 clickable | | Our Need for Community Among the proper lessons of culture is that we remind ourselves of our limits, of our need for community, of our ignorance and the tragic realities of living in such ignorance—lessons, in other words, that help us remember that we are creatures. It is through such recollection, being gathered back to ourselves from the diffuse ambitions that draw us away from our roots, that we are able to begin to heal the damage done to the world and ourselves. "The task of healing," writes Wendell Berry, "is to respect oneself as a creature, no more and no less." Humility, by helping to return us to the integrity of our humanity, which involves an acceptance of our particularly human creatureliness, also helps to make our lives more coherent, more integrated. "The more coherent one becomes within oneself as a creature," writes Berry, "the more fully one enters into the communion of all creatures." It is by humility then that we join the membership of creation in acceptance that we are a part of the world rather than an individual struggling against it. There is grace and community for us, if only we would accept the gift of our givenness. —from the book Wendell Berry and the Given Life by Ragan Sutterfield |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
AUGUST 5, 2020
"In this life no one can fulfill his longing, nor can any creature satisfy man's desire. Only God satisfies, he infinitely exceeds all other pleasures. That is why man can rest in nothing but God."
— St. Thomas Aquinas † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"In the spiritual life, I can promise myself nothing without the special help of God . . . From one moment to another, I may fall into mortal sin: consequently, even though I may have labored many years in acquiring virtues, I may in one instant lose all the good I have done, lose all my merit for eternity, and lose even that blessed eternity itself. How can a king rule with arrogance when he is besieged by his enemies and from day to day runs the risk of losing his kingdom and ceasing to be a king? And has not a saint abundant reasons, from the thought of his own weakness, to live always in a state of great humility, when he knows that from one hour to another he may lose the grace of God and the kingdom of Heaven, which he has merited by years of laboriously acquired virtues? 'Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it' (Ps. 126:1). However spiritual and holy a man may be, he cannot regard himself as absolutely secure. The Angels themselves, enriched with sanctity, were not safe in Paradise. Man, endowed with innocence, was not safe in his earthly paradise. What safety, therefore, can there be for us with our corrupt nature, amid so many perils and so many enemies who within and without are ever seeking insidiously to undermine our own eternal salvation? In order to be eternally damned, it is enough that I should follow the dictates of nature; but to be saved, it is necessary that divine grace should prevent (go before) and accompany me, should follow and help me, watch over me and never abandon me. Oh, how right therefore was St. Paul in exhorting us to 'work out our salvation'—which is for all eternity—'with fear and trembling' (Phil. 2:12)."
— Fr. Cajetan da Bergamo, p. 21-22
AN EXCERPT FROM
Humility Of Heart ⛪ TODAY'S FEAST DAY ⛪ OUR LADY OF THE SNOWS
Our Lady of the Snows is one of the oldest devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It commemorates a miraculous event that happened during the reign of Pope Liberius. A wealthy, childless Roman couple prayed to know how their fortune should be used for God. Our Lady answered them in a dream and asked that a church be built in her honor. She also appeared in a dream to the Holy Father with the same request. On August 5, 352 A.D., a hot summer day, snow fell on Esquiline Hill. All of Rome proclaimed it a miracle, and a basilica was built on the spot according to the outline of the pattern of snow. The church, the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore (Saint Mary Major), is the largest church in the world, and one of the first, dedicated to Our Lady. August 5th celebrates its rebuilding and dedication in 434 A.D. † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you."
Matthew 7:1-2 |  click to read more | | ST. OSWALD OF NORTHUMBRIA St. Oswald (605-642 A.D.) was the second of seven sons born to the pagan king of Northumbria in northern England. After his father was killed in battle, the kingdom was split. His uncle claimed the throne, while Oswald fled with his mother and brothers to Scotland for safety. There his family was converted to Christianity by the renowned monks of Iona. Oswald was educated by the holy monks and grew into a brave and pious warrior. After the death of his uncle and elder brother, Oswald moved to reclaim his father's throne and liberate it from enemy rule. On the eve of a decisive battle, he received a vision of St. Columba who promised him success. Before battle, Oswald erected a cross and knelt before it in prayer, along with his army. Following his victory, St. Oswald reunited Northumbria and was made king. His influence as a monarch was so great that he was considered the Emperor of almost all of Britain, uniting the the Britons, Picts, Scots, and the English. He requested a bishop to be sent to his kingdom to aid in the conversion of his people to Christianity; he also invited St. Aidan and a group of Irish monks from Iona to found a monastery for the kingdom at Lindisfarne. This ushered in Northumbria's "golden age" as the most important centre of learning and arts in the British Isles. Oswald ruled as a saintly and powerful Christian king, in justice, humility, and generosity to the poor and strangers, as noted by the prestigious historian, the Venerable Bede. St. Oswald was killed in battle, and afterwards the place of his death was noted for many miracles. His feast day is August 5th. | Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 JER 31:1-7 At that time, says the LORD,
I will be the God of all the tribes of Israel,
and they shall be my people.
Thus says the LORD:
The people that escaped the sword
have found favor in the desert.
As Israel comes forward to be given his rest,
the LORD appears to him from afar:
With age-old love I have loved you;
so I have kept my mercy toward you.
Again I will restore you, and you shall be rebuilt,
O virgin Israel;
Carrying your festive tambourines,
you shall go forth dancing with the merrymakers.
Again you shall plant vineyards
on the mountains of Samaria;
those who plant them shall enjoy the fruits.
Yes, a day will come when the watchmen
will call out on Mount Ephraim:
"Rise up, let us go to Zion,
to the LORD, our God."
