†Saint Quote
"Put your heart aside. Duty comes first. But when fulfilling your duty, put your heart into it. It helps."
— St. Josemaria Escriva † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"In the old days, when there was less education and discussion, perhaps it was possible to get on with a very few simple ideas about God. But it is not so now. Everyone reads, everyone hears things discussed. Consequently, if you do not listen to Theology, that will not mean that you have no ideas about God. It will mean that you have a lot of wrong ones—bad, muddled, out-of-date ideas. For a great many of the ideas about God which are trotted out as novelties today are simply the ones which real Theologians tried centuries ago and rejected."
— C. S. Lewis, p. 155
AN EXCERPT FROM
Mere Christianity † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand."
Isaiah 41:10 |  click to read more | | ST. LYDIA PURPURARIA St. Lydia Purpuraria, also called Lydia of Thyatira (1st. c), was a pious and wealthy woman involved in the textile trade in Philippi, Macedonia. She and her husband manufactured and traded in the lucrative business of purple dyes and fabrics, a luxury for the elite. Lydia was a worshiper of the true God, and when St. Paul's missionary journeys brought him to Philippi in about 50 A.D., God opened Lydia's heart to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Lydia and her family became St. Paul's very first converts to Christianity, as mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. After her family was baptized, Lydia invited Paul and his companion, St. Timothy, to stay in her home. Lydia served the Lord through her gift of hospitality, and her home became a meeting place for the early Christians. After Paul and Silas were released from prison, it was to Lydia's home that they first went to meet and encourage the believers gathered there. St. Lydia's feast day is August 3. | Tuesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 408
Reading I Nm 12:1-13 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses on the pretext
of the marriage he had contracted with a Cushite woman.
They complained, "Is it through Moses alone that the LORD speaks?
Does he not speak through us also?"
And the LORD heard this.
Now, Moses himself was by far the meekest man on the face of the earth.
So at once the LORD said to Moses and Aaron and Miriam,
"Come out, you three, to the meeting tent."
And the three of them went.
Then the LORD came down in the column of cloud,
and standing at the entrance of the tent,
called Aaron and Miriam.
When both came forward, he said,
"Now listen to the words of the LORD: Should there be a prophet among you,
in visions will I reveal myself to him,
in dreams will I speak to him;
not so with my servant Moses!
Throughout my house he bears my trust:
face to face I speak to him;
plainly and not in riddles.
The presence of the LORD he beholds. Why, then, did you not fear to speak against my servant Moses?" So angry was the LORD against them that when he departed,
and the cloud withdrew from the tent,
there was Miriam, a snow-white leper!
When Aaron turned and saw her a leper, he said to Moses,
"Ah, my lord! Please do not charge us with the sin
that we have foolishly committed!
Let her not thus be like the stillborn babe
that comes forth from its mother's womb
with its flesh half consumed."
Then Moses cried to the LORD, "Please, not this! Pray, heal her!" Responsorial Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 6cd-7, 12-13 R. (see 3a) Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
For I acknowledge my offense;
and my sin is before me always:
"Against you only have I sinned;
and done what is evil in your sight."
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
That you may be justified in your sentence,
vindicated when you condemn.
Indeed, in guilt was I born,
and in sin my mother conceived me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not off from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned. Alleluia Jn 1:49b R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Rabbi, you are the Son of God;
you are the King of Israel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 14:22-36 Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side of the sea,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them, walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
"It is a ghost," they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."
Peter said to him in reply,
"Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."
He said, "Come."
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him,
and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
"Truly, you are the Son of God." After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret.
When the men of that place recognized him,
they sent word to all the surrounding country.
People brought to him all those who were sick
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak,
and as many as touched it were healed. | Daily Meditation: Numbers 12:1-13 Please, not this! Pray, heal her! (Numbers 12:13) Isn't it remarkable how Moses reacted to the envy of his sister, Miriam, and his brother, Aaron? They had used his marriage to a Cushite woman against him as a pretext for their own ambitions. But instead of taking pleasure in God's punishment of Miriam, Moses interceded to the Lord on her behalf. How was he able to do this? He was "the meekest man on the face of the earth" (Numbers 12:3). Meekness is often confused with weakness or submission, but that's not really the case. St. Basil defined meekness as "patiently enduring the evils" of life. St. Alphonsus Liguori said it involved overcoming "hatred by love," and offering a "soft answer" so as to extinguish the "fire of wrath." When we are meek, we bear insults without responding in kind, and we have a disposition to forgive the offenses done to us. This is what meekness looked like in Moses: he patiently endured the evil done against him and overcame his siblings' envy with love and mercy. Surely such a response didn't come easy for Moses. This was his very own sister and brother saying these harsh things about him—and after all they had been through together! Yet Moses chose to forgive them. Each of us can probably think of a person who has offended us or who rubs us the wrong way. These are the folks whom the Lord invites us to respond to with meekness. This does not mean we submit passively to poor treatment. Instead, it requires strength—the strength of the Holy Spirit. It's a strength that grows over time as we stay close to the Lord and become so secure in his love that we don't feel the need to strike back. Perhaps that was the reason why Moses was able to respond as he did—and why he was called the meekest man on earth. Of course, we won't get it right every time. But if we ask the Holy Spirit for the grace to grow in meekness, we will eventually learn to respond to other people just as Jesus did: with patience, forbearance, and mercy. "Jesus, help me to be meek, as you are." Psalm 51:3-7, 12-13
Matthew 14:22-36 |  Listen to 2cents | my2cents:
""Now listen to the words of the LORD:
Should there be a prophet among you,
in visions will I reveal myself to him,
in dreams will I speak to him;
not so with my servant Moses!
