†Saint Quote
"The accidents of life separate us from our dearest friends, but let us not despair. God is like a looking glass in which souls see each other. The more we are united to Him by love, the nearer we are to those who belong to Him."
–St. Elizabeth Ann Seton †Today's Meditation
"Yet such are the pity and compassion of this Lord of ours, so desirous is He that we should seek Him and enjoy His company, that in one way or another He never ceases calling us to Him . . . God here speaks to souls through words uttered by pious people, by sermons or good books, and in many other such ways. Sometimes He calls souls by means of sickness or troubles, or by some truth He teaches them during prayer, for tepid as they may be in seeking Him, yet God holds them very dear."
—St. Teresa of Avila, p.26 An Excerpt From
Interior Castle †Daily Verse
"And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it."
–John 14:13-14 |  click to read more | | St. Anne & St. Joachim St. Anne and St. Joachim (1st c. B.C.) are the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the maternal grandparents of Jesus. Their names have been preserved in Church tradition since the second century, although little is known of their lives. It is believed that St. Joachim and St. Anne, although wealthy, lived a devout and simple life of voluntary poverty, chastity, and generosity to the poor. According to legend, after long years of suffering from infertility and praying for a child, Joachim and Anne were each separately visited by an angel in their old age, who announced that they would give birth to a very special child. Their moment of joy at this happy news is depicted with their embrace and kiss at the Golden Gate in Jerusalem. It was from their holy and chaste marriage that the Immaculate Conception was brought into the world. According to tradition, when the Child Mary was three years old, they dedicated her to God and presented her to live in the Jerusalem temple until the time of her betrothal to St. Joseph. St. Anne is the patroness of unmarried women, wives, expectant mothers, pregnancy, women in labor, grandmothers, childless couples, and against poverty and sterility. Women praying to meet their future spouse often turn to St. Anne. St. Joachim is the patron of fathers and grandfathers. Their feast day is July 26th. | Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Jer 15:10, 16-21 Woe to me, mother, that you gave me birth!
a man of strife and contention to all the land!
I neither borrow nor lend,
yet all curse me.
When I found your words, I devoured them;
they became my joy and the happiness of my heart,
Because I bore your name,
O LORD, God of hosts.
I did not sit celebrating
in the circle of merrymakers;
Under the weight of your hand I sat alone
because you filled me with indignation.
Why is my pain continuous,
my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?
You have indeed become for me a treacherous brook,
whose waters do not abide!
Thus the LORD answered me:
If you repent, so that I restore you,
in my presence you shall stand;
If you bring forth the precious without the vile,
you shall be my mouthpiece.
Then it shall be they who turn to you,
and you shall not turn to them;
And I will make you toward this people
a solid wall of brass.
Though they fight against you,
they shall not prevail,
For I am with you,
to deliver and rescue you, says the LORD.
I will free you from the hand of the wicked,
and rescue you from the grasp of the violent. Responsorial Psalm Ps 59:2-3, 4, 10-11, 17, 18 R. (17d) God is my refuge on the day of distress.
Rescue me from my enemies, O my God;
from my adversaries defend me.
Rescue me from evildoers;
from bloodthirsty men save me.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
For behold, they lie in wait for my life;
mighty men come together against me,
Not for any offense or sin of mine, O LORD.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
O my strength! for you I watch;
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
As for my God, may his mercy go before me;
may he show me the fall of my foes.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
But I will sing of your strength
and revel at dawn in your mercy;
You have been my stronghold,
my refuge in the day of distress.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
O my strength! your praise will I sing;
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
my merciful God!
