 clickable | | Mystics Are Chosen by God One of the truths that is becoming more evident to me the more I study and think about the mystics is that they are not ordinary but chosen souls whom God came to when they were not expecting such a visitation. That they are chosen and special is God's choice, not something they somehow merit. The rest of us try daily to go to God in our ordinary lives by living in faith, while the mystics spend their lives responding to the great gift of God's extraordinary entrance into their lives. They show us what it is like to be taken over by God while at the same time cautioning us that we cannot merit God's tangible presence. But given those distinctions, even we in our ordinary lives can embrace Christ on the cross. We can place ourselves physically and spiritually in a space or place that makes it at least a compatible space for "hearing" God's voice and "seeing" God's manifestations, should God decide to show us the divine presence in a way that is beyond the faith we have from our baptism. —from the book Mystics: Twelve Who Reveal God's Love by Murry Bodo, OFM |  MorningOffering.com | † Saint Quote
"It is part of the discipline of God to make His loved ones perfect through trial and suffering. Only by carrying the Cross can one reach the Resurrection."
— Archbishop Fulton Sheen † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"The heart cannot exist without love; it will love either God or creatures. If it does not love creatures, it certainly will love God. In order to become holy, we must therefore banish from our heart all that is not for God. When anyone came to the Fathers of the desert and desired to be received by them he was asked: 'Do you bring an empty heart that it may be filled by the Holy Ghost?' And they were right, for a heart that is filled with the things of earth has no room for the love of God. He who brings a vessel filled with earth to the spring will never be able to fill it with water until he empties it of the earth with which it is filled. How does it happen that so many pray and go frequently to Holy Communion and still make no considerable progress in the love of God? The reason is doubtless because the heart is full of self-esteem, of vanity, of self-will, and of attachment to creatures. He, therefore, who wishes to arrive at the perfect love of God must practice poverty in spirit. He must be detached from worldly possessions, from temporal honors, from his fellow creatures, and from himself."
— St. Alphonsus Liguori, p. 114-5
AN EXCERPT FROM
12 Steps to Holiness and Salvation † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm."
Ephesians 6:13 |  click to read more | | SAINT OF THE DAY ST. URSULA & HER 11,000 COMPANIONS
St. Ursula (4th c.) was a pious Christian princess from Britain, perhaps Wales. According to the 13th century Golden Legend she set sail and embarked on a pilgrimage to Rome with a large court of handmaids prior to settling in what is today western France, where she was to be joined in marriage to a local governor. Along her pilgrimage route she attracted many followers who were influenced by her holy example. On the return journey St. Ursula and her traveling maidens fell into the hands of the Huns, violent nomads from the East, who had invaded large swaths of Europe. St. Ursula and her company of virgins and other followers, which numbered 11,000, were tortured in an effort to have them renounce their faith. Steadfastly refusing, they were massacred in Cologne, Germany and buried together in a mass grave over which was built the Basilica of St. Ursula. Due to the varying accounts of her martyrdom and the difficulty of separating fact from legend, her feast day was suppressed in modern times. St. Ursula is the patroness of the Ursulines, a female religious order founded in 1535 by St. Angela Merici for the education of young girls. St. Ursula is also the patron of students, teachers, Catholic education, and of a holy death. Her feast day is October 21st. | Monday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Rom 4:20-25 Brothers and sisters:
Abraham did not doubt God's promise in unbelief;
rather, he was empowered by faith and gave glory to God
and was fully convinced that what God had promised
he was also able to do.
That is why it was credited to him as righteousness.
But it was not for him alone that it was written
that it was credited to him;
it was also for us, to whom it will be credited,
who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,
who was handed over for our transgressions
and was raised for our justification. Responsorial Psalm Luke 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75 R.(see 68) Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people. Alleluia Mt 5:3 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are the poor in spirit;
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 12:13-21 Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
"Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me."
He replied to him,
"Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?"
Then he said to the crowd,
"Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one's life does not consist of possessions." Then he told them a parable.
"There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.
He asked himself, 'What shall I do,
for I do not have space to store my harvest?'
And he said, 'This is what I shall do:
I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.
There I shall store all my grain and other goods
and I shall say to myself, "Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!"'
But God said to him,
'You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?'
Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself
but is not rich in what matters to God."
| Catholic Meditations
Meditation: Luke 12:13-21 29th Week in Ordinary Time Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God. (Luke 12:21) Jesus wasn't about to get pulled into this family dispute. The man questioning Jesus wanted to get his fair share of the inheritance. But Jesus redirected him by telling a parable that encouraged him to make himself rich not in possessions but in "what matters to God" (Luke 12:21). Instead of being interested in how much this man and his brother possessed, Jesus focused on how they used their God-given gifts in line with God's priorities. Take a look at the parable: the landowner is called a fool, not because he is wealthy, but because he stockpiled his wealth. He was concerned only for his own comfort and security. He ignored the needs of the people around him. That attitude stands in stark contrast to God's compassion for the poor and suffering. How could things have been different? Following ancient Jewish tradition, the landowner could have left gleanings on the edges of his fields for his poorer neighbors instead of reaping every single grain. Better still, he could have urged the townspeople to take bags of grain home to their families. Even more, think of the joy if he had thrown a barn dance so that the whole village could celebrate the harvest together! We might be tempted to chuckle about this man until we realize that we too have been blessed with a bountiful harvest. Regardless of the amount of material resources we possess, each of us has God-given gifts. Each of us has been given the gift of faith; we have unique talents and loving relationships. These are the gifts we can share with the people around us, instead of keeping them to ourselves. It could mean sharing your faith by volunteering to help with a children's Liturgy of the Word or with a Bible study at church. It could mean giving of your time to visit people in a nursing home. Or maybe you could use your green thumb to bring some flowers to a local hospital or to decorate your church. Let's share those good things that God has given us. Let's use them generously to lift people up. That's the best way to become rich in what matters to God. "Lord, help me to be rich in compassion and mercy." Romans 4:20-25
(Psalm) Luke 1:69-75 |  clickable | We have something to contribute to the Glory of Christ because His Glory is extended when He manifests His Glory in us.
