 clickable | | The Natural Is Also the Supernatural The natural is, of itself, also the supernatural. Both natural elements and animals are not just objects for our plunder. Francis granted true dignity and subjectivity to nature by calling it Brother Sun, Sister Fire, Brother Wind, and Sister Water. No wonder he is the patron saint of ecology and care for creation. Once we grant subjectivity to the natural world, everything changes. It's no longer an object and we're the separated and superior subject, but we share subjectivity with it. We address it with a title of respect and allow it to speak back to us! For so long, creation has been a mere commodity at best, a useless or profitable wilderness, depending on who owned it. With the contemplative mind, questions of creation are different than those of consumption and capitalism, and they move us to appreciate creation for its own sake, not because of what it does for us or how much money it can make for us. For those with spiritual eyes, the world itself has to be somehow the very Body of God. —from the book Yes, And...: Daily Meditations by Richard Rohr |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"The Creator of the universe awaits the prayer of one poor little person to save a multitude of others, redeemed like her at the price of His Blood."
— St. Therese of Lisieux †MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Although our Divine Redeemer was the Lord and Master of all the riches of Heaven and earth, He willed nevertheless to become poor in this world that through His example we might become rich. He wished to induce us to love poverty as He did, for poverty, by detaching us from earthly riches, enables us to share in the treasures of Heaven. ... [It is] the teaching of our Blessed Lord that the poor in spirit shall have a great and certain reward. Their reward is certain, for when our Savior enumerated the Beatitudes in the Gospel, He referred in most instances to the future ... but to the poor in spirit, He promises happiness even in this life: 'Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' (Matt. 5:3). While here on earth, they receive special graces. The reward of the poor in spirit is, secondly, very great. 'The less we have here,' says St. Teresa, 'the greater will be our joy in Heaven, where our dwelling shall correspond to the love with which we imitated the life of poverty of our Divine Master here on earth'. The truly poor in spirit enjoy a heavenly peace even here in this world. ... [He] who is poor from choice despises the possessions of this earth and is at the same time the master of all."
— St. Alphonsus Liguori, p. 122
AN EXCERPT FROM
12 Steps to Holiness and Salvation † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them, because it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you."
Deuteronomy 31:6 |  click to read more | | Saint Mary MacKillop (January 15, 1842 – August 8, 1909) If Saint Mary MacKillop were alive today, she would be a household name. It's not that she sought the limelight. On the contrary, she simply wanted to serve the poor wherever she found them in her native Australia. But along the way, she managed to arouse the ire of some rather powerful churchmen. One even excommunicated her for a time. Born in Melbourne in 1842, to parents who had emigrated from Scotland, Mary grew up in a family that faced constant financial struggles. As a young woman she was drawn to religious life but could not find an existing order of Sisters that met her needs. In 1860, she met Father Julian Woods, who became her spiritual director. Together they founded a new community of women—the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart, also known as the Josephite Sisters. Its members were to staff schools especially for poor children, as well as orphanages, and do other works of charity. As the congregation grew, so did Mary MacKillop's problems. Her priest-friend proved unreliable in many ways and his responsibilities for direction of the Sisters were removed. Meanwhile, Mary had the support of some local bishops as she and her Sisters went about their work. But the bishop in South Australia, aging and relying on others for advice, briefly excommunicated Mary—charging her with disobedience—and dispensed 50 of her Sisters from their vows. In truth, the bishop's quarrel was about power and who had authority over whom. He ultimately rescinded his order of excommunication. Mary insisted that her congregation should be governed by an elected mother general answerable to Rome, not to the local bishop. There also were disputes about whether or not the congregation could own property. In the end, Rome proved to be Mary's best source of support. After a long wait official approval of the congregation—and how it was to be governed—came from Pope Leo XIII. Despite her struggles with Church authorities, Mary MacKillop and her Sisters were able to offer social services that few, if any, government agencies in Australia could. They served Protestants and Catholics alike. They worked among the aborigines. They taught in schools and orphanages and served unmarried mothers. Money, actually the lack of it, was a constant worry. But the Sisters who begged from door to door, were bolstered by faith and by the conviction that their struggles were opportunities to grow closer to God. By the time Mary was approaching the end of her life, the congregation was thriving. She died in 1909 at the age of 67. Pope John Paul II beatified her in 1995. In 2010, when Pope Benedict XVI canonized her, she became Australia's first saint. Her Liturgical Feast Day is August 8.
