† Quote of the Day "Only in Christ can men and women find answers to the ultimate questions that trouble them. Only in Christ can they fully understand their dignity as persons created and loved by God." — Pope St. John Paul II Today's Meditation "And so, in the redemptive economy of grace, brought about through the action of the Holy Spirit, there is a unique correspondence between the moment of the Incarnation of the Word and the moment of the birth of the Church. The person who links these two moments is Mary: Mary at Nazareth and Mary in the Upper Room at Jerusalem. In both cases her discreet yet essential presence indicates the path of 'birth from the Holy Spirit'. Thus she who is present in the mystery of Christ as Mother becomes—by the will of the Son and the power of the Holy Spirit—present in the mystery of the Church. In the Church too she continues to be a maternal presence, as is shown by the words spoken from the Cross: 'Woman, behold your son!'; 'Behold your mother.'" —Pope St. John Paul II, p. 94
An excerpt from Mary: God's Yes to Man Daily Verse "We belong to God, and anyone who knows God listens to us, while anyone who does not belong to God refuses to hear us. This is how we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit." — 1 John 4:6 | Pope Saint John Paul II Pope St. John Paul II (1920–2005) was born in Poland and was a vibrant, athletic, and intelligent child. His deeply religious father played an important role in his spiritual formation after his mother's death when he was 8 years old. He studied literature, poetry, and theater before his studies were interrupted by the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939. He answered the call to the priesthood, and after entering a clandestine seminary was ordained in 1946. He completed his doctoral studies in Rome and returned to Poland where he ministered in a special way to young people. He was ordained a bishop in 1958 and attended the Second Vatican Council in 1962. He is well known for his leadership in encouraging a spiritual and cultural resistance to the Communist occupation of Poland. He was elected Supreme Pontiff in 1978, the first non-Italian pope in over 450 years, and had the second-longest pontificate in history. He was a remarkable theologian and philosopher and a guardian of orthodoxy. During his time as Holy Father he gave a multitude of important contributions to the Church including his teaching on the Theology of the Body, his emphasis on the Universal Call to Holiness, and his strong devotion to the Virgin Mary. He is also known as the "Pope of the Family." During his pontificate he beatified 1338 people and canonized 482 saints. He also visited 129 countries, making him one of the most well-traveled world leaders in history. He was canonized by Pope Francis in 2014. His feast day is October 22nd. | Reading 1 EPH 2:12-22 Brothers and sisters:
You were at that time without Christ,
alienated from the community of Israel
and strangers to the covenants of promise,
without hope and without God in the world.
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off
have become near by the Blood of Christ.
For he is our peace, he made both one
and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his Flesh,
abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims,
that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two,
thus establishing peace,
and might reconcile both with God,
in one Body, through the cross,
putting that enmity to death by it.
He came and preached peace to you who were far off
and peace to those who were near,
for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;
in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Responsorial Psalm PS 85:9AB-10, 11-12, 13-14 R. (see 9) The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD–for he proclaims peace.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. The Lord speaks of peace to his people.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and salvation, along the way of his steps.
R. The Lord speaks of peace to his people. Alleluia LK 21:36 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Be vigilant at all times and pray
that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel LK 12:35-38 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master's return from a wedding,
ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch
and find them prepared in this way,
blessed are those servants." | Daily Meditation: Ephesians 2:12-22 . . . a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:22) Scripture often reminds us that we are the "dwelling place of God" (Ephesians 2:22). We may think of this exclusively in terms of the Spirit living in each individual believer. But in this passage from Ephesians, Paul is not talking about individuals. Writing to Gentiles, formerly "alienated from the community of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise" (2:12), he declares that Jews and Gentiles have become "one new person" in Christ (2:15). Together they make up "the household of God" (2:19). Together. That's because even though the Spirit lives in each of us, none of us can "contain" God. He is too big. And while each of us has a unique perspective on who God is, our understanding is still incomplete and even flawed because of our human limitations and our sin. It's only alongside other believers, as we are built together in Christ, that we can begin to experience God's fullness. We simply need one another. God wants to make us into a family where he can be at home, a place where the love between us is so tangible that it makes people long to discover him by joining us. This "kingdom construction project" is more than God simply stacking us like individual stones next to each other. He is building an entirely new dwelling place, animated by love. This means that, as God's family, we don't grit our teeth and tolerate each other. No, we break down every "dividing wall" between us and become one as Jesus and his Father are one (Ephesians 2:14). To this end, like the Gentiles and Jews, the Lord asks us to set aside our indifference and prejudices so that we can treasure each other. He asks us to put others above ourselves. Together we have the opportunity to express his overwhelming and many-faceted love to the world far more powerfully than we could ever do alone! "Holy Spirit, help all believers—including me—set aside everything that separates us so that you can build us together into a dwelling place for your holy love." Psalm 85:9-14
Luke 12:35-38 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Click to hear Audio | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Jesus said to his disciples:
"Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master's return from a wedding,
ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival......" end quote. | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus urges us to be ready for his second coming. It reminds me of John the Baptist preparing us: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths." He is saying that his job is to prepare for the mighty coming of the Lord. A change is coming, a revolution is on the way, a disaster (the destruction of the old) is about to happen. Prepare the way of the Lord.
