 clickable | | What Does God Expect from Us? The desire we must possess, according to Bonaventure, is essentially the desire of the heart for the good. What would Bonaventure say to a contemporary world that upholds money, wealth, power, and prestige as the principal desires? His answer would probably be that given to the Poor Clare Nun: desire God alone. Pure desire is what Bonaventure teaches and his advice on how to strive for this is simple: one must turn one's entire heart, mind, and soul to God. Since that which brings happiness and peace rests in God, only the desire for God can lead to happiness and peace. In the incarnation, God has turned his entire being, all that he has and all that he is, to us. Should God expect any less of us than what God has given and continues to give to us? —from the book Crucified Love: Bonaventure's Mysticism of the Crucified Christ by Ilia Delio, OSF |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"Every grace granted to man has three degrees in order; for by God it is communicated to Christ, from Christ it passes to the Virgin, and from the Virgin it descends to us."
— St. Bernardine of Siena †MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Thus, brethren, God has loved you from eternity, and through pure love, he has selected you from among so many men whom he could have created in place of you; but he has left them in their nothingness, and has brought you into existence, and placed you in the world. For the love of you, he has made so many other beautiful creatures, that they might serve you, and that they might remind you of the love which he has borne to you, and of the gratitude which you owe to him."
— St. Alphonsus Liguori, p. 218
AN EXCERPT FROM
Sermons of St. Alphonsus Liguori †VERSE OF THE DAY
"When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
Luke 14:12-14 |  click to read more | | ST. BONAVENTURE St. Bonaventure (1221–1274) was born with the name Giovanni in Tuscany, Italy. As a child he became seriously ill and was in danger of death until his mother brought him to St. Francis of Assisi, who was then living in the region as a mendicant friar. It is said that St. Francis healed the child and afterward exclaimed, "O buona ventura (O good fortune)!" when he prophetically perceived how great the child would one day become, and this is how he began to be called Bonaventure. He joined the Franciscan order at the age of 22 and went on to study theology at the University of Paris, where he became famous friends with the Dominican friar St. Thomas Aquinas. The two friends graduated together, each insisting that the other be the first to receive honors. St. Bonaventure is regarded as one of the great philosophers and theologians of the Middle Ages, earning the name "Seraphic Doctor." In addition to his many writings, including a Life of St. Francis of Assisi, he was elected to serve as head of his order, and was appointed a cardinal-bishop by the Holy Father. St. Bonaventure died while assisting at the Second Council of Lyons, which worked for the reunification of the Catholic Church with the Eastern Orthodox churches. His feast day is celebrated on July 15th. | Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Reading 1 Ex 1:8-14, 22 A new king, who knew nothing of Joseph, came to power in Egypt.
He said to his subjects, "Look how numerous and powerful
the people of the children of Israel are growing, more so than we ourselves!
Come, let us deal shrewdly with them to stop their increase;
otherwise, in time of war they too may join our enemies
to fight against us, and so leave our country." Accordingly, taskmasters were set over the children of Israel
to oppress them with forced labor.
Thus they had to build for Pharaoh
the supply cities of Pithom and Raamses.
Yet the more they were oppressed,
the more they multiplied and spread.
The Egyptians, then, dreaded the children of Israel
and reduced them to cruel slavery,
making life bitter for them with hard work in mortar and brick
and all kinds of field work—the whole cruel fate of slaves. Pharaoh then commanded all his subjects,
"Throw into the river every boy that is born to the Hebrews,
but you may let all the girls live." Responsorial Psalm Ps 124:1b-3, 4-6, 7-8 R.(8a) Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Had not the LORD been with us–
let Israel say, had not the LORD been with us–
When men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive,
When their fury was inflamed against us.
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us;
over us then would have swept
the raging waters.
Blessed be the LORD, who did not leave us
a prey to their teeth.
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
We were rescued like a bird
from the fowlers' snare;
Broken was the snare,
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord. Alleluia Mt 5:10 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 10:34—11:1 Jesus said to his Apostles:
"Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.
I have come to bring not peace but the sword.