Throughout my house he bears my trust:
face to face I speak to him;
plainly and not in riddles.
The presence of the LORD he beholds.
Why, then, did you not fear to speak against my servant Moses?"
This reproach came to Miriam and Aaron. And so the case begins, of the people of God that can turn on the priest, and it happens very often. I am sad to say, I've seen it all of my life. It doesn't matter how good or bad the priest is. It doesn't matter if he's been white or black, Filipino or Hispanic, or any nationality. And yet, God Himself said Moses was the most meek. And to this day, our Mother in Heaven says Jesus is the most meek and humble in Heaven. How does this happen? Firstly, it is a gift. Secondly, it is a gift we are to strive for. Thirdly, only through this gift, is there true mercy, humility, a true turning to our Lord. | We pray today:
"A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not off from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned."
And so, Miriam is turned into a snow white leper. For raising against her own prophet, priest, and brother, she is left in God's wrath of just punishment when facing Him. And the leprosy can be seen through modernist eyes as an evil from God. But if you look at it through justice, you see it is a gift from God. That we may turn from our evil ways, repent, and become meek, like Moses. That we may believe in Him. That we may see Who He really is. | In the Holy Gospel we hear:
"During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them, walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
"It is a ghost," they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."
Peter said to him in reply,
"Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."
He said, "Come." | Pause right there. Peter is about to take a step out into the stormy and dark sea. This is a grown man, and a fisherman at that. These men should not have been afraid of anything, as if this were their first time. But it was their first time to see what they saw...a figure walking on water, in the middle of a storm. Jesus speaks: Take courage. It is I. Do NOT be afraid.
Yet they doubted. How terrible, right?
I'm thinking about writing a book, about my experiences with Christ our Lord. As a matter of fact, upon meditating this morning, before writing, I wrote a book note to myself that said: "He never spoke to me...but what I saw and knew, spoke to me."
And I kept reading some past notes that said: "No one sees God and lives... they used to say. Yet God appeared. Jesus. And instead of dying, we get to live. "
And another note that said: "What difference does it make to see Him? If he walked into your room right now, and left, do you believe your life would change? It may change...some. We won't be instantly perfect, but a driving force begins in your life."
So what if you saw the Holy Ghost today?
What would your reaction be? You saw God! Now what?
Only the meek are capable of seeing God and following Him.
So, Peter, Saint Peter, our first Pope, dares to ask our Lord if He can step out on the stormy water with Him. What a crazy question! If it is really You, call me to You! Yet it happens. He walks on water! But then, he doubts it.
"But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him,
and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
"Truly, you are the Son of God."
And so, I turn to you.
Are you afraid right now? Are you afraid to come to Jesus?
I believe many are afraid, and this is what I mean: you will have to step out of your comfort zone for Jesus to catch you.
He knew Peter would fall, our first pope would fail, but that only means Jesus will step in and catch him. And this speaks volumes for the Holy Church today. Many are hating on the pope, and you name the one of many reasons for people to raise up against our Moses, our priest. It can be for being too liberal, some say too conservative, some say for not doing anything at all. And it is the case of the ages, that began with Aaron and Miriam. People think they know better and do not act on faith anymore. People doubt, and they sink. For God's wrath is unleashed. And then, Moses, asks for mercy, the priest always asks for mercy, so that we may be merciful as well.
And the priest stands in the place of Christ in these moments.
That we may repent, and that we may be saved.
Only then do miracles begin to happen.
Miracle of grace. Let us pray.
Lord, How very often I'm afraid in the boat. Afraid to take to Your invitation to "Come".
I'm afraid of the storm, yet You say "come".
I'm afraid of the wind, yet You stand in the wind saying "Come!"
I'm afraid I can't swim good, yet You say "Come to Me".
I'm afraid of losing my life! Yet You invite me to "Come" for I must lose it, in order to gain true life.
Please Lord, may we walk to You in complete surrender, and in doing so...live the life of unwavering faith amidst all trials and tribulations this life is generated to provide, for this great gift ...faith, hope, and trust". amen. | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse from online generator: Philippians 2:13
13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
