 clickable | | The Key to a Joy-filled Life
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Jakob Owens on UnsplashJoy goes beyond happiness. Joy is the happiness that does not depend on what happens. It springs from gratefulness. When we begin to take things for granted, we get sucked into boredom. Boredom is deadly. Yet, everything within us longs for "life, life in fullness" (John 10:10). The key to life in fullness is gratefulness. —from the book The Way of Silence: Engaging the Sacred in Daily Life |  MorningOffering.com | "Without love, deeds, even the most brilliant, count as nothing." — St. Therese of Lisieux Meditation of the Day "Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: The Blessed Sacrament ... There you will find romance, glory, honor, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves on earth, and more than that: Death. By the divine paradox, that which ends life, and demands the surrender of all, and yet by the taste (or foretaste) of which alone can what you seek in your earthly relationships (love, faithfulness, joy) be maintained, or take on that complexion of reality, of eternal endurance, which every man's heart desires." — J. R. R. Tolkien, p. 119 An Excerpt From Manual for Eucharistic Adoration Verse of the Day "Finally, all of you, be of one mind, sympathetic, loving toward one another, compassionate, humble. Do not return evil for evil, or insult for insult; but, on the contrary, a blessing, because to this you were called, that you might inherit a blessing." 1 Peter 3:8-9 |  click to read more | | Pope St. Pius X Pope St. Pius X (1835-1914) was born Giuseppe Melchiore, one of ten children from an impoverished family living in Venetia, then under the political control of the Austrian Empire. His parents valued education and ensured that Giuseppe walked nearly four miles to school every day. Drawn to the priesthood, he received a scholarship to enter one of the best seminaries of his day, and was ordained in 1858. After the death of Pope Leo III, who made him cardinal, he was elected Supreme Pontiff in 1903. Saint Pius X was a man of virtue, sanctity, and zeal, and a great defender of the Catholic faith against heresy. He ranks as one of the greatest reforming popes in history. In his eleven-year pontificate he contributed to reforms in papal elections, seminary life, Eucharistic practice, liturgy, biblical studies, the Divine Office, catechesis, the organization of the Roman Curia, and canon law. He was also known as a pastoral pope for encouraging Catholic social action as well as the development of personal holiness, piety, and a daily lifestyle which reflected deep Christian values. He promoted the reading of Sacred Scripture by all the lay faithful, and harshly denounced the evil of Modernism as "the summation of all heresies." He also lowered the age of First Holy Communion to the age of reason. He was particularly devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Confidence. Pope St. Pius X is the patron of pilgrims and first communicants. His feast day is August 21st. | Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope Readings for the Memorial of Saint Pius X, pope Reading 1 EZ 37:1-14 The hand of the LORD came upon me,
and led me out in the Spirit of the LORD
and set me in the center of the plain,
which was now filled with bones.
He made me walk among the bones in every direction
so that I saw how many they were on the surface of the plain.
How dry they were!
He asked me:
Son of man, can these bones come to life?
I answered, "Lord GOD, you alone know that."
Then he said to me:
Prophesy over these bones, and say to them:
Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones:
See! I will bring spirit into you, that you may come to life.
I will put sinews upon you, make flesh grow over you,
cover you with skin, and put spirit in you
so that you may come to life and know that I am the LORD.
I prophesied as I had been told,
and even as I was prophesying I heard a noise;
it was a rattling as the bones came together, bone joining bone.
I saw the sinews and the flesh come upon them,
and the skin cover them, but there was no spirit in them.
Then the LORD said to me:
Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, son of man,
and say to the spirit: Thus says the Lord GOD
From the four winds come, O spirit,
and breathe into these slain that they may come to life.
I prophesied as he told me, and the spirit came into them;
they came alive and stood upright, a vast army.
Then he said to me:
Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.
They have been saying,
"Our bones are dried up,
our hope is lost, and we are cut off."
Therefore, prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD:
O my people, I will open your graves
and have you rise from them,
and bring you back to the land of Israel.
Then you shall know that I am the LORD,
when I open your graves and have you rise from them,
O my people!
I will put my spirit in you that you may live,
and I will settle you upon your land;
thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD. Responsorial Psalm PS 107:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 R. (1) Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say,
those whom he has redeemed from the hand of the foe
And gathered from the lands,
from the east and the west, from the north and the south.
R. Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
They went astray in the desert wilderness;
the way to an inhabited city they did not find.
