†Saint Quote
"Young people need the light of watchful guides to lead them on the path of salvation."
— St. John Baptist de la Salle † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Heaven is the birth-place and home of love. Its blessed inhabitants love much, love forever, and love only what is worthy of love. Joseph, however, was blessed by anticipation, for he passed all his days in the exercise of divine love, and lived a life of love upon earth. The Evangelists do not record a single word of this great saint; he observed, indeed, a marvelous silence. Not, however, an ungracious silence. The silence of ordinary men, as well as their irrepressible flow of words, is often merely selfish. But Joseph's silence and his speech were alike prompted and regulated by the law of charity ... His words, indeed, were never superfluous, for they had their source in love, but they were also ruled by his will, not forced from him as the expression of his feelings."
— Edward Healy Thompson, p. 362
AN EXCERPT FROM
The Life and Glories of St. Joseph † VERSE OF THE DAY
"For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God."
2 Timothy 1:7-8 |  click to read more | | ST. AUGUSTINE ZHAO RONG AND COMPANIONS St. Augustine Zhao Rong (d. 1815) was a Chinese soldier who was assigned to escort the captive Catholic bishop, John Gabriel Taurin Dufresse, to Beijing where he was to be executed by beheading. The bishop's faith made a strong impact on Zhao, who then requested baptism. He took the Christian name Augustine, and later entered the seminary and was ordained to the priesthood. During the continuing persecution of Christians in China, Augustine was one of thousands of Chinese Catholics who suffered martyrdom for the faith. He was arrested, tortured, and killed in 1815. St. Augustine Zhao Rong is honored with a group of 120 martyrs who were killed for their Catholic faith in China from 1648-1930. The group was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II in 2000. Of them, 87 were Chinese natives and 33 were Western missionaries. The feast day of St. Augustine Zhao Rong and the Chinese Martyrs is July 9th. | Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 387
Reading I Gn 46:1-7, 28-30 Israel set out with all that was his.
When he arrived at Beer-sheba,
he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
There God, speaking to Israel in a vision by night, called,
"Jacob! Jacob!"
He answered, "Here I am."
Then he said: "I am God, the God of your father.
Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt,
for there I will make you a great nation.
Not only will I go down to Egypt with you;
I will also bring you back here, after Joseph has closed your eyes." So Jacob departed from Beer-sheba,
and the sons of Israel
put their father and their wives and children
on the wagons that Pharaoh had sent for his transport.
They took with them their livestock
and the possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan.
Thus Jacob and all his descendants migrated to Egypt.
His sons and his grandsons, his daughters and his granddaughters
all his descendants—he took with him to Egypt. Israel had sent Judah ahead to Joseph,
so that he might meet him in Goshen.
On his arrival in the region of Goshen,
Joseph hitched the horses to his chariot
and rode to meet his father Israel in Goshen.
As soon as Joseph saw him, he flung himself on his neck
and wept a long time in his arms.
And Israel said to Joseph, "At last I can die,
now that I have seen for myself that Joseph is still alive." Responsorial Psalm 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40 R. (39a) The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Trust in the LORD and do good, that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.
Take delight in the LORD, and he will grant you your heart's requests.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
The LORD watches over the lives of the wholehearted; their inheritance lasts forever.
They are not put to shame in an evil time; in days of famine they have plenty.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Turn from evil and do good, that you may abide forever;
For the LORD loves what is right, and forsakes not his faithful ones.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
The salvation of the just is from the LORD; he is their refuge in time of distress.
And the LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord. Alleluia Jn 16:13a, 14:26d R. Alleluia, alleluia.
When the Spirit of truth comes,
he will guide you to all truth
and remind you of all I told you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 10:16-23 Jesus said to his Apostles:
"Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves;
so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.
But beware of men,
for they will hand you over to courts
and scourge you in their synagogues,
and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake
as a witness before them and the pagans.
When they hand you over,
do not worry about how you are to speak
or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say.
For it will not be you who speak
but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Brother will hand over brother to death,
and the father his child;
children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but whoever endures to the end will be saved.
When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.
Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel
before the Son of Man comes." | Daily Meditation: Genesis 46:1-7, 28-30 I am God. . . . Do not be afraid. (Genesis 46:3) It must not have been easy for Jacob. Long before he had any children, he had heard God promise, "In you and your descendants all the families of the earth will find blessing" (Genesis 28:14). But Jacob's children didn't always live up to the promise embedded in these words. Read their story, and you'll find instances of deceit, incest, murder, and violence (34–46). There must have been times when Jacob worried that his children would never become the source of blessing for "all the families of the earth" (28:14). But finally, after thirty years of waiting, Jacob saw his sons repent and reconcile with their brother Joseph, whom they had kidnapped and sold into slavery. Now, it seemed, God's promise could be fulfilled. If you have waited and waited—seemingly for your whole life—for God to answer a prayer, remember this: the facts of our faith are not augmented or diminished, enlightened or dimmed by our experience. And these are the facts: God is good. God is almighty. God is faithful. He hears our cries and fulfills the desires of all who fear him (Psalm 145:19). And God cares about you. It's natural to focus on loss, or want, or what you believe is the answer to your prayer. It's also natural, especially after you have waited for a long time, to be resigned to more of the same: silence from God. But just as God foresaw the famine coming to Israel when Jacob did not, he always sees a bigger picture. God had a plan to provide for Jacob's family and to heal them. God sees the bigger picture for your life too, and he will fulfill it, regardless of how things look today. Are you waiting for an answer to a prayer? Start by affirming who God is. Name as many of his attributes as you can. When you read Scripture, look for his attributes, and make a running list of them. Praise and thank him for them. Ask the Holy Spirit to plant faith deep in your heart. Ask him to open your eyes to see for yourself how the Lord is watching over your life and doing good for you. "God, you know my heart and my needs. Today I ask that you help me see your goodness and your care for my life." Psalm 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40
Matthew 10:16-23 |  Listen to 2cents | my2cents:
In the first Holy Scripture said: ""Jacob! Jacob!"
He answered, "Here I am."
Then he said: "I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you a great nation. Not only will I go down to Egypt with you; I will also bring you back here, after Joseph has closed your eyes."
And then we hear of the encounter, which sounds like the prophecy of Simeon when our baby Lord Jesus was presented in the temple:
"As soon as Joseph saw him, he flung himself on his neck
and wept a long time in his arms.
And Israel said to Joseph, "At last I can die,
now that I have seen for myself that Joseph is still alive." | Let's pray:
"Turn from evil and do good, that you may abide forever;
For the LORD loves what is right, and forsakes not his faithful ones."
Let's sit for a moment and pretend we were one of Joseph's brothers that had him sold as a slave for some silver coins, when we were teenagers. One of them didn't want to consent to his death, and all agreed to sell him instead. Fast forward 30 regretful years later. They say a mother never forgets a dead child. How can you forget a brother you sold to brutal torture? And so, we must turn from evil at the instant it enters our head, and our heart. And instead of doing the evil you were about to do with your mouth and your heart, do good, do the opposite, do the blessing instead. | Our Lord speaks:
"Jesus said to his Apostles:
"Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves;
so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.
But beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues,
and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake
as a witness before them and the pagans." How in the world am I going to be shrewd as a serpent? And how is a serpent shrewd anyway? Let's go back to Genesis. The serpent was tricky, cunning, pretty sly, really, right? How do you think our Lord got away so many times from being stoned to death? He was shrewd, that is, wise. Kind of like a wise Master in martial arts, knows how to use all the force of the enemy, against himself. So, be shrewd, but calm as a dove.
So how are we going to be simple as a dove?
Let's learn about simple: Jesus. Free from guile, free from disgusting things, and to be simple is to be innocent. Think of an innocent child. That is a master. So can you combine these two? What do you get? Boss baby? LOL. No, you get our Lord Himself. It is said that Mother Mary says that Jesus is as humble in Heaven today as he was when he was a baby on earth. He is the most cherished being in Heaven, and so He should be our most cherished being here on earth as it is in Heaven. | "When they hand you over,
do not worry about how you are to speak
or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say.
For it will not be you who speak
but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you." What is this, don't worry business about? In personal matters, we face persecutions, but does that matter? For the proud it does. When I am scorned and made fun of and lied about, does it matter? In the end, you can't fight back and defend yourself, think of Jesus with Pontious Pilate and all the Pharisees and Scribes that came at him to defend Himself. He was simple, like a dove, and calmly spoke the truth. This is our calling. Humility has a face and it is the face of God Himself, for Jesus is to see the Father, and Jesus has asked us to be made one in Him and through Him. "You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.
When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.
Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel
before the Son of Man comes." Let's pray:
Lord, You have commanded us to go out, to get out and trust in You. We are to carry nothing, but mere faith and trust in You. Help us love You like You love us...with all our heart, mind, body and soul. In Your Precious name we pray.
Amen! | from your brother in Christ our Lord,
adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse from online generator: Proverbs 23:4–5
4 Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.
5 When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