And what is the manner of preparation? It is a baptism of repentance. Baptism—an immersion in water—reminded first-century Jews of the exodus, passing through the Red Sea, leaving the ways of slavery behind.
And repentance (metanoia) is going beyond the mind that you have. How our minds are conditioned by the fallen world! How our expectations are shaped, stunted by what has gone before. The world of Tiberius and Pilate and Herod and Caiaphas has shaped our imagination. It's time, John is saying, for a new mind, a new set of eyes, a new kind of expectation. God is about to act!" end quote.
From a Spanish reflection today:
"Let us ask Our Lady to help us walk through life attentively, to help us overcome our laziness and to frequently resort to the sacrament of reconciliation, in order to cleanse our soul of the microbes that can ultimately attack the health of our soul and to always seek to build the Kingdom of God in the world to confidently await the arrival of Jesus." end of Spanish quote.
They say that Saint Pope John Paul II was asked by an interviewer "what was the greatest accomplishment of your life"? And they say he responded simply with the words "my baptism".
Yet, he was baptized as a child, and probably not out of his own will, but his mommy and daddy. They say he lost his mom at the age of 8 years old. They say his daddy was very faithful, and this is where he learned the faith, and went on to become a pope by God's will and grace.
In baptism we are given the light of God, to be His children and thus servants. My children are my servants. I always tell my wife about our 8 kids "you have an army at your disposal, put them to work!". Not that they are to be treated as slaves, but as servants of love. We are to train each other to be servants of love and obedience to God and in the order of authority in our lives. This reigns true in all realms of this world and the next.
And a child is molded by a parent. I liked a story by ChurchPop that shared a story about a 15 year old that made a world record, 20 foot statue of Saint Augustine. The sculpture is located in the city of Guacara in Carabobo State in Venezuela.. It is an impressive feat, and looking at another statue of Saint Anthony of Padua, very well formed, one of the best I have seen. They asked him how he got started. At age four, Josué BenjamÃn Figueroa began making sculptures with clay. He said his dad bought him clay to make an action figure he couldn't afford or get. He showed his son how the could make anything with his hands. It was a lesson really, not about monetary economics, but the economics of life itself. That we are in the state of the household (the meaning of economy from its root word), and what we do with our lives matter.
Aren't you a baptized child of God?
Then you are a servant of God!
Aren't you carrying the light? Every soul carries that spark!
For we are made in the image of God Himself.
They say that loneliness is still on the rise after COVID and the epidemic of social media continues, making us feel alienated from one another.
I recorded my baby daughter telling me last night after I wasn't able to give her attention right away, she said "daddy, get off your phone now, or I am going to throw it in the garage sale!".
Our light consists of love, a burning love from the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Our love matters. Your love matters. It's actually what is most being demanded of us and we have failed to do. To give attention to what matters most...to God our Father. Does money matter that much? The economy? Not if it costs our family, our babies.
And they are not our children...but God's children.
And these children are always His children, which means, the age does not matter, from conception, to natural death.
And the burden of the light of love is on all of our baptized souls...the body of Christ.
May we be caught doing works of sacrificial love. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 28:10 10 Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way will fall into his own pit, but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
