.: 09/10/21

Friday, September 10, 2021

† " .How can you say to your. . ."

†Saint Quote
"Heaven could not span its Creator, but the faithful soul, and only it, becomes its dwelling place and seat, and it becomes so in virtue of charity of which the impious lack."
— St. Clare of Assisi

† MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"In contemplating a beautiful work of creation consider that, in itself, it is nothing. Let your thoughts soar to the great Hand that produced it; place all your delight in Him saying: "O my God! Sole Object of my desires! Universal Source of all good things! How delightful it is to consider that the perfections of creatures are but a faint image of Thy glory!" When you behold the verdant trees or plants and the beauty of flowers, remember that they possess life only through the will of that Divine Wisdom that, unseen by all, gives life to all things. Say to Him: "O Living God! O Sovereign Life! Thou delight of my soul! From Thee, in Thee and through Thee all things on earth live and flourish!" The sight of animals should lift your mind and heart to the Author of sensibility and motion. Say with respect and love: "Great God, Unmoved Mover of all things, how I rejoice when I consider the eternity of Thy existence, incapable of the slightest change!" When the beauty of mankind impresses you, you should immediately distinguish what is apparent to the eye from what is seen only by the mind. You must remember that all corporeal beauty flows from an invisible principle, the uncreated beauty of God. You must discern in this an almost imperceptible drop issuing from an endless source, an immense ocean from which numberless perfections continually flow. How my soul is ravished when I consider that Eternal Beauty, the Source of every beautiful thing!"
— Dom Lorenzo Scupoli, p.68
AN EXCERPT FROM
Spiritual Combat

† VERSE OF THE DAY
"Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him."
John 14:21

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St. Ambrose Edward Barlow (1585-1641) was born near Manchester, England, to a noble family. He was baptized Catholic at his birth, but was raised Protestant when Catholicism was outlawed by the reigning monarchy. His grandfather died while imprisoned for his Catholic faith, and his father had two-thirds of his estate confiscated for refusal to conform to the Church of England. Ambrose returned to Catholicism as an adult, recognized his vocation to the priesthood, and traveled to France to enter seminary. He was ordained in 1617 in the Order of St. Benedict. He returned to England to minister to underground Catholics in his native south Lancashire for 24 years, being financially supported with a pension arranged by his grandmother. Ambrose said Mass daily and administered the sacraments secretly to avoid detection by the authorities. He was arrested four times during his priesthood, each time being released without charge. When the king issued a decree that all Catholic priests should immediately flee the country or be arrested and condemned as traitors, St. Ambrose chose to stay, reasoning that he could not die a better death than to be martyred for being a Catholic priest. On April 25, 1631, just as he ended Easter Sunday Mass at Morley Hall near Manchester, he was arrested by a 400-strong armed mob led by the local Anglican vicar. He freely admitted to the charge of being a Catholic priest, and gave a defense of the true faith before his judge. He was sentenced to be hanged, drawn, quartered, and boiled in oil on September 10, 1641. His dead body was publicly displayed on a pike as a warning to other Catholic priests. St. Ambrose Edward Barlow is one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. His feast day is September 10th.

Friday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 441
Reading I

1 Tm 1:1-2, 12-14

Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our savior
and of Christ Jesus our hope,
to Timothy, my true child in faith:
grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord.

I am grateful to him who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord,
because he considered me trustworthy
in appointing me to the ministry.
I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and an arrogant man,
but I have been mercifully treated
because I acted out of ignorance in my unbelief.
Indeed, the grace of our Lord has been abundant,
along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

Responsorial Psalm

16:1b-2a and 5, 7-8, 11

R. (see 5) You are my inheritance, O Lord.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;

I say to the LORD, "My Lord are you."
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,

you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;

even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;

with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
You will show me the path to life,

fullness of joys in your presence,

the delights at your right hand forever.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.

Alleluia

See Jn 17:17b, 17a

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your word, O Lord, is truth;
consecrate us in the truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Lk 6:39-42

Jesus told his disciples a parable:
"Can a blind person guide a blind person?
Will not both fall into a pit?
No disciple is superior to the teacher;
but when fully trained,
every disciple will be like his teacher.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?
How can you say to your brother,
'Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,'
when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye?
You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter in your brother's eye."

Daily Meditation: Luke 6:39-42

Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? (Luke 6:41)

Having read this verse, are you tempted to check the mirror for your own "wooden beam"? We all have one—or maybe two or three. Maybe it's bitterness, resentment, or a grudge. Maybe it's a critical spirit or a natural bent toward negativity. No matter what it is, it's weighty. And Jesus says that if we don't recognize that plank in our own eye, we really shouldn't try to remove the "splinter" in someone else's eye.

