 clickable | | 'My God and My All!' Unless one truly believes in God, one is incapable of genuinely celebrating God. An observer once watched as Francis prayed throughout the length of an entire night. To his amazement, Francis spent the whole time simply repeating, over and over, "My God and my all! My God and my all!" This simple act, so undramatic, so seemingly modest, in fact was an incredibly intense celebration. Francis truly believed that God was all, and he realized that the only celebration worthy of God is wonder-filled and grateful acknowledgment of God's allness. Pageantry and pomp and circumstance aren't needed to celebrate the living God. All that's required is the heartfelt conviction that nothing—absolutely nothing—is more real or important. When we reach this point (if we reach this point) our belief in God is a simultaneous celebration of God. Which is exactly how things should be. —from the book Perfect Joy: 30 Days with Francis of Assisi by Kerry Walters |  MorningOffering.com | "There is still time for endurance, time for patience, time for healing, time for change. Have you slipped? Rise up. Have you sinned? Cease. Do not stand among sinners, but leap aside."
— St. Basil the Great MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"A man must go through a long and great conflict in himself before he can learn fully to overcome himself, and to draw his whole affection towards God. When a man stands upon himself he is easily drawn aside after human comforts. But a true lover of Christ, and a diligent pursuer of virtue, does not hunt after comforts, nor seek such sensible sweetnesses, but is rather willing to bear strong trials and hard labors for Christ."
— Thomas a' Kempis, p. 64
AN EXCERPT FROM
Imitation of Christ RECOMMENDED READS TODAY'S MASS READING - ORDINARY TIME MASS READINGS
HOMILY RECOMMENDED READS VERSE OF THE DAY
"Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, 'For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."
Romans 8:35-37 |  click to read more | | ST. THÉODORE GUÉRIN St. Theodore Guerin (1798–1856), also known as St. Theodora, was born in Etables, France, towards the end of the French Revolution. She was a pious child who loved prayer and who knew her vocation was to be a nun. However, she was delayed in following this path after the murder of her father when she was 15, which, in addition to the previous death of two of her siblings, sent her mother into a deep depression. St. Theodore took on the household tasks and the care of her mother and her remaining sister. Finally, when she was 25, her mother gave her consent, and Theodore left home to enter the religous life. She joined the Sisters of Providence who served God by educating children and caring for the poor, the sick, and the dying. In 1840 she was asked to lead a band of missionary sisters and establish her order in the United States of America, specifically to serve the pioneers in Indiana. Even though her health was fragile, she crossed the Atlantic and then traveled by steamboat and stagecoach until she reached the wilderness mission of St. Mary of the Woods, which consisted only of a tiny log chapel. She and her five sisters endured the extreme hardships common to life on the frontier. Less than a year after arriving she opened an academy which became the first Catholic women's Liberal Arts college in the United States, still active today, called St. Mary of the Woods College. St. Theodore also established numerous schools, pharmacies, and orphanages throughout the state of Indiana. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II and canonized in 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI. Her feast day is October 3rd. | Thursday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 458
Reading 1 Neh 8:1-4a, 5-6, 7b-12 The whole people gathered as one in the open space before the Water Gate,
and they called upon Ezra the scribe
to bring forth the book of the law of Moses
which the LORD prescribed for Israel.
On the first day of the seventh month, therefore,
Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly,
which consisted of men, women,
and those children old enough to understand.
Standing at one end of the open place that was before the Water Gate,
he read out of the book from daybreak until midday,
in the presence of the men, the women,
and those children old enough to understand;
and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law.
Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform
that had been made for the occasion.
He opened the scroll
so that all the people might see it
(for he was standing higher up than any of the people);
and, as he opened it, all the people rose.
Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God,
and all the people, their hands raised high, answered,
"Amen, amen!"
Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the LORD,
their faces to the ground.
As the people remained in their places,
Ezra read plainly from the book of the law of God,
interpreting it so that all could understand what was read.
Then Nehemiah, that is, His Excellency, and Ezra the priest-scribe
and the Levites who were instructing the people
said to all the people:
"Today is holy to the LORD your God.
Do not be sad, and do not weep"–
for all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law.
He said further: "Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks,
and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared;
for today is holy to our LORD.
Do not be saddened this day,
for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!"
And the Levites quieted all the people, saying,
"Hush, for today is holy, and you must not be saddened."
Then all the people went to eat and drink,
to distribute portions, and to celebrate with great joy,
for they understood the words that had been expounded to them. Responsorial Psalm Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 11 R. (9ab) The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye;
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
Sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart. Alleluia Mk 1:15 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand;
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 10:1-12 Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter, first say,
'Peace to this household.'
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves his payment.
Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
'The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.'
Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you,
go out into the streets and say,
'The dust of your town that clings to our feet,
even that we shake off against you.'
Yet know this: the Kingdom of God is at hand.
I tell you,
it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town." | Catholic Meditations
Meditation: Nehemiah 8:1-12 26th Week in Ordinary Time Rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength! (Nehemiah 8:10) The people were cut to the heart. As the prophet Ezra read from the Law of Moses for six hours, the men, women, and even the children were deeply affected. They began to weep as they realized that they had strayed from their calling to be God's own special people. But instead of letting the people remain caught in their mourning, Ezra and Nehemiah, the governor, urged them to rejoice. God had granted his people a new beginning. They had rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, so now the people were protected from their enemies. They could return to worshipping the Lord, walking in his ways, and being obedient to his commandments. When we realize how we have strayed from the Lord, we might have the same reaction as the people did—we are sad because we have disobeyed God and fallen short. But when we recognize our sinfulness, we should see it as God pricking our conscience so that we will turn back to him. He doesn't want us to get bogged down in sorrow and guilt. He wants us to come to him in repentance so that he can pour out his mercy on us. As he did for the Israelites, he wants to give us a new beginning; he wants to wipe the slate clean so that we can start again. What a cause for rejoicing! You can rejoice because you have seen your need for God's mercy and have come to him. You can rejoice knowing that he will shower you with his grace to help you fight sin and temptation in the future. You can rejoice because your God is always a God of new beginnings. Even if you fall into sin again, he will forgive you when you turn to him. So when you weep for your sins, don't stop there. Seek God's forgiveness, and then rejoice. As it was for the Israelites, your joy will become your strength as well. It will strengthen your faith in a loving and merciful God. It will strengthen your resolve to follow his commandments and do his will. And it will strengthen your love for a God whose mercy knows no bounds. "Father, your never-ending love and mercy fill me with joy!" Psalm 19:8-11
Luke 10:1-12 |  clickable | To be incorporated into Christ is to be incorporated into his Church. You cannot sunder the two: it is not two in any case. It is one thing. There is no such thing as an independent Christian to the extent that the Church is Christ's Body here on earth.
—Thomas Howard
from On Being Catholic | my2cents:
"Today is holy to the LORD your God. Do not be sad, and do not weep"
This was the message of the day. One that equaled "Repent! And "Believe!"
And all the people said AMEN and got sad. This was unlike an Amen like when we babble prayers, it was sincere. It cut to the heart. The prophets now had to cheer up the people, urging them to be of good cheer and give thanks to the Lord. "For there is power in rejoicing, Amen? Did we not hear the proclamation "...for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!"? | Let us pray: "The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul; The decree of the LORD is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart." Ahh, the Psalms that love the law. And then there are Psalms that are lamentations. But lamenting is realizing we have failed God. Our disobedience has always been that pesky hindrance to complete fulfillment in God. Woe to us...if we do not fulfill His law to a "t". The smallest letter. There was a man back in the 1500's who changed a word, added a word to Holy Scripture, and has caused centuries of confusion and havoc in the faith. Thousands of splinters of Christianity. And what was the word he added? Alone. | In the Holy Gospel, our Lord commands them to not go alone, to go 2 by 2. To go to the towns that HE intends to visit. Prepare the way. Make way for the Lord. For the Kingdom is at hand. It is coming and has been said to be at hand. It is offered to those who open the doors to their home, to Him. The Lord desires to enter your town. The Lord desires to be Lord and King. Whereas, we desire otherwise...by choosing other things. | It is interesting to see how governments work. China is seemingly facing a revolution. The United States is seen as the "ideal" democracy. Communism, socialism, in these systems you seemingly have a head or group that decides everything, as in a dictatorship. In a democracy, you have a head, often speaking for a group, is that any different? At least the people have a vote, right? What's my point? Should faith be a democracy? There used to be a time when it was a Theocracy. Those who were believed to be divinely guided. Priests and so forth. But with current trends, people want to rule themselves. They want the church to bend on contraception (which includes abortion and euthanasia) and homosexuality. This is a deadly revolt. I am bringing this up because "The Kingdom is at hand". The Lord has sent us: "Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves." And to boot, He asks us not to even carry a stick to fend off wolves! Luke 9:3 "Take nothing for the journey--no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt." JUST GO.
You have all you need.
You Have ME.
Now that is a call to duty. I mean, a call to faith! AMEN?
What is the government set on? Man made rules? It needs to stand on God-Made rules.
Ahhh, the law. Boils back to the law.
And His laws boil down to love.
And life.
And life trumps death. Because Jesus is coming.
Life is coming.
Life everlasting. Make way! Can we enter your home? PEACE BE WITH YOU |  hear it read | adrian Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 68:19 19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah Thank You Jesus | |
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