†Saint Said:
"For true hearts there is no separating ocean; or, rather, God is their ocean, in Whom they meet and are united; they love, and lose themselves in Him and in each other."
— St. Théodore Guérin † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Jesus Christ did not think the sovereign beatitude and glory of Heaven too dearly purchased at the price of unspeakable tortures, and by suffering His sacred flesh to be mangled by nails, thorns, and scourges. Great indeed must be the value of that which cost the Son of God so dear! And yet we esteem it so little, as to be even ready to renounce our claim to it, as, in fact, so many of us do, for the sake of some wretched pleasure or despicable interest! Ye blind and deluded children of men, contemplate the Wounds of your Crucified God, and see in what manner the gates of the kingdom of glory have been opened to you! See what it has cost Him to place you in possession of it, and understand, if possible, how infinite a benefit was bestowed upon you by the Son of God when He purchased for you Heaven, which you had lost by sin! ... Enter in spirit into these sacred Wounds, and you will comprehend the value and sublimity of that eternal felicity which they have acquired for you, and you will learn to detach your heart from the earth and from creatures, so as to place all your affections and desires upon Heaven."
— Fr. Ignatius of the Side of Christ, p. 226-7
AN EXCERPT FROM
The School of Christ Crucified † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Give ear to my words, O Lord; give heed to my groaning. Hearken to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to thee do I pray. O Lord, in the morning thou dost hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for thee, and watch. For thou art not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not sojourn with thee."
Psalm 5:1-4 |  click to read more | | ST. THOMAS MORE St. Thomas More (1478–1535) was born in London, the son of a lawyer and judge. He was educated in the finest schools and became a brilliant English statesman. He served in parliament, on the King's council, as a diplomat, and in many other prominent positions in public administration. He was highly esteemed for his unfailing moral integrity, sharpness of mind, humor, and extraordinary learning. He was also a faithful Catholic, a loving husband, and a devoted father. For his great abilities he was promoted by his friend King Henry VIII to the high office of Lord Chancellor, second in position to the king. He resigned from this post when the king, in open defiance of Church teaching, sought to divorce his wife in order to marry another woman, and to declare himself sovereign of the Church in England. Thomas More, a defender against heresy, refused to condone the king's actions. After trying unsuccessfully to persuade his friend to approve of what he was doing, King Henry VIII imprisoned More in the Tower of London. At his trial, More testified boldly for Church autonomy over the state, for the authority of the pope as head of the Church, and for the indissolubility of marriage in the eyes of God. He was eventually condemned and beheaded, dying as a martyr for the Catholic faith. Thomas More is the patron saint of statesman, politicians, lawyers, civil servants, and large families. His feast day is June 22nd. | Tuesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 372
Reading I Gn 13:2, 5-18 Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold. Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents,
so that the land could not support them if they stayed together;
their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together.
There were quarrels between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock
and those of Lot's.
(At this time the Canaanites and the Perizzites
were occupying the land.) So Abram said to Lot:
"Let there be no strife between you and me,
or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are kinsmen.
Is not the whole land at your disposal?
Please separate from me.
If you prefer the left, I will go to the right;
if you prefer the right, I will go to the left."
Lot looked about and saw how well watered
the whole Jordan Plain was as far as Zoar,
like the LORD's own garden, or like Egypt.
(This was before the LORD had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)
Lot, therefore, chose for himself the whole Jordan Plain
and set out eastward.
Thus they separated from each other;
Abram stayed in the land of Canaan,
while Lot settled among the cities of the Plain,
pitching his tents near Sodom.
Now the inhabitants of Sodom were very wicked
in the sins they committed against the LORD. After Lot had left, the LORD said to Abram:
"Look about you, and from where you are,
gaze to the north and south, east and west;
all the land that you see I will give to you
and your descendants forever.
I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth;
if anyone could count the dust of the earth,
your descendants too might be counted.
Set forth and walk about in the land, through its length and breadth,
for to you I will give it."
Abram moved his tents and went on to settle
near the terebinth of Mamre, which is at Hebron.
There he built an altar to the LORD. Responsorial Psalm 15:2-3a, 3bc-4ab, 5 R. (1b) He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
He who walks blamelessly and does justice; who thinks the truth in his heart and slanders not with his tongue.
R. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Who harms not his fellow man, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
By whom the reprobate is despised, while he honors those who fear the LORD.
R. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Who lends not his money at usury and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be disturbed.
R. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord. Alleluia Jn 8:12 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 7:6, 12-14 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine,
lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces. "Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the Law and the Prophets. "Enter through the narrow gate;
for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction,
and those who enter through it are many.
How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.
