 clickable | | Contemplative and Cosmic Prayer Franciscan prayer is contemplative and cosmic. It is a type of prayer that impels one to find God in the vast corners of the universe. Because of the Incarnation, the Word made flesh, all of creation is holy; all of creation is the sacrament of God. Prayer is that relationship with God which opens the eyes of believers to the sanctity of all life—from earthworms to humans, from quarks to stars. Everything that exists reflects the goodness of God. Prayer is the breath of the Holy Spirit within us that opens our eyes to the divine good which saturates our world. —from the book Franciscan Prayer, by Sister Ilia Delio, OSF |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"O Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart. Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling and scatter there Thy cheerful beams."
— St. Augustine † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"The strength of the soul consists in its faculties, passions and desires, all of which are governed by the will. Now when these faculties, passions and desires are directed by the will toward God, and turned away from all that is not God, then the strength of the soul is kept for God, and thus the soul is able to love God with all its strength."
— St. John of the Cross, p. 259
AN EXCERPT FROM
Ascent of Mt. Carmel † VERSE OF THE DAY
"And now, children, remain in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be put to shame by him at his coming."
1 John 2:28 |  click to read more | | ST. GENESIUS OF ROME St. Genesius of Rome (d. 303 AD) was a renowned actor and playwright, the leader of a popular acting troupe during the reign of Emperor Diocletian. When the Emperor was killing Christians, Genesius wrote plays to mock them and expose their secret rites to ridicule. To research for a play mocking baptism, he went to a priest pretending to desire the sacraments and was fully instructed as a catechumen. Genesius prepared his play and instructed the other actors in their parts. On performance day the Emperor was present. Genesius played the lead character seeking baptism, and the rite was performed in such a ludicrous manner that all present laughed. As the water was poured over Genesius' head by an actor playing the priest's part, Genesius saw a vision of the heavens opened and the hand of God touching him. He also saw an angel who showed him that his many sins had been washed away through the valid baptism he had just received. At that moment Genesius' heart was changed by the Holy Spirit and he believed in the truth of Christianity. At the conclusion of the play Genesius boldly declared his new faith, recounting how he had been a scoffer until that moment. He implored the audience, including the Emperor, to follow Christ. The crowd thought this was part of the performance, but once they understood it was real, Genesius was seized. The Emperor, furious, subjected him to cruel tortures daily to make him renounce his faith in Christ. Genesius staunchly refused and was beheaded. The Christians collected his body and buried him with the other martyrs. St. Genesius is the patron saint of comedians, dancers, actors, musicians, printers, and torture victims. His feast day is August 25th. | Saint Louis IX of France (April 25, 1214 – August 25, 1270) At his coronation as king of France, Louis IX bound himself by oath to behave as God's anointed, as the father of his people and feudal lord of the King of Peace. Other kings had done the same, of course. Louis was different in that he actually interpreted his kingly duties in the light of faith. After the violence of two previous reigns, he brought peace and justice. Louis "took the cross" for a Crusade when he was 30. His army seized Damietta in Egypt but not long after, weakened by dysentery and without support, they were surrounded and captured. Louis obtained the release of the army by giving up the city of Damietta in addition to paying a ransom. He stayed in Syria four years. Louis deserves credit for extending justice in civil administration. His regulations for royal officials became the first of a series of reform laws. He replaced trial by battle with a form of examination of witnesses and encouraged the use of written records in court. Louis was always respectful of the papacy, but defended royal interests against the popes, and refused to acknowledge Innocent IV's sentence against Emperor Frederick II. Louis was devoted to his people, founding hospitals, visiting the sick, and like his patron Saint Francis, caring even for people with leprosy. He is one of the patrons of the Secular Franciscan Order. Louis united France—lords and townsfolk, peasants and priests and knights—by the force of his personality and holiness. For many years the nation was at peace. Every day, Louis had 13 special guests from among the poor to eat with him, and a large number of poor were served meals near his palace. During Advent and Lent, all who presented themselves were given a meal, and Louis often served them in person. He kept lists of needy people, whom he regularly relieved, in every province of his dominion. Disturbed by new Muslim advances in Syria, he led another crusade in 1267, at the age of 41. His crusade was diverted to Tunis for his brother's sake. The army was decimated by disease within a month, and Louis himself died on foreign soil at the age of 56. He was canonized 27 years later.
