 clickable | | Resting in Our Limits There is a restfulness in this acceptance of our limited lives. When we move low, back toward the soil from which we can learn the lessons of our true humanity, we are able to enter a kind of peace. Humility is not about struggle or diminishment but rather is the relief that we are not God, that we are mere creatures. Berry gives voice to this truth in one of his most popular poems, "The Peace of Wild Things": When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free. Wendell Berry, in seeking and finding the "grace of the world," is following a thread of insight running from Psalm 23 to the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus calls us to live as sparrows and lilies, which is to say, to rest in the blessings of our givenness. To accept that we are creatures is to live into a kind of peace at the base of the world. —from the book Wendell Berry and the Given Life by Ragan Sutterfield Wendell Berry and the Given Life Categories: wendell berry, mindfulness
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Comment |  MorningOffering.com | † Saint Quote
"Christ Himself is our mouth through which we speak to the Father, our eye through which we see the Father, our right hand through which we offer to the Father. Without His intercession neither we nor all the saints have anything with God."
— St. Ambrose † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Let the sinner know that he will be tortured throughout all eternity, in those senses which he made use of to sin. I am writing this at the command of God, so that no soul may find an excuse by saying there is no hell, or that nobody has ever been there, and so no one can say what it is like. I, Sister Faustina, by the order of God, have visited the abysses of hell so that I might tell souls about it and testify to its existence."
— St. Faustina Kowalska (741)
AN EXCERPT FROM
Diary of St. Faustina TODAY'S FEAST DAY ALL HALLOW'S EVE
All Hallow's Eve, or Halloween, is the vigil of All Saints (All Hallows) Day, which is a major feast on the liturgical calendar and a Holy Day of Obligation. Halloween (October 31st) is connected with All Saints Day (November 1st) and All Souls Day (November 2nd). These three days are the "Days of the Dead," a triduum also known as Allhallowtide or Hallowmas, reminding the faithful of the reality of heaven and hell; the communion of saints; and our obligation to pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. |  click to read more | | ST. WOLFGANG St. Wolfgang (934-994 A.D.), also known as the Great Almoner, was a Benedictine monk, reformer, and Bishop of Regensburg, Bavaria. He was born into the noble class and had an excellent education. As bishop he worked to reform the monasteries and convents in his diocese. He is remembered for his teaching abilities, his oratory skills, and his charity towards the poor. He was also integral in the missionary efforts to evangelize the Magyars in what is today modern Hungary. Towards the end of his life he withdrew to a solitary spot to build a church and hermitage at what is now called St. Wolfgang's Lake in Austria. Before settling he prayed and threw his axe into the wilderness, and built his cell on the spot where it landed. A town grew around the saint's hermitage which still exists today. According to legend, St. Wolfgang tricked the devil into helping him build the church, promising him the first soul that came through the church doors. The devil agreed, and after the construction was completed, a wolf was the first to cross its threshold, thus tricking the devil. St. Wolfgang's life was foundational to Bavarian and Austrian civilization. Many miracles occurred at his tomb, especially those related to stomach ailments. St. Wolfgang is the patron saint of carpenters, stroke victims, and the paralyzed. His feast day is October 31st. | Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 482
Reading 1 Rom 8:31b-39 Brothers and sisters:
If God is for us, who can be against us?
He did not spare his own Son
but handed him over for us all,
how will he not also give us everything else along with him?
Who will bring a charge against God's chosen ones?
It is God who acquits us.
Who will condemn?
It is Christ Jesus who died, rather, was raised,
who also is at the right hand of God,
who indeed intercedes for us.
What will separate us from the love of Christ?
Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine,
or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?
As it is written: For your sake we are being slain all the day;
we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly
through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities,
nor present things, nor future things,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature will be able to separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Responsorial Psalm Ps 109:21-22, 26-27, 30-31 R. (26b) Save me, O Lord, in your mercy.
Do you, O GOD, my Lord, deal kindly with me for your name's sake;
in your generous mercy rescue me;
For I am wretched and poor,
and my heart is pierced within me.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your mercy.
