†Quote of the Day
"Make friends with the angels, who though invisible are always with you. Often invoke them, constantly praise them, and make good use of their help and assistance in all your temporal and spiritual affairs."
–St. Francis de Sales †Today's Meditation
"St. Luke tells us that "there appeared to Him [in the Garden of Gethsemane] an angel from heaven to strengthen him" (22:43). It was an angel in human form, as the expression used by St. Luke indicates an apparition visible to bodily eyes. An angel announced Christ's coming into the world, a choir of angels proclaimed His birth, and after the temptation in the desert, angels came to minister to Him. The angels who ministered to Jesus came to assist Him after the trial of the forty days' fast and the temptation. In Gethsemane an angel appeared in order to strengthen Him in advance for the awful climax of His mental anguish in the agony and bloody sweat. Jesus' sufferings were concentrated in His soul, but from the soul they overflowed to the body, distressing and weakening it. It is likely, therefore, that the angel brought Jesus strength for both soul and body."
—Fr. Ralph Gorman, C.P. An Excerpt From
The Last Hours of Jesus - From Gethsemane to Golgotha †Daily Verse
"The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his word! Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers that do his will!"
–Psalm 103:19-21 |  click to read more | | Guardian Angels October 2nd is the Feast of the Guardian Angels. Although Guardian Angels have been venerated since the early days of the Church, it wasn't until the 17th century that Pope Clement X extended their feast day to the Universal Church. Although not a dogmatic article of the faith, it is a firmly established Catholic belief that each individual human being has their own Guardian Angel assigned to them by God to watch over their soul, help them avoid sin and temptation, and lead them to heaven, taken in part from Jesus' words in the Gospel of Matthew: "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father." The Church thanks God for our heavenly helpers, the Guardian Angels, who minister to us in our need and guide us on the path of salvation. | Memorial of the Guardian Angels • Readings for the Memorial of the Guardian Angels Reading 1 Zec 8:1-8 This word of the LORD of hosts came: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am intensely jealous for Zion,
stirred to jealous wrath for her.
Thus says the LORD:
I will return to Zion,
and I will dwell within Jerusalem;
Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city,
and the mountain of the LORD of hosts,
the holy mountain. Thus says the LORD of hosts: Old men and old women,
each with staff in hand because of old age,
shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem.
The city shall be filled with boys and girls playing in its streets.
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
Even if this should seem impossible
in the eyes of the remnant of this people,
shall it in those days be impossible in my eyes also,
says the LORD of hosts?
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
Lo, I will rescue my people from the land of the rising sun,
and from the land of the setting sun.
I will bring them back to dwell within Jerusalem.
They shall be my people, and I will be their God,
with faithfulness and justice. Responsorial Psalm Ps 102:16-18, 19-21, 29 and 22-23 R. (17) The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.
The nations shall revere your name, O LORD,
and all the kings of the earth your glory,
When the LORD has rebuilt Zion
and appeared in his glory;
When he has regarded the prayer of the destitute,
and not despised their prayer.
R. The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.
Let this be written for the generation to come,
and let his future creatures praise the LORD:
"The LORD looked down from his holy height,
from heaven he beheld the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoners,
to release those doomed to die."
R. The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.
The children of your servants shall abide,
and their posterity shall continue in your presence.
That the name of the LORD may be declared in Zion;
and his praise, in Jerusalem,
When the peoples gather together,
and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.
R. The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory. Alleluia Ps 103:21 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Bless the LORD, all you angels,
you ministers, who do his will.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 18:1-5, 10 The disciples approached Jesus and said,
"Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?"
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
"Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever humbles himself like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. "See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father."
| Daily Meditation: Matthew 18:1-5, 10 Their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father. (Matthew 18:10) It's funny, isn't it? We hear about today's feast of the Guardian Angels, and we almost instinctively conjure up images found in children's books: a golden-haired, white-robed being floating beside a young child. The angel is somewhat alarmed to see the child reaching for some forbidden candy or about to trip over a stone in the road. Often, the angel is rushing to catch the child and bring him to safety. We recall these images, smile, and move on with our day. Perhaps we shouldn't be so quick to discount these angels! Today's celebration can speak to us adults just as powerfully as our childhood books, if not more so. At its heart, this feast day tells us that the veil between heaven and earth is thinner than we often assume. It tells us that even "here on earth," we believers can share "in the blessed company of angels" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 336). Just by being present to us, our guardian angel surrounds us with the life of heaven. So rejoice! You have an angel who looks upon the face of your heavenly Father and is constantly interceding for you (Matthew 18:10). Take heart! You have a "messenger" from heaven to remind you that "the Lord is with you" (Judges 6:12). Don't be afraid! Your angel can help you find freedom from whatever binds you, just as another angel set Peter free from his chains (Acts 12:6-9). And lift up your head! Your angel is with you to minister to you in times of temptation and loneliness, just as angels cared for Jesus during his time in the wilderness (Mark 1:13). You probably won't see or hear your guardian angel in this lifetime—angels are pure spirits, after all! But you can find great comfort in knowing that God has sent a bit of heaven down to earth just for you, in the form of this hidden spiritual companion. That's how much he loves you. That's how much he cares for you. "Thank you, Lord, for sending an angel to watch over me and guide me!" Zechariah 8:1-8
Psalm 102:16-23, 29 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"Thus says the LORD of hosts:
Lo, I will rescue my people from the land of the rising sun,
and from the land of the setting sun.
I will bring them back to dwell within Jerusalem.
They shall be my people, and I will be their God,
with faithfulness and justice......." end of verse.
. . . They say our guardian angel with St. Michael the Archangel will guide us on our final day when we leave this world. | We pray today:
"The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.
The children of your servants shall abide,
and their posterity shall continue in your presence.
That the name of the LORD may be declared in Zion;
and his praise, in Jerusalem,
When the peoples gather together,
and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD. ......."_ end of Psalm." | In the Gospel today we heard:
_"Whoever humbles himself like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. "See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father."......"_ end of Gospel verse. ... | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, today we celebrate the Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels. Well, is it reasonable to believe in angels? Look at the wild variety in the visible universe—the millions of species of animals, the billions of galaxies, the myriad shells that wash up on the seashore, the incalculable number of cells in each human body. Is it likely that, between this staggeringly variegated physical dimension of creation and God, there simply yawns a great ontological abyss? Isn't it likely to hold that God has manifested at least an equally great creativity in regard to the purely spiritual order? But why would God send these spiritual messengers to help us? Why wouldn't he just take care of us himself? Those questions, of course, are born of a frame of mind that sets God and his world in competition. On the Catholic reading, God delights in using secondary causes, so that his creatures can participate in his active providence of the universe. Aquinas says that each of us, due to our changeable and fallible nature, has been assigned a heavenly guide. Once we're in heaven, we won't require a guide anymore, and our angel will become our friend........" end quote.
Become like children. Wouldn't that be amazing? Not a care in the world! Father will provide! Full of joy, "this is the best day ever" says the kids. And everything is always new. Yet, this is exactly what is expected and what is to come, and boy, is this amazing news to strive for in purity for God, in doing His work in this hard world where there is much work and very few laborers! So labor away, time is ticking! Darkness wants you to cool down, but I write to you so you will be on fire for and with God's Sacred Heart. ........ Let us pray:
Sacred Heart of Jesus, be my love.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, be my salvation;
May our Guardian Angels guide us every step of the way to Our Father's House. |  Click To Hear | Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 32:8 [Psalm 32] 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
