 clickable | | The True Shape of Things Our world is filled with contradictions needing to be reconciled, inconsistencies within us and between us. Life is neither perfectly consistent and rational nor is it a chaotic mess. It does contain, however, constant paradoxes, exceptions, and flaws. That is the shocking and disappointing revelation of the cross. It is also a great weight off our backs. It leads to patience, humility, non-judgment, and suffering love. Now we have the right sense of proportion, limits, and expectations, with no room for utopianism, ideologies, any "final solutions," cynicism, or needless discouragement. The shape of things is finally honest and humble. Here we can live with faith (that God is in the contradictions) instead of grandiose explanations. Please think about that at great length! —from The Wisdom Pattern: Order, Disorder, Reorder by Richard Rohr, OFM |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"Dismiss all anger and look into yourself a little. Remember that he of whom you are speaking is your brother, and as he is in the way of salvation, God can make him a saint, in spite of his present weakness."
— St. Thomas of Villanova PRAYER DURING CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
O clement, O loving, O sweet Mother Mary,
We, your children of every nation,
Turn to you in this pandemic.
Our troubles are numerous; our fears are great.
Grant that we might deposit them at your feet,
Take refuge in your Immaculate Heart,
And obtain peace, healing, rescue,
And timely help in all our needs.
You are our Mother.
Pray for us to your Son.
Amen. PRAYER OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen. † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"One of our sure guides along the path of life is that we do not know when earthly life will come to an end. How important that our repentance for past and present transgressions be a daily practice."
— Rev. Thomas J. Donaghy, p. 36
AN EXCERPT FROM
Inspirational Thoughts for Everyday † VERSE OF THE DAY
"But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us."
Romans 5:8 |  click to read more | | ST. JOSEMARIA ESCRIVA St. Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975) was born in Spain, one of six children of a devout Catholic family. Growing up, he observed his parents faithfully endure painful family trials (the death of three of their young children and devastating financial setbacks) and this had a profound effect on his own faith. As a teenager he discovered his vocation to the priesthood when he saw the path of footprints in the snow left by a barefoot Carmelite friar. He then experienced a radical conversion: he gave up his intended career as an architect and entered the seminary. He spent most of his life studying and teaching in universities, earning a doctorate in civil law and theology. Saint Josemaria Escriva's lasting impact lies in the foundation of Opus Dei ("The Work of God"), an organization of laity and priests dedicated to the universal call of holiness and the belief that ordinary, daily life is an authentic path to sanctity. Today Opus Dei has over 80,000 members worldwide. His famous written work is The Way, a collection of spiritual and pastoral reflections on the gospels and their application to everyday life. On June 26, 1975, after glancing at an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in his office in Rome, St. Josemaría died suddenly of cardiac arrest. He was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II. His feast day is June 26th. | Friday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 375
Reading 1 2 Kgs 25:1-12 In the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign,
on the tenth day of the month,
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and his whole army
advanced against Jerusalem, encamped around it,
and built siege walls on every side.
The siege of the city continued until the eleventh year of Zedekiah.
On the ninth day of the fourth month,
when famine had gripped the city,
and the people had no more bread,
the city walls were breached.
Then the king and all the soldiers left the city by night
through the gate between the two walls
that was near the king's garden.
Since the Chaldeans had the city surrounded,
they went in the direction of the Arabah.
But the Chaldean army pursued the king
and overtook him in the desert near Jericho,
abandoned by his whole army. The king was therefore arrested and brought to Riblah
to the king of Babylon, who pronounced sentence on him.
He had Zedekiah's sons slain before his eyes.
Then he blinded Zedekiah, bound him with fetters,
and had him brought to Babylon. On the seventh day of the fifth month
(this was in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar,
king of Babylon),
Nebuzaradan, captain of the bodyguard,
came to Jerusalem as the representative
of the king of Babylon.
He burned the house of the LORD,
the palace of the king, and all the houses of Jerusalem;
every large building was destroyed by fire.
Then the Chaldean troops who were with the captain of the guard
tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem. Then Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard,
led into exile the last of the people remaining in the city,
and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon,
and the last of the artisans.
But some of the country's poor, Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard,
left behind as vinedressers and farmers. Responsorial Psalm 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6 R. (6ab) Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
By the streams of Babylon
we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
On the aspens of that land
we hung up our harps.
