†Quote of the Day
"Love Our Lady and make her loved; always recite the Rosary and recite it as often as possible."
–Padre Pio †Today's Meditation
"Always be impartial and just in your deeds. Put yourself into your neighbor's place, and him in yours, and then you will judge fairly . . . Frequently, therefore, examine your heart, whether it is so disposed towards your neighbor, as you would have his disposed towards you, were you to change places; for this is the true test."
—St. Francis de Sales, p. 226 An Excerpt From
An Introduction to the Devout Life †Daily Verse
"O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever."
–1 Chronicles 16:34 |  click to read more | | St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (1887–1968) was born to peasant farmers in southern Italy. By the time he was 5 years old he practiced a life of penance and made the decision to give himself completely to God. He grew up working in the fields, and at the age of 19 joined the Capuchin Franciscan friars. His Franciscan spirituality was characterized by a life of poverty, love of nature, and charity to those in need, especially to those who were his "spiritual children." St. Padre Pio had many spiritual gifts and was a great miracle-worker. These were well-documented from multiple reliable sources and included bilocation, levitation, reading souls, and physical healing by touch. Word of his holiness spread and people both pious and curious flocked to see him, especially to have him hear their confession. He is the first priest known to have received the stigmata, for which he suffered suspicion and investigation. Because of the unusual supernatural phenomena surrounding his life, he is considered one of the great visionaries and mystics of the Church. Padre Pio died in 1968 at the age of 81. He was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II in 2