 clickable | |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"We should strive to keep our hearts open to the sufferings and wretchedness of other people, and pray continually that God may grant us that spirit of compassion which is truly the spirit of God."
— St. Vincent de Paul † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"When uncertain about God's will, it is very important that we tell ourselves: 'Even if there are aspects of God's will that escape me, there are always others that I know for sure and can invest in without any risk, knowing that this investment always pays dividends.' These certainties include fulfilling the duties of our state in life and practicing the essential points of every Christian vocation. There is a defect here that needs to be recognized and avoided: finding ourselves in darkness about God's will on an important question . . . we spend so much time searching and doubting or getting discouraged, that we neglect things that are God's will for us every day, like being faithful to prayer, maintaining trust in God, loving the people around us here and now. Lacking answers about the future, we should prepare to receive them by living today to the full."
— Fr. Jacques Philippe, p. 55
AN EXCERPT FROM
Interior Freedom †VERSE OF THE DAY
"Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
Matthew 5:11-12 |  click to read more | | ST. ELIZABETH OF THE VISITATION St. Elizabeth of the Visitation (1st c.) was the wife of Zachary, a temple priest, and the cousin and close companion of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is the one whom Our Lady visited in haste after the Annunciation. The Angel Gabriel had told Mary that Elizabeth was expecting a miraculous child in her old age. Upon hearing Mary's voice, who was then carrying the Son of God in her womb, Elizabeth's unborn child leaped in her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit. It was with Elizabeth that Mary first shared the joy of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. St. Elizabeth gave birth to St. John the Baptist, the prophet who prepared the way for Jesus' ministry. St. Elizabeth is described in the Gospel of Luke as "righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments of the Lord blamelessly." St. Elizabeth shares a feast day with her husband, Zachary, on November 5th. | Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 488
Reading 1 PHIL 3:3-8A Brothers and sisters:
We are the circumcision,
we who worship through the Spirit of God,
who boast in Christ Jesus and do not put our confidence in flesh,
although I myself have grounds for confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he can be confident in flesh, all the more can I.
Circumcised on the eighth day,
of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin,
a Hebrew of Hebrew parentage,
in observance of the law a Pharisee,
in zeal I persecuted the Church,
in righteousness based on the law I was blameless. But whatever gains I had,
these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ.
More than that, I even consider everything as a loss
because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Responsorial Psalm PS 105:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 R. (3b) Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
R. Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
R. Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia MT 11:28 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel LK 15:1-10 The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
"This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."
So Jesus addressed this parable to them.
"What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home,
he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,
'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'
I tell you, in just the same way
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance. "Or what woman having ten coins and losing one
would not light a lamp and sweep the house,
searching carefully until she finds it?
And when she does find it,
she calls together her friends and neighbors
and says to them,
'Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.'
In just the same way, I tell you,
there will be rejoicing among the angels of God
over one sinner who repents." | Daily Meditation: Philippians 3:3-8 We are the circumcision. (Philippians 3:3) For many devout first-century Jews who had converted to Christianity, St. Paul's teaching that baptized believers did not need to be ritually circumcised verged on blasphemy. Circumcision was one of God's commandments, a visible sign of his covenant relationship with Israel. Circumcision was considered the entryway into their Jewish faith. So it was a dramatic change when the Council of Jerusalem in AD 50 affirmed the apostles' conviction that Baptism, rather than circumcision, was the true way into the kingdom of God. It was the way to set yourself apart as belonging to Jesus. Jesus' words in the Gospel of John can help us understand this crucial point. Speaking to Nicodemus, a respected member of the Sanhedrin, Jesus said, "No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit" (John 3:5). John then elaborated by announcing that God had sent his Son into the world, "that everyone who believes in him . . . might have eternal life" (3:16). Baptism, the Spirit, and faith in Christ: these are the key ingredients for entry into the Christian life. Not only that, but God wants these three ingredients to permeate our lives every day. Baptism. Every day, affirm the truth that you have been washed clean of original sin and made into a new creation. The Spirit. Every day, ask the Holy Spirit to keep softening your heart toward God so that you can learn how to hear his voice and follow his guidance. Faith. Every day, throughout the day, keep believing that you are a child of God, unconditionally loved and deeply treasured. Even if your spiritual life feels stale sometimes, keep up these practices. They aren't just a matter of positive thinking. They are truths that can help you stay focused on the Lord and strengthen you in times of temptation. Paul says that you are "the circumcision" (Philippians 3:3). You are a visible sign of God's love and mercy for everyone when you embrace these blessings and let them affect your everyday life. "Jesus, my faith is in you. Help me to live out my baptism every day." Psalm 105:2-7
Luke 15:1-10 |  clickable | Because our joy in Heaven has God for its Source, it will be everlasting in duration and insatiable in capacity. It will always be fresh because there will always be something new to be joyful about.
