† Quote of the Day "Since love completes all, makes all hard things soft, and the difficult easy, let us strive to make all our acts proceed from love." — St. Arnold Janssen Today's Meditation "No one who follows Me will ever walk in darkness (Jn 8:12). These words of our Lord counsel all to walk in His footsteps. If you want to see clearly and avoid blindness of heart, it is His virtues you must imitate. Make it your aim to meditate on the life of Jesus Christ. Christ's teachings surpasses that of all the Saints. But to find this spiritual nourishment you must seek to have the Spirit of Christ. It is because we lack this Spirit that so often we listen to the Gospel without really hearing it. Those who fully understand Christ's words must labor to make their lives conform to His." —Thomas á Kempis, p.15
An excerpt from Imitation of Christ Daily Verse "For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent, he will set me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies round about me; and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord." — Psalm 27:5-6 | St. Josaphat (1580-1623) was born to a devout religious family of Ruthenian ancestry in what is now Ukraine, and was baptized in the Eastern Orthodox Church. He devoted his virginity to the Virgin Mary and grew in his reverence for ancient liturgy. During a revival of Eastern Catholic monastic life he became a monk in the Order of St. Basil, and was ordained to Holy Orders in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in 1609. He was noted for his life of asceticism, holiness, and virtue which led to his appointment as Archbishop of Polotsk in what is today Belarus. During his lifetime there was much sociopolitical and ecclesiastical rivalry between the Catholics and Orthodox, especially in the wake of the 1596 Union of Brest which saw the Ruthenian rite break with Orthodoxy and come under the authority of the Holy See. St. Josaphat was passionate about working for the reunification with Rome and won many heretics and schismatics back to communion with Rome. However, he was also strongly opposed to the Latinization of his people. This combination of views drew ire from both Catholic and Orthodox clergy. His diocese was contested by the Orthodox, and a rival Orthodox bishop was set up to oppose him, causing riots. During one uprising Josaphat tried to calm the tensions and work for reunification and peace, but his enemies plotted to kill him. A mob of Orthodox Christians entered Josaphat's home, stabbed and axed his body and threw it into a river. His body was seen glowing in the water and was recovered. After his martyrdom many miracles were attributed to his intercession. Josaphat's sacrifice became a blessing as regret and sorrow over his death converted many hearts toward reunification with the Catholic Church. In 1867 Josaphat became the first saint of the Eastern Church to be formally canonized by Rome. His feast day is November 12. | Memorial of Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr • Readings for the Memorial of Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr Reading 1 Ti 2:1-8, 11-14 Beloved:
You must say what is consistent with sound doctrine,
namely, that older men should be temperate, dignified,
self-controlled, sound in faith, love, and endurance.
Similarly, older women should be reverent in their behavior,
not slanderers, not addicted to drink,
teaching what is good, so that they may train younger women
to love their husbands and children,
to be self-controlled, chaste, good homemakers,
under the control of their husbands,
so that the word of God may not be discredited.
Urge the younger men, similarly, to control themselves,
showing yourself as a model of good deeds in every respect,
with integrity in your teaching, dignity, and sound speech
that cannot be criticized,
so that the opponent will be put to shame
without anything bad to say about us.
For the grace of God has appeared, saving all
and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires
and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age,
as we await the blessed hope,
the appearance of the glory of the great God
and of our savior Jesus Christ,
who gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness
and to cleanse for himself a people as his own,
eager to do what is good. Responsorial Psalm 37:3-4, 18 and 23, 27 and 29 R. (39a) The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Trust in the LORD and do good,
that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will grant you your heart's requests.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
The LORD watches over the lives of the wholehearted;
their inheritance lasts forever.
By the LORD are the steps of a man made firm,
and he approves his way.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Turn from evil and do good,
that you may abide forever;
The just shall possess the land
and dwell in it forever.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord. Alleluia Jn 14:23 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 17:7-10 Jesus said to the Apostles:
"Who among you would say to your servant
who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,
'Come here immediately and take your place at table'?
Would he not rather say to him,
'Prepare something for me to eat.
Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You may eat and drink when I am finished'?
Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?
So should it be with you.
