 clickable | | Jesus Meant What He Said Francis took Christ's teaching seriously. He was too honest to read Scripture selectively and too unsophisticated to spin elaborate no-risk interpretations of it. Instead, he championed the radical notion that Christ meant what he said when he spoke of love and poverty and sacrifice. To presume otherwise is to conclude that Christ was in the strange habit of always saying one thing but meaning something quite different. —from the book Perfect Joy: 30 Days with Francis of Assisi by Kerry Walters |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"No one can make excuses, because anyone can love God; and he does not ask the soul for more than to love him, because he loves the soul, and it is his love."
— Blessed Angela of Foligno †MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"The vow of poverty is a generous renunciation and detachment from the heavy burden of temporal things. It is an alleviation of the spirit, it is a relief afforded to human infirmity, the liberty of a noble heart to strive after eternal and spiritual blessings. It is a satiety and abundance, in which the thirst after earthly treasures is allayed, and a sovereignty and ownership, in which a most noble enjoyment of all riches is established. All this, my daughter, and many other blessings are contained in voluntary poverty, and all this the sons of the world are ignorant and deprived of, precisely because they are lovers of earthly riches and enemies of this holy and opulent poverty."
— Ven. Mary of Agreda, p. 85
AN EXCERPT FROM
The Mystical City of God † VERSE OF THE DAY
"We know that we belong to God, and the whole world is under the power of the evil one. We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us discernment to know the one who is true. And we are in the one who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life."
1 John 5:19-20 |  click to read more | | Saint Callistus I (d. 223) The most reliable information about this saint comes from his enemy Saint Hippolytus, an early antipope, later a martyr for the Church. A negative principle is used: If some worse things had happened, Hippolytus would surely have mentioned them. Callistus was a slave in the imperial Roman household. Put in charge of the bank by his master, he lost the money deposited, fled, and was caught. After serving time for a while, he was released to make some attempt to recover the money. Apparently he carried his zeal too far, being arrested for brawling in a Jewish synagogue. This time he was condemned to work in the mines of Sardinia. Through the influence of the emperor's mistress he was released and went to live at Anzio. After winning his freedom, Callistus was made superintendent of the public Christian burial ground in Rome—still called the cemetery of Saint Callistus—probably the first land owned by the Church. The pope ordained him a deacon and made him his friend and adviser. Callistus was elected pope by a majority vote of the clergy and laity of Rome, and thereafter was bitterly attacked by the losing candidate, Saint Hippolytus, who let himself be set up as the first antipope in the history of the Church. The schism lasted about 18 years. Hippolytus is venerated as a saint. He was banished during the persecution of 235 and was reconciled to the Church. He died from his sufferings in Sardinia. He attacked Callistus on two fronts—doctrine and discipline. Hippolytus seems to have exaggerated the distinction between Father and Son—almost making two gods—possibly because theological language had not yet been refined. He also accused Callistus of being too lenient, for reasons we may find surprising: 1) Callistus admitted to Holy Communion those who had already done public penance for murder, adultery, and fornication; 2) he held marriages between free women and slaves to be valid—contrary to Roman law; 3) he authorized the ordination of men who had been married two or three times; 4) he held that mortal sin was not a sufficient reason to depose a bishop; 5) he held to a policy of leniency toward those who had temporarily denied their faith during persecution. Callistus was martyred during a local disturbance in Trastevere, Rome, and is the first pope—except for Peter—to be commemorated as a martyr in the earliest martyrology of the Church. Reflection The life of this man is another reminder that the course of Church history, like that of true love, never did run smooth. The Church had to—and still must—go through the agonizing struggle to state the mysteries of the faith in language that, at the very least, sets up definite barriers to error. On the disciplinary side, the Church had to preserve the mercy of Christ against rigorism, while still upholding the gospel ideal of radical conversion and self-discipline. Every pope—indeed every Christian—must walk the difficult path between "reasonable" indulgence and "reasonable" rigorism. | Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 GAL 5:18-25 Brothers and sisters:
If you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are obvious:
immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry,
sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy,
outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness,
dissensions, factions, occasions of envy,
drinking bouts, orgies, and the like.
