†Saint Quote
""Many live like angels in the midst of the world. Why not you?"
— St. Josemaria Escriva †MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Many beginners, delighting in the sweetness and joy of their spiritual occupations, strive after spiritual sweetness rather than after purity and discretion, which is that which God regards and accepts in the whole course of the spiritual way. For this reason, over and above their imperfection in seeking after sweetness in devotion, that spirit of gluttony, which has taken possession of them, forces them to overstep the limits of moderation, within which virtue is acquired and consists. . . Inasmuch then as all extremes are vicious, and as in this course of conduct men follow their own will, the consequences are that they grow in vice and not in virtue; at least they minister to their spiritual gluttony and pride, for they do not walk in the way of obedience."
— St. John of the Cross, p. 26
AN EXCERPT FROM
Dark Night of the Soul †VERSE OF THE DAY
"Moreover I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for he has appointed a time for every matter, and for every work."
Ecclesiastes 3:16-17 |  click to read more | | STS. CRISPIN AND CRISPINIAN Sts. Crispin and Crispinian (d. 286 A.D.) were brothers, believed to be twins, from a noble Roman family. They were Christians and went as missionaries into Gaul (present-day France). Taking the Apostle St. Paul as their example, they earned their living through a trade, dividing their time between ministry and work. Their craft was shoe-making, and because they asked little pay for their shoes they were loved and esteemed by all. Crispin and Crispinian used their work as an opportunity to share the Christian faith with the pagans they encountered, and many were converted through their witness. During the persecution of the Roman Emperor Diocletian they were denounced as Christians and brought before the co-emperor, Maximanus Herculius. The emperor tried to persuade them to abandon their faith with promises and threats, but to no effect. The brothers were then given over to the governor who was notorious for his cruelty. They were stretched on the rack, their flesh was cut, and awls were driven under their fingernails. They were then thrown into a river with a millstone tied to their necks, but they both miraculously survived and swam back to shore. They were caught and finally beheaded. Crispin and Crispinian are the patron saints of shoemakers, saddlers, and tanners. Their feast, known as St. Crispin's Day, is October 25th. | Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 479
Reading I Rom 8:12-17 Brothers and sisters,
we are not debtors to the flesh,
to live according to the flesh.
For if you live according to the flesh, you will die,
but if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,
you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you received a spirit of adoption,
through which we cry, "Abba, Father!"
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God,
and if children, then heirs,
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,
if only we suffer with him
so that we may also be glorified with him. Responsorial Psalm 68:2 and 4, 6-7ab, 20-21 R. (21a) Our God is the God of salvation.
God arises; his enemies are scattered, and those who hate him flee before him.
But the just rejoice and exult before God; they are glad and rejoice.
R. Our God is the God of salvation.
The father of orphans and the defender of widows is God in his holy dwelling.
God gives a home to the forsaken; he leads forth prisoners to prosperity.
R. Our God is the God of salvation.
Blessed day by day be the Lord, who bears our burdens; God, who is our salvation.
God is a saving God for us; the LORD, my Lord, controls the passageways of death.
R. Our God is the God of salvation. Alleluia Jn 17:17b, 17a R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your word, O Lord, is truth;
consecrate us in the truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 13:10-17 Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath.
And a woman was there who for eighteen years
had been crippled by a spirit;
she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect.
When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said,
"Woman, you are set free of your infirmity."
He laid his hands on her,
and she at once stood up straight and glorified God.
But the leader of the synagogue,
indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath,
said to the crowd in reply,
"There are six days when work should be done.
Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day."
The Lord said to him in reply, "Hypocrites!
Does not each one of you on the sabbath
untie his ox or his ass from the manger
and lead it out for watering?
This daughter of Abraham,
whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now,
ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day
from this bondage?"
When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated;
and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him. | Daily Meditation: Luke 13:10-17 Woman, you are set free of your infirmity. (Luke 13:12) A woman racked by arthritic pain struggled to get dressed and out the door on time for her prayer group at church. The pain was nothing new—she had endured it for many years—so she was determined to go. When she got to the gathering, she was deeply moved by the Scripture passages that people shared. As she listened, she felt a burning sensation in her arms and legs that quickly subsided. She was amazed to realize her pain was completely gone! In today's Gospel, we meet someone similar: a woman who had spent the past eighteen years unable to stand up straight. We can imagine how hard even the simplest of tasks was for her. It likely took her a long time to get ready, but she was determined to go to the synagogue. She wanted to hear God's word and the rabbi's teaching. Little did she know what that day would bring. All she did was show up, and Jesus restored her health and changed her life. How surprising, then, that the synagogue leader objected to the woman being healed on the Sabbath! It seems absurd that anyone would want to limit God's power to certain days of the week. Yet there may be subtle ways that we put limitations on how and when God might heal us. Perhaps you look only for physical healing when the Lord wants to heal your emotions. Maybe you think that some things are too hard for even him to heal, or that you can be healed only if you follow particular steps. You may even think that God doesn't heal today, or that you don't deserve to be healed. Regardless of your objections, Jesus wants to touch you and give you freedom. He just asks you to keep showing up, to keep coming before him in prayer and trust. As you do, you can make yourself available to whatever Jesus wants to do in you. He knows the healing you need. It may be a physical healing; it may be an easing of worry or calming of your emotions. It may be an increased closeness to him. Or it may be all of the above! Just remember the two women. They didn't come specifically asking for healing. They just showed up. And so did the Lord. "Here I am, Lord. I trust you to give me what you know I need." Romans 8:12-17
Psalm 68:2, 4, 6-7, 20-21 |  Listen to 2cents | From Today's Holy Scripture:
"For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you received a spirit of adoption,
through which we cry, "Abba, Father!" I saw a video of a high school in Louisiana was having trouble with so many fights, up to 23 arrests in a short time. Seeing lack of security, and perhaps law enforcement, a group of Dads stepped in, taking shifts to watch over schools. And surprisingly, the fighting stopped. It was really a heart warming story, and like my catholic news feed (The Loop from Catholic Vote click to go) said, perhaps story of the year. Click to see it.