— Mother Angelica
from God, His Home, and His Angels | my2cents:
"More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord."
Everything else is a loss, after finding Christ. You know what this means. It means the pearl the merchant finds, the treasure the man finds in the field. And they sell everything to obtain it. | We pray today: "Look to the LORD in his strength; seek to serve him constantly. Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought, his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord."
And how will you find the Lord? By accident? Seek and ye shall find. Seek! And I suggest seek 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. | And on that seek note, we take our Lord from Heaven...when He says parables about seeking, a search: ""What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?"
Who wouldn't leave 99 sheep, He asks.
Would you leave your flock to find one lost soul? What is this all about? And then the parable about the lost coin "what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house,
searching carefully until she finds it?"
Sweeping the house is to comb the whole place with a fine toothbrush, right?
What kind of Shepherd combs through mountains and valleys, embarking on this crazy adventure to find just one sheep? | Our Lord gives us a clue on what kind of people do this. It is one who cares. He at one time spoke of laying down His life for His sheep. He is the gate, the door. They said the shepherd back then would block the entrance to the fence with his body. But a shepherd that does not care about the flock would not seek one sheep.
The parable was for the Pharisees. But the Pharisaical spirit continues. Self interests take precedence. Legalism takes the place over all. Watch how new laws are being proposed every day, and freedoms are encroached. This is merely an eye opener. It's hard to put ourselves in these perspectives, how we fit in this parable. But it doesn't have to be.
You aren't a shepherd, right? Actually, we all are, as we are bound to the Good Shepherd. He desires His Kingdom to be manifested through us, His body.
What woman wouldn't turn her home inside out to find the lost coin?
In the first parable it was about 1 out of 100 lost.
In the second it is 1 out of 10.
Who cares about 1 out of 99?
It boils down to life in the first parable. The Shepherd actually saved a life by risking his. Would you risk your life too? God calls us to. Right now, any religious person is risking their life, because evil calls them bad. You have to watch carefully how the world works. There are some pro abortion people calling for church closures as we speak, in another country so they can silence the message of life. Now I'm thinking of the few brave risking their lives at abortion clinics, and you'd be amazed to hear about one baby that was saved. Is the story coming closer to home now?
How do you risk your life if you don't have a baby killing clinic around your neighborhood? You risk by just talking about saving the unborn. So speak out! Live out the message.
And the second message?
A lost coin in a home? It is the message of great joy in Heaven. How? Our Lord says she said: "'Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.' "
She became an evangelizer. She brought good news. But, LOL, it's like me telling you I found Jesus. Most would be like "yippee, great for you". But in Heaven, you having been found is a big deal.
That is our story. Having been found and found worthy to be called a fellow citizen of Heaven, one of God's flock.
I tell you what, there are some people that are amazing in what they do for the pro life movement, and some amazing in what they do for the Christ movement.
These folks are motivators. Who are they? My friend, wouldn't you like to know.
It is random people. The Spirit of God moves and we cannot tell where He goes. He is everywhere.
And God amazes. And if you are amazed, it is a sign that He is at work.
Think, how amazing it is that He cares for you and for me. He came from Heaven in search for us, when we are lost.
And when we are lost and found, we are saved.
And when we are saved we go out to the whole world, seeking the lost, forgotten, and in danger of being slaughtered....an eternal death to the soul... Lord help us be You the Good Shepherd in this great big little world | Random Bible verse from online generator:
WOW 1 Corinthians 15:58 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | |
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