 clickable | | The Audacity of the Saints You love St. Augustine, St. Magdalene, these souls to whom "many sins were forgiven because they loved much." I love them too, I love their repentance, and especially…their loving audacity! When I see Magdalene walking up before the many guests, washing with her tears the feet of her adored Master, whom she is touching for the first time, I feel that her heart has understood the abysses of love and mercy of the Heart of Jesus, and, sinner though she is, this Heart of love was not only disposed to pardon her but to lavish on her the blessings of His divine intimacy, to lift her to the highest summits of contemplation. —from the book The Way of Simple Love: Inspiring Words from Therese of Lisieux by Father Gary Caster |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"There are in truth three states of the converted: the beginning, the middle, and the perfection. In the beginning they experience the charms of sweetness; in the middle the contests of temptation; and in the end the fullness of perfection."
— Pope St. Gregory the Great † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"For want of contrition, innumerable Confessions are either sacrilegious or invalid; the penitent so often breaks his promises to God, and falls again so easily into the same faults, and many souls are eternally lost. Contrition is that true and lively sorrow which the soul has for all the sins it has committed, with a firm determination never to commit them any more . . . Many Christians spend a long time in examining their consciences, and in making long and often unnecessary narrations to the confessor, and then bestow little or no time upon considering the malice of their sins, and upon bewailing and detesting them. Christians such as these, says St. Gregory, act like a wounded man who shows his wounds to the doctor with the utmost anxiety and care, and then will not make use of the remedies prescribed. It is not so much thinking, nor so much speaking of your sins that will procure their pardon, but heartfelt sorrow and detestation of them."
— Fr. Ignatius of the Side of Jesus, p. 289
AN EXCERPT FROM
The School of Jesus Crucified † VERSE OF THE DAY
"For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?"
Romans 8:29-31 |  click to read more | | POPE ST. GREGORY THE GREAT Pope St. Gregory the Great (540-604 A.D.) was the son of a wealthy Roman senator. His mother and two of his aunts are also saints, which provided him with a strong and devout religious upbringing. His skill in grammar and rhetoric were exceptional, and he followed in his father's political footsteps by serving in public office as the prefect of Rome. Discerning a call to the religious life, he sold all of his possessions and converted his home into a Benedictine monastery. He used his liquidated assets to build six other monasteries. Because of his talent and intelligence he was unanimously chosen to become the Roman Pontiff, the first monk to become Pope. During his lifetime Rome was sacked by invading barbarian hordes, and the city also suffered severe damage from floods and pestilence, causing his pontificate to be an important one. He brought stability and order to the Church in a time of great societal and cultural upheaval. His profound influence on the doctrine, organization, and discipline of the Church cannot be underestimated, thus earning him the title "The Great" which he shares with only two other popes. For his abundant doctrinal and spiritual writings he is also considered to be one of the four great Doctors of the Latin Church. He is most commonly known for promoting and standardizing the sacred music of liturgical worship, now called "Gregorian Chant." Pope St. Gregory the Great is the patron of popes, masons, choir boys, singers, teachers, and musicians. His feast day is September 3rd. .....................
Reflection Gregory was content to be a monk, but he willingly served the Church in other ways when asked. He sacrificed his own preferences in many ways, especially when he was called to be Bishop of Rome. Once he was called to public service, Gregory gave his considerable energies completely to this work. Gregory's description of bishops as physicians fits in well with Pope Francis' description of the Church as a "field hospital."
Saint Gregory the Great is the Patron Saint of: England
Epilepsy
Musicians
Teachers | Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church • Readings for the Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, pope and doctor of the Church Reading 1 1 COR 3:18-23 Brothers and sisters:
Let no one deceive himself.
If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age,
let him become a fool, so as to become wise.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God,
for it is written:God catches the wise in their own ruses,
and again:
The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you,
Paul or Apollos or Cephas,
or the world or life or death,
or the present or the future:
all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God. Responsorial Psalm PS 24:1BC-2, 3-4AB, 5-6 R. (1) To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
The LORD's are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers. R. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain. R. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob. R. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
Alleluia MT 4:19 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come after me, says the Lord,
and I will make you fishers of men. R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel LK 5:1-11 While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God,
he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.
He saw two boats there alongside the lake;
the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.
Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
"Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch."
Simon said in reply,
"Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,
but at your command I will lower the nets."
When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish
and their nets were tearing.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat
to come to help them.
They came and filled both boats
so that the boats were in danger of sinking.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,
"Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man."
For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him
and all those with him,
and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
who were partners of Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid;
from now on you will be catching men."