Why do I bring it up? Because we are in need of the Father. The kids in school saw father(s) and it made all the difference...positive, and for the good, and this is what it means to run to Him and not to turn away from Him. "The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God,
and if children, then heirs,
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,
if only we suffer with him
so that we may also be glorified with him." How can we suffer with Him? Today in the Gospel we will hear about a suffering woman. Woman means humanity. Can we intentionally suffer with Him? Yes. How? It's called mortification. Something not used much in our church. It means to mortify yourself, like when we fast and abstain. And in a few more days, I will proclaim with you a 40 day fast til Christmas. Momma Mary in Heaven, she has given sign that things of the Body of Christ seem to be healing, but it is going to take much more work, and these works lead us closer to Him...and healing. | We pray in Psalms:
"God arises; his enemies are scattered, and those who hate him flee before him. But the just rejoice and exult before God; they are glad and rejoice." | Our Lord speaks, the TRUTH speaks:
"Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath. And a woman was there who for eighteen years had been crippled by a spirit;
she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect. When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, "Woman, you are set free of your infirmity." He laid his hands on her, and she at once stood up straight and glorified God." | A couple of takeaways today. The woman, the crippled woman, was at church. For years and years she was going crippled. And they believed that infirmities were caused by sin. Today, sciences say this can be explained. LOL. Of course you can try to explain everything, genetics, diseases, and so forth. But here we are in the spiritual world, and still is true, diseases can be caused by sin!
That's why today, when Momma Mary asks us to pray, take note! It is medicine for the soul. Think Grace. Think Holy Sacraments. Think the ultimate...the Body of Christ.
But the crippled lady continued going to Church instead of staying home, with the most perfect excuse, "I'm sick, I'm crippled, I can't". This would be a binding choice. All choices we make are binding choices. Just like the Popes have binding choices for Heaven and Earth, so do we, what we do matters.
And that is a huge point. I matter. You matter. Together we form the body of Christ. Have you ever been teamed up with someone who doesn't want to do anything? How can we move forward? How tough! Yet...it is so with Christ, who binds Himself to us today. You matter. You are feeding into a greater Spiritual body. Our Body needs healing my friend. Spiritual healing. Exorcisms would be faster and more effective...if...you decide to be more pure and holy and obedient to God our Father. You matter across the world. When you chose to stay away from sin, you made a difference.
When you chose to abstain, you made an offering.
When you chose to fast, you made room for Christ.
When we heal, Jesus heals. Or do you think He has no human heart? Or a human body? He does, and this is phenomenal. Yet He feels your...sins, and your pains.
But you know what else He feels? Your deep earnest prayers.
The crippled woman went to church.
Keep going to church.
One day your earnest prayers will be heard.
One day your sufferings will be accepted as offerings because you were offering them up.
And then you will hear liberating words. Words of everlasting life. Life changing to the point that you will not know how to thank Him for the rest of your life. And so He offers Himself, His body, for His body.
We are together. The Gospel continues:
"But the leader of the synagogue, indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath, said to the crowd in reply, "There are six days when work should be done. Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day." The Lord said to him in reply, "Hypocrites!
Does not each one of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger and lead it out for watering? This daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now, ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day from this bondage?" And you my friend, what do you do on the Sabbath? What do you do on the day that the Lord commands? Do you go to church and not untie your ox or your ass? Do you suffocate them with the rope, do you strangle them all day and make them suffer, with no food or drink? Who is your ox or your ass? It could be your neighbor, or a stranger. He does something they wouldn't do. He forgives. Nobody had bothered to forgive the crippled lady. But the day of atonement arrived...Jesus arrives. His name means "He Saves". Mercy saves. Mercy arrives to church. Many healings took place in church and still do today. Many occur when Jesus goes to the sick and the dead to heal them and bring them to life. Many more occur with intercession, when someone comes on behalf of someone else, and the word travels...and saves. For weeks, in my thoughts, on Sundays, I think "I'm going to untie my ass". LOL. What a bad connotation with today's language right? But what is really going on?
We are binding ourselves to sin, Ox means work, Ox means slavery, because mostly slaves worked with Oxen. The same thing with the burro, the ass. But do I really have these animals at my house or ranch? No. I'm talking about letting go. The Ox (the others) must be let go, the ass (myself) must let go. Mercy.
Treat others with mercy as you would like to be treated with mercy.
Sin binds us to sin and darkness and death.
But binding yourself to Christ is liberation, freedom, joy, and peace. I'm going to untie my ass, not only on the Sabbath, but every day that He avails Himself to us...I am going to go to confessions, I am going to fast, I am going to serve the Lord with true love. Let's pray:
My Lord, My God, My Father.
The world needs a father like You.
The world suffers from a real shortage of Father.
You must provide this My Father. I will do my part to reflect Your Image of a loving Father, waiting on the prodigal child, until the prodigal child comes to wait on me. And my wait consists of fervent prayers, fastings, offerings, supplications, sacrifices, all things that call us to one another...like the Good Shepherd always does. We are Yours and Yours we wish to be. | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: Prov 16:8 Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
