 clickable | | Embracing Poverty An embrace of Lady Poverty means that we try to live freely by getting out from under the possessions that own us. This can range from adopting a Franciscan-like life of voluntary poverty to the more common effort to cut down on consumption of needless luxuries. The purpose in either case is to forgo what we don't need in order to imitate better the holy poverty of Christ, to appreciate better our fellow humans, and to contribute to a more equitable distribution of resources. But genuine freedom—which, recall, is a necessary condition for the joy Francis craves—isn't simply a matter of throwing off externalities that burden us. It entails a relinquishment of internal acquisitiveness. In addition to ridding ourselves of goods that weigh down our spirits, we must wean ourselves from our psychological desire for them. Doing the one without the other simply won't suffice. We can steel ourselves to a life of material poverty yet still remain enslaved by our lusts, vanity, and jealousies. —from the book Perfect Joy: 30 Days with Francis of Assisi by Kerry Walters |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"Cheerfulness prepares a glorious mind for all the noblest acts."
— St. Elizabeth Ann Seton † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"The true reason for which God bestows so many graces upon the humble is this, that the humble are faithful to these graces and make good use of them. They receive them from God and use them in a manner pleasing to God, giving all the glory to Him, without reserving any for themselves. ... It is certainly true that he who is humble is also faithful to God, because the humble man is also just in giving to all their due, and above all, in rendering to God the things that are God's; that is, in giving Him the glory for all the good that he is, all the good that he has and for all the good that he does; as the Venerable Bede says: 'Whatever good we see in ourselves, let us ascribe it to God and not to ourselves.' To give thanks to God for all the blessings we have received and are continually receiving is an excellent means of exercising humility, because by thanksgiving we learn to acknowledge the Supreme Giver of every good. And for this reason it is necessary for us always to be humble before God. St. Paul exhorts us to render thanks for all things and at all times: 'In all things give thanks.' (1 Thess. 5:18). 'Giving thanks always for all things.' (Eph. 5:20). But that our thanksgiving may be an act of humility it must not only come from the lips but from the heart, with a firm conviction that all good comes to us through the infinite mercy of God."
— Rev. Cajetan da Bergamo, p. 87-8
AN EXCERPT FROM
Humility Of Heart † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing."
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 |  click to read more | | ST. EDWARD THE CONFESSOR St. Edward the Confessor (1003-1066 A.D.) was a prince born to the King and Queen of England. His family was exiled from the kingdom when the Danish took control of the country in 1016 A.D. Edward spent much of his life in exile, probably in Normandy. Witnessing the folly of worldly ambition, he became attracted to the life of the Church and grew in piety. When opportunity arose he was persuaded to reclaim the throne of England, which he did in 1042 as one of its last Anglo-Saxon kings. The people supported his rule, and he gained a reputation as a just king committed to the welfare of his subjects. He thwarted invasions, ended unjust taxes, and was profoundly generous to the poor. His reign was marked by peace and prosperity throughout his kingdom. He married a beautiful woman to satisfy the people's desire for a queen, but, having already made a vow of chastity, he obtained his wife's agreement to live together as brother and sister. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, which he built, and after his death many miracles were ascribed to his intercession. This lead to his canonization in 1161, and in 1163 the transferral of his body to a new tomb. This was presided over by St. Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who found Edward's body to be incorrupt. Edward was called "The Confessor" to distinguish him from St. Edward the Martyr. He is buried behind the high altar in Westminster Abbey. He is the patron of kings, difficult marriages, separated spouses, and the English royal family. His feast day is October 13th. | Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 GAL 5:1-6 Brothers and sisters:
For freedom Christ set us free;
so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.
It is I, Paul, who am telling you
that if you have yourselves circumcised,
Christ will be of no benefit to you.
Once again I declare to every man who has himself circumcised
that he is bound to observe the entire law.
You are separated from Christ,
you who are trying to be justified by law;
you have fallen from grace.
For through the Spirit, by faith, we await the hope of righteousness.
For in Christ Jesus,
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything,
but only faith working through love. Responsorial Psalm PS 119:41, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48 R. (41a) Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
Let your mercy come to me, O LORD,
your salvation according to your promise.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
Take not the word of truth from my mouth,
for in your ordinances is my hope.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will keep your law continually,
forever and ever.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will walk at liberty,
because I seek your precepts.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will delight in your commands,
which I love.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will lift up my hands to your commands
and meditate on your statutes.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord. Alleluia HEB 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 LK 11:37-41 After Jesus had spoken,
a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home.
He entered and reclined at table to eat.
The Pharisee was amazed to see
that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.
The Lord said to him, "Oh you Pharisees!
Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.
You fools!
Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
But as to what is within, give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you."
| Daily Meditation: Psalm 119:41, 43-45,47-48 I will walk at liberty, because I seek your precepts. (Psalm 119:45) Wait a minute! Aren't "precepts" the opposite of "liberty"? Doesn't freedom mean doing whatever you please whenever you please, in defiance of rules and restrictions? Not really. Imagine you run into a stranger who hands you a flute. You seem to like music, he says. Take this flute. Go ahead, feel free to make music with it! Without instruction, you probably wouldn't be able to do much with it. But if someone taught you the rules of how to play the flute—where to put your fingers, how to blow into it, how to read music—you would then have the chance to exercise that freedom, especially if you put in the time to practice. You would willingly restrict your "freedom to do whatever you want" with the flute so that you could actually learn to play it skillfully. When St. Paul says, "For freedom Christ set us free," he is talking about that kind of freedom: the freedom to do something beautiful, the liberty to do what pleases the Lord (Galatians 5:1). God didn't make us free so that we could ignore his commands; he knows they are what guide us to reach our full potential. They are what set us on the path of excellence. Excellence at what? Love! Love of God and love of our neighbors. Jesus delivers us from sin so that we are free to be like him. We are free to look out for someone else's needs before our own. We are free to sacrifice on someone else's behalf. The more this happens, the more like Jesus we become. It will look different for each one of us. A contemplative monk grows in loving in a different way than a young father does. A corporate executive conforms herself to Christ differently than someone living in a nursing home. But for each of us, true freedom comes as we receive the grace to live up to our potential. Remember, loving isn't accomplished in a single moment or gesture. It happens over time and with practice, just as every rehearsal enables the flute player to play even more beautifully. "Father, thank you for setting me free to live in a way that pleases you!" Galatians 5:1-6
Luke 11:37-41 |  clickable | The timeless woman is she who time cannot control, for to surmount time is of the essence of the mother quality. As the woman in giving birth carries life on into endlessness, so in her capacity of nurturing and sheltering life she injects into time an element of eternity.
— Gertrud von le Fort
from The Eternal Woman | my2cents:
"For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery."
__Sin is slavery.
No matter how we may try to make it little, or ok, sin makes you a slave of sin. As night imparts darkness, so does sin impart slavery. But as day imparts light, so does Christ impart life. We are all subject to laws of nature, but in the life with Christ, we are subject to much more. | We pray: "And I will keep your law continually,
forever and ever. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord."
Lord let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you. If we understood the theological virtues of the commandments, we would love them, not only now, but for all eternity, where the least become the greatest. Where the least of the laws become even the greatest. What a feat! What is the least of the laws? Let's go find out. | The Pharisee invites our Lord into his home.
The Pharisee judges our Lord.
The Pharisee is amazed at how our Lord didn't follow the laws of cleaning and keeping clean.
Man made those laws. They had a good intention, but eventually, those laws trumped man HIMSELF. Our Lord spoke on that, because HE is the LAW:
"Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.
You fools!"
Which is deadlier, that which kills the body, or that which kills the soul?
The body lasts a few decades, the soul lasts for a possible eternity.
But we are fooled into focusing on the temporal.
We are fools when we focus on ourselves.
We are fools if we are closed to what He says.
We are fools if we belittle and say Raqa, looking with disdain, and saying "I've done my part, you should be ashamed for not doing yours".
Ouch. | "Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you".
They say "it's what's inside that counts", right? Exactly. Our Lord sees the inside. He sees much more than you can see. He sees what you are afraid of and He sees that it is not what you are thinking. We see things wrong. Just look at the Pharisee that had invited Jesus into his home. Haven't you invited our Lord into your heart? What does He see that you cannot see inside your heart? Only way to find out what you got is to do what He asks.
Give alms.
Ouch. Here's where your treasure is. Give of your time. OUCH! Give of your talent. OUCH!! Give of your treasure. OUCH!!!
How much does it cost the Pharisee to see? It will cost him everything.
The rich one walks away sad. Treasures.
The family man walks away, worried. Talent.
The business man turns away. Time.
What business and who's business are you into? What family are you into? What riches do you seek?
If you came to be uplifted in this writing, then you will be, if you learn to give.
Give what hurts. Give forgiveness. Give where you don't want to give. And this giving is what counts. Giving someone a break could be the break that opens a hardened heart to God.
We've much to learn when it comes to God's laws. He clarified the law when He answered the Pharisee's doubt.
At this moment in life, the law meant more than even true worship of God, a true love of God. In our country, we seek more and more freedom, but freedom from what? God? We have made thousands of laws and there are more to come, and it seems to infringe on true freedom, true happiness, and true life. For more "freedom" now abortions are legal. Who gets freedom and who gets death? Does the Pharisee need to see more?
Hold on while it gets even closer to home. In your legalistic mindset, and in your pursuit of happiness, how many times doe you open your mouth to insult someone? Who gets death? Words kill my friend. And where do words come from? From what is inside, right?
The Pharisee was trying to put Jesus in place.
We belittle our Father in Heaven when we tell HIM what to do.
And this belittling is blasphemy, and this blasphemy stems from the onslaught brought about in pandora's box opened in Genesis. All because of a doubt introduced as something good but was truly evil. Like when the devil whispers in your ear "you don't have to suffer" and "you don't have to take that".
Yes you do have to suffer. Everything I do in ministries is suffering. People bickering. People not wanting to participate. People not giving. People not forgiving. People complaining. It is all suffering. And who suffers the most?
Like in a fight between a rhino and and elephant, who loses in that battle? The folk tale says that the grass loses. It is severely trampled on and destroyed. Think God's grass, the children, the flock.
Now we are talking about big heads killing the innocent.
Now we are being asked to deflate. Now you are being asked to become little and admire the smallest of laws of Heaven.
Today, our Lord is asking something much greater of the Pharisee my child.
To be pure and clean as He is. Lord, help us be made pure and clean. Help us give alms. And give you all our heart, mind, body, and soul....all our Love. | Random Bible verse from online generator: 1 John 3:2
Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears1 we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | |
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