Reflection The story of many foundresses of religious communities and the tales of the early days of those communities can make for fascinating reading. Those women were dedicated and tough and fought for those they served. Let's thank the Lord for raising up such wonderful examples of faith. | Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Ex 11:10—12:14 Although Moses and Aaron performed various wonders
in Pharaoh's presence,
the LORD made Pharaoh obstinate,
and he would not let the children of Israel leave his land. The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
"This month shall stand at the head of your calendar;
you shall reckon it the first month of the year.
Tell the whole community of Israel: On the tenth of this month
every one of your families must procure for itself a lamb,
one apiece for each household.
If a family is too small for a whole lamb,
it shall join the nearest household in procuring one
and shall share in the lamb
in proportion to the number of persons who partake of it.
The lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish.
You may take it from either the sheep or the goats.
You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, and then,
with the whole assembly of Israel present,
it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight.
They shall take some of its blood
and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel
of every house in which they partake of the lamb.
That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh
with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
It shall not be eaten raw or boiled, but roasted whole,
with its head and shanks and inner organs.
None of it must be kept beyond the next morning;
whatever is left over in the morning shall be burned up. "This is how you are to eat it:
with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand,
you shall eat like those who are in flight.
It is the Passover of the LORD.
For on this same night I will go through Egypt,
striking down every first born of the land, both man and beast,
and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt—I, the LORD!
But the blood will mark the houses where you are.
Seeing the blood, I will pass over you;
thus, when I strike the land of Egypt,
no destructive blow will come upon you. "This day shall be a memorial feast for you,
which all your generations shall celebrate
with pilgrimage to the LORD, as a perpetual institution." Responsorial Psalm Ps 116:12-13, 15 and 16bc, 17-18 R.(13) I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord. Alleluia Jn 10:27 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord,
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 12:1-8 Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath.
His disciples were hungry
and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them.
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him,
"See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath."
He said to them, "Have you not read what David did
when he and his companions were hungry,
how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering,
which neither he nor his companions
but only the priests could lawfully eat?
Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath
the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath
and are innocent?
I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.
If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
you would not have condemned these innocent men.
For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath."
| Meditation: Matthew 12:1-8 15th Week in Ordinary Time The Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath. (Matthew 12:8) We are all aware of our Sunday obligation to attend Mass and observe this day as a day of rest. But have you ever thought of the Sabbath as a gift instead of a duty? Because that's what it really is. God gave us the Sabbath so that we could take a break from the daily grind to worship him, relax in his presence, and find refreshment as we prepare for the week ahead. Yet for all these blessings, we can still look at the Sabbath as a burden more than the gift it's intended to be. Some of the Pharisees in Jesus' time gave in to a similar temptation. In their zeal for the Law of Moses, they turned the Sabbath into a long list of dos and don'ts and expected everyone else to follow them. As self-styled enforcers of the Sabbath, they were always on the lookout for violations. So naturally, Jesus' "violation" of the Sabbath caught their attention. And it wasn't just this one time. He had gained some notoriety as "that rabbi who keeps healing people on the Sabbath." They were so focused on their interpretation of the Law of Moses that they missed recognizing Jesus as the promised Messiah—and Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8). Don't you miss out as well! Accept the Sabbath as God's special gift to you. Treasure it as a source of renewal and restoration. Jesus wants to spend unhurried, leisurely time with you so that he can minister to you and so that you can get to know him in a deeper way. He wants to celebrate his resurrection with you and your parish family at Mass. He is also inviting you to reconnect with family and friends, to enjoy some recreation, or to just curl up with a good book. Let him give you the grace you need to accomplish all that he is calling you to do in the next six days. What does your Sunday look like? Is there anything you can change so that you can receive more of the blessings God wants to give you on the Sabbath? The more you embrace his gift of rest, the more you'll discover that it's a gift that keeps on giving! "Lord, thank you for the gift of sabbath rest." Exodus 11:10–12:14
Psalm 116:12-13, 15-18 |  clickable | We can never know what other people experience before the Blessed Sacrament. Some people will say they feel 'nothing', and this is not wrong. In Adoration, Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta once wrote on a piece of paper, 'Father, please pray for me—where is Jesus?', and passed it to the priest at the front. She, who had had direct inspirations from God in prayer, spent decades in a dark night where she could not feel his presence. Remember: he owns the veil.
