 clickable | | Building Bridges Bridge-builders, including Jesus, usually start building a bridge from one side. You can't build a bridge from the middle, as even an engineer will tell you. You must choose a starting point. What the Gospel is saying, pure and simple, is that wherever you're going to start building your bridge, you better start from the side of powerlessness, not power. Because if you start on the side of power you'll stay there forever. You really won't build any bridges. Yet you can't stay on the side of powerlessness. You're going to discover the true meaning of power as you build the bridge over to it. And Jesus will redefine the nature of power for you. So we must be bridge-builders. We must pay the price in our body for building those bridges (see Colossians 1:24) and know we'll be abused and misquoted from both sides. But the necessary starting point for building the bridge of the Gospel is from the side of powerlessness, either political powerlessness or your personal powerlessness, preferably both. And if you start there you have a good chance of coming to the truth. It will always be a conversion, a turning around, to get back to what some call "beginner's mind." Let's put that in the back of our hearts and minds. —from Jesus' Plan for a New World: The Sermon on the Mount by Richard Rohr, OFM |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"Whenever anything disagreeable or displeasing happens to you, remember Christ crucified and be silent."
— St. John of the Cross † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Let us beware of complaints, resentments, and evil-speaking against those who are ill-disposed to us, discontented with us, or hostile to our plans and arrangements, or who even persecute us with injuries, insults, and calumnies. Rather let us go on treating them as cordially as at first, or more so, as far as possible showing them esteem, always speaking well of them, doing them good, serving them on occasion, even to the point of taking shame and disgrace upon ourselves, if necessary to save their honor. All this ought to be done, first, to overcome evil with good, according to the teaching of the Apostles; and secondly, because they are our allies rather than our adversaries, as they aid us to destroy self-love, which is our greatest foe; and since it is they who give us an opportunity to gain merit, they ought to be considered our dearest friends."
— St. Vincent de Paul, p.413 AN EXCERPT FROM
Cultivating Virtue: Self-Mastery With the Saints † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations."
Jeremiah 1:4-5 |  click to read more | | STS. NAZARIUS AND CELSUS St. Nazarius and St. Celsus (1st c.) were early Christian martyrs, but nothing else is known with certainty about their lives or the time they lived, other than that they were put to death for their Christian faith in Milan, Italy, perhaps during the persecution of the Emperor Nero. What we know about these saints came to us from St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan. In 395 A.D. St. Ambrose discovered the body of St. Nazarius, with severed head, along with a vial of his blood still as fresh as the day it was spilled, in a garden outside the city gates. St. Ambrose carried the body in procession to bury in the city's Basilica of the Apostles. In the same garden he also discovered the body of St. Celsus, and likewise had the body taken to the same basilica. Miracles occurred in the church at the presence of the relics of these two holy martyrs. According to one account, St. Nazarius was the son of St. Perpetua, the child she bore just prior being executed for her faith. Celsus was a youth given to the care of St. Nazarius by the boy's mother, who desired for the saint to teach her son the Christian faith. The two traveled and preached the Gospel together zealously before being tortured and executed in Milan. They share a feast day on July 28th. | Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 402
Reading 1 Jer 14:17-22 Let my eyes stream with tears
day and night, without rest,
Over the great destruction which overwhelms
the virgin daughter of my people,
over her incurable wound.
If I walk out into the field,
look! those slain by the sword;
If I enter the city,
look! those consumed by hunger.
Even the prophet and the priest
forage in a land they know not. Have you cast Judah off completely?
Is Zion loathsome to you?
Why have you struck us a blow
that cannot be healed?
We wait for peace, to no avail;
for a time of healing, but terror comes instead.
We recognize, O LORD, our wickedness,
the guilt of our fathers;
that we have sinned against you.
For your name's sake spurn us not,
disgrace not the throne of your glory;
remember your covenant with us, and break it not.
Among the nations' idols is there any that gives rain?
Or can the mere heavens send showers?
Is it not you alone, O LORD,
our God, to whom we look?
You alone have done all these things. Responsorial Psalm 79:8, 9, 11 and 13 R. (9) For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name's sake.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Let the prisoners' sighing come before you; with your great power free those doomed to death. Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever: through all generations we will declare your praise. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us. Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower;
all who come to him will live for ever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 13:36-43 Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house.
His disciples approached him and said,
"Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."
He said in reply, "He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,
the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom.
The weeds are the children of the Evil One,
and the enemy who sows them is the Devil.
The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire,
so will it be at the end of the age.
The Son of Man will send his angels,
and they will collect out of his Kingdom
all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.
They will throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the Kingdom of their Father.