I warn you, as I warned you before,
that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh
with its passions and desires.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit. Responsorial Psalm PS 1:1-2, 3, 4 AND 6 R. (see Jn 8:12) Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life. Alleluia JN 10:27 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel LK 11:42-46 The Lord said:
"Woe to you Pharisees!
You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb,
but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.
These you should have done, without overlooking the others.
Woe to you Pharisees!
You love the seat of honor in synagogues
and greetings in marketplaces.
Woe to you!
You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk."
Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply,
"Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too."
And he said, "Woe also to you scholars of the law!
You impose on people burdens hard to carry,
but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them." | Daily Meditation: Galatians 5:18-25 The fruit of the Spirit . . . (Galatians 5:22) Isn't the fruit listed here enticing? We all want more peace, patience, and self-control. But just as in nature, the fruit of the Spirit is the product of a long growth process. An orange ripens slowly, from flower to bud to mature citrus. It takes time for the water, light, and heat to bring it to its fullest growth. So too with the fruit of the Spirit. Few people proceed directly from furious outbursts to unflappable self-control or from envy to the unshakeable peace of Christ. God knows that, and he is infinitely patient as his fruit in us matures. Who better to water your thirsty spirit than God? As you spend time with him in prayer, he pours out—rather, he generously drenches you—with his love. That love acts as water, softening the soil of your heart to receive the seeds of the fruit he wants to grow in you. Daily, receive the gentle sprinkling of his love. Though perhaps you don't notice it happening at first, over time your heart will become arable and fertile. Along with water, the fruit of the Spirit in you needs light. As you read Scripture or hear it proclaimed at Mass, the Holy Spirit shines the light of Christ into your heart and mind. Read slowly. Listen intently. Allow God's word of truth to shine as fully as possible in you. Read a spiritual book occasionally, or the writings of holy men and women, lives of the saints, or reflections by wise authors. Underline or note the things in them that stir your heart. Spend time quietly basking in the light of the words that strike you. And heat. Fruit ripens in heat. In your life, that heat might be illness, sorrows, or difficulties of some kind. It might be stress or uncertainty or loneliness. It might be that irritating habit of your spouse or the continual criticism of a coworker. But you have been—you are being—watered by the love of God. He will always sustain you through the heat in your life. Though uncomfortable, perhaps even painful or seemingly unbearable, the heat will in time bring forth fruit. Christ is in you. Let him bear fruit in your life! "Holy Spirit, thank you for the water, light, and heat in my life as you cultivate your fruit in me." Psalm 1:1-4, 6
Luke 11:42-46 |  clickable | Always and everywhere, contact with the Church means participation in her universality. Beneath the Cross where Mary was proclaimed the spiritual Mother of all Christians stands not only the woman who has offered her own child to God, but also the woman who has sacrificed to God the wish or hope for a child of her own, or who was willing to give a child to God.
— Gertrud von le Fort
from The Eternal Woman | my2cents:
"If you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law."
