 clickable | | Pilgrim's Prayer This is what a pilgrim does: walk. And it is the way the pilgrim prays, with his or her feet. And the feet walk through dark clouds to illumination to the light that is holy action. Through dark, cloud-filled days to a hint of subtle lightening to the sun breaking through, the feet taking us where we least thought we'd go, where before we had thought darkness dwelt, and finding there instead, in bright sunlight, the broken, the poor, the marginal, those made ugly or disfigured by abuse and oppression and woundedness. We are changed simply by walking, rain or shine, toward and back from whatever shrine we had thought contained our hope and longing. We walk back toward what was there all along that we could not see. —from Enter Assisi: An Invitation to Franciscan Spirituality |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote "God does not fit in an occupied heart."
— St. John of the Cross † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"I do not wish the soul to consider her sins, either in general or in particular, without also remembering the Blood and the broadness of My mercy, for fear that otherwise she should be brought to confusion. And together with confusion would come the devil, who has caused it, under color of contrition and displeasure of sin, and so she would arrive at eternal damnation, not only on account of her confusion, but also through the despair which would come to her, because she did not seize the arm of My mercy. This is one of the subtle devices with which the Devil deludes My servants, and, in order to escape from his deceit, and to be pleasing to Me, you must enlarge your hearts and affections in My boundless mercy, with true humility. You know that the pride of the Devil cannot resist the humble mind, nor can any confusion of spirit be greater than the broadness of My good mercy, if the soul will only truly hope therein."
— St. Catherine Of Siena, p. 94
AN EXCERPT FROM
Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Then Jesus said to his disciples: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For he that will save his life, shall lose it: and he that shall lose his life for my sake, shall find it."
Matthew 16:24-25 |  click to read more | | Saint Veronica Giuliani (December 27, 1660 – July 9, 1727) Veronica's desire to be like Christ crucified was answered with the stigmata. Veronica was born in Mercatelli, Italy. It is said that when her mother Benedetta was dying she called her five daughters to her bedside and entrusted each of them to one of the five wounds of Jesus. Veronica was entrusted to the wound below Christ's heart. At the age of 17, Veronica joined the Poor Clares directed by the Capuchins. Her father had wanted her to marry, but she convinced him to allow her to become a nun. In her first years in the monastery, she worked in the kitchen, infirmary, sacristy, and also served as portress. At the age of 34, she was made novice mistress, a position she held for 22 years. When she was 37, Veronica received the stigmata. Life was not the same after that. Church authorities in Rome wanted to test Veronica's authenticity and so conducted an investigation. She lost the office of novice mistress temporarily and was not allowed to attend Mass except on Sundays or holy days. Through all of this Veronica did not become bitter, and the investigation eventually restored her as novice mistress. Though she protested against it, at the age of 56 she was elected abbess, an office she held for 11 years until her death. Veronica was very devoted to the Eucharist and to the Sacred Heart. She offered her sufferings for the missions, died in 1727, and was canonized in 1839. Her Liturgical Feast Day is July 9.
Reflection Why did God grant the stigmata to Francis of Assisi and to Veronica Giuliani? God alone knows the deepest reasons, but as Celano points out, the external sign of the cross is a confirmation of these saints' commitment to the cross in their lives. The stigmata that appeared in Veronica's flesh had taken root in her heart many years before. It was a fitting conclusion for her love of God and her charity toward her sisters. | Reading 1 Hos 14:2-10 Thus says the LORD:
Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God;
you have collapsed through your guilt.
Take with you words,
and return to the LORD;
Say to him, "Forgive all iniquity,
and receive what is good, that we may render
as offerings the bullocks from our stalls.
Assyria will not save us,
nor shall we have horses to mount;
We shall say no more, 'Our god,'
to the work of our hands;
for in you the orphan finds compassion."
I will heal their defection, says the LORD,
I will love them freely;
for my wrath is turned away from them.
I will be like the dew for Israel:
he shall blossom like the lily;
He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar,
and put forth his shoots.
His splendor shall be like the olive tree
and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar.
Again they shall dwell in his shade
and raise grain;
They shall blossom like the vine,
and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim! What more has he to do with idols?
I have humbled him, but I will prosper him.
"I am like a verdant cypress tree"—
because of me you bear fruit! Let him who is wise understand these things;
let him who is prudent know them.
Straight are the paths of the LORD,
in them the just walk,
but sinners stumble in them. Responsorial Psalm 51:3-4, 8-9, 12-13, 14 and 17 R. (17b) My mouth will declare your praise.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. My mouth will declare your praise.
Behold, you are pleased with sincerity of heart,
and in my inmost being you teach me wisdom.
Cleanse me of sin with hyssop, that I may be purified;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
R. My mouth will declare your praise.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. My mouth will declare your praise.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
R. My mouth will declare your praise. Alleluia Jn 16:13a; 14:26d R. Alleluia, alleluia.
When the Spirit of truth comes,
he will guide you to all truth
and remind you of all I told you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 10:16-23 Jesus said to his Apostles:
"Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves;
so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.
