God Makes All Things New God is even now making all things new; the Holy Spirit is truly transforming us, and through us he also wants to transform the world in which we live. Let us open the doors to the Spirit, let us ourselves to be guided by him and allow God's constant help to make us new men and women, inspired by the love of God which the Holy Spirit bestows on us! How beautiful it would be if each of you, every evening, could say: Today at school, at home, at work, guided by God, I showed a sign of love towards one of my friends, my parents, an older person! How beautiful! —from the book Believe in Love: Inspiring Words from Pope Francis | † QUOTE
"Many live like angels in the midst of the world. Why not you?"
— St. Josemaria Escriva † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Many beginners, delighting in the sweetness and joy of their spiritual occupations, strive after spiritual sweetness rather than after purity and discretion, which is that which God regards and accepts in the whole course of the spiritual way. For this reason, over and above their imperfection in seeking after sweetness in devotion, that spirit of gluttony, which has taken possession of them, forces them to overstep the limits of moderation, within which virtue is acquired and consists. . . Inasmuch then as all extremes are vicious, and as in this course of conduct men follow their own will, the consequences are that they grow in vice and not in virtue; at least they minister to their spiritual gluttony and pride, for they do not walk in the way of obedience."
— St. John of the Cross, p. 26
AN EXCERPT FROM
Dark Night of the Soul † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Moreover I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, wickedness was there, and in the place of righteousness, wickedness was there as well. I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for he has appointed a time for every matter, and for every work."
Ecclesiastes 3:16-17 |  click to read more | | STS. CRISPIN AND CRISPINIAN Sts. Crispin and Crispinian (d. 286 A.D.) were brothers, believed to be twins, from a noble Roman family. They were Christians and went as missionaries into Gaul (present-day France). Taking the Apostle St. Paul as their example, they earned their living through a trade, dividing their time between ministry and work. Their craft was shoe-making, and because they asked little pay for their shoes they were loved and esteemed by all. Crispin and Crispinian used their work as an opportunity to share the Christian faith with the pagans they encountered, and many were converted through their witness. During the persecution of the Roman Emperor Diocletian they were denounced as Christians and brought before the co-emperor, Maximanus Herculius. The emperor tried to persuade them to abandon their faith with promises and threats, but to no effect. The brothers were then given over to the governor who was notorious for his cruelty. They were stretched on the rack, their flesh was cut, and awls were driven under their fingernails. They were then thrown into a river with a millstone tied to their necks, but they both miraculously survived and swam back to shore. They were caught and finally beheaded. Crispin and Crispinian are the patron saints of shoemakers, saddlers, and tanners. Their feast, known as St. Crispin's Day, is October 25th. | Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Eph 3:14-21 Brothers and sisters:
I kneel before the Father,
from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory
to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self,
and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;
that you, rooted and grounded in love,
may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones
what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,
so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine,
by the power at work within us,
to him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus
to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Responsorial Psalm Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 11-12, 18-19
R. (5b) The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten stringed lyre chant his praises.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
For upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
But see, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. Alleluia Phil 3:8-9
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I consider all things so much rubbish
that I may gain Christ and be found in him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 12:49-53 Jesus said to his disciples:
"I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided,
three against two and two against three;
a father will be divided against his son
and a son against his father,
a mother against her daughter
and a daughter against her mother,
a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."
| Meditation: Ephesians 3:14-21 29th Week in Ordinary Time I kneel before the Father. (Ephesians 3:14) In the church of first-century Ephesus, a community of Jews and Greeks, prayer was part of the rhythm of life. But for both the groups, praying to God as "Father" would have been a new thing. Greeks would have thought of their gods as powerful but aloof. And Jews related to God in respectful awe as the almighty Creator. So when Paul, a Jew, referred to God using the Greek word pater, it must have been striking. What was he doing? Echoing Jesus' teaching on the Lord's Prayer, Paul was trying to express a whole new understanding of God: he loves us and cares for us as a father loves and cares for his children. Throughout his life, Jesus told his disciples to approach God as Abba, or "Daddy." He astonished them with his own simple intimate conversations with God, and he encouraged them to do the same. In Bethany, at the tomb of his friend Lazarus, Jesus prayed, "Father, I thank you for hearing me, I know that you always hear me" (John 11:41-42). During the agonizing moments before his arrest in Gethsemane, he cried out, "Abba, Father, all things are possible to you" (Mark 14:36). It is in this same spirit that Paul describes kneeling "before the Father" (Ephesians 3:14). And it is in the same spirit that you can talk with God today. It can be hard to think that almighty God cares for you as personally and emotionally as a loving Father, especially if your own experience of family left much to be desired. But you don't have to convince yourself of this truth. You can ask God to convince you instead. The next time you pray the Our Father, pause at the word "Father." Let that truth sink in. Let amazement and gratitude for this truth wash over you. God is your Father. You are made in his image. You are part of his family. Then linger over the rest of the prayer. Close your eyes and imagine yourself sitting with God, your own Father, and saying these words. Imagine the look of love in his eyes as he receives your prayer. Imagine how happy it makes him to hear these words come from your heart. "Thank you, Father, for letting me rest in your loving care." Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 11-12, 18-19
