†Saint Quote of the Day
"It is requisite for the relaxation of the mind that we make use, from time to time, of playful deeds and jokes."
–St. Thomas Aquinas †Today's Meditation
"He who is humble, even though he fall through frailty, soon repents with sorrow and implores the divine assistance to help him to amend; nor is he astonished at having fallen, because he knows that of himself he is only capable of evil and would do far worse if God did not protect him with His grace. After having sinned, it is good to humble oneself before God, and without losing courage, to remain in humility in order not to fall again . . . But to afflict ourselves without measure and to give way to a certain pusillanimous melancholy, which brings us to the verge of despair, is a temptation of pride, insinuated by the devil . . . However upright we may be, we must never be scandalized nor amazed at the conduct of evildoers, nor consider ourselves better than they, because we do not know what is ordained for them or for us in the supreme dispositions of God."
—Rev. Cajetan da Bergamo, p. 56-57
An Excerpt From
Humility Of Heart †Daily Verse
"And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'"
–Matthew 25:40 |  click to read more | | St. Giles St. Giles (7th c.) was born to a wealthy and noble Greek family. He devoted his life to the things of God and grew in sanctity, but found that his material and spiritual riches drew unwanted praise and attention. To escape prestige, he sold all of his possessions, gave his wealth to the poor, and moved away to Gaul (present day France) to live in solitude in the wilderness as a cave-dwelling hermit. He lived in this way without companionship for many years while practicing severe penances. He became so impoverished that God sent a deer to be his companion and to nourish him with its milk. One day a royal hunting party in pursuit of the deer chased it into the saint's cave. A hunter shot an arrow into the cave, and instead of hitting the deer, he injured the saint. St. Giles was discovered and soon became known throughout the countryside as a holy hermit, the king himself often coming to visit him. St. Giles consented to receive disciples who desired to imitate his way of life. The king built a monastery for these followers, who lived as monks under the Rule of St. Benedict with St. Giles as abbot. St. Giles was known as a miracle worker during his life, and his monastery and the town that grew around it became a shrine and place of pilgrimage, especially for crippled beggars. St. Giles became one of the most popular saints in the Middle Ages, and is the patron of many causes including lepers, hermits, cripples, epileptics, cancer patients, the mentally ill, the disabled, and the poor. St. Giles' feast day is September 1st. | Friday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 1 Thes 4:1-8 Brothers and sisters,
we earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that,
as you received from us
how you should conduct yourselves to please God–
and as you are conducting yourselves–
you do so even more.
For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. This is the will of God, your holiness:
that you refrain from immorality,
that each of you know how to acquire a wife for himself
in holiness and honor, not in lustful passion
as do the Gentiles who do not know God;
not to take advantage of or exploit a brother or sister in this matter,
for the Lord is an avenger in all these things,
as we told you before and solemnly affirmed.
For God did not call us to impurity but to holiness.
Therefore, whoever disregards this,
disregards not a human being but God,
who also gives his Holy Spirit to you. Responsorial Psalm Ps 97:1 and 2b, 5-6, 10, 11-12 R. (12a) Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
Justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
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. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The LORD loves those who hate evil;
he guards the lives of his faithful ones;
from the hand of the wicked he delivers them.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just! Alleluia Lk 21:36 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Be vigilant at all time and pray,
that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 25:1-13 Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,
brought no oil with them,
but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.
Since the bridegroom was long delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight, there was a cry,
'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.
The foolish ones said to the wise,
'Give us some of your oil,
for our lamps are going out.'
But the wise ones replied,
'No, for there may not be enough for us and you.
Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.'
While they went off to buy it,
the bridegroom came
and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him.
Then the door was locked.
Afterwards the other virgins came and said,
'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!'
But he said in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.'
