† Quote of the Day "We are missionaries of mercy, sent by the father of mercy, to distribute the treasures of mercy to those in need." — St. John Eudes Today's Meditation "Undertake courageously great tasks for God's glory, to the extent that he'll give you power and grace for this purpose. Even though you can do nothing on your own, you can do all things in him. His help will never fail you if you have confidence in his goodness. Place your entire physical and spiritual welfare in his hands. Abandon to the fatherly concern of his divine providence every care for your health, reputation, property, and business; for those near to you; for your past sins; for your soul's progress in virtue and love of him; for your life, death, and especially your salvation and eternity—in a word, all your cares. Rest in the assurance that in his pure goodness, he'll watch with particular tenderness over all your responsibilities and cares, arranging all things for the greatest good." —St. John Eudes, p. 363
An excerpt from A Year with the Saints Daily Verse "If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you." — John 15:18-19 | St. John Eudes St. John Eudes (1601–1680) was born in Normandy, France, to a farming family. His devout parents consecrated him to the Blessed Virgin Mary when he was a child. At the age of fourteen he took a vow of chastity, and studied under the Jesuits where he earned the reputation of being a brilliant student. After his ordination to the priesthood he ministered to his countrymen who were suffering from an outbreak of the plague. He later became a missionary priest, traveling throughout France and preaching strong sermons to large crowds in churches, open fields, and in the courts of the royalty and nobility. The force of his sermons was bolstered by his great sanctity; he was considered to be a prodigy and the greatest preacher of his age. He was instrumental in spreading devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary throughout France during a time when religious fervor had grown cold. He was responsible for influencing the Church to establish these two devotions with liturgical feasts, himself composing their Mass and Office. St. John Eudes founded several organizations including the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge, which provided a new life for repentant prostitutes, and the Society of Jesus and Mary (the Eudist Fathers) which specialized in improving the training of seminarians by promoting greater virtue and dedication to the preaching of parish missions. His feast day is August 19th. | Lectionary: 419
Reading 1 EZ 24:15-23 The word of the LORD came to me:
Son of man, by a sudden blow
I am taking away from you the delight of your eyes,
but do not mourn or weep or shed any tears.
Groan in silence, make no lament for the dead,
bind on your turban, put your sandals on your feet,
do not cover your beard, and do not eat the customary bread.
That evening my wife died,
and the next morning I did as I had been commanded.
Then the people asked me, "Will you not tell us what all these things
that you are doing mean for us?"
I therefore spoke to the people that morning, saying to them:
Thus the word of the LORD came to me:
Say to the house of Israel:
Thus says the Lord GOD:
I will now desecrate my sanctuary, the stronghold of your pride,
the delight of your eyes, the desire of your soul.
The sons and daughters you left behind shall fall by the sword.
Ezekiel shall be a sign for you:
all that he did you shall do when it happens.
Thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
You shall do as I have done,
not covering your beards nor eating the customary bread.
Your turbans shall remain on your heads, your sandals on your feet.
You shall not mourn or weep,
but you shall rot away because of your sins and groan one to another. Responsorial Psalm DEUTERONOMY 32:18-19, 20, 21 R. (see 18a) You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you.
You forgot the God who gave you birth.
When the LORD saw this, he was filled with loathing
and anger toward his sons and daughters.
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
"I will hide my face from them," he said,
"and see what will then become of them.
What a fickle race they are,
sons with no loyalty in them!"
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
"Since they have provoked me with their 'no-god'
and angered me with their vain idols,
I will provoke them with a 'no-people';
with a foolish nation I will anger them."
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth. Alleluia MT 5:3 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are the poor in spirit;
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel MT 19:16-22 A young man approached Jesus and said,
"Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?"
He answered him, "Why do you ask me about the good?
There is only One who is good.
If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."
He asked him, "Which ones?"
And Jesus replied, "You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
honor your father and your mother;
and you shall love your neighbor as yourself."
The young man said to him,
"All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?"
Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me."
