 clickable | | It's Your Choice To follow Christ is an option, a choice, a call, a vocation, and we are totally free to say yes or no or maybe. You do not have to do this to make God love you. That is already taken care of. You do it to love God back and to love what God loves and how God loves! -from the book Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"I am sent not only to love God but to make Him loved. It is not enough for me to love God, if my neighbor does not love Him."
— St. Vincent de Paul † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Even though we know that God's will and commandments apply to everyone, we do not always have the strength to fulfill them. Now, every time we respond faithfully to a motion of the Spirit, out of desire to be docile to what God expects of us, even if it's something almost insignificant of itself, that faithfulness draws grace and strength down on us. That strength can then be applied to other areas and may make us capable of one day practicing the commandments that up until then we had not been capable of fulfilling entirely."
— Fr. Jacques Philippe, p. 20
AN EXCERPT FROM
In the School of the Holy Spirit † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Therefore, we are not discouraged; rather, although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal."
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 |  click to read more | | ST. BROCARD St. Brocard (d. 1231 A.D.) was a Frenchman who traveled to the Holy Land to enter into religious life there. He was among the first group of hermits to establish a community of monks on Mount Carmel. Details of his life are scarce, but it is believed that St. Brocard was the prior of the community after the death of St. Berthold, who is considered to be the founder of the Carmelites. Brocard, as the new leader of the community, desired to formalize the monks' way of life on Mt. Carmel. He requested that St. Albert, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, write and establish a rule of life for the community, which he then imposed on the group as their discipline. The Rule of St. Albert established the Carmelites as a new religious order. St. Brocard was considered an expert on Islam and Eastern affairs and was to accompany St. Albert to the Fourth Lateran Council, were it not for St. Albert's murder before the Council convened. The Council suppressed the creation of new religious orders, which put the Carmelites in a tenuous position as they were not approved by the Holy See prior to this new decree. St. Brocard led the community through an uncertain period until they achieved special approval from the Holy Father. St. Brocard's feast day is September 2nd. | Blessed John Francis Burté and Companions
Saint of the Day for September 2
(d. September 2, 1792 and January 21, 1794)
These priests were victims of the French Revolution. Though their martyrdom spans a period of several years, they stand together in the Church's memory because they all gave their lives for the same principle. In 1791, the Civil Constitution of the Clergy required all priests to take an oath which amounted to a denial of the faith. Each of these men refused and was executed. John Francis Burté became a Franciscan at 16 and after ordination taught theology to the young friars. Later he was guardian of the large Conventual friary in Paris until he was arrested and held in the convent of the Carmelites. Appolinaris of Posat was born in 1739 in Switzerland. He joined the Capuchins and acquired a reputation as an excellent preacher, confessor, and instructor of clerics. Preparing for his assignment to the East as a missionary, he was in Paris studying Oriental languages when the French Revolution began. Refusing the oath, he was swiftly arrested and detained in the Carmelite convent. Severin Girault, a member of the Third Order Regular, was a chaplain for a group of sisters in Paris. Imprisoned with the others, he was the first to die in the slaughter at the convent. These three plus 182 others—including several bishops and many religious and diocesan priests—were massacred at the Carmelite house in Paris on September 2, 1792. They were beatified in 1926. Born in 1737, John Baptist Triquerie became a Conventual Franciscan. He was the chaplain and confessor of Poor Clare monasteries in three cities before he was arrested for refusing to take the oath. He and 13 diocesan priests were martyred in Laval on January 21, 1794. He was beatified in 1955.
Reflection "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" was the motto of the French Revolution. If individuals have "inalienable rights," as the Declaration of Independence states, these must come not from the agreement of society—which can be very fragile—but directly from God. Do we believe that? Do we act on it? | Wednesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 1 COR 3:1-9 Brothers and sisters,
I could not talk to you as spiritual people,
but as fleshly people, as infants in Christ.
I fed you milk, not solid food,
because you were unable to take it.
Indeed, you are still not able, even now,
for you are still of the flesh.
While there is jealousy and rivalry among you,
are you not of the flesh, and walking
according to the manner of man?
Whenever someone says, "I belong to Paul," and another,
"I belong to Apollos," are you not merely men?
What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul?
Ministers through whom you became believers,
just as the Lord assigned each one.
I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.
Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything,
but only God, who causes the growth.
He who plants and he who waters are one,
and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor.
For we are God's co-workers;
you are God's field, God's building. Responsorial Psalm PS 33:12-13, 14-15, 20-21 R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down;
he sees all mankind.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
From his fixed throne he beholds
all who dwell on the earth,
He who fashioned the heart of each,
he who knows all their works.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice;
in his holy name we trust.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own. Alleluia LK 4:18
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor
and to proclaim liberty to captives.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel LK 4:38-44 After Jesus left the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon.
Simon's mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever,
and they interceded with him about her.
He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her.
She got up immediately and waited on them.
At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases
brought them to him.
He laid his hands on each of them and cured them.
And demons also came out from many, shouting, "You are the Son of God."
But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak
because they knew that he was the Christ.
At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place.
The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him,
they tried to prevent him from leaving them.
But he said to them, "To the other towns also
I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God,
because for this purpose I have been sent."
