† Quote of the Day "When we attend to the needs of those in want, we give them what is theirs, not ours. More than performing works of mercy, we are paying a debt of justice."
— Pope Saint Gregory the Great Today's Meditation "Scripture offers us a look at the fruits we can expect as we grow closer to God: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, forbearance, gentleness, faith, modesty, self-control, and chastity. Cut off from him, we rely on our own well to refresh our souls rather than the un-depletable wellspring available to us as sons and daughters of our eternal Father. We cannot understand who we really are without reference to him who is both the cause and the purpose of our lives, physically and spiritually. We are called to communion with him and this is a process of continually conforming our will to his." –Carrie Gress and Noelle Mering, p.66
An excerpt from Theology of Home II: The Spiritual Art of Homemaking Daily Verse "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the lands! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord is God! It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him, bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures for ever, and his faithfulness to all generations."
— Psalm 100 | St. Jean-Gabriel Perboyre (1802-1840) was one of eight children born to a farming family in France. He was a pious child and served as a model of virtue for his childhood companions. He discerned a call to the priesthood and joined the Vincentians along with a younger brother, with the full support of his parents. He served as a seminary professor for many years, and his sanctity impressed even his superiors. He longed to serve in the missions to China, but his poor health prevented him and his brother was sent instead. He prayed and begged to also be sent to preach in China and to suffer martyrdom there. After his brother died on the voyage to China, Jean-Gabriel was allowed to take his place in the mission. He arrived in China in 1835 and his labors there were met with great success. In 1839 persecutions broke out against the Christian missionaries, and Jean-Gabriel was one of the first to be arrested. The events leading to his death bear a striking resemblance to the Passion and Death of Christ. He was betrayed to the authorities by one of his new converts for thirty pieces of silver, stripped of his garments and clothed with rags, bound, and dragged from tribunal to tribunal. At each trial, he was brutally treated and tortured. He was finally condemned to death along with seven other criminals on September 11, 1840. He was martyred by being strangled to death as he hung on a cross. His feast day is September 11th. | Wednesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 1 Cor 7:25-31 Brothers and sisters:
In regard to virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord,
but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.
So this is what I think best because of the present distress:
that it is a good thing for a person to remain as he is.
Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek a separation.
Are you free of a wife? Then do not look for a wife.
If you marry, however, you do not sin,
nor does an unmarried woman sin if she marries;
but such people will experience affliction in their earthly life,
and I would like to spare you that. I tell you, brothers, the time is running out.
From now on, let those having wives act as not having them,
those weeping as not weeping,
those rejoicing as not rejoicing,
those buying as not owning,
those using the world as not using it fully.
For the world in its present form is passing away. Responsorial Psalm Ps 45:11-12, 14-15, 16-17 R. (11) Listen to me, daughter; see and bend your ear.
Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear,
forget your people and your father's house.
So shall the king desire your beauty;
for he is your lord, and you must worship him.
R. Listen to me, daughter; see and bend your ear.
All glorious is the king's daughter as she enters;
her raiment is threaded with spun gold.
In embroidered apparel she is borne in to the king;
behind her the virgins of her train are brought to you.
R. Listen to me, daughter; see and bend your ear.
They are borne in with gladness and joy;
they enter the palace of the king.
The place of your fathers your sons shall have;
you shall make them princes through all the land.
R. Listen to me, daughter; see and bend your ear. Alleluia Lk 6:23ab R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Rejoice and leap for joy!
Your reward will be great in heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 6:20-26 Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said: "Blessed are you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
and when they exclude and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil
on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.