For thus says the LORD:
Shout with joy for Jacob,
exult at the head of the nations;
proclaim your praise and say:
The LORD has delivered his people,
the remnant of Israel. Responsorial Psalm JER 31:10, 11-12AB, 13 R. (see 10d) The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,
proclaim it on distant isles, and say:
He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together,
he guards them as a shepherd his flock.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
The LORD shall ransom Jacob,
he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror.
Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion,
they shall come streaming to the LORD's blessings.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Then the virgins shall make merry and dance,
and young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into joy.
I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock. Alleluia LK 7:16 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel MT 15:21-28 At that time Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,
"Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!
My daughter is tormented by a demon."
But he did not say a word in answer to her.
His disciples came and asked him,
"Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us."
He said in reply,
"I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
But the woman came and did him homage, saying, "Lord, help me."
He said in reply,
"It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs."
She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters."
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
"O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish."
And her daughter was healed from that hour. | Daily Meditation: Matthew 15:21-28 O woman, great is your faith! (Matthew 15:28) Why would Jesus treat this Canaanite woman so harshly? How could he ignore her, brush her off, even call her names? That doesn't sound like something a loving God would do. But perhaps Jesus was acting in love—both for this woman and for his disciples. Maybe he was trying to highlight the way his disciples were looking at her. To them, she was an interruption to a much-needed rest. Worse, she was a foreigner, an unbeliever, a "dog." So perhaps Jesus mirrored their attitudes to draw attention to them, even as he knew what he was going to do. Because he saw this woman in a completely different way. He saw her as a woman of great faith (Matthew 15:28). He was moved by how she humbled herself in order to seek healing for her daughter. From the beginning of his public ministry, Jesus looked beyond stereotypes. There was no room for "us" versus "them" in his kingdom. He longed to reach out to every person on earth and draw all of us into one family, one body. So where most people saw a leper who had to stay far away to avoid contamination, Jesus saw a believer in need of human touch (Matthew 8:1-3). Where they saw the commander of an occupying army, Jesus saw a man of great faith (8:5-10). Where some saw a greedy tax collector, Jesus saw a potential disciple and called him by name (9:9). It's only human to look at people through the lens of our own experience and biases. We get in trouble, though, when we judge people who are different from us—those who dress differently, who raise their children differently, who worship differently. Jesus invites us to take a second look and to see a person God loves very much, someone who has unlimited potential. Think of one person whose differences rub you the wrong way. Imagine Jesus sitting between the two of you, one arm around each of your shoulders. Ask him to give you a glimpse of why he loves and values that person so much. Let glimpses like these help you bridge the gap between "us" and "them." Take on the heart of Jesus! "Jesus, open the eyes of my heart and help me see people the way you see them." Jeremiah 31:1-7
(Psalm) Jeremiah 31:10-13 |  clickable | We are all so conscious of the gentleness of Jesus that we tend to forget His great determination. It was at times demanding, but never overbearing. For example, He was determined not to use His Divine Power to alleviate any of His personal sufferings or problems.
— Mother Angelica
from Christ and Our Lady | my2cents:
"With age-old love I have loved you; so I have kept my mercy toward you."
I have loved you my child. I have always loved you. Even before I met you I loved you.
And I will always love you.
And this love is destiny. Simply for having received this message in your heart, you know love has made a connection. Can you make that connection forever?
Yes.And that is what I'm here for...for you. If God is for you, what can be against you? | We pray: "Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,
proclaim it on distant isles, and say: He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together,
he guards them as a shepherd his flock. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock." | We heard "he did not say a word in answer to her."
Ever feel like our Lord isn't answering us?
What does that mean?
Keep going.
Be persistent. Be insistent. Be incessant.
Be persuasive. Ever had a kid that does that special look you can't resist?
God can give that look too.
But you can have that look. What if our image means nothing?
They say God was unrecognizable in the resurrection. If you were to see His face, you would die in your sin. | In the Holy Gospel, the "dog woman" (from Cana), was persistent. But there's one more thing: she was true. Sincerity counts my friend. Honestly. Even if you think it gets you nowhere in the world, it counts in Heaven. It is to be sensible. Be sincere with one another. That is, honest, and true, and in the heart, charitable to the utmost degree.
The woman pleads on...for her daughter to be exorcised, freed from demons.
Our Lord is sincere too: ""It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs."
She was said to be a gentile. And from the land of Cana. Afterall, why should a Jewish man give to a deriviate of Cane (from Genesis)?
Watch Mercy closely.
Cana in Galilee is celebrated as the scene of Jesus' first miracle. It is actually the place of his first two public miracles in Galilee — the changing of water into wine.
That woman from Cana means so much...to Him. But it is not until she says something that His heart becomes swollen with grace for her: "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters."
Watch how she begins and ends:
Please (my) LORD
and
Master(s).
She said she was feeding off of Him already and that He was her Master.
Eating things from the table, even if off the floor.
For this Jesus had come.
For All of Us in the World. Not just for a select few like some religions say.
He came that we all might be saved.
And that might is on you personally.
They say that in baptism, we are given just enough grace for us to turn to the Lord.
Yet, this woman hadn't been baptized. How in the world did she turn to the Lord?
That my friend is touching. When someone comes to the Lord on their own. That is moving, and powerful...that is might.
Might is not mere chance, but choice....a fight. Striving to enter that narrow gate is might.
Can you touch the heart of Jesus my child?
Oh yes my friend. How? Sincerity. Honestly. Look up to Heaven and say something He absolutely Loves from a true heart: I Love You.
And He takes that into Eternity. Those puppy eyes, that look...it is irresistible. He loves it when you Love Him with all your heart, might, soul, strength. | Random Bible verse from an online generator: Romans 15:4 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. | 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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