.: 09/25/23

Monday, September 25, 2023

†...To Anyone Who Has

†Quote of the Day
"Consider God's charity. Where else have we ever seen someone who has been offended voluntarily paying out his life for those who have offended him?"
–St. Catherine of Siena

†Today's Meditation
"I remind you, My daughter, that as often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it; invoke its omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners; for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul. In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it was the hour of grace for the whole world—mercy triumphed over justice. My daughter, try your best to make the Stations of the Cross in this hour, provided that your duties permit it; and if you are not able to make the Stations of the Cross, then at least step into the chapel for a moment and adore, in the Blessed Sacrament, My Heart, which is full of mercy; and should you be unable to step into the chapel, immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant."
—Jesus to St. Faustina Kowalska, (1572)

An Excerpt From
Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska - Divine Mercy in My Soul

†Daily Verse
"So, 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."
–Colossians 2:6-7

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St. Cleophas

St. Cleophas (1st c.) was one of Jesus' seventy disciples, and one of the two disciples who were traveling along the road to Emmaus after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus in Jerusalem, as recounted in Luke's Gospel. The resurrected Jesus appeared and walked along the road with St. Cleophas and his companion, explaining the events of his Passion and how they fulfilled the Holy Scriptures. According to one tradition, Cleophas (also known as Alphaeus), was a relative of Jesus; he was the brother of St. Joseph, and therefore was Jesus' uncle. Cleophas was the husband of St. Mary of Cleophas, and they had three sons we know by name: St. Simon, St. James the Less, and St. Jude. St. Cleophas, through his daughter Mary Salome, was also grandfather to St. James the Greater and St. John. Therefore three of his sons and two of his grandsons were among the Twelve Apostles. According to tradition, St. Cleophas was martyred by the Jewish authorities in the same home in which he received Jesus as a guest. His feast day is September 25th.

Monday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Ezr 1:1-6

In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia,
in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah,
the LORD inspired King Cyrus of Persia
to issue this proclamation throughout his kingdom,
both by word of mouth and in writing:
"Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia:
'All the kingdoms of the earth
the LORD, the God of heaven, has given to me,
and he has also charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem,
which is in Judah.
Therefore, whoever among you belongs to any part of his people,
let him go up, and may his God be with him!
Let everyone who has survived, in whatever place he may have dwelt,
be assisted by the people of that place
with silver, gold, goods, and cattle,
together with free-will offerings
for the house of God in Jerusalem.'"

Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin
and the priests and Levites–
everyone, that is, whom God had inspired to do so–
prepared to go up to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem.
All their neighbors gave them help in every way,
with silver, gold, goods, and cattle,
and with many precious gifts
besides all their free-will offerings.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 126:1b-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6

R. (3) The Lord has done marvels for us.
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Then they said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.

Alleluia Mt 5:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let your light shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 8:16-18

Jesus said to the crowd:
"No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel
or sets it under a bed;
rather, he places it on a lampstand
so that those who enter may see the light.
For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible,
and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.
Take care, then, how you hear.
To anyone who has, more will be given,
and from the one who has not,
even what he seems to have will be taken away."

Daily Meditation: Luke 8:16-18

Take care, then, how you hear. (Luke 8:18

When it comes to reading Scripture, it can be easy to miss an important teaching if we move on too quickly. Take today's Gospel, for instance. Jesus said that our lives should be like a light set on a lampstand. But then he says we need to be careful about "how you hear" (Luke 8:18). Hearing seems to come out of the blue.

Actually, hearing is a recurring theme in Luke 8. The parable of the sower and seed focuses on the way hearing God's word affects our fruitfulness in his kingdom (8:11-15). Then, right after today's Gospel reading, Jesus says that his mother and brothers "are those who hear the word of God and act on it" (8:21). That means that the way we hear and how we respond can open up a close familial relationship with Jesus. So let's consider a few things about hearing God's word.

Hearing is more than a function of the ears; it's also a function of the mind. So as you sit to read the Scriptures or hear them read at Mass, do your best to stay alert and pay attention. The Lord will speak to you as you do. He knows that his words are the most important ones you can hear each day. As you prepare to listen, you might even want to pray, "Speak, Lord, for I am listening."

