 clickable | | Poverty and Humility Are Sisters Poverty reminds us of the deepest truth of our human existence; that we are created by God and are dependent on God in an absolute sense. It is the sister of humility since it prompts us to recognize that all we have is gift. Humility is the acceptance of being what we are, with our strengths and weaknesses, and responding in love to the gift of being. Humility can open one to the renewing spirit of grace and make possible the return of creation to the Father. —from the book Clare: A Heart Full of Love by Franciscan Sister Ilia Delio |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"It is requisite for the relaxation of the mind that we make use, from time to time, of playful deeds and jokes."
— St. Thomas Aquinas † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"He who is humble, even though he fall through frailty, soon repents with sorrow and implores the divine assistance to help him to amend; nor is he astonished at having fallen, because he knows that of himself he is only capable of evil and would do far worse if God did not protect him with His grace. After having sinned, it is good to humble oneself before God, and without losing courage, to remain in humility in order not to fall again . . . But to afflict ourselves without measure and to give way to a certain pusillanimous melancholy, which brings us to the verge of despair, is a temptation of pride, insinuated by the devil . . . However upright we may be, we must never be scandalized nor amazed at the conduct of evildoers, nor consider ourselves better than they, because we do not know what is ordained for them or for us in the supreme dispositions of God."
— Rev. Cajetan da Bergamo, p. 56-57
AN EXCERPT FROM
Humility Of Heart †VERSE OF THE DAY
"And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'"
Matthew 25:40 |  click to read more | | ST. GILES St. Giles (7th c.) was born to a wealthy and noble Greek family. He devoted his life to the things of God and grew in sanctity, but found that his material and spiritual riches drew unwanted praise and attention. To escape prestige, he sold all of his possessions, gave his wealth to the poor, and moved away to Gaul (present day France) to live in solitude in the wilderness as a cave-dwelling hermit. He lived in this way without companionship for many years while practicing severe penances. He became so impoverished that God sent a deer to be his companion and to nourish him with its milk. One day a royal hunting party in pursuit of the deer chased it into the saint's cave. A hunter shot an arrow into the cave, and instead of hitting the deer, he injured the saint. St. Giles was discovered and soon became known throughout the countryside as a holy hermit, the king himself often coming to visit him. St. Giles consented to receive disciples who desired to imitate his way of life. The king built a monastery for these followers, who lived as monks under the Rule of St. Benedict with St. Giles as abbot. St. Giles was known as a miracle worker during his life, and his monastery and the town that grew around it became a shrine and place of pilgrimage, especially for crippled beggars. St. Giles became one of the most popular saints in the Middle Ages, and is the patron of many causes including lepers, hermits, cripples, epileptics, cancer patients, the mentally ill, the disabled, and the poor. St. Giles' feast day is September 1st. | Tuesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 1 COR 2:10B-16 Brothers and sisters:
The Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.
Among men, who knows what pertains to the man
except his spirit that is within?
Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God.
We have not received the spirit of the world
but the Spirit who is from God,
so that we may understand the things freely given us by God.
And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom,
but with words taught by the Spirit,
describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms.
Now the natural man does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God,
for to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it,
because it is judged spiritually.
The one who is spiritual, however, can judge everything
but is not subject to judgment by anyone.
For "who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to counsel him?"
But we have the mind of Christ. Responsorial Psalm PS 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13AB, 13CD-14 R. (17) The Lord is just in all his ways.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is just in all his ways.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. The Lord is just in all his ways.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. The Lord is just in all his ways.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R. The Lord is just in all his ways. Alleluia LK 7:16 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel LK 4:31-37 Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee.
He taught them on the sabbath,
and they were astonished at his teaching
because he spoke with authority.
In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon,
and he cried out in a loud voice,
"What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!"
Jesus rebuked him and said, "Be quiet! Come out of him!"
Then the demon threw the man down in front of them
and came out of him without doing him any harm.
They were all amazed and said to one another,
"What is there about his word?
For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits,
and they come out."
And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.
| Daily Meditation: 1 Corinthians 2:10-16 We speak . . . with words taught by the Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:13)
__
Paul was a well-educated man. Born in the cosmopolitan city of Tarsus, he was exposed to Greek philosophy at an early age. Then, "at the feet of Gamaliel"—one of the most celebrated rabbis of the time—he was "educated strictly in [the] ancestral law and was zealous for God" (Acts 22:3). But after Jesus revealed himself to Paul on the road to Damascus, the words of the prophets he had studied took on new meaning. He realized that Jesus was the fulfillment of all they had written. Not only did Paul grasp the significance of Jesus' death and resurrection, but through his letters he interpreted these events in a way that has become the theological foundation of our faith. This is amazing. Though Paul was obviously brilliant, we can't attribute his masterful writings to his human intellect and knowledge of his faith alone. He truly spoke with words that were taught to him by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:13). We live in a time when human learning is valued more than ever—and for good reason. God gave us our reason and intellect, and he wants us to use them. But he also wants to build on our natural wisdom with his own wisdom and revelation—and he does that through the Holy Spirit. What does this look like? As you are trying to understand a Scripture passage, you might consult a commentary. But then you could also pray for deeper insight into what the author meant. Or what if you are trying to explain a difficult Church teaching to someone? Learn as much as you can, but also keep asking the Holy Spirit to give you the words to say to that person. God doesn't reserve his wisdom just for his saints and apostles. He wants all of us to ask for it—and to believe that he will give it to us! "Holy Spirit, fill me with your heavenly wisdom!" Psalm 145:8-14
Luke 4:31-37 |  clickable | God is not the god of a particular place, or a deity linked to specific sacred time, but the God of a person, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, capable of interacting with man and establishing a covenant with him. Faith is our response to a word which engages us personally, to a "Thou" who calls us by name.
