†Saint Quote
"A friend is more to be longed for than the light; I speak of a genuine one. And wonder not: for it were better for us that the sun should be extinguished, than that we should be deprived of friends; better to live in darkness, than to be without friends."
— St. John Chrysostom † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Perhaps we do not know what love is, nor does this greatly surprise me. Love does not consist in great sweetness of devotion, but in a fervent determination to strive to please God in all things, in avoiding, as far as possible, all that would offend Him, and in praying for the increase of the glory and honor of His Son and for the growth of the Catholic Church."
— St. Teresa of Avila, p. 54-5
AN EXCERPT FROM
Interior Castle † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Many are invited, but few are chosen."
Matthew 22:14 |  click to read more | | St. John Chrysostom (347-407 A.D.) was born to noble parents in Antioch, an important center of Christianity in his day. After the death of his father, his mother sent him to the best schools for his education. As a result of his philosophical studies he was convinced of the truth of Christianity, entered the Church, and became a renowned scholar and orator. He then adopted a life of extreme asceticism as a hermit and committed the whole of Sacred Scripture to memory. The brilliance of his mind combined with the holiness of his soul made him famous; he was ordained a bishop in Antioch and was later appointed to the Archbishopric of Constantinople. He was an incredible preacher, among the greatest in the history of the Church, which earned him the name 'Chrysostom' meaning, 'Golden-mouthed' or 'Golden tongued'. His sermons, which extended for up to two hours, were public marvels. His straightforward style of preaching the Scriptures and his practical homilies made him very popular. He also denounced the abuses of the ruling authority and preached against the immorality of the day, which resulted in him being exiled numerous times. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 451. St. John Chrysostom's feast day is September 13th. | Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church • Readings for the Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, bishop and doctor of the Church Reading I 1 Tm 2:1-8 Beloved:
First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers,
petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone,
for kings and for all in authority,
that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life
in all devotion and dignity.
This is good and pleasing to God our savior,
who wills everyone to be saved
and to come to knowledge of the truth. For there is one God. There is also one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as ransom for all.
This was the testimony at the proper time.
For this I was appointed preacher and Apostle
(I am speaking the truth, I am not lying),
teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray,
lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument. Responsorial Psalm 28:2, 7, 8-9 R. (6) Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my prayer.
Hear the sound of my pleading, when I cry to you, lifting up my hands toward your holy shrine.
R. Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my prayer.
The LORD is my strength and my shield.
In him my heart trusts, and I find help; then my heart exults, and with my song I give him thanks.
R. Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my prayer.
The LORD is the strength of his people, the saving refuge of his anointed.
Save your people, and bless your inheritance; feed them, and carry them forever!
R. Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my prayer. Alleluia Jn 3:16 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 7:1-10 When Jesus had finished all his words to the people,
he entered Capernaum.
A centurion there had a slave who was ill and about to die,
and he was valuable to him.
When he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him,
asking him to come and save the life of his slave.
They approached Jesus and strongly urged him to come, saying,
"He deserves to have you do this for him,
for he loves our nation and he built the synagogue for us."
And Jesus went with them,
but when he was only a short distance from the house,
the centurion sent friends to tell him,
"Lord, do not trouble yourself,
for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof.
Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you;
but say the word and let my servant be healed.
For I too am a person subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, Go, and he goes;
and to another, Come here, and he comes;
and to my slave, Do this, and he does it."
When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him
and, turning, said to the crowd following him,
"I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith."
When the messengers returned to the house,
they found the slave in good health.
| Daily Meditation: Luke 7:1-10 I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof. (Luke 7:6) This is a story about great faith. But it's also about relating to other people, and to God, with humility. Consider the relationship between the Roman centurion and his servant. Because of their differences in status and power, it would have been easy for the centurion to treat his servant with indifference, even contempt. But it appears that he cared about this man and saw him as a fellow human being deserving of respect and compassion. It takes humility to do that, and this soldier seems to have had it. Then there is the relationship between the Jewish elders and the centurion. The Jews resented most of their Roman occupiers, and relations between the two groups were often tense. But here, the Jews describe the centurion kindly, as a good man who even had a synagogue built for them. The centurion's attention toward the people's needs was probably unusual for the time—as unusual as the Jews' humble respect for him. Finally, there is the humility that the centurion shows toward Jesus. We see in his message that he understood the importance of submitting to authority. Without ever having met Jesus, he somehow grasped that the heavenly authority and power of this unassuming preacher far surpassed his own earthly influence. We tend to think of humility as something positive but not particularly fun, like eating a bland salad just because it's good for us. But the centurion's life shows us how humility can make our relationships rich, full, and pleasing to the Lord. Instead of focusing inward, on his own importance, the centurion focused outward. He reached out to help the people around him, even those of a different social status and background. And as a result, he won the respect of people who should have called him their enemy. His humble approach toward Jesus was also so genuine that Jesus was "amazed" at his faith and healed his servant on the spot (Luke 7:9). It's a lesson that when we incorporate humility into our love for God and neighbor, we too will reap blessings. "Jesus, help me to love with humility. May I never judge other people as less important than myself." 1 Timothy 2:1-8
Psalm 28:2, 7-9 |  Listen to 2cents | From St. Paul:
"First of all, I ask that supplications, prayers,
petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone,
for kings and for all in authority,
that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life
in all devotion and dignity.
This is good and pleasing to God our savior,
who wills everyone to be saved
and to come to knowledge of the truth." | We pray today in the Psalms:
"Hear the sound of my pleading, when I cry to you, lifting up my hands toward your holy shrine.
Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard my prayer." | Our Lord speaks:
"And Jesus went with them,
but when he was only a short distance from the house,
the centurion sent friends to tell him,
"Lord, do not trouble yourself,
for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof.
Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you;
but say the word and let my servant be healed.
For I too am a person subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, Go, and he goes;
and to another, Come here, and he comes;
and to my slave, Do this, and he does it."
When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him
and, turning, said to the crowd following him,
"I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith."
When the messengers returned to the house,
they found the slave in good health." | These are the words we always recite before receiving our Lord in the Holy Eucharist.
"Lord I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, but only say the word and I shall be healed".
Yesterday, I was speaking after Mass with an aunt that is in remission from Pancreatic Cancer. I asked how her health has been and she said she thanked God for being in remission, and said she had been recently hurting with a "bone in the foot" that was causing lots of pain and throbbing. After a month, of suffering, she said that on a Sunday Mass she took those words seriously "I am not worthy that you should come ...but only say the Word".... and she was healed! The pain was gone when she got home. No more suffering.
I said "you should tell your agnostic daughter, perhaps it'll help the faith". She said she was telling most but they'd dismiss it with science. And she exclaimed "it's too much of a coincidence..I prayed and it made all the difference" then I excused myself from the table and exhorted her to share her faith with my brother in law who is not going to Mass anymore...and he was listening the whole time...and I got up to do other business. Our Lord needs not enter your house today.
The Word exists.
And faith exists too.
A love relationship exists. A trust relationship.
And this is our hope...that Jesus Christ lives among us.
The Word among us. Let us pray:
Lord, I am not worthy but you make us worthy.
I am not anything, but you call me brother, and friend, mother and father.
Today, I pray for You to enter my temple of my body, and sanctify it, for the good of the whole world.
Amen. | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: Lamentations 3:22–23 " The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;1 his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
