Christianity
isn’t an abstract philosophy. It’s a complete way of life.
Consequently, profession of belief in Christianity isn’t simply an
intellectual nod of the head, but a commitment to live in such a way as
to express concretely one’s convictions in the everyday world. Such
engagement demands a sense of direction, a sense of individual mission
and purpose. This is supplied by the particular vocation each of us is
given. When we discover our own unique calling, regardless of what it
may be, we find the spiritual true north by which to plot our course.
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What If We Did What Francis Did?
In one way or another the Franciscan saints were all struck by the question that came to St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, whose dramatic conversion was prompted by his meditation on the saints: "What if I should do as St. Francis did?" Another translation of that question might be: What if I were to live as if the Gospel were true? As Carlo Carretto, a modern admirer, has observed: "At least once in our lives we have dreamed of becoming saints.… Stumbling under the weight of the contradictions of our lives, for a fleeting moment, we glimpsed the possibility of building within ourselves a place of simplicity and light.… This is when St. Francis entered our lives in some way."
—from The Franciscan Saints by Robert Ellsberg
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MorningOffering.com
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† Saint Quote
"The closer one approaches to God, the simpler one becomes."
— St. Teresa of Avila
† MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Prayer is the duty of every moment. We ought always to pray, said our Lord. And what He said, He did; therein lay His great power. Action accompanied His words and corresponded with them. We must pray always in order to be on our guard. Our life, both of body and soul, our natural and supernatural life, is like a fragile flower. We live surrounded by enemies. Ever since man rejected the Light that was meant to show him the way, everything has become for us an obstacle and a danger; we live in the shadow of death."
— Dom Augustin Guillerand, p. 9
AN EXCERPT FROM
The Prayer of the Presence of God
† VERSE OF THE DAY
"One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple."
Psalm 27:4
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ST. JANUARIUS
St. Januarius (d. 305 A.D.), also known as San Gennaro, was the Bishop of Benevento, Italy. Little is known of his early life. He was arrested and imprisoned for his faith while visiting other Christians in jail during the persecution of Roman Emperor Diocletian. Many attempts were made to kill him, but one after another they failed. He was thrown into a fiery furnace, but he came out unscathed. He was then thrown to wild beasts in the amphitheater, but they did not attack. He was finally beheaded, and his blood was collected by Christians and kept in a sealed glass vial for veneration. The vial of blood is still kept today in the Naples cathedral, and it has continually demonstrated miraculous properties for which no scientific explanation has been offered. St. Januarius' blood liquefies and becomes fresh on particular occasions throughout the year, especially his feast day, for which the saint has become famous. This phenomenon has been occurring with regularity for centuries, and is one of the "blood miracles" that is historically well-documented among the relics of certain saints. He is the patron saint of blood banks and the city of Naples, Italy. St. Januarius's feast day is September 19th.
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Thursday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1 1 Tm 4:12-16
Beloved:
Let no one have contempt for your youth,
but set an example for those who believe,
in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.
Until I arrive, attend to the reading, exhortation, and teaching.
Do not neglect the gift you have,
which was conferred on you through the prophetic word
with the imposition of hands by the presbyterate.
Be diligent in these matters, be absorbed in them,
so that your progress may be evident to everyone.
Attend to yourself and to your teaching;
persevere in both tasks,
for by doing so you will save
both yourself and those who listen to you.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 111:7-8, 9, 10
R.(2) How great are the works of the Lord!
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
sure are all his precepts,
Reliable forever and ever,
wrought in truth and equity.
R. How great are the works of the Lord!
He has sent deliverance to his people;
he has ratified his covenant forever;
holy and awesome is his name.
R. How great are the works of the Lord!
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
prudent are all who live by it.
His praise endures forever.
R. How great are the works of the Lord!
Alleluia Mt 11:28
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Lk 7:36-50
A certain Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him,
and he entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at table.
Now there was a sinful woman in the city
who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.
Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,
she stood behind him at his feet weeping
and began to bathe his feet with her tears.
Then she wiped them with her hair,
kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment.
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself,
"If this man were a prophet,
he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him,
that she is a sinner."
Jesus said to him in reply,
"Simon, I have something to say to you."
"Tell me, teacher," he said.
"Two people were in debt to a certain creditor;
one owed five hundred days' wages and the other owed fifty.
Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both.
Which of them will love him more?"
Simon said in reply,
"The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven."
He said to him, "You have judged rightly."
Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon,
"Do you see this woman?
When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet,
but she has bathed them with her tears
and wiped them with her hair.
You did not give me a kiss,
but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered.
You did not anoint my head with oil,
but she anointed my feet with ointment.
So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven;
hence, she has shown great love.
But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little."
He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
The others at table said to themselves,
"Who is this who even forgives sins?"
But he said to the woman,
"Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
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Catholic Meditations
Meditation: Luke 7:36-50
Saint Januarius, Bishop and Martyr (Optional Memorial)
Do you see this woman? (Luke 7:44)
Simon saw an outcast—a sinful woman with a bad reputation—crashing his dinner party. She was definitely not his kind of people. Didn't Jesus realize this? Couldn't he tell that she wasn't his kind of people either?
But that's not what Jesus saw. He saw a woman whose burdens of guilt and sin had been lifted off of her. Now all she wanted to do was honor him by performing a simple act of love and worship. In a way, as Jesus explained, she had an advantage over Simon: her sins were many and obvious, and so her joy at being forgiven was great.
