†Saint Quote
"You must speak to Jesus, not only with your lips, but also with your heart; actually, on certain occasions, you should speak with only your heart."
–Saint Padre Pio †Today's Meditation
"My daughter, know that My Heart is mercy itself. From this sea of mercy, graces flow out upon the whole world. No soul that has approached Me has ever gone away unconsoled. All misery gets buried in the depths of My mercy, and every saving and sanctifying grace flows from this fountain."
—Jesus to St. Faustina Kowalska, (1777) An Excerpt From
Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska - Divine Mercy in My Soul (Compact) †Daily Verse
"Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."
–Isaiah 1:18-20 |  click to read more | | St. Kateri Tekakwitha St. Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680), also known as the 'Lily of the Mohawks,' was born in present-day New York. Her father was a Mohawk chief, and her mother an Algonquin who had been converted to the Christian faith by Jesuit missionaries. When Kateri was four years old, a smallpox epidemic killed her entire family and left her partially blind, disfigured, and crippled. She was raised by her uncle, who detested the Christians. As she grew up, Kateri longed for the Catholic faith of her mother, and was very drawn to the missionaries evangelizing near her village. At the age of twenty she was baptized with the name Catherine (which was translated as "Kateri") after St. Catherine of Siena. Her uncle opposed her conversion to Christianity, and as a result she was ostracized by her people and treated harshly. When it was clear that her life was in danger, a priest helped her flee to a French Jesuit mission in Montreal, Canada—a journey of over 200 miles alone and on foot. There she lived a solitary life of prayer and penance, rejecting an opportunity for marriage. Her great sanctity, virtue, and love for Christ amazed everyone who knew her. She was also known as a miracle-worker. Kateri died of illness at the age of twenty-four. She was beatified by Pope St. John Paul II in 1980, and canonized in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI as the first Native American saint. Kateri is the patron saint of environmentalists, orphans, exiles, and those who are ridiculed for their piety. Her feast day is July 14. | Memorial of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin Reading 1 IS 26:7-9, 12, 16-19 The way of the just is smooth;
the path of the just you make level.
Yes, for your way and your judgments, O LORD,
we look to you;
Your name and your title
are the desire of our souls.
My soul yearns for you in the night,
yes, my spirit within me keeps vigil for you;
When your judgment dawns upon the earth,
the world's inhabitants learn justice.
O LORD, you mete out peace to us,
for it is you who have accomplished all we have done.
O LORD, oppressed by your punishment,
we cried out in anguish under your chastising.
As a woman about to give birth
writhes and cries out in her pains,
so were we in your presence, O LORD.
We conceived and writhed in pain,
giving birth to wind;
Salvation we have not achieved for the earth,
the inhabitants of the world cannot bring it forth.
But your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise;
awake and sing, you who lie in the dust.
For your dew is a dew of light,
and the land of shades gives birth. Responsorial Psalm PS 102:13-14AB AND 15, 16-18, 19-21 R. (20b) From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
You, O LORD, abide forever,
and your name through all generations.
You will arise and have mercy on Zion,
for it is time to pity her.
For her stones are dear to your servants,
and her dust moves them to pity.
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
The nations shall revere your name, O LORD,
and all the kings of the earth your glory,
When the LORD has rebuilt Zion
and appeared in his glory;
When he has regarded the prayer of the destitute,
and not despised their prayer.
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
Let this be written for the generation to come,
and let his future creatures praise the LORD:
"The LORD looked down from his holy height,
from heaven he beheld the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoners,
to release those doomed to die."
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth. Alleluia MT 11:28 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel MT 11:28-30 Jesus said:
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."
