 |  clickable | | Pursuing God's Plan Despite Roadblocks "Whatever troubles may be before you, accept them cheerfully, remembering whom you are trying to follow. Do not be afraid." —St. Mary MacKillop She was excommunicated for insubordination, and later she was told to move her congregation out of a diocese. Through it all, she showed a radical trust in God and the Church, even when some of its leaders were less than Christlike. Faith and trust in God were about the only things that ever seemed to come easily to this daughter of Scots immigrants to Australia, who would be known as Mary of the Cross in religious life. During Mary's travels, she became aware that some community members had told Fr. Woods that they were hearing allegations of sexual abuse by a priest. After an investigation, the accused priest was ordered to leave Australia. Another priest then promised revenge. His complaints about the sisters and his view that they needed to be under diocesan control found their way to Bishop Sheil. Back in Adelaide, on September 22, 1871, after receiving a letter from Mary stating her desire to continue to operate the community according to that rule, Bishop Sheil excommunicated her and evicted the sisters from their residence. On his deathbed the following March, the bishop ordered her excommunication rescinded. Intent on moving the community beyond diocesan politics, Mary left Adelaide in March 1873 and did not return until January 1875. —from Radical Saints: 21 Women for the 21st Century, by Melanie Rigney |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"Let every knee bend before Thee, O greatness of my God, so supremely humbled in the Sacred Host. May every heart love Thee, every spirit adore Thee and every will be subject to Thee!"
— St. Margaret Mary †Meditation
"Oh, how sweet and pleasant to that soul and to Me is holy prayer, made in the house of knowledge of self and of Me, opening the eye of the intellect to the light of faith, and the affections to the abundance of My charity, which was made visible to you, through My visible Only-begotten Son, who showed it to you with His blood! Which blood inebriates the soul and clothes her with the fire of divine charity, giving her the food of the Sacrament . . . that is to say, the food of the Body and Blood of My Son, wholly God and wholly man, administered to you by the hand of My vicar, who holds the key of the Blood."
— St. Catherine of Siena, p. 92
AN EXCERPT FROM
Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena † VERSE OF THE DAY
"My child, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways."
Proverbs 23:26 |  click to read more | | Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions (d. between November 15, 1885 – January 27, 1887) One of 22 Ugandan martyrs, Charles Lwanga is the patron of youth and Catholic action in most of tropical Africa. He protected his fellow pages, aged 13 to 30, from the homosexual demands of the Bagandan ruler, Mwanga, and encouraged and instructed them in the Catholic faith during their imprisonment for refusing the ruler's demands. Charles first learned of Christ's teachings from two retainers in the court of Chief Mawulugungu. While a catechumen, he entered the royal household as assistant to Joseph Mukaso, head of the court pages. On the night of Mukaso's martyrdom for encouraging the African youths to resist Mwanga, Charles requested and received baptism. Imprisoned with his friends, Charles's courage and belief in God inspired them to remain chaste and faithful. For his own unwillingness to submit to the immoral acts and his efforts to safeguard the faith of his friends, Charles was burned to death at Namugongo on June 3, 1886, by Mwanga's order. When Pope Paul VI canonized these 22 martyrs on October 18, 1964, he also made reference to the Anglican pages martyred for the same reason.
Reflection Like Charles Lwanga, we are all teachers and witnesses to Christian living by the examples of our own lives. We are all called upon to spread the word of God, whether by word or deed. By remaining courageous and unshakable in our faith during times of great moral and physical temptation, we live as Christ lived. | Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs
Lectionary: 355 Reading 1 2 Tm 1:1-3, 6-12 Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God
for the promise of life in Christ Jesus,
to Timothy, my dear child:
grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord. I am grateful to God,
whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did,
as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day. For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel
with the strength that comes from God. He saved us and called us to a holy life,
not according to our works
but according to his own design
and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began,
but now made manifest
through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus,
who destroyed death and brought life and immortality
to light through the Gospel,
for which I was appointed preacher and Apostle and teacher.
On this account I am suffering these things;
but I am not ashamed,
for I know him in whom I have believed
and am confident that he is able to guard
what has been entrusted to me until that day. Responsorial 123:1b-2ab, 2cdef R. (1b) To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes.
To you I lift up my eyes
who are enthroned in heaven.
Behold, as the eyes of servants
are on the hands of their masters.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes.
As the eyes of a maid
are on the hands of her mistress,
So are our eyes on the LORD, our God,
till he have pity on us.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes.
Alleluia John 11:25a, 26 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord;
whoever believes in me will never die.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 12:18-27 Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection,
came to Jesus and put this question to him, saying,
"Teacher, Moses wrote for us,
If someone's brother dies, leaving a wife but no child,
his brother must take the wife
and raise up descendants for his brother.
Now there were seven brothers.
The first married a woman and died, leaving no descendants.
So the second brother married her and died, leaving no descendants,
and the third likewise.
And the seven left no descendants.
Last of all the woman also died.
At the resurrection when they arise whose wife will she be?
For all seven had been married to her."
Jesus said to them, "Are you not misled
because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?
When they rise from the dead,
they neither marry nor are given in marriage,
but they are like the angels in heaven.
As for the dead being raised,
have you not read in the Book of Moses,
in the passage about the bush, how God told him,
I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob?
He is not God of the dead but of the living.
