† Quote of the Day Quote of the Day
"Don't spend your energies on things that generate worry, anxiety and anguish. Only one thing is necessary: Lift up your spirit, and love God." — Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina Today's Meditation "I think the main reason we keep returning [to Confession] with the same list [of sins] is that we don't understand what Christ wants to do in the confessional. We go simply wanting our sins forgiven, not realizing that He wants to do much more. He wants to heal us of the attitudes, disordered desires, problems, and wounds that are causing us to keep committing those sins...Since the purpose of every sacrament is to give grace, and the purpose of grace is to heal and sanctify, then the ultimate goal of each sacrament is to heal us and make us holy so that we can become like God." – Vinny Flynn p.26-27
An excerpt from 7 Secrets of Confession Daily Verse "In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised holy Spirit, which is the first installment of our inheritance toward redemption as God's possession, to the praise of his glory." — Ephesians 1:13-14 | St. Alphonsus Rodriguez St. Alphonsus Rodriguez (1532–1617) was born in Segovia, Spain, the son of a wool merchant. He was prepared for his First Holy Communion by St. Peter Faber, one of the first Jesuits. When his father died, Alphonsus had to leave school at the age of 14 to take over the family business, which eventually failed. He married and had three children, and was left a widower at the age of 31 when his wife died in childbirth. In subsequent years he also lost his mother and all three of his children. Alphonsus developed a life of prayer, intense piety, and rigorous penances, with a deep devotion to the Blessed Mother under her title of the Immaculate Conception. His desire for the religious life increased and he attempted to join the Jesuits as a late vocation, but his lack of education made him a poor candidate. To amend his deficiency he went back to school, while begging alms to support himself and enduring ridicule from his much younger classmates. After a long delay he was finally admitted to the Jesuits when he was nearly 40 years old, but only as a lay brother. He was given the humble job of a porter (doorkeeper), a job which he served with dedication for 46 years. Many people within the religious community, as well as many visitors, recognized his holiness and sought his advice and spiritual council. St. Peter Claver was one of his disciples, and St. Alphonsus is credited for directing him in his mission to African slaves. St. Alphonsus was known for his rigorous obedience and discipline, and for suffering from scrupulosity, temptations, and attacks from the devil. He took his final vows with the Jesuits at the age of 54. He continued to serve and even preach sermons into his 80's. He is credited with popularizing the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, copies of which he stockpiled and distributed. His feast day is October 30th. | Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Eph 6:1-9 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
Honor your father and mother.
This is the first commandment with a promise,
that it may go well with you
and that you may have a long life on earth.
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger,
but bring them up with the training and instruction of the Lord. Slaves, be obedient to your human masters with fear and trembling,
in sincerity of heart, as to Christ,
not only when being watched, as currying favor,
but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
willingly serving the Lord and not men,
knowing that each will be requited from the Lord
for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
Masters, act in the same way towards them, and stop bullying,
knowing that both they and you have a Master in heaven
and that with him there is no partiality. Responsorial Psalm Ps 145:10-11, 12-13ab, 13cd-14 R. (13c) The Lord is faithful in all his words.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. The Lord is faithful in all his words.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. The Lord is faithful in all his words.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R. The Lord is faithful in all his words. Alleluia See 2 Thes 2:14 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God has called us through the Gospel
to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 13:22-30 Jesus passed through towns and villages,
teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.
Someone asked him,
"Lord, will only a few people be saved?"
He answered them,
"Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
'Lord, open the door for us.'
He will say to you in reply,
'I do not know where you are from.'
And you will say,
'We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.'
Then he will say to you,
'I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you evildoers!'
And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west
and from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the Kingdom of God.
For behold, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last."