| Daily Meditation: Matthew 11:28-30 Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart. (Matthew 11:29) Have you got it all figured out? Do you have a complete grasp of who God is and his purpose for you on this earth? If so, stop reading. But if you're like most people, if you suspect God still has some work to do in you and with you—even if you're unsure what it might be—then by all means, keep reading. And take heart! Jesus is speaking to you in this passage. He is inviting you to learn from him. He is asking to walk beside you and to help you see your life from his perspective so that you can find answers alongside him. "Come to me," he says. "Learn from me" (Matthew 11:28, 29). Lay your concerns or uneasiness before him. Give him the burdens that are weighing you down and the tasks that weary you so much that you feel like giving up at times. Bring him your questions and even your unanswered prayers. Jesus is meek and humble enough to welcome you into his company. As for yourself, try to be meek and humble enough to listen to him. Let Jesus love you and carry your burdens. Let his love give you the courage to surrender your ways of thinking and to take on his mind. Let him yoke himself with you so that you can walk together in his ways. Jesus is the teacher, and we are lifelong learners. That means each day is a new opportunity to pray, "Here I am, Lord. How can I learn from you today? How can I rest in you and grow in walking by your side?" Sometimes Jesus will teach you by having the Holy Spirit call your attention to a sentence or phrase in Scripture that seems especially relevant to your situation. Sometimes he uses another person to communicate his message of loving encouragement or a thought-provoking challenge. Sometimes he will inspire you with an inner prompting to do something specific or reach out to someone. No matter what way Jesus chooses to teach you, learning from him and walking beside him can be a delightful daily adventure. "Here I am, Lord. I'm eager to soak up whatever you want to teach me today." Isaiah 26:7-9, 12, 16-19
Psalm 102:13-21 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"My soul yearns for you in the night, yes, my spirit within me keeps vigil for you..." Perhaps every person in the world has had moments where they feel alone. And it is getting worse with many immersed in social media, which causes a worsening effect by plunging into a fake world. And they are making worlds for people to get lost in digital media as we speak. And what happens? Real life interactions and togetherness disappears. Gatherings as God wants begin to dissipate. But we know better, right? For us who are gathering with the Lord as He desires, we know this is not the proper way to live, separated, not united. Most stories I've heard of stories of Heaven are of united harmony. And stories of hell, the opposite, not united, and nothing in harmony, every creature out for themselves. And we can see these shadows lurking among us as we live. | We pray in Psalms:
"Let this be written for the generation to come,
and let his future creatures praise the LORD:
"The LORD looked down from his holy height,
from heaven he beheld the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoners,
to release those doomed to die."
From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth." | In today's Gospel we heard our Lord:
" Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves." Yoke? What yoke? Right? Who talks about yokes nowadays, unless you are a farmer maybe. So what is this yoke?
It was back then, and still can be, a wooden beam that binds one animal to another. And together, they make a team, one with the other, helping with the load to drag and pull, to plow the land, to work the land.
Why do I mention this?
Because, our Lord's yoke is a cross, and it is a wooden beam to carry on our backs, with Him, like the poor man Simon, when asked to come in from the fields and get "unjustly" bound with Jesus our Christ.
So too, we may find it unjust when we must take up His cross, usually doing something nobody else wants to do. Perhaps, getting stuck with an elderly person, having to clean up after them, pampers and such. Or being stuck at work doing what nobody else wants to do. Or in Church, doing what nobody steps up to do. And I am all too familiar with the last two, but am witness to the first, all too common.
Is this yoke doable? Of course! Is it great and fun and convenient? Not really. Sometimes my wife throws diaper duty to me, and I whine on purpose to try to get out of it, but it can become a labor of love. And it happens often at work, lots of complaints on who does what. And it happens at church more than anything "where is everybody?" is the question usually.
Well, truth be told, you're there, and Jesus our Lord is there. Yoke up! Hook up to the cross.
And hook up with your pains and labors to Him too. See what happens. See what happens when you give praise in the storm. See what happens when you give glory to God!
The momentary afflictions turn into everlasting glorification to God in Heaven.
Is it worth it? Of course! | And the message goes deeper. "For I Am meek and humble of heart".
And this needs to be taken seriously. From what I can tell, most sins are against meekness and humility. We are not meek when we complain ( and I am guilty of this too, but am currently working on it). We are not humble when we avoid the cross and dereliction. We are guilty of all sins when we sin against humility. This was the first and worst sin in Heaven with the fall of a third of an angels into darkness....which means to be away from the light.
We've much work to do...on ourselves. I've yet to meet a truly perfectly humble soul, and we need humility to enter Heaven.
And so, I find myself alone at church when visiting the Blessed Sacrament...and there He is, Humility on the cross.
Time to yoke up. And become one with Humility. The world needs the truth of the true Light, set up high for all to see. Lord, may we become one with You with all our heart, mind, body, and soul. |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: Matthew 5:4
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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