God Is with All of Creation God Is with All of CreationIt was the very closeness of God that moved Francis to the depths of his being. He was no longer alone. God was with him and with the whole world. God was in him and God was in every creature, and all was blessing. —from the book Surrounded by Love: Seven Teachings from Saint Francis
click for book | † QUOTE
"You can't go to heaven hating somebody. Forgive now. Be compassionate now. Be patient now. Be grateful now. Love Jesus and Mary now. Accept God's will now."
— Mother Angelica † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"True devotion to Our Lady is interior; that is, it comes from the mind and the heart. It flows from the esteem we have for her, the high idea we have formed of her greatness, and the love which we have for her. It is tender; that is, full of confidence in her, like a child's confidence in his loving mother ... It implores the aid of its good Mother at all times, in all places and above all things: in its doubts, that it may be enlightened; in its wanderings, that it may be brought into the right path; in its temptations, that it may be supported; in its weaknesses, that it may be strengthened; in its falls, that it may be lifted up; in its discouragements, that it may be cheered; in its scruples, that they may be taken away; in the crosses, toils and disappointments of life, that it may be consoled under them. In a word, in all the evils of body and mind, the soul ordinarily has recourse to Mary, without fear of annoying her or displeasing Jesus Christ."
— St. Louis De Montfort, p. 54
AN EXCERPT FROM
True Devotion to Mary † VERSE OF THE DAY
"You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God's righteousness."
James 1:19-20 |  click to read more | | Saint Francis Borgia (October 28, 1510 – September 30, 1572) Today's saint grew up in an important family in 16th-century Spain, serving in the imperial court and quickly advancing in his career. But a series of events—including the death of his beloved wife—made Francis Borgia rethink his priorities. He gave up public life, gave away his possessions, and joined the new and little-known Society of Jesus. Religious life proved to be the right choice. Francis felt drawn to spend time in seclusion and prayer, but his administrative talents also made him a natural for other tasks. He helped in the establishment of what is now the Gregorian University in Rome. Not long after his ordination, he served as political and spiritual adviser to the emperor. In Spain, he founded a dozen colleges. At 55, Francis was elected head of the Jesuits. He focused on the growth of the Society of Jesus, the spiritual preparation of its new members, and spreading the faith in many parts of Europe. He was responsible for the founding of Jesuit missions in Florida, Mexico, and Peru. Francis Borgia is often regarded as the second founder of the Jesuits. He died in 1572 and was canonized 100 years later. Reflection
Sometimes the Lord reveals his will for us in stages. Many people hear a call in later life to serve in a different capacity. We never know what the Lord has in store for us. Saint Francis Borgia is the Patron Saint of:
Earthquakes | Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Gal 2:1-2, 7-14 Brothers and sisters:
After fourteen years I again went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas,
taking Titus along also.
I went up in accord with a revelation,
and I presented to them the Gospel that I preach to the Gentiles–
but privately to those of repute–
so that I might not be running, or have run, in vain.
On the contrary,
when they saw that I had been entrusted with the Gospel to the uncircumcised,
just as Peter to the circumcised,
for the one who worked in Peter for an apostolate to the circumcised
worked also in me for the Gentiles,
and when they recognized the grace bestowed upon me,
James and Cephas and John,
who were reputed to be pillars,
gave me and Barnabas their right hands in partnership,
that we should go to the Gentiles
and they to the circumcised.
Only, we were to be mindful of the poor,
which is the very thing I was eager to do. And when Cephas came to Antioch,
I opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong.
For, until some people came from James,
he used to eat with the Gentiles;
but when they came, he began to draw back and separated himself,
because he was afraid of the circumcised.
And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him,
with the result that even Barnabas
was carried away by their hypocrisy.
But when I saw that they were not on the right road
in line with the truth of the Gospel,
I said to Cephas in front of all,
"If you, though a Jew,
are living like a Gentile and not like a Jew,
how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?" Responsorial Psalm Ps 117:1bc, 2
R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.
Praise the LORD, all you nations,
glorify him, all you peoples!
R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News.
For steadfast is his kindness toward us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
R. Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News. Alleluia Rom 8:15bc
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You have received a spirit of adoption as sons
through which we cry: Abba! Father!
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 11:1-4 Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,
one of his disciples said to him,
"Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."
