 clickable | | Our Center Finds Us Living and accepting our own reality will not feel very spiritual. It will feel like we are on the edges rather than dealing with the essence. Thus, most of us run toward more esoteric and dramatic postures instead of bearing the mystery of God's suffering and joy inside ourselves. But the edges of our lives—fully experienced, suffered, and enjoyed—lead us back to the center and the essence. We do not find our own center; it finds us. Our own minds will not be able to figure it out. Our journeys around and through our realities, or "circumferences," lead us to the core reality, where we meet both our truest selves and our truest God. We do not really know what it means to be human unless we know God—and, in turn, we do not really know God except through our broken and rejoicing humanity. —from the book Yes, And...: Daily Meditations by Richard Rohr |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"The Creator of the universe awaits the prayer of one poor little person to save a multitude of others, redeemed like her at the price of His Blood."
— St. Therese of Lisieux †MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Although our Divine Redeemer was the Lord and Master of all the riches of Heaven and earth, He willed nevertheless to become poor in this world that through His example we might become rich. He wished to induce us to love poverty as He did, for poverty, by detaching us from earthly riches, enables us to share in the treasures of Heaven. ... [It is] the teaching of our Blessed Lord that the poor in spirit shall have a great and certain reward. Their reward is certain, for when our Savior enumerated the Beatitudes in the Gospel, He referred in most instances to the future ... but to the poor in spirit, He promises happiness even in this life: 'Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' (Matt. 5:3). While here on earth, they receive special graces. The reward of the poor in spirit is, secondly, very great. 'The less we have here,' says St. Teresa, 'the greater will be our joy in Heaven, where our dwelling shall correspond to the love with which we imitated the life of poverty of our Divine Master here on earth'. The truly poor in spirit enjoy a heavenly peace even here in this world. ... [He] who is poor from choice despises the possessions of this earth and is at the same time the master of all."
— St. Alphonsus Liguori, p. 122
AN EXCERPT FROM
12 Steps to Holiness and Salvation † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them, because it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you."
Deuteronomy 31:6 |  click to read more | | Humanly speaking, Camillus was not a likely candidate for sainthood. His mother died when he was a child, his father neglected him, and he grew up with an excessive love for gambling. At 17, he was afflicted with a disease of his leg that remained with him for life. In Rome he entered the San Giacomo Hospital for Incurables as both patient and servant, but was dismissed for quarrelsomeness after nine months. He served in the Venetian army for three years. Then in the winter of 1574, when he was 24, Camillus gambled away everything he had—savings, weapons, literally down to his shirt. He accepted work at the Capuchin friary at Manfredonia, and was one day so moved by a sermon of the superior that he began a conversion that changed his life. He entered the Capuchin novitiate, but was dismissed because of the apparently incurable sore on his leg. After another stint of service at San Giacomo, he came back to the Capuchins, only to be dismissed again, for the same reason. Again, back at San Giacomo, his dedication was rewarded by his being made superintendent. Camillus devoted the rest of his life to the care of the sick. Along with Saint John of God he has been named patron of hospitals, nurses, and the sick. With the advice of his friend Saint Philip Neri, he studied for the priesthood and was ordained at the age of 34. Contrary to the advice of his friend, Camillus left San Giacomo and founded a congregation of his own. As superior, he devoted much of his own time to the care of the sick. Charity was his first concern, but the physical aspects of the hospital also received his diligent attention. Camillus insisted on cleanliness and the technical competence of those who served the sick. The members of his community bound themselves to serve prisoners and persons infected by the plague as well as those dying in private homes. Some of his men were with troops fighting in Hungary and Croatia in 1595, forming the first recorded military field ambulance. In Naples, he and his men went onto the galleys that had plague and were not allowed to land. He discovered that there were people being buried alive, and ordered his brothers to continue the prayers for the dying 15 minutes after apparent death. Camillus himself suffered the disease of his leg through his life. In his last illness, he left his own bed to see if other patients in the hospital needed help.
Reflection Saints are created by God. Parents must indeed nurture the faith in their children; husbands and wives must cooperate to deepen their baptismal grace; friends must support each other. But all human effort is only the dispensing of divine power. We must all try as if everything depended on us. But only the power of God can fulfill the plan of God—to make us like himself.
Saint Camillus de Lellis is the Patron Saint of: Hospitals
Nurses
Sick | Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Ex 3:13-20 Moses, hearing the voice of the LORD from the burning bush, said to him,
"When I go to the children of Israel and say to them,
'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,'
if they ask me, 'What is his name?' what am I to tell them?"
God replied, "I am who am."
Then he added, "This is what you shall tell the children of Israel:
I AM sent me to you." God spoke further to Moses, "Thus shall you say to the children of Israel:
The LORD, the God of your fathers,
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob,
has sent me to you. "This is my name forever;
this my title for all generations. "Go and assemble the elders of Israel, and tell them:
The LORD, the God of your fathers,
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
has appeared to me and said:
I am concerned about you
and about the way you are being treated in Egypt;
so I have decided to lead you up out of the misery of Egypt
into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites,
Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites,
a land flowing with milk and honey. "Thus they will heed your message.
Then you and the elders of Israel
shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him:
"The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent us word.
Permit us, then, to go a three-days' journey in the desert,
that we may offer sacrifice to the LORD, our God. "Yet I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go
unless he is forced.
I will stretch out my hand, therefore,
and smite Egypt by doing all kinds of wondrous deeds there.