And those who find it are few." | Daily Meditation: Matthew 7:6, 12-14 Enter through the narrow gate. (Matthew 7:13) That narrow gate! It's tighter than the gap between the do's and don'ts of the Ten Commandments. So you don't lie, injure, or kill—and you also have to forgive a person who has hurt you. You steer clear of coveting, cheating, and stealing—but you still have to give financially, even though money is tight. Now that's a constricted road! And what about encouraging someone when you're feeling worn-out yourself? Sometimes, you just take a deep breath, turn sideways, and hope you can squeeze through the gate. Actually, no one passes through this gate alone. So don't ever think you have to walk that constricted road unaccompanied. The Holy Spirit living in you ushers you through. He provides you with the wisdom, understanding, patience, and fortitude that you need. He will show you where the gate is for you: whether it's forgiveness, generosity, sharing more of your time, or countless other ways that you may feel constrained. He will help you through it, even when it seems a tight squeeze. One word of caution: the Holy Spirit is no magician who waves a wand and gets you through the gate automatically. Neither does the Spirit instantaneously infuse you with all the wisdom, knowledge, and willingness you need to navigate the narrow passages of life. No, he wants to form your mind as you ponder the word of God and the teachings of the Church. He wants to soften your heart as you sit with him in prayer and worship him in the sacraments. He wants to teach you how to hear him, through thoughts or ideas he plants in your mind or through the word and examples of trusted friends. He wants to show you the way of humble obedience—the way through the narrow gate! If there are times when the way seems too hard and the gate too narrow, remember this: God wants you to make it through! There may be scrapes and bruises along the way. But Jesus became a man. He healed and delivered and fed all those who came to him so that they might enter into life. Let him do the same for you. Let his Spirit help you. "Lord, I want to enter into life. Help me to seek you and trust you as I travel the road." Genesis 13:2, 5-18
Psalm 15:2-5 |  Listen to 2cents | my2cents:
"Thus they separated from each other;
Abram stayed in the land of Canaan,
while Lot settled among the cities of the Plain, pitching his tents near Sodom.
Now the inhabitants of Sodom were very wicked n the sins they committed against the LORD."
I heard someone say once ". When the grass is greener on the other side, maybe, Maybe it is thriving on sewage."
And this is how I see things when I am facing temptations. I can smell sin. And it is disgusting. So I turn away, and I turn to the Lord for help and guidance. Abram turned Abraham, pray for us! | We pray in the Psalms:
"He who walks blamelessly and does justice; who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord."
Yesterday, our Lord asked us to watch our thoughts, our words, and today we pray that we don't slander. Yet that's all we see, especially on the news, in gossip, it's all about slander, an insult to the next party. Frankly, I'm disgusted, it stinks! We will be held liable for every last word. And how many words fall out of our mouths like dead anchor weights? They hold YOU down, not just the other party! Lord, we pray for righteousness, to spring forth from Your holiness. | 3 things our Lord says to us today:
"Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces."
From the land of Cana came a woman, with a possessed daughter with demons, pleading for her life, to save her daughter and our Lord answered " "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs." What kind of answer was this? Like the time our Lord said to His mother "Woman, why does this concern us, it is not yet my time". Were all of these replies disrespect? To a proud and arrogant person, they are. But when the Canaanite, (hence dog) woman replied "Yes, Lord," she said, "even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." She desired what was of God, not for personal gain. And her pleading became a miracle of salvation. It was the same as Mother Mary's response "do whatever HE tells you". It is to leave it in God's hands.
Today, what do we do with what is Holy ? Throw it to dogs? What is holy? The Word of God? Right? The Holy Sacraments? Right? What is holy, is what is of God. What do we give to dogs? Scraps, that what we don't want? Right? What will make us desire and acquire a taste for holiness? Humility. Gratefulness. Holy and healthy Fear of the Lord. | 2nd:
""Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the Law and the Prophets."
I desire mercy. So lately, I've tried hard to be merciful to others. There are some times I could just flat out tell someone in their face how wrong they are living. But I look inside, "now is not the time, nor is the manner I'm thinking suitable to be fruitful for God's Kingdom". So, I wait for the Lord. Days later, I let the person know after serving them, buying them things and doing them favors "you know what you were doing the other day, that is cause for scandal on my children, can you please watch out for that...." and it made for a productive conversation. Much more is accomplished with love than hatred and feelings. The Golden Rule Belongs to Jesus, mercy Himself. 3rd:
""Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.
And those who find it are few." For Lot's separation from Abram, seeing a wide, luscious green valley was enticing to the eyes, knowing full well that Sodom nearby was wicked. And that is how we fall into temptation...you go near wicked things, thinking you can handle it...and soon it takes over. Yesterday I told a teenage nephew "you leave a little crack, and little poisonous creatures can creep in". Therefore, we should be ever watchful, always on the lookout for sin. At my house out in the country, I just added some solar lights to a concrete driveway to light the drive as we walk on it at night...and I do it to avoid stepping on snakes at night, as I've already encountered half a dozen poisonous snakes this year especially at night. So when we walk around as a family praying in the late evening, I am ever watching, and when I see a kid get off the path, I scold him to get back on, get out of the green grass, stop playing and focus on prayer.
And that is how I live my life. Ever watchful of evil temptation snakes. I've taught my kids lately that when they spot a poisonous creature, to not lose site of it, until I arrive so I can handle it, remove it from the home...killing it out of our lives.
And now we should be thinking of our spiritual homes of course, when you spot evil in your life, keep it in your sites until you get rid of it. Otherwise, what is ignored is permitted, and permissiveness hurts and kills. Let's pray:
Lord of Heaven and earth, we heard Thy words of how to treat one another, no more slander, treating them as we'd like to be treated...by You Heavenly Father, and that narrow door, led to by a constricted way. Very few are very faithful, and I'm afraid of not being faithful, as faithful as You desire. Help us desire, have an appetite for what is holy. Yes, Holy, all things people call religious and despise, I want to treasure....a deep life of prayer and reverence and Honor to Thy Holy Name and Sacred Heart, for what You did and are doing in the world today... | from your brother in Christ our Lord,
adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse from online generator: WOW!! Proverbs 22:4 The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honor and life.1 | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
