†Saint Quote
"You must speak to Jesus, not only with your lips, but also with your heart; actually, on certain occasions, you should speak with only your heart."
— St. Padre Pio † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Chastity is the most unpopular of the Christian virtues. There is no getting away from it; the Christian rule is, 'Either marriage, with complete faithfulness to your partner, or else total abstinence.' Now this is so difficult and so contrary to our instincts, that obviously either Christianity is wrong or our sexual instinct, as it now is, has gone wrong. One or the other. Of course, being a Christian, I think it is the instinct which has gone wrong ... God knows our situation; He will not judge us as if we had no difficulties to overcome. What matters is the sincerity and perseverance of our will to overcome them. Before we can be cured we must want to be cured. Those who really wish for help will get it; but for many modern people even the wish is difficult ... We may, indeed, be sure that perfect chastity—like perfect charity—will not be attained by any merely human efforts. You must ask for God's help. Even when you have done so, it may seem to you for a long time that no help, or less help than you need, is being given. Never mind. After each failure, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up and try again. Very often what God first helps us towards is not the virtue itself but just this power of always trying again. For however important chastity (or courage, or truthfulness, or any other virtue) may be, this process trains us in habits of the soul which are more important still. It cures our illusions about ourselves and teaches us to depend on God. We learn, on the one hand, that we cannot trust ourselves even in our best moments, and, on the other, that we need not despair even in our worst, for our failures are forgiven. The only fatal thing is to sit down content with anything less than perfection."
— C. S. Lewis, p. 95
AN EXCERPT FROM
Mere Christianity † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."
Isaiah 1:18-20 |  click to read more | | ST. KATERI TEKAKWITHA St. Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680), also known as the 'Lily of the Mohawks,' was born in present-day New York. Her father was a Mohawk chief, and her mother an Algonquin who had been converted to the Christian faith by Jesuit missionaries. When Kateri was four years old, a smallpox epidemic killed her entire family and left her partially blind, disfigured, and crippled. She was raised by her uncle, who detested the Christians. As she grew up, Kateri longed for the Catholic faith of her mother, and was very drawn to the missionaries evangelizing near her village. At the age of twenty she was baptized with the name Catherine (which was translated as "Kateri") after St. Catherine of Siena. Her uncle opposed her conversion to Christianity, and as a result she was ostracized by her people and treated harshly. When it was clear that her life was in danger, a priest helped her flee to a French Jesuit mission in Montreal, Canada—a journey of over 200 miles alone and on foot. There she lived a solitary life of prayer and penance, rejecting an opportunity for marriage. Her great sanctity, virtue, and love for Christ amazed everyone who knew her. She was also known as a miracle-worker. Kateri died of illness at the age of twenty-four. She was beatified by Pope St. John Paul II in 1980, and canonized in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI as the first Native American saint. Kateri is the patron saint of environmentalists, orphans, exiles, and those who are ridiculed for their piety. Her feast day is July 14. | Memorial of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin
Lectionary: 391
Reading I Ex 3:1-6, 9-12 Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian.
Leading the flock across the desert, he came to Horeb,
the mountain of God.
There an angel of the LORD appeared to him in fire
flaming out of a bush.
As he looked on, he was surprised to see that the bush,
though on fire, was not consumed.
So Moses decided,
"I must go over to look at this remarkable sight,
and see why the bush is not burned." When the LORD saw him coming over to look at it more closely,
God called out to him from the bush, "Moses! Moses!"
He answered, "Here I am."
God said, "Come no nearer!
Remove the sandals from your feet,
for the place where you stand is holy ground.
I am the God of your father," he continued,
"the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.
The cry of the children of Israel has reached me,
and I have truly noted that the Egyptians are oppressing them.
Come, now! I will send you to Pharaoh to lead my people,
the children of Israel, out of Egypt." But Moses said to God,
"Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh
and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?"
He answered, "I will be with you;
and this shall be your proof that it is I who have sent you:
when you bring my people out of Egypt,
you will worship God on this very mountain." Responsorial Psalm 103:1b-2, 3-4, 6-7 R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities, he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction, he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
The LORD secures justice and the rights of all the oppressed.
