Neither is it to make people think more highly of you. You are doing these things because you are a child of your heavenly Father. Today in prayer, thank your heavenly Father for inviting you into a relationship with him. Then let him "repay" you with his love, mercy, and grace. "Jesus, thank you for revealing that God is my Father." 2 Corinthians 9:6-11
Psalm 112:1-4, 9 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"For I am jealous of you with the jealousy of God,
since I betrothed you to one husband
to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." end of verse.
St. Paul is exhorting with a heart on fire, to light a fire for the world. I am jealous! I am jealous that there are so many other loves, but what about the love of God? We are so infatuated but why not with holy things that are so good for us? Like the holy food from Heaven! God Himself! | We pray today:
"Majesty and glory are his work,
and his justice endures forever.
He has won renown for his wondrous deeds;
gracious and merciful is the LORD.
Your works, O Lord, are justice and truth." end of Psalm. | In the Gospel today we heard:
""This is how you are to pray:
'Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done..." end quote. | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, today's Gospel gives us the Our Father. It asks that God's will be done "on earth as it is in heaven," but biblical cosmology sees these two realms as interpenetrating fields of force. Heaven, the arena of God and the angels, touches upon and calls out to earth, the arena of humans, animals, plants, and planets.
Salvation, therefore, is a matter of the meeting of heaven and earth, so that God might reign as thoroughly here below as he does on high. Jesus' great prayer, which is constantly on the lips of Christians, is distinctively Jewish in inspiration: "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
This is decidedly not a prayer that we might escape from the earth, but rather that earth and heaven might come together. The Lord's Prayer raises to a new level what the prophet Isaiah anticipated: "The earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord, as water covers the sea."
The first Christians saw the Resurrection of Jesus as the commencement of the process by which earth and heaven were being reconciled. They appreciated the risen Christ as the one who would bring the justice of heaven to this world." end quote.
Remember our Lord's words always begin in prayer "Our Father". Not YOUR Father, not MY Father, but OUR Father. We are in this together. LOL, me and my siblings always speak to each other and say "my dad' or "my mom" as if they were different, we never say "our dad" or "our mom". Of course my dad has passed but we still talk like that. So what's the difference?
He is our Father. Our Father would like you to pray to Our Father. And to:
Make His name Holy.
And to make His Kingdom a reality on earth, as it is already in Heaven.
And this by way of making His Holy Will happen, doing as He says, and in holy obedience.
And of all the things we should be asking for, His Holy Bread, His Holy Presence, His very self, every day. Ask Big! And He is a giver of good things.
And this comes into play with Holy and Divine Mercy, as we ask for forgiveness we are to forgive others, the more, the better.
And that we pray that we do not fall into temptation, the tests of love for God...or other gods...lest we fall back to the beginning of the Lord's prayers, and say there is another love or god greater in our very life?! Let's pray:
Lord, Father, I pray that the Words our Lord Jesus taught us are lived out more properly, starting within my very heart for Our Father in Heaven forever. |  Hear it click | Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 3:5–6 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