For their ancestors treated the prophets
in the same way. But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
But woe to you who are filled now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for their ancestors treated the false
prophets in this way."
| Daily Meditation: Luke 6:20-26 Blessed are you who are poor. (Luke 6:20) It's important to pay attention to the setting here. When he says, "Blessed are you who are poor," Jesus is addressing his own disciples (Luke 6:20, emphasis added). He isn't talking about the poor, he's talking to them. Remember, these are people who had left homes and families for his sake (Matthew 19:27). Some had even sold their possessions and given the money to the poor before they began following him (Luke 18:22). So imagine you are one of the those followers. He had made your faith come alive in ways you had never experienced before. He revealed deep truths to you and showed you the true purpose and value of the life God had given you. You were awestruck as you watched him perform miracles and heal the sick. You might even have seen him take corpses by the hand and bring them to life again. As you watched all this, you found your own heart beginning to change. You realized that Jesus is more valuable to you than your belongings, your career, and your warm connection to your hometown. In his description of the kingdom of God, you have found something worth every penny in your pocket and every minute of your life. So when Jesus turns to you and says, "Leave all behind, and follow me," you feel you have indeed made your decision. And when he calls you—along with your newfound brothers and sisters—both "blessed" and "poor," you know exactly what he means. Your feet ache. You haven't slept in a comfortable bed in weeks. Your financial future is far less secure than it was before you met him. But of course you are blessed! What about your life here and now? Maybe following Jesus has made you a little poorer as you are giving more away. Maybe you're feeling a little less secure about your future or a little less comfortable living by the standards of the world. Take some time today to examine what your discipleship has cost you. But don't stop there. Look also at all the blessings you've received over your life, blessings that only Jesus could have given you. He's worth it all, isn't he? "Jesus, it truly is a blessing to be numbered among the people you call your very own!" 1 Corinthians 7:25-31
Psalm 45:11-12, 14-17 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Blessed are you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
and when they exclude and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil
on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold, your reward will be great in heaven......"_ end quote. | From Bishop Barron: "Friends, today's Gospel is Luke's pithy version of the Beatitudes. First we are told, "Blessed are you who are poor."
We notice that there is none of the softening offered by Matthew ("poor in spirit"), but a simple and straightforward statement of the blessedness of being poor. How do we interpret what seems prima facie to be a glorification of economic poverty? Let me propose the following reading: "How lucky you are if you are not addicted to material things." One of the classic substitutes for God is material wealth, the accumulating of "things."
The freedom and fullness of detachment is probably no better expressed than in John of the Cross' beautiful mantra: "To reach satisfaction in all, desire satisfaction in nothing; to come to the knowledge of all, desire the knowledge of nothing; to come to possess all, desire the possession of nothing; to arrive at being all, desire to be nothing."
This fourfold nada is not a negation but the deepest affirmation. It is finally to see the world as it is, and not through the distorting lens of cupidity and egotism......" end quote Bishop Barron.
What is the point Bishop Barron is saying? That we can be possessed with our possessions, right? Even our very own lives!
Bishop Barron speaks about being free. For it is only in Christ that we can be free truly. When you are so wound up in your "feelings" (which by the way can lead you astray very quick if not balanced with Christ) then we must take a deep breath in Christ, in prayer.
I say this, not to make you think there is a complete solving of problems but that there is hope, and the more we focus on God's message, the more hope begins to grow.
We need this daily message don't we? We need to "snap out of it", out of our humdrum world that makes on revolve around other things than the focus of God's Kingdom.
Take it from a guy who is writing to you as he is trying not to stress out about putting together a community festival with tons of activities, and at the same time running a business with dozens of employees, and at the same time balancing family life and all still, trying to focus on God first.
Is it possible? Yes! I pray. I break away and pray. I pray, even under my breath. As I write I've been trying to put out fires, problems.
I speak from experience. God speaks, but not simply through human ears, but through thousands of years, and your experience of Him in your daily life.
Is it a life to waste away all the oil of your life? And then be caught off guard?
For that our Lord says:
"But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
But woe to you who are filled now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for their ancestors treated the false
prophets in this way."
This is not a time to be held in high esteem. This is not a time of pride. This time we live is more valuable if it is spent in sacrificial love.
You will not hear this message in the general world.
The message we need to hear is in the Holy Eucharist, the very heart of God Himself.
There, transformations occur. A weak heart is strengthened with the love from above.
Lord let us do Thy holy will. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Isaiah 1:18 [Isaiah 1] 18 "Come now, let us reason1 together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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