†Saint Quote
"You must ask God to give you power to fight against the sin of pride which is your greatest enemy—the root of all that is evil, and the failure of all that is good. For God resists the proud."
— St. Vincent de Paul † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Christ is the second person of the Blessed Trinity, true God and true man, eternally united with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Just as there can be no separation within Christ's human nature, so there can be none within His divine nature. Just as we cannot separate Christ's body from His blood, or His soul from His body and blood, so we cannot separate Christ from the other persons in the Trinity. Time after time, we hear the priest pray to the Father at the end of the opening prayer of the Mass: We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever."
— Vinney Flynn, p. 25
AN EXCERPT FROM
7 Secrets of the Eucharist † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation?"
Hebrews 1:14 |  click to read more | | ST. CASSIAN OF IMOLA St. Cassian of Imola (4th c.) was the Bishop of Brescia near Milan, Italy. When a wave of persecution erupted under the Roman Emperor, Cassian fled to Imola, Italy, where he found work as a schoolmaster teaching children how to read and write. He was a disciplined and effective educator. In addition to instructing his students in the Christian faith, he also taught them a form of shorthand that allowed them to write as fast as they could speak. A city official discovered that Cassian was a Christian and denounced him to the government authorities. Cassian was arrested and ordered to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, which he refused. As punishment the local judge ordered that he be stripped, bound, and tied to a stake. He was then turned over to his pagan students, numbering about 200, to be tortured to death. His students used their iron styli (writing instruments) to mercilessly carve into his skin and slowly stab him to death. St. Cassian died from the many wounds inflicted all over his body. St. Cassian of Imola is the patron saint of students, school teachers, shorthand writers, court reporters, stenographers, and parish clerks. His feast day is August 13th. | Reading I Jos 24:1-13 Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem,
summoning their elders, their leaders,
their judges and their officers.
When they stood in ranks before God, Joshua addressed all the people:
"Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel:
In times past your fathers, down to Terah,
father of Abraham and Nahor,
dwelt beyond the River and served other gods.
But I brought your father Abraham from the region beyond the River
and led him through the entire land of Canaan.
I made his descendants numerous, and gave him Isaac.
To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau.
To Esau I assigned the mountain region of Seir in which to settle,
while Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. "Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and smote Egypt with the prodigies
which I wrought in her midst.
Afterward I led you out of Egypt, and when you reached the sea,
the Egyptians pursued your fathers to the Red Sea
with chariots and horsemen.
Because they cried out to the LORD,
he put darkness between your people and the Egyptians,
upon whom he brought the sea so that it engulfed them.
After you witnessed what I did to Egypt,
and dwelt a long time in the desert,
I brought you into the land of the Amorites
who lived east of the Jordan.
They fought against you, but I delivered them into your power.
You took possession of their land, and I destroyed them,
the two kings of the Amorites, before you.
Then Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab,
prepared to war against Israel.
He summoned Balaam, son of Beor, to curse you;
but I would not listen to Balaam.
On the contrary, he had to bless you, and I saved you from him.
Once you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho,
the men of Jericho fought against you,
but I delivered them also into your power.
And I sent the hornets ahead of you that drove them
(the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites,
Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites)
out of your way; it was not your sword or your bow. "I gave you a land that you had not tilled
and cities that you had not built, to dwell in;
you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves
which you did not plant." Responsorial Psalm 136:1-3, 16-18, 21-22 and 24 R. His mercy endures forever.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever;
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his mercy endures forever;
Give thanks to the LORD of lords,
for his mercy endures forever.
R. His mercy endures forever.
Who led his people through the wilderness,
for his mercy endures forever;
Who smote great kings,
for his mercy endures forever;
And slew powerful kings,
for his mercy endures forever.
R. His mercy endures forever.
And made their land a heritage,
for his mercy endures forever;
The heritage of Israel his servant,
for his mercy endures forever;
And freed us from our foes,
for his mercy endures forever.
R. His mercy endures forever. Alleluia See 1 Thes 2:13 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Receive the word of god, not as the word of men,
but, as it truly is, the word of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 19:3-12 Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?"
He said in reply, "Have you not read that from the beginning
the Creator made them male and female and said,
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?
So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate."
They said to him, "Then why did Moses command
that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?"
He said to them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts
Moses allowed you to divorce your wives,
but from the beginning it was not so.
I say to you, whoever divorces his wife
(unless the marriage is unlawful)
and marries another commits adultery."
His disciples said to him,
"If that is the case of a man with his wife,
it is better not to marry."
He answered, "Not all can accept this word,
but only those to whom that is granted.
Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so;
some, because they were made so by others;
some, because they have renounced marriage
for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever can accept this ought to accept it." | DAILY MEDITATION: MATTHEW 19:3-12 A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. (Matthew 19:5) In today's Gospel, Jesus speaks about the mystery and grace of a sacramental marriage in which a man and a woman "become one flesh" (Matthew 19:5). It's a gift that God gave to us "from the beginning" (19:4, 8). Yet we have all known the tragedy and heartbreak of divorce, whether we've seen it in our own family or among friends or perhaps even experienced it ourselves. Because of the effects of sin in the world, relationships—including marriages—sometimes fail. But God never fails us. If you have been through a divorce or if you are in a difficult marriage, the Lord wants you to know how much he cares for you and your situation. He wants you to experience his compassion, his encouragement, and most of all, his healing love. Know that he has not left you alone to untangle any sense of failure you might have. He is walking with you and longs to help you heal from the wounds left by a broken relationship or betrayal or abuse. He longs to free you from worrying about what other people think of you. God is always by your side. He will never abandon you. If you're not going through a divorce or experiencing difficulties in your marriage but know someone who is, try to reach out to that person. As a brother or sister in Christ, you can radiate the love and mercy of Jesus as you accompany that person through their trials. Try to give them a listening ear without being judgmental of them or their spouse. You might also want to encourage that person to meet with their pastor for help and advice. If they are already divorced, a wise and compassionate priest can be a source of healing and can guide them if they want to seek an annulment. Today, let's pray for all who are in pain over a divorce or broken relationship. They are our brothers and sisters in Christ, and God loves them deeply. Let's also lift up all married couples. May the Lord be with them and sustain them through all the ups and downs of life. "Lord, help all who are facing marital challenges. May they experience your comfort, your presence, and your wisdom." Joshua 24:1-13
Psalm 136:1-3, 16-18, 21-22, 24 |  Listen to 2cents | | From Bishop Barron today:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus teaches about the sanctity and permanence of marriage. Now we begin to see why the love of a husband and wife is a sacrament of God's love. The Father and the Son—while remaining distinct—give themselves utterly to each other, and this mutual giving is the Holy Spirit. So when two people come together in love and form one flesh, they mimic the love between the Father and the Son. And when their love gives rise to a child, this mimics sacramentally the spiration of the Holy Spirit. Father, mother, and children are evocative of the divine Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And this is why Jesus speaks so forcefully about marriage, and why his Church, at its best, has echoed him up and down the centuries. It is because marriage is such a sacred sign that the Church has sought so assiduously to protect it. I know that the Church gets a bad rap for surrounding marriage and sexuality with so many rules. I realize that libertarians through the ages have fought against the supposed uptight moralism of the Church. But human beings always surround precious things with laws, restrictions, and prohibitions." | Some give up marriage for the sake of God's Kingdom.
These are the religious and priests, those who devote themselves entirely for God Himself.
Us married and non married can still live devoted...bringing our families to God in total devotion too, we are living the calling to true devotion to true Love! | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: Isaiah 52:7
7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns." | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
