 clickable | | Prayer for My Travels O God, be a companion for me along the path, a guide at crossroads, strength in my weariness, defense before dangers, shelter on the way, shade against heat, light in the darkness, a comforter in my discouragements and firmness in my intentions, in order that, through your guidance, I might arrive unscathed at the end of my journey, and enriched with graces and virtues, I might return safely to my home, filled with salutary and lasting joy. −from Hiking the Camino: 500 Miles with Jesus |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle."
— St. Francis of Assisi † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Many men keep the commandments in the way sick men take medicine: more from fear of dying in damnation than for joy of living according to our Savior's will. Just as some persons dislike taking medicine, no matter how pleasant it is, simply because it is called medicine, so there are some souls who hold in horror things commanded simply because they are commanded . . . On the contrary, a loving heart loves the commandments. The more difficult they are, the sweeter and more agreeable it finds them, since this more perfectly pleases the Beloved and gives Him greater honor."
— St. Francis de Sales, p. 20
AN EXCERPT FROM
Finding God's Will for You †VERSE OF THE DAY
"The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe."
Proverbs 18:10 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. |  click to read more | | ST. MARIA GORETTI St. Maria Goretti (1890–1902) was born in Italy to a humble farming family. Her father died from malaria when she was 9, leaving the family destitute. Her mother and older siblings worked in the fields while Maria managed the household chores and cared for her younger siblings. One summer day while the family was in the fields, Maria was attacked by their neighbor, a 19-year-old boy named Alessandro, who attempted to rape her. Maria wasn't yet 12 years old. She fought back, yelling to him that it was a sin and that he would go to hell for his actions. In a rage over her refusal, Alessandro stabbed Maria fourteen times. Doctors operated to save her life, without anesthesia, and Maria lingered for two days after the attack. She verbally forgave Alessandro for his crime, offered her suffering to God, and died while holding a crucifix. Alessandro went to prison for murder, full of hardness of heart. One day in prison Maria appeared to him in a dream. She placed 14 white lilies, one at a time, into his hands; one for each of the times he stabbed her. This stunning experience of forgivness brought him to repentance, and Alessandro was converted. Upon leaving prison he sought reconciliation with Maria's mother and with the Church. Alessandro called Maria "his little saint" and prayed to her daily. He also attended her canonization Mass in 1950. Alessandro joined the Franciscans as a lay brother until his death in 1970. St. Maria Goretti is the patron saint of children, youth, young girls, the poor, martyrs, purity, poverty, chastity, rape victims, and forgiveness. Her feast day is July 6th. | Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 383
Reading 1 Hos 2:16, 17c-18, 21-22 Thus says the LORD:
I will allure her;
I will lead her into the desert
and speak to her heart.
She shall respond there as in the days of her youth,
when she came up from the land of Egypt. On that day, says the LORD,
She shall call me "My husband,"
and never again "My baal." I will espouse you to me forever:
I will espouse you in right and in justice,
in love and in mercy;
I will espouse you in fidelity,
and you shall know the LORD. Responsorial Psalm 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 R. (8a) The Lord is gracious and merciful.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.
Generation after generation praises your works
and proclaims your might.
They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty
and tell of your wondrous works.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.
They discourse of the power of your terrible deeds
and declare your greatness.
They publish the fame of your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your justice.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful. Alleluia See 2 Tm 1:10 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 9:18-26 While Jesus was speaking, an official came forward,
knelt down before him, and said,
"My daughter has just died.
But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live."
Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples.
A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him
and touched the tassel on his cloak.
She said to herself, "If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured."
Jesus turned around and saw her, and said,
"Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you."
And from that hour the woman was cured. When Jesus arrived at the official's house
and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion,
he said, "Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping."
And they ridiculed him.
When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand,
and the little girl arose.
