Minute Meditations
| Faith is Trusting |  | |
| Like Peter, we are being called out of the security of our worldly boats into the waters of Jesus’s life. As we grow in discipleship, the Lord will repeatedly call us to trust in his ability to handle every part of our lives. | ||
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St. Didacus
(1400-1463)
Didacus is living proof that God "chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong" (1 Corinthians 1:27).
As a young man in Spain, Didacus joined the Secular Franciscan Order and lived for some time as a hermit. After Didacus became a Franciscan brother, he developed a reputation for great insight into God’s ways. His penances were heroic. He was so generous with the poor that the friars sometimes grew uneasy about his charity.
Didacus volunteered for the missions in the Canary Islands and labored there energetically and profitably. He was also the superior of a friary there.
In 1450 he was sent to Rome to attend the canonization of St. Bernardine of Siena. When many friars gathered for that celebration fell sick, Didacus stayed in Rome for three months to nurse them. After he returned to Spain, he pursued a life of contemplation full-time. He showed the friars the wisdom of God’s ways.
As he was dying, Didacus looked at a crucifix and said: "O faithful wood, O precious nails! You have borne an exceedingly sweet burden, for you have been judged worthy to bear the Lord and King of heaven" (Marion A. Habig, O.F.M., The Franciscan Book of Saints, p. 834).
San Diego, California, is named for this Franciscan, who was canonized in 1588.
Comment:
We cannot be neutral about genuinely holy people. We either admire them or we consider them foolish. Didacus is a saint because he used his life to serve God and God’s people. Can we say the same for ourselves?
We cannot be neutral about genuinely holy people. We either admire them or we consider them foolish. Didacus is a saint because he used his life to serve God and God’s people. Can we say the same for ourselves?
Quote:
"He was born in Spain with no outstanding reputation for learning but was like our first teachers and leaders unlettered as men count wisdom, an unschooled person, a humble lay brother in religious life. [God chose Didacus] to show in him the abundant riches of his grace to lead many on the way of salvation by the holiness of his life and by his example and to prove over and over to a weary old world almost decrepit with age that God's folly is wiser than men, and his weakness is more powerful than men" (Bull of Canonization).
"He was born in Spain with no outstanding reputation for learning but was like our first teachers and leaders unlettered as men count wisdom, an unschooled person, a humble lay brother in religious life. [God chose Didacus] to show in him the abundant riches of his grace to lead many on the way of salvation by the holiness of his life and by his example and to prove over and over to a weary old world almost decrepit with age that God's folly is wiser than men, and his weakness is more powerful than men" (Bull of Canonization).
Saint of the DayLives, Lessons and Feast
By Leonard Foley, O.F.M.; revised by Pat McCloskey, O.F.M.
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Presence
Dear Jesus, today I call on you in a special way.
Mostly I come asking for favours.
Today I'd like just to be in Your presence.
Let my heart respond to Your Love.
Freedom
Consciousness
Mostly I come asking for favours.
Today I'd like just to be in Your presence.
Let my heart respond to Your Love.
Freedom
"In these days, God taught me
as a schoolteacher teaches a pupil" (Saint Ignatius).
I remind myself that there are things God has to teach me yet,
and ask for the grace to hear them and let them change me.
as a schoolteacher teaches a pupil" (Saint Ignatius).
I remind myself that there are things God has to teach me yet,
and ask for the grace to hear them and let them change me.
Consciousness
I exist in a web of relationships - links to nature, people, God. I trace out these links, giving thanks for the life that flows through them.
Some links are twisted or broken: I may feel regret, anger, disappointment. I pray for the gift of acceptance and forgiveness.
The Word of God
Conversation
Conclusion
And this is Love
adrian
Some links are twisted or broken: I may feel regret, anger, disappointment. I pray for the gift of acceptance and forgiveness.
The Word of God
Reading 1 phil 3:17-4:1
Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers and sisters,
and observe those who thus conduct themselves
according to the model you have in us.
For many, as I have often told you
and now tell you even in tears,
conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Their end is destruction.
Their God is their stomach;
their glory is in their “shame.”
Their minds are occupied with earthly things.
But our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified Body
by the power that enables him also
to bring all things into subjection to himself.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord, beloved.
and observe those who thus conduct themselves
according to the model you have in us.
For many, as I have often told you
and now tell you even in tears,
conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Their end is destruction.
Their God is their stomach;
their glory is in their “shame.”
Their minds are occupied with earthly things.
But our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified Body
by the power that enables him also
to bring all things into subjection to himself.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord, beloved.
Responsorial Psalm ps 122:1-2, 3-4ab, 4cd-5
R. (1) Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
“We will go up to the house of the LORD.”
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
“We will go up to the house of the LORD.”
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Gospel lk 16:1-8
Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward
who was reported to him for squandering his property.
He summoned him and said,
‘What is this I hear about you?
Prepare a full account of your stewardship,
because you can no longer be my steward.’
The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do,
now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me?
I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg.
I know what I shall do so that,
when I am removed from the stewardship,
they may welcome me into their homes.’
He called in his master’s debtors one by one.
To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’
He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note.
Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’
Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’
He replied, ‘One hundred measures of wheat.’
He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note;
write one for eighty.’
And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.
For the children of this world
are more prudent in dealing with their own generation
than the children of light.”
who was reported to him for squandering his property.
He summoned him and said,
‘What is this I hear about you?
Prepare a full account of your stewardship,
because you can no longer be my steward.’
The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do,
now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me?
I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg.
I know what I shall do so that,
when I am removed from the stewardship,
they may welcome me into their homes.’