Help me, O LORD, my God;
save me, in your mercy,
And let them know that this is your hand;
that you, O LORD, have done this.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your mercy.
I will speak my thanks earnestly to the LORD,
and in the midst of the throng I will praise him,
For he stood at the right hand of the poor man,
to save him from those who would condemn his soul.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your kindness. Alleluia See Lk 19:38; 2:14 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.
Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 13:31-35 Some Pharisees came to Jesus and said,
"Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you."
He replied, "Go and tell that fox,
'Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow,
and on the third day I accomplish my purpose.
Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day,
for it is impossible that a prophet should die
outside of Jerusalem.' "Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,
how many times I yearned to gather your children together
as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,
but you were unwilling!
Behold, your house will be abandoned.
But I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say,
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." | Meditation: Romans 8:31-39 30th Week in Ordinary Time If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31) Have you ever gone backpacking? If you have, then you know that you have to be judicious about what to bring. If you load up your backpack with too much stuff, it may begin to feel so heavy that you end up having to shed some of the things you brought even before you reach your campsite! In some ways, guilt can be like that. It can make us feel as if we are trudging under the weight of an overstuffed backpack. However, instead of useful items, carrying the weight of guilt is like carrying a backpack filled with rocks. We should be shedding them; they aren't helping us on our journey. But for some reason, we hang onto them. We don't need these rocks! God, who "did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all," has freed us from sin and guilt (Romans 8:32). "Who will bring a charge against God's chosen ones?" Paul asks. "Who will condemn?" (8:33, 34). Certainly not the God who has saved us. Very often it's us. We're the ones who condemn ourselves! That's not what God intends. He is for us, not against us (Romans 8:31). So he offers us the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In Confession we encounter Jesus in the person of the priest. As the priest listens to our sins, it is Christ listening to us. As the priest absolves us, it is Christ speaking to us, freeing us from the weight of sin and guilt. Suddenly that heavy backpack filled with rocks is lifted off of us. We can stand up straight and hold our heads high. What if you still feel guilty? If guilt still lingers in your mind and you feel it weighing you down, make a habit of gazing at a crucifix. It will help you understand more fully the truth that you've been forgiven through the blood that Jesus shed for you. It may also help to go to Confession as often as possible. The more you hear those beautiful words of absolution, the more convinced you'll be that you don't have to lug those heavy rocks of guilt any longer! "Jesus, thank you for being for me, not against me. Help me to experience the freedom you have won for me." Psalm 109:21-22, 26-27, 30-31
Luke 13:31-35 |  clickable | This is the tragedy of the modern notion of freedom. When I train myself in the name of my personal freedom to pursue what I want, when I want, how I want, as often as I want, I'm actually not free. I'm a slave. I become a slave to my interests… In the end, the modern notion of freedom trains us to become slaves to our own selfishness.
—Edward Sri
from Who Am I to Judge? | my2cents:
"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
These words make the most comfort for present life and at the hour of great need, like at a funeral. Rightly so, nothing "should" separate us from the love of God. But things seemingly do separate us from the love of God. Things of inwardly reflection. An implosion that causes self-death. You see, although things can separate us from the love of God, His love is still there. We are the ones who wonder and stray. He isn't the unfaithful one. I thank God for Sister Faustina's encounter with God, with MERCY Himself. That's all I got to live on and seek out and depend on. Mercy and grace. Blood and water for souls. | Let us pray: "Do you, O GOD, my Lord, deal kindly with me for your name's sake; in your generous mercy rescue me; For I am wretched and poor, and my heart is pierced within me. Save me, O Lord, in your mercy." If I am truly poor, I have nothing. What does this mean? The Psalm says today "I will speak my thanks earnestly to the LORD, and in the midst of the throng I will praise him, For he stood at the right hand of the poor man, to save him from those who would condemn his soul." Who would do the condemning? The accuser has a huge job of condemnation. There is no mercy with the devil. So why would you give anything to the merciless? Why would you not give everything to the merciful? And we pray the very words of our Heavenly Lord today at the last verse of the Gospel "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." | Today we heard:
" Some Pharisees came to Jesus and said,
"Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you."
