†Saint Quote
"Let the Word of God come; let it enter the church; let it become a consuming fire, that it may burn the hay and stubble, and consume whatever is worldly; there is heavy lead of iniquity in many; let it be molten by divine fire; let the gold and silver vessels be made better, in order that understanding and speech, refined by the heat of suffering, may begin to be more precious."
–St. Ambrose †Today's Meditation
"Joseph's virtue was sublime and exceptional; therefore it was subjected to a great and singular trial. But, as he heroically surmounted this trial, so God was pleased, not only to console him, but to exalt him to a dignity of extraordinary glory. … Jesus, the Son of God … willed to recognize this virgin spouse as His father in affection, adoption, government, and education, and to be constantly obedient and subject to him. The Holy Ghost, who had operated the incarnation of the Son of God in the womb of Mary, willed that to Joseph this His spouse should be entirely confided. He was to be the zealous guardian of her virginity, her guide, her aid, her support, and her inseparable companion through all the vicissitudes of life. And where, apart from the Divine Maternity, can so great a dignity be found upon earth as that which was conferred on Joseph by the Three Divine Persons of the Most Holy Trinity?"
—Edward Healy Thompson, p. 197 An Excerpt From
The Life & Glories of St. Joseph †Daily Verse
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven."
–Matthew 7:21 |  click to read more | | Blessed Gennaro Sarnelli Bl. Gennaro Sarnelli (1702 – 1744) was born to a noble family in Naples, Italy. He was very well educated, and completed his doctorate in civil and canon law at the age of 20. He gave much of his time to caring for the incurably sick, through which he discerned a call to the priesthood. He was ordained in 1732. He became good friends with St. Alphonsus Liguori, founder of the Redemptorists. Shortly afterward, Blessed Gennaro became a Redemptorist priest. Gennaro's special work was preaching to those who were the most spiritually deprived, while also caring for the temporal needs of impoverished children. He was a great defender of the dignity of women, and worked intensely to free women and girls from forced prostitution. Blessed Gennaro was also a talented writer, penning over 30 books ranging in subjects such as theology, law, prayer, spiritual direction, and contemporary moral issues. He worked so hard that his health suffered, and he died when he was only 42 years old. He was beatified by Pope St. John Paul II in 1996. His feast day is June 30. | Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time • Readings for the Optional Memorial of the First Holy Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church Reading I Am 7:10-17 Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent word to Jeroboam,
king of Israel:
"Amos has conspired against you here within Israel;
the country cannot endure all his words.
For this is what Amos says:
Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
and Israel shall surely be exiled from its land." To Amos, Amaziah said:
"Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah!
There earn your bread by prophesying,
but never again prophesy in Bethel;
for it is the king's sanctuary and a royal temple."
Amos answered Amaziah, "I was no prophet,
nor have I belonged to a company of prophets;
I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores.
The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me,
'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'
Now hear the word of the LORD!" You say: prophesy not against Israel,
preach not against the house of Isaac.
Now thus says the LORD:
Your wife shall be made a harlot in the city,
and your sons and daughters shall fall by the sword;
Your land shall be divided by measuring line,
and you yourself shall die in an unclean land;
Israel shall be exiled far from its land. Responsorial Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11 R. (10cd) The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
Sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just. Alleluia 2 Cor 5:19 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 9:1-8 After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town.
And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,
"Courage, child, your sins are forgiven."
At that, some of the scribes said to themselves,
"This man is blaspheming."
Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said,
"Why do you harbor evil thoughts?
Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,'
or to say, 'Rise and walk'?
But that you may know that the Son of Man
has authority on earth to forgive sins"–
he then said to the paralytic,
"Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home."
He rose and went home.
When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe
and glorified God who had given such authority to men.