And news of this spread throughout all that land. | Daily Meditation: Hosea 2:16-18, 21-22 I will lead her into the desert and speak to her heart. (Hosea 2:16) Do you feel like you're in a desert right now? Any number of circumstances might make you feel this way. Perhaps chronic pain is absorbing all your energy. Perhaps you have recently said farewell to a beloved friend. Perhaps you feel you're not connecting with Jesus despite how hard you are praying. Where is God in such "desert" moments? Hosea would tell you that God is right there with you. The Israelites were living in relative peace and prosperity when Hosea began prophesying to them. But he knew the situation would get worse. Assyria was on the march, conquering one nation after another, and it had Israel in its sights. War and invasion were coming, and the nation hung in the balance. But that didn't have to be the end of the story. Hosea told the people that the coming "desert experience" of military defeat could result in a deepened intimacy between them and God. It could be an opportunity for them to renew their covenant relationship with the Lord and to accept him as a bride welcomes her loving husband. That might be hard to believe. Hardship usually makes us ask, What did I do wrong to end up in this place? But God always finds a way to use hardship to bring us closer to him. Our "desert" might be the direct result of our own sin—like a friendship wounded by our bad temper. It might be the result of the imperfect world we live in—like a terminal illness. Or it might be a little of both—like having your country overrun by an enemy. Either way, instead of asking, What did I do to deserve this? we can ask, What does God want to do in me through this experience? So next time you feel like you're in the desert, try to see the upside. Remember that God is with you even there. Take a deep breath and try to quiet your thoughts. Turn to God and let him speak to you tenderly. Settle into the silence and listen for his voice. God can bring his love to bear on whatever situation you face, even in the harshest of deserts. "Lord, I believe that every situation is an opportunity to grow closer to you. So help me to trust in you during the desert times." Psalm 145:2-9
Matthew 9:18-26 |  clickable | We have formed, and we must continue to form, associations to safeguard freedom, but let us also persuade Americans to form associations which will safeguard our responsibilities. The bane of democracy is the flight from responsibility on which freedom rests. If America is to continue to be great along the tradition of her Founding Fathers and not betray the Christian traditions, her citizens must release, not their evil inclinations from within, but rather the aspiration for total goodness that God put in their hearts.
— Venerable Fulton Sheen
from Life Is Worth Living | my2cents:
"I will lead her into the desert and speak to her heart."
Sometimes I tell others when talking about our life with the Lord, those who have moved out here to the dry parts of the state, "God brought you to the desert for a reason". And their eyes light up. It is true in a spiritual sense, that if you have been deserted and are in a desert spiritually, there is a reason you are here now. God is here, one on one, a setup, with someone who has been wanting to be alone with you for a very long time. He created many, and millions and millions more for this very reason...an unfathomable love. | We pray: "They discourse of the power of your terrible deeds and declare your greatness.
They publish the fame of your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your justice.
The Lord is gracious and merciful."
Throngs, tons of people flocked to Jesus the greatest healer on earth, they flocked as one mass, one massive body, everywhere He went, they went, they all needed Him and just about everybody with faith would heal, but how many had faith? Yet, still, He is gracious and merciful. | ""My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live."
That was faith.
And we heard: "She said to herself, "If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured."
That is faith.
What we ask with faith believing...that reminds me of a powerful Holy Hour we had last Friday, a prayer we always pray: HEART OF JESUS Heart of Jesus, we are grateful For Your answer to our prayer; We have sought You, ever hopeful, That Your blessings we might share. You have heard us interceding, With Your love which is untold. And in answer to our pleading, All Your treasures You unfold. Heart of Jesus, we will thank You, We will love You more and more; Heart of Jesus we will praise You, And give thanks forevermore. Heart of Jesus, You have taught us How to seek and how to find, And the lesson now has brought us To Your Heart so sweet and kind. What we ask, with faith believing, You have pledged Your word to give, And Your word is not deceiving, But the truth by which we live. | And they made fun of our Lord.
Are things any different? They have little faith, they don't believe, and on top of that, they make fun of the Lord...your faith.
No, things haven't changed much. Other than, there is more.
There is more to be had. More of Christ. More light. In the desert, the lands yearn for blessings from Heaven.
And they come to a believing and righteous child. Be Holy. God wants to meet us who are holy. Are you holy? Yes you are, deep inside everyone was designed perfect. Tear away the old, and make way for the new inside. I am writing with inspiration from above....deep inside is an eternal love burning for God Our Father...and lover, who loves not like we do but loves more than we can imagine and in ways unimaginable. And to make it tangible, we have one another. And to make it real, we have faith. Thank you Lord for this great gift from Heaven. | Random bible verse from an online generator: Prov 22:4 4 The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honor and life.1 | 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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