†Saint Quote "The Lord manifests Himself to those who stop for some time in peace and humility of heart. If you look in murky and turbulent waters, you cannot see the reflection of your face. If you want to see the face of Christ, stop and collect your thoughts in silence, and close the door of your soul to the noise of external things." St. Anthony of Padua †Today's Meditation
"All, however, cannot attain to the same degree of sacrifice. There are chosen souls whom God has raised above the ordinary callings of life, who, true to their vocation, show their love for God in heroic self-denial, in total surrender to His will, exulting in the use of all their powers to spread His kingdom. But regardless of disparity of calling, all can be led by the same spirit. It is the spirit, not the measure, of sacrifice that will decide our eternity." — John A. Kane, p. 81
Cover image from the book, How to Make a Good Confession, p81
An Excerpt From How to Make a Good Confession, p81 †Verse of Day "Tell the rich in the present age not to be proud and not to rely on so uncertain a thing as wealth but rather on God, who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment. Tell them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready to share, thus accumulating as treasure a good foundation for the future, so as to win the life that is true life." 1 Timothy 6:17-19 |  click to read more | | St. Martin of Tours (c. 316-397 A.D.) was born into a pagan family in what is now Hungary. He was raised in Italy where his father, a senior officer in the Roman army, was stationed. At the age of ten Martin joined the Church as a catechumen soon after Christianity was legalized across the Roman Empire. Taking after his father, he joined the cavalry at the age of fifteen and was stationed in Gaul. At one point during his time of service he encountered a poor beggar who lacked adequate clothing on a cold winter day. St. Martin took his sword and cut his heavy woolen officer cloak in half, and gave the other half to the beggar. Following this act of charity, St. Martin had a vision in which he saw Jesus wearing the portion of his cloak he gave to the beggar, while telling the angels that it was Martin who had clothed him. After this vision Martin sought baptism, at the age of eighteen, and proclaimed himself a soldier for Christ. He left the military and adopted the penitential life of a hermit, attracting followers which eventually resulted in the founding of a monastery. St. Martin gained a reputation for holiness and performing miracles so that, when the bishop of Tours died, the people demanded that Martin take his place. As bishop he continued his austere life, took great care to train holy priests, destroyed pagan worship sites, and worked to spread Christianity throughout his diocese. St. Martin of Tours is the patron saint of cavalry, soldiers, innkeepers, horses and riders, beggars, and those in need. His feast day is November 11th. | Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop Lectionary: 494
Reading I Wis 7:22b–8:1 In Wisdom is a spirit intelligent, holy, unique,
Manifold, subtle, agile, clear, unstained, certain,
Not baneful, loving the good, keen, unhampered, beneficent, kindly,
Firm, secure, tranquil, all-powerful, all-seeing,
And pervading all spirits, though they be intelligent, pure and very subtle.
For Wisdom is mobile beyond all motion, and she penetrates and pervades all things by reason of her purity.
For she is an aura of the might of God and a pure effusion of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nought that is sullied enters into her.
For she is the refulgence of eternal light, the spotless mirror of the power of God, the image of his goodness.
And she, who is one, can do all things, and renews everything while herself perduring;
And passing into holy souls from age to age, she produces friends of God and prophets.
For there is nought God loves, be it not one who dwells with Wisdom.
For she is fairer than the sun and surpasses every constellation of the stars.
Compared to light, she takes precedence; for that, indeed, night supplants, but wickedness prevails not over Wisdom. Indeed, she reaches from end to end mightily and governs all things well. Responsorial Psalm 119:89, 90, 91, 130, 135, 175 R. (89a) Your word is for ever, O Lord.
Your word, O LORD, endures forever; it is firm as the heavens.
R. Your word is for ever, O Lord.
Through all generations your truth endures; you have established the earth, and it stands firm.
R. Your word is for ever, O Lord.
According to your ordinances they still stand firm: all things serve you.
R. Your word is for ever, O Lord.
The revelation of your words sheds light, giving understanding to the simple.
R. Your word is for ever, O Lord.
Let your countenance shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes.
R. Your word is for ever, O Lord.
Let my soul live to praise you, and may your ordinances help me.
R. Your word is for ever, O Lord. Alleluia Jn 15:5 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the vine, you are the branches, says the Lord:
whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 17:20-25 Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come,
Jesus said in reply,
"The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed,
and no one will announce, 'Look, here it is,' or, 'There it is.'
For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you." Then he said to his disciples,
"The days will come when you will long to see
one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.
There will be those who will say to you,
'Look, there he is,' or 'Look, here he is.'
Do not go off, do not run in pursuit.
For just as lightning flashes
and lights up the sky from one side to the other,
so will the Son of Man be in his day.
