| "The most deadly poison of our times is indifference. And this happens, although the praise of God should know no limits. Let us strive, therefore, to | | "The most deadly poison of our times is indifference. And this happens, although the praise of God should know no limits. Let us strive, therefore, to praise Him to the greatest extent of our powers."
— St. Maximilian Kolbe MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"There is another reason also why the soul has traveled safely in this obscurity; it has suffered: for the way of suffering is safer, and also more profitable, than that of rejoicing and of action. In suffering God gives strength, but in action and in joy the soul does but show its own weakness and imperfections. And in suffering, the soul practices and acquires virtue, and becomes pure, wiser, and more cautious."
— St. John of the Cross, p. 149
AN EXCERPT FROM
Dark Night of the Soul |
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St. Andrew Kim Taegon MARTYR Feast: September 20 Information:
Feast Day: September 20
Born: August 21, 1821
Died: September 16, 1846
Canonized: 6 May 1984 by Pope John Paul II
Major Shrine: Chŏltusan (Martyr's Mound), Seoul, South Korea
Patron of: Korean Clergy Andrew Kim Tae-gon was born on 21 August 1821, in Chungchong Province, Korea. His parents, being converts to Catholicism, were subject to persecution, to avoid which they moved to Kyonggi Province. At 15 years old, Kim Tae-gon was chosen by a visiting priest to be a seminarian, and was sent with two other seminarians to Macao. He arrived in 1873 and began his studies with the missionaries of the Far Eastern Procure of the Parish Foreign Mission Society. In 1842 Kim Tae-gon left Macao as an interpreter for a French admiral aboard a warship. When the admiral returned to France, Kim Tae-gon tried to return to his homeland through the strictly guarded norther frontier, but he failed. He was ordained a deacon in China in 1844 and managed to return to Korea the next year, arriving in Seoul early in 1845. He then led the French missionaries by sea to Shanghai, where Bishop Ferreol ordained him the first Korean priest in the Church's 60-year history in Korea. He returned to Korea with Bishop Ferreol, reaching Chungchong Province in October of the same year. In his home town and vicinity, he catechized the faithful, until Bishop Ferreol summoned him to Seoul. At the Bishop's command, he tried to introduce French missionaries from China into Korea, enlisting the aid of Chinese fishermen. For this, Father Kim Tae-gon was arrested and sent to the central prison in Seoul, where was charged as the ringleader of a heretical sect and traitor to his country. He was sentenced to death and was beheaded on 16 September 1846. He was beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1925, and canonized by Pope John-Paul II on 6 May 1984. |
Sacred Space
Daily Prayer - 2016-09-20 Presence What is present to me is what has a hold on my becoming.
I reflect on the Presence of God always there in love,
amidst the many things that have a hold on me.
I pause and pray that I may let God
affect my becoming in this precise moment. Freedom By God's grace I was born to live in freedom.
Free to enjoy the pleasures He created for me.
Dear Lord, grant that I may live as You intended,
with complete confidence in Your Loving care. Consciousness In the presence of my loving Creator,
I look honestly at my feelings over the last day,
the highs, the lows and the level ground.
Can I see where the Lord has been present? The Word of God readings audio Reading 1 Prv 21:1-6, 10-13 Like a stream is the king's heart in the hand of the LORD;
wherever it pleases him, he directs it. All the ways of a man may be right in his own eyes,
but it is the LORD who proves hearts. To do what is right and just
is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. Haughty eyes and a proud heart–
the tillage of the wicked is sin. The plans of the diligent are sure of profit,
but all rash haste leads certainly to poverty. Whoever makes a fortune by a lying tongue
is chasing a bubble over deadly snares. The soul of the wicked man desires evil;
his neighbor finds no pity in his eyes. When the arrogant man is punished, the simple are the wiser;
when the wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge. The just man appraises the house of the wicked:
there is one who brings down the wicked to ruin. He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor
will himself also call and not be heard. Responsorial Psalm Ps 119:1, 27, 30, 34, 35, 44
R. (35) Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
Blessed are they whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD. R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
Make me understand the way of your precepts,
and I will meditate on your wondrous deeds. R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
The way of truth I have chosen;
I have set your ordinances before me. R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
Give me discernment, that I may observe your law
and keep it with all my heart. R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
Lead me in the path of your commands,
for in it I delight. R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
And I will keep your law continually,
forever and ever. R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands. Alleluia Lk 11:28
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are those who hear the word of God
and observe it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 8:19-21 The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him
but were unable to join him because of the crowd.
He was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside
and they wish to see you."
He said to them in reply, "My mother and my brothers
are those who hear the word of God and act on it."
Some thoughts on today's scripture ▪ It is worth comparing and contrasting this passage with the parallel passages in Matthew and particularly in Mark. Here the family of the Lord are praised; in Mark they are sidelined. The attitude towards Mary and the family of Jesus developed during the New Testament period; the family of the Lord gains its distinction from hearing the word of God and doing it.
▪ Ask the Lord to help you see the ways you best hear his word and do it and to sharpen your hearing and develop your keenness to follow him.
Conversation What feelings are rising in me as I pray and reflect on God's Word?
