 clickable | | Prayer Is Doing God's Word As she prayed, Clare gradually took on the visage of the very image of the crucified Christ she contemplated; but this happened, not just because she prayed, but because Clare always acted upon the word she was given in prayer. Hers was devotion, a word in the Middle Ages that meant the virtue of hearing the Word of God and then acting upon that Word with alacrity. I hear, and I do what I hear in God's Word. How many must have been the words given to Clare through a lifetime of prayer! Words that Clare would endeavor to put into practice as she went through her ordinary day, even given her own suffering that was attendant upon an illness that kept her bedridden, off and on for years, an illness that grew worse as she grew older. She and the suffering Crucified Christ became mirrors of each other, a man and a woman who became the poverty of God, both in themselves and in their relating. For the perfect poverty of Christ is the emptying yet filling love and relating of the Blessed Trinity. —from the book Mystics: Twelve Who Reveal God's Love by Murry Bodo, OFM |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"He who seeks not the Cross of Christ seeks not the glory of Christ."
— St. John of the Cross † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Oh, how painful it is to Me that souls so seldom unite themselves to Me in Holy Communion. I wait for souls, and they are indifferent toward Me. I love them tenderly and sincerely, and they distrust Me. I want to lavish My graces on them, and they do not want to accept them. They treat Me as a dead object, whereas My Heart is full of love and mercy. In order that you may know at least some of My pain, imagine the most tender of mothers who has great love for her children, while those children spurn her love. Consider her pain. No one is in a position to console her. This is but a pale image and likeness of My love."
— Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska, 1447
AN EXCERPT FROM
Diary of St. Faustina † VERSE OF THE DAY
"But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.""
Isaiah 43:1 |  click to read more | | Saint Jane Frances de Chantal Saint of the Day for August 12
(January 28, 1572 – December 13, 1641) Jane Frances was wife, mother, nun, and founder of a religious community. Her mother died when she was 18 months old, and her father, head of parliament at Dijon, France, became the main influence on her education. Jane developed into a woman of beauty and refinement, lively and cheerful in temperament. At 21, she married Baron de Chantal, by whom she had six children, three of whom died in infancy. At her castle, she restored the custom of daily Mass, and was seriously engaged in various charitable works. Jane's husband was killed after seven years of marriage, and she sank into deep dejection for four months at her family home. Her father-in-law threatened to disinherit her children if she did not return to his home. He was then 75, vain, fierce, and extravagant. Jane Frances managed to remain cheerful in spite of him and his insolent housekeeper. When she was 32, Jane met Saint Francis de Sales who became her spiritual director, softening some of the severities imposed by her former director. She wanted to become a nun but he persuaded her to defer this decision. She took a vow to remain unmarried and to obey her director. After three years, Francis told Jane of his plan to found an institute of women that would be a haven for those whose health, age, or other considerations barred them from entering the already established communities. There would be no cloister, and they would be free to undertake spiritual and corporal works of mercy. They were primarily intended to exemplify the virtues of Mary at the Visitation—hence their name the Visitation nuns—humility and meekness. The usual opposition to women in active ministry arose and Francis de Sales was obliged to make it a cloistered community following the Rule of Saint Augustine. Francis wrote his famous Treatise on the Love of God for them. The congregation consisting of three women began when Jane Frances was 45. She underwent great sufferings: Francis de Sales died; her son was killed; a plague ravaged France; her daughter-in-law and son-in-law died. She encouraged the local authorities to make great efforts for the victims of the plague, and she put all her convent's resources at the disposal of the sick. During a part of her religious life, Jane Frances had to undergo great trials of the spirit—interior anguish, darkness, and spiritual dryness. She died while on a visitation of convents of the community.
Reflection It may strike some as unusual that a saint should be subject to spiritual dryness, darkness, interior anguish. We tend to think that such things are the usual condition of "ordinary" sinful people. Some of our lack of spiritual liveliness may indeed be our fault. But the life of faith is still one that is lived in trust, and sometimes the darkness is so great that trust is pressed to its limit. | Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 EZ 9:1-7; 10:18-22 The LORD cried loud for me to hear:
Come, you scourges of the city!
With that I saw six men coming from the direction
of the upper gate which faces the north,
each with a destroying weapon in his hand.
In their midst was a man dressed in linen,
with a writer's case at his waist.
They entered and stood beside the bronze altar.
Then he called to the man dressed in linen
with the writer's case at his waist, saying to him:
Pass through the city, through Jerusalem,
and mark a "Thau" on the foreheads of those who moan and groan
over all the abominations that are practiced within it.
To the others I heard the LORD say:
Pass through the city after him and strike!
Do not look on them with pity nor show any mercy!
Old men, youths and maidens, women and children–wipe them out!
But do not touch any marked with the "Thau"; begin at my sanctuary.
So they began with the men, the elders, who were in front of the temple.
Defile the temple, he said to them, and fill the courts with the slain;
then go out and strike in the city.
Then the glory of the LORD left the threshold of the temple
and rested upon the cherubim.