But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation." | Daily Meditation: Luke 17:20-25 The Kingdom of God is among you. (Luke 17:21) You can imagine one of the Pharisees saying to another, "Wait! Is Jesus saying that the kingdom of God is already here? What about the Romans? We're still an occupied nation. This sure doesn't feel like the kingdom of God!" Looking around at our world, we might come to a similar conclusion. But the kingdom of God is not about a location or even the regime in power; it's about a new way of relating to one another that brings healing and freedom. Throughout Jesus' ministry, he didn't just talk about the kingdom of God. He also demonstrated it as he blessed, loved, forgave, healed, and served the people he was speaking to. His own life demonstrated the kingdom: he didn't hold any grudges, put on airs, or distance himself from the poor and the needy. In fact, he went out of his way to welcome them and show them God's mercy. He also taught about this way of relating through parables that highlighted forgiveness over vengeance and service over being served. Take a look at your relationships. There is probably more of the kingdom of God in your midst than you think! Every time you lend a sympathetic ear to someone who needs to talk, every time you help with the cleaning, every time you serve in your parish, the kingdom of God is there. Whenever you pray, it is there. It's present in every situation in which you choose to love the people around you, even when they're not being particularly lovable. That's encouraging, isn't it? The kingdom of God is among you! Today, think about how you can bring the kingdom of God into just one relationship. Look for an opportunity to encourage someone, to forgive, or to be an instrument of God's presence. It doesn't have to be dramatic and life changing. It just has to be upbuilding and life affirming. You are a citizen of God's kingdom and an ambassador for Christ. That means that you can bring his presence wherever you go. You can make a difference! "Thank you, Lord, for making me a citizen of your kingdom. Empower me to be a blessing to everyone I meet today." Wisdom 7:22–8:1
Psalm 119:89-91, 130, 135, 175 |  Listen to 2cents | From Today's Holy Scripture:
"For she is an aura of the might of God and a pure effusion of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nought that is sullied enters into her. For she is the refulgence of eternal light, the spotless mirror of the power of God, the image of his goodness." The more pure you are, the better you can reflect the light. The more pure you are, the better the light will pass through you. The more light that passes through you, the stronger our bond for ourselves to others for God's Kingdom. In my RCIA class, these students are getting more than 2 cents, they are getting the full onslaught of what life in Catholicity means. I brought up a dream I woke up, but was entranced, more like a vision that I have never forgotten, and it was the face of Jesus, God, in a realm not of space, and the closer I came into his face, the smaller I became, and the closer I got, the more I saw that His countenance was made of lights, his cells, His outline, His hair, everything was streaming with the life of lights. And I said, "we are lights that make up the Body of Christ" at least we are called to do so, to be so. We must be the strength on earth, we must be the love on earth, we must be His actual body, and it makes for a beautiful Body, with one common purpose...the will of God. In another vision, years later, I was taken away, and as I looked around, I saw only lights, not people, and some lights were dimmer than others, and some were not there at all! WHAT? And much more was made known to me. So let the light of Christ shine through you...what does this mean? Be pure, be holy, be wholly His! | We pray in Psalms:
"The revelation of your words sheds light, giving understanding to the simple. Your word is for ever, O Lord.
Let your countenance shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes. Your word is for ever, O Lord." | We heard of our Lord:
""The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, 'Look, here it is,' or, 'There it is.'
For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you." There you go, direct from our Lord Himself. He said Himself, the Kingdom of God is among us, and you will not be able to see it or see Him, because He will be like flashes of light. You cannot tell where He will be next. Therefore, listen, and be found working lovingly and diligently for His Kingdom to come to fruition, and you will bear much fruit of everlasting life. | And He speaks of Himself as lightning, and lightning is much more powerful than the earth's sun in heat and light. And it is unexpected. Have you ever tried to take a picture of lightning with just one shot? It is random and so difficult.
And so it is to try to grasp our Lord. So how do we catch Him? Well, truth is, you always gotta be ready, filming full time, not ready when you are, you must ALWAYS be ready for Him.
Too many in the world pray once and say "He didn't answer, so I don't believe".
And this is because we live in a convenience world. We want things that are convenient to us, to serve us...rather than us serving Him.
With that said, there's one thing to do: Realize.
Realize He is both here and now.
Realize His will, make it a reality.
You know what He is asking of you. Let's pray:
Lord, my King, My All,
I serve Thee with all my Heart, Mind, Soul, Strength.
Help us make this world a Kingdom of Jesus. Mother Mary pray for us to learn to be pure souls to reflect the light of Christ purely, and without blemish. In His most precious name we pray. Amen. | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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