When they brought their boats to the shore,
they left everything and followed him.
| Daily Meditation: Luke 5:1-11 Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man. (Luke 5:8) Peter and his coworkers fished all night. No doubt they had exhausted all the possibilities of making a catch before they returned to shore empty-handed. It's small wonder, then, that Peter was astonished at the immense haul of fish that filled his nets when, at Jesus' direction, he let the nets down into the water once more. Peter recognized that here was someone who exercised divine power. Suddenly aware that he was in God's presence, Peter fell to the ground before Jesus, acknowledging his sin. We too may come to a similar point of recognizing God's holiness and our own sins. In the face of some act of God in our lives, we may become painfully aware of our unworthiness. Some of us have an unfortunate tendency to dwell on our sins. Guilt, shame, contempt for ourselves—any number of negative emotions flow in like the tide. If only they could flow out as quickly! But notice Jesus' response to Peter. He didn't answer Peter's confession directly. Rather, he moved past it and told Peter of the great new role he had in mind for him. To Peter's cry of remorse—"Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!"—Jesus answered with a reassuring promise: "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men" (Luke 5:8, 10). This is how God looks at us: not as sinners mired in offenses, but as servants called to carry out important work. God knows our sins. But when we repent, we are immediately flooded with his mercy and forgiveness—and just as quickly called to move on to the business of his kingdom. In a sense, we have no right to dwell on sins that God has removed. God's mercy has no limit! He delights in showing us his kindness. If he did not withhold his love and mercy from us before we loved him, will he refuse us now? Of course not! So press on in serving the Lord, confident that his mercy is greater than your sin and that he will carry you through to heaven. "Thank you, Jesus, for looking past my failings and pointing me toward your perfect plan!" 1 Corinthians 3:18-23
Psalm 24:1-6 |  clickable | A sharing manner of life is not optional. Creation belongs to all members of the human race, not mainly to the clever, intelligent, resourceful, well born. Sheer justice demands equitable participation.
— Fr. Thomas Dubay
from Happy Are You Poor | my2cents:
"If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool, so as to become wise."
There is another spot in the bible where our Lord talks about foolishness.
1 Cor 1:19
"For 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."
Want to know the world's strongest man?
Meet our Lord and King, Jesus the Christ. From Him pours out wisdom and justice, mercy and grace. | We pray today: "Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD? or who may stand in his holy place? He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it."
An ascension to the mountain calls upon effort, literal exertion. And those who decide to mount the venture are in for pain, suffering, scorn and ridicule. Only an innocent child wants to climb the high mountain, the rest know what it calls for...complete sacrifice. And suddenly our ego comes to play. Suddenly, our pride rears its head, casting shadows of doubt upon the idea of ascending. Let's go up the mountain my friend. | "While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret."
Crowds pushed on Jesus. What did they want? They were hungry.
Jesus catches some men, who He commands: "Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch."
Simon said in reply,
"Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets."
These words echo many things, from the Centurion's prayer "only say the word and.." to all of Mary's life and the life of Jesus to God our Father "Thy Will Be Done" not my will but Yours.
The short version reply is "Yes Lord". I have no reason to disobey. And so they go back out, exhausted with clean nets, clean of trash they had hauled in, inedible food for the hungry. What men catch in despondency, God casts out of our lives when we obey. | And so they cast and caught loads from Heaven. And the fishermen became extremely afraid at what just happened, an impossibility, and an inexplicable miracle. I want you though, to know what happens with such a miracle, and know that it comes from Scripture as we continue:
Firstly they realize who God is, and Simon (Peter) will say: ""Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man."
This reckoning, on his knees, brought about contrition, that what is necessary in a holy confession.
And now the second part:
"Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men."
Mercy came and spoke in the confessional. I will not depart from you, rather, I will enjoin you with My mission. And after this encounter with Christ we hear the third important part:
"When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him." They left EVERY THING and Followed Him. Who ate all those fish? LOL. The hungry, the crowds, they all ate good, because...of obedience, trust, and faith. This is how Divine Providence works. Right now, you may feel despondent, out of it, not really in tune with faith, or doubting, or tired, even everything just mentioned. Go back out there. This time, trust in God. Put yourself out there for everyone to see. The crowds saw what the disciples did. Ascension to the mountain. They saw faith in action. How many were transformed by the feat of faith that day? I bet it wasn't just the few disciples in the boats. I bet so many grew in their faith and trust in God.
How many of you have doubted yourself? Is God calling me?
In my learnings, you should always err on the side of Charity. If in doubt, cast yourself onto what God would receive if you gave yourself totally.
How do I explain this? When I was fasting, one Sunday a thought hit me, do these 40 days include Sundays? On Lent we feast on Sundays, maybe I can just have this junk food today. But I had a doubt, I was not sure. So I decided not to, because I doubted, so I erred for Charity, I went for the more charitable decision, to continue fasting and offering up even more to God.
Has someone asked you to come to church or to teach?
Cast away the trash in your nets, the trash of being disheartened, the trash of "what will people say", the trash of shame. And go into the sea. God is watching, He has angels watching, and His eyes are through their eyes. And the great crowds were thrilled to see the faith of a few men, indeed my friend, the heavens rejoice when a sinner turns to Him in faith.
Psalm 96:
"Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it."
Luke 15:7
"I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." One time my jovial aunt came up to me and said after Mass, I'm guessing she saw me stressed, and so she said: "a cursillista (follower of Christ's method) is not supposed to have on a sad face, we should be joyful".
If you know me, my face doesn't speak joy. I'm a pretty serious looking dude. But just scratch some under the surface, and I'm ready to be joyful. We till the ground, we tend the flock. We need each other my friend. You need community. You need to get with it. Get back in there. There is a fight, but it's not with other people, it's within ourselves to be more fruitful, and this only if we are more faithful, and this only...if we obey with great humility.
Yes sir.
Yes Lord.
Yes FATHER | Random Bible verse from online generator: !WOW! Phil 2:5-8
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,1 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,2 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,3 being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. | 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 | |