And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
| Daily Meditation: Luke 4:38-44 Jesus left and went to a deserted place. (Luke 4:42) It seems ironic that the Son of God, sent to love and save every single person on the planet, also made it a habit to avoid people. It had nothing to do with how he felt about us, though, and everything to do with how he felt about God. The Bible recounts many instances when Jesus went off to pray by himself. And sometimes the crowds managed to find him. How did Jesus feel when people ruined his plans? We don't know. We do know that he didn't grumble about the interruptions but instead, he took the time to speak with the people and heal them. In today's Gospel, for instance, Jesus must have treated the people respectfully, because they encouraged him to stay on. But Jesus knew God's will for him, and his response was firm: it was time to pray, then move on. Another instance of Jesus meeting an unexpected crowd occurs in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus wanted to be alone to grieve the death of his cousin John the Baptist. But when a large crowd tracked him down, he was "moved with pity" and healed their sick (Matthew 14:14). He even fed them by multiplying five loaves of bread and two fish. Eventually, though, Jesus "dismissed the crowds" and "went up on the mountain by himself to pray" (Matthew 14:22, 23). As unique as Jesus' life was, in many ways it was also similar to our lives. Like us, he faced many demands on his time, and he had to handle life's bumps with grace and humility. We should be flexible with our schedules, as Jesus was, especially when people need our love and help. He never ignored the person right in front of him. But he was just as careful not to ignore the Father, whose love sustained and strengthened him. If Jesus, who was without sin, needed time alone with God, how much more do we need it! So if your plans for quiet prayer are interrupted, don't fret. Just look to the next opportunity. Make God a priority. Pray that you are following his will for you. He will provide the balance and peace you are seeking for your busy life. "Jesus, teach me how to balance the needs of people with my need to spend time with you." 1 Corinthians 3:1-9
Psalm 33:12-15, 20-21 |  clickable | Suffering reminds us that faith's service to the common good is always one of hope—a hope which looks ever ahead in the knowledge that only from God, from the future which comes from the risen Jesus, can our society find solid and lasting foundations.
— Pope Francis
from Lumen Fidei | my2cents:
"For we are God's co-workers; you are God's field, God's building."
We are three things then? Co-workers/Field/Building?
Christ says so. Together we are Church. We cultivate each other. We help each other to Heaven. God needs more workers my friend. Co-workers. Those that will yoke themselves to Him with the cross. This is a scary thought, isn't it? The cross is scary, but it also means salvation, not just for yourself...but for the Church and there, for the rest of the world. | "Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he has chosen for his own inheritance. From heaven the LORD looks down; he sees all mankind. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own." There is a nation that has God as Lord. Just like there is a Kingdom. Civil authorities that hate this notion are against...the Church. They are against what are faithful citizens. Those nations are under a curse...the very will of worldly people. You see, a curse is just that, to desire your own will over God's will. But those who are faithful to Him trust Him. | Our Lord stood over Simon's sick mom and we heard "He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up immediately and waited on them."
She got up and immediately began serving them. She is a baptized worker. She is a full fledged worker revived, raised from a world of suffering. Have you ever been raised from a world of suffering?
I have. Physically I remember suffering and our Lord came to our house. I was sitting on my couch when He surprised me. I tall man with a beard, he was white, and most of his beard was too. He was wearing a white robe, and a black heart emblem...he was a passionist priest, missionary. I was trying to recover from a broken hip. I received the Eucharist, the Body of Christ. I received prayers. And a saving transformation began, but this was not the first. Originally, I was in the ICU in the basement of a hospital. I was in extreme pain. In the first morning, a Sunday, a man walked in, asked if he could come in, said he was from church. I asked "what church?" He said Holy Redeemer (a local Catholic Church) . I knew immediately I was going to receive Jesus, my heart trembled in great love. With eyes full of tears, I could hardly breathe with a choked throat, but the Eucharist melted its way into my heart and soul. | And He brought Jesus into my life and soul. That very day I was delivered from a dark lonely room to an upper floor with a great view of the sky and the sunset. Yes, I was still in pain, but Church came to me in my most dire moment of need...of Christ.
I was forced to get up and walk, with yells and screams, I did. And I have been raised to serve.
I serve you daily, on weekdays, and on weekends I serve more.
Do I complain? I hear many complain in ministries. It feels disgusting to hear complaints, and even worse if I participate.
I feel lucky to be working right now. I mean, being about Our Father's business. We are up against a daunting task. Have you seen the new movie called Fatima? 3 little kids are tasked with a monumental task to evangelize the world. Isn't that the case for the few of us trying to evangelize? Like a little kid in a huge world. But God sees this as the only way, for reasons we may never know. And so He sends His kid to show us how. And it isn't pretty or easy. Those kids at Fatima suffered very much, because of an onslaught from family, neighbors, community, and especially from government intervention. But it only worked to infuse the Sacred Heart more, the message only became more powerful.
Courage. Have courage my child.
We are here for the Kingdom of Love.
Love is patient, kind, always seeking the greater good for the other...
Rebuke what is holding you down. Rebuke what is holding others down. Stand over them and help them up.
Jesus shows us the way. Innocence shows the pure way...to Heaven Lord we want to work with You and for You | Random Bible verse from online generator:
Isaiah 50:10 Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. | 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 | |