Why? Because Jesus wants us to be able to bless each other, but it's hard to do that when our vision is obstructed by our sin—or by a lack of awareness of our sin. And so he tells us to remove whatever may be getting in our way.

That might seem impossible at times. But the Holy Spirit, who knows you through and through, can help you remove your wooden beams, even if they seem especially heavy. Sometimes he will bring those beams into sharp relief during your day. Or he might help you recognize some negative tendency in the way you relate to people and give you clarity on where you need his help to change.

So if you notice times that you're being overly critical or impatient, take it to the Lord. Ask the Spirit to help you remove that beam as you sit quietly in prayer. Listen for thoughts that help you understand why you might be thinking or acting that way. Jot down those thoughts and ask the Spirit to help you correct them. Maybe discuss them with a trusted friend or even bring them to Confession. Do whatever you think will help you remove that wooden beam.

If God shows you a beam, he will help you to remove it in the most encouraging way possible. And that's how he wants you to respond when you see a splinter in another person's eye. A heart that wants to help others is a blessing from the Lord, but it comes with responsibility: to see as he sees and to love as he loves.

"Holy Spirit, remove the beam in my eye today so that I might build up the body of Christ."

1 Timothy 1:1-2, 12-14
Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 11

Listen to 2cents

From St. Paul:
"I am grateful to him who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord,
because he considered me trustworthy
in appointing me to the ministry."

You are being invited. You are being invited to strength. I hope my words of encouragement make for you to step forward. You are being invited to Him. You are being invited to a more intimate union with Him. What else could be better? God first, Love first.

We pray today in the Psalms:
"You will show me the path to life,

fullness of joys in your presence,

the delights at your right hand forever.
You are my inheritance, O Lord."

Show me the path to life. And life eternal. Salvation for one is good, but the salvation of the rest? That is better, together. For this guidance, this path, we must turn to our Lord.

Our Lord speaks:
"Can a blind person guide a blind person?
Will not both fall into a pit?"

And this sets up the whole ordeal of truth, in this life and into the next. There are blind people leading the blind. St. Paul as great as He is now, used to be blind! And God made him literally blind to see! To see the truth. Have you been blinded? Do you think you are blinded by other ideologies? It is possible to fail to see the truth...Jesus our Lord Himself. Do you think you are so right? Have you ever thought you were so right, and then found out you were so wrong? It happens. It happens to me, more than I'd like to admit.
Open mouth, insert foot! I always have to step back and say "you're right". And guess what happens? That's how you win them over! Humility pays! And what happens after that...for good or for worse...it is in our Lord's hands.

Our Lord continues:
"Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?"
Boy, the truth speaks, right? How easy it is to spot a splinter a mile away from other's eyes. Their flaws, their failings, their sins.
But how hard is it to spot my own flaws, my failings, and my sins?
It's easier to spot them if you allow someone else to spot them, someone trustworthy and godly preferably, but even the devil can yell out your flaws to your face. On the first point, a true friend will tell you the truth about you. A true friend will help you. By now, if you've exhausted your earthly friendships, think of our Lord...He wants to be your best friend. The one and only to confide in. Like in spiritual direction, and if there is time, even in the confessional.
This will only happen to someone trying to be true, and a true repentant soul. Someone trying to be meek, and humble, and perfect...in and with the Lord our Savior, Christ our Lord, King of the world.
Our Lord continues:
"You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter in your brother's eye."
So do not even try to remove the other people's splinter?

Our Lord will allow us to remove a splinter, only after we remove our own. Otherwise, you may cause more harm than good.
Can you imagine saying "let me help you" and then they become someone that follows you, a blind fool?

NO! That is not at all the purpose of helping another. The purpose is to turn them to the Lord.
Remember...it is not about me, but Christ Jesus, King and Savior, their best friend to be...like the husband to be, the groom, seeking to dwell in the pure souls for Him.

Let us pray:
Lord, I am a hypocrite. I pray to remove the log from my own eye. If I truly am to help someone with a splinter, I first need to see clearly. They may not even have a splinter but my massive log causing me to see splinters in all others! Please Lord, I want to see with Your eyes. I want to love with YOUR heart. I want people to see YOU not me. And they will, once I am given grace to be solely and soul-fully YOURS!

from your brother in Christ,
Adrian