 clickable | | What Does This Moment Ask of Us? Some of us may find we have both Martha and Mary tendencies within us. While basking in Scripture and contemplating the eternal are unquestionably rewarding, they are not passports to procrastination or inertia. There are tasks that need to be done in the real world. On the other hand, the times we feel most driven are the times we most need—and are least-inclined—to pause and breathe in the presence of the Holy Spirit. When we are tired or frantic it's hard to see clearly what really needs to be done now and what can be postponed until tomorrow—or even indefinitely. —from the book Fools, Liars, Cheats, and Other Bible Heroes by Barbara Hosbach |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote "Young people need the light of watchful guides to lead them on the path of salvation."
— St. John Baptist de la Salle † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Heaven is the birth-place and home of love. Its blessed inhabitants love much, love forever, and love only what is worthy of love. Joseph, however, was blessed by anticipation, for he passed all his days in the exercise of divine love, and lived a life of love upon earth. The Evangelists do not record a single word of this great saint; he observed, indeed, a marvelous silence. Not, however, an ungracious silence. The silence of ordinary men, as well as their irrepressible flow of words, is often merely selfish. But Joseph's silence and his speech were alike prompted and regulated by the law of charity ... His words, indeed, were never superfluous, for they had their source in love, but they were also ruled by his will, not forced from him as the expression of his feelings."
— Edward Healy Thompson, p. 362
AN EXCERPT FROM
The Life and Glories of St. Joseph † VERSE OF THE DAY
"For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God."
2 Timothy 1:7-8 |  click to read more | | SAINT OF THE DAY ST. AUGUSTINE ZHAO RONG AND COMPANIONS St. Augustine Zhao Rong (d. 1815) was a Chinese soldier who was assigned to escort the captive Catholic bishop, John Gabriel Taurin Dufresse, to Beijing where he was to be executed by beheading. The bishop's faith made a strong impact on Zhao, who then requested baptism. He took the Christian name Augustine, and later entered the seminary and was ordained to the priesthood. During the continuing persecution of Christians in China, Augustine was one of thousands of Chinese Catholics who suffered martyrdom for the faith. He was arrested, tortured, and killed in 1815. St. Augustine Zhao Rong is honored with a group of 120 martyrs who were killed for their Catholic faith in China from 1648-1930. The group was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II in 2000. Of them, 87 were Chinese natives and 33 were Western missionaries. The feast day of St. Augustine Zhao Rong and the Chinese Martyrs is July 9th. | Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Gn 32:23-33 In the course of the night, Jacob arose, took his two wives,
with the two maidservants and his eleven children,
and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.
After he had taken them across the stream
and had brought over all his possessions,
Jacob was left there alone.
Then some man wrestled with him until the break of dawn.
When the man saw that he could not prevail over him,
he struck Jacob's hip at its socket,
so that the hip socket was wrenched as they wrestled.
The man then said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak."
But Jacob said, "I will not let you go until you bless me."
The man asked, "What is your name?"
He answered, "Jacob."
Then the man said,
"You shall no longer be spoken of as Jacob, but as Israel,
because you have contended with divine and human beings
and have prevailed."
Jacob then asked him, "Do tell me your name, please."
He answered, "Why should you want to know my name?"
With that, he bade him farewell.
Jacob named the place Peniel,
"Because I have seen God face to face," he said,
"yet my life has been spared." At sunrise, as he left Penuel,
Jacob limped along because of his hip.
That is why, to this day, the children of Israel do not eat
the sciatic muscle that is on the hip socket,
inasmuch as Jacob's hip socket was struck at the sciatic muscle. Responsorial Psalm Ps 17:1b, 2-3, 6-7ab, 8b and 15 R.(15a) In justice, I shall behold your face, O Lord.
Hear, O LORD, a just suit;
attend to my outcry;
hearken to my prayer from lips without deceit.
R. In justice, I shall behold your face, O Lord.
From you let my judgment come;
your eyes behold what is right.
Though you test my heart, searching it in the night,
though you try me with fire, you shall find no malice in me.
R. In justice, I shall behold your face, O Lord.
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my word.
Show your wondrous mercies,
O savior of those who flee from their foes.
R. In justice, I shall behold your face, O Lord.
Hide me in the shadow of your wings.
I in justice shall behold your face;
on waking, I shall be content in your presence.
R. In justice, I shall behold your face, O Lord. Alleluia Jn 10:14 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my sheep, and mine know me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 9:32-38 A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus,
and when the demon was driven out the mute man spoke.
The crowds were amazed and said,
"Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel."