These lifted their wings, and I saw them rise from the earth,
the wheels rising along with them.
They stood at the entrance of the eastern gate of the Lord's house,
and the glory of the God of Israel was up above them.
Then the cherubim lifted their wings, and the wheels went along with them,
while up above them was the glory of the God of Israel. Responsorial Psalm PS 113:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 R. (4b) The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise, you servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.
Blessed be the name of the LORD
both now and forever.
R. The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies.
or:
R. Alleluia.
From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the LORD to be praised.
High above all nations is the LORD;
above the heavens is his glory.
R. The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Who is like the LORD, our God, who is enthroned on high,
and looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
R. The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia 2 CORINTHIANS 5:19 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel MT 18:15-20 Jesus said to his disciples:
"If your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
If he does not listen,
take one or two others along with you,
so that every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church.
If he refuses to listen even to the Church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them." | Daily Meditation: Matthew 18:15-20 Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20) Imagine you are part of the crowd at a major sporting event. Like everyone else, you are really excited. You've been following your team all season long, and you're thrilled about their chances of winning the big game. When they score a point, you roar along with everyone else. You feel a special connection with the fans, as if you are part of something bigger than yourself. If you can relate to that feeling, then you can probably understand what Jesus is saying here. Whenever we gather to pray and worship with other Christians, Jesus is there with us—and not only with us but in us. And because he lives in us, we are all connected to one another in what the Church calls the Communion of Saints. This communion is not limited to those of us now on earth. It's the communion we also have with all the people who have gone before us and are now with God in heaven, as well as those who are in purgatory. Think of all the sports stadiums that many people would fill! Our life in Christ is never a solo affair. Always we are bound together, united with Jesus and all other believers throughout the ages. So whenever you pray, don't forget that you're in good company. Every time you come before God and bring him your needs, Jesus is interceding for you with his Father (Romans 8:34). Mary, Joseph, and all the saints are praying too. This is true whether you're at Mass, with your family, praying with people "virtually," or all by yourself in your room. If you get excited cheering for the home team, think about what it would be like to be cheering for the Lord, surrounded by all the saints. That's what's going on in heaven right now (Revelation 7:15). When you pray here on earth, you are joining that great unnumbered choir of men and women in worship. And they are lifting up your prayers too! "Lord, help me to remember that I never pray alone but with all your saints in heaven and on earth." Ezekiel 91:1-7; 10:18-22
Psalm 113:1-6 |  clickable | Christ, the firstborn of God, is sacrificed for us [...] He completes each and every aspect of the Passover—He takes it, and He perfects it. And this idea that we have to receive the Lamb all of a sudden falls right into place, and we understand it.
— Dr. Scott Hahn
from his book The Lamb's Supper | my2cents:
"Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and mark a "Thau" on the foreheads of those who moan and groan over all the abominations that are practiced within it."
What is this message to you today? Remain faithful. Get marked. Been baptized and confirmed? Make use of it. It is a gift. It is not only for your own good, but for those around you, for you and your whole household may be saved. Remain faithful. Go beyond that. Be more faithful than anyone you know. And go beyond that. Be the living Christ you are called to be. | We pray today: "From the rising to the setting of the sun is the name of the LORD to be praised.
High above all nations is the LORD; above the heavens is his glory. The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies."
Praise be to God every single day. Do you not think this is how it is in Heaven? Remember the words of our Lord's prayer. About earth....about Heaven. | Our Lord says something that very few of us dare to do:
""If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother." Let's say a brother takes advantage of his brother. He stole from him, or took advantage of his wife. What is a typical response? Normally, in the worldly ways, we hear of a fist fight, a knife fight, or someone gets shot. Or, we hear of severe hatred, and animosity between the brothers.
If your brother sins against you tell him his fault. Why? Salvation. Bring him to Church. SAY WHAT?? Yep. Bring Him. If they won't listen, bring him to two or three from church. If he won't listen to prayers and supplications...for salvation, it's on him. | "...whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
God calls on us for extreme and un-human love. He calls for love that is NOTW, not of this world. Super human love. Super powers. And this will not come naturally, amen?
Remember my confession about my alcoholic loved one? I was told that I wasn't to be enabling him with money, but to do more. St. Augustine says that to convert someone you must take them by the hand. My alcoholic won't listen to me. The next step is to take two or three with me to help him see his sin, against humanity, to himself, and to God. You see the ramifications of sin? With so many recent confessions, something else is beginning to be revealed to me...the seriousness of venial sin. Many do not realize how crooked we can go with a small deviation in our trajectory. Venial sins are not to be dismissed. Evil doers are not Heavenly citizens.
Heard someone gossip about you? Bring the them to God. YIKES! Who does that? Who cares like that?
Jesus. He took us to the cross. He calls us to Himself. If we will not listen...then its on us. Lord, I want to listen.
I want to help others listen.
To listen to that so soft voice of yours.
To be still and know you are our God. | Random Bible verse from online generator: Phil 4:4
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. | 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 | |
