† Saint Quote“For true hearts there is no separating ocean; or, rather, God is their ocean, in Whom they meet and are united; they love, and lose themselves in Him and in each other.”
-St. Theodore Guerin Today’s Meditation"No creature ever loved Jesus Christ more ardently, nor showed more perfect submission to His will, than Mary, His mother. If then, this Savior, immolated for us sinners, gave His mother to us, an advocate and intercessor for all time, she cannot but comply with His request, and will not refuse us her assistance. Let us, then, not hesitate to implore her pity; let us have recourse to her with great confidence in all our necessities, as she is an inexhaustible source of blessing, bestowing her favors in proportion to the confidence placed in her." —Dom Lorenzo Scupoli, p. 152
An excerpt from The Spiritual Combat and A Treatise on Peace of Soul Verse of the DayPraise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the faithful! Let Israel be glad in his Maker, let the sons of Zion rejoice in their King! Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with timbrel and lyre! For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with victory.
-Psalm 149: 1-4
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EWTN Daily Saint
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St Dominic HenaresSt. Dominic Henares (1764-1838) was born to a poor family in Spain. He joined the Dominican Order and was ordained a priest in 1790. Ten years later he was sent as a missionary to the Far East. He went from Mexico to the Philippines, and finally to North Vietnam. He became Bishop of Phunhay, Vietnam, in 1803. In 1831 the Vietnamese emperor officially prohibited Catholicism and severely persecuted the Church. Whole villages were sent into exile; priests were arrested and subjected to the most terrible tortures before they were killed. Those who helped capture them were richly rewarded. Bishop Henares was arrested and beheaded in Nam Dinh on June 25, 1838; the soldiers and villagers who participated in his arrest received generous compensation. St. Dominic Henares is one of an estimated 130,000 to 300,000 Catholics martyred for the faith in Vietnam between the 15th and 20th centuries. They were canonized together by Pope St. John Paul II in 1988. St. Dominic Henares' feast day is June 25, and the collective memorial for 117 of the Vietnamese Martyrs is November 24.
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Thursday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 2 Kings 24:8-17Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign,
and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
His mother's name was Nehushta,
daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
He did evil in the sight of the LORD,
just as his forebears had done. At that time the officials of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,
attacked Jerusalem, and the city came under siege.
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,
himself arrived at the city
while his servants were besieging it.
Then Jehoiachin, king of Judah, together with his mother,
his ministers, officers, and functionaries,
surrendered to the king of Babylon, who,
in the eighth year of his reign, took him captive.
And he carried off all the treasures
of the temple of the LORD and those of the palace,
and broke up all the gold utensils that Solomon, king of Israel,
had provided in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had foretold.
He deported all Jerusalem:
all the officers and men of the army, ten thousand in number,
and all the craftsmen and smiths.
None were left among the people of the land except the poor.
He deported Jehoiachin to Babylon,
and also led captive from Jerusalem to Babylon
the king's mother and wives,
his functionaries, and the chief men of the land.
The king of Babylon also led captive to Babylon
all seven thousand men of the army,
and a thousand craftsmen and smiths,
all of them trained soldiers.
In place of Jehoiachin,
the king of Babylon appointed his uncle Mattaniah king,
and changed his name to Zedekiah. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 79:1b-2, 3-5, 8, 9R. (9) For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
O God, the nations have come into your inheritance;
they have defiled your holy temple,
they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
They have given the corpses of your servants
as food to the birds of heaven,
the flesh of your faithful ones to the beasts of the earth. R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
They have poured out their blood like water
round about Jerusalem,
and there is no one to bury them.
We have become the reproach of our neighbors,
the scorn and derision of those around us.
O LORD, how long? Will you be angry forever?
Will your jealousy burn like fire? R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low. R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name’s sake. R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us. Alleluia John 14:23R. 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 Matthew 7:21-29Jesus said to his disciples:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day,
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?
Did we not drive out demons in your name?
Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’
Then I will declare to them solemnly,
‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’ “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined.” When Jesus finished these words,
the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority,
and not as their scribes.
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Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ!