I imagine Jesus himself sitting or standing near me and open my heart to 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. |
wau.org
Catholic Meditations
Meditation: Psalm 119:1, 27, 30, 34-35, 44 Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gǒn, Priest, Paul Chǒng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs (Memorial) Lead me in the path of your commands, for in it I delight. (Psalm 119:35) We've all been in situations in which we were being trained for something. Perhaps it was a new job, a lesson in school, or a military commission. In the course of our training, some commands became so internalized that we still follow them years later: "Say please and thank you." "Stand up straight." "Look both ways before you cross the street." They become second nature to us. This is how most commands work. Whether to teach us manners, good habits, or independent living skills, rules are drilled into us so that we won't break them. We probably become thankful for them over time, but rarely would people say that they delight in commands at the moment they are given. But there's one possible exception: guidance given by a revered mentor. This is what makes today's psalm so compelling. The psalmist recognizes that God is the perfect mentor, the perfect parent. He understands that this divine teacher knows his strengths and weaknesses and knows how to help him along. He sees that God's plans are only for his good, that they are lovingly designed to put him on the right path to happiness. It's a path that he can truly delight in. What about you? Can you see God's love in the commands he has given? You don't have an absentee father! Almighty God walks beside you every day; he is always ready to help and teach you and to mold you into his image. He is committed to keeping you on the right path and to showing you how to find delight in his ways. Why does God do all of this? Because he loves you. It's that simple. He considers you worth the time and effort. Today, spend time thanking God for his faithfulness to you. Ask him to show you just one "command" that he wants you to delight in. Is it to serve your family? To spend time with him in prayer? To forgive someone who has hurt you? Embrace this command, confident in your Father's power to transform you. "Father, thank you for never giving up on me! I place myself on the path of your commands today. Teach me, mold me, and empower me so that I can find delight in your will." Proverbs 21:1-6, 10-13
Luke 8:19-21 |
audio-2cents
my2cents: From today's 1st Holy Scripture: " He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor
will himself also call and not be heard." There's a song we sing at Mass sometimes, that says "The Lord Hears The Cry of the Poor" (by Foley), and says, Blessed be the Lord. We are, in this world, are equal in this: in that we are wretched sinners, born of a sinful woman, Eve, and yet redeemed for an eternity by the Lord's doing, in a woman, Mary, the light of the world came to be. For if in the world you see no hope, there is hope, and it came in the womb, yet in the womb, we attempt to play god. Scientists are messing around with embryos making "fatherless" embryos, eliminating, or trying to eliminate the need for the father...and this speaks volumes about our society, seeking to live life without the Father. And so, "he who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call and not be heard".
We prayed today "Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands. Lead me in the path of your commands, for in it I delight." This is what we pray for, and this is why you are reading this...for the guiding light. LOL, wasn't there a soap opera years ago called "Guiding Light"? I laugh because it is a false name, leading people astray, to the ways of TV and not the ways of the Lord...His commands. Delight in His ways, begin to savor, to love His way...and humility will begin to grow.
In the short but most Holy Gospel, the Lord speaks to you and me today "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it." I was playing ball outside for a few minutes with my boys, and I said: "I got to go"
my boy says "but where are you going now?"
"I'm going to meet my brothers at church"
my boy says "but you go every day!"
me, "yes mijo, (my son), when the Lord calls I go...one day you will understand".
And I say this because it is the exact truth. I go to my brothers, and sisters, mother and father. LOL, I think my kids think our church family is more family than our blood family, for they are more familiar with them. I don't have blood brothers, and so to me, meeting cursillo brothers means much. There is where I find Jesus, in a group reunion, in a prayer gathering, in a fellowship with...The Lord. This line is twisted by Protestants declaring "YOU SEE! Mary was not a virgin nor immaculate nor HOLY, for Jesus had brothers and sisters!" LOL, and what about mothers? Why was "mothers" left out? For Jesus said "These are my mothers" too! So what can we learn today? Well, let's not simply learn, but live the Gospel. Once again, the mother of the Lord lost her only Son, this time as an adult, and found Him as He said as a twelve year old child ""Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?".
Why are you anxious?
Why are you nervous?
Why are you losing hope?
Why are you scared?
I AM here...says the Lord.
Last night, a reply to about 20 people I had sent a message to, came "Tired of being a lost child". I knew who it was, a man, a brother in the family that I've been praying for, for several years to be delivered from the chains of alcoholism. He kept on ranting on messages late in the night and I asked him twice to stop group texting. Looking back, I feel like one of those in the crowds telling the blind man to stop yelling to Jesus for attention. But I knew what was coming, people were about to ask me to stop group texting them (my daily prayers) and sure enough, I got someone asking me to remove them from the group. And there was no way of stopping the rants of my alcoholic brother. So I prayed, just like I told him I had been praying for him. LOL, at one point he said something to the group like "Adrian said I was embarrassing him so I'll quit texting, forget the prayers, I'm good, delete my #". " Do you really think I am embarrassed? It takes much for me to get embarrassed...I don't have that much pride...I think. No, I work very hard to get people to feed off daily prayers, and emails and texts, to have people easily say "Get me off this list", it's like back tracking. Inside of me, I wanted him to go on, asking for prayer, because he really does need it. It's like on Sunday at Mass, we finished the last communion song as Father was not done on the Altar. SlLENCE. No music. No noise. Inside of me I was like "This is Good." Let people not used to silence in crowds with the Lord experience it. Let it sink in. This way...we can hear the cry of the poor.
And the Lord speaks |
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