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,
for he had many possessions. | Daily Meditation: Matthew 19:16-22 What do I still lack? (Matthew 19:20) The young man who approached Jesus in today's Gospel was already following the commandments and trying to live a good life. But he wanted to know what more he must do to gain eternal life. So he asked Jesus, "What do I still lack?" (Matthew 19:20). A better question might have been "Whom do I still lack?" In fact, it was Jesus this young man was lacking. That's why the Lord instructed him to sell all that he had and to "Come, follow me" (Matthew 19:21). Unfortunately, while this man was sincerely seeking to live a righteous life, he couldn't accept Jesus' invitation. His possessions were an obstacle to his becoming a disciple. Jesus asked the man to join him because he wanted a personal relationship with him. He wanted to become his "pearl of great price"—worth more to this man than all his earthly treasures (Matthew 13:46). But the young man valued his possessions too highly. He couldn't see how a relationship with Jesus outshone all of them. We, too, may have certain "treasures" that keep us from following Jesus. Perhaps a preoccupation with our job is keeping us from focusing on him. Maybe we really do have too many possessions, and their upkeep demands too much of our time and attention. Or maybe we give more time and effort to a hobby or a sport than we do to prayer. God made us for a relationship with him. He knows that we are most fully ourselves, most fully human, most fully satisfied when we are close to him. This is what the man in today's Gospel was searching for, even if he couldn't make the leap of faith that Jesus was asking of him. Don't let that happen to you! Jesus is just as present to you as he was to that young man on the road. He is inviting you—each and every day—to come to a deeper relationship with him. So if something is holding you back, be willing to let it go. Then take Jesus up on his invitation. Go and encounter him—in the Scriptures, in the sacraments, and in the silence of prayer. He is waiting for you! "Lord Jesus, I want to follow you—today and always!" Ezekiel 24:15-23
(Psalm) Deuteronomy 32:18-21 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"The young man said to him,
"All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?"
Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me."
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,
for he had many possessions......" end quote. | If you wish.
There's always that little option that's laid out for us. If you want to.
We were at a Fulness of Truth Family conference this past weekend, and the "Dynamic Deacon" Harold Burke said what "I don't got time" actually means. It means "I don't care to do that" most of the time. It's not worth effort, the sacrifice. Another deacon used to cry out the same, Deacon Guajardo from Our Lady of Guadalupe in Midland, TX, used to shout "Don't say you don't got time, so you don't care!".
What is our most valuable possession, especially in our rapid pace country? It is our time. We treasure the time. It moves fast, so we are most careful on how we spend it...or waste it.
Do you invest your time in the Kingdom of God?
The rich young man had many possessions that possessed him, for they made him happy. And it isn't that he was a bad kid, he was a good kid as is proven in Scripture, he'd done all things right his whole life, he admitted it to our Lord. But our Lord said there is one more thing you can do then, to go from good to perfect.
Who wants to be perfect?
It's going to cost you!
Therefore, because it costs us something, many of us do not wish to be perfect. We love to sing the worldly song "I'm not perfect so why bother"?
But God calls us to be perfect. It wasn't an invitation, it was a command really as if to say "Then this is the next step to be my follower".
The kid turned away sad, as do most of our kids nowadays, right? At thought of having to give up everything they love in the world to be a true Christ follower.
But is it your case too?
If time is precious on earth, what are we doing with it? They say "time is money", and if this is true, how much money are you giving to God's Kingdom?
I know many men that give generously of their money to church, but very little of their time.
So many times I wish I could have both from them.
They are so good too! But I wish I could see them alive and super active in ministry. Perhaps we are not all called to the same ministry, but we are all called to an active participation in the life of Christ.
And this is the Way. The Way of Life.
So many nowadays opt for "alternative lifestyles" but Jesus is asking us to take to His life "style", where you are fully enveloped in it form morning to nightfall, from the moment you are born until the moment we are laid down. This is precious in the eyes of the Lord.
What is it going to cost you to show the world you are truly a Christ follower?
It will truly cost you your life.
Is that too much to pay for the giver of Life itself?
What will it take for us to be true worshipers and leaders and participants in salvation history? |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Matthew 5:7 7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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