† Quote of the Day "Viva Cristo Rey! Long live Christ the King!" — Blessed Miguel Pro Today's Meditation "To love God's will in consolations is a good love when it is truly God's will we love and not the consolation wherein it lies. Still, it is a love without opposition, repugnance, or effort. Who would not love so worthy a will in so agreeable a form? To love God's will in His commandments, counsels, and inspirations is the second degree of love and it is much more perfect. It carries us forward to renounce and give up our own will, and enables us to abstain from and forbear many pleasures, but not all of them. To love suffering and affliction out of love for God is the summit of most holy charity. In it nothing is pleasant but the divine will alone; there is great opposition on the part of our nature; and not only do we forsake all pleasures, but we embrace torments and labors." —St. Francis de Sales, p. 76
An excerpt from Finding God's Will for You Daily Verse "For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? This God is my strong refuge, and has made[a] my way safe. He made my feet like hinds' feet, and set me secure on the heights. He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. Thou hast given me the shield of thy salvation, and thy help made me great. Thou didst give a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip." — 2 Samuel 22:32-37 | Pope St. Leo Iii Pope St. Leo III (d. 816 A.D.) was a Roman cardinal who was unanimously elected pope on the same day his predecessor was buried. He lived during a time of tension between the popes and emperors and their respective rights, powers, and responsibilities. Unlike his predecessor, Leo recognized Charlemagne as the protector of the See of Rome, which won him many enemies among the Roman nobility. As a result, Pope St. Leo III was attacked by a mob who cut out his eyes and tongue so that he could no longer serve in his office. He survived the attack, but was imprisoned by his attackers and deposed from his office under false accusations. Leo's eyes and tongue were miraculously restored, and he was able to escape his captivity and flee to Charlemagne for protection. Charlemagne in turn took up the Holy Father's cause, escorted him back to Rome, and put his enemies on trial. A few days later, at the Christmas Mass of 800 A.D., Pope St. Leo III crowned Charlemagne as the Holy Roman Emperor. As the Roman Pontiff, Pope St. Leo III was known for being an effective administrator and for improving the Roman churches. He also paved the way for a more unified Europe, and for greater cooperation across national borders between the Church and the secular European nations to maintain their collective Christian identity. His feast day is June 12. | Wednesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 1 Kgs 18:20-39 Ahab sent to all the children of Israel
and had the prophets assemble on Mount Carmel. Elijah appealed to all the people and said,
"How long will you straddle the issue?
If the LORD is God, follow him; if Baal, follow him."
The people, however, did not answer him.
So Elijah said to the people,
"I am the only surviving prophet of the LORD,
and there are four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal.
Give us two young bulls.
Let them choose one, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood,
but start no fire.
I shall prepare the other and place it on the wood,
but shall start no fire.
You shall call on your gods, and I will call on the LORD.
The God who answers with fire is God."
All the people answered, "Agreed!" Elijah then said to the prophets of Baal,
"Choose one young bull and prepare it first,
for there are more of you.
Call upon your gods, but do not start the fire."
Taking the young bull that was turned over to them, they prepared it
and called on Baal from morning to noon, saying,
"Answer us, Baal!"
But there was no sound, and no one answering.
And they hopped around the altar they had prepared.
When it was noon, Elijah taunted them:
"Call louder, for he is a god and may be meditating,
or may have retired, or may be on a journey.
Perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened."
They called out louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears,
as was their custom, until blood gushed over them.
Noon passed and they remained in a prophetic state
until the time for offering sacrifice.
But there was not a sound;
no one answered, and no one was listening. Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come here to me."
When the people had done so, he repaired the altar of the LORD
that had been destroyed.
He took twelve stones, for the number of tribes of the sons of Jacob,
to whom the LORD had said, "Your name shall be Israel."
He built an altar in honor of the LORD with the stones,
and made a trench around the altar
large enough for two measures of grain.
When he had arranged the wood,
he cut up the young bull and laid it on the wood.
"Fill four jars with water," he said,
"and pour it over the burnt offering and over the wood."
"Do it again," he said, and they did it again.
"Do it a third time," he said,
and they did it a third time.
The water flowed around the altar,
and the trench was filled with the water. At the time for offering sacrifice,
the prophet Elijah came forward and said,
"LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,
let it be known this day that you are God in Israel
and that I am your servant
and have done all these things by your command.
Answer me, LORD!
Answer me, that this people may know that you, LORD, are God
and that you have brought them back to their senses."
The LORD's fire came down
and consumed the burnt offering, wood, stones, and dust,
and it lapped up the water in the trench.
Seeing this, all the people fell prostrate and said,
"The LORD is God! The LORD is God!" Responsorial Psalm Ps 16:1b-2ab, 4, 5ab and 8, 11 R. (1b) Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the LORD, "My Lord are you."
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
They multiply their sorrows
who court other gods.
