Learn to Say, 'I'm Sorry' Let us learn to acknowledge our mistakes and to ask for forgiveness: "Forgive me if today I raised my voice." "I'm sorry if I passed without greeting you." "Excuse me if I was late…if this week I was very silent…if I spoke too much without ever listening." "Excuse me; I forgot." "I'm sorry I was angry and I took it out on you."… Don't let a day end without asking forgiveness, without peace returning to our home, to our family. —from Believe in Love: Inspiring Words from Pope Francis | † QUOTE
"Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth—in a word, to know himself—so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves."
— Pope St. John Paul II † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"We live in a fallen world. We must therefore work out our destiny under the conditions created by sin. Did we but realize this truth, we would accept each of life's trying changes in the same spirit in which we accept the penance from the confessor. Were we truly convinced that our hope of pardon, and consequently our salvation, depends upon repentance, we would willingly undergo all the sufferings of life's warfare."
— John A. Kane, p. 81
AN EXCERPT FROM
How to Make a Good Confession † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful."
Hebrews 10:23 |  click to read more | | BLESSED JOHN HENRY NEWMAN Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801–1890) was the eldest of six children born to a nominal Protestant family in London, England. As a child he loved reading the Scriptures, and experienced a conversion to Christianity at the age of 15. He became a brilliant academic, an extremely influential Oxford scholar, and an Anglican priest. He was a leader in what was called the "Oxford movement" which argued for a revival of traditional religious practice in the Church of England. Once anti-Catholic in his religious sentiments, then common in England, John was increasingly impacted by the Church Fathers and other Catholic writers. His theological views gradually aligned with the Catholic Church in opposition to Anglican doctrine. Through his continued study of Church history he became unable to remain a Protestant in good faith. He made the decision to convert to Catholicism in 1845, which exposed him to much ridicule in his academic and religious circles. Two years later he was ordained a Catholic priest in Rome, and was made Cardinal in 1879. John Henry Newman is remembered for his influential writings on theology and philosophy as well as his founding of the famous London Oratory. Newman wrote 40 books and 21,000 letters with themes of profound influence on the Second Vatican Council, making him one of the most important theologians of his day. His most famous work is his Apologia in which he defends his conversion to the truth of the Catholic Church. His feast day is October 9th. | Tuesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Gal 1:13-24 Brothers and sisters:
You heard of my former way of life in Judaism,
how I persecuted the Church of God beyond measure
and tried to destroy it,
and progressed in Judaism
beyond many of my contemporaries among my race,
since I was even more a zealot for my ancestral traditions.
But when he, who from my mother's womb had set me apart
and called me through his grace,
was pleased to reveal his Son to me,
so that I might proclaim him to the Gentiles,
I did not immediately consult flesh and blood,
nor did I go up to Jerusalem
to those who were Apostles before me;
rather, I went into Arabia and then returned to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas
and remained with him for fifteen days.
But I did not see any other of the Apostles,
only James the brother of the Lord.
(As to what I am writing to you, behold,
before God, I am not lying.)
Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.
And I was unknown personally to the churches of Judea
that are in Christ;
they only kept hearing that "the one who once was persecuting us
is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy."
So they glorified God because of me. Responsorial Psalm Ps 139:1b-3, 13-14ab, 14c-15
R. (24b) Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
O LORD, you have probed me and you know me;
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Truly you have formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother's womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
My soul also you knew full well;
nor was my frame unknown to you
When I was made in secret,
when I was fashioned in the depths of the earth.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way. Alleluia Lk 11:28
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are those who hear the word of God
and observe it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 10:38-42 Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
"Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply,
"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her."
