† Quote of the Day "It is not that I want merely to be called a Christian, but to actually be one. Yes, if I prove to be one, then I can have the name." — St. Ignatius of Antioch Today's Meditation "The Church, which has spread everywhere, even to the ends of the earth, received the faith from the apostles and their disciples ... Having one soul and one heart, the Church holds this faith, preaches and teaches it consistently as though by a single voice. For though there are different languages, there is but one tradition. ... Just as God's creature, the sun, is one and the same the world over, so also does the Church's preaching shine everywhere to enlighten all men who want to come to a knowledge of the truth. Now of those who speak with authority in the churches, no preacher however forceful will utter anything different—for no one is above the Master—nor will a less forceful preacher diminish what has been handed down. Since our faith is everywhere the same, no one who can say more augments it, nor can anyone who says less diminish it." —St. Ignatius of Antioch, p. 194
An excerpt from Witness of the Saints Daily Verse "Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing." — John 15:4-5 | St. Ignatius Of Antioch St. Ignatius of Antioch (d. c. 98-117) was a Syrian who became a disciple of St. John the Apostle. Tradition holds that he was the infant whom Jesus took in his arms, saying, "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me" as recounted in Mark's Gospel. St. Ignatius was a pagan convert to Christianity and succeeded St. Peter the Apostle as the third bishop of Antioch, being ordained by St. Peter himself. He was an important Church Father of the Apostolic age, an ideal pastor, and a fearless soldier of Christ. He was tireless in supporting his flock against dangerous heresies and the terrors of the persecutions of the Roman Emperors. When Ignatius violated the imperial edict to worship false gods, he was arrested and led before Emperor Trajan. After boldly proclaiming the truth of Jesus Christ, he was condemned to be devoured by wild beasts for public sport in the Roman Colosseum. On his journey from Syria to Rome he wrote many letters to his fellow Christians, encouraging them with his apostolic zeal and exhorting them to obey their bishops. He also pleaded that none try to obtain his release, as he was eager to lay down his life for Jesus, saying, "The only thing I ask of you is to allow me to offer the libation of my blood to God. I am the wheat of the Lord; may I be ground by the teeth of the beasts to become the immaculate bread of Christ." He was devoured by lions in Rome in the early second century. St. Ignatius of Antioch is the first to have used the term "Catholic" Church, meaning "Universal." His feast day is October 17th. | Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr • Readings for the Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr Reading 1 EPH 1:1-10 Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
to the holy ones who are in Ephesus
and faithful in Christ Jesus:
grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,
to be holy and without blemish before him.
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,
in accord with the favor of his will,
for the praise of the glory of his grace
that he granted us in the beloved.
In Christ we have redemption by his Blood,
the forgiveness of transgressions,
in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.
In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us
the mystery of his will in accord with his favor
that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times,
to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth. Responsorial Psalm PS 98:1, 2-3AB, 3CD-4, 5-6 R. (2a) The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation. Alleluia JN 14:6 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel LK 11:47-54 The Lord said:
"Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets
whom your fathers killed.
Consequently, you bear witness and give consent
to the deeds of your ancestors,
for they killed them and you do the building.
Therefore, the wisdom of God said,
'I will send to them prophets and Apostles;
some of them they will kill and persecute'
in order that this generation might be charged
with the blood of all the prophets
shed since the foundation of the world,
from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah
who died between the altar and the temple building.
Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood!
Woe to you, scholars of the law!
You have taken away the key of knowledge.
You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter."
When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees
began to act with hostility toward him
and to interrogate him about many things,
for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.
