 clickable | | Embracing the Negative Saint Francis and Saint Clare made what most would call negative or disadvantage shimmer and shine by their delight in what the rest of us ordinarily oppose, deny, and fear: things like being small, poor, disparaged, being outside the system of power and status, weakness in any form, or what Francis generally referred to as minoritas. This is a different world than most of us choose to live in. We all seem invariably to want to join in the "majority" and the admired. Francis and Clare instead make a preemptive strike at both life and death, offering a voluntary assent to Full Reality in all its tragic wonder. They make a loving bow to the very things that defeat, scare, and embitter most of the rest of us. You might call it "dying before you die," which is always the secret of the saints, and the heart of any authentic spiritual initiation. —from the book Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi by Richard Rohr, OFM |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"Let us love the cross very much, for it is there that we discover our life, our true love, and our strength in our greatest difficulties."
— St. Maria de Mattias † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"To the extent that we abandon our personality to Him, He will take possession of our will and work in us. We are no longer ruled by commands coming from the outside, as from a cruel master, but by almost imperceptible suggestions that rise up from within. We feel as if we had wanted all along to do those things He suggests to us; we are never conscious of being under command. Thus our service to Him becomes the highest form of liberty, for it is always easy to do something for the one we love."
— Fulton J. Sheen, p. 182
AN EXCERPT FROM
Peace of Soul † VERSE OF THE DAY
"A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold. The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the maker of them all."
Proverbs 22:1-2 |  click to read more | | ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430 A.D.) was born in North Africa to a pagan father and a Christian mother, St. Monica. His mother did her best to raise him in the Christian faith, but Augustine, a brilliant and promising young student, was carried away into wordly attractions, lust for women, and pagan philosophies. This put his faith and morals into a state of crisis for many years. His waywardness gave his holy mother great pain and anxiety as she watched her son pursue materialistic ambitions and keep company with heretical sects. Through her constant prayers and the holy preaching of St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, St. Augustine came to recognize the truth of Christianity; but only after several spiritually tumultuous years of seeking God through his philosophical studies. He underwent a profound conversion and was baptized, after which he lived a holy life of purity, prayer, and penance. His life is one of the greatest sinner-to-saint stories in the history of the Church. St. Augustine eventually became a priest, bishop, theologian, writer, and the founder of a religious order of priests. He was declared a Doctor of the Church and is considered one of the most influential saints and theologians to have ever lived, one whose writings are widely read to this very day. His feast day is celebrated on August 28. | Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church • Readings for the Memorial of Saint Augustine, bishop and doctor of the Church Reading 1 1 COR 1:17-25 Brothers and sisters:
Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the Gospel,
and not with the wisdom of human eloquence,
so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.
The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
For it is written:
I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the learning of the learned I will set aside.
Where is the wise one?
Where is the scribe?
Where is the debater of this age?
Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish?
For since in the wisdom of God
the world did not come to know God through wisdom,
it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation
to save those who have faith.
For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
but we proclaim Christ crucified,
a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,
and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. Responsorial Psalm PS 33:1-2, 4-5, 10-11 R. (5) The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
For upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the Lord the earth is full.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
The LORD brings to nought the plans of nations;
he foils the designs of peoples.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. Alleluia LUKE 21:36 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Be vigilant at all times and pray,
that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel MT 25:1-13 Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,
brought no oil with them,
but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.
Since the bridegroom was long delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight, there was a cry,
'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.
The foolish ones said to the wise,
'Give us some of your oil,
for our lamps are going out.'
But the wise ones replied,
'No, for there may not be enough for us and you.
Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.'
While they went off to buy it,
the bridegroom came
and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him.
Then the door was locked.
Afterwards the other virgins came and said,
'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!'
But he said in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.'
