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Sanctity Is for Everyone St. Thérèse helped people understand that sanctity was not for a limited few, but for all the baptized. Her childlike confidence and abandonment to Jesus led her to offer up to the Lord the simple duties and obligations of her religious life. She believed that nothing was too little to give Jesus, and nothing done out of love for him was insignificant. St. Thérèse was confident that Christ longed to lift everyone up to the height and depth and breadth of holiness. —from the book The Way of Simple Love: Inspiring Words from Therese of Lisieux by Father Gary Caster |
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† Saint Quote
"Consider God's charity. Where else have we ever seen someone who has been offended voluntarily paying out his life for those who have offended him?"
— St. Catherine of Siena † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"I remind you, My daughter, that as often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it; invoke its omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners; for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul. In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it was the hour of grace for the whole world—mercy triumphed over justice. My daughter, try your best to make the Stations of the Cross in this hour, provided that your duties permit it; and if you are not able to make the Stations of the Cross, then at least step into the chapel for a moment and adore, in the Blessed Sacrament, My Heart, which is full of mercy; and should you be unable to step into the chapel, immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant."
— St. Faustina Kowalska, (1572)
AN EXCERPT FROM
Diary of St. Faustina † VERSE OF THE DAY
"As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving."
Colossians 2:6-7 |
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ST. CLEOPHAS St. Cleophas (1st c.) was one of Jesus' seventy disciples, and one of the two disciples who were traveling along the road to Emmaus after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus in Jerusalem, as recounted in Luke's Gospel. The resurrected Jesus appeared and walked along the road with St. Cleophas and his companion, explaining the events of his Passion and how they fulfilled the Holy Scriptures. According to one tradition, Cleophas (also known as Alphaeus), was a relative of Jesus; he was the brother of St. Joseph, and therefore was Jesus' uncle. Cleophas was the husband of St. Mary of Cleophas, and they had three sons we know by name: St. Simon, St. James the Less, and St. Jude. St. Cleophas, through his daughter Mary Salome, was also grandfather to St. James the Greater and St. John. Therefore three of his sons and two of his grandsons were among the Twelve Apostles. According to tradition, St. Cleophas was martyred by the Jewish authorities in the same home in which he received Jesus as a guest. His feast day is September 25th. |
Saints Louis Martin and Zélie Guerin (August 22, 1823 – July 29, 1894; December 23, 1831 – August 28, 1877) Saints Louis Martin and Zélie Guerin's Story Born into a military family in Bordeaux, Louis trained to become a watchmaker. His desire to join a religious community went unfulfilled because he didn't know Latin. Moving to Normandy, he met the highly-skilled lace maker, Zélie Guerin, who also had been disappointed in her attempts to enter religious life. They married in 1858, and over the years were blessed with nine children, though two sons and two daughters died in infancy. Louis managed the lace-making business that Zélie continued at home while raising their children. She died from breast cancer in 1877. Louis then moved the family to Lisieux to be near his brother and sister-in-law, who helped with the education of his five surviving girls. His health began to fail after his 15-year-old daughter entered the Monastery of Mount Carmel at Lisieux in 1888. Louis died in 1894, a few months after being committed to a sanitarium. The home that Louis and Zélie created nurtured the sanctity of all their children, but especially their youngest, who is known to us as Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus. Louis and Zélie were beatified in 2008, and canonized by Pope Francis on October 18, 2015. The Liturgical Feast of Saints Louis Martin and Zélie Guerin is July 12.
Reflection In life, Louis and Zélie knew great joy and excruciating sorrow. They firmly believed that God was with them throughout every challenge that married life, parenting, and their occupations presented |
Wednesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 451
Reading 1 EzR 9:5-9At the time of the evening sacrifice, I, Ezra, rose in my wretchedness,
and with cloak and mantle torn I fell on my knees,
stretching out my hands to the LORD, my God. I said: "My God, I am too ashamed and confounded to raise my face to you,
O my God, for our wicked deeds are heaped up above our heads
and our guilt reaches up to heaven.