—Sally Read
from Annunciation: A Call to Faith in a Broken World | my2cents:
Our Lord said ""This day shall be a memorial feast for you,
which all your generations shall celebrate with pilgrimage to the LORD, as a perpetual institution."
Do Catholics celebrate the Sabbath?
I was talking to a man who used to be Jewish, now studying to be Catholic. He said it is very similar to be in Mass and to be in Synagogue. He can now see the direct perpetuation of Jewish celebration and our Catholic Faith, the perpetuation of Sabbath and Passover, all in one...the Holy Mass on Sunday, the new Sabbath, the new lamb. The lamb was one year old and unblemished. On the next day He rested...in Peace. That is, the following day. Now Sunday. It is all about Jesus, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. | Let us pray: "To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the name of the LORD. My vows to the LORD I will pay in the presence of all his people. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord."
Eucharist is called ThanksGiving. There we call on the name of the Lord. There we promise. There He promises. We make these in the presence. There we vow our lives to God in thanksgiving. There we are called to an eternal thanksgiving. Heaven. | In comes the Lord of Heaven and earth and all that our Father has given Him.
He is found on the Sabbath, now "violating" laws. Is it a violation to do something when you are the God of the world who makes everything and laws? No. So He says to the Pharisees ""Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry, how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering, which neither he nor his companions but only the priests could lawfully eat?" | No longer was the bread for priests...but for His followers. And He was offering the bread in thanksgiving. He was taken from Old and making it the New. The New Testament. The New Passover. For His companions were hungry. And they went to the house of God to eat. I am slightly over weight. I eat more than once a week, spiritually. I have much energy to burn. Spiritual energy. Am I boasting? Well, let me tell you what I am boasting about.
The Passover. The suffering. The sacrifice. Is that something to boast about? All I said is that I feel I am spiritually fed. And it costs me something to be fed. It costs...my life. I have to force my body to do what it does not want, my mind, and my body follow suit. And my high hopes is that my soul follows soon after. Sacrifice. And what about all the temple sacrifice? Our Lord said "I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice...". Jesus our Lord ushers in the New Sacrifice. The New Temple. The New Lamb. And He would encompass all. And He offers Himself eternally. Mercy is the new Sacrifice. Think humility. Think meekness. Think suffering servant. Think grace abounding through this great gift.
Yesterday, I was thinking of what love birds say, I think it was because I was singing a song that said "if you get there before I do (heaven), don't give up on me". And another song that says "I'm gonna love you forever". Older country songs, right? But what does forever mean? Until you die? That's not very long is it?
God promises forever, a real eternity. He created it for you and for me. I want that, and I want that with Him...Because only He can truly unite us. Lord, unite us. Lord guide us.
Lord ignite us. Lord provide us.
Lord, we need You. We need You like water, air, sun, everything to grow to You, to go to You. Lord, help us love You more and more....oh make us love Thee more and MORE |  hear it read | adrian A Random verse from an online random verse generator: Random Bible Verse1
Matthew 6:24 (Listen) 24 "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." [1] Thank You Jesus | |
