† Quote of the Day "Many live like angels in the midst of the world. Why not you?" — St. Josemaria Escriva Today's Meditation "God never caused the virtues and singular merit of Joseph to shine with greater splendor than when He said to him by the mouth of the angel, 'Take the Child and His mother'; for in them He committed to him His most precious treasures, giving him thus the preference over all the blessed spirits of Heaven; and Joseph received these two sacred persons into his care, to be their protector, their guardian, and defender. If, then, Heaven made Joseph the protector of Jesus and Mary, we may rest assured that he was at the same time made protector and patron of all men." —Edward Healy Thompson, p. 401
An excerpt from The Life and Glories of St. Joseph Daily Verse "Moreover I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for he has appointed a time for every matter, and for every work." — Ecclesiastes 3:16-17 | St.s Crispin And Crispinian Sts. Crispin and Crispinian (d. 286 A.D.) were brothers, believed to be twins, from a noble Roman family. They were Christians and went as missionaries into Gaul (present-day France). Taking the Apostle St. Paul as their example, they earned their living through a trade, dividing their time between ministry and work. Their craft was shoe-making, and because they asked little pay for their shoes they were loved and esteemed by all. Crispin and Crispinian used their work as an opportunity to share the Christian faith with the pagans they encountered, and many were converted through their witness. During the persecution of the Roman Emperor Diocletian they were denounced as Christians and brought before the co-emperor, Maximanus Herculius. The emperor tried to persuade them to abandon their faith with promises and threats, but to no effect. The brothers were then given over to the governor who was notorious for his cruelty. They were stretched on the rack, their flesh was cut, and awls were driven under their fingernails. They were then thrown into a river with a millstone tied to their necks, but they both miraculously survived and swam back to shore. They were caught and finally beheaded. Crispin and Crispinian are the patron saints of shoemakers, saddlers, and tanners. Their feast, known as St. Crispin's Day, is October 25th. | Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Eph 4:1-6 Brothers and sisters:
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the spirit
through the bond of peace;
one Body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your call;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all. Responsorial Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6 R. (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD's are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face. Alleluia See Mt 11:25 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel LK 12:54-59 Jesus said to the crowds,
"When you see a cloud rising in the west
you say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it does;
and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south
you say that it is going to be hot–and so it is.
You hypocrites!
You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky;
why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
"Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?
If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate,
make an effort to settle the matter on the way;
otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge,
and the judge hand you over to the constable,
and the constable throw you into prison.
I say to you, you will not be released
until you have paid the last penny."
| Daily Meditation: Ephesians 4:1-6 I . . . urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received. (Ephesians 4:1) When Pope Francis was asked, "Who is Jorge Bergoglio?" his answer surprised many: "I am a sinner whom the Lord looked upon with mercy." But to fellow Jesuits around the world, his response was anything but surprising. They knew that this is the standard answer for a Jesuit when he is asked about his identity: that he is "a sinner loved and redeemed by God." In today's first reading, St. Paul urges his readers to "live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience" (Ephesians 4:1-2). One way we can do this is by embracing both the reality of our sinfulness and the extravagant love and mercy that God has for us. Why is it important to hold these two truths at the same time? Because to know that we are sinners without knowing God's love for us can lead us to feel guilty and ashamed. And to know ourselves as loved but not a sinner can lead us to believe that we don't have to obey his commandments. However, together they remind us of how much we need the Lord, and that helps us to grow in humility and gratitude. We realize that a person who is living a life "worthy of the call" doesn't get puffed up with pride but also never despairs of God's help. It also makes us more gentle and patient with ourselves. We will inevitably fall, but God already knows that—and out of his great love for us, he is always ready to offer his forgiveness and mercy. This recognition of who we are can also help us in "bearing with one another through love" (Ephesians 4:2). We aren't perfect, and we can't expect other people to be perfect, either. We are all in the same boat—all sinners striving to please the Lord but also in need of God's mercy every day. That awareness softens our hearts, allowing us to treat others with patience and gentleness and to forgive them as the Lord forgives us. Yes, God has called us who are sinners to follow him. But through his love, grace, and mercy, we can live in a way that makes us worthy of this call! "Jesus, thank you for calling me. Help me to glorify you." Psalm 24:1-6
Luke 12:54-59 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Click to hear Audio | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"You hypocrites!
