Hold a Space in Your Heart for the World Hold a space in your heart for the world. We're all ancestors of future generations who hope we'll build the fire that can be seen in the distance. All of us, each one of us, traveling together on the one road. And if we took responsibility for the world into our own hearts, what might happen? —from the book Stars at Night: When Darkness Unfolds as Night | †Saint Quote
"In this life our lot is not to enjoy God, but to do his holy will."
— St. Teresa of Avila † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"I desire that you know more profoundly the love that burns in My Heart for souls, and you will understand this when you meditate upon My Passion. Call upon My mercy on behalf of sinners; I desire their salvation. When you say this prayer, with a contrite heart and with faith on behalf of some sinner, I will give him the grace of conversion. This is the prayer: 'O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You.' "
— St. Faustina Kowalska, p. 186-7
AN EXCERPT FROM
Diary of St. Faustina † VERSE OF THE DAY
"For it is written, 'As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.' So then, each of us will be accountable to God."
Romans 14:11-12 |  click to read more | | Saint Didacus (c. 1400 – November 12, 1463) Didacus is living proof that God "chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong." As a young man in Spain, Didacus joined the Secular Franciscan Order and lived for some time as a hermit. After Didacus became a Franciscan brother, he developed a reputation for great insight into God's ways. His penances were heroic. He was so generous with the poor that the friars sometimes grew uneasy about his charity. Didacus volunteered for the missions in the Canary Islands and labored there energetically and profitably. He was also the superior of a friary there. In 1450, he was sent to Rome to attend the canonization of Saint Bernardine of Siena. When many of the friars gathered for that celebration fell ill, Didacus stayed in Rome for three months to nurse them. After he returned to Spain, he pursued a life of contemplation full-time. He showed the friars the wisdom of God's ways. As he was dying, Didacus looked at a crucifix and said: "O faithful wood, O precious nails! You have borne an exceedingly sweet burden, for you have been judged worthy to bear the Lord and King of heaven" (Marion A. Habig, OFM, The Franciscan Book of Saints, p. 834). San Diego, California, is named for this Franciscan, who was canonized in 1588. Reflection
We cannot be neutral about genuinely holy people. We either admire them or we consider them foolish. Didacus is a saint because he used his life to serve God and God's people. Can we say the same for ourselves? | Wednesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Phil 2:12-18 My beloved, obedient as you have always been,
not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent,
work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
For God is the one who, for his good purpose,
works in you both to desire and to work.
Do everything without grumbling or questioning,
that you may be blameless and innocent,
children of God without blemish
in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,
among whom you shine like lights in the world,
as you hold on to the word of life,
so that my boast for the day of Christ may be
that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
But, even if I am poured out as a libation
upon the sacrificial service of your faith,
I rejoice and share my joy with all of you.
In the same way you also should rejoice and share your joy with me. Responsorial Psalm Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14
R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Alleluia 1 Pt 4:14
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you,
for the Spirit of God rests upon you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 14:25-33 Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,
and he turned and addressed them,
"If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple.
Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion?
Otherwise, after laying the foundation
and finding himself unable to finish the work
the onlookers should laugh at him and say,
'This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.'
Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down
and decide whether with ten thousand troops
he can successfully oppose another king
advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?
But if not, while he is still far away,
he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.
In the same way,
everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple."
| Catholic Meditations
Meditation: Philippians 2:12-18 31st Week in Ordinary Time Even if I am poured out . . . ,I rejoice. (Philippians 2:17) When Paul says he is being poured out, he means that he has given his life to the mission of spreading the gospel. Now, as he writes from his prison cell, he is readying himself for his final act of pouring himself out: giving up his life as a martyr. We have all poured ourselves out at one time or another. Maybe we were giving all of our time and energy to our job or to raising our family. We may have been tirelessly caring for a loved one or serving in active duty in the military. As demanding as it was, we did it willingly because we believed it was worth the sacrifice. Paul felt the same way, and now, nearing the end of his life, he could see the fruits of his labor. Through his missionary journeys, many had come to know the risen Christ. The followers of Jesus weren't perfect, but they were living in community, loving and supporting one another, and working, as he had, to spread the good news. All of this, obviously, gave him cause to rejoice. But Paul also rejoiced because his final goal was in sight: life with Jesus in heaven. Through all his struggles, Paul kept in mind the fact that someday he would be with the Lord forever. It's not easy to be poured out. There are times when we feel so stretched that we lose our joy. Exhaustion can get the best of us, and we fall into self-pity or complaining. Then we are tempted to pull back, whether it's from the work in front of us or from our desire to follow Jesus faithfully. That's exactly the right time to focus on our goals—including the ultimate goal of being with Jesus forever. Here's another reason to rejoice: eternal life starts now. Paul experienced genuine joy as he wrote this letter from prison, and it was not just because he believed in the joy to come. God was filling him with joy right in his prison cell. So today, whatever your circumstances, ask the Lord to do the same for you. Believe that he is with you now, just as he will be with you for all of eternity. "Jesus, thank you for the joy you have for me now and always. I trust in you!" Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14
Luke 14:25-33 | 2 cents :
"....be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation..."