I spoke briefly about laws of nature, and those of man yesterday. When you grow without our Lord, you fall into that jungle law. Survival of the fittest, they say. And the weak are trampled upon. And I said the story about big animals fighting and the grass they trample upon taking the abuse. In the world wars that transpired not even a hundred years ago, we can see huge losses, casualties, much financial catastrophe too. And what was the point? Most wouldn't know how to answer. A few soldiers might be able to say. What if it was because of jungle law? It was a power grab. And it cost the world so much. Today, the power grab is much worse. Behind closed doors, and all over the world, hundreds of millions have been deprived of life. Abortion. It is a power grab. And the casualties are tremendous. I'd dare say, that the greatest depression in our world is a lack of people. There are millions of less souls to share our lives with. But, some call them weeds, especially if they are of the wrong color or financial well being. What is it about power? Ego? Pride? These things hurt everyone but the one being proud. When a spouse threatens to leave the family, the children hurt, and they cry, and they suffer, and their torn hearts are being formed. What is it about the power to put people in their place? I see it everywhere, and even if I get tired of it, it will not cease to exist. | We pray today: "Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked Nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD and meditates on his law day and night." Again with loving God's law! Who delights in the law of the Lord? Who meditates on these laws day and night? I'd say, it is those who dare take the plunge of faith. Those who wake up and are praying, and go to sleep praying and all day long they are praying, seeking our Lord, in Scripture, in the face of each neighbor you encounter all day long. It is not that hard, it is a will of the Spirit. What does your Spirit will? Will the love of the law, and will the law of our Lord, let us turn to our Lord. | Our Lord speaks:
""Woe to you Pharisees!
You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God. These you should have done, without overlooking the others."
You Pharisees pay attention to everything but..judgement and love for God.
What does our Lord mean that we pay no attention to judgement? We judge everything right?
He speaks of right judgement. He speaks of righteousness. He speaks of true love for God, because God is Love itself. | "Woe to you Pharisees! You love the seat of honor in synagogues
and greetings in marketplaces. Woe to you!"
There aren't that many in church nowadays. There are a few that love to be seen though...to be seen as a good person. And anything that attacks that image, well, the truth comes out. How is it then, that we should serve, those of us who serve our Lord? We should be like the servants that come into the field and are commanded to tend to the Master, even though you are famished, tired and hungry yourself. The last. Our Lord is opening the eyes of the Pharisees. He opened many eyes and He opened many graves. That is where we need to seat ourselves, not busy Martha, but servant Mary at the feet of the Master, and there is a difference. Where your heart is. Where you find yourself with Him and in Him.
"You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk."
Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply, "Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too." LOL. BAM! Truth comes out. Pride is revealed. They said to our Lord "You are insulting us". How many evil spirits where there? Insulting "us"? Evil spirits used to speak out to our Lord "what have you to do with us Son of God!". You see, when Jesus is in, evil is dispelled. Do you believe? And so all the day and night we shall let Jesus in. The more, the better.
"And he said, "Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them."
Man made hundreds of Jewish laws, and it was hard to do everything they dictated PLUS the laws of man, Romans or whatever else laws they encountered. The people of God were super burdened. What was happening because of burdens? Well, if it were today, many would simply turn away. Now we only have 10 Commandments of God's laws, and still many turn away. What burdens do you put on others?
Let me reveal what they are. When your pride takes over, you put super burdens on others. When a power grab takes over, many will suffer. This is complete evil at work. Think on how much a negative word you say affects the world. Think about how being hurt by others causes you to act. Think about your lack of focus and lack of zeal. Think of the lazy spirit that won't let you pray and meditate on the law of God day and night. And the lazy die in their sin. Too lazy to confess. Too lazy to pray. Too lazy to suffer. No oil for lamps.
Everything one does for our Lord causes suffering, but it lifts up others.
And truth is, we need more suffering servants. And many saints try to tell the world that there is true joy in suffering. St. Joseph suffered. Mother Mary suffered. Mother Mary still suffers for our Lord. She appears weeping to this day. If you've heard of sacrilege in Churches today, you'd suffer too. What is the sacrilege? Acts against purity. Against holiness. Lust and greed. These two lead to hatred. These laws of the worldly are against the laws of our Lord.
These words find their ways into our hearts, to call upon us to eradicate our position and to put our entire lives at the feet of Jesus. Lord, Help Us!! Help our disbelief and our grief. My heart hurts at what I see everywhere I look, the lack of zeal, the lack of love, the lack of honoring You above all. Please, send help, laborers of God, laborers of Love.... | Random Bible verse from online generator: WOW
Prov 16:19 It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | |
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