†Quote of the Day
" "The glory of God is man fully alive, and the life of man is the vision of God."
–St. Irenaeus †Today's Meditation
What words, can, alas, express the deep grief of the Blessed Virgin? Her eyes closed, a death-like tint overspread her countenance; unable to stand, she fell to the ground, but was soon lifted up, and supported by John, Magdalen, and the others. She looked once more upon her beloved Son—that Son whom she had conceived by the Holy Ghost, the flesh of her flesh, the bone of her bone, the heart of her heart—hanging on a cross between two thieves; crucified, dishonored, condemned by those whom He came on earth to save; and well might she at this moment be termed 'the Queen of Martyrs.'"
—Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich, p. 294 †Daily Verse
"For thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite."" –Isaiah 57:15 |  click to read more | | St Irenaeus of Lyons St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 125 – 203 A.D.) was born in Asia Minor at a time when the direct memory of the Apostles was still alive. He was well educated in Sacred Scripture, theology, philosophy, and literature. He became an astute disciple of St. Polycarp, who himself was a disciple of St. John the Evangelist, one of the Twelve Apostles who belonged to Jesus' inner circle. St. Irenaeus is therefore an early witness of the authentic teaching of the Apostles preserved and handed down in both the written and oral tradition. St. Irenaeus was ordained a priest and became bishop of Lyons in modern-day France. He was one of the Church's first great theologians and apologists, writing his famous and important work 'Against Heresies' to combat the heresy of Gnosticism which greatly threatened the early Church. He is also an early witness of the primacy of Peter over the other Apostles, and thus the authority of the Roman See over the whole Church. St. Irenaeus is one of the most important early Church Fathers and is a Doctor of the Church. His feast day is June 28. | Memorial of Saint Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr
Readings for the Memorial of Saint Irenaeus, bishop and martyr Reading 1 Gn 15:1-12, 17-18 The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram!
I am your shield;
I will make your reward very great." But Abram said,
"O Lord GOD, what good will your gifts be,
if I keep on being childless
and have as my heir the steward of my house, Eliezer?"
Abram continued,
"See, you have given me no offspring,
and so one of my servants will be my heir."
Then the word of the LORD came to him:
"No, that one shall not be your heir;
your own issue shall be your heir."
He took him outside and said:
"Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.
Just so," he added, "shall your descendants be."
Abram put his faith in the LORD,
who credited it to him as an act of righteousness. He then said to him,
"I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans
to give you this land as a possession."
"O Lord GOD," he asked,
"how am I to know that I shall possess it?"
He answered him,
"Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat,
a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon."
Abram brought him all these, split them in two,
and placed each half opposite the other;
but the birds he did not cut up.
Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses,
but Abram stayed with them.
As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram,
and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him. When the sun had set and it was dark,
there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch,
which passed between those pieces.
It was on that occasion that the LORD made a covenant with Abram,
saying: "To your descendants I give this land,
from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River the Euphrates." Responsorial Psalm Ps 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9
------‐------
R. (8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations—
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Jn 15:4a, 5b R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Remain in me, as I remain in you, says the Lord;
whoever remains in me will bear much fruit.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 7:15-20 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing,
but underneath are ravenous wolves.
By their fruits you will know them.
Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,
and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down
and thrown into the fire.
So by their fruits you will know them." | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:
"Fear not, Abram!
I am your shield;
I will make your reward very great." end of verse. 3 statements were made, straight to the point;
Do not be afraid.Trust
You may take refuge in our Lord. Trust.
Your reward will come. Trust! Have faith. | We pray today:
"Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
The Lord remembers his covenant for ever." end of Psalm. | In the Gospel today we heard:
"A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down
and thrown into the fire.
So by their fruits you will know them." end of verse. | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus tells us that a tree is known by its fruits. In the fifth chapter of his Letter to the Galatians, Paul makes this very specific. He tells us that the fruits of the Holy Spirit are "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control," implying that the Spirit's presence in one's life can be read from its radiance in these soul-expanding qualities.
All of Paul's "fruits of the Holy Spirit" are marks of an outward-looking, expansive magna anima (great soul), which stands in contradistinction to the pusilla anima (the cramped soul) of the sinner. Thus love is willing the good of the other as other; joy is self-diffusive; patience bears with the troublesome; kindness makes the other gentle; self-control restricts the havoc that the ego can cause; etc.
When is the Spirit present? When these attributes are awakened and sustained; when our souls are made great." End quote from Bishop Barron.
By their fruits they are known. Why does our Lord compare us people to trees?
Why not, is really the question.
We bear fruit of all kinds. We are producing fruit even daily. Some good, some bad...but some are not producing any fruit...like the fig tree our Lord cursed one day and it died and wilted the next day.
So cursed could the man be for not being found producing fruit on the day of our LORD's arrival!
When will that be? No one knows!
And so, it'd be best to be found always producing fruit.
What fruit? The life of God, His will, and His love for the world. If He didn't love the world then HE would have ended it long ago...but no, He calls us His children, His creation, His beloved, and the love is evident on the cross. Let's pray:
May the fruit of our hands, fruit of our minds and hearts give God the greater Honor and Glory forever.
Jesus, Mary, Joseph, help us help God save souls! | Random Bible Verse 1
1 Peter 4:16 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
