.: September 2022

Friday, September 30, 2022

† "...whoever listens to. . . "

†

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Memorial of Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church

Lectionary: 459
Reading 1

Jb 38:1, 12-21; 40:3-5

The LORD addressed Job out of the storm and said:

Have you ever in your lifetime commanded the morning
and shown the dawn its place
For taking hold of the ends of the earth,
till the wicked are shaken from its surface?
The earth is changed as is clay by the seal,
and dyed as though it were a garment;
But from the wicked the light is withheld,
and the arm of pride is shattered.

Have you entered into the sources of the sea,
or walked about in the depths of the abyss?
Have the gates of death been shown to you,
or have you seen the gates of darkness?
Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?
Tell me, if you know all:
Which is the way to the dwelling place of light,
and where is the abode of darkness,
That you may take them to their boundaries
and set them on their homeward paths?
You know, because you were born before them,
and the number of your years is great!

Then Job answered the LORD and said:

Behold, I am of little account; what can I answer you?
I put my hand over my mouth.
Though I have spoken once, I will not do so again;
though twice, I will do so no more.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 139:1-3, 7-8, 9-10, 13-14ab

R. (24b) Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
O LORD, you have probed me and you know me;
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Where can I go from your spirit?
From your presence where can I flee?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
If I take the wings of the dawn,
if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
Even there your hand shall guide me,
and your right hand hold me fast.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Truly you have formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother's womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.

Alleluia

Ps 95:8

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Lk 10:13-16

Jesus said to them,
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would long ago have repented,
sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon
at the judgment than for you.
And as for you, Capernaum, 'Will you be exalted to heaven?
You will go down to the netherworld.'
Whoever listens to you listens to me.
Whoever rejects you rejects me.
And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me."

Daily Meditation: Psalm 139:1-3, 7-10, 13-14

O Lord, you have probed me and you know me. (Psalm 139:1)

Poor Job! After many chapters of justifying himself, arguing with his friends, and shaking his fist at God for treating him unfairly, he is reduced to silence. For his part, God is confident in Job's integrity and faithfulness, so he allows Job's outrage to storm against him. Then at last, he answers Job. But God is not as interested in explaining himself to Job as he is in doing what David describes in today's psalm—probing the inner workings of Job's heart (139:1).

Why? Because God knows Job inside and out, and he loves him too much to leave him in his bitterness. So he helps Job see the ways he is missing the mark. "Have you ever in your lifetime commanded the morning?" he asks. "Tell me, if you know all" (Job 38:12, 18). God's words help Job start to see that he has very little knowledge of the universe and even less control over it. God's pointed questions reveal that despite Job's righteousness, he doesn't have all the answers. But through it all, God doesn't condemn him; his love for Job never changes.

And so Job is reduced to silence. Realizing that he has spoken out of turn, he is humbled and repents. He comes to understand that, as the psalmist said, no matter where he flees, no matter how low he sinks, "even there your hand shall guide me, and your right hand hold me fast" (Psalm 139:10). Job's heart is changed.

God knows us too, inside and out. He understands our thoughts from afar (see Psalm 139:2). He knows the ways we are following him faithfully, and he knows where we are missing the mark. It might not seem like fun to invite God to probe your heart. But seeing his love in the face of your failings can help you appreciate how he holds you fast no matter what. You'll also see how this "probing" can prepare your heart for the blessings he has in store for you. This is what happens to Job at the end of his story. And if you look back over your own life, you'll probably see how God has blessed you too.

"Lord, thank you that you are the One who knows me the best and who loves me the most!"

Job 38:1, 12-21; 40:3-5
Luke 10:13-16

From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"Tell me, if you know all:
Which is the way to the dwelling place of light,
and where is the abode of darkness,
That you may take them to their boundaries
and set them on their homeward paths?"

He wraps Himself in light. Darkness tried to hide. And trembles at His voice! How great is our God!

We pray today;
"Where can I go from your spirit?
From your presence where can I flee?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.
Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way"

In the Gospel today we heard:
"Whoever listens to you listens to me.
Whoever rejects you rejects me.
And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me."

Does God have to appear to you personally? He's really appeared in various manners throughout the ages, and the message can only be believed, and tested, and tasted, and lived in gratitude forever.

I pray that today we can absorb this message and not reject every last Word He desires us to live.

I ask for prayers for this weekend as we are in a men's cursillo, thank you in advance.

Lord, may we have a true conversion into true Love for You forever. Amen.

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Random bible verse generator:

Psalm 63:3–4

[Psalm 63]

3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,

my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live;

in your name I will lift up my hands.

If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace

Going4th

For questions or comments contact Adrian@going4th.com. For more go to www.Going4th.com

Thursday, September 29, 2022

† "...Do you believe because. . . "

†Quote of the Day
"Keep to the ancient way and custom of the Church, established and confirmed by so many Saints under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And live a new life. Pray, and get others to pray, that God not abandon His Church, but reform it as He pleases, and as He sees best for us, and more to His honour and glory."
–St. Angela Merici

†Today's Meditation
"Once, while I was wondering why Our Lord so dearly loves the virtue of humility, the thought suddenly struck me, without previous reflection, that it is because God is the supreme Truth and humility is the truth, for it is the most true that we have nothing good of ourselves but only misery and nothingness: whoever ignores this, lives a life of falsehood. they that realize this fact most deeply are the most pleasing to God, the supreme Truth, for they walk in the truth."
—St. Teresa of Avila, p. 175-176

