The Heart of Jesus Speaks to Us We do not believe in an ethereal God, we believe in a God who became flesh, who has a heart and this heart today speaks to us thus: "Come to me. If you are tired, oppressed and I will give you rest. But the smallest, treat them with compassion, with the same tenderness with which I treat you." The Heart of Jesus Christ says this to us today. —from the book Believe in Love: Inspiring Words from Pope Francis | † QUOTE
"We have been called to heal wounds, to unite what has fallen apart, and to bring home those who have lost their way."
— St. Francis of Assisi † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"I desire trust from My creatures. Encourage souls to place great trust in My fathomless mercy. Let the weak, sinful soul have no fear to approach Me, for even if it had more sins than there are grains of sand in the world, all would be drowned in the unmeasurable depths of My mercy."
— St. Faustina Kowalska, (1059)
AN EXCERPT FROM
Diary of St. Faustina † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. Then many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come."
Matthew 24:9-14 |  click to read more | | ST. MARGARET MARY St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) was born in France to a virtuous and distinguished family. As a child she showed great devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and by the age of 9 was practicing severe penances. In her childhood she became sick with rheumatic fever and was confined to bed for four years. She made a vow to the Blessed Virgin to consecrate herself to the religious life, after which she was instantly healed. She often had visions of Jesus, which she thought was a normal experience in the spiritual life. When she turned 17 her mother insisted that she establish a place for herself in the world. Margaret imagined that her childhood vow was not binding, and persuaded herself that she could serve God while living at home and continuing her penances and charity to the poor. She then joined her brothers at dances and began considering marriage. One day, upon returning home from a carnival ball, Jesus appeared to her and reproached her for her infidelity, reminding her of her promise. Margaret then entered a Visitation convent at the age of 24. Jesus appeared to her frequently, and entrusted to her the mission of establishing devotion to his Sacred Heart during a time when religion in France had grown rigorous and cold. Because of her visions she was greatly persecuted by those around her, until her virtue under suffering won over her enemies. Her visions were determined to be genuine and officially recognized by the Catholic Church 75 years after her death. Her feast day is October 16th. | Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Gal 5:1-6 Brothers and sisters:
For freedom Christ set us free;
so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. It is I, Paul, who am telling you
that if you have yourselves circumcised,
Christ will be of no benefit to you.
Once again I declare to every man who has himself circumcised
that he is bound to observe the entire law.
You are separated from Christ,
you who are trying to be justified by law;
you have fallen from grace.
For through the Spirit, by faith, we await the hope of righteousness.
For in Christ Jesus,
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything,
but only faith working through love. Responsorial Psalm Ps 119:41, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48
R. (41a) Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
Let your mercy come to me, O LORD,
your salvation according to your promise.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
Take not the word of truth from my mouth,
for in your ordinances is my hope.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will keep your law continually,
forever and ever.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will walk at liberty,
because I seek your precepts.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will delight in your commands,
which I love.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will lift up my hands to your commands
and meditate on your statutes.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord. Alleluia Heb 4:12
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 11:37-41 After Jesus had spoken,
a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home.
He entered and reclined at table to eat.
The Pharisee was amazed to see
that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.
The Lord said to him, "Oh you Pharisees!
Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.
You fools!
Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
But as to what is within, give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you."