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress. Alleluia Jn 15:15b R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I call you my friends, says the Lord,
for I have made known to you all that the Father has told me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 13:44-46 Jesus said to his disciples:
"The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again,
and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it."
| Daily Meditation: Matthew 13:44-46 When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it. (Matthew 13:46) Have you ever noticed that children often become obsessed with a particular toy? They simply must have it. When they get that toy, it seems like the happiest day of their lives. But then their affection wears off, sometimes pretty quickly. And one day, that toy ends up thrown in a corner because something else has captured their attention. This cycle of desire and boredom provides a lesson for all of us: even the best "toy" can't satisfy what our hearts long for. Only Jesus can do that. He's the "pearl of great price," the only One who can give us lasting happiness (Matthew 13:46). He is worth everything we have because he's the One who will bring us into his Father's kingdom and ultimately to heaven. But how do we get to the point of selling all that we have for Jesus? The truth is, even though we love the Lord, we can depend too much on the "toys" that capture our attention. We can get attached to our earthly possessions and pleasures and become distracted from the most beautiful and compelling "posession" there is: Jesus and his love for us. The remedy for this isn't necessarily found in getting rid of all your possessions or in saying no to everything in the world. It's found in saying yes to Jesus. And that yes starts every day in your prayer time. It starts as you encounter him in the quiet of your heart. It starts as you see his mercy toward you and the love that led him to die for you. It grows as you envision his heavenly kingdom where he has prepared a place for you. In short, you recognize how utterly compelling and desirable he is. So fix your eyes on Jesus! As you realize how much of a treasure he is, everything else will pale in comparison. As you come to understand how deeply he treasures you, you will treasure him all the more. Your affection for him will grow, and you will find that you aren't as focused on material things. You'll start seeing them for what they are—as blessings meant to help bring you closer to him. "Jesus, you are the pearl of great price, and I want nothing more than to have you in my life!" Jeremiah 15:10, 16-21
Psalm 59:2-4, 10-11, 17-18 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"When I found your words, I devoured them;
they became my joy and the happiness of my heart,
Because I bore your name" Does God's word make you feel comfort and security? Is He the joy of your life? What is the joy of your life, if not He? And so the world proposes temporal joys and distractions, to keep you from true joy and true life...eternal. | We pray in Psalms:
"But I will sing of your strength and revel at dawn in your mercy; You have been my stronghold, my refuge in the day of distress. God is my refuge on the day of distress" | In today's Gospel we heard our Lord:
"The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." St. Francis of Assissi and many other saints gave up everything, sold everything to live a life strictly for God.
It is hard for the whole world, the rest of us to do that. I have a family to take care of. Should I sell out and live on the streets? LOL. Well, only if this life of comfort has completely distracted me from loving God above all. | Back to the beginning. What or who is the joy of your life? What or who do you treasure the most?
Padre Pio said it would be easier for the world to go on without the sun that without the Eucharist.
Now we know what His life was centered on. But is it true for everyone else? The Eucharist is then, what? It is the Holy Sacrifice of the Lord and the Lord Himself. Right?
Our priest had to go to Africa to bury another relative. Whence he announced there would be no more daily Masses until he returned, my soul turned downwards, like a sunflower without the sun.
What will happen now that I cannot receive Him daily? Life will happen, something else will fill in the time with nothingness, compared to Himself in His Whole Offering.
I usually don't eat but the Eucharist on mornings, and that holds me throughout the day. Now I'm starving, and waiting, and looking for options, visiting the Church, and the homebound in nursing homes. Seek and ye shall find the Lord, alone, and suffering.
What is my joy? It's not work! LOL, just yesterday another worker went to the emergency room broke toe. What is my joy? My wife and kids? Boy we have alot of fun, I tell people having 8 kids is like a full time party. But is that my center? No. They know. Our center is prayer. At least I'm trying to teach them the center of life and the universe...is God, and no thing or no one else.
Trouble is, most people, knowingly or unknowingly, are self-centered, instead of being Christ centered. There is no life balance there. God's weight is what centers the universe.
And if we let ourselves gravitate to Himself, our world will balance out too, if we let Him be our center...our everything, joys and treasures and all. Lord, we have sought You, we are joyful in You.
Help us remain in your Joy forever and ever. |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: WOW
Proverbs 28:6
6 Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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