You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky;
why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
"Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?
If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate,
make an effort to settle the matter on the way......" end quote. | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, the famous call of the Vatican II fathers to "read the signs of the times" is grounded in Jesus' exhortation in the Gospel for today. Followers of Jesus are meant to look at the world with clear eyes, to see what is happening, to be attentive. But this attention is of a particular type. It is not the attention of the scientist or the philosopher or the politician—though it can include those. It is an attention to the things of God.
I have often argued that many of us today are still enthralled to a deist view of God, whereby God is a distant and aloof first cause of the universe, uninvolved with the world he has made. But Thomas Aquinas taught that God is in all things "by essence, presence, and power," and that God providentially cares for every aspect of his creation. Therefore, we should expect to see signs of his presence and activity in nature, in history, and in human affairs.
And once we see, we are meant to speak! In a way, followers of Jesus are not looking at the signs of the times for their own benefit, but rather that they might share their prophetic perspective with everyone else. So look around, look with attention, look with the eyes of faith..." end quote.
Our Lord says "You hypocriites!".
Why or how am I a hypocrite? It is the same as when He says "You fools!". Who is He calling a fool or a hypocrite?
Today He was talking to the crowds. It is a general audience, and a close call for all of us, to stop worrying about your own business and to start worrying about His business.
It is really a call to stop being short sighted only, but to also take into account the far sight, that what is more.
Last night, it was dark and a car was coming up one entrance to our place and another car was coming up at another entrance we have.
My son was with me and I asked him to describe to me the 2nd car that drove up our entrance. He said he didn't know it had pulled up.
This young man, going on 18 years of age, couldn't tell when a vehicle was pulling up only 80 feet away with its lights on at night. I told him "you need to wake up, and you need to be fully aware of everything that is going on all around you.
The same for all of us. We can't just be focused on just what's right in front of us. Your own problems. Your own issues. That's the problem with today's world. The world wants you to focus on you but that is leading to desolation. We are being called to reach out, out of our comfort zones, where sacrifice is calling. My wife is helping at a Cursillo in a team for the first time, and as I gave here a ride to drop her off with her things, I said "I feel like I am taking you to the first day of school".
Me and the kids will miss her and I am sure she will be missing us. But this again, is outside our comfort and safety zone, and into sacrifice zone. And the next week I will be gone at a weekend Prison retreat too, sacrificing there. But we don't need to be on full time retreats and missions, because the mission is right here where the Lord has put you.
Watch when someone hits you wrong. Watch how you react. Turn that an opportunity of sacrifice, of mercy.
How else? Prayer time. Oh boy. Some of us just don't got time for all that, right? How about a daily rosary? A daily Mass? Daily reflections sharing. Daily Divine Mercy hour, especially now when constant talk of wars keep egging on by the dark media and dark forces. How about a daily bible discussion with friends and family? Why is this important?
It very well may be the most important things you do in your life. What if every day is a new life? What will you do with this life day?
Offer it up to God! Offer it up to Love! The God of Love, the God Who Is Love! What if that's all He cares about? What else could we offer? What if that is what this world was designed for? To reap the benefits of love!
Let's do then, what is hard. Prayer. Sacrifice. Giving. Soon too, let's start a 40 day fasting and giving up until Christmas day. That way we offer to God what He desires, a more pure heart.
Whence we pray more and dive into scripture more, and thus, into God more, we will better serve the world more, of what He has always wanted from the beginning.
My Lord, we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Help us fear and wonder about your unfathomable creations that aim towards Heaven! |  audio | This is so astonishing, I clicked random bible verse for us and here it is verification of the Holy Spirit; Random Bible Verse 1
1 Peter 3:8–9 [1 Peter 3]
Suffering for Righteousness' Sake 8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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