Reflection Louis was strong-willed, strong-minded. His word was trusted utterly, and his courage in action was remarkable. What is most remarkable was his sense of respect for anyone with whom he dealt, especially the "humble folk of the Lord." To care for his people he built cathedrals, churches, libraries, hospitals and orphanages. He dealt with princes honestly and equitably. He hoped to be treated the same way by the King of Kings, to whom he gave his life, his family and his country.
Saint Louis of France is the Patron Saint of: Barbers
Grooms
Secular Franciscan Order | ________________________________________ Tuesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 2 THES 2:1-3A, 14-17 We ask you, brothers and sisters,
with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
and our assembling with him,
not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly,
or to be alarmed either by a "spirit," or by an oral statement,
or by a letter allegedly from us
to the effect that the day of the Lord is at hand.
Let no one deceive you in any way.
To this end he has also called you through our Gospel
to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, stand firm
and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught,
either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours.
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father,
who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement
and good hope through his grace,
encourage your hearts and strengthen them
in every good deed and word. Responsorial Psalm PS 96:10, 11-12, 13 R. (13b) The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Say among the nations: The Lord is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Before the Lord, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth. Alleluia HEBREWS 4:12 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel MT 23:23-26 Jesus said:
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin,
and have neglected the weightier things of the law:
judgment and mercy and fidelity.
But these you should have done, without neglecting the others.
Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You cleanse the outside of cup and dish,
but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.
Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup,
so that the outside also may be clean." | Daily Meditation: Matthew 23:23-26 Cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean. (Matthew 23:26) Have you ever overheard someone being rebuked for some offense and realized you were guilty of the same thing? Jesus' rebuke was addressed to the scribes and the Pharisees who were opposing him, but it was also meant for everyone who heard him. For the crowds. For his disciples. And for us. We all need deep cleaning, not just a quick swipe around the edges of our lives. That's especially true today in the era of electronic communication and the virtual reality of social media. It's tempting to present a picture-perfect image of ourselves to the world and never address the deeper, hidden problems that need our attention. Jesus' words are an ardent plea to tackle those deeper issues and rid our lives of anything that is causing "stains." But how do we go about doing that? To know how to clean something well, you have to know what kind of "dirt" you're trying to remove. So ask the Spirit to point out just one area of temptation or sin. Maybe it's something that Jesus mentions here: jealousy or covetousness, hypocrisy or self-satisfaction. Don't worry that Jesus will condemn you. His greatest desire is that you would be freed from anything that separates you from him or holds you back from fulfilling his call to you. Once you know what you have to clean up, take action. Maybe that means asking someone's forgiveness or forgiving without judging. Maybe the Spirit will move you to go to Confession, where you can receive absolution and the wise counsel of a priest. Cleaning can be messy, but don't let that deter you. It's worth the effort. If you begin to cleanse greed, jealousy, or pride from your heart, you'll feel less driven to compare yourself to other people. If you can forgive a past hurt, you'll feel less bound by anger, bitterness, or fear. Peace and joy will follow. And remember, you don't have to do this work alone. The Lord wants you to be cleansed more than you want it yourself, and he will give you the grace and courage to do it. "Holy Spirit, shine your light into my 'cup' today, and show me where and how to start cleaning." 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3, 14-17
Psalm 96:10-13 |  clickable | To decorate the houses with religious pictures is a custom as old as Christianity itself, for the true Christian has always considered his home as nothing less than a Temple of God, and the religious picture as a means to extend and preserve the spirit of Christianity in the home.
— Saint John Vianney
from Sermons of the Curé of Ars | my2cents:
"Let no one deceive you in any way.
To this end he has also called you through our Gospel
to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."