He called in his master’s debtors one by one.
To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’
He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note.
Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’
Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’
He replied, ‘One hundred measures of wheat.’
He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note;
write one for eighty.’
And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.
For the children of this world
are more prudent in dealing with their own generation
than the children of light.”
Conversation
What is stirring in me as I pray? Am I consoled, troubled, left cold? I imagine Jesus himself standing or sitting at my side, and share my feelings with him.
Conclusion
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,
world without end.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,
world without end.
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31st Week in Ordinary Time
Join with others in being imitators of me. (Philippians 3:17)
What an odd thing for Paul to say! Why should we try to emulate him, a mere mortal, when we have the example of Jesus, the perfect Son of God, right before us?
Clearly, we should never elevate Paul—or Peter or Mary or anyone else—above the Lord. Only Jesus can draw us into union with God. In fact, Paul’s letters show that he could sometimes be cranky, temperamental, and strong-willed as he founded churches and tackled various challenges that these new churches faced.
But despite these flaws—or maybe through dealing with them—Paul learned how to come into the presence of God. He learned how to bring his needs to the Lord, and he learned how to let the Spirit soften his harder edges. He never stopped pursuing Jesus, asking for “the power of his resurrection” to help him become more like Christ. (Philippians 3:10).
So yes, it is a good idea to imitate Paul! In his quest to become one with the Lord, he walked a path that we all can follow. What’s more, his letters are filled with clues that can help us find the Lord.
Take today’s reading, for example. Paul laments those whose “minds are occupied with earthly things” (Philippians 3:19). If we want to find the Lord, we need to lift up our hearts. We need to take time every day to quiet our many concerns, fears, and responsibilities so that we can hear the Spirit’s gentle whisper in our hearts.
Paul also told the Galatians, “Stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). We too can stand firm against temptation so that sin doesn’t cast a cloud over our hearts and keep us from experiencing God’s love.
He also told Timothy, “God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7). You have the Holy Spirit! And that Spirit wants to lift you to heaven! So seek him, trust in him, rely on him, and he will lead you to Christ.
There are so many other lessons Paul has to teach us. Take a chapter of one of his letters today and see how many you can find.
“Lord, I want to know you and the power of the resurrection more each day. Come and fill me with your presence.”
Psalm 122:1-5; Luke 16:1-8
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My2cents:
My2cents:
At our co-worker bible study couple days ago, i'm kind of the leading facilitator, I put the readings up on a flatscreen tv through my phone through the Laudate app, and we discuss the readings. The older man, a father of two others there said that like building that tower, we got to build on a foundation. That's when I asked the question to all, "so what are we building or basing our whole lives on as the foundation of our lives?" Pablo, in RCIA, kept saying the answers but I wouldn't say nothing and the others kept on thinking and saying things that were not what I was waiting to hear. Of course, me and you know the answers, but not everyone knows the answer. We are to build our lives on the stone that the architects rejected. This is hope for you and me. Rejected? So was Jesus. Despised? So was Jesus. Abandoned? So was Jesus, and He supposedly had thousands of followers...right? Really, one was true, His Mother. It was interesting to hear the opening words of today's saint reading, and they were the exact ones David Cook said in our pro-life banquet dinner benefitting our local Life Centers. He wrote the book and did the movie 7 Days in Utopia, which in the end invites you to base your life on Jesus, accepting Jesus in your life. The words were from Corinthians "God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong" (1 Corinthians 1:27).
Let's go back to the co-workers. They are more raised in the world than with the children of light. I almost broke out in tears like St. Paul says today, telling them that I have been very tempted to drop my cross, leave it, and the cross was of having to sit there with them for months going on couple years and see no change, but it is not a choice for the choice has been chosen by God, "I have renewed my vow to continue with you because God loves you, He brought you from where you were to be here with me now, I know He wants you, I know He loves you" and I pointed to each man there and I think it got across to them. Why is it that we are so prudent in things of the world, we get what we want, a meal, a lover, have fun, but when it comes to being children of the light, well gosh darn it, things are just TOO HARD, and then we give all the credit to the devil for making things so darn hard. LOL. The devil must be like "whoa, thanks for giving me all the undue credit!! I'll TAKE IT!".
The Psalm we prayed says it all, an invitation of our Lord with angels "Let US GO rejoicing to the House of the Lord". Yet, how many of us are thrilled to go to Church? LOL, not too many. My kids asked me last night, "when is Ultreya? Next week?" The look forward to that particular church gathering, perhaps to play with other kids but mostly because they are where God wants them to be, running free in the presence of the Lord. That's where God is inviting us to this very day. Dress up, with your nicest clothes to CELEBRATE the Holy Mass. Clean up, first from the inside. Empty yourself because He is going to fill you with more than you can handle. Lets get smart with things of God. Let's get involved and excited about it. There is nothing holding you back but you. Isn't it true?
Yet you are children of the light. Called to be astute in matters of the Kingdom of God. Just like my brother in law kept blurting out the answers of what to base our foundation on, the message is being said to us over and over, base your life on Christ. Base your marriage on Christ. Base your job on Christ. Base your relationships with one another on Christ. Base your health on Christ. Base your wealth on Christ. Because ultimately, we are to base our SOUL on Christ.
Yet you are children of the light. Called to be astute in matters of the Kingdom of God. Just like my brother in law kept blurting out the answers of what to base our foundation on, the message is being said to us over and over, base your life on Christ. Base your marriage on Christ. Base your job on Christ. Base your relationships with one another on Christ. Base your health on Christ. Base your wealth on Christ. Because ultimately, we are to base our SOUL on Christ.
And this is Love
adrian
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