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From Word Among Us WAU.org
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Daily Meditation: Matthew
7:21-29 The winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse.
(Matthew 7:25) If you wanted to build a home in a flood-prone area, you’d probably do just what the wise man in today’s Gospel did. You’d build on a strong, sturdy foundation that could withstand surging waters. So how much more important is it to be prepared for the “floods” of life—those storms that come to all of us! But what constitutes a strong foundation for a good, stable life? Solid financial footing? A vigorous exercise and diet routine? A happy family living in the home you’ve always dreamed of? These are all good pursuits. But as Jesus shows, even these can be washed away, leaving us with very little to cling to. Instead, Jesus says, “these words of mine” form the deepest, strongest, and most reliable foundation we could ever know (Matthew 7:24). Listening to them and acting on them—that’s the way to survive anything that life might throw at us. These words of mine. For the past three chapters of his Gospel, Matthew has been giving us Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7): Be poor in spirit. Hunger and thirst for righteousness. Stop judging. Turn the other cheek. Treat everyone as you want to be treated. Pray, fast, and give alms—but do it in secret. Seek first the kingdom of God. That might seem like a lot to keep track of, and in one sense, it is! But here is one way you can make progress. Today is the final day of more than two weeks of Mass readings from Jesus’ sermon. Consider taking time today to slowly read over these words of Jesus a few times. As you do, see if the Holy Spirit highlights a verse or two that seems to speak directly to you. If something sticks out, sit with it for a few moments. Is there something that God is asking you to focus on? Is there some action he is asking you to take? Some sin to confess? Some change he wants you to make? Write down whatever comes to mind and see how you can live it out more fully. Know that as you do, you’ll be taking that next step of building on the solid, reliable foundation of Jesus’ words. “Lord, help me to build my life on you alone!” 2 Kings 24:8-17
Psalm 79:1-5, 8-9
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Reflections with Brother Adrian:
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From today's Holy Gospel: ".....Many will say to me on that day,
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?
Did we not drive out demons in your name?
Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’
Then I will declare to them solemnly,
‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’ “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.... ”
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From Bishop Robert Barron: "In Jesus’s parable, both builders, the one who follows the commands of God and the one who doesn’t, experience the rain and the floods that symbolize all the trials and temptations and difficulties at the surface of life. But if at the very center of your life you are linked with God—that power that is here and now creating the cosmos—then the storms and floods will come, but they will not destroy you." End quote.
From Roberto Juarez:
"Today Jesus asks us what foundation we are giving to our lives. Listening to the Gospel is not enough. It is not enough to admire him. It is not enough to know him. It is necessary to live it. Because only a life built on Christ remains when storms come. Let us ask the Lord to grant us the wisdom of the prudent man. May we deepen the foundation of our faith a little more every day through prayer, charity, forgiveness and fidelity. And that, when the difficult times come, we can stand firm, not because of our strength, but because our life is resting on the rock that is Christ." End quote.
Many will try to enter Heaven...but will not be strong enough.
Remember that?
Many will arrive saying " let us in! We preached and healed and cast demons on Your name!" And our Lord said to leave! HE said "depart from Me you evil doers!"
Yikes! Now what?
Sounds to me like duplicity...but not from our Lord for He cannot commit evil.
Our Lord can tell from a mile away...a soul with two faces. He can tell who has a pure heart for Him. A sinful soul looks disgusting. But a loving pure soul looks like Him. This is why our Lord asks us to be perfect as our Father... Love.
If there is one scripture that scares me the most...it is today's Gospel.
Because I cast out evil...I preach and I teach...and have been a part of miracle healing events...but that good does not override what is the truth of our heart.
There are priests and bishops burning in hell...Just like all the other countless and lost souls in eternal damnation. Why? They did not know Christ? No...all know.
But not all care. Many don't know...don't care.
And very few are truly in love Jesus our Lord the son of Love.
Very few are truly intimate in the Holy Eucharist...in a date in confession to meet Him at the Altar.
Those who do His every desire....to satisfy His hungry heart.
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Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 103:11–12
[Psalm 103] 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Word of the Lord!
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God Bless You! Peace
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