Roots and Wings The future is in your hands, if you have wings and roots. Have the courage to put on wings, to dream of good things, to dream of a better world, to protest wars. On the other hand, respect the wisdom that you have received from those who are older than you: your parents, your grandparents, the elderly of your country. The future is in your hands. Take the opportunity to make it better. —from The Blessing of Family: Inspiring Words from Pope Francis | ✞Quote
"The blessed lady, Mother of our Savior, may well be called a morning, since before her there was none without sin. After her, the most clear sun Christ Jesus showed his light to the world."
— St. John Fisher ✞ MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"I call upon you, my God, my mercy, who made me, and did not forget me, although I forgot you. I call you into my soul, which you prepare to accept you by the longing that you breathe into it. Do not desert me now when I call upon you, for before I called upon you, you went ahead and helped me, and repeatedly you urged me on by many different words, so that from afar I would hear you, and be converted, and call upon you as you called to me."
— St. Augustine, p. 302
AN EXCERPT FROM
The Confessions of St. Augustine ✞ VERSE OF THE DAY
"In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; God has made the one as well as the other."
Ecclesiastes 7:14a |  click to read more | | ST. BONA OF PISA St. Bona (1156 - 1207 A.D.) was born in Pisa, Italy. She experienced visions at a young age which led her into an ascetical life of penance and fasting. She dedicated herself to God at the early age of ten and became an Augustinian tertiary. At the age of fourteen she went on her first pilgrimage to Jerusalem where her father was fighting in the crusades. On her trip home she was captured and wounded by Muslim pirates and imprisoned, later being rescued by her fellow countrymen. She became fond of making pilgrimages and returned to the Holy Land many times. She also led a large pilgrimage group along the Way of St. James (Santiago de Compostela), a 1,000 mile journey. She had a great devotion to St. James, whom she had seen in a vision as a child. She was named an official guide of the ancient route by the Knights of St. James. St. Bona made the Way of St. James a total of nine times. On her tenth trip she had to return home due to illness, and died soon after. St. Bona of Pisa is the patron saint of travelers, couriers, tour guides, pilgrims, flight attendants, and the city of Pisa. Her feast day is May 29th. | Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 1 Pt 1:10-16 Beloved:
Concerning the salvation of your souls
the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours
searched and investigated it
investigating the time and circumstances
that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated
when it testified in advance
to the sufferings destined for Christ
and the glories to follow them.
It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you
with regard to the things that have now been announced to you
by those who preached the Good News to you
through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven,
things into which angels longed to look. Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, live soberly,
and set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Like obedient children,
do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance
but, as he who called you is holy,
be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct,
for it is written, Be holy because I am holy. Responsorial Psalm Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4
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. Alleluia See Mt 11:25
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 10:28-31 Peter began to say to Jesus,
"We have given up everything and followed you."
Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you,
there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or lands
for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel
who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:
houses and brothers and sisters
and mothers and children and lands,
with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.
But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first."
| 8th Week in Ordinary Time As he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct. (1 Peter 1:15) At any other time in the Church year, we might find this exhortation intimidating. There's no way I can be as holy as Jesus, certainly not in every single thing I do. It's just not humanly possible to get rid of all my selfishness or to love as perfectly as God loves. True enough. This is the humbling place we all occupy as a fallen race of sinners. This is the starting point for each and every one of us, and we should keep it in the forefront of our minds. However, ten days after the great feast of Pentecost, we can hear these words with different ears. God has poured his Spirit into our hearts. This is the Spirit who turned twelve timid people into eager evangelists willing to go wherever God sent them. They even became willing to sacrifice their lives if God granted them the privilege of following in his Son's steps! This is the Spirit who took people who spoke different languages, came from different cultures, and lived in different degrees of wealth and poverty, and knit them into a close community, one in heart and mind, holding "everything in common" (Acts 4:32). This is the Spirit whom we received when we were baptized—the same Spirit who still lives in us and is still eager to fill us with his grace and shape us into Christ's image. Holiness is not an impossible task, a distant vision that lies far beyond our reach. No, it's a gift freely given to us by a gracious and merciful God. In fact, holiness is a Person, the Spirit of a committed Redeemer and Friend who has overcome all sin by his cross. By the gift of Baptism, that holiness, that Person, now dwells in you. Rather than an occasion for anxiety or fear, the call to holiness is a call to rejoice—and a call to embrace the One who can make you holy as he is holy. "Holy Spirit, I set my hope on the grace you poured into my heart at Baptism. Come, Spirit! Clothe me in the holiness of Christ!" Psalm 98:1-4
Mark 10:28-31 | my2cents: Saint Peter says "Like obedient children, do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance but, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct...". In every aspect. Be Holy. The details make the difference. Think of how you treat someone, is it with reverence? Forget respect. God is around. In any hidden soul He desires to be! Let us pray: "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". These words were written perhaps 3,000 years or so ago. They were written for us to read. It was the Holy Spirit in action. It is the words of encouragement we need. Sing, and sing loud, and sing joyfully, living our faith out day by day! In comes the joy of our lives, our Lord Jesus: "Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come." LOL, I thought Saint Peter's words were hard to read, and grasp, so deep, so beyond comprehension and suddenly our Lord takes it 100 times further. Saint Peter our first leader, what is our first Pope asked "what's expected of us that gave up so much? Peter said "we gave up everything to follow you". He wasn't kidding. He was married. He had the family business going. And being married, he probably had kids, and he left his own parents too. But they all did this. They followed Jesus for 3 years, and then for decades followed the Holy Spirit. Until the fulfillment of God's promise would come...eternity. But our Lord says " many that are first will be last, and the last will be first." This is outright scary. Terrible. Our expectations of being paid back for all we have given up, very well may go out the window, if, if we are not true. If we do not remain. For us Catholics, we are living life on the edge. We don't believe in the new "once saved, always saved" theological theory that protestants have made up. We live by the grace of God. They believe weird things they've made up. We believe in the Church set by Christ Himself. Now there are 40 to 50 thousand splits, denominations, different beliefs. Who will be saved?
I believe we will not be able to believe who we will see in Heaven and who we will not be seeing in Heaven. We will be utterly astounded. "And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God" said our Lord Jesus in the Gospel of Luke 13:29. God loves an atheist so much. He knows they don't get to have the Gospels presented to us like we have been spoon fed. They are truly poor. The same for those in dire sin. He knows who led them astray. Who knows, it was probably a bad remark a "follower" had made about them that shot their spirits in the heart. You see? God is in one word "AMAZING". Just this Sunday in Mass, a revealing thought hit me "God made followers, and not followers". My job is to be a follower, and some have jobs to not be followers. What does that mean? It means my job is to make followers, disciples of all nations. They are merely waiting for love...for God, for God who is Love. If they never get it, it is because I never gave it. Gave what? Grace. HUH? God gives grace Mr. Adrian! LOL. Yeah. I know. But I give what God gives. Right? I give blessings. ALOT. I love blessings. The priests' blessings, and especially the ultimate in Holy Sacraments.
You go first....I will follow.
Love You Jesus …....lovelovelo…
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...lovelovelovelove……………….….
...lovelovelovelovelo…………..lovel….
.....lovelovelovelovelove…….…lovelovelo.
.. lovelovelovelovelove…….…lovelovelo.
...lovelovelovelovelove…..…lovelovelo…
..…lovelovelovelovelove..…lovelovelo…
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