When you have done all you have been commanded, say,
'We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do.'"
| Daily Meditation: Titus 2:1-8, 11-14 . . . sound in faith, love, and endurance. (Titus 2:2) Faith, love, and what? Most of us are used to hearing a different trio of virtues: faith, hope, and love. St Paul famously groups these three in 1 Corinthians 13:13, a passage we often hear at weddings. He also connects them in Colossians 1:4-5, Galatians 5:5-6, and 1 Thessalonians 1:3. So why does St Paul change his formula here to faith, love, and endurance? To understand this, let's think about what hope is. The spiritual gift of hope is more than wishful thinking; it is an active trust in the living God. Your desire for heaven and your determination to rely on God's strength and not your own—these are all rooted in hope. It's this sure hope, in fact, that motivates you to endure challenges. Perhaps there have been times when you felt distant from God. Participating in the sacraments seems like a chore, and you feel no different after you pray. Still, you persevere. You show endurance with every few minutes you spend praying or every time you battle distracting thoughts during Mass. Because you have the gift of hope—the hope that one day you will experience the closeness of the Lord—you are inspired to endure! Or consider your relationships. Surely there have been times when you felt frustrated or hurt by someone close to you. Yet you endure these rough patches by trying your best to persist in patience, forgiveness, and selfless love. You have a fundamental conviction—a certain hope—that God will be with you as you pursue healing and reconciliation. So seen through spiritual eyes, it becomes clear that you are not just "putting up" with this other person. You are placing your hope in God's promises for you and for those around you. Paul also talks about the grace of God "training us . . . as we await the blessed hope" of our lives: "the appearance of the glory of the great God and of our savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:12-13). Grab hold of that hope today! Let it strengthen you and teach you how to endure. Filled with confident hope in the faithfulness of God, may you never lose sight of his promises! "Father, thank you for the gift of hope, which strengthens me to endure all things!" Psalm 37:3-4, 18, 23, 27, 29
Luke 17:7-10 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Click to hear Audio | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Jesus said to the Apostles:
"Who among you would say to your servant
who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,
'Come here immediately and take your place at table'?
Would he not rather say to him,
'Prepare something for me to eat.
Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You may eat and drink when I am finished'?......." end Gospel quote, word of the Lord. | From Bishop Barron today:
"Friends, today's Gospel describes the obedience of a faithful servant. Our lives are not about us; they are about the King. We are built not for commanding others but for obedience. In the presence of the awesome lordliness of God—that mind and will whose grandeur we can barely fathom—we bow, we listen, we surrender.
The Lord is the King, the one who commands, directs and oversees, and who, accordingly, demands obedience. For a military tribe such as the ancient Hebrews, this term had, to be sure, an especially powerful resonance. The proper response to a King is obedience. The King commands, and the servant responds—simply, promptly, unhesitatingly.
A courtier or a messenger might not understand the rationale for, or consequences of, what the King has told him to do, but he does it, trusting in the wisdom and power of the one who sends him. The word "obey" is derived from the Latin obedire, to listen attentively, to heed. In the presence of God the Lord, we his servants should listen, bending our ears and our wills to his word." end quote Bishop Barron.
The Gospel ends with: "Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?
So should it be with you.
When you have done all you have been commanded, say,
'We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do."
Last night, the new cursillo women were asked to give their testimony of their life after cursillo. One lady said she learned and is experiencing what she calls, "Divine Humility".
What is this divine revelation she experienced?
We all ate potluck dinner before they were asked to speak. And the leader, Kathy, asked for volunteers to come speak about their cursillo life. None jumped up. The lady that said "Divine Humility", her husband had blurted her name out and said "get on up there, get it started".
And she did.
Then a few others got up to speak, but not all.
An invitation is more of a command, is it not? It should be seen that way if it is from the Lord.
He is always inviting us to come with Him, to eat with Him, to join in Him and His life. But so many of us shy away. Being shy makes for a silence that can become deadly after a while.
Not all are comfortable speaking, but we must be encouraged to speak.
How hard has it been for you to speak to those that continuously shoot you down?
How hard is it to speak to a crowd?
And who is asking you to speak? Who is asking you to put your neck on the line? Who is asking you to risk your life? If we won't even speak on command, how will you give your life on command?
I noticed at this cursillo, they were given the "option" to speak. At the men's cursillo, they are all asked to speak no matter how long, no longer than 2 minutes.
If we leave things as options, we are in for a deadly silence. I know this, because I am a teacher. Whence I probe into a student's intellect, once I can get them to speak, sometimes beautiful words of knowledge come forth, fruits unknown and inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Such was the case of my favorite saint, Saint Anthony. It is said: "St. Anthony of Padua's first speech was at a gathering in 1222 where he was asked to give a short sermon. Although he initially resisted the offer, he eventually began to speak and everyone was amazed by his knowledge, wisdom, and passionate manner. " And from then on went on to become a leader in speaking and leadership.
But he had to be encouraged, even forced to speak. It's like asking a kid to take their first steps.
Step out in faith. If I leave the faith up to my kids, they won't want to do anything. But if I keep encouraging them, perhaps, good fruit will come.
Amen?
And we all are children of our Father, for we are all made in His image, and likeness. If only we had everyone's part, we would make the whole, unified, and complete.
Humility is key. Humility is obedience. Humility and obedience bring about love, and God is love. This is critical, in faith, in family, and everywhere the Lord puts us. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Isaiah 50:7 7 But the Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
