 clickable | | The Enemy Within Always, it seems, there is the "enemy" beyond the walls, which may be of our own making, who wants to sneak in and take over our city, appropriating as his or her own the property and goods and people within. And those of us within know and fear this threat to our lives and, in turn, wall ourselves in for protection, even though the "enemy" may already be inside our walls, may in fact reside within our own walled-in hearts. —from Enter Assisi: An Invitation to Franciscan Spirituality by Murray Bodo, OFM |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"Be gentle to all, and stern with yourself."
— St. Teresa of Avila † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"The works of man, whether they are good or bad, are not always isolated, transitory acts; more often, especially in the case of the leaders of nations and those who are invested with public authority, they continue to subsist after they are concluded, either in the memory of other men or in public acclaim, as a result of the consequences they have had and the scandal they have caused. Thus, at first sight, a particular, secret crime seems to be only a private, personal deed; but it becomes social on account of its effects. Certainly it is of faith that there is a particular judgment, and that every man, at the instant of his soul's departure from the body, appears before the tribunal of God to hear his eternal sentence pronounced. Yet this judgment cannot suffice, and it is essential that it should be followed by another public judgment, in which God will not examine the actions in isolation and taken in themselves, but will examine them in their effects upon other men, in the good or evil deriving from them for families and peoples—in a word, in the consequences they produced and which those who perpetrated them ought to have foreseen."
— Fr. Charles Arminjon, p. 94
AN EXCERPT FROM
The End of the Present World OUR LADY OF MT. CARMEL
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (1251 A.D.) is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with the Carmelite Order. The first Carmelites lived as hermits on Mt. Carmel in the Holy Land beginning in the 12th century. In the middle of their hermitages they built a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary, who became the protectress of the Carmelites under the title of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a Carmelite hermit, St. Simon Stock, under this title and gave him a piece of cloth—the brown scapular—as a sacramental to be worn by the faithful to whom she promised her special protection. At the apparitions in Fatima, in addition to appearing as Our Lady of the Rosary, the Virgin Mary appeared as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Her feast day is July 16th.
See More About Today's Feast > † VERSE OF THE DAY
"But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life."
Jude 1:17-21 |  click to read more | | ST. MARIE MAGDALEN POSTEL St. Marie Magdalen Postel (1756–1846) was born in a fishing village in Normandy, one of seven children of a middle class family. As a child she became famous for her generosity; she would often give her food and belongings to the needy, acts for which she was often rebuked. She was educated by Benedictine nuns and decided to devote her life to the service of God. She took a private vow of chastity, and at the age of 18 opened her own school for girls. This began her life mission dedicated to the education of children. The school ran for five years until the French Revolution shut it down. During that time of great turmoil she used the school to house fugitive priests. She also encouraged the faithful amidst the terrible persecution, and was granted special permission to keep in her possession the Blessed Sacrament to give to those who were in immediate danger of death. She continued her work in education after the unrest subsided, founding a religious community called 'The Poor Daughters of Mercy' living under the rule of the Third Order of St. Francis. The community was later renamed 'Sisters of the Christian Schools of Mercy' taking the rule of St. John Baptist de la Salle, founder of the Christian Brothers, a religious order dedicated to the education of children. St. Marie Magdalen's school for girls was so effective that it was declared the best-run organization of its kind. St. Marie Magdalen Postel died at the age of 90 after seeing her community grow and spread. Her feast day is July 16th. | Our Lady of Mount Carmel Saint of the Day for July 16
Hermits lived on Mount Carmel near the Fountain of Elijah in northern Israel in the 12th century. They had a chapel dedicated to Our Lady. By the 13th century they became known as "Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel." They soon celebrated a special Mass and Office in honor of Mary. In 1726, it became a celebration of the universal Church under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. For centuries the Carmelites have seen themselves as specially related to Mary. Their great saints and theologians have promoted devotion to her and often championed the mystery of her Immaculate Conception. Saint Teresa of Avila called Carmel "the Order of the Virgin." Saint John of the Cross credited Mary with saving him from drowning as a child, leading him to Carmel, and helping him escape from prison. Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus believed that Mary cured her from illness. On her First Communion day, Thérèse dedicated her life to Mary. During the last days of her life she frequently spoke of Mary. There is a tradition—which may not be historical—that Mary appeared to Saint Simon Stock, a leader of the Carmelites, and gave him a scapular, telling him to promote devotion to it. The scapular is a modified version of Mary's own garment. It symbolizes her special protection and calls the wearers to consecrate themselves to her in a special way. The scapular reminds us of the gospel call to prayer and penance—a call that Mary models in a splendid way.
