 clickable | | Every Breath of Life Is the Breath of God To live in God's humble love is to live in attentiveness, openness and relationship: attentiveness to the presence of God in the details of the fragile human person, openness to the ways God is both hidden and revealed in creation, and relationship to the God incarnated in our neighbors, family and community members. In each of these areas we are called to love in a spirit of compassion, forgiveness, tenderness and care. As God bends low to love us where we are, we must be open to welcome God in our lives, to embrace this God of humble love and to allow God to live in us in every way. Every breath of life must be the breath of God. —from the book The Humility of God: A Franciscan Perspective by Ilia Delio, OSF |  MorningOffering.com | † Saint Quote
"Holiness consists simply in doing God's will, and being just what God wants us to be."
— St. Therese of Lisieux † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Through the sacraments of Christian initiation, man receives the new life of Christ. Now we carry this life 'in earthen vessels', and it remains 'hidden with Christ in God'. We are still in our 'earthly tent', subject to suffering, illness, and death. This new life as a child of God can be weakened and even lost by sin. The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and bodies, who forgave the sins of the paralytic and restored him to bodily health, has willed that his Church continue, in the power of the Holy Spirit, his work of healing and salvation, even among her own members. This is the purpose of the two sacraments of healing: the sacrament of Penance and the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick."
— (CCC, 1420-21)
AN EXCERPT FROM
Catechism of the Catholic Church † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will make your vindication shine like the light, and the justice of your cause like the noonday. Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices."
Psalm 37:5-7 |  click to read more | | STS. COSMAS & DAMIAN Sts. Cosmas and Damian (d. 287 A.D.) were twin brothers born in Arabia. They both became skilled physicians who practiced in Asia Minor. They took no money for their medical services, for which they were well-respected. Because of their charity they drew many to the Catholic faith. During the Christian persecution under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, Cosmas and Damian were targeted, arrested, and tortured. After being miraculously preserved from injury throughout their cruel tortures, holding firm in their faith to the end, they were finally killed by beheading. They were martyred together with their three brothers. Their remains were buried in Syria and many miracles were attributed to them. In gratitude for the healing he received through the intercession of Sts. Cosmas and Damian, Roman Emperor Justinian I (6th c.) restored a church dedicated to their honor in Constantinople, which became a place of pilgrimage. Sts. Cosmas and Damian are regarded as the patron saints of physicians, surgeons, and pharmacists. They are mentioned by name in the Roman Canon of the Mass, and share a feast day on September 26th. | Thursday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 452
Reading 1 Hg 1:1-8 On the first day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius,
The word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai
to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel,
and to the high priest Joshua, son of Jehozadak: Thus says the LORD of hosts:
This people says:
"The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD."
(Then this word of the LORD came through Haggai, the prophet:)
Is it time for you to dwell in your own paneled houses,
while this house lies in ruins? Now thus says the LORD of hosts:
Consider your ways!
You have sown much, but have brought in little;
you have eaten, but have not been satisfied;
You have drunk, but have not been exhilarated;
have clothed yourselves, but not been warmed;
And whoever earned wages
earned them for a bag with holes in it. Thus says the LORD of hosts:
Consider your ways!
Go up into the hill country;
bring timber, and build the house
That I may take pleasure in it
and receive my glory, says the LORD. Responsorial Psalm Ps 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b R.(see 4a) The Lord takes delight in his people.
Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
R.The Lord takes delight in his people.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
R.The Lord takes delight in his people.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
R.The Lord takes delight in his people. Alleluia Jn 14:6 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 9:7-9 Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening,
and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying,
"John has been raised from the dead";
others were saying, "Elijah has appeared";
still others, "One of the ancient prophets has arisen."
But Herod said, "John I beheaded.
Who then is this about whom I hear such things?"