Blood libations to them I will not pour out,
nor will I take their names upon my lips.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
O LORD, my allotted portion and cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope. Alleluia Ps 25:4b, 5a R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Teach me your paths, my God,
and guide me in your truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 5:17-19 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven."
| Daily Meditation: 1 Kings 18:20-39 The Lord is God! (1 Kings 18:39) Today's first reading describes a contest of sorts between God's prophet, Elijah, and a slew of prophets dedicated to the Canaanite god, Baal. In fact, the details of this "my-God-is-better-than-your-god" contest might remind you of a bitter rivalry between two sports teams! Only in this case, the stakes are much higher. Jezebel, Israel's queen and worshipper of Baal, was determined to wipe out anyone who remained loyal to the God of Israel. But as today's reading shows, there is only one God, and it certainly isn't Baal! Elijah's success on Mount Carmel that day does more than prove God's existence. It tells us what kind of God he is. It shows that he is a God of relationship, a Father who cares for his children and listens when they pour out their hearts to him. It shows that he is faithful to his covenant even when his own people falter in their faith and obedience. In fact, he meets our lack of faith with signs of his love, and he showers us with blessings even when we don't deserve them. This stands in stark contrast to the false god Baal. Notice how completely silent Baal was to the cries of his prophets. Even when they made all kinds of noise and slashed themselves to get his attention, they received no answer at all (1 Kings 18:26, 29). That isn't good news for anyone seeking a relationship with Baal. He doesn't even exist! No amount of pleading can ever change that. We have false gods today, but they don't typically look like a statue of Baal. Our idols tend to come from the good things God has given us but that we have allowed to capture our heart more than Jesus. They include wealth, food, sex, beauty, and power and influence. We can chase after these false gods all we want, shouting and hurting ourselves in the process, but they will never fulfill our deepest needs and longings. Only the Lord can do that. Only he can give us life because he's the only One who is alive—alive with the grace, the love, the purity, and the joy we all long for. So who will you follow today? "Lord, you are my one, true God!" Psalm 16:1-2, 4-5, 8, 11
Matthew 5:17-19 |  HEAR it read by AI | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven."........" end quote. | From Bishop Barron today:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus promises that he has come not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. Matthew says that Jesus went up a mountain, sat down, and commenced to teach, calling to mind Moses, who went up Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments from God.
Therefore, Jesus is being presented here as the New Moses who will promulgate from this Galilean mountain the definitive Law. I realize that this immediately poses a problem for contemporary readers, who are put off by a religion that leads with laws, rules, and prohibitions. An Irish wag once summed up the Catholicism that he was taught with this phrase: "In the beginning was the word, and the word was no!"
Since the Ten Commandments have been honored mostly in the breach, why should anyone think it a good idea to introduce new and even more stringent laws? But then we attend to the first word out of the mouth of the lawgiver: "Blessed," "Happy." The law that the New Moses offers is a pattern of life that promises to make us happy.
...." end quote Bishop Barron.
The law was everything to the Jews, the Mosaic law that is. They had towards the end and even today I'd say, more than 600 laws to follow.
Are those the laws that our Lord was speaking about?
We are in a new covenant, with the Church He has founded, namely His Holy Body and there are those who have been entrusted with the new Law of the new covenant. And our Lord is very serious about laws and obedience. I say this because of my studies. Yes He has mercy, but there is payment to pay for those who know the law and are refusing to do His will.
Our Lord said in Luke12:48: "and the servant who was ignorant of his master's will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more."
I am speaking about those entrusted with the Holy Church that Jesus established, the Holy Catholic Church. The Pope, the Bishops, the Priests, they are all priests, and then the huge body of baptized priests in the non ministerial works of the laity. We are all entrusted with God's message, and His message is law.
Am I teaching everyone to break the law of God by how I live? Am I teaching everyone to love the law by how I live?
Everything you do matters. Something as silly as the wallpaper on your computer or your phone can let people know who or what you love above all.
Most of human communication they say is through body language. You are teaching just by living! Your message is being proclaimed by the life you are living!
As a matter of fact, here is something the world doesn't like us to teach or preach: Admonishing the sinner is a spiritual work of mercy.
But, the problem in admonishing a sinner is our approach. Too many are turned away by a crass and judgemental approach. It is the worst of ways to admonish a sinner.
So what is the best way? Win them over with true love.
I believe Pope Francis has it right when he tries to embrace sinners and is ridiculed by the hardcore traditionalists that want to stamp out, for example the gay people. We are in the worst of times because of the demonics of sexuality turned rampant. There are way too many abuses in these realms. The worst? The permissive attitude we have towards this pervasive pestilence. How can I admonish my 14 year old loved ones who are seemingly sexually active? This kind of thing was virtually unheard of when I was that age. But today? Our youth need to be admonished. They need true catechism. They need the truth of our Lord, that we are called to be like Him, in every single way. This is why we are called Christians, Christ followers, Christ imitators.
Christ followed the Law, and gave us the laws that emphasized the old laws in the truest sense.
That we are to love God above all and every one, and then love one another as ourselves.
To Love God above all is the supreme Law, with all your heart, mind, and soul, with everything you have.
Living this life of true love makes loving your neighbor easier, like giving your life for them.
I Am teaching you the supreme law. Obedience is the language of the citizenship of Heaven. Sacred Heart of Jesus, be my love! |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
John 14:16–17 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper,1 to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be2 in you. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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