| Daily Meditation: Luke 11:47-54 The scribes and Pharisees began to act with hostility toward him. (Luke 11:53) Have you ever experienced someone judging you harshly or treating you with hostility because of the way you live your faith? Maybe a relative thinks you're too lax when it comes to the way you're raising your children in the faith. Or maybe a coworker likes to tell off-color jokes around you to see how you will react. Even if it's over a "small" issue like the way you dress for Mass, someone else's disapproval can still sting. It can also make us want to retaliate against them. Scenarios like these are a small portion of the kind of treatment Jesus received on a regular basis. If it wasn't a scribe challenging his knowledge of Scripture (Luke 10:25), it was a Pharisee critiquing his failure to wash his hands (11:38). Or a whole Samaritan village refusing him entry to their town (9:51-53), or some of John the Baptist's disciples questioning if he even was the Messiah (7:20). And then there was that time when his own townsfolk tried to throw him over a cliff (4:28-29)! In today's Gospel, we see one way that Jesus reacted to all this hostility. Speaking very directly, he called out his detractors for their hypocrisy and refusal to believe. We might read this passage as Jesus finally losing his cool and railing against them in fury. But we should remember that Jesus, more than anyone else, lived out his own teachings about loving our enemies. Remember how he wept over those who had rejected him, heartbroken that they had failed to recognize the "time of [their] visitation" (Luke 19:44). Or think of how he asked his Father to forgive the very people who crucified him (23:34). Clearly, Jesus' way is the way of love! So how will you respond to the negative feelings that rise up when someone is hostile toward you? Will you let their words cloud your heart and move you to retaliate in kind? Or will you take these "enemies" to the Lord and ask him to give you his own love for them? It's not always easy to forgive those who hurt you, but it is always possible. In Christ, you can live in peace! "Lord, help me to see everyone as you do. Jesus, give me your heart of love!" Ephesians 1:1-10
Psalm 98:1-6 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Click to hear Audio | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood!
Woe to you, scholars of the law!
You have taken away the key of knowledge.
You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter."
When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees
began to act with hostility toward him
and to interrogate him about many things,
for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say......" end quote. | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus launches a blistering attack on the scholars of the Law.
The Son teaches, heals, preaches to, and forgives those who feel far from the mercy of God. He is the hand that the Father stretches out to sinners and to those who are lost. And by the same token, he is the judge of a sinful world. When the light of God's forgiving love appears, the shadows of sin become all the deeper and more obvious. In light of him, there is nowhere to hide. And Jesus, the Word of the Father, gives voice to this judgment: "Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter."
The Son names all those powers that are opposed to the creative and loving intentions of his Father. He speaks a word of judgment on a world grown cozy with sin. He "channels" all of the feelings of the Father toward the world: intense, forgiving love to those who are lost, and equally intense hatred for the structures of darkness." end quote.
Is it not fascinating how there are billions in the world, that live and that there have many more billions before us?
And what about the billions upon billions of stars in galaxy and the trillions more in the universe?
And does this not fascinate you, that our God cares for the billions upon billions of lives? So much so that He would pour out His heart on a cross for you with open arms, with a gesture never to be forgotten or even, taken lightly?
Our Lord came with a harsh hand on those with hardened hearts, and a soft hand with blood pouring out for the forgotten and abused.
How is it possible to contain such love? A love that can love billions individually. It is mind blowing.
Yet, this is the case of a Father, Father God, and you.
I told my teenagers class last night, that the whole purpose to become Christian, is to become Christ to the world. It is not for one to simply receive, but to give.
If we do not give, we become like the scholars, all those who hog up all the wisdom and share none of it. Even worse, they won't share it for the good of the people, but they even lock up the knowledge of God, thus, closing the doors of the Kingdom to them.
I told the class, and I'm telling you, this must not be. We must let Christ live. We must let Christ reign as King. We must, or else, we put other things in charge of our lives, ideals, ideas, earthly beings, all things that are doomed to fail, and to make us fail as damnation for the world.
Then we are swimming against the current of false gods and ideals. Then we can live for Christ as our saint of the day Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr. He was killed in the entertainment ring, to be devoured by beasts for the viewing pleasure of the death hungry people that are godless, and for what reason? For not worshiping their gods, their ideals, their idols. Today we don't have obvious idols, but they exist. Man made symbols or creations that become the ideal to live and die for.
Yet, our Lord waits with open arms, heart bleeding mercy and grace.
It is all there for the taking, the gates of Heaven that very few hold as the ultimate ideal of life, that we might become gates of Heaven, a way to meet God, the facilitator to allow a soul to encounter its father.
The bond of Love that is true forever. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Galatians 5:1 [Galatians 5]
Christ Has Set Us Free 5
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
