†Quote of the Day
"The sacred heart of Christ is an inexhaustible fountain, and its sole desire is to pour itself out into the hearts of the humble so as to free them and prepare them to lead lives according to his good pleasure."
–St. Margaret Mary †Today's Meditation
"If meekness is not exactly the worldly ideal, neither is it universally correlated with strength. Contrariwise, is not the first connotation of meekness in many minds that of supineness, spiritlessness, weakness? It is strange that this should be so, when Jesus set forth meekness as the expression of His own divine-human heart. It is interesting that Christ asked us to master only one lesson plan in life: "Learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart" (Matt. 11:29). It is certainly not without significance that He never specifically asked us to learn anything else."
—Mother Francis, PCC, p.26 †Daily Verse
"Then they will hand you over to persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name. And then many will be led into sin; they will betray and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and deceive many; and because of the increase of evildoing, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come."
–Matthew 24:9-14 |  click to read more | | St. Margaret Mary St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) was born in France to a virtuous and distinguished family. As a child she showed great devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and by the age of 9 was practicing severe penances. In her childhood she became sick with rheumatic fever and was confined to bed for four years. She made a vow to the Blessed Virgin to consecrate herself to the religious life, after which she was instantly healed. She often had visions of Jesus, which she thought was a normal experience in the spiritual life. When she turned 17 her mother insisted that she establish a place for herself in the world. Margaret imagined that her childhood vow was not binding, and persuaded herself that she could serve God while living at home and continuing her penances and charity to the poor. She then joined her brothers at dances and began considering marriage. One day, upon returning home from a carnival ball, Jesus appeared to her and reproached her for her infidelity, reminding her of her promise. Margaret then entered a Visitation convent at the age of 24. Jesus appeared to her frequently, and entrusted to her the mission of establishing devotion to his Sacred Heart during a time when religion in France had grown rigorous and cold. Because of her visions she was greatly persecuted by those around her, until her virtue under suffering won over her enemies. Her visions were determined to be genuine and officially recognized by the Catholic Church 75 years after her death. Her feast day is October 16th.
Find a Devotional for This Saint | Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Rom 1:1-7 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus,
called to be an Apostle and set apart for the Gospel of God,
which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,
the Gospel about his Son, descended from David according to the flesh,
but established as Son of God in power
according to the Spirit of holiness
through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Through him we have received the grace of apostleship,
to bring about the obedience of faith,
for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles,
among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;
to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ. Responsorial Psalm Ps 98:1bcde, 2-3ab, 3cd-4 R. (2a) The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation. Alleluia Ps 95:8 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 11:29-32 While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,
"This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.
Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
At the judgment
the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation
and she will condemn them,
because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
and there is something greater than Solomon here.
At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it,
because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,
and there is something greater than Jonah here." | . . . the Gentiles . . . , who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:5, 6) Today we hear the opening verses of St. Paul's Letter to the Romans. Paul didn't found the church in Rome, so he wrote this letter to introduce himself and establish a relationship with this largely Gentile community. Paul, called to be an apostle to the Gentiles, proclaimed the good news that salvation was available not only to the Jews but to anyone who believed in Jesus. In the coming weeks, we will continue to read from Romans. Time and again, we will hear Paul's persistent message: God's mercy is so great that he invites men and women from every nation on earth into his own family. Everyone is "called to belong to Jesus Christ" (Romans 1:6). Paul addresses Gentile Christians as full members of God's people, a community of believers saved by Jesus Christ. For Paul, the good news of Christ is "the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes," whether Jew or Gentile (1:16, emphasis added). Because most Christian believers today are Gentiles, we often overlook how radical this belief was at the time of the early Church. Jews didn't share meals with Gentiles or enter their homes. They viewed them as outsiders to God's covenant, unclean, and allied with their oppressors. So the idea of Jews and Gentiles being one people defied logic, and living it out required real humility. Even more, it required the grace and power that flowed from the death and resurrection of Jesus. St. Paul understood God's longing for everyone he created to belong to Jesus. God makes space in his heart for each and every one of us. He will continually call us until "All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God" (Psalm 98:3). He will pursue every lost sheep until he finds them. Jesus is calling out to you today. He invites you to come close to him in prayer, to enter his presence with all your brothers and sisters. He has made you his own; he has overcome every obstacle and bridged every division. You belong. Don't let anything keep you away. "Thank you, Jesus, for welcoming me into your family. Help me to love all your children." Psalm 98:1-4
Luke 11:29-32 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:
Audio Link | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"Through him we have received the grace of apostleship,
to bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles, among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ; to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ........."
. . . Did you catch some clue words here? Obedience, faith, belong, beloved be holy. | We pray today:
"The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel......" | In the Gospel today we heard:
"This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah......" end of Gospel verse. | From Bishop Barron today:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus tells the crowd that no sign will be given except the sign of Jonah, a vague hint of his Resurrection. The Resurrection means that Jesus of Nazareth, who claimed throughout his public life to be speaking and acting in the very person of God, and who was brutally put to death by Roman executioners, rose bodily from the dead.
One implication of the Resurrection is that we have a real advocate in heaven. The biblical imagination on this score is not Greek—that is to say, not marked by sharp dualisms of matter and spirit. The great hope of Israel is not a jailbreak, not an escape from this world, but precisely the coming together of heaven and earth.
The bodily Resurrection of Jesus—as the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep—is the great sign that the two orders are coming together. A body that can be touched and that can consume baked fish has found its way into the realm of heaven. And thus bodies are not finally alien to God. We have indeed an advocate in the heavenly places. . . ." end quote.
The Preaching of Jonah was the sign? What other sign could it have been? They heard the sign. They didn't see the sign.
You see, the Jews wanted to see a sign. But there would be no sign to see! You hear that?
You and me are being given the sign each day, REPENT!
You would think the guy writing to you don't need much repentance, but boy, I do, a humble soul knows they need to repent, and this is a good sign! Repent now! And always.
Repent at the feet of Jesus our King and Savior.
Let go of your bad ways, and be holy, obedient, truly loving and trusting. ........
Let us pray:
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, make my heart like unto Yours.
Yours I wish to be. |  Click To Hear | Random Bible Verse 1
Jeremiah 23:23–24 [Jeremiah 23] 23 "Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? 24 Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
