†Saint Quote
"The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for what He is sending us every day in His goodness."
— St. Gianna Molla † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Above all, it is necessary to ask of God every morning the gift of perseverance, and to beg of the Blessed Virgin to obtain it for you, and particularly in the time of temptation, by invoking the name of Jesus and Mary as long as the temptation lasts. Happy the man who will continue to act in this manner, and shall be found so doing when Jesus Christ shall come to judge him. 'Blessed is that servant, whom, when his Lord shall come, he shall find so doing' (Matt. 24:46)."
— St. Alphonsus De Liguori, p. 167
AN EXCERPT FROM
The Sermons of St. Alphonsus Liguori †VERSE OF THE DAY
"For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God."
1 Peter 3:17-18a |  click to read more | | ST. ISAAC JOGUES St. Isaac Jogues (1607–1646) was born in France to a middle-class family, and at the age of 17 entered a Jesuit seminary where he displayed a talent for writing and teaching. He was ordained in January of 1636 at the age of 29, and three months later was sent as a missionary priest to the rugged wilderness of New France (now Canada) to work among the Huron and Algonquin Native American tribes. Despite the hardship of life in the wilderness, Isaac experienced great spiritual joy in his mission. One day, six years into his work, he was captured by a Mohawk-Iroquois war party. He was enslaved and ritually tortured, in addition to being malnourished and inadequately clothed. His hands were severely mutilated and many of his fingers destroyed, which prevented his ability to say Mass. He continued to preach the faith and was named Ondessonk, "the indomitable one," by his Mohawk captors. After over a year in captivity he escaped with the help of Dutch settlers. He went back to France where he was honored as a "living martyr." He obtained special permission from the pope to say Mass with his mutilated hands. Instead of continuing his life in peace, St. Isaac was zealous to return to his mission field. He returned to New France, and by that time a peace treaty was arranged between the warring native tribes allowing him to work among the Mohawks. However, when they suffered a crisis of crop failure and epidemic disease, the Mohawks blamed the Christians for sorcery and attacked the settlers. St. Isaac Jogues died after being tomahawked in the head, and his body was thrown into the Mohawk River. He is the patron of the Americas and Canada. Isaac Jogues earned the name "Apostle of the Mohawks" for his work. New York state's first Catholic baptismal record was due to his priestly ministry. He and his companions were the first martyrs of the North American continent officially recognized by the Church. His feast day is October 19th. | Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs Lectionary: 474
Reading I Rom 5:12, 15b, 17-19, 20b-21 Brothers and sisters:
Through one man sin entered the world,
and through sin, death,
and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned. If by that one person's transgression the many died,
how much more did the grace of God
and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ
overflow for the many.
For if, by the transgression of the one,
death came to reign through that one,
how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace
and the gift of justification
come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.
In conclusion, just as through one transgression
condemnation came upon all,
so, through one righteous act
acquittal and life came to all.
For just as through the disobedience of one man
the many were made sinners,
so, through the obedience of the one
the many will be made righteous.
Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more,
so that, as sin reigned in death,
grace also might reign through justification
for eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Responsorial Psalm 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17 R. (8a and 9a) Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sinofferings you sought not; then said I, "Behold I come."
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
"In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart!"
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly; I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
May all who seek you exult and be glad in you,
And may those who love your salvation say ever, "The LORD be glorified."
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will. Alleluia Lk 21:36 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Be vigilant at all times and pray
that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 12:35-38 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master's return from a wedding,
ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch
and find them prepared in this way,
blessed are those servants." | Daily Meditation: Romans 5:12, 15, 17-21 How much more . . . ? (Romans 5:15) It sounds pretty grim: Paul tells us that because of our first parents' fall from grace, sin and death have now entered the world. Not only that, but every person born into this world is infected with sin. As Paul said earlier in this letter, "All have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). It's easy to see the results of sin in our world in the cumulative effect of individuals turning away from God. But that's not the end of the story. Because if that seems like a lot of sin, just think how much more grace God has poured out on each and every human being in Christ Jesus. How much more? Enough grace to forgive even the most hardened criminal. Enough grace to heal broken relationships that seem beyond repair. Enough grace to woo us and turn our hearts back to God when we've turned away. Enough grace to help each one of us with our most stubborn patterns of sin. How much more? Let's be more specific. Enough grace to overcome your frustration with your bossy brother. Enough to help you see the pain behind your spouse's anger. Enough to begin to dissolve the negative way you look at people you've labeled as "other." Enough to enable you to turn your attention away from social media and toward your needy neighbor. The truth is, no sin is beyond God's grace to forgive. But even more, there's no end to the new life of grace that Jesus wants to cultivate in you. It's a life that looks like his own: generous, humble, considerate, courageous, holy. Of course, we have to cooperate with him, but the sheer amount of grace he has given us in the first place is breathtaking. As St. Paul says, "Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more" (Romans 5:20). That grace has brought us eternal life through Jesus, and it's available to you today. So the next time you're feeling painfully aware of the sin in the world, remember how much more God's grace has been poured out on the world, and each person in it. That includes you! "Lord, help me to trust in your grace to overcome sin and to give me new life!" Psalm 40:7-10, 17
Luke 12:35-38 |  Listen to 2cents | From Today's Holy Scripture:
"For if, by the transgression of the one,
death came to reign through that one,
how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace
and the gift of justification
come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ." One act of disobedience began a train wreck. One little sin can make damnation begin. One little doubt, one inlet. It is said that in Heaven, the smallest of sins on earth, is the biggest in Heaven.
And so a return (a call to Himself, and all things righteousness) was made so great, that it cost God His only Son. God from God. Father from Father. | We pray in Psalms:
"Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me. Burnt offerings or sinofferings you sought not; then said I, "Behold I come." Many decide to go to church. Man decide to come to Him. And even among those who decide to come...are still not on the note of total righteousness. Like the Pharisees, they sacrificed...but God desired something more, the purpose of sacrifice...mercy. Mercy from YOU. | Our Lord speaks, the TRUTH speaks:
""Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master's return from a wedding,
ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks." The message: Be Ready.
Last night, I was leading a funeral vigil, a rosary. In the end I gave my 2 cents. I said for all to be ready. A couple months ago, I said, "I was here praying a vigil for another family, and the following week was back again for the same family, another death immediately...we do not know the time, nor the hour, when our Lord will knock".
Is death the only knocking our Lord does to call us to attention, to duty, to do the works that His Mind over the Body desires?
He calls. That's the first knock. He is calling right now. | Our Lord said:
"Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch
and find them prepared in this way,
blessed are those servants." Did our Lord already come? Yes.
Did the Lord find some vigilant? Yes.
Did He have them recline and gird Himself and began to serve them? Yes.
Is He going to do it again? Yes.
What speaks to me though, is the preparation, feeding, serving, it is for us to go forth. The Disciples were served, and they were called to the mission of Jesus Christ, that is Jesus Savior. That is our call to duty. He is calling now. Your duty is allegiance to God...the love of God. And what a call! Let's pray:
Lord, I know You are calling. You are calling me to a deeper and more sincere love and relationship with Thee.
You are calling for more sacrifice than ever before...of things I love. To love myself less, and love Thee more.
I pray that our world proves a greater love for Thee. As Thou has taught us...on earth...as it is in Heaven. Let the return to righteousness begin here and now...in me, in my heart...In Thy Precious Body. Amen. | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: Matthew 5:43–45 Love Your Enemies 43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