Luke 12:49-53 | 2 cents :
"I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named... know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." Know the love of Christ. They say that the name "Christ" is mentioned about 500 times in the bible. But how many of us know Him? A better question is, how many of us loves Christ? They say love surpasses knowledge. They say people can live off of love more than food. This proves one thing is true, love is more important than what the world offers. | Let us pray: "The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. But the plan of the LORD stands forever; the design of his heart, through all generations. Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he has chosen for his own inheritance." The chosen ones. Since the beginning, even Genesis, it has been all about the "chosen ones" hasn't it? To be a light for all nations, right? To the one entrusted with much, much is expected. | In the Holy Gospel, our Lord said "I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!". I'm going to ask you for a favor before I go on: Pray for us men, we've been gathering all year for this cursillo that starts today, and we will be in cursillo until Sunday. This is a fitting scripture, to set the world ablaze. Set the world on fire with the word on fire. And this fire comes from Heaven. It is a fire in the heart. For this I pray for our men this weekend and for you that took the time for the love of Christ. We have that in common, this burning love of Christ. I want the world to know the love of Christ! But How? How can the world know the love of Christ through me? It should be obvious. It should be constant. It should be known without you even having to say a word. "This guy is a Christian" they should see it on your sleeve, your heart, your look, the way you smile and talk, and handle roughness with gentleness. They should see that you are the meek and not the weak. The weak love sin. The weak hide in darkness. But the strong in grace? They stand out like sore thumbs like a nun walking through the mall. What a weirdo!! I called a young brother I met at daily Mass a weirdo. Weird. Just weird. What kind of twenty year old young man goes to church during the weekday? I go to daily Masses in various cities, and I don't see it. I used to be younger but now am more middle aged, going to daily Mass, so for about 12 years, I've rarely seen it. I hardly see weirdos. The kind that really REALLY love Jesus. Nobody wants to be weird, but many want to be different. What an oxymoron. To be a light to all peoples you have to illuminate and radiate what God lights up with fire in the soul. We are all ready for fire. Would you rather have fires of hell or fire of love? There are different fires to deal with.
Then our Lord strikes us with another apparent oxymoron: "Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division." And He goes on to state how families will be divided. Is there division in families...because of His name? In my family, we were raised together Catholic, but we grew up, and we moved out of our home. One married a non-catholic, an anti-catholic at that. He convinced her to leave the faith. She left. They later divorced after 5 kids, and to this day she is no longer interested in coming back "home", our Mother Faith Church. So, yes, there is division. To this day, their divorce has reeked havoc on our family and I'm sure on their children. What happened and why does it matter? Is it our Lord's fault? Can you pin all bad things on our Lord as the devil does?
Let's put things on the reverse. A person raised in a non-christian family becomes Christian. Hostility ensues. Division occurs. Think of a Muslim turning Christian. Suddenly, everything our Lord says is true, extremely true. But forget that. Nowadays, in your workplace or school or environment, typically, it is anti-Christian. Allbeit, it is not obvious, but it is hostile. Your work family don't want to hear it. Your school buddies don't want to hear it. Division ensues. And sometimes outright hatred. Why? Because you are the light, and children of dark, their eyes hurt when exposed to light. It hurts...until you get used to it.
So keep shining. The heart of Christ shines light on a meek soul. Our Lord causes division because He doesn't fit in our world. The ruler in the world, evil, comes as a false prophet of peace, "if you follow me, you will have no trouble" says the false prophet, the anti-Christ.
But Christ says "Follow ME". Why did God create the world like this? Do you want the answer? What if I told you that you couldn't handle the truth?
The world can't handle the truth in its fullness.
Look at Christ on the cross. That's how we handled the truth. Crucified. Why? So we could rule. So He doesn't rule.
So the question comes back....who then has knowledge or love of Christ? Love is more. Love handles the truth with care. To us, crucifixion is an atrocity. To God? It's a whole other world and a whole other story. It is righteousness. You see? Can we handle the truth? Is it right that God's beautiful Son died a tragic death? Why is there so much evil? The bible says that love abounds. "And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone else, just as our love for you overflows, so that He may establish your hearts in blamelessness and holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints. Amen.… " Thes3:12 If you don't have to love, you don't have to work, or sacrifice. But if you love, you will work and sacrifice yourself. And you will be the light. And you will love Christ. No guts, no glory. Give GLORY TO GOD! | |
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