†Saint Quote
""Let us make up for lost time. Let us give to God the time that remains to us."
— St. Alphonsus Liguori † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"What are we to say of the charity and compassion of the Blessed Virgin, who for nine months bore, and still carries in her heart, the only Son of God, the uncreated charity which knows no bounds? If, as often as we approach a fire, we are affected by its heat, have we not reason to believe that whoever approaches the heart of the Mother of Mercies, ever burning with her most ardent charity, must be profoundly affected in proportion to the frequency of his petitions, the humility and confidence in his heart?"
— Dom Lorenzo Scupoli, p.151
AN EXCERPT FROM
Spiritual Combat † VERSE OF THE DAY
"I, then, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace."
Ephesians 4:1-3 |  click to read more | | ST. WENCESLAUS St. Wenceslaus (907–935 A.D.) was the son of the Duke of Bohemia. His grandfather was converted to Christianity by the missionaries Sts. Cyril and Methodius. His mother, Dragomir, was the daughter of a pagan tribal chief who was baptized at her marriage. After the death of his father, Wenceslaus received a Christian upbringing from his grandmother, St. Ludmila, while his mother reverted to her pagan ways. Dragomir reigned as regent, had St. Ludmila killed, and worked to oppose the spread of Christianity in Bohemia. When St. Wenceslaus was 18 he took control of the government and exiled his mother. St. Wenceslaus was described as a pious, humble, and intelligent ruler who worked to established Christianity in the land that would become part of the Holy Roman Empire. He was known for his vow of virginity, his many virtues, and his life of prayer and good works. After a political dispute arose, his mother and his younger brother, called Boleslaus the Cruel, plotted his murder along with a group of disaffected nobles. Boleslaus invited his brother to celebrate the feast of Sts. Cosmas and Damian, and arranged to have him assassinated on his way to Mass. St. Wenceslaus muttered words of forgiveness as he died, and his body was buried at the murder site. His brother succeeded him as Duke of Bohemia. Three years later Boleslaus repented of his crime, and had his brother's remains transferred to the Church of St. Vitus in Prague. Wenceslaus was considered a saint by the people at the time of his death. His feast day is September 28th. | Tuesday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 456
Reading I Zec 8:20-23 Thus says the LORD of hosts:
There shall yet come peoples,
the inhabitants of many cities;
and the inhabitants of one city shall approach those of another,
and say, "Come! let us go to implore the favor of the LORD";
and, "I too will go to seek the LORD."
Many peoples and strong nations shall come
to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem
and to implore the favor of the LORD.
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
In those days ten men of every nationality,
speaking different tongues, shall take hold,
yes, take hold of every Jew by the edge of his garment and say, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you." Responsorial Psalm 87:1b-3, 4-5, 6-7 R. (Zec 8:23) God is with us.
His foundation upon the holy mountains the LORD loves:
The gates of Zion, more than any dwelling of Jacob.
Glorious things are said of you, O city of God!
R. God is with us.
I tell of Egypt and Babylon among those that know the LORD;
Of Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia: "This man was born there."
And of Zion they shall say: "One and all were born in her;
And he who has established her is the Most High LORD."
R. God is with us.
They shall note, when the peoples are enrolled: "This man was born there."
And all shall sing, in their festive dance: "My home is within you."
R. God is with us. Alleluia Mk 10:45 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Son of Man came to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 9:51-56 When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled,
he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,
and he sent messengers ahead of him.
On the way they entered a Samaritan village
to prepare for his reception there,
but they would not welcome him
because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.
When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,
"Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven
to consume them?"