Hungry and thirsty,
their life was wasting away within them.
R. Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
They cried to the LORD in their distress;
from their straits he rescued them.
And he led them by a direct way
to reach an inhabited city.
R. Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his mercy
and his wondrous deeds to the children of men,
Because he satisfied the longing soul
and filled the hungry soul with good things.
R. Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting. Alleluia PS 25:4B, 5A R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Teach me your paths, my God,
guide me in your truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel MT 22:34-40 When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,
they gathered together, and one of them,
a scholar of the law, tested him by asking,
"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"
He said to him,
"You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."
| Daily Meditation: Matthew 22:34-40 The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments. (Matthew 22:40) The religious authorities had been trying to trap Jesus. They were asking trick questions and looking for something in his answers to use against him. In today's Gospel, some Pharisees do this by asking Jesus which is the most important commandment. Would Jesus agree with their own assessment? Of course, Jesus saw through to their hearts. He knew that rivalry and suspicion had led them to pose this question to him. And so he told them that the Law and the prophets "depend on"—or "hang on"—love (Matthew 22:40). Love of God and love of neighbor was the test they should use to measure how well they were following the Lord. It was also the test they should use in evaluating the way they were following the Law of Moses. Without love, their adherence to that law could not bring them life. Jesus tells us the same thing because he knows that there can be a little bit of the Pharisees' attitude in all of us. Love is the ultimate "test" for us as well. It's the framework on which God asks us to build our lives. It's the path he wants us to take whenever we face important decisions. He wants us to base our priorities less on whether we are fulfilling a rule and more on whether we are growing in our love of God and neighbor. Rules are not enough. Love is what's necessary. So start each day by remembering that God has loved you first. That's the wellspring that feeds your ability to love. Be sure to set aside time to spend with him alone. No matter what keeps your hands and mind busy, recommit yourself to doing everything for love of him. Remember also how much God loves your neighbors—enough to die for them! So always ask him how you can help make his love more real in their lives. And the next time you face a decision about how to use your time, what to tackle next, or how to adjust to an unexpected disruption in your plans, revisit this central question: "How can I love God or my neighbor better right now?" "Lord, I want to love you with all my heart, my soul, and my mind. I want to love my neighbor as much as you love me!" Ezekiel 37:1-14
Psalm 107:2-9 |  clickable | Faith tells us that the Mary who said her Yes to the angel had long since been carried in the Son's Yes, even from all eternity. He chose her to be His Mother, He predestined her and, moreover, redeemed her in anticipation. It is as if she is carried by the Son's consent for as long as possible, until the moment of her decision. It is like a person going to confession: he is carried by the Lord's will that he should make his confession until the moment when he actually makes it. — Adrienne von Speyr from Three Women and the Lord | my2cents:
"O my people, I will open your graves
and have you rise from them..."
One of the little expressed scriptures I've heard that many people don't hear much is what happened when Jesus died on the cross, yes, the sky got dark, yes, the earthquake shook and tore the veil in the temple and then what?Mt 27:53 "The Death of Jesus
…52The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. 53After Jesus' resurrection, when they had come out of the tombs, they entered the holy city and appeared to many people. " Yet another prophecy fulfilled. Saints arose. Saints will rise. Saints still appear in miracles. They arise to the occasion and purpose of our Lord. | We pray today: "Let them give thanks to the LORD for his mercy
and his wondrous deeds to the children of men,
Because he satisfied the longing soul
and filled the hungry soul with good things. Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting." | Our Lord says ""You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
The world tries to teach about love, and it always misses the mark with a slight deviation. The first commandment is to LOVE GOD. And then and only then can we love each other rightly. Otherwise we make up our own version, crooked version of love and righteousness.
They say that love is to will the good of the other.
Now apply that to Our Creator Father..
Will His good.
Forget self and only desire the good of the Father.
This dive into humility calls for a leap of faith.
Yet this is what gives life to dry bones.
Revive dry bones who lost hope.
Revive life into all who have died waiting in hope.
If you really love somebody, you would die for them, and if you really love God, you'll die for a stranger. That's what we call crazy love. But for saints, it is naural love.
In a world where we try to preserve from dying, Jesus asks us to practice dying.Why? Emptying ourselves completely, so He can renew us from the inside out. Lord we need this breathe from Heaven, breathe life into our listless souls...Jesus hear us | Random Bible verse from online generator: WOW
Psalm 145:8
8 The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. | 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 | |