— Pope Francis
from Lumen Fidei | my2cents:
"We have not received the spirit of the world
but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God."
When did you receive the Spirit?
I recall a picture of my wife, when she came back to the faith after we got married in Confirmation, the Spirit was bestowed on her. And this is proper, because the spouse truly is our Lord. The spouse gives His Spirit in the Holy Sacrament. Yet, even in baptism we are given the Spirit. This is the proper form. He gives Himself. And the offering came from the cross. For John baptized with water, and the Holy Spirit came, and Jesus baptized with fire, and there the Holy Spirit was stirred aflame. Those who are in the Spirit understand our Lord. Those who are not in the Spirit charge against our Lord. But take heart, the truth wins. | We pray today: "The LORD is faithful in all his words and holy in all his works. The LORD lifts up all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. The Lord is just in all his ways."
The world was in a sense going down for the last several years. The culmination of the effects brought about a great depression, and the climax is a world full of hate, anxiety, and so forth as you well know. But on the light side, I can see God's hand at work. For those who understand faith, we know patience and perseverance. We know justice. We know the truth. For the Lord is faithful. Where we have been unfaithful, He has remained faithful. He is faithful to His promise. The Lord lifts up all who are falling. If you are falling my friend, fall unto Him, trust fall. Trust that He will catch you and save you. If you are going to fall for any one...let it be for Him. Jesus is King. | And our Lord speaks and heals, as is evident in today's Holy Gospel. The darkness was speaking and within the temple: ""What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God!"
How can darkness come inside the temple? How can it speak so boldly against God?
The other day, if you know Catholic news, negative headlines LOL, we heard about a lector that was punched across the face in the middle of Mass. This is violence. This is darkness. It is a message of utter hatred. In another state, they silence the Mass, limit a church of several hundreds to only 12, and outdoors, kicked out of their own church. This is utter hatred. But all things debauchery are allowed. The evil asks our Lord boldly "Have you come to DESTROY us?". Apparently "us" was speaking for many devils in the room, in the temple. An apparent take over. But do you remember how truth wins? Our Lord spoke words of exorcism and healing and restoration in that moment and in the temple: ""Be quiet! Come out of him!"
Evil did come out, but not after knocking down the man he was in. But neither was the man hurt, nor evil destroyed. You see, our Lord does no harm. Evil does harm and violence. Nowadays, non-believers blame God, they point the finger, and they are lying, pure lies from hell. That is not the nature of God. Freedom from Him leads to harm in darkness. We shall not be free from Him if we are to remain in the light. | "They were all amazed and said to one another, "What is there about his word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."
To be amazed is to realize you are standing before God. It is a gift of the Spirit. They were amazed at what? Authority. That what has been granted upon the Holy Church and the world hates and tries to shut it up. My little boy was rushing into the house last night, I know he is afraid of our new puppy, and he said he was going inside to eat and he said to me "stop talking to me", he wanted me to not tell him anything. This is an example of how people are unconsciously when they are afraid, and running from...their father. They want Him silenced. "Don't tell me anything, about how to live, or what to do, just don't talk." And this is the way it will always be in the world of freedom...from Him.
That is dark freedom.
There is a real light freedom though. To live in a corral for sheep, to have 10 commandments fence up and intact, there is true freedom....to live joyful, to live in intimate union with the Good Shepherd. Because of Authority. In the ultimate exorcisms this very day, ultimate authority has the final word.
Yet, upon receiving the Spirit, you are given authority to rebuke evil in your life. Try it. Rebuke hatred, gossip, animosity, unforgiveness, pride, envy, and see what happens. Humility starts looking beautiful. Grace begins to grow. Restoration begins to transform the landscape.
I know you are troubled and uneasy. I know you become saddened at past hurts or losses. This is proof that in the world there is no certainty or assured everlasting plans. I know too, that this is evidence for an inverse reality. We would not have an instilled yearning for joy and peace...it is attainable even if you are in a torture chamber where the devil is trying to rip it out of your chest. Mother Mary has precious wounds on her Sacred Heart. The devil tried to rip out of her something very precious.
The Very Love of God. Have faith and Love my child Mother Mary Pray For Us | Random Bible verse from online generator:
Luke 6:37–38
"Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you." | 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 | |