Whoever has ears ought to hear." | Daily Meditation: Matthew 13:36-43 The good seed [is] the children of the Kingdom. (Matthew 13:38) Today's Gospel is taken from Jesus' teaching on the kingdom of heaven. He uses examples from everyday experience to shed light on divine mysteries. In today's passage, Jesus explains the meaning of his parable about the good seed and the weeds that grow together. On the one hand, there is the hidden power and fruitfulness of the seed. On the other, Jesus reminds us of the danger of the enemy and the damage caused by sin. Both principles are at work in our lives. Jesus says that the good seed is the children of the kingdom—that's us! This image of the good seed reveals the source of our fruitfulness: God himself. This means that his good seed is already alive in us. It was planted in us through Baptism, and it is nourished by the sacraments and other encounters with God's grace. Day after day, the Holy Spirit is constantly at work making the seed grow, even when we can't see it, and opening up the power hidden within that seed. Still, we cannot forget the efforts of the enemy to sow weeds in us. We all experience temptations to habitual sins or vices that damage our human relationships. We can also fall prey to the subtle lies that harm our relationship with God. "God doesn't really love me," we think. "He sees my sin and has already condemned me." Take this image of the seed to prayer. God has sown many good seeds in your life. Thank him for them! Now ask the Spirit how you can tend to just one seed today. Perhaps God has planted forgiveness in your heart and helped you to repair a relationship. How can you help this seed grow? You might begin by praying for that person and finding ways to bear with the things they do that annoy you. Maybe you could try to resist the temptation to judge them. Most of all, you can pray for grace, for it is "God who causes the growth" (1 Corinthians 3:7). There is immense power in this good seed—infinitely stronger than the power of the weeds. As John encouraged the early Christians, "The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). "Holy Spirit, help me water the seeds you have planted in me." Jeremiah 14:17-22
Psalm 79: 8-9, 11, 13 |  clickable | When we live animated by the Holy Spirit, our lives produce fruit that not only makes our own life more peaceful, patient, and loving but also influences positively those whom we encounter each and every day.
— Fr. Dave Pivonka, TOR
from The Wild Goose | my2cents:
"We wait for peace, to no avail; for a time of healing, but terror comes instead. We recognize, O LORD, our wickedness,
the guilt of our fathers; that we have sinned against you."
If you turn on the news, the worldly news, you'll have terror instilled in your heart, and depression, and it all comes from the oppressor regime. In the world there is the oppressor, always has been around, it is the weed of the world that we are called to spot. Where is the weed in your life? Spot it, and out with it. We have sinned. Therefore, there is the weed to spot. Where did it come from? How can you uproot it from your heart? | We pray: "Let the prisoners' sighing come before you; with your great power free those doomed to death. Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever: through all generations we will declare your praise. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us."
A repented prisoner longs to be free. A sincere heart is heard. A sincere prisoner awaits to make amends. A penitent sinner offers his life to God. | Our Lord explained:
""He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,
the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom.The weeds are the children of the Evil One, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil."
Who are the children of the Kingdom? We need to know this to even begin the conversation. They are a stark contrast to the children of Evil. Instead of doing works of evil, they do works of God. Instead of sinning, they live for God alone. You know them by their works, their deeds go with them. Protestants will not teach you this, many believe works are no good. This is a lie. We can prove our love through works. Want to show God you love Him? Prove to Him. St. Francis kissed a leper, those he feared the most...the very epitome of the stench of death and uncleanliness. And this changed St. Francis forever. Who are you afraid to to touch for the love of Christ? | "The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age."
Do you feel confident about your salvation?
Do you feel really confident about going into Heaven if you die today?
Many protestants believe "once saved always saved" and they feel confident. At funerals you hear much "I know they are in heaven right now with their spouse". Well there are two contradictions there. In heaven, there is no earthly marriage bonds. And who knows if people you love are truly in Heaven, because protestants threw out the notion of purgatory. Where am I going with all this? The fires that angels throw people into. And the end of age is not some figure of years we count on earth. The end is it. Their end, and your end. That's it. We enter into what they call the eschatological things. Eschatology is a part of theology concerned with the final events of history, or the ultimate destiny of humanity. This concept is commonly referred to as the "end of the world" or "end times". You can bring up the book of Revelation now. You can very well begin to believe we are dealing with the final times, because this is the one shot you got. The weeds will always be, evil will always exist in this world. What is sad, is that it will only increase in the next if that is the way our life leads.
Now, back to the fires...of purgatory. How sure are you of your salvation? Purgation is fire. Many suffer purgatory on earth. This my friend, is a gift from God. Suffering. Modernists call suffering evil. Not so my friend. Ask any saint in the world, and they will testify...about Jesus on the cross. Right now, across the world, there is much persecution of Christians. Churches are more closed worldwide, some are not allowed to sing. Some are not allowed to speak of certain things. There is an oppressive regime. The anti-Christ is alive. It pumps millions of its money into killing the unborn and to silence the message of salvation, the Truth, and the Way, and the Life.
Funny thing is, the anti-Christ weed has always existed. It's not like protestants say, saved for the "end times". This is it my friend. Repent and believe.
These are the perfect times to make saints. It's easier to see saints in the dark. They stand out as bright lights shining the way for the future. This is your time Saint my child. This is your time to shine for Christ. This is the time to not regret in the future. The loudest cries in hell are " I should've done this". You should do it now. And what of those doomed to hell? Who cares? Right?
God does. Therefore, he sent you into your particular part of the randomized world He created us to exist. Take up your weapon against evil...the cross, the ultimate weapon. Watch what happens. It breaks up the entire world mesmerized into doom and gloom. And hope appears, and life begins. | Random Bible verse from an online generator:
WOW
Ps: 30:5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime.1 Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. | 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 | |