But beware of men,
for they will hand you over to courts
and scourge you in their synagogues,
and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake
as a witness before them and the pagans.
When they hand you over,
do not worry about how you are to speak
or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say.
For it will not be you who speak
but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Brother will hand over brother to death,
and the father his child;
children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but whoever endures to the end will be saved.
When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.
Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel
before the Son of Man comes." | Daily Meditation: Matthew 10:16-23 I am sending you. . . . Do not worry. (Matthew 10:16, 19) Jesus makes it clear: there are consequences to being sent out in his name. He tells his disciples that they will be handed over, persecuted, and rejected. But then he says something unexpected: "Do not worry" (Matthew 10:19). The Holy Spirit will be with them, he promises, speaking through them and showing them what they are to say and do. Few of us will face imprisonment, beatings, or execution for sharing the gospel. Nevertheless, every time we open our mouths to talk about the Lord, there is always the risk that someone will reject us or ridicule us. To which Jesus says, "Do not worry." Why? Because of who you are! You are a new creation. In Baptism, you were "born from above" as a child of God (John 3:3). As a new creation in Christ, you share in Jesus' calling to preach the good news. Your identity comes from who God says you are, not from what other people might say or think. So try not to worry about rejection. God will always accept you even when no one else does. You are justified. "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). You don't have to wait until you've mastered every sin to share your faith. Sins and weaknesses and past failures do not disqualify you from telling the good news today. They might even make your words more credible! God will compensate for your every inadequacy. You are filled. You are not on your own. The Holy Spirit is in you and with you to sustain you, to direct your thoughts, and to speak through you. You don't need to worry about saying just the right words. The Holy Spirit can give you the right thing to say, or simply give your words special significance for someone else. He will even help you recognize the right time to say nothing at all. God has equipped you to bring his love to a hurting world. So don't worry! He has great confidence in you—a confidence based not just on your own gifts and abilities but on who you are in Christ Jesus. "Father, thank you for making me a new creation. Give me the courage to share your good news." Hosea 14:2-10
Psalm 51:3-4, 8-9, 12-14, 17 |  clickable | The essential thing is for us to hear God's word and discover from it how to respond to him. His word is the truth, opened up to us… God's word is his invitation to us to be with him in the truth.
— Fr. Hans Urs Von Balthasar
from Prayer | my2cents:
"Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God; you have collapsed through your guilt. Take with you words, and return to the LORD". Return, why? He continues: "for in you the orphan finds compassion." I will heal their defection, says the LORD,
I will love them freely." Is the WAY easy? Not so. He says: "
"Straight are the paths of the LORD, in them the just walk, but sinners stumble in them." In other words, strive. The return is a long and arduous journey through the desert, but have courage, God is leading the way. | We pray today: "Behold, you are pleased with sincerity of heart, and in my inmost being you teach me wisdom. Cleanse me of sin with hyssop, that I may be purified; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.. My mouth will declare your praise."
They say our Lord lived and spoke in Psalms. Being cleansed on the cross is not fun. Yet blood makes your clothes in Heaven white, and there, on a sprig of hyssop, they wiped our Lord's mouth as He hung on the cross, Your Father. And the Psalms say: "My mouth will declare your praise". | Our Lord says of the life of a slave servant and follower of the Way: "When they hand you over,
do not worry about how you are to speak
or what you are to say." Do not worry...about what? Your life? No. Your reputation? No. He said not to worry about what to say. For at this point, you have already given your life to Christ. It is the first death. It is the surrender to Him in totality. Jesus had already given His life to the Father before the world took His earthly human life. It starts right here and right now. | Bishop Barron said today:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus predicts the persecution of his followers. A vast army of martyrs have in the course of Christian history given their lives for the sake of Christ and his Gospel. They are from every culture, country, language, and background.
This is the army that stands opposed to worldly armies that do their work through violence, threats, and oppression. They witness to the power and authority of the risen Lord and therefore they are fighters—but they do not fight with the weapons of the world.
One might think of St. Peter himself, crucified upside down; or Felicity and Perpetua, thrown to wild animals; or of Thomas Becket, who resisted King Henry II's attempts to manipulate the Church and was butchered by his henchmen; or Thomas More, who resisted another King Henry and paid for it with his head.
One might think of Paul Miki, the Japanese Jesuit, who was crucified for announcing the Christian faith; or Miguel Pro, who was shot to death for defying a repressive Mexican government, shouting as he was martyred, "Viva Cristo Rey!" If you have only one life to give...what will your life had said about our Father? That you love Him? Or never knew Him? Or worse...didn't care that much.... | Random bible verse from an online generator:
Proverbs 15:33
33 The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor. | 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 | |