He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name,
your Kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test."
| Meditation: Galatians 2:1-2, 7-14 27th Week in Ordinary Time James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars . . . (Galatians 2:9) If you looked at the great cathedrals of the world, you would see that many have massive, beautifully carved pillars that support the weight of the building. There are all different kinds: fluted, square, round, brick, wood, and so on. Almost always, there is more than one pillar supporting the structure. One is simply not enough to bear all that weight. In today's first reading, St. Paul writes about a different kind of pillar—the pillars that support the Church. He uses this term to describe James and Peter and John, leaders who set the course for the Church, provided support and stability, and upheld all the people around them. Calling these chief apostles pillars makes perfect sense. Not only did they support the Church through difficult times, but like the pillars on any building, none of them did it alone. They shared the load with each other. James led the church in Jerusalem. Peter and John traveled from church to church teaching and confirming people in the faith. Paul pushed the boundaries, establishing churches throughout Asia Minor and into Europe. They all understood that one person could not possibly do everything, and they also understood that each person had different gifts and abilities, each of which could bring different blessings to the Church. Many of us are pillars as well. If you are a father or mother, you are a pillar of your family. If you lead a group at your parish, you are a pillar. Maybe you are a confidant for a dear friend. This person trusts you to offer support. But don't think that your whole life is meant to be spent supporting other people. Just as Peter needed Paul, you need the support of other people. You need these other pillars to help you share the load and to hold you up whenever you start feeling weak or worn down. You don't have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. You don't have to be the only one supporting other people. Look around. You are probably surrounded by pillars. Let them help you. Let them share the load. Together, we can support our families and the family of God. "Lord, teach me how to share the load with the people around me." Psalm 117:1-2
Luke 11:1-4 | my2cents:
"I went up in accord with a revelation, and I presented to them the Gospel that I preach ..." So what is preaching anyway? It is to teach right? It is a homily...even a witness. Right? It is to advocate the cause, isn't it? In the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) about line 2030, the titles go like this:
MAN'S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT
CHAPTER THREE
GOD'S SALVATION: LAW AND GRACE
ARTICLE 3
THE CHURCH, MOTHER AND TEACHER
Mother Church is a teacher. The Catholic Church is the Mother Church of the entire world. What is it teaching? Christ. All about life. All things eternal life. And the beauty that grace can accompany a soul. The advocate, the Holy Spirit is with us. And you? Are you an advocate of the Holy Spirit? Let us pray: " Go out to all the world, and tell the Good News. Praise the LORD, all you nations, glorify him, all you peoples!" Glorify God? If you get a definition of "glory" online it says "high renown or honor won by notable achievements. "to fight and die for the glory of one's nation" and magnificence or great beauty." and if you keep reading, it says "praise, worship, and thanksgiving offered to a deity." Ahh, now we're getting somewhere. Glorify God. Give Him praise and worship, even your life! In comes our Lord and Savior: " "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. ( Hallowed, meaning making Holy, Holy is hallow, like Hallow-eve now people calling Halloween. It is the day before All Saints, all Holy Souls, November 1st.) Holy Be His Name. Keep it Holy. Use it for nothing other than prayer and worship. Nowadays people use it to curse daily and swearing. That is breaking the first commandment. Love God above all. Promises. Give Glory. Amen?
"your Kingdom come." says our Lord. And it shall be given...to the meek, to the humble, and many times to the forgotten. Preach repentance and that the Kingdom of God is at hand. This is it! Like it or not! LOL. Tough cookies huh? Or sweet cookies? He serves sweetness. His Love is sweetness. This is needed in the bitterness we face. Eucharist. Glory to God. Amen?
"Give us each day our daily bread". Once a week is not enough to talk to someone you love. Some say they love each other and go for months without communicating. Can that be true and passionate love? The same with a love offering from Heaven and our giving glory to God on Earth. Eucharist. Why do we go to Mass? To take Jesus home? Or to bring Jesus something? Why do you want to eat if you are full? Do you really eat Him? He made Himself into Eucharist through priests for a reason. Glory to God. Bread from Heaven. Morsel of light. Light for grace. Glory to God. Amen?
"and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us". I've been preaching lately on the importance of Confession. Before receiving Jesus you should have a clean temple, your soul. This is giving glory to God the high honor and love. But the devil lies to you and through protestanism twists "you don't have to confess". Of course evil says this, lie. So you don't perform an exorcism from duplicity, a twisted version of yourself. Yet, what good is forgiveness from God if you have no forgiveness for others? Like Mother Angelica says, "you can't go to Heaven hating somebody". Give Glory to God, Amen? "for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us"
"and do not subject us to the final test." Lead us not into temptation. What if God allowed you to fall into temptation? You would not handle it and be buried alive. For this we need grace. God gives us enough grace, and more if asked for. So the prayer ends in asking for grace.
Mother Church avails teachings of grace. Some teachers ain't all that great, some are really good, like saints. To proclaim a better message then....be a saint. Be what God created you to be! Nothing more, nothing less. For what? Glory to God!
Amen? | |