| Meditation: Galatians 5:1-6 Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin (Optional Memorial) For freedom Christ set us free. (Galatians 5:1) Imagine if every time you got in your car, you consulted a big, heavy book that explained the many rules of the road. That would make driving pretty difficult, wouldn't it? As it is, you already know the traffic laws. You probably even know the unwritten rules of driving etiquette. In fact, if you've been driving for any length of time, most of these laws have become instinctive. The Galatian Christians were dealing with a similar issue. Paul warned that they were taking their observance of the Law of Moses to an unhealthy extreme. They had lost sight of the fact that through his cross and resurrection, Jesus had fulfilled the just requirements of the Law. Circumcision was no longer necessary; what was necessary instead was "faith working through love," the evidence of a life transformed by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:6). Although we live in different times, we can still fall into a similar trap. We may not be concerned about Jewish ritual law, but there are plenty of other ways we can think that God's grace isn't enough to set us free. Maybe we think that we need to work extra hard to get his attention and approval. Maybe we treat Mass superstitiously, thinking that showing up every Sunday will guarantee us a place in heaven. Or perhaps we judge other people as worthy or unworthy based on our own criteria instead of seeing them through the eyes of divine mercy and love. All of these attitudes run contrary to the heart of the gospel message: Jesus has given his life for our sins, and he has given us his Spirit to empower us to live a new life. Wherever that Spirit is, there is freedom! Freedom from condemnation and fear. Freedom to live in love and to walk in peace. We don't have to be absolutely perfect. Rather, we can accept our redemption as a gift freely given—and we can freely give our lives back to the Father in return. "Lord, I praise you for your love! As I look at you on the cross, I rejoice in the grace you have poured out. Thank you, Jesus, for setting me free!" Psalm 119:41, 43-45, 47-48
Luke 11:37-41 | my2cents:
Saint Paul says "You are separated from Christ, you who are trying to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace." People know the laws. They are written in the heart. Those who have fallen from grace say they don't need church. They say they are good. They say they don't kill anybody. They say they don't steal. And the same goes for those who go to church. They say they are good people. Just like the Pharisees. But the law isn't the only thing that's necessary for salvation, for eternal life...with our Lord. There is more. Let us pray: "Let your mercy come to me, O Lord. Let your mercy come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise." It seems though, people, we forget mercy. Merciless we become whence we deviate from our Lord. Jesus' life and repeated words seem to say "I desire mercy, not sacrifice". Go and learn He says. Learn before you die. Learn what this means, and perhaps you'll catch a glimpse of humility on your way. I'd love to be humble. But I'm a wretch, a ball of stress, a worry wart, someone who says he believes, but perhaps believes more in the law, than.... In comes our Lord: "Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools!" What's crazy is that Pharisees were supposed to be the "good Jews" according to themselves. It would be I'd say, like those faithful church-goers. People who do everything according to the law. And then our Lord calls us fools! Why would He call us fools? Because, we are fooled. We fool ourselves. And we talk ourselves into living a lifestyle we are comfortable with. One with not so much suffering. One where we don't look bad. One where we ... sacrifice others and other things other than...ourselves. Fools is right. God is right. And He goes on: "Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you."
Where is mercy in this verse? He is mercy. Mercy is talking. He is talking about what's inside, the cup. Inside of you. What is within...give. Give alms. Then you will be made clean. These people were hoarding. Hoarders take stuff in, never put stuff out. Right? Isn't that how we are? Just want things and want things. I want this, and I want that. Right? Give me, gimmee gimmee. Right? Isn't that how we are? I want to feel better, I want my bills to be paid, I want stability, I want my relationships to be great, I want ....and the list goes on and on. Right? Fools. WHAT?? Give. Give alms. What are alms? Giving to the needy. Giving to the ones in need. Giving period. But what if I told you that....God needs. You heard it right. God's needs. What does God need? Give. Give first to God. Why? Why does God need you to give first to Him? Give Him something to work with. Give Him your sins. He can deal with it, once you have a clean heart, a clean slate. Give Him then, something valuable, something you treasure so much. Give Him some time. See what He can do with it. Give Him a break. Some of us don't even give Him a break. See what He can do with it. This means so much. It could be faith. It could be a chance for real faith. Give to the needy. They wouldn't ask if they didn't need. I know it's hard to give. But just do it. Give Him thanks for the hardships. Give. Be merciful with God. Give Him a little mercy and see what He can do with it. He can make something out of nothing, but some of us won't even give that. The world has many fooled. Tricked into an abortion mentality that stems from hoarding, that stems from greediness, that stems from pride.
I think the greatest revelation in Heaven will be something we long to see in the world...humility. "What is humble?", my boy asked me during a retreat a few weeks ago. I said "let me find out and get back with you". I'm looking for humility, I'm looking for heaven, and I keep looking to Jesus. I think I see something, but I can't make it out with all the muck in the world. I think I catch a glimpse of it, but I'm stuck in the muck. I go to confession, I go to daily Mass, and I can't look beyond myself to see Him. It is a real struggle...to give. Isn't it? I do alot of lawful things, I love the laws, but I can't seem to give alms to God. How can I give alms to God rightfully? This heart of mine...it is really His.
Isn't it? I want to possess it, that's the story of humanity. How can I give back to God what I hold so dear? Glimpses of heaven are shown through great acts of love. There is no greater love than the love of Christ.
Do you love Christ?
Don't answer me. Just live out the answer. Let the world see it with their very eyes. Mother Teresa loved Christ in the poorest of the poor. They say Jesus loved to reach out to sinners. They say Jesus wanted us to keep the orphans and widows at the forefront. Why? What's missing from a widow? A husband, and a Father to the orphans. Love. Be that what is missing in the world today. Love the truth, for that hanging on to Him makes us shine like the stars at night. That light on tells Him, "I'm here for you". No matter what | |
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