Simon made the mistake of thinking that he was better than this woman. Perhaps his sins were not as great. Maybe he did sin less; we don't know. But his joy was definitely less as well. And his devotion to Jesus paled in comparison to this woman's. Of course, being upright and respectable has certain rewards, but nothing compares with the friendship with God that comes when we confess our sins and ask his Spirit to help us do better.
Whether you consider yourself a decent citizen or a social outcast, you still need Jesus' mercy. Whether you fall somewhat short or fall very short, you still need Jesus' outstretched arms to bring you into heaven. Simon couldn't see this, and so he ended up considering himself to be on more or less equal terms with Jesus. But he was more like this woman than he cared to admit: he too needed mercy.
It's ironic, isn't it? The one who was more keenly aware of her sins ended up happier and more richly blessed. Jesus wants to lift our burdens. He wants to remove anything that keeps us from knowing his love. But he can do that only with our cooperation. He respects us too much to force his mercy on us. Only the ones who see their sin and confess their need for him can receive the freedom this woman knew.
So who are you going to imitate? The repentant woman, who honored Jesus and left that dinner filled with joy? Or the Pharisee, who judged Jesus and was left with only the bill for the dinner?
"Jesus, thank you for your infinite mercy! Help me to see and confess any sin that keeps me from you."
1 Timothy 4:12-16
Psalm 111:7-10
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[On the cross] Jesus is in our place offering a worthy, perfect, infinitely meritorious sacrifice to the Father, which the Father accepts on our behalf.
—ROBERT HADDAD
from Purgatory and Praying for the Dead
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my2cents:
"...set an example for those who believe, in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity."
I told my 9th graders last night that they represent the Catholic Church wherever they go. And I represent them too. Together...we are to represent Christ! Amen? So we are to talk with Christ from inside, conduct ourselves with Christ's life, and love with Christ's love, and have faith and be pure. Is that hard? Only if you are not repentant. Only if you still have pride in you. Otherwise, no, it is not that hard to love like Christ!!
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Let us pray: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
prudent are all who live by it. His praise endures forever. How great are the works of the Lord!"
What is fear of the Lord? To be in awe of the Lord? To honor Him, right? To have this powerful sense of majesty, more than respect, it is to know your place before Him, and that place is what matters most in the heart. So what place do you give Him?
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In the Holy Gospel, our Lord was invited into a home. And there, in the heart of the home, things are revealed. Let us go there now.
A sorrowful and grateful woman enters the dinner scene. They say she is a sinner. God doesn't see her as they see her. He sees she's been forgiven. They do not. To them "once a floozy always a floozy". An adulterous woman, who's sin is never to be forgotten. But God sees her heart.
I asked the kids if they keep their promises all the time. Do you? How many times have you confessed the same sins over and over again? And you are supposed to promise never to sin again, to have true repentance. Otherwise you won't be forgiven, right? You need true contrition, true sorrow for sins, amen? That is the key ingredient to be absolutely forgiven! Otherwise, we have duplicity, a sickness of the world. Teaching and preaching from the teeth out, like....a Pharisee.
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Our Lord said of the woman:
"When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair."
Why didn't the guy give him water to wash his feet? After all, it was a Jewish custom to offer water to wash feet and hands and so forth, right?
Keep in mind how we treat the Lord in our home. Do you give water to Jesus when He comes in? Washing of the feet is a big deal to our Lord. It is a servant role. It is a great act of great....Love. Keep that in mind as He continues.
"You did not give me a kiss, but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered." She, this supposed floozy, is kissing the Messiah, over and over, kissing his feet she's cleansed with her tears and hair. But, the host didn't. How do we treat Jesus when we see Him? A protestant once said "if I really believed Jesus was in the Eucharist in Mass, I would go dragging myself on my knees up to the altar. But today, many don't even dress right for the occasion. We treat it as no bid deal. Remember our place before the Lord? And kiss greetings were supposed to be common in Jewish custom back then. Even Judas kissed Jesus goodbye. Watch how we treat Jesus in our home.
"You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with ointment." They said that a woman came in with expensive perfume and anointed the head of Jesus and the aroma filled the room, and what happened then? A traitor even got mad saying it was a complete waste! Wow. That sentiment still resides today as many ask "why are there so many riches at the Vatican and still so many poor people?". Wow. We have failed to recognize how to honor God. With everything we got. Time/Talent/Treasure.
So our Lord says a truth that will last beyond time:
"I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little."
And I'm asking you what I ask most people that I teach; "do you think that in Heaven there are people who do not love God?".
Therefore, let us love God much! Whoever gives, more will be given! Do not be afraid...to give!
Give God a chance. Bathe Him. Think from babies to elderlies, take care of each other.
Kiss Him. Think how people are welcome into your heart, a kind greeting can change someone's day, even a life.
Anoint Him. Make others shine! Anoint them with the Covenant seal.
We do enough tearing each other down. Frankly, I'm getting disgusted with it. I want no part of people bashing. There is enough evil in the world to last till the end of this earthly world already and I want no part of it.
Your part is what God calls for. Holy Perseverance. And this is a gift. And it is a gift to those who would like the gift or do you make God out to be a stingy giver? Point the finger! Many point back.
Do you have a sin that you are holding near and dear? Much is waiting for you and from you.
Are you like me, and have a hard time giving? I give time and money, yes, but what about what God really wants? True Love.
That calls for true sacrifice.
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adrian
Random Bible Verse 1
Galatians 1:10
10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant1 of Christ.
WOW
Thank You Jesus
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