And he kept trying to see him. | Meditation: Luke 9:7-9
Saints Cosmas and Damian, Martyrs (Optional Memorial) Some were saying . . . ; others were saying . . . ; still others, . . . (Luke 9:7, 8) Reports about who Jesus was were flying, and Herod was listening. But as so often is the case, the rumors caused only uncertainty by raising more questions than they answered. Here are some of the stories Herod heard: Jesus had calmed a raging storm, healed a demoniac and a centurion's servant and a hemorrhaging woman, and raised at least two people from the dead. And here is the way many people interpreted these stories: Jesus was fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy about the coming Messiah: the blind saw, the lame walked, lepers were cleansed, the deaf heard, the dead were raised up, and the poor had the good news preached to them (Isaiah 35:5; Luke 7:22). It all seemed so clear, and yet Herod asked, "Who then is this about whom I hear such things?" (Luke 9:9). Herod was Jewish. He would have been familiar with the words of Isaiah. But his head was spinning, possibly full of guilt because he was living with his brother's wife and had ordered the beheading of John the Baptist. Probably, he was afraid of retribution or of losing his power. And so his self-concern caused him to harden his heart and close his mind to the possibility that Jesus could be the Messiah. When you listen to every voice around you, it's easy to become bewildered or hardened. All you need is one voice, one only, to calm your heart and guide your thinking. It's the voice of Jesus: in Scripture, in the liturgy, and in the quiet of your heart as you sit in prayer. So when your peace is shaken by stories of sin and evil that you hear or when your own thoughts threaten to disrupt you, stop listening. Turn instead to the One who is always ready to speak simple truth to you. If you need to, begin by repenting for any sin that might stand between you and Christ. Acknowledge any self-concern that might be hardening your heart. Then ask the Holy Spirit to help you sort through all the voices. Pay attention to what comes into your mind. If the thoughts are positive, helpful, loving, or merciful, they're probably from the Holy Spirit. Let God speak to you; let him silence all the other voices. "Holy Spirit, I believe you want to speak words of truth to me today—the truth that can set me free. Help me to hear your voice more clearly." Haggai 1:1-8
Psalm 149:1-6, 9 |  clickable | In every contemplation, this double movement occurs: the longing for God is fulfilled and at the same time enlarged to more consuming longing. Any word of the Lord is sufficient to kindle in us this fire. And this fire is the form in which human contemplation hands itself over to the Lord's contemplation; the small vision pours itself out into the ocean of God's infinite vision.
—Adrienne von Speyr
from Water and Spirit | my2cents:
"Consider your ways! You have sown much, but have brought in little; you have eaten, but have not been satisfied..."
I told my kids in class yesterday (high school kids) that as they grow, they will soon see that things of the world will never satisfy you. Beer never enough, food, pleasures, all of it, money, everything, never enough. Nothing fills. Consider our ways...of living. What do we seek to fill us? Confessing or going to Mass is a double edged sword, living and active. Say what? Here goes crazy Adrian! Yes. Back to filling. Consider what we fill ourselves with after confessing! It is an empty vessel that needs to immediately begin to be filled...hopefully with all things Jesus. And the Mass? Do we not come away filled from Communion? Mmm. Only as much filling as you came prepared for! If you come empty handed, you leave with nothing but a blessing perhaps. If you came with a little daisy cup, so be it. If you come in with a big tub, get ready for a heaping filling. Are you disposed to grace? Consider your ways! | We pray: "Let them praise his name in the festive dance, let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp. For the LORD loves his people, and he adorns the lowly with victory. The Lord takes delight in his people." The LORD LOVES His people. He lifts up the lowly. Imagine for a second, a child, not even yours, but a child, that is trying so hard to do what you said, and you are seeing the child from afar. The child falls. The others make fun. Yet the child continues to try to do what you said as it makes itself towards you. How moving is the scene? And our Father sees. He sees your trials. He has taken notice of the times you have got back up. Not looked back. He loves you so so much my child. The story of the cross is a love story. | In the Holy Gospel, we heard about Herod the tetrarch. They said they had spotted a prophet alive, perhaps even Saint John The Baptist whom Herod had beheaded. And the last verse today said "And he kept trying to see him." Why? They said Herod was curious of Saint John before killing him. They said he liked to hear him speak, but had him beheaded. He was intrigued. But had him beheaded. He wanted to see Jesus, but turned Him over to authorities, who had Him killed. | You see, we can not live faithless, wanting miracles and shows. We can not live by senses alone. Not even Scripture alone! LOL, boy I sure do hark on that right? But it is true. God writes with the ink of blood, and the bloodline He has chosen. Did God stop writing the Old Testament when Jesus arrived? How long the trail of blood! Generations and generations! No. He didn't stop writing. God came in the form of man. And even more blood started writing. And the blood of faith continues and courses through your veins. The blood of Jesus, the Word that is transformed and transforms. Inasmuch as you are susceptible to living grace from Heaven. Fill yourself with some of this.
So why did Herod keep trying to see "him"? Had St. John really come back to life? Was he sorry he killed him? Or was he afraid still? Like all the previous Herods, attempting to kill anyone that dared take their...pride.
Hmmm. Now wait a minute, am I hitting close to home? The bible says that money is the root of all evil. But we need to go deeper, to find what starts that horrible root. It is a force that counters God, and not encounters Him. Selfish pride loves anything and everything before God Himself. That kind of pride hands over Jesus to the next person...and that next person may have Him crucified!
So what are you looking for now? And why? You see, there is nothing wrong in looking for Jesus. But why? If you encounter Him, will you leave the same as before? Think Confession and Eucharist. Many people have. Not everyone was healed or converted, and Jesus was amazed at their hardened hearts. Stop thinking of those around you that are not being transformed. God will judge them according to His mercy. Right now your transformation is at hand...for The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
Cherish and grow your faith. Only then will those around you be transformed. Such is the story of the cross. Such is the love story of the heart that pumped out every last ounce of living blood onto the world. And still continues in Heavenly union... |  hear it read | adrian Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 18:12 12 Before destruction a man's heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor. Thank You Jesus | |