| Meditation: Galatians 1:13-24 Saint Denis, Bishop, and Companions, Martyrs (Optional Memorial) God . . . was pleased to reveal his Son to me. (Galatians 1:15-16) Relationships are built on communication. Friendships, marriages, and even business partnerships grow when we share our thoughts and ideas with each other. St. Paul's relationship with Jesus began with a question: "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" (Acts 9:4). That encounter changed everything. Paul had been a zealous persecutor of the Church, but now he realized he was on the wrong side of God's plan. He needed time so that he could grow into his new relationship with Christ. So instead of "consulting flesh and blood," he spent three years studying the Hebrew Scriptures again and learning to find Jesus in them (Galatians 1:16, 18). God wants to build a relationship with you too. He wants to reveal his Son to you in a way that is unique to you. Whether you have been close to him for years or only came to know him yesterday, he wants to deepen and increase the bond between you and him. You probably can't dedicate three years to be alone with God. But you can step aside from your ordinary activities each day to spend time alone with him. You can get into the habit of talking to Jesus about the things that interest you or matter to you. You can ask him how he thinks, how he sees you, or what he wants to do in your life. As you do, pay attention to what stirs in your heart and mind. Pay attention to the thoughts that stir in your memory, imagination, or emotions. Write down what you think God may be saying to you so that you can go back and reflect on it later. It's not just in this special alone time with the Lord that you can deepen your relationship with him. Look for moments throughout your day when you can have short heart-to-heart conversations with him—maybe in the car as you're driving, during your lunch break, or before you close your eyes at night. God knows the best way to reveal his Son to you, just as he did for Paul. So find the time to be alone with Jesus, and then listen. He has so much to tell you! "Father, thank you for revealing your Son to me. Help me to know him more each day." Psalm 139:1-3, 13-15
Luke 10:38-42 | my2cents: "But when he, who from my mother's womb had set me apart and called me through his grace...." chose to reveal Himself. It is mind boggling, this God, this creator, this Father of ours. Your little mind can not wrap itself around what or who He truly is. Even the word "amazing" falls flat on its face. Our bodies can not contain all His grace and wisdom, and power and love. But, a simple ray gives life. And they say there is lots of light in Heaven. Light always shining. Light always giving life. Unlike in the world where half is in darkness. A light shown around Saul. Saul becomes Paul. That's a simple example of how this light works. It is Jesus. It is amazing. It is a twinkling light that makes time stop. He knows children before they are born. He knows where they will go and who He will call. Our call is to protect these unborn children. To give light. In spanish, to give birth is to give light. Priests give light in Baptism. We are children of the light. Let us pray: " Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way. Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb. I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made; wonderful are your works." My inmost being? To be. That is what it is like in Heaven. God is being. Strange notions. But God formed my inmost being. The soul. How it is en-capsuled in this body is a marvel. The body is animated by the soul. What goes into the soul, therefore, matters. Feeding souls. Hungry souls need salvation. We as God's angelic people, are called to help feed souls. Hungry souls can't and won't ask for food. They are simply down and out. They can't provide for themselves. Not here, and not in the hereafter. Read the book "Hungry Souls" to understand this. A hungry soul needs prayer and reaching and a touch of love. A hungry soul starves for...Christ. In comes our Lord our savior the Christ: " Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. " Martha welcomed our Lord into her home. Our Lord accepts the invitation. And I bet there was a group all around Him and her relatives. It was a feast. There was one to prepare the feast, Martha. Now she had invited the Lord, now she left Him alone. Have you ever invited a special guest and left them alone at the party? What kind of host does that? Don't you invite someone to be with them? How many of us invite our Lord into our lives but we aren't really with Him? He's just there. Like a pet. Like an ornament. Like a supposed big deal for people to see but.....you're not there. She comes after her sister Mary for help. Mary won't budge. Martha complains to our Lord. Really, truly, deeply in Martha's heart, she wishes she could be like Mary, but she can't. She can't sit there at the feet of Jesus, and admire Him, and be connected with Him in a special way. I bet Martha said "I've got to serve them food, it's the right thing to do". But. But what about what Jesus comes to feed? We didn't hear that He told Martha to rush off to make food. What about you? Do you spend much time worrying? Are you "anxious about many things"? LOL, if you are like me, I bet you have been and maybe you still are!
MARTHA MARTHA.
You need a slap to the face. The kind that Bishops used to do at Confirmation. The kind that awakens the love of Jesus like a martyr.
Snap out of it!
What about Jesus? WHat about faith? What are you stressing out about? Is your problem greater than God? Is your sin greater than HE? No. Impossible. But we give air to such flames.
Flames of fury and anguish, and sometimes these lead to destruction.
Destruction of homes, of lives. Simply because one gives up...on Christ.
What happened to the light in Martha's home?
It was there. He was there. She was away from the light.
Mary was shining in the light of God's love and life. Now back to you. Is the light in your home too? Jesus.
Will you spend time with Him there? Isn't your body a home? A temple?
A Carmelite abbot, monk, Fr. Fabian gave us men a talk in his small church sitting down, transferred from his wheelchair. He mentioned how clean the church should always be. God's temple. Clean for our Lord. Why wasn't Martha ready for Christ? Why was she out of oil? Why would you invite Christ and not be there for Him? If He really is that important. If He really matters. I won't be mad at you if you love Jesus more than me. Because if you love Him more than me, you will show me how to love Him that much more. These are signs of the Kingdom of Heaven.
There are times when I feel like I'm constantly fighting people's wills and ideals. They lose their faith it seems. They fade away from the light. I'm begging them and praying for them. How can I do this? By remaining.
Remain faithful and true.
That is what the 2nd coming will be like. Faithful and True.
Faithful and true is Jesus.
Be faithful to love.
Be true to Him.
Where have you been all this time Martha? Be true to self and be true to Him.
You will find the light to be one of joy and peace. One where faith abounds and marvelous deeds await. Let's meet at the feet of Jesus | |
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