From the time of our fathers even to this day
great has been our guilt,
and for our wicked deeds we have been delivered up,
we and our kings and our priests,
to the will of the kings of foreign lands,
to the sword, to captivity, to pillage, and to disgrace,
as is the case today. "And now, but a short time ago, mercy came to us from the LORD, our God,
who left us a remnant and gave us a stake in his holy place;
thus our God has brightened our eyes
and given us relief in our servitude.
For slaves we are, but in our servitude our God has not abandoned us;
rather, he has turned the good will
of the kings of Persia toward us.
Thus he has given us new life
to raise again the house of our God and restore its ruins,
and has granted us a fence in Judah and Jerusalem." Responsorial Psalm Tobit 13:2, 3-4a, 4befghn, 7-8R.(1b) Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
He scourges and then has mercy;
he casts down to the depths of the nether world,
and he brings up from the great abyss.
No one can escape his hand.
R.Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
Praise him, you children of Israel, before the Gentiles,
for though he has scattered you among them,
he has shown you his greatness even there.
R.Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
So now consider what he has done for you,
and praise him with full voice.
Bless the Lord of righteousness,
and exalt the King of ages.
R.Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
In the land of my exile I praise him
and show his power and majesty to a sinful nation.
R.Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
Bless the Lord, all you his chosen ones,
and may all of you praise his majesty.
Celebrate days of gladness, and give him praise.
R.Blessed be God, who lives for ever. Alleluia Mk 1:15R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand;
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 9:1-6Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority
over all demons and to cure diseases,
and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God
and to heal the sick.
He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey,
neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money,
and let no one take a second tunic.
Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.
And as for those who do not welcome you,
when you leave that town,
shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them."
Then they set out and went from village to village
proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere. |
Meditation: Ezra 9:5-9
25th Week in Ordinary Time Mercy came to us from the Lord. (Ezra 9:8) Did you ever think that you had conquered a pattern of sin, only to find yourself falling back into it once again? Maybe you were finally getting control of your temper. But then you slipped and yelled at your children. At first, it didn't seem so bad—it was only one time. But then you did it again, and before you knew it, you were right back where you started. Maybe you thought, "There's no way the Lord will give me another chance!" Over the centuries, the Israelites had promised to obey God on many occasions, but so often they too fell back into sin. When the Babylonians invaded their land, a portion of the Jewish population was sent into exile. But when the exiled people returned to Jerusalem, they discovered that those who had remained in the Holy City had wandered far from the Lord. Frustrated and ashamed of his people's tendency to fall back into sin, Ezra, a priest, repented on their behalf and begged God for mercy. And look how God responded. He didn't just forgive them; he helped them rebuild their city. It's tempting to believe that God is done with us when we find ourselves falling into the same old sins. We may even keep some distance from him, afraid of what he might say or do if we were to pray. But Ezra shows us another way. Rather than letting shame control us, we can turn to God in repentance and ask for the grace—again—to start over. Where have you been struggling lately? Maybe you have become judgmental and harshly critical of people. Perhaps you are caught up in jealousy over something your friend has that you want. Whatever it is, instead of looking at it as something to hide from the Lord, address it head-on. Admit that it is wrong, and ask God for his mercy. What if you should fall again? Don't be discouraged. God is more than willing to meet you where you are and give you another chance. He is always waiting for you with open arms. He is always ready to shower you with grace so that you can finally know freedom and peace. So go ahead and run to him! "Thank you, Father, for your never-ending mercy!" (Psalm) Tobit 13:2-4, 7-8
Luke 9:1-6 |
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In every contemplation, this double movement occurs: the longing for God is fulfilled and at the same time enlarged to more consuming longing. Any word of the Lord is sufficient to kindle in us this fire. And this fire is the form in which human contemplation hands itself over to the Lord's contemplation; the small vision pours itself out into the ocean of God's infinite vision.