You are greatly misled." | Today's Meditation: 2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12 A spirit . . . of power and love and self-control . . . (2 Timothy 1:7) Do you ever feel a little anxious when you look at the state of the world? That's probably how Paul's young friend, Timothy, felt. It appears he was naturally reserved, since Paul advised the Corinthians to "see that he is without fear in your company" if Timothy came to visit (1 Corinthians 16:10). It looks like he might have been a worrier too since Paul counsels him to drink a little wine for his stomach ailments (1 Timothy 5:23). But Paul's best advice comes in today's reading. He encourages Timothy to "stir into flame" the gift of the Holy Spirit that he received at his baptism (2 Timothy 1:6). That's the same Holy Spirit that you received at your baptism. It's the same Spirit who gave you the same gifts of power and love and self-control when you were confirmed. What do these gifts look like? Paul reminds Timothy that this power comes from God. It's not dependent on "our works but according to . . . the grace bestowed on us in Christ" (2 Timothy 1:9). And because it comes from God, this power can make us brave and unashamed: brave enough to offer to pray with a friend who is hurting. Brave enough to share our faith with a family member who is struggling. Brave enough to turn away from gossip and to change the tone of a negative conversation. The Spirit also helps us to love. He helps us to lift up each child of God, not just the ones we find attractive, but also the ones who try our patience or who rub us the wrong way. That's because the Spirit has poured the unconditional love of God into our hearts (Romans 5:5). As we believe in and experience that love, we let go of divisive thoughts, and we become more free to care for the people around us. Finally, the self-control that comes from the Holy Spirit enables us to rise above our fears and to harness our inner drives. It helps us turn aside from harmful thoughts and overcome old habits that threaten to trip us up. Power, love, and self-control. These are gifts from the Spirit to you. This is your heritage. Step out in faith and try them out! "Jesus, thank you for the generous gifts you have given me through your Holy Spirit!" Psalm 123:1-2
Mark 12:18-27 |  clickable | In the morning I watched the sun as it was born and in the evening as it set. And I thought that if it was beautiful, how much more beautiful must be the one who had made it.
— St. Josephine Bakhita
from Bakhita: From Slave to Saint | my2cents:
"...stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands."
Holy Spirit speak.
Holy Spirit act.
Holy Spirit live within me. Holy Spirit, stir into flame the power of your love and gifts from Heaven. Help us be your light in the world. Lead us Lord, help us Lord, take us Lord to your place, and make my place your place. Make my life your life. Lord hear us, Lord graciously hear us. | We pray today: "To you I lift up my eyes
who are enthroned in heaven. Behold, as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters. To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes."
Why are the eyes of servants on the hands of masters? A well trained and keen dog looks for a hand gesture for the next command. Am I a dog? Even dogs deserve scraps from the table. We are not equal to God, and the sad part of the world is that it tries not only to be equal, but to surpass, usurp the Kingship of the Son. But a well trained DOG knows. Depend On God. | "He is not God of the dead but of the living.
You are greatly misled."
Today, we are in the land of living beings, and what happens after death? Is that the land of the dead? Of course not. The only dead are those who are not with Christ. Mortal sin kills the soul.
But the people look alive! Of course, but it they die in their sin, they are dead forever.
Are you afraid? Are you afraid to let others die like that? That is why we are to help each other to Heaven. The way of the world is divorce, death option. Even in the case of abuse, physical, mental, spiritual, I've heard that "church teaches you can divorce legally for safety". But that's not the truth you need to hear. The truth you need to hear is to fight for truth and unity. The truth is, there are steps in reconciliation. There are efforts and bloody sacrifice that need to take place for love to win. What's it going to take? For you to lose everything? Yes. Pride must die. Death to pride, and then there is life. Every time you hear something related to pride you should relate it to darkness. | Why did the people ask about dead husbands? Who's husband would she be in the next life? We only have one spouse in all reality my friends and family, and that is Christ. Adam is Jesus, and Eve is the life He gave to us from His side...on the cross. This is not erotic bonds, nor romantic nuptial agreements, but a covenant bond that is designed to be forever.
7 is the number God chose. In the world, we see much infidelity. People only look out for themselves. When someone is complaining to you, they are looking out for themselves. Yesterday was a day full of tests for me, I have so many things, projects, ministries, at home, work, and church, it is mind boggling, my head hurt and I couldn't even think straight. I thought about complaining or venting, even having a beer, but none of that would do any good to me or to the others. So what did I do? I prayed with what little strength I had "Lord, these projects and problems, I can't deal with it, I'm going to let you handle it". Did the problems cease? No, they continue today. Some things worse than others, some loved ones talking divorce and quitting our family job.
I say these things because I care for them and pray for them and I know you will pray too. What's at stake? Souls. And little children souls. We need the Father.
We need each other to be united with the Father.
My god-children are at stake. And that brings me to tears. Forget worldly marriage and think who we really married at the altar. When I look at my own wedding picture, I see Christ in between me and my spouse...and Christ is God and God is Love. Love sacrificed. Love having lost everything, what could've been, but instead willed the good of the other, the truth of love and the definition of love in the Catechism of the Catholic church. Lord, I pray for marriages, to be solidified only through one man and one woman, and to be instituted as a perpetual sign of eternal love as You have designed life to be.
Open our eyes and hearts to better know You, love You, and serve You. My eyes are on Your hands.
My heart is on Yours Lord.... |  click to hear | Random bible verse from an online generator: Psalm 51:10 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right1 spirit within me. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit my website Going4th.com, surely you'll find me there. God Bless You! Share the Word. Share this, share what is good | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment