†Quote of the Day
"Cheerfulness prepares a glorious mind for all the noblest acts."
–St. Elizabeth Ann Seton †Today's Meditation
"Consider not only that God your benefactor is present but also that He acts continuously in all His creatures. And for whom is this continual action, this work of God in nature? For you. Thus, He lights you by the light of day; He nourishes you with the productions of the earth; in a word, He serves you by each one of the creatures that you use; so that it is true to say that at every moment the bounty, the wisdom and the power of God are at your service and are exercised in the world for your wants or pleasures. This conduct of God toward man should be the model of your conduct toward God. You see that the presence of God in His creatures is never idle; it acts incessantly, it preserves, it governs. Beware, then, of stopping at a sterile contemplation of God present in yourself. Add action to contemplation; to the sight of the Divine presence add the faithful accomplishment of the Divine will."
—St. Ignatius, p. 182 †Daily Verse
"Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing."
–1 Corinthians 13:4-8 |  click to read more | | St. Edward the Confessor (1003-1066 A.D.) was a prince born to the King and Queen of England. His family was exiled from the kingdom when the Danish took control of the country in 1016 A.D. Edward spent much of his life in exile, probably in Normandy. Witnessing the folly of worldly ambition, he became attracted to the life of the Church and grew in piety. When opportunity arose he was persuaded to reclaim the throne of England, which he did in 1042 as one of its last Anglo-Saxon kings. The people supported his rule, and he gained a reputation as a just king committed to the welfare of his subjects. He thwarted invasions, ended unjust taxes, and was profoundly generous to the poor. His reign was marked by peace and prosperity throughout his kingdom. He married a beautiful woman to satisfy the people's desire for a queen, but, having already made a vow of chastity, he obtained his wife's agreement to live together as brother and sister. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, which he built, and after his death many miracles were ascribed to his intercession. This lead to his canonization in 1161, and in 1163 the transferral of his body to a new tomb. This was presided over by St. Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who found Edward's body to be incorrupt. Edward was called "The Confessor" to distinguish him from St. Edward the Martyr. He is buried behind the high altar in Westminster Abbey. He is the patron of kings, difficult marriages, separated spouses, and the English royal family. His feast day is October 13th | Friday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time Reading I Jl 1:13-15; 2:1-2 Gird yourselves and weep, O priests! wail, O ministers of the altar!
Come, spend the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God!
The house of your God is deprived of offering and libation.
Proclaim a fast, call an assembly;
Gather the elders, all who dwell in the land,
Into the house of the LORD, your God, and cry to the LORD!
Alas, the day! for near is the day of the LORD, and it comes as ruin from the Almighty.
Blow the trumpet in Zion, sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all who dwell in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming;
Yes, it is near, a day of darkness and of gloom, a day of clouds and somberness!
Like dawn spreading over the mountains, a people numerous and mighty!
Their like has not been from of old, nor will it be after them, even to the years of distant generations. Responsorial Psalm 9:2-3, 6 and 16, 8-9 R. (9) The Lord will judge the world with justice.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will declare all your wondrous deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, Most High.
R. The Lord will judge the world with justice.
You rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; their name you blotted out forever and ever.
The nations are sunk in the pit they have made; in the snare they set, their foot is caught.
R. The Lord will judge the world with justice.
But the LORD sits enthroned forever; he has set up his throne for judgment.
He judges the world with justice; he governs the peoples with equity.
R. The Lord will judge the world with justice. Alleluia Jn 12:31b-32 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The prince of this world will now be cast out,
and when I am lifted up from the earth
I will draw all to myself, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 11:15-26 When Jesus had driven out a demon, some of the crowd said:
"By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,
he drives out demons."
Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.
But he knew their thoughts and said to them,
"Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste
and house will fall against house.
And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?
For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.
If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,
by whom do your own people drive them out?
Therefore they will be your judges.
But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,
then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,
his possessions are safe.
But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,
he takes away the armor on which he relied
and distributes the spoils.
Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
"When an unclean spirit goes out of someone,
it roams through arid regions searching for rest
but, finding none, it says,
'I shall return to my home from which I came.'
But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order.
Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits
more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there,
and the last condition of that man is worse than the first."
| Daily Meditation: Luke 11:15-26 One stronger than he attacks and overcomes him. (Luke 11:22) This parable about a strong man driven out and despoiled by an even stronger man can be confusing. Who exactly is this strong man? And who is the one, stronger than he, who comes to attack him? Jesus had just finished driving out a demon when he told this short parable (Luke 11:14). Given the circumstances, it stands to reason—and many Bible scholars have agreed—that the strong man is Satan and the stronger man is Jesus. Do you know what that means for us? Jesus is victorious! Yes, the strong man is strong. Yes, he is "fully armed" (Luke 11:21). And one of his most powerful weapons is fear. But Jesus is stronger. The devil, and the fear he incites, are no match for Jesus. It's not even a close contest! Jesus is the One who, at the Father's side and through the Holy Spirit, created the universe. By contrast, angels, even fallen ones like Satan, are still just created beings. By his death and resurrection, Jesus has triumphed over sin and death and the "principalities and powers" that dominated us (Colossians 2:15). He has brought us into his kingdom through Baptism and rendered these adversaries powerless to destroy us! We can walk confidently in the freedom of those who belong to the Lord of lords and King of kings. You do not need to be afraid. Jesus, the stronger man, has overcome the evil one. So take courage and come to Jesus today with your fears. Are you concerned about your health? Are you worried about family members falling away from God? Are you uneasy about the state of your town or parish or country or the Church as a whole? Put all these fears in the hands of the stronger man, Jesus. He has disarmed the devil, so you can trust him to take care of everything. Then you can go forward with the assurance that, no matter what happens, Jesus is Lord. "Jesus, I believe that you are stronger than all the powers of darkness. I trust you and put my life in your hands." Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2
Psalm 9:2-3, 6, 8-9, 16 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:
Audio Link | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"Let all who dwell in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; Yes, it is near, a day of darkness and of gloom, a day of clouds and somberness! Like dawn spreading over the mountains, a people numerous and mighty! Their like has not been from of old, nor will it be after them, even to the years of distant generations.........."
. . . What kind of person is being formed in you? What kind of fruit is God desiring? The only way we will know is if we let Him in total faith, run our lives, even if it seems ruined by doing His will. But you will know it is not ruined, because you will have His peace at every moment. If you do not have His peace, then there may be some work needed in your faith. I say this because I find myself in those precise shoes, where my center is rocked, and I find myself in extreme anxiety, sleepless nights, where is my faith? Why doesn't my body follow my spirit of the Lord? Where have these anxious and nervous spirits come from to make me fear and lose hope? When did I let them in? | We pray today:
"I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will declare all your wondrous deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, Most High. The Lord will judge the world with justice........" | In the Gospel today we heard:
""When an unclean spirit goes out of someone,
it roams through arid regions searching for rest
but, finding none, it says,
'I shall return to my home from which I came.'
But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order.
Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits
more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there,
and the last condition of that man is worse than the first."......" end of Gospel verse. | From Bishop Barron today:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, we learn of a person possessed by a demon. Jesus meets the man and drives out the demon, but then is immediately accused of being in league with Satan. Some of the witnesses say, "By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons."
Jesus' response is wonderful in its logic and laconicism: "Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?"
The demonic power is always one of scattering. It breaks up communion. But Jesus, as always, is the voice of communio, of one bringing things back together.
Think back to Jesus' feeding of the five thousand. Facing a large, hungry crowd, his disciples beg him to "send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves." But Jesus answers, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat."
Whatever drives the Church apart is an echo of this "dismiss the crowds" impulse and a reminder of the demonic tendency to divide. In times of trial and threat, this is a very common instinct. We blame, attack, break up, and disperse. But Jesus is right: "They need not go away."
. . ." end quote.
It is easier to scatter in fear. But our Lord says "gather and stay near". He will provide, remember? Remember Abraham and Isaac? The Lord said on that mountain "I will provide". And He does. Our Lord offers Himself on that mountain. And until this day, He offers Himself on that mountain of the altar, all day, every day. A continuous sacrifice forever.
And so what evils enter a clean place? I can only summarize that we are somehow letting them see inside of us. Evil spirits see there is room. We allow and make room for evil spirits. Therefore, we should shut the door and leave no inch for the evil. I told someone this week that before you wake up, there, the evil one is already waiting for an opportunity to come inside. And so even in our sleep we should be praying and asking the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts, minds, souls, every ounce of our being, so no evil has even a hair of room to enter.
How can we do that? Trust Him. What part of the prayer "Jesus I Trust In You" do you not say seriously? The whole prayer hinges on the middle word, Trust.
I've no definite answers for the future in our faith, family, work, anything. Everything can change in the blink of an eye....for better, or for worse.
And for us who trust in Him, we know it will only get better....forever, because "...only one thing is necessary; for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."
And so we must choose the better part...Our Lord's Sacred Heart. ........
Let us pray:
Lord, how quickly we dismiss things as not good.
Help us see the good in everything...that we may see You in everything. P.S. Pray for our parish festival to be good for our community, and the world too! |  Click To Hear | Random Bible Verse 1
Ecclesiastes 7:9
9 Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart1 of fools. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
