† Quote of the Day "O Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart. Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling and scatter there Thy cheerful beams." — St. Augustine Today's Meditation "There are two loves, the love of God and the love of the world. If the love of the world takes possession of you, there is no way for the love of God to enter into you. Let the love of the world take the second place, and let the love of God dwell in you. Let the better love take over." —St. Augustine, p. 34
An excerpt from Augustine Day by Day Daily Verse "I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power: proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching." — 2 Timothy 4:1-2 | St. Augustine St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430 A.D.) was born in North Africa to a pagan father and a Christian mother, St. Monica. His mother did her best to raise him in the Christian faith, but Augustine, a brilliant and promising young student, was carried away into worldy attractions, lust for women, and pagan philosophies. This put his faith and morals into a state of crisis for many years. His waywardness gave his holy mother great pain and anxiety as she watched her son pursue materialistic ambitions and keep company with heretical sects. Through her constant prayers and the holy preaching of St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, St. Augustine came to recognize the truth of Christianity; but only after several spiritually tumultuous years of seeking God through his philosophical studies. He underwent a profound conversion and was baptized, after which he lived a holy life of purity, prayer, and penance. His life is one of the greatest sinner-to-saint stories in the history of the Church. St. Augustine eventually became a priest, bishop, theologian, writer, and the founder of a religious order of priests. He was declared a Doctor of the Church and is considered one of the most influential saints and theologians to have ever lived, one whose writings are widely read to this very day. His feast day is celebrated on August 28. | Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church • Readings for the Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Reading 1 2 THES 3:6-10, 16-18 We instruct you, brothers and sisters,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
to shun any brother
who walks in a disorderly way
and not according to the tradition they received from us.
For you know how one must imitate us.
For we did not act in a disorderly way among you,
nor did we eat food received free from anyone.
On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day we worked,
so as not to burden any of you.
Not that we do not have the right.
Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you,
so that you might imitate us.
In fact, when we were with you, we instructed you that
if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat.
May the Lord of peace himself
give you peace at all times and in every way.
The Lord be with all of you.
This greeting is in my own hand, Paul's.
This is the sign in every letter; this is how I write.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. Responsorial Psalm PS 128:1-2, 4-5 R. (1) Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord. Alleluia 1 JOHN 2:5 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever keeps the word of Christ,
the love of God is truly perfected in him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel MT 23:27-32 Jesus said,
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside,
but inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of filth.
Even so, on the outside you appear righteous,
but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You build the tombs of the prophets
and adorn the memorials of the righteous,
and you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors,
we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets' blood.'
Thus you bear witness against yourselves
that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets;
now fill up what your ancestors measured out!"
| Daily Meditation: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-10, 16-18 For you know how one must imitate us. (2 Thessalonians 3:7) How easy it can be to fall into the trap of thinking of holiness as a kind of self-improvement routine! Of course, there's nothing wrong with trying to improve ourselves, but in today's first reading, St. Paul is asking us to widen our view. God calls us to holiness not just for our own sake but for the sake of the people around us. Paul told the Thessalonians that he and his missionary companions had worked hard, earned their own living, and conducted themselves in an orderly way to serve as a model for them. Just think how it would look if Paul had told them to be diligent and responsible for themselves but then didn't live that way himself? If Paul sounds a bit boastful in these verses, it's only because he wants the Thessalonians to follow him in becoming models of holiness for their neighbors. "Imitate us," Paul said (2 Thessalonians 3:7). Christianity grew from a small gathering of Jesus' disciples into a worldwide phenomenon because there was something contagious about the way believers lived—the way they helped each other, the peace and joy they reflected, and their unwavering trust in the Holy Spirit's power in their lives. It made people want to know them and to imitate them. The Church is still growing today because of the witness of everyday believers like each one of us. It will continue to grow as you ask the Spirit to help you maintain a joyful, peaceful attitude today, even if your day is filled with "toil and drudgery" (2 Thessalonians 3:8). It will grow as you avoid the near occasion of sin so that you don't "act in a disorderly way" and give a poor witness to the gospel (3:7). And if you should fall to temptation, the Church can still grow—as you humbly confess your sin and seek the forgiveness of anyone you might have hurt. Yes, the Church grows because of God's grace and not only because of our hard work and dedication. But that grace has to show itself somehow, and that's where you come in. By the witness of your life, you can show the world what that looks like! "Lord, help me to imitate you in holiness today." Psalm 128:1-2, 4-5
Matthew 23:27-32 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You build the tombs of the prophets
and adorn the memorials of the righteous,
and you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors,
we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets' blood.'
Thus you bear witness against yourselves
that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets;
now fill up what your ancestors measured out!........."_ end quote. | Have you ever thought "if only I lived in the days of our Lord and seen His works and His face and heard His voice myself, I would better believe, and I would not have turned my back on him".
But these are false hopes and thoughts we have if we are honest.
What do I mean?
Have you ever witnessed or heard about a miracle?
Well, did you believe it? Did it change your life?
Because having met our Lord, you would've had to believe by the miracle, or believe by what you heard Him say.
What's so different from being with Him that day 2,000 years ago or today?
Because until this day, we have miracles occurring all the time.
And until this day, we have His word proclaimed to us.
Our Lord said today, "... on the outside you appear righteous,
but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing."
They say that the bible says that the righteous man falls 7 times in a day. What does this mean for us? Basically, that we are to always turn to the Lord. "For a righteous person falls seven times and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of disaster."
That is the difference between a saint and a sinner, that when they fall, there is a great difference...the saint always gets back up.
We cannot be known as "fallen heroes", with people always telling me things they did for the church back in the day, way back in the past. Does that count? It counted back then, but what about now? You see, for God, the present, the "now" the "forever now" is what matters to Him because that is where He is, always in the present, combined with the past and the future.
The deal is about right now, right here, inside of your heart.
I do not suggest that any beginner in faith read or listen to the "Book of Heaven". It is very steep in discussion with our Lord, but I have to admit, what is being said is expansive about humanity, and the way our Lord sees it and how He lives it and hurts very much, especially for the priests and the supposed "faithful catholics" in the world that are not being true.
Insincerity hurts Him because He knows the damage it is causing. He sees all truth because He is all truth.
To see where we lack, we must then live a true life with God, with more and more grace, more and more piety which is supposed to be bonded with humility.
Am I true to God? Am I seeking to truly love Him with all my heart, mind, body, and soul?
How can I wash myself clean from the inside and remain clean so that He may dwell in a pure and clean heart?
Lord, Jesus, be my love. Be my light, my hope, and my salvation. Come into my heart and dwell within me,that we might be one in an intimate light and grace that the world so very much needs to see. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Isaiah 43:2 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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