Therefore, stay awake,
for you know neither the day nor the hour."
| Daily Meditation: Matthew 25:1-13 Therefore, stay awake. (Mark 25:13) Jesus' parables were often deceptively simple—easy for a child to grasp, but with depths of meaning and grace that saints and mystics reveled in. Like an onion, each parable has several layers, and peeling back one layer can reveal another meaning or lesson. Today's story of the ten virgins is no exception. Jesus told this story to help people think about what it took to enter "the Kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 25:1). The breaking in of that kingdom can often be unexpected, Jesus warns, and because the five foolish virgins were unprepared, they were kept from entering. We could spend hours dissecting all the symbolism in this parable, but at its core, it conveys a simple but challenging message: always be prepared. Never let yourself get caught without enough "oil." On one level, it may not seem like a big deal to forget your oil—again. Or to show up to work ten minutes late every day. Or always to make time for watching TV but not enough time for prayer. The habits may be deeply ingrained, but every time we give in to them, we become a little more self-centered, and our ability to love God and the people around us diminishes. Now, we may blame our demanding boss instead of ourselves when we get in trouble for being late to work. Or we may rationalize our lack of time for prayer. But we can imagine the five foolish virgins failing to admit their own folly and instead blaming the five wise ones who wouldn't share with them. This kind of spiritual blindness and unwillingness to change can prevent us from growing closer to Jesus. What do you need to do to keep your flask filled with oil? Perhaps you could set your alarm a little earlier so that you are sure to have enough time to pray each morning. Maybe you could give up one night of television each week and offer to volunteer at church. The particulars may vary from person to person and day to day. But what's important is finding a way to focus your life on God so that he can keep filling you with the "oil" of his love and grace. Because you never know when Jesus might show up! "Jesus, help me to live a life worthy of you." 1 Corinthians 1:17-25
Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 10-11 |  clickable | When we are close to rock bottom, there is a sinking feeling that says it's over. And there is a temptation to blame God for leaving us to deal with this alone. But the truth is God hasn't left you. Resist the temptation to run away from God, especially when you need Him the most.
— Lorie and Donald Gramer
from Marriage Care Novena | my2cents:
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the learning of the learned I will set aside."
In the book of Genesis, the cunning serpent, perhaps with small persistence, fooled Eve, the bride of Adam, into taking ultimately what was supposed to be "wisdom" as the serpent said. And as always, it is a big lie tied with a small amount of truth as bait.
We've much to learn from the book of Genesis to be able to understand where we come from and where we are going...every single day of our lives. | "The LORD brings to nought the plans of nations; he foils the designs of peoples.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord."
The worst thing you could do is to give into the lures of the serpent. And it happens how? Being weak. Susceptible. How can we be strong? Exercise...your faith. | Our Lord said:
"The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Five of them were foolish and five were wise. "
The wise were prepared. The foolish were not. | From Bishop Barron:
Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus recognizes the prudence of the ten wise virgins. In the Middle Ages, prudence was called "the queen of the virtues," because it enabled one to do the right thing in a particular situation. Prudence is a feel for the moral situation, something like the feel that a quarterback has for the playing field or a politician has for the voters in his district.
Wisdom is, like prudence, a kind of vision, but it is, unlike prudence, a sense of the big picture. It is the capacity to survey reality from the vantage point of God, appreciating the grandest perspective. Without wisdom even the most prudent judgment will be erroneous, short-sighted, inadequate.
The combination, therefore, of prudence and wisdom is especially powerful. Someone who is both wise and prudent will have both a sense of the big picture and a feel for the particular situation.
This is the combination possessed by the saints. This is why so many of the saints could be both ethereal and practical. Think of Mother Cabrini—a woman with a remarkably broad vision who was also capable of negotiating with bankers and real estate brokers. . . . . . The bible says that we should use our talents, everything possible to invest and grow the Kingdom of God. This is work. This takes blood, sweat, and tears. This is what very few actually do. Yet, the few actually do very much. I write to you, to encourage you, to be found as one of those toiling the vineyard of Love. How can you make Love grow? This is Christianity. Look at the cross. It is a message of the Greatest Love Story in the entire world. Jesus.
Help us love thee more and more... | Random Bible verse from online generator: WOW! 3
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,1 but have not love, I gain nothing. | 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 | |