| Daily Meditation: Luke 13:22-30 I do not know where you are from. (Luke 13:25) What an odd thing to say! In the parable from today's Gospel, Jesus says that the "master of the house" will refuse entry to those knocking at his door by telling them, "I do not know where you are from" (Luke 13:25). Not I don't recognize you or I don't trust you. But I don't know where you're from. It seems the master didn't really know these folks very well. But they must have thought that they knew him well enough. As they say, they ate and drank in his company, and he taught in their streets (Luke 13:26). But it turns out that they had only a superficial relationship with him. And because of that, he decided not to open the door to them. Jesus told this parable in response to the question "Will only a few people be saved?" (Luke 13:23). He wanted to make the point that we shouldn't take salvation—entry into the master's house—for granted. Now, we know that God "wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4). But if we want to come to that knowledge of the truth, we can't keep Jesus at the periphery of our lives. We need a life-giving relationship with him that goes deeper than simply hearing his teachings or attending Mass. He wants us to know him, and he wants to know us. The good news is that Jesus is calling you into just that kind of relationship. Through his death and resurrection, he has opened the way for you to know him—and to know him deeply. And your part? Spend time with him. Invite him in, not just to the parts of your life that anyone could know from the outside, but into every corner. Take the risk of telling him all the things you might be afraid to say. Dare to bring your hurts and your failings into his light. Tell him you're willing to listen to whatever he has to say to you. In other words, give him permission to see where you are from. And invite him to be Lord over it all. Jesus is longing for a deeper relationship with you. So talk to him—about everything! Just imagine the look of delight on his face when he opens the door to the Father's house and sees you! "Jesus, I don't want to have a superficial relationship with you. I give you access to every part of my life." Ephesians 6:1-9
Psalm 145:10-14 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Click to hear Audio | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Someone asked him,
"Lord, will only a few people be saved?"
He answered them,
"Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
'Lord, open the door for us.'
He will say to you in reply,
'I do not know where you are from.'......" end quote. | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, our Gospel for today features a question that people have been asking from time immemorial and that they still ask today: "Lord, will only a few people be saved?" Heaven, hell, salvation, damnation, who will be in and who will be out? We have remained fascinated with these questions for a long time.
Here's how I would recommend we approach this issue. The doctrine concerning hell is a corollary of two more fundamental truths, namely, that God is love and that we are free. Love (willing the good of the other) is all that God is. He doesn't go in and out of love; he doesn't change his mind; he's not loving to some and not to others. He is indeed like the sun that shines on the good and bad alike, in the words of Jesus.
No act of ours can possibly make him stop loving us. In this regard, he is like the best of parents. However, we are free. We are not God's marionettes, and hence we can say yes or we can say no to his love. If we turn toward it, we open like a sunflower; if we turn from it, we get burned...." end quote Bishop Barron.
Will you be saved from hell? What about your family? Do you care enough to sacrifice yourself so that they may go to Heaven?
Would you sacrifice yourself to the extremity of dying? Our Lord Jesus did just that. He cares more than we can imagine.
And we are called to be one in Him. This is why we offered His very self on the altar. So that we might grow in love of God and those around us.
And this is not any other love but a sacrificial love for God's Kingdom, the Kingdom of Love.
Strive then to enter the narrow gate. I teach my students, that we are to be like that fish that swims backwards, against the crowd and against the current, like the trout that goes up a stream to reproduce, and then they die. In our world, the current of the world says we should not reproduce, just go with the flow of their current. And in doing so, they teach death, abortion, and supposed "mercy" killing of the sick and the elderly.
How else can we enter the narrow gate? Do you really want to know?
Do what Jesus our Christ says! Why is it so hard to follow Him?
I think of our youngest child, 4 years old, sings with me at nursing homes and in church, and she screams the songs she knows well at the top of her lungs and with open arms to the Heavens. All the others just look and smile "oh how cute".
But there is something to be learned here from a childlike faith and love.
When did we lose that love and belief? We lose it when sin entered our lives by way of pride, self esteem, and the ego. This is where wars stem from. This is where division enters.
My daughter goes to events, church, or even a playground at Mc Donald's restaurant, with the full expectation she will encounter her new friend. And she does, she enters a place and bonds and becomes instant friends with those her age.
What about us? When did we lose that expectation of clear love and bonding? Nowadays, everyone is reserved, quiet and staring at their phone or computer, without bonding, without friends, therefore, without someone to give love to.
You see, we need humility, to love like that.
Humility to God is the greatest of loves. A humble heart will offer everything to God. This is a narrow gate. Very few give to God as we ought. We rather go with the flow of hatred, or disobedience and why? It seems so much easier. The easy things are not always the best things.
Sitting on my couch all day is not the best for me, my family, my church, or God Himself. This world is God's world. If only let Him do His thing inside of us. Then we would reap eternal benefits, no crying in hell or purgatory saying "I should have listened, I should have done more while I had the chance!".
My mom used to tell us as children that the little road to Heaven is full of thorns, while the road to hell is open wide, smooth and lots lanes to travel on.
Why would we choose the thorn?
Why did Jesus choose the thorns?
Suffering is actually something to be cherished when offered and done for love. It fuels that love in the world and in Heaven, makes for a beautiful light that burns eternal. Selfless to say the least. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 63:3–4 3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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