| Daily Meditation: Matthew 9:1-8 Which is easier? (Matthew 9:5) How would you answer that question? Is it easier to say "Your sins are forgiven" or to say "Rise and walk" (Matthew 9:5)? At first you might think that healing someone who is paralyzed is far more difficult—and far more important. Let's face it, we hear the words "I absolve you from your sins" in the Prayer of Absolution every time we go to Confession. And we routinely ask for and give forgiveness in our personal relationships. So hearing words of forgiveness might seem more commonplace or "easy." But nothing could be further from the truth. And the key comes—again—from the Prayer of Absolution. How have our sins been forgiven? How has God reconciled the world to himself? "Through the death and resurrection of his Son." Jesus knew that the Father had given him the authority to forgive sins. But he also knew that forgiveness would cost him his life. Forgiveness was, in fact, the more difficult healing for Jesus to offer the man who was paralyzed! As much as we might be amazed at the idea of bones and muscles and ligaments being knitted together to bring healing to a paralyzed man—and it is amazing!—we are offered a more hard-won healing in the forgiveness of our sins. It's available to us every time we come to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. When Jesus forgave the man in today's Gospel, he brought him to life spiritually. Jesus was freeing him from sin. He was removing the rejection and fear that came from the way other people had treated him. Jesus offers us the same forgiveness, freedom, and healing. It might not be as outwardly visible as a physical healing. But it changes us deeply. It changes how we walk in this world, our decisions and actions. It lifts us up and brings us joy. It is halfway through the year. How long has it been since you've gone to Confession? Your parish probably has times for Confession scheduled this weekend. Come to Jesus in the sacrament and receive the forgiveness and healing that he suffered so greatly to win for you. "Jesus, thank you for the surpassing value of the healing and mercy that I can receive in the Sacrament of Reconciliation!" Amos 7:10-17
Psalm 19:8-11 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'" Who is Israel? It is God's people. Who needs to prophesy? We are all baptized as priest, prophet, and king. We are one in His body. None escapes this calling. Prophesy to the Body of Christ. And baptize the world into His body. It's not the job solely for a priest, but for us all to bring fruit to God, the fruit of love and salvation. Watch out for the leaven of the world, for their aim is not about salvation but destruction. They preach hate and accuse the innocent of hate. For speaking the Truth, I am considered a hater, because they have their own version of truth, false concepts and ideals that seek destruction of the other. Only one has stood the test of time. The truth of God reveals all. It is like the light, the more intense it gets, the more you can see in the dark. We need more of Him. And now. | We pray in Psalms:
"The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever; The ordinances of the LORD are true, all of them just. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just. They are more precious than gold" Those that love God's law on on the right path to salvation, and the Jews knew it and thought it was all about the law. Until the law hit them direct...to the heart. More on that. | In today's Gospel we heard our Lord:
"When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,
"Courage, child, your sins are forgiven."
At that, some of the scribes said to themselves,
"This man is blaspheming."
Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said,
"Why do you harbor evil thoughts?" Evil thoughts? Scribes knew well the laws, and the very laws twisted their minds into evil thoughts. It is the same today, where we have many in the church who know the laws and live for the laws but the laws fail the fundamental law of God's love. And I am not speaking about worldly laws of governments which always fail by allowing immoral practices. I am speaking about much more, like purity and light. | "...he then said to the paralytic, "Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home." He rose and went home. When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to men."_
The paralytic rose and went home.
What does Scripture want us to learn here? What is our Lord speaking to our hearts right now? 3 big words to go from are: 1.) Paralytic: So let us ponder who are the paralyzed souls in the world. Believe it or not, sometimes I feel incapable of walking, that is, the walk of God, I feel I am stuck in faith, not going or growing at times. But let us consider where the paralyzed man was found; in Jesus' hometown, and people brought him to Jesus. Remember your call to bring people to our Lord. Is it hard? Well, it ain't easy. Therefore, few take the less traveled road...to Christ. 2.) Rose: The paralytic did something He'd never done before...He rose. He rose from the dead, spiritually. For everyone believed he was cursed, anyone who was sick had some type of curse they believed. We know this is not always the case, but more often than we care to admit...it is true. That is why we are asked to see a priest before a doctor, unless in case of emergencies for treatment, right? But he rose and where was he directed? 3:) Home: In the case of the sick, in hospitals, asylums, nursing homes, even prisons, you are away from home. And one develops a longing for home like never before. But in the case of the Gospel today, it goes much deeper than physical experiences and feelings. We dive into a spiritual longing...to belong. Home is where the heart is, so where is your heart? Truly, we are not home until we are in God's Heaven that is not in this world. Sadly, atheists, and many other religions believe this is it, and this is why they preach YOLO, that you only live once, much in line with the communist views that aim to eradicate any notion of forever, that is....eternity with God. And so the paralytic was healed, to rise, and to go be one with God, he was healed in every sense of the word.
Can we see this kind of spectacular healing today? It is possible. Have you ever? I've never witnessed a blind person to see again, but I know a couple that can see God's will. I've never heard of a deaf person being able to hear again through a miracle, but I know of many that can understand more clearly God's will. I've never witnessed a paralyzed person get up from their bed and start walking. But I know one that has been paralyzed and has lost everything in his life, even his wife divorced him and kids left him....yet, he never blames God, but acknowledges how much of a sinner he is. And my heart pours out for him. Even this Sunday he was texting me for prayers as I was about to start singing in Mass.
And believe me, years ago, he was much more paralyzed, and 3 or 4 of us men went to see him and we prayed and then tried to pick him up to get him to try to walk, and we failed. And today, 2 of those men are now deacons, one tried but wasn't called, and you got me still on hold for that call to more. Did we fail in faith? How did our faith still go on?
The synopsis:
A hunger is developed in faith. In a true faith, we fall more and more into hunger for God. The ones who have died and are suffering purgatory are often referred to as "Hungry Souls" which is another book I've read. And in the book "Get Us Out Of Here" the souls are called "pour souls". They are actually in a better place, more hungry than ever possible on earth. More poor than ever thought possible too.
And blessed are the hungry and the poor....for GOD our FATHER! Come now, to receive more of Him. Perhaps one day someone we take to God will rise and go home.... Lord, I want to rise. Deliver me from the weight of my own sins. Take my hand in Yours. For Yours I wish to be. |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: James 1:22–25
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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