I heard over the weekend about a story about how the women's rights came about, at the same time as another revolution was taking place, the sexual revolution. And abortion was mixed into both, from sexual revolution into women's rights. One of the writers for a prominent magazine said that her time in newspapers and magazine print stories, she was asked to write things and most of the time she would just make up stories. The people in it were not true, or if they were, they were distorted. And so millions of women and even men, would fall into these lies. That was back decades ago. Today, news, media information is propagated in seconds, not in weekly or monthly publications, what will your heart fall for? I write to you daily, and in the course of the day many things happen. The world changes, life changes constantly. There is one constant though, one anchor, one that can hold us together, and forever, and that is Christ. That anchor bond is what we will focus on today. | First, let us pray: "Before the Lord, for he comes; for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice and the peoples with his constancy. The Lord comes to judge the earth." The world lies about Christ Jesus. They say "he was a nice guy" and a nice teacher, they are watering down the very fact that He has been crowned KING of the World. And He rules with justice and constancy. The conundrum then, is, how to love the King? How do you see your spouse then? My wife must see me as King and I must see her as Queen. She reigns in the household, and I reign as King. A King must lay his life down for the greater good. Not for selfish ambitions or ventures. But for the Kingdom. The affairs then, are only affairs for the Love of God, who is Lord over all Kings. And the true connection to Heaven then, is the way of Christ Jesus, humility, obedience to God above.First, let us pray: "Before the Lord, for he comes; for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice and the peoples with his constancy. The Lord comes to judge the earth." The world lies about Christ Jesus. They say "he was a nice guy" and a nice teacher, they are watering down the very fact that He has been crowned KING of the World. And He rules with justice and constancy. The conundrum then, is, how to love the King? How do you see your spouse then? My wife must see me as King and I must see her as Queen. She reigns in the household, and I reign as King. A King must lay his life down for the greater good. Not for selfish ambitions or ventures. But for the Kingdom. The affairs then, are only affairs for the Love of God, who is Lord over all Kings. And the true connection to Heaven then, is the way of Christ Jesus, humility, obedience to God above. | Our Lord says so much today, something hard to swallow: "!"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.
Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean."
In the church, there are many people that will tell you what to do, even if they don't do it themselves. These are the blind people. But just because they are blind, doesn't mean they are totally stupid. Our Lord says to do as they say, and not what they do. They tell you to be humble and obey, and they will not be humble, nor obey. They tell you what love is, but they do not love. | "The proof of love is in the works. Where love exists, it works great things. But when it ceases to act, it ceases to exist." Pope St. Gregory the Great "Nothing, how little so ever it be, if it is suffered for God's sake, can pass without merit in the sight of God." Thomas à Kempis "Renounce yourself in order to follow Christ; discipline your body; do not pamper yourself, but love fasting." St. Benedict of Nursia "Whoever wishes to be my follower must deny his very self, take up his cross each day, and follow in my steps." Luke 9:23 "To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often." -Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman "Love to be real, it must cost—it must hurt—it must empty us of self." -Mother Teresa "Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean."
Let's take this to heart and replace the name "Pharisee" with your own name.
Blind ______ , cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean."
Why would you call me blind? Perhaps, throughout so many years of misinformation, I have been led to think and live in ways not in accordance with God's laws. Perhaps I cannot truly see the way God wants.
But God doesn't just call us blind folks, He actually tells us how to see. Cleanse the inside of the vessel. Cleanse your soul. Think Confession. Think repentance. Think emptying out what we got so He can pour in Divine Mercy Blood from Heaven. Think Holy Mass. Think Jesus entering your soul.
And then, the light begins to shine from the inside out. You live what is in your heart. Love of God is the preference.
Everything else is superficial, temporal, and passing, and changing. But God is the constant. His one beat of a heart lasts for thousands of years. Think of this source and force. How amazing it is, and how true it is.
If you have sins, go now for forgiveness. If you can't think of any, go to the light of Christ so He will illuminate your blindness and darkness.
I was going for 40 days weekly to confession. I was amazed at how long my weekly confessions were. And to think we are so good without it, so blind I have been my whole life, and there He is waiting to shine more light in our life to give life to the life around us... | Random Bible verse from online generator: Gal 3:24 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. | 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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