†Saint Quote
"Accustom yourself continually to make many acts of love, for they enkindle and melt the soul."
— St. Teresa of Avila †MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"I realize as never before that the Lord is gentle and merciful; He did not send me this heavy cross until I could bear it. If He had sent it before, I am certain that it would have discouraged me . . . I desire nothing at all now except to love until I die of love. I am free, I am not afraid of anything, not even of what I used to dread most of all . . . a long illness which would make me a burden to the community. I am perfectly content to go on suffering in body and soul for years, if that would please God. I am not in the least afraid of living for a long time; I am ready to go on fighting."
— St. Therese of Lisieux, p. 122
AN EXCERPT FROM
The Story of a Soul †VERSE OF THE DAY
"For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.The last enemy to be destroyed is death."
1 Corinthians 15:21-26 |  click to read more | | ST. FIACRE St. Fiacre (d. 670 A.D.) was born in Ireland and was raised from childhood in an Irish monastery. There he grew in knowledge as well as holiness, and became a priest. He retired to a hermitage to live in prayer and solitude, but men began to flock to him to imitate his way of life and become his disciples. To escape them, Fiacre left Ireland to establish a new hermitage in France. He went to the bishop and asked for land to plant a garden to grow food as well as herbs for medicinal healing, a science which he studied in the monastery. The bishop agreed to give Fiacre as much land as he could entrench. Fiacre picked a plot of land and walked around its perimeter, dragging his shovel behind him. Wherever his spade touched the ground, the land was miraculously cleared and the soil became entrenched. St. Fiacre lived a life of great mortification in prayer, fasting, vigils, and manual labor in his garden. Disciples gathered around him again, and soon formed a monastery. St. Fiacre then built an oratory in honor of the Virgin Mary, a hospice in which he received strangers, and a cell for his own dwelling. His fame for performing miracles became widespread, and his garden became a place of pilgrimage for centuries for those seeking healing. St. Fiacre is best known as the patron of gardeners, florists, and cab drivers. His feast day is August 30th. | Monday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 431
Reading I 1 Thes 4:13-18 We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,
about those who have fallen asleep,
so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose,
so too will God, through Jesus,
bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord,
that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord,
will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself, with a word of command,
with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God,
will come down from heaven,
and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive, who are left,
will be caught up together with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air.
Thus we shall always be with the Lord.
Therefore, console one another with these words. Responsorial Psalm 96:1 and 3, 4-5, 11-12, 13 R. (13b) The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
For great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
awesome is he, beyond all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are things of nought,
but the LORD made the heavens.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Before the LORD, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth. Alleluia See Lk 4:18 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me;
he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 4:16-30 Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. Rolling up the scroll,
he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
"Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."
And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
They also asked, "Is this not the son of Joseph?"
He said to them, "Surely you will quote me this proverb,
'Physician, cure yourself,' and say, 'Do here in your native place
the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.'"
And he said,
"Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you,
there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah
when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian."
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong.
But he passed through the midst of them and went away. | Daily Meditation: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Console one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:18) What does it mean when the Bible refers to death as "sleep"? We see it in today's first reading as well as in other parts of the Bible. For example, Daniel 12:2 refers to the dead as "those who sleep in the dust of the earth," and before he raised him from the dead, Jesus referred to Lazarus as "asleep" (John 11:11). We often use "sleep" as a comforting metaphor for death, and that's understandable. Death is scary. Most of us spend the better part of our lives trying to avoid it. Sleeping, on the other hand, is not scary. It's easier to relate to, and it gives the impression that death is temporary. But "sleep" is more than just a peaceful metaphor. Deep down, we all sense that we were made for more than this life. We all sense that something—or better yet, Someone—awaits us on the other side. And that sense is right. Jesus told us over and over that we should trust him and not be afraid—and nowhere is that more appropriate than when we think about death. God has promised that we will someday "wake up" to be with him forever. Jesus said it best when he said that his Father "is not God of the dead but of the living" (Mark 12:27). He promised that even when we sleep in death, we are alive in God. That can happen, he taught, because his salvation opens the door for us to live forever—and to be fully united with him, with all the saints, and with our loved ones who have walked the path ahead of us. This gives death new meaning. It is no longer a "hard stop" to life that we should fear; it's a gateway to a new and even better life. The happiness we will experience in heaven will far surpass any of our greatest joys here on earth. That's why Paul's words today aren't gloomy—they're uplifting! So let Jesus lessen whatever fears you may have about death. Ask him instead to fill you with a greater sense of hope and expectation for that day when you awake to new life with him! "Jesus, thank you for opening the gates of heaven for me and my loved ones!" Psalm 96:1, 3-5, 11-13
Luke 4:16-30 |  Listen to 2cents | From Saint Paul:
"For if we believe that Jesus died and rose,
so too will God, through Jesus,
bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord,
that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord,
will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep."
And this perhaps is where the protestant ideas, the "left behind" series comes from. But it says that those who are "alive" are with Him. It is not about a "rapture" but about being caught with Him, with our lights on, oil in the lamps, it is all about being prepared right here and right now for the coming of our Lord, and blessed is He (and She) who is found ready as giving fruit for His Kingdom. | We pray in the Holy Psalms:
"Before the LORD, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy. The Lord comes to judge the earth." And when is the second coming, that we should get ready for it...then? Right? Because we are procrastinators (for the most part) most people in the world will wait till the last minute, and give their fate to chance. But most will not get a chance at fate. So what are we to do now?
We are to live as this being the day we are being called! For that we are! If He called you, say "Yes Lord, Your servant is listening!". | Our Lord speaks in the Holy Gospel of Luke:
"Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."
And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
They also asked, "Is this not the son of Joseph?"
He said to them, "Surely you will quote me this proverb,
'Physician, cure yourself,' and say, 'Do here in your native place
the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.'"
And he said,
"Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place."
And the rest of the Gospel winds up with a revolt, all "His" people charge at Him "
"They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong.
But he passed through the midst of them and went away."
Can you imagine our Lord being pushed around?
Well, He was.
✔So who do we think we are when people push us around?
✔How does that make us feel?
✔What are we to do when we are being pushed to the brink of death?
Our Lord tells those that a "house divided against itself cannot stand".
We are to take Him at His every last word.
We cannot be a divided household. A divided Church. A divided Nation.
First comes God. First comes love. This means someone has to lose their life...to find it.
And so we have our Lord proving it on the cross both now and forever as an eternal sign and giving.
And where are the thankful souls now? Do we not remember what God desires? Let's Pray:
Lord, my Father in Heaven,
You are my desire, You are the center of my life,
all my being must bless Your soul, and I must sing a new song unto Thee with my whole heart, my whole being.
Teach us to love, to make reparations, to fast, to hold and to love what You cherish and desire. Do not let us lose sight of the very truth that we push out of our lives... You My Precious, innocent, and benevolent Lord of Heaven. You have stricken me with a laceration that calls to mind the bitter affliction of a unifying pact that can not ever be broken. You have bound Yourself to Me, a sinner, and imperfect man, that has been driven to the brow of the hill of a city built on a mountain, driving the truth out of my life, and the truth escapes me, so I live another day, to seek Ye My Lord, with a more righteous heart, afflicted by my own bitter remorse, now desiring more truthfully the Heart of God, and precious blood that pours endlessly in the light realms that pierces the clouds...and my soul. | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: WOW
1 John 2:4–6 4 Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