But the Pharisees said,
"He drives out demons by the prince of demons." Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest." | Meditation: Genesis 32:23-33 Saint Augustine Zhao Rong, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs (Optional Memorial) Jacob was left there alone. Then some man wrestled with him until the break of dawn. (Genesis 32:25) What a strange story! Jacob's midnight wrangle with "some man" could be a tale right out of a suspense novel: furious wrestling with a mysterious figure in the darkness, no one to help him, and no answers to be had. We don't know from the passage what the point of contention was between Jacob and this figure, but certainly it was vitally important to Jacob. Even though he must have been exhausted from moving all his family and possessions, Jacob grappled with him until very early in the morning. Do you ever feel as if you are in a similar wrestling match? And with God, no less? You want answers to questions that don't have obvious solutions: What do you want for my life, Lord? What do I do about this dire diagnosis? How do I raise my special-needs child or care for my ailing parents? You keep asking, but you may feel like Jacob: alone, in the dark, and waiting for answers that never seem to appear. If that's the case, don't give up. Keep wrestling! Thank the Lord for all the ways in which he has cared for you in the past. Tell him about your current fears and hesitations. Trust that he is in the situation and will not abandon you to figure things out on your own. He may be answering you with silence so that you come to the answer yourself. Or he may answer you with another question. One way or another, however, he will show you a way forward. In every situation, behind every burden or question, you have this assurance: God loves you and is committed to you. In his own time, he will bring to light what seems hidden in the darkness. Though Jacob asked, the man did not tell him his name. Yet in the silence, as Jacob continued to wrestle, he came to the answer himself: he had contended with God. And as a result, he received his life as a gift, a blessing from the One who wrestled with him. "I believe you love me, Lord. Help me to keep wrestling for the answers I need." Psalm 17:1-3, 6-8, 15
Matthew 9:32-38 |  clickable | God sustains the world, in good times and in bad. Catholics, along with many others, believe that only one person has overcome and rescued history: Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of the Virgin Mary, savior of the world and head of his body, the church.
—Cardinal Francis George
from Glorious Lives | my2cents:
"Then some man wrestled with him until the break of dawn."
They were wrestling in the dark? Jacob and some stranger? And the stranger leaves as a mystery?
So many unknowns here, right?
And then Jacob thinks that stranger was God?
When you fight with someone, do you ask them for a blessing before you stop fighting? Stranger.
How many times are we in the dark, grappling with God?
"Is that you? What is your name? Who are you? Where did you come from?"
Jacob is severely injured, a sciatic pain is no laughing matter. Even though scripture made it sound like Jacob had a good hold, Jacob limped away, and the stranger walked away. And the stranger blessed Jacob.
Is a crippling deal a blessing?
Is a baby with autism...a blessing?
You see, the world says no, but ask the parents of the baby, they are joyful. It is a forever cross though.
You see, when you encounter the Lord and His ways...you will never be left the same as before the encounter.
Then light comes, daybreak, and it is the next day. | Let us pray:
"From you let my judgment come; your eyes behold what is right.
Though you test my heart, searching it in the night, though you try me with fire, you shall find no malice in me. In justice, I shall behold your face, O Lord."
Why was Jacob even alone in the night, after having crossed all his loved ones and journeying?
A clue can be found, if you look at the life of our Lord Jesus on earth...often He'd go and pray alone all night...fasting, praying, and encountering our Father. A meeting of justice. A most important and private meeting, to change the whole world, beginning with yours. | In the Holy Gospel, we hear "... when the demon was driven out the mute man spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel."
WOW! Nothing like this had ever been seen in the whole of Israel? No demons were driven out!? Have you yourself ever witnessed something of the sort, a demon expelled and a person healed in an instant? | If you answered no, then you are in need of such a revelation! No? Some say they must see to believe. Isn't that the human way? Where can I expel inner demons? Where can I find Jesus Christ, to be freed? Where, tell me, so I can go and be able to...speak! If you thought confession, you are correct. There, the soothing hands of the wonder worker come upon me. There, you will hear words of absolution, absolutely freeing you. Now the Holy Spirit can work and not any other spirit! Now you must ingest food, for the newly resurrected must eat...Eucharist....thanksgiving. These two Sacraments are crucial for our vital bond with Christ.
When cleansed and fed, by Jesus, then we can do as He did:
"Jesus went around to all the towns and villages: ▪ teaching in their synagogues,
▪ proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
▪ and curing every disease and illness."
| ▪ | teaching in their synagogues, | | ▪ | proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, | | ▪ | and curing every disease and illness." | Are you teaching? Proclaiming? Curing? Why not? Why not give this lifestyle a try? You may ask "Me? Why me? How?"
Ok, begin your grappling now, Jacob, now Israel...people of God! "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest." I'm asking you to be a laborer.
This task is just about left for angels! Yet God asks if we will take part in this "harvest".
But what is harvest? I'm not a farmer! What kind of labor do you need?
Harvest- the time of year when crops are cut and collected from the fields.
There is always a harvest for the Kingdom.
Time to cut. Time to reap. What God has sown, always grows. It is always harvest time.
It is time...to bring souls to Christ. He desires to fill Heaven with souls...His children...His creation from this realm of total freedom to His freedom.
I'll leave you with a mind boggling thought, that may not set well with liberalism, but I say it because, as I've grown spiritually, attempting holiness, attempting a little purity, and communing about daily, Heaven is not for the faint of heart, it is for those who strive to enter through the narrow gate. Strive. I'm encouraging you, and I am praying for you, and you are a vital part of my life...strive...for Heaven's sake, and never stop striving...the harvest needs you...God needs you, no matter what others say. |  hear it read | adrian Random Bible Verse (picked through random generator) Proverbs 12:1 (Listen) 12:1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates reproof is stupid. Thank You Jesus | |
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