† Daily Verse "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple." — Luke 14:27 | St. Dominic (1170–1221) was born in Spain to a family of noble lineage. His mother, Blessed Jane of Aza, prayed at the church of St. Dominic Silos to conceive a male child, her first two sons being given to the priesthood. In answer to her prayer, she dreamed that a dog leaped from her womb carrying a torch in its mouth which set the world ablaze. At his baptism, his godmother beheld a star shining from his forehead. As a child Dominic showed signs of great sanctity and intelligence, and he was also given to the Church for the priesthood. When famine struck Dominic sold his rare and expensive theology books to feed the poor. As a priest he traveled with his bishop into southern France and discovered that it had been overrun with a heretical movement which led many away from the Church. This inflamed his desire to devote his life to apostolic preaching for the salvation of souls, at the time an office reserved to bishops. With the Pope's approval he founded the Order of Preachers, or the Dominicans, committed to defend the truth of the Catholic faith. St. Dominic's Order was novel in that it combined the active and contemplative religious life with the labor of scholarly study and itinerate preaching. St. Dominic was innovative in meeting the needs of his time to defend the Church against her enemies. To aid his mission, Our Lady appeared to him and gave him a new devotion—the Holy Rosary. St. Dominic is the patron saint of scientists and astronomers. His feast day is August 8th. | Memorial of Saint Dominic, priest • Readings for the Memorial of Saint Dominic, Priest Reading 1 Jer 31:31-34 The days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers:
the day I took them by the hand
to lead them forth from the land of Egypt;
for they broke my covenant,
and I had to show myself their master, says the LORD.
But this is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD.
I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts;
I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives
how to know the LORD.
All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD,
for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more. Responsorial Psalm Ps 51:12-13, 14-15, 18-19 R. (12a) Create a clean heart in me, O God.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners shall return to you.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God. Alleluia Mt 16:18 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 16:13-23 Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi
and he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter said in reply,
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Then he strictly ordered his disciples
to tell no one that he was the Christ. From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly
from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.
Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,
"God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you."
He turned and said to Peter,
"Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."
| Daily Meditation: Psalm 51:12-15, 18-19 A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn. (Psalm 51:19) King David is known for his bravery on the battlefield: he is the shepherd boy who became the king of Israel. But his life tells a cautionary tale, and his repentance in today's responsorial psalm illustrates the challenge of being human. We are sacred creatures made in the image of God and destined for glory. Yet like David, we fall short in keeping God's commands. And quite often, our sins cause great pain to ourselves and others. But David's reliance on God's mercy reminds us that no matter how far we fall, our Lord will always lift us up. David's trust in God's mercy in our responsorial psalm foreshadows the new covenant that Jeremiah prophesied in today's first reading. He promised that God's people would know him and walk in his ways. He would write his law "upon their hearts" and would "remember their sin no more" (Jeremiah 31:33, 34). This is the new covenant that Jesus established through his death and resurrection. This is the covenant we have all been baptized into. We don't have to define ourselves by our failures and sins; we are defined by God's love for us. We know all this is true, but we can still be tempted to forget our identity and believe that our sinfulness is more real and pervasive than God's grace: "I didn't just act like a bad mother, I am a bad mother. I didn't just sin, I am my sin." You are not your sin; you are a child of God, deeply loved and of infinite worth! God does not want you to punish yourself. He longs to heal your heart so you can rest secure in his love. Are you carrying burdens from past mistakes? Are they causing you to doubt your identity as a forgiven child of God? Let David's prayer remind you that God will never spurn "a heart contrite and humbled" (Psalm 51:19). Instead, he will take you tenderly into his arms and say, "Neither do I condemn you" (John 8:11). He will never turn you away. "Lord, help me to believe that I am who you say I am." Jeremiah 31:31-34
Matthew 16:13-23 |  Hear AI Read it to you. Updated 7/10/24 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter said in reply,
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."......" end quote. | From Bishop Barron:
"And then those amazing words of Jesus: "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father." This insight did not come from Simon's own intelligent speculation. It came from above, through grace, from God. And this is why Peter is a rock. The Church is built not on a worldly foundation of any kind but on a mystical foundation, born of Peter's faith in the revealing God. The Church is neither democratic nor aristocratic—it is charismatic. And this is where its power comes from........." end quote Bishop Barron.
What answers would you get if you ask your friends who they think Jesus is? In my classes, we get a variety of answers, but every once in a while you will get a youngster say "God". Some will say "Son of God". But the complete answer is to say like Peter, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
It makes a difference, because He is Savior. Is He a great warrior like the Jews were expecting? Sure, but not how they expected. He took on the spiritual enemy of God, head on, and alone. This is why we always see Him being referred to as "Son of David" as in "David and Goliath". To fight an entire war, for the salvation of his people, all by himself, head to head.
This is why we heard in the very same passage of Satan when Peter said the Lord should not suffer a brutal death:
"God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you."
He turned and said to Peter,
"Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."
We all know that by dying, Jesus defeated two things; sin, and death.
Right?
So why do we still have to battle demonic forces if we are baptized into Jesus?
Why do we still have to face death too!
Right?
Protestants love to proclaim the "one and done" deal on the cross, all sins, all of your sins have been nailed to that cross, you have nothing to worry about ever, death too.
Well, that is not all true. We still face sin and death! So what's up with that?
We are spiritual beings. We are not merely flesh. Flesh is animated by the soul and can be captivated by spirits.
Therefore, we must tune into, and only allow the Holy Spirit into ourselves.
We too always have to follow our Lord's lead and say at times "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."
Especially when temptations come our way.
People today hate suffering still as has always been the human race's case. But Peter could not understand God. Remember, Jesus is God.
So Jesus, our Lord basically said "You are not thinking like God! You are just thinking like everyone else".
How do you face God's will? Can you see that the bad things in life can actually be for the greater good? What's more, personally speaking, when I see the devil rear his face, I know something good is trying to happen.
So take courage. Do not step backward. Step forward. Remember who you are with, the Lord, the Messiah, the very name of Jesus means "He Saves". We've entered into an opportunity of eternal ramifications. We are children of God presented with a tremendous opportunity to continue salvation of souls. And the Lord desires to not lose a single one, through you and me. Lord, Messiah, Lord Jesus, Lord My God, help us raise our life to You and raise us up with You always. Today is the 2nd Thursday of the Month, I ask that we all make special offerings of thanksgiving today, it was on a Thursday that our Lord gave Himself before the crucifixion on a Friday, at the Last Supper, life and food for the world to grow in goodness and grace. How can we not thank Him for the gift of His very Sacred Heart. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Colossians 1:17–18 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