After that he will send you away." Responsorial Psalm Ps 105:1 and 5, 8-9, 24-25, 26-27 R.(8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations--
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He greatly increased his people
and made them stronger than their foes,
Whose hearts he changed, so that they hated his people,
and dealt deceitfully with his servants.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He sent Moses his servant;
Aaron, whom he had chosen.
They wrought his signs among them,
and wonders in the land of Ham.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Mt 11:28 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 11:28-30 Jesus said:
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." | Meditation: Matthew 11:28-30 Saint Camillus de Lellis, Priest (Optional Memorial) My yoke is easy, and my burden light. (Matthew 11:30) While the image of a yoke was familiar to Jesus' audience, we modern readers may not be able to relate so easily. A yoke is made for two, like a team of oxen. When oxen are young, they are taught to pull together when hitched to the yoke. When one ox tries to go one way and the other a different way, they experience the pain of pulling against the yoke. The harder they fight it, the worse it gets. So in one sense, we can say that the yoke punishes and burdens the oxen. But when both are going in the same direction, it actually makes their work easier. Usually one ox takes the lead and sets the direction, while the second ox learns how to follow. As they learn the positive and negative effects of the yoke over time, they discover how beneficial it can be. This helps us understand Jesus' saying that being yoked to him lightens our burdens. That's the way a yoke is supposed to work! It teaches us to let him set the course. It teaches us to follow the One who has yoked himself to us in a covenant of love. We also experience what happens as we try to go our own way. We see how fighting God's lead causes us pain. As Paul understood in Acts 26:14, by kicking "against the goad" (a tool used to drive oxen), he only hurt himself. But when he followed Jesus, he was far more peaceful—and far more fruitful! Because we are humans, we are designed to learn through trial and—sometimes painful—error. That may sound harsh, but we can be confident that Jesus is extremely patient. He never stops loving us and trying to lead us. He knows that we will become more docile to his leading as we experience the wonderful effects of following him. He is confident that we will learn. Yes, Jesus' yoke is easy—because the One who leads us is walking beside us in the yoke. He shares all of our burdens. He invites us to enter into his rest. All he asks is that we follow his lead. "Jesus, I want to learn your gentleness and humility as I walk with you. Teach me to move in step with you and your Spirit." Exodus 3:13-20
Psalm 105:1, 5, 8-9, 24-27 |  clickable | | my2cents:
"I AM sent me to you."
It is the strangest name in the world, I AM. And the complete name is I AM Who Am. It is a total being. Isn't it? So they ask Moses, "who sent you?"
I AM, the Father of Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac. It is as if I AM is acting through, well, living through these powerful prophets, isn't it? I AM speaks through prophets. Moses spoke but it was God's message He spoke. You see where I am going with this, right? I am asking you to speak to the world, especially God's people, to make a binding union with our Lord. | Let us pray: "He greatly increased his people and made them stronger than their foes, Whose hearts he changed, so that they hated his people, and dealt deceitfully with his servants."
He made them stronger than their foes. I pray that me and you can grow stronger than our foes. But our foes in the New Covenant are not physical enemies, other people. No. Our foes are now spiritual foes. Enemies. And these enemies have a head honcho called Pride. He is ruthless and powerful, inasmuch as you give into him. Therefore, strive through the narrow gate. | Let us turn to the narrow way.
In the Holy Gospel today, our Lord said "...Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart...".
The enemy of humility is Pride. Therefore, be meek. I AM has asked us to be meek. Learn to say "I am meek, I am humble, my strength is in the Lord". | The key to my success in perseverance is just that. Binding to Him, to meekness, to humility. If I was not bound to meekness or humility, long ago would I have quit all ministries. I see people dropping like flies, left and right, all quit for "reasons" I see are all bound to Pride. They say, "I no longer enjoy it". "There is too much drama". "I have no more time for all that". But very few would ever admit, they have simply lost the love of God. The fire.
Very few will admit that they are weak or have succumbed to Pride. Very few will come to confess this weakness. Therefore, Pride grows instead of meekness. And how soon we forget that I AM, JESUS, said that the "meek shall inherit the earth." And "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.…". What does this hunger entail? Hungry for bread, for sustenance, for spiritual nourishment, all things Eucharist. It comes full circle, all back to Him, doesn't it?
So how do we enkindle the fire of Love for God?
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest....For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."
It is more than an invitation, to come to the Lord, it is a command from Heaven. Listen. Listen you who are burdened, and tired, and wore out. Listen, come to Daddy, to Papa, to Father.
Don't go looking for rest in some far off beach. Don't go looking for consolation with friends and lewd places. Come lay your burdens and rest in His loving arms. When is the last time you confessed to Father, and left with tears in your eyes and felt an extreme weight lifted from your soul? Ahh man, is this sensation manifested physically ever so powerful. The spiritual becomes physical. A manifestation occurs, a miracle. A miracle of grace, of love, because of mercy. Jesus hides the truth from the proud. But for the meek, and humble? He can't hide. Lord, in a world of trouble and misfortune, I find myself drawn closer and closer to you. I find myself surrounded by sinners and I become a sinner. But, I find some sinners that are tired of sinning. I find myself in a group with them, coping, and helping each other become better...saints. Please join us on this, help us learn to bind ourselves with You. Help us learn to be slaves of Truth and Humility, so we may better serve you, so we may better love you...forever. Love you Daddy. |  hear it read | adrian Random Bible Verse1
1 Peter 3:8-9 (Listen) 8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. Thank You Jesus | |
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