They said "Go away!" Was this a kindness act, or was it the devil telling the Lord to stay away? And most often the devil works with a grain of would be kindness, like telling a pregnant teen "you shouldn't put you or your baby through this...kill it". It works with the would-be grain of kindness, but it is false, and you know it is false when you are on the side of life, and Jesus is concerned with eternal life for us all. He replied, "Go and tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I accomplish my purpose."
What is a fox known for? Being sly? For being an opportunist, prancing on prey, sneaking in and causing havoc in a chicken coop, right? But the good shepherd stands at the gate. He never sleeps and is never weary for souls. This is Christ. 24/7/365. | "Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day,
for it is impossible that a prophet should die outside of Jerusalem.'
Herod was always out to kill the Lord, since the day he realized the "King" was born in "his territory". Which Herod? Satan. It is the job of this evil to take out the light and to wage war on all things light. This is done by way of great pride, the kind that ruins families, and countries. Pride kills. I cannot emphasize this enough. Because charity is killed, hope soon follows.
If you are here looking for a prophetic message, it has already been given...Jesus speaks.
If you are here seeking consolation, it has been given...Jesus speaks.
If you are here wondering and even getting lost in faith....you have been shown the light...for Jesus speaks. Our Lord Jesus speaks: "...how many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were unwilling!"
It hinges on a will, doesn't it?
Bishop Barron said today:
"On the cross, Jesus used, as it were, his own sacrificed body as a shield, taking the full force of the world's hatred and violence. He entered into close quarters with sin (because that's where we sinners are found) and allowed the heat and fury of sin to destroy him, even as he protected us.
With this metaphor in mind, we can see, with special clarity, why the first Christians associated the crucified Jesus with the suffering servant of Isaiah. By enduring the pain of the cross, Jesus did indeed bear our sins; by his stripes we were indeed healed. "
This reminded me of a story Trey Gowdy said this week at our Life Center Banquet, about a man that was on board a plane Flight 90 from Florida January of 1982. The flight crashes into the Potamic River, 74 were onboard and 5 survived. During the helicopter rescue process over those freezing waters, one man kept passing the rescue basket to the others and when they finally came back for him...he had drowned. I did some more research on the story as I'm writing to you, and it turns out, that the whole time the man, Arland D. Williams Jr., was strapped to the wreckage and was unable to turn loose, and they say the reason he drowned was because the plane he was strapped to turned slightly and pulled him under and drowned him. Some say it was hypothermia. Whatever the case, he was seen saving lives with what could've been his own salvation.
It is the case of great love from above. Others go first, I go last. No matter the cost. No matter the risk.
Jesus was said to have set His eyes on Jerusalem like flint, like an arrow. And the arrow hit the target, did not miss the target. They say sin means to miss the target. He did not. And for a great cause. What could've been His Salvation, He offered it to us all...the bride...His Love...You. He knew one day you would be born. He knew that His great love would cover all of sins. He knew His blood was what is necessary for salvation and purification....thus sanctification.
He knows what we do not know, or care to know.
He loves you with an everlasting love.
I wish my agnostic loved ones knew that what they are going through, Jesus wishes to be a part of their suffering. He desires them to know He loves them.
They say love causes amazing things. Foolish things even. Like...giving your life for one's friend.
And He dares to call you friend...and why?
MERCY KNOWS |  hear it read | adrian Random Bible Verse 1
Ephesians 4:25 25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
............... From Random Opening of IMITATION OF CHRIST book:
"If your main object is the will of God and the good of your neighbor, you will have great interior freedom. If your heart is straight with God... ...The moment you begin to grow lukewarm, everything is a big effort and you willingly receive distractions from without. But as soon as you begin to conquer yourself and walk uprightly in the way of God, then the effort expended seems little which before you thought was insurmountable." Thank You Jesus | |
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