 clickable | | Christianity Is a Way of Life Christianity isn't an abstract philosophy. It's a complete way of life. Consequently, profession of belief in Christianity isn't simply an intellectual nod of the head, but a commitment to live in such a way as to express concretely one's convictions in the everyday world. Such engagement demands a sense of direction, a sense of individual mission and purpose. This is supplied by the particular vocation each of us is given. When we discover our own unique calling, regardless of what it may be, we find the spiritual true north by which to plot our course. —from the book Perfect Joy: 30 Days with Francis of Assisi by Kerry Walters New call-to-action |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"We must faithfully keep what we have promised. If through human weakness we fail, we must always without delay arise again by means of holy penance, and give our attention to leading a good life and to dying a holy death. May the Father of all mercy, the Son by his holy passion, and the Holy Spirit, source of peace, sweetness and love, fill us with their consolation."
— St. Colette † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Others, again, seeing their own imperfections, become angry with themselves with an impatience that is not humble. They are so impatient with their shortcomings as if they would be saints in one day. Many of these make many grand resolutions, but, being self-confident and not humble, the more they resolve, the more they fall, and the more angry they become; not having the patience to wait for God's time; this is also opposed to spiritual meekness. There is no perfect remedy for this but in the dark night. There are, however, some people who are so patient, and who advance so slowly in their spiritual progress, that God wishes they were not so patient."
— St. John of the Cross, p. 24
AN EXCERPT FROM
Dark Night of the Soul † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality."
Romans 12:9-13 |  click to read more | | ST. EDWIN St. Edwin (585-633 A.D.) was the son of the pagan King of Deira who reigned in present-day England. After his father was deposed from his throne, Edwin spent his childhood in exile to escape rival kings who considered his bloodline a threat to their rule. One day a stranger prophesied that Edwin would reclaim his father's throne if he promised to obey what would later be taught to him regarding his own eternal salvation. Eventually Edwin rose to power and regained the Kingdom of Deira which expanded to encompass all of Northumbria. After the death of his first wife, he married a Catholic princess. He permitted his wife to practice her faith freely and to have their children baptized. He also welcomed St. Paulinus, Archbishop of York, into his kingdom and accepted his religious instruction. Edwin became increasingly drawn to Christianity after a series of providential events, but he did not convert until St. Paulinus revealed to Edwin that he was the same stranger who, years before, prophesied about his future. Edwin then repented of his sins, accepted baptism, and became an exemplary Catholic king who contributed to the spread of Christianity across his kingdom. St. Edwin died in battle against a pagan army and is therefore considered to be a martyr for the Faith. His feast day is October 12. | Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 GAL 4:22-24, 26-27, 31–5:1 Brothers and sisters:
It is written that Abraham had two sons,
one by the slave woman and the other by the freeborn woman.
The son of the slave woman was born naturally,
the son of the freeborn through a promise.
Now this is an allegory.
These women represent two covenants.
One was from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery;
this is Hagar.
But the Jerusalem above is freeborn, and she is our mother.
For it is written:
Rejoice, you barren one who bore no children;
break forth and shout, you who were not in labor;
for more numerous are the children of the deserted one
than of her who has a husband.
Therefore, brothers and sisters,
we are children not of the slave woman
but of the freeborn woman.
For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm
and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. Responsorial Psalm PS 113:1B-2, 3-4, 5A AND 6-7 R. (see 2) Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Who is like the LORD, our God,
who looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor.
R. Blessed be the name of the Lord forever.
or:
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Alleluia PS 95:8
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel LK 11:29-32 While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,
"This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.
Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
At the judgment
the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation
and she will condemn them,
because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
and there is something greater than Solomon here.
At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it,
because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,
and there is something greater than Jonah here."