In the spiritual intuition, as I write to you, and from my daily study of our faith, it seems our Lord is asking us to be light for darkness. Do you need darkness? No. They say in Heaven there is no darkness. But as of now, we are in the world. We were created in God's image. This means we are created to shine. I've been hearing while driving down the road, an audio book "An Exorcist Explains the Demonic". I've only heard the first few chapters, and I believe I might have to buy the book to read and absorb more. I heard yesterday that one time an exorcist asked the demon how many of them there were in the world, and it responded "there are so many of us that if you could see us we would cover the sun". This is darkness we can not see with human eyes. We need to be clear on one thing...God created us for a special reason. So special. You wouldn't believe it. | Let us pray: "The Lord is my light and my salvation. One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek: To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life, That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD and contemplate his temple. . . Wait for the Lord with Courage". The Holy Word is encouraging us. With hope. Giving words of wisdom and courage. In hopes that you will have your light on, fueled by His precious oil. The very lifeblood of our soul. How do you wait? Faithfulness. | Our Lord comes in to us today with these words, scary words: " Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple." Jesus carried a cross. It was heavy, but was made really heavy with a body without blood, a body with sheer pain, a body torn from all angles, and His Spirit was being attacked all the while. He could've backed out. He could have done things His own way. He could have chosen to save Himself. He could have chosen to stay alive for His mom. Afterall, she loved Him an awful lot, she would be a widow, with no children. A terrible thought. He could have chosen to be longer with His brothers and sisters in faith. But, He hated them. YIKES! He said it Himself ""If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." But, but, God is love, right? How can you hate if you are God? Truth is, either you Love Our Father, or you do not. You don't choose others above Him. It's simple. Either you love Him or you do not. Either you'll obey, or you will not. Either you would die for Him, or you will not. Either you will be found waiting with lights on, or not. Either, and grab a hold of your seat, either you will be faithful...or unfaithful, "'This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.' It is the story of a confirmed Catholic. Never took seriously into account of what was being sacramentalized. A covenant. A relationship. A sacred bond. This is forged in the Holy Sacraments. The exorcist says that the devil stays away from the faithful and those who ardently love God and tend to the Sacraments fervently. But, most don't. And the way things sound, it sounds like we are indeed living in an evil generation as St. Paul says today "...in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation". Perverts. Fools. Thinking of all things constantly except God our Father and His Holy will. The exorcist said that we would always be tempted, and when asked until when, he responded "until 3 days after you die". This is why we must take up our cross. It is the only way. Do you hate your kids? Do you hate your spouse? Some actually do, they won't talk to each other, but that is not sacred hatred, that is demonic hatred. There is righteous anger, then there is ire of evil seeking power over others. That is why witchery is on the rise, magic spells, people loving halloween, all things glorifying evil that makes oneself gods. That is the lure of the devil "do whatever in the hell you want". And the evil one promises one thing...hell. And it starts now for those involved. It is sad and bad to be tricked into this life by temptation. There are lights of hope though. Notre Dame University is on to something, when they are asking the campus to put a filter to block porn. That's a little light. But we need big spot lights. We need holy souls in serious love of God. The other day, they were showing daily Mass on EWTN, a man started screaming at the priest interrupting, and the man was caught by security. Evil will never stop. This is a world of darkness, but there are lights of faith shining the way. You, you are in your part of the world for a reason.
On earth, angels are being created. Good angels. Bad angels too. But we can make for good angels, what God wants.
Suddenly, there is a purpose now for my life, for our life. It is an angelic purpose. A life form not of this world exists, nothing like we can even imagine. God's purpose is incomprehensible. Therefore, many do not carry the cross.
God came, loved with all His heart, mind, body, and soul. And we shred Him to pieces with our hatred.
Either we love Him, or not.
If you love Him, how will you fail Him | |
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