 clickable | | Faith Is the Opposite of Anxiety For Jesus, faith is not opposed to not believing in God, it doesn't mean you go to church, or that you're into religion or that you say "Lord, Lord!" (see Matthew 7:21). Faith for Jesus is the opposite of anxiety. If you are anxious, if you are trying to control everything, if you are worried about many things, you don't have faith, according to Jesus. You do not trust that God is good and on your side. You're trying to do it all yourself, lift yourself up by your own bootstraps. The giveaway is control. That's a good litmus test of the quality of your faith. People of faith don't have to control everything, nor do they have to change people. You have the wisdom to know the difference, as the Twelve-Step people say. You cannot "fix" the soul. "Set your hearts on his kingdom first, and on God's saving justice, and all these other things will be given you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself '" (Matthew 6:33-34a). —from Jesus' Plan for a New World: The Sermon on the Mount by Richard Rohr, OFM |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
JULY 31, 2020
"Jesus, help me to simplify my life by learning what you want me to be, and becoming that person."
— St. Therese of Lisieux †MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"However great our efforts, we cannot change ourselves. Only God can get to the bottom of our defects, and our limitations in the field of love; only he has sufficient mastery over our hearts for that. If we realize that we will save ourselves a great deal of discouragement and fruitless struggle. We do not have to become saints by our own power; we have to learn how to let God make us into saints. That does not mean, of course, that we don't have to make any effort . . . We should fight, not to attain holiness as a result of our own efforts, but to let God act in us without our putting up any resistance against him; we should fight to open ourselves as fully as possible to his grace, which sanctifies us."
— Fr. Jacques Philippe, p. 14-5
AN EXCERPT FROM
In the School of the Holy Spirit † VERSE OF THE DAY
"For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?—
the God who girded me with strength,
and made my way safe.
He made my feet like hinds' feet,
and set me secure on the heights.
He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
Thou hast given me the shield of thy salvation,
and thy right hand supported me,
and thy help made me great."
Psalm 18:31-35 |  click to read more | | Saint Ignatius of Loyola (October 23, 1491 – July 31, 1556) The founder of the Jesuits was on his way to military fame and fortune when a cannon ball shattered his leg. Because there were no books of romance on hand during his convalescence, Ignatius whiled away the time reading a life of Christ and lives of the saints. His conscience was deeply touched, and a long, painful turning to Christ began. Having seen the Mother of God in a vision, he made a pilgrimage to her shrine at Montserrat near Barcelona. He remained for almost a year at nearby Manresa, sometimes with the Dominicans, sometimes in a pauper's hospice, often in a cave in the hills praying. After a period of great peace of mind, he went through a harrowing trial of scruples. There was no comfort in anything—prayer, fasting, sacraments, penance. At length, his peace of mind returned. It was during this year of conversion that Ignatius began to write down material that later became his greatest work, the Spiritual Exercises. He finally achieved his purpose of going to the Holy Land, but could not remain, as he planned, because of the hostility of the Turks. Ignatius spent the next 11 years in various European universities, studying with great difficulty, beginning almost as a child. Like many others, his orthodoxy was questioned; Ignatius was twice jailed for brief periods. In 1534, at the age of 43, he and six others—one of whom was Saint Francis Xavier—vowed to live in poverty and chastity and to go to the Holy Land. If this became impossible, they vowed to offer themselves to the apostolic service of the pope. The latter became the only choice. Four years later Ignatius made the association permanent. The new Society of Jesus was approved by Pope Paul III, and Ignatius was elected to serve as the first general. When companions were sent on various missions by the pope, Ignatius remained in Rome, consolidating the new venture, but still finding time to found homes for orphans, catechumens, and penitents. He founded the Roman College, intended to be the model of all other colleges of the Society. Ignatius was a true mystic. He centered his spiritual life on the essential foundations of Christianity—the Trinity, Christ, the Eucharist. His spirituality is expressed in the Jesuit motto, Ad majorem Dei gloriam—"for the greater glory of God." In his concept, obedience was to be the prominent virtue, to assure the effectiveness and mobility of his men. All activity was to be guided by a true love of the Church and unconditional obedience to the Holy Father, for which reason all professed members took a fourth vow to go wherever the pope should send them for the salvation of souls.
Reflection Luther nailed his theses to the church door at Wittenberg in 1517. Seventeen years later, Ignatius of Loyola founded the Society that was to play so prominent a part in the Catholic Reformation. He was an implacable foe of Protestantism. Yet the seeds of ecumenism may be found in his words: "Great care must be taken to show forth orthodox truth in such a way that if any heretics happen to be present they may have an example of charity and Christian moderation. No hard words should be used nor any sort of contempt for their errors be shown." One of the greatest ecumenists was the 20th-century German Jesuit, Cardinal Augustin Bea.
Saint Ignatius of Loyola is the Patron Saint of: Retreats | Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest
Lectionary: 405
Reading 1 Jer 26:1-9 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim,
son of Josiah, king of Judah,
this message came from the LORD:
Thus says the LORD:
Stand in the court of the house of the LORD
and speak to the people of all the cities of Judah
who come to worship in the house of the LORD;
whatever I command you, tell them, and omit nothing.
Perhaps they will listen and turn back,
each from his evil way,
so that I may repent of the evil I have planned to inflict upon them
for their evil deeds.