Reflection The Carmelites were known from early on as "Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel." The title suggests that they saw Mary not only as "mother," but also as "sister." The word sister is a reminder that Mary is very close to us. She is the daughter of God and therefore can help us be authentic daughters and sons of God. She also can help us grow in appreciation of being sisters and brothers to one another. She leads us to a new realization that all human beings belong to the family of God. When such a conviction grows, there is hope that the human race can find its way to peace.
Mary, under the Title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, is the Patron Saint of: Chile | Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 392
Reading 1 Is 26:7-9, 12, 16-19 The way of the just is smooth;
the path of the just you make level.
Yes, for your way and your judgments, O LORD,
we look to you;
Your name and your title
are the desire of our souls.
My soul yearns for you in the night,
yes, my spirit within me keeps vigil for you;
When your judgment dawns upon the earth,
the world's inhabitants learn justice.
O LORD, you mete out peace to us,
for it is you who have accomplished all we have done. O LORD, oppressed by your punishment,
we cried out in anguish under your chastising.
As a woman about to give birth
writhes and cries out in her pains,
so were we in your presence, O LORD.
We conceived and writhed in pain,
giving birth to wind;
Salvation we have not achieved for the earth,
the inhabitants of the world cannot bring it forth.
But your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise;
awake and sing, you who lie in the dust.
For your dew is a dew of light,
and the land of shades gives birth. Responsorial Psalm 102:13-14ab and 15, 16-18, 19-21 R. (20b) From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
You, O LORD, abide forever,
and your name through all generations.
You will arise and have mercy on Zion,
for it is time to pity her.
For her stones are dear to your servants,
and her dust moves them to pity.
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
The nations shall revere your name, O LORD,
and all the kings of the earth your glory,
When the LORD has rebuilt Zion
and appeared in his glory;
When he has regarded the prayer of the destitute,
and not despised their prayer.
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
Let this be written for the generation to come,
and let his future creatures praise the LORD:
"The LORD looked down from his holy height,
from heaven he beheld the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoners,
to release those doomed to die."
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth. 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 Mt 11:28-30 Jesus said:
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." | Daily Meditation: Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened. (Matthew 11:28) We know an invitation when it shows up in our mailbox by the fine paper, the flowing typeface, and the formal language. Even if the event we're invited to imposes on an already hectic schedule, we still place it on top of our mail pile or tape it to our refrigerator door. We want to honor the person inviting us, and we want to try to do everything we can to accept the invitation and go. Today, Jesus is issuing you an invitation: "Come to me" (Matthew 11:28). Only this time it's not an invitation to a wedding or a party but to a person. It's not an invitation to a special event with a beginning and an end but to a relationship that never ends. Even better, this invitation doesn't require you to go out and buy a new outfit. No, you are free to come to him exactly as you are. Don't even try to hide your burdens or concerns. Bring them with you! The difficult work environment, the wayward child, the ailing parent, the persistent patterns of sin. Bring it all with you, and let Jesus give you rest and relief. Remember too that this is an invitation, not a command. You are perfectly free to accept or decline. You are free to say, "Not now, Lord, I'm too busy," or, "Maybe next week when my schedule lightens up." Jesus will always honor your freewill decisions. But why would you even consider burying this invitation in your pile of mail? Think of what you would be passing up if you did. There's the experience of Jesus' love, which covers a multitude of sins. There's the promise of healing of old hurts. There's the sense of purpose and calling he has for you. And best of all, there's the glimpse of eternal life that comes every time you sit with him. Jesus doesn't want to add to your burdens. He wants to lighten them. He is more interested in giving you rest than he is in judging your performance or reviewing your past sins. So come to Jesus today. Right now. He is waiting just for you. "Lord, I accept your invitation to come and spend time with you. I believe that being with you can ease my burdens and bring me rest." Isaiah 26:7-9, 12, 16-19
Psalm 102:13-21 |  clickable | The Annunciation, therefore, is the revelation of the mystery of the Incarnation at the very beginning of its fulfillment on earth. God's salvific giving of himself and his life, in some way to all creation but directly to man, reaches one of its high points in the mystery of the Incarnation.
— St. John Paul II
from Redemptoris Mater | my2cents:
"O LORD, oppressed by your punishment, we cried out in anguish under your chastising. As a woman about to give birth
writhes and cries out in her pains, so were we in your resence, O LORD."
I don't know if you are getting daily Catholic news, but it seems lately almost daily some sort of "attack" is reported on churches, statues and so forth. Is a broken statue worth talking about? Is a burned down church worth talking about? If this is an outwards sign of an inward reality, then a real attack has happened, aimed to destroy you and your faith, a threat if you will. There are then, pains. When so many talk about racism and antisemitism, what do you call this attack on religion, and most importantly, Christianity? I call it old news. This happened to our Lord, the first followers of Christ, and it is happening today. Welcome to the Church Militant, where the few and the holy exist to be anchors. What I yearn now to see, is a living saint. I do. Is it you? Is it you Saint my child? | We pray today: "Let this be written for the generation to come, and let his future creatures praise the LORD: "The LORD looked down from his holy height,
from heaven he beheld the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoners,
to release those doomed to die."
*From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth."
The Lord hears the cry of the poor. I'm sorry I wrote late today, but many interruptions came, including a person crying saying they were going to get a divorce. Yesterday, I had to sit and listen to someone confess their sins, and I said "everything you told me, go to the priest in Confession, there He will give you what your soul needs...I cannot, I am a mere human, but go to Christ". To the person crying on the phone, I only heard, and prayed. I wasn't going to get into the middle of their fight. Oddly enough, they seemed consoled. I prayed over the phone, because when someone comes to you, you are only hearing half the story. Keep that in mind with all the stories your hear. Keep that half thing in your mind, and keep it half full. | Our Lord said: ""Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest."
The consoler will console.
The healer will heal.
But only if. There's that contingent word. If only. All systems work on a contingency element. As a matter of fact, there is this really nerdy software out there called IFTTT that one can use for a plethora of situations that deal with consolidating various software for integration and communication. IFTTT stands for If This Then That. One domino hits the other, like a light switch on and off, the on and off that kicked off the whole computer invention back in the day.
I digress. If only.
If only you do the first part that Jesus our God says: Come To Me.
Then you will have rest.
Is "come to me" a suggestion? Or is it a command?
Listen! Don't we want rest? I'd say most of the nation for the last several years was headed to a great depression if it wasn't already there. How would the people cope? Lots of sports, beer, outtings, recreational activities, drugs, pornography. Tons and tons of ....distractions. Now there is no money for all that, government is printing money to try to help, but that's not real help. The government is handing out masks like communist countries, that's no help. The real help comes from above.
Come To Me.
God is calling us my friend. What does this mean? Are we in trouble? Only if you don't come!
I read tons of daily reflections, one got me to thinking, "if we depart from God locking the doors of our heart, then we will lock in the demons". God needs an open door to communicate with you, to integrate with you, for all systems to be available for Him.
People are coming to me daily crying. I'm here in the name of the Lord, but I can only give you a leg up to come to the higher step on this mountain. We are in a battle. We need prayer warriors that Love God. We need frontliners, caring for the downtrodden. We need those in CIA to do their job. CIA was my Cursillo rollo, Christianity In Action. We need reconnaissance and to recognize, where we've been and where we are headed. Social distancing is infringing on human rights my friend. It is a control and it is doing things to society that are not normal.
Can a country of 1billion people on an island do what we can in our vast open continent? Of course not. We then are facing a real and formidable force to reckon with. And you have only one choice. If only. If this then that.
If you come to Him.
If we come to Him.
If we repent.
If we become holy.
If we leave our sinful ways.
If we become true lovers of God.
Then we will have rest.
What is rest to God? Eternity. An eternity is an invention of God that we cannot fathom. But he built it for love. Come To Me says our Lord.
And you'll find...eternal love .... | Random Bible verse from an online generator: Galatians 1:10 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. | 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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