Hearing is more than a function of the mind; it's also a function of the heart. So take the time to ponder God's word. Let it illuminate your deepest desires and motivations. Let it challenge and change you. Let the Lord help you understand how you can bring his word to bear in a specific situation. As you do, his word will become part of how you think and approach life.

In the end, hearing is more than what you can do yourself. It's an action of God. As you pay attention and ponder, God can change your heart. He can teach you to see the world as he does. So let's listen to God's word today. Let's contemplate what he might be saying to us through it. Most of all, let's open our hearts to allow God to change us, make us fruitful, and draw us close to himself.

"Jesus, teach me how to hear the words you speak to me so that my heart can change."

Ezra 1:1-6
Psalm 126:1-6

click to hear 2cents

Reflections with Brother Adrian:
AUDIO LINK HERE

From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin
and the priests and Levites–
everyone, that is, whom God had inspired to do so–
prepared to go up to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem.
All their neighbors gave them help in every way,
with silver, gold, goods, and cattle,
and with many precious gifts
besides all their free-will offerings......" end of verse.
. . .

The people built a temple. And how? With their own resources. And it is the case today, and especially in the Catholic church. Believe me. I've been the director of our building committee and of the family festivals, and it has been a long and arduous journey of over a decade of raising funds and making plans, and changing plans to suit the lower and lower budget. Is it worth it? We are putting the final touches on the building, but that is not the fruit of the hard work. The fruit my friend, will be the building that the building will provide...the building of Christ's body all the more. This is called edification, in Spanish a building is called edificio, almost directly tied with edification.

We pray today:
"The Lord has done marvels for us.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves........."_ end of Psalm."

In the Gospel today we heard:
"For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible,
and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.
Take care, then, how you hear.
To anyone who has, more will be given,
and from the one who has not,
even what he seems to have will be taken away."........" end of Gospel verse.

...

Can you imagine all your secrets you are saying and whispering being blasted in the next world?
And if nothing else...God knows...your heart.
It's almost like, we are in a battle, a constant battle in the world with light verses darkness, and you know what light is? It is Christ. And you know what Christ is? Sacrificial and True Love of God. And so, the battle is one of love verses the opposite of love, hatred perhaps. Love vs. Hate, and nowadays, the haters are saying we are the haters because we do not accept their sin. And so, the battle then, to us lovers, becomes one of loving them, and to love them we admonish them with love. And how come people do not correct haters nowadays very much? Because their own love has watered down, their faith has watered down. Remember how often I equate love with faith.
And so, those who are lukewarm in faith and love, in the name of false peace, they will remain silent about the sin of others.

The lukewarm are deadly folks.
The lukewarm are all the devil needs to get away with murder, and I'm not thinking of Adolf Hitler alone, with his lukewarm people, but of the worse atrocity of 70 million or so unborn children slaughtered in the womb with perhaps a billion more poisoned with "contraceptive pills" because those are simply abortifacient, meaning, they dispel the fertilized egg, they do not prevent contraception, and so the contraceptive is actually something deceptive.
So we should stop using Hitler as the benchmark for genocide hatred, but a mere example of a hater of the many in existence today.
Today in Holy Daily Mass, Fr. Ogbonna said that we should not hide our Christianity. That is our very light, right? But it goes further.

Many call themselves Christian, and by all means, they may intend to be Christian, they will talk the talk, they got the tattoos to prove it, but they will not go to church, and they will not follow Him all the way to the Cross, in a Holy Mass.
Can you start to see what shining the light actually means now?

Before I go on, I want to thank you.

Thank you for your prayers for our Men's Cursillo.
Your prayers were felt and they were effective.
But it must not stop here. This my beloved...is only the beginning.

........

Let us pray:

Lord, I have seen You wounded and dying for me on the cross.
How you turned that darkness to light is completely Amazing. Yet that is our Father's will, when He said to the world....LET THERE BE LIGHT!!
Help us Shine Father! Shine Your Love in me!!