An Excerpt From
Interior Castle

†Daily Verse
"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help."
–Hebrews 4:14-16

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Archangels

The Archangels St. Gabriel, St. Michael, and St. Raphael share a feast day on September 29th. These are the only three angels mentioned by name in Sacred Scripture. St. Gabriel means "Power of God." He is the messenger or herald angel most famous for appearing to the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Annunciation (Luke 1:11-38). St. Michael means "Who is like God?" He is the warrior angel, the famous foe of Satan, who is the champion of God's people and guardian and protector of the Church (Rev. 12:7-9). St. Raphael means "God has healed." He is a companion and healing angel, most famous for curing a man's blindness and for traveling with Tobiah in the book of Tobit (Tob. 12).

Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels

Reading I Dn 7:9-10, 13-14

As I watched:

Thrones were set up

and the Ancient One took his throne.

His clothing was bright as snow,

and the hair on his head as white as wool;

His throne was flames of fire,

with wheels of burning fire.

A surging stream of fire

flowed out from where he sat;

Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him,

and myriads upon myriads attended him.
The court was convened, and the books were opened.
As the visions during the night continued, I saw

One like a son of man coming,

on the clouds of heaven;

When he reached the Ancient One

and was presented before him,

He received dominion, glory, and kingship;

nations and peoples of every language serve him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion

that shall not be taken away,

his kingship shall not be destroyed.
OR:

Rv 12:7-12ab

War broke out in heaven;
Michael and his angels battled against the dragon.
The dragon and its angels fought back,
but they did not prevail
and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.
The huge dragon, the ancient serpent,
who is called the Devil and Satan,
who deceived the whole world,
was thrown down to earth,
and its angels were thrown down with it.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
"Now have salvation and power come,
and the Kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed.
For the accuser of our brothers is cast out,
who accuses them before our God day and night.
They conquered him by the Blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
love for life did not deter them from death.
Therefore, rejoice, you heavens,
and you who dwell in them."

Responsorial Psalm 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 4-5

R. (1) In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,

for you have heard the words of my mouth;

in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple

and give thanks to your name.
R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
Because of your kindness and your truth;

for you have made great above all things

your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me;

you built up strength within me.
R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
All the kings of the earth shall give thanks to you, O LORD

when they hear the words of your mouth;
And they shall sing of the ways of the LORD

"Great is the glory of the LORD
R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.

Alleluia Ps 103:21

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Bless the LORD, all you angels,
you ministers, who do his will.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 1:47-51

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,
"Here is a true child of Israel.
There is no duplicity in him."
Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?"
Jesus answered and said to him,
"Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree."
Nathanael answered him,
"Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."
Jesus answered and said to him,
"Do you believe
because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?
You will see greater things than this."
And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will see heaven opened
and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

Daily Meditation: John 1:47-51

You will see . . . the angels of God. (John 1:51)

This is a unique feast day! Feast days dedicated to saints naturally encourage us to examine the life of that saint and reflect on how we can follow their example in our own lives. But it would certainly be hard to do this when it comes to archangels. After all, they're . . . angelic!

However, we still can celebrate the work that these archangels have done on our behalf and strive to follow their example of quick obedience and love for God. Let's consider what we can learn from each one of the archangels we celebrate today.

St. Michael is best known for doing battle against Lucifer. We believe that St. Michael continues to serve God by interceding for us when we need protection against the snares of the devil. This is not just a single battle; it requires daily vigilance and fortitude against temptation. Like St. Michael, we can make sure we are wearing the "armor of God" each day so that we are always ready to fight the spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:11).

St. Gabriel is the messenger angel who brought God's world-changing news to Mary and who told Zechariah about the birth of his son, John the Baptist. Following Gabriel's example, we can try to be more attuned to listening to the Lord and more eager to share what we hear. His example of delivering good news should encourage us to not hesitate to deliver the good news of God's love to the people around us.

Disguised as a man, St. Raphael accompanied Tobias on his dangerous journey, where he cast out an evil spirit and helped Tobias cure his father's blindness. Following Raphael's lead, we can also be "angels" to people we meet and accompany them on their walk through the ups and downs of life.

These three archangels are always ready to hear God's mission for them and fulfill it immediately. May we follow their example and make ourselves instruments of God's grace to everyone he sends us to.

"Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, help me follow your example of service to God in all that I do."

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
Psalm 138:1-5

From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"They conquered him by the Blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
love for life did not deter them from death.
Therefore, rejoice..."
And how hard it is to rejoice, right? I mean, we all look for happiness, but, in the life of ministry, all we can do is have joy...and I'm saving true happiness for heaven.

We pray today;
"I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth; in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise; I will worship at your holy temple and give thanks to your name. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord"

In the Gospel today we heard:
""Here is a true child of Israel.
There is no duplicity in him."
Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?"

One of the hardest things I work on is trying to eradicate duplicity in me, basically, trying to stop being a hypocrite. I think I almost got it, but every once in a while I slip up, does that ever happen to you?
Your mouth suddenly pops off the wrong way? You say the wrong thing? You do the wrong thing. Right?

How do we perfect ourselves? You keep applying and you keep trying. You don't give up on God, because He doesn't give up on you.
Please pray for us men going on a cursillo this weekend starting today, that we may convert more fully to our Lord...and His will.