—Adrienne von Speyr
from Water and Spirit |
my2cents:
"Thus he has given us new life to raise again the house of our God and restore its ruins...". What is life on earth and what is life in Heaven? Because now we are talking about dying and rising. Now we are talking about a new life. A new way of living in a completely new set of circumstances and happenstances, right? All I can say is that it start right here and right now, or trajectory, that direction we are taking. And today, we steer the ship back on course, because sometimes storms have a way of making us lose sight of our bearings, the stars, the lights, the guides. What is your star? Your light? LOL. For some reason I was thinking of the song "this little light of MINE, I'm gonna let it shine". Well...here we go, I got a bone to pick on a song! This light is not MINE. This little light of CHRIST is what we are going to let shine, AMEN? We have no life if we have no Christ and Christ is the Light that shows the way. Let's get our bearings straight! This is the only Way. P.S. I'll probably still be singing this song in the nursing home to the elderly, but it takes on a whole new meaning, right? Like singing "Open my eyes Lord". Shall He force Himself in? No. Never will. We must ask. We must be in a state of readiness for Him, and when? Always. |
Let's pray: "In the land of my exile I praise him and show his power and majesty to a sinful nation. Blessed be God, who lives for ever."
Now, do we live in a sinful nation? Yes. What are we to do? Praise God and what else? SHOW HIS POWER and Majesty! |
In the Holy Gospel, our Lord sends out His followers. I say followers and not merely disciples, because that is what a disciple does in the discipline, right? And it is a calling for all of us. To do what? What two things were commanded?
"...he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God
and to heal the sick."
One thing and another, one thing with another. Proclamation and healing. Words and actions. BOTH together. Not faith alone, not scripture alone. BOTH word and deed.
Now what does this mean for you, a normal person that is not clergy? And what of clergy is expected that is not expected of a lay person? We hold clergy more accountable, don't we? That's why they are on headlines and never seemingly forgiven when they mess up. Why? I remember we had a priest. And I've been close to every priest that we've had. This one had a hard time, was new, was learning. He was in the news for supposedly squandering money, some accused him of using church money to gamble in casinos. It was in the headlines in local news. There was an audit, and I saw all the financials, since I am in the councils. After seeing where money really went, I said one thing to the councils "can we forgive him the debt?". You see, he sort of "mispent" money, but not in casinos. He paid from one account to another not alotted approriately, his insurance, or giving to particular needy families, and so on and so forth, innocent mistakes. But the headlines persisted. I digress, watch how we expect clergy to be absolutely perfect and us? Do we not have to follow Christ perfectly? Us lay people? Why didn't your spouse make headlines when they misused their family money, or messed up the accounts? "Oh Adrian, That's different, your dealing with other people's lives and money as clergy". OH REALLY?
Who's side do you think I'm going to choose between the priest and the lay person?
I will always choose the Father.
YIKES! What did you just say Adrian? Are you nuts?
There are schools of thought that say that the people are more important.
If that is true, then it is a democracy overruling the King.
That is not what the Father likes.
The Father is KING. I will always choose the Father and His way.
This is a true following. To Choose Him above anything and everything.
That is a hard calling. Especially when God calls you to be fully dependent on Him.
That calls for true trust.
Now we are getting to the nitty gritty of faith.
True faith. |
" they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere."
There are 2 healing Sacraments that are availed to us always. Confession/Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick. I'm telling you this because Jesus wants people healed. He wants the light to shine, HIS light. Light is life. Right?
We can heal or have people healed, if we help them. Think Spiritual Formation. Think bringing the light to people, not necessarily bring people to Christ always, right? Meet people where they are, bringing the Word and Deed, deeds and words of healing.
Amen?
Is it hard? Only as hard as we make it! God does all the heavy lifting... |
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adrian Random Bible Verse 1 HeadingRandom Bible Verse 1
2 Peter 3:9 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,1 not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. Thank You Jesus |
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