| Daily Meditation: Luke 11:29-32 This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign. (Luke 11:29) What did Jesus mean here? Surely it's okay to seek a sign sometimes, right? After all, Gideon asked God for a sign—twice! (Judges 6:36-40). God himself offered the shepherds a sign to prove that the Messiah had been born (Luke 2:12). So what was Jesus' problem? The difference in this case was the attitude with which the requests were coming. Jesus' detractors were almost taunting him, making demands that they were sure he couldn't fulfill (Luke 11:15-16). What's more, they were asking after Jesus had already produced countless signs of healing and deliverance for them to investigate. Jesus saw their suspicion and stubbornness, and so he essentially said, "Enough of this. There will be only one more sign for those who refuse to believe: the 'sign of Jonah'—my resurrection from the dead." Let's be clear. It's okay to ask God to give you a sign that will help you discern your path or confirm a decision you've already made. Just be careful that you're asking from a position of trust and faith. Give God the freedom to grant you the sign you're looking for or to stay quiet and let you exercise your faith a little bit more. Let's say, for instance, that you are on your way to a job interview. Take a moment to thank God for his steadfast love for you. Thank him for his mercy and for all the times he has worked in your life up to this point. Profess your trust in his ability to provide for you and your family. Then, ask him to help you see your way more clearly. Tell him that you want to do his will, no matter what that may be, and that you will follow him, sign or no sign. Always remember that God loves you and hears your every prayer. He knows your needs, your questions, your hopes, and your fears. He would never withhold a sign from you out of spite or to punish you. So if you have asked but he hasn't answered yet, trust him and wait patiently for his answer. "Father, I turn every uncertainty in my life over to you. Teach me how to live in faith and confidence in you." Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 31–5:1
Psalm 113:1-7 |  clickable | Let us remain very far from all that sparkles; let us love our littleness; let us love to feel nothing. Then we shall be poor in spirit, and Jesus will come to look for us, and however far we may be, He will transform us in flames of love.
— St. Thérèse of Lisieux
from a letter to her oldest sister Marie, September 17, 1896 | my2cents:
"But the Jerusalem above is freeborn, and she is our mother"
We are freeborn through Mary, and the example of this is Jesus. The new covenant from the new ark of the new covenant.
Let us rejoice in this very fact. You are freeborn, and this means the world to Our Mother. | We pray: "Rejoice, you barren one who bore no children; break forth and shout, you who were not in labor; for more numerous are the children of the deserted one...".
And so our Lord said on His way to be crucified" "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. Look, the days are coming when people will say, 'Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore, and breasts that never nursed!"
This speaks volumes. I think of a religious sister, a dedicated woman to purity. I think of a consecrated life to God. I think of Sara and Abraham. I think of the countless numbers in faith because of them. | Our Lord said: "At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it,
because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,
and there is something greater than Jonah here."
What was Nineveh? Nineveh was the kind of place like our own nation. Jonah was a prophet that saw Nineveh lost in debauchery. He desired for their punishment for their wicked deeds. He did everything in his power to not prophecy repentance to them, but God took him into darkness for 3 days in the sea. And on rising, he gave the world a sign. And they believed.
This story that our Lord brought up was one of Himself, who was about to go into darkness for 3 days and rise again for the entire world. He said the story so they would remember Him and the sign for the wicked. That would be their only sign, like that to remember for ever, their turning of their backs, like a twisted snake on a staff, "see what you have done in your sin". The whole message is to turn from evil and turn to our Lord. | What remains is what is to come. Judgement day. Do you believe? Those who repented will have the power of condemnation. Who will they be? Angels? Sifters? Who will handle the sickle, and the pruning? Who will be sorting out evil and good? It would be better that you do this unto yourself, and this may seem like an impossible task. Most depressed people want a way out. I was so pressured with our family festival this weekend, and a depressed soul came to me, lips trembling, and I knew he was in problems. He gave me his gun "hold this for me please, because I don't know what's going on". I prayed for him and told him to stick around, and he did, and he seemed better by the end of the night. He apologized saying he knew I was stressed and that he was just adding on to my stresses. Indeed, I faced many challenges, some of the hardest were broken promises. So mentally, I'm challenged. Physically, power shortgage with generators, amazingly even new ones rented weren't working. And the Caterpilllar people sent another one, and that one didn't work either. All things seemed against the family event. What did I do? The only thing I ever know how to do, pray. During the event, I was still provoked to great anger, as if the devil wanted me to lose everything. So crazy. Why? People came to our drive in movie, people parking their cars to the big screen and tuning into an FM station, all brought about by gracious donors and sponsors, and a few food vendors. We were showing a movie about Fatima, and a faith movie Breakthrough. And just like the movies, challenges...on faith.
Back to Abraham and Sarah. Back to trusting in our Lord.
We may not understand, but we must believe Jonah. Listen to prophets in your life. We may feel lost, but trust in Jesus. Seek Him above all and always. Lord, we need you, every day we need you. Let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in You.... | Random Bible verse from online generator:
Acts 20:32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | |
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