For I have come to set
a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one's enemies will be those of his household. "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. "Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet's reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is righteous
will receive a righteous man's reward.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because he is a disciple–
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward." When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples,
he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns. | Meditation: Matthew 10:34–11:1 Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Memorial) Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. (Matthew 10:37) Family relationships are probably the most important and influential relationships we have. In Israel at the time of Jesus, this was even more the case than it is today. That's why Jesus' words in today's Gospel reading had an especially sharp edge for his first hearers: he seemed to be talking about severing family ties for the sake of the gospel. Did he really mean for his disciples to do this? Not exactly. Jesus was using classical Jewish hyperbole—that is, an extravagant exaggeration—to make a point: our relationship with him needs to become the most important relationship in our lives. No other relationship, not even with close family members, should come before Jesus. Of course, Jesus is not saying that we should stop loving our family members, or anyone else, for that matter. He is simply challenging our priorities and asking us to place him first and foremost in our hearts. Most people are concerned about what their family members think of them and how to please their parents or children, and this is good. However, sometimes we let these family concerns override or crowd out our relationship with Jesus. Such concerns can dominate us so much that, for all practical purposes, we set Jesus aside and try to please our family more than we seek to please the Lord. When this happens, we risk looking to the wrong source for our fulfillment and our ability to love our families. Putting Jesus first will ultimately prove the wisest course in our relationships with other people, and especially with our families. In fact, a loving and strong connection with Jesus can actually enhance our other relationships. Why? Because the closer we are to Jesus, the more peaceful, compassionate, and generous we are. His love smooths out our rough edges and helps us to love our family members as he loves them. And these are always the prime ingredients in a healthy, loving relationship. "Jesus, help me to love you and follow you before all others." Exodus 1:8-14, 22
Psalm 124:1-8 |  clickable | Faith only begins when the proposition to which you assent is one that is doubted, or might quite conceivably be doubted, by people of equal intelligence with yourself.
—Ronald Knox
from In Soft Garments | my2cents:
"... the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread."
A king was becoming afraid, so he oppressed a demographic, and this sounds like Hitler, right? Only this man made the people slaves, no more freedom, freedom was taken away, little by little, more and more, treated like animals, until they were throwing away their babies. This is what happens with sin. At the same time, the people of Israel were assimilating to Egyptian lifestyle with various gods. It was a melting pot of trouble, and mostly trouble for...faith. Faith was at stake now. Gold was to be proven pure. | Let us pray: "Our help is in the name of the Lord. Had not the LORD been with us– let Israel say, had not the LORD been with us– When men rose up against us, then would they have swallowed us alive, When their fury was inflamed against us." Will God send a savior even when the victim is not crying out for help? Yesterday, we read about the hemorrhaging woman in a bible study group. She touched the tassel when Jesus was not looking. She was healed immediately. I asked in class "it seems as though she was healed without our Lord's consent, or an intercessory conversation as is the norm. Her faith healed her. God is availed on "automatic", so long as our faith touches Him...and He takes notice.
Yes, God will intervene, even when we do not seek as well. Like a miracle on the inverse side. He can touch us and catch us blindsided...take St. Paul who was murderous Saul, for instance. | Let us turn to the Lord and get ready for this:
"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. | This is what I teach in all my classes, adults, youth, all ages. Love God above all.
Above all pleasures and enjoyments.
How many of us would be dying of thirst and yet, offer that cold cup of water to another person before yourself?
That is Christ.
Others first. "the people" need Jesus.
So how do we balance family life with the life of following Christ?
Easy...bring everyone to Christ!
AHH HAA, not that easy, huh? How can you give what you don't have?
Namely, the love of Christ.
You've witnessed the truth of the Gospel, where families turn on each other, and for what reasons? Christ? The lack of Christ? Is Christ the reason for division? I've read of saints who are disowned for turning their lives to Christ. I've heard of saints turning their children into saints, giving their lives to Christ. "Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me."
Wouldn't you like to receive Christ? Then, receive the messenger! And with great love! And then you will receive the Father.
How? Do messengers come by often? Oh yes. You are receiving this message in the same way a visitor could come by your life in person, talking to you about Christ, inviting you to more of Christ, Christ life, even ministries, receive with open arms. And behold...it will call for sacrifice.
Christ's message is a sacrificial message. You will have to give up families, mothers, daughters, brothers, sisters. At least for an hour or two per week, or a few times a week.
Christ's messengers are already living the message...
aren't we? |  hear it read | adrian Random Bible Verse1 (verses randomly chosen online)
Philippians 1:29 (Listen) 29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake. . . . Thank You Jesus | |