He has made known his ways to Moses, and his deeds to the children of Israel.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful. Alleluia See Mt 11:25 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 11:25-27 At that time Jesus exclaimed:
"I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him." | Daily Meditation: Exodus 3:1-6, 9-12 Remove the sandals from your feet. (Exodus 3:5) Nothing in Moses' past could have prepared him for what was about to happen. Growing up in Pharaoh's household, he may have heard tales of Abraham, but none of these stories would have been told in a way that stirred up faith. He knew that his own people had been slaves for centuries. So even if he had heard about the God of Israel intervening in his ancestors' lives, that too would have seemed like tales from the ancient past. It's only natural, then, that Moses was awestruck when he saw the burning bush. Curious, he approached to find out more. That's when he realized he was in God's presence. Not only did he clearly hear God's voice, but he could feel God's holiness shining from the bush. So off came his shoes. None of us have seen a burning bush as Moses did, but we still believe that God is present in us and with us. We can discern his presence in nature, in Scripture, in the sacraments, and even in the people around us. There are countless ordinary ways that God is present to us every day. But sometimes, as he did with Moses, God does something extraordinary. He interacts with us in a more remarkable way. When that happens, you know it. You have a clear sense that God has pierced your heart, or set you on a new path, or convinced you of his presence in your life. In those experiences, you realize that you're on holy ground because you know in your heart that God is there. You feel a sense of awe at God's love, and that awe fills you with love for him and draws you to worship him. These are the kinds of experiences that change you. You don't have to have these kinds of experiences on a regular basis. God continues to work in your life every day—even when you "feel" nothing. Still, it never hurts to ask him to make his presence known to you in a powerful way. Quiet your heart and tell your loving Father in heaven that you are open to having him break into your ordinary life at any moment—even today, even now. And keep those shoelaces loose! "Holy God, help me to keep my heart open in case you want to surprise me today." Psalm 103:1-4, 6-7
Matthew 11:25-27 |  Listen to 2cents | my2cents:
"But Moses said to God,
"Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh
and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?" He answered, "I will be with you"".
God spoke. And God speaks. When else did God say "I will be with you"?
At the time of commissioning our Lord said before ascending into Heaven: " Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit,
20i teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." | Today we pray:
"Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. The Lord is kind and merciful."
Forget not.
Never forget his benefits.
Being grateful makes all the difference.
For those that love the Lord, it is an honor to serve, because we are grateful. Even if His flock is rough, we are grateful for the work. I'm speaking to your heart. | Today we hear our Lord says:
""I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will."
So let's talk about who God reveals Himself to.
Abraham, a faithful man.
Moses, a not so perfect man that had even killed someone.
All the way to Saint Paul, a man that persecuted and had Christians killed. Can these men be childlike?
Can God reveal Himself to you too?
What does it mean to be childlike?
I believe only God knows the real answer. What we can deduct from the men mentioned, is that they were faithful, probably more faithful than any person you've ever met. Paul was Saul, zealous for God's will.
Moses was a Hebrew adopted by Egyptians, but knew his roots and believed them to be of most importance. (unlike today where some believe the past needs to be changed, which is impossible).
And Abram turned into Abraham, for listening to God, and never looking back.
What's more, a childlike person believes all things (of God). An adult speculates, and doubts all things.
But our Lord asks us to stop doubting.
Our Lord always rebuked those with little faith. "Why do you doubt?" and one time He said: "Matthew 17:17"
"You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me."
So we know a child is pure, that is, not perverted...with adult things, like doubt.
Sadly, new age educators are trying to pervert children even more in all aspects of life, especially spirituality.
There is a real anti-Christ at work. There is anti-purity at work. Anti-faith is to be a doubter. Some say doubt is healthy, but those can be twisted lies, for God says HAVE FAITH.
Have faith that you can move mountains.
Have faith that you can walk on water.
Have faith that you can trust God with everything, even your sins and weaknesses.
Let Him have it. Some people wonder about marriages and sex in Heaven...perverts wonder those kinds of things, because that is what the world thinks. But a childlike person knows what Heaven is like...it is to be with Jesus fullheartedly in Love. Es una entrega total. It is a total self-giving surrender.
Even Mother Mary didn't see God at first, but she saw an angel. But how did God enter her and reveal Himself to her? Through the Holy Spirit.
Then she saw God, she bore God, conceived God, she was faithful first, believed first, loved first, waited first...and then it happens...to this moment alive, it happens! | Let's pray:
Lord, everyone that wants to believe wants to see.
But You call for faith first. And so, I pray for faith.
I pray that I can believe and never doubt again.
Forgive my disbelief, my unbelief. Forgive me my failures. And help me love You more and more, completely! | from your brother in Christ our Lord,
adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse from online generator: Isaiah 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