—Scott Hahn
from The End | my2cents:
"...it was also for us, to whom it will be credited, who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead..."
The Holy Scriptures were written for every soul that reads them. Not all will read them, and so, they will have you, the one who read them, to share with them. We can not store these things for ourselves and condemn others for not knowing the Word, and the Word made flesh, our Lord Himself. | " Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to set us free from the hands of our enemies, free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life."
Who are our enemies? When I ask most, they can't really answer. Either they say the don't have enemies, or they can't think of them. I see enemies. I seen the enemy in the Diocesan Cursillo meeting I was at this weekend. I saw gossip. I saw pride. I saw things that come to separate, kill, and destroy. I saw what I didn't think I would see at this level of the movement. They wanted to bring in everybody that was arguing. I said "I am not going to be here for that meeting, because the devil will be there". What did I mean by that? Am I afraid? Yes. I'm afraid to give glory to evil. You can give in to your enemies too. All you have to do is give into gossip. Give into temptations. Give into pride. Give into indulgences. Give into pleasure. Give into fights. Or you can battle in this Spiritual war, with an act of righteousness. Focus on the main objective. The greater good, to save souls. | The greater good speaks today: "Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one's life does not consist of possessions."
Two were arguing about money. One came crying to Jesus. This is when Jesus our King says not be be greedy, an enemy. Isn't greed one of the 7 deadly sins? "These particular bad habits are called the seven deadly sins because, according to Catholicism, they're mortal sins — sins that kill the life of sanctifying grace.
Remember how I said all you have to do is to give into that sin to give into the enemy? There's a saying out there that says "whoever dies with the most toys wins". Isn't' that childish and foolish talk? Talking about toys? Talking about bottles. Talking about girls or boys? And can the sin of greed be tied to the sin of pride? I heard a few talks from a former satanist, after I heard his first talk on CBN on youtube about halloween and the evils of it. And I agree, there are evils in the spirit of what is celebrated that day. He went in a longer talk about the 21 attributes of "Jezebel" a supreme evil spirit, I didn't hear all because I got busy, but I heard over half and every attribute seemed to me to be tied with the sin of pride. Why so much talk about this anyway? Let us turn to the Lord: | He says that the rich man said "Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!"
Ok. So, many think they don't have enemies. Many think they are "good" (enough). And many would love to be secure, love to eat, drink and be merry, amen? Am I right? He was set, like in retirement mode. Sit back, relax, prop your feet up and no worries. Doesn't that sound like "the American dream"?
What does God say?
"YOU FOOL"
'You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you". Then what? What of all your earthly accumulations? They say the funeral car doesn't pull a u-haul wagon for all your belongings. You belonged to your belongings and your belongings belong to who now?
There is something interesting about the crops and storage barns story.
Who made the crops grow? The farmer, or God? What am I saying? God gives, but do we? Ultimately, the story becomes one of charity and mercy. How you say? Because we are meant to be illuminated by the grim story. The illumination shines light on evil so you can spot that horrible enemy in your life and do something about it. Amen?
The guy crying for his share in the inheritance should now be concerned with what is Above. If a man takes your cloak, offer your tunic. If he presses you for a mile, go an extra one. If they slap your cheek, offer the other. If someone borrows, don't ask for it back! LOL. I was talking to a cousin to DJ at my daughters 15th birthday coming up and he mentioned a screen I let someone borrow but was never returned. I told him I felt bad asking for it back because the bible says not to ask for things back. My cousin laughed, couldn't believe I said that. Jokingly I said "I know what I'll do! I'll ask them if I can borrow the screen!" I make light of the situation, but at what points will we become givers?
If that guy crying for inheritance doesn't ask for the share anymore, will he not be giving it to the greedy? "OK, He can have it". Greed will not suppress you if you learn to give. And we don't want to be shackled in eternity for being greedy, right?
Greedy with love.
Because if we let things get to us, we will hate, despise, and separate, kill and destroy. All things Jesus our Lord came to abolish in our lives!
I say this for a fact. Parents die and kids are left squabbling on who gets what, and if things don't go well, the kids split and never speak to each other again, and I've even heard of killings on the matter. Someone's will was not made known. A Testament.
Your Testament should be the Good Testament.
The one that leaves the world and the children with a love of God's will.
How? Simply become a Saint.
Easier said than done?
That becomes a matter of will, and God's grace. |  hear it read | adrian Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 23:4 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,1 I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Thank You Jesus | |