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
Though there our captors asked of us
the lyrics of our songs,
And our despoilers urged us to be joyous:
"Sing for us the songs of Zion!"
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
How could we sing a song of the LORD
in a foreign land?
If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand be forgotten!
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
May my tongue cleave to my palate
if I remember you not,
If I place not Jerusalem
ahead of my joy.
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you! Alleluia MT 8:17 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ took away our infirmities
and bore our diseases.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 8:1-4 When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.
And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said,
"Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean."
He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,
"I will do it. Be made clean."
His leprosy was cleansed immediately.
Then Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one,
but go show yourself to the priest,
and offer the gift that Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them." | Daily Meditation: Matthew 8:1-4 His leprosy was cleansed immediately. (Matthew 8:3) From the moment he exhibited signs of leprosy, this poor man was separated from his family. He had to ring a bell and call out "Unclean!" whenever a healthy person approached him. Imagine the kind of life he was forced to lead! Not only was he coping with the physical effects of a terrible illness, but he also had to deal with the guilt, stress, and sense of isolation that came with his exclusion. And then there were the effects of knowing that so many people around him were now afraid of him. There was a good reason for isolating lepers, however: people in the ancient Near East knew that leprosy was an incurable and highly contagious disease. By approaching Jesus, the man risked infecting him and making him ritually unclean as well. To go ahead and do so anyway required both great courage and great faith. Imagine the joy this man must have felt at being both physically healed and freed from the social constraints of his disease! After getting approval from the rabbi, he could return home, get a job, and live with his family once again. His whole life had changed because he dared to ask Jesus for help. We may feel "unclean" at times, or undeserving of the little blessings—or certainly the big miracles—that God wants to give us. We may hesitate to call out to Jesus for help, to ask for forgiveness, or even to try going deeper in our faith or drawing closer to Christ. We might avoid going to Eucharistic Adoration because we don't believe God would speak to us there. Or we might go to Confession but doubt that God has truly forgiven our sins. Just as this fellow courageously called out to Jesus and asked for healing, you can do the same. So come to Jesus. Believe in your heart that he welcomes you and he wants to speak with you. Ask him to heal you. Right now, imagine him placing his hands on you and giving you an extra supply of his grace and healing power. Be made clean! "Heal me, Lord, of whatever keeps me from you. Help me to believe that I am worthy of your love." 2 Kings 25:1-12
Psalm 137:1-6 |  clickable | To love God means that he is my first, primary thought. When you wake up in the morning, your first thought should be 'I love you, Jesus.' You may not always feel that way, but you still need to say it.
— Mother Angelica
from A Mother's Words of Wisdom | my2cents:
"But some of the country's poor...left behind as vinedressers and farmers."
It is interesting that the vinedressers and farmers were left behind...they remain with the vine, they remain to till the ground, everyone else was shown the door. They remained faithful, and to this day, they exist...the faithful. | We pray today: "May my tongue cleave to my palate if I remember you not, If I place not Jerusalem ahead of my joy. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!"
Jerusalem must beset ahead of my own joy.
They say Jesus lived and spoke the Psalms.
And He remembered Jerusalem must come first. Why? It means God comes first. His law. And our obedience. Fidelity. | We heard a leper plead "Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean."
Make me clean. Basically, clean here means...restoration. Like going back to Adam and Eve. Restoration, be made clean. I caught a glimpse on EWTN Mass this morning where they said two turtledoves were presented in the presentation...even of our Lord, and one was sacrificed, the other dipped in the blood and set free. Death and life but life comes after death. It cost something for the other to be set free. It cost Jesus our King, our God His life for us to be set free. Jerusalem came first, love comes first.
May your heart be ever more faithful to Jerusalem, where Jerusalem needs Christ, the light, where the city on the hill shines for nations.
There's much trouble in the world, always will be, but take heart, He who is in us is greater. Lord, we will sing in your Land, help us. We wish to be made clean, and I know this means blood, sacrifice...the supreme Love of Heaven...we need You | Show yourself to the priest. Make amends. Be restored. Be made clean. | Random bible verse from an online generator:
Ps 104 1 Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
2 covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent. | 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 | |
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