Say to them: Thus says the LORD:
If you disobey me,
not living according to the law I placed before you
and not listening to the words of my servants the prophets,
whom I send you constantly though you do not obey them,
I will treat this house like Shiloh,
and make this the city to which all the nations of the earth
shall refer when cursing another. Now the priests, the prophets, and all the people
heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the LORD.
When Jeremiah finished speaking
all that the LORD bade him speak to all the people,
the priests and prophets laid hold of him, crying,
"You must be put to death!
Why do you prophesy in the name of the LORD:
'This house shall be like Shiloh,' and
'This city shall be desolate and deserted'?"
And all the people gathered about Jeremiah in the house of the LORD. Responsorial Psalm 69:5, 8-10, 14 R. (14c) Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Those outnumber the hairs of my head
who hate me without cause.
Too many for my strength
are they who wrongfully are my enemies.
Must I restore what I did not steal?
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Since for your sake I bear insult,
and shame covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my brothers,
a stranger to my mother's sons,
Because zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
But I pray to you, O LORD,
for the time of your favor, O God!
In your great kindness answer me
with your constant help.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me. Alleluia 1 Pt 1:25 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of the Lord remains forever;
this is the word that has been proclaimed to you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 13:54-58 Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue.
They were astonished and said,
"Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?
Is he not the carpenter's son?
Is not his mother named Mary
and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
Are not his sisters all with us?
Where did this man get all this?"
And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them,
"A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and in his own house."
And he did not work many mighty deeds there
because of their lack of faith. | Daily Meditation: Matthew 13:54-58 Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? (Matthew 13:54) Jesus had returned home to Nazareth, to the people who knew him best. But their familiarity with Jesus biased them; all they saw was the carpenter's son. So they missed out on the new life Jesus offered. How frustrating this must have been for Jesus! But he didn't let the unbelief he encountered at home keep him from teaching and working miracles everywhere else. Somehow, he kept himself steady whether people believed in him or not. Even when his closest friends rejected him, Jesus remained obedient to the Father's will, to his last breath. Jesus' persistence is so remarkable that we may throw up our hands and say, "That's impossible." We may struggle with disappointment or weariness as we try to follow the Lord. Or we may forget that we need him when things are going smoothly. In both situations, we miss the power and peace that Jesus wants to give us. But how can we tap into the source of Jesus' perseverance and follow in his footsteps? One thing is for certain: Jesus didn't just push through on his own strength. Even he had to rely on his Father. He said it himself: "A son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees his father doing" (John 5:19). So our first step is to learn to rely on the strength and wisdom that come from God. This means turning to him in daily prayer and in the course of our day. It means being real with God and telling him when we are tempted to give up or when we don't understand situations in our lives. It means asking for help and guidance when we need it—and even when we think we don't. The second step is to try to obey the Lord. When we choose God's preferences and desires over our own, we open ourselves to receive his grace. Over his thirty-three years, Jesus learned the disposition that allowed him to say to the Father, "Not my will but yours be done" (Luke 22:42). In our daily obedience, in the ordinary tasks of our jobs and our families, we can grow in strength and willingness to say the same thing. "Lord, I need your love and your grace today. Keep me steady." Jeremiah 26:1-9
Psalm 69:5, 8-10, 14 |  clickable | The Temple that Christ built was not a stone-and-cedar sanctuary in Jerusalem, but his body—the Church of living believers indwelt by the Spirit. In the Resurrection, Jesus' humanity attained the royal adoption promised to David's offspring, and at his Ascension, he commenced his everlasting reign as David's messianic Lord.
—Dr. Scott Hahn
from The Ignatius Study Bible (Commentary on 2 Samuel 7: 8-16) | my2cents:
"Perhaps they will listen and turn back, each from his evil way, so that I may repent of the evil I have planned to inflict upon them for their evil deeds." | "Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Since for your sake I bear insult,
and shame covers my face. I have become an outcast to my brothers, a stranger to my mother's sons, Because zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me." | They said about our Lord: "Where did this man get all this?" And they took offense at him."
They were offended by Him...the Truth.
The truth offends, doesn't it? It offends darkness.
As the world turns, violence against Christians is on the rise. And darkness is not hiding its face. A picture across the globe shows a lbgtq flag and face mask of anarchists was placed on a suffering statue depicting our Lord carrying His cross.
Today, the truth is offensive. If I speak about abortion, they are offended. If I speak against homosexualism, they are offended. If I speak against anarchy, they are offended. If I speak against the socialist mask, they are offended. The mask hides something. The mask muffles. The mask is a sign. What mask do you hide behind? | The answer should be: I am not in hiding.
Good, because no longer is evil in hiding. It has been coming out. Out of the closet. Out from hiding.
You shall not hide. And you shall not chide. You can only speak the truth. There is nothing to fight about. God will handle the truth. We have a daunting task already, of loving the sinner and admonishing the sinner with great care, like an expert surgeon removing a cancer. This is the job of every priest. And every priest is baptized.
Our Lord could not perform miracles without the major ingredient: Faith.
We must turn this world around. Turn it from faithless to faithful.
It will happen when it happens with you. The worst part of seeing this battle unfurl is to see so many innocent victims, becoming dead.
It is the being that matters my friend. Be the light.
Be what the world needs to see. Another Christ? No. Christ is already here. We must be one with HIM | Random Bible verse from an online generator: Psalm 135:5–7 5 For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.
7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses. | 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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