Therefore, stay awake,
for you know neither the day nor the hour."
| Daily Meditation: Matthew 25:1-13 Five of them were foolish. (Matthew 25:2) Jesus calls the five virgins in this parable "foolish," but it's not the only time he uses that word to describe someone. In his parable of the rich fool, Jesus tells of a man who builds a larger barn to store his extra grain, only to die suddenly and leave it all behind (Luke 12:16-21). And at the end of his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that anyone who listens to his words but does not act on them is "like a fool who built his house on sand" (Matthew 7:26). The biblical authors used the words "fool," "foolish," and "folly" quite often, especially in the Wisdom literature, where "fools" are often contrasted with those who are wise. As one proverb puts it, "Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are safe" (Proverbs 28:26). The people in the parables above clearly lacked the wisdom to anticipate the consequences of their choices. That's why Jesus told these stories: he wanted us to know how important it is that we consider the full spiritual impact of our decisions. God doesn't want us to go through life like these "foolish" people. Our free will allows us to make a myriad of choices. But we should make every important decision with our eyes open, testing it against our ultimate goal in life: to please the Lord and to abide in him, both now and forever. When we do that, we are acting wisely, not foolishly. Are you facing a decision right now? If so, ask yourself, "Will this choice bring me closer to God? Will it help me get to heaven?" We can't predict the future, and there's no guarantee that we will always make the right choice. But the more we think about the spiritual consequences of our decisions, the more likely we will end up like the five wise virgins: ready to greet the Lord whenever he comes. "Lord, give me the wisdom to consider all my choices with you in mind." 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 10-12 |  click to hear 2cents | https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ChTG6asbDT03VNdnTuGiuav1Iy_6HVgt/view?usp=drive_link
Reflections with Brother Adrian: | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"For God did not call us to impurity but to holiness.
Therefore, whoever disregards this, disregards not a human being but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit to you......" end of verse. . . . Lately I've been writing and I write what is truth revealed and it is for you to discern. Everything that is true in revelation must be in accord with the Holy Word of God and with our doctrine. Our Lord came to do the same, He reminded us of Scripture meant and what it means from the beginning. And lately, the revelations point to purity, like our Virgin Mother, purely for God. If you read excerpts about her, she is Pious, and faithful, and humble. This means to be pure, and purely for God, total consecration, to set oneself aside from the world for Him, like a light in the dark. | We pray today:
"The LORD loves those who hate evil;
he guards the lives of his faithful ones;
from the hand of the wicked he delivers them.
Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name......"_ end of Psalm." | In the Gospel today we heard:
"The foolish ones said to the wise,
'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'
But the wise ones replied,
'No, for there may not be enough for us and you.
Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.'
While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him.
Then the door was locked.
Afterwards the other virgins came and said,
'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!'
But he said in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.' ........" end of Gospel verse. | The Lord said "I do not know you". OUCH! That hurts. Doesn't it? What does that mean? Supposedly God knows everybody inside and out, right? Mother Mary our Pure Virgin Mother said something to Archangel Gabriel as she spoke with him and said "how can this be (having a baby) since I do not know man"? And this in the ancient language meant "I am not intimate with men" which means she does not have intimate relations with a man, which means she is totally consecrated as a virgin to God as was the custom for the most intimate and few dedicated to God since they were little children. Servants of God. And then God became intimate with her. His body came over her and cast a shadow on her and she became pregnant. And the shadow relationship becomes light for the world because in God there is no darkness.
Back to purity and light. We spoke of this yesterday.
10 virgins were ready for the groom, 5 were not ready for him. Where were they when He came by? They were right there! With their lights off. With their lights off He just passed by, they were left behind. And if He can't see you, He can't be intimate with you, that is...to know you in an intimate relationship of covenant love.
But those that were ready like Virgin Mother Mary, He comes and overshadows the Holy Spirit, the Dove comes upon them with Love.
Wouldn't you like to experience an intimate love with Love itself? God is Love. There you walk on clouds. There you see birds and rainbows. There you see angels ascending and descending upon the groom.
Who saw this? The apostles, and Virgin Mother Mary. They were ready when God met them...they just didn't know it, for they were lowly, humble, and true...all except a few.
What about you? ........
Let us pray:
Lord, I want to be found with my lights on. I want to be on vigil, night watch, watching for you, keeping oil in my lamp with grace, and love of God, help me fill my flask forever, be my font, my fountain of love from above! |  Click To Hear | Wow, amazing! Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 86:4–5 Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