Jesus turned and rebuked them,
and they journeyed to another village. | Daily Meditation: Zechariah 8:20-23 We have heard that God is with you. (Zechariah 8:23) Diane sat in her office so anxious about one of her children that it felt as if she was going to have a panic attack. She saw a coworker across the room who had shared with her about her relationship with God. If I can just get over to her, I will be okay, Diane thought. So she swallowed the sense of awkwardness rising up in her, walked over, and asked the woman if she would pray with her. Smiling warmly, the coworker agreed, and when they prayed, Diane felt an unmistakable peace and calm. That's not so different from what Zechariah describes in today's first reading. He said that in the age to come, people from all nations would stream to Jerusalem and grasp the hem of any Jew's garment, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you" (Zechariah 8:23). How can we overflow with God's presence like that? Well, first we have to be filled. So isn't it wonderful that God wants nothing more than to fill us with his grace and compassion? The filling is God's work; it's on us to come to him and receive it. And that's not as hard as it may seem. Every time you turn to the Lord, he generously pours his grace into you. When you thank him and worship him, he fills you. When you call to him in your struggles, he fills you. When you go to him for wisdom, he fills you. When you pray for healing, confess your sin, and ask his forgiveness, he fills you. In other words, you can be filled with his grace at any time and in any place when you turn your heart toward him. So how do you overflow? You don't need to come up with a checklist of ways to reach out to others. When you are filled with God, he will flow out of you. Then when you walk into a room, you bring the presence of God with you. Just by being herself, Diane's coworker brought the comfort and presence of God—because she kept coming to the Lord to be filled. The same can happen with you. So keep asking God to fill you; then expect his grace to overflow. "Here I am, Lord! Fill me so that I can be a vessel of your love and your grace!" Psalm 87:1-7
Luke 9:51-56 |  Listen to 2cents | From Today's Holy Scripture:
"Thus says the LORD of hosts:
In those days ten men of every nationality,
speaking different tongues, shall take hold,
yes, take hold of every Jew by the edge of his garment and say,
"Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."
Think how our Lord fulfills all the old testament, this book being Zechariah, written about 500 years Before Christ enters. Think about how only when our Lord passes on, He passes on the Holy Spirit, and then people of all nations in Pentecost wanted these Jews to turn them to Christ...and so thousands were baptized, and they were speaking in tongues, the Jews spoke tongues of others to give understanding, to communicate the marvels of God's words. | We pray in Psalms:
"They shall note, when the peoples are enrolled: "This man was born there."
And all shall sing, in their festive dance: "My home is within you." God is with us." | Our Lord speaks:
"When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled,
he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,
and he sent messengers ahead of him.
On the way they entered a Samaritan village
to prepare for his reception there,
but they would not welcome him
because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.
When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,
"Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven
to consume them?"
Jesus turned and rebuked them,
and they journeyed to another village." | We are on our journey, with our Lord, in Holy Scriptures daily. We are re-living the moment, much like we always re-live the moment in Holy Mass. At this moment, we hear about some Samaritans that refused to be hospitable to our Lord on His confrontational journey to Jerusalem. For many reasons they rejected Him. They didn't want any trouble. They didn't want any association with Him if things went down wrong. They had really no vested interest. And all this, even though He has accomplished tremendous things with the Samaritan woman, and the Samaritan lepers, but the story of the lepers proves His point. He healed 10, and only one was grateful, and mindful of who He really was. And God had said in the old testament that for the sake of 10 righteous He would not destroy the whole city.
And so our Lord was right to rebuke the disciples, and perhaps He sternly said "Do you not remember? I said I DESIRE MERCY not sacrifice" and "...Let us now shake the dust off our feet from their village and press forward".
And you? Can you shake it off and press forward?
What is holding you up? Do you too desire revenge? Do you too feel hurt? Do you too wish to punish them? Have people rejected you to your face? Have you stuck your neck out for the Lord like that? Are you indignant?
I write to encourage you. I face rejection many times. I just had a new choir director sign up to take over the Spanish Masses for me, and 2 weeks later he quit. The fellow Spanish crew he gathered were upset, and were riling up asking if they should ask him to quit before he quit. I said in a text "Forgive seventy times seven". That new director, He is going through a tough spiritual time, (hard to make it to Mass). Shall I nail the coffin shut for him...or shall I open up the way to Heaven for him? And to boot, this is an actual battle, and he is a fellow soldier...wounded and down, shall I put the final bullet to him? NO! We shall heal him. We shall raise each other up! Shall I be offended? No! Shall I be indignant? NO! Shall I be merciless? Of course not.
Now think of those who insult you, once or daily. Shall you be indignant? NO? Shall you raise your arm up against them? NO! I remember so often getting insults from pro-abortion people, and lately I've seen the same coming from pro-homosexual people. Insults, accusations, and violence. When I used to pray at the abortion places, you could experience evil first hand. We prayed on, and we pleaded with mercy. Many babies were saved, proof came a few times when a new mother came by to say thank you for helping them choose life. They were literally saved from the clutches of hell.
Your job is to be merciful. Your job is to be compassionate. Your job is to be understanding. Your job is to be humble. Your job is to be resolute and face things head on. Your job is to be strong to be humble, for it is much more strength to be humble and to do so, takes on much faith. Let's pray:
Lord Father Jesus,
Send us Your Holy Spirit to be strong in our faith, to be resolute, to be mercy, to be fixed on obedience to God's will, and to serve the world the truth from the Cross...true love, You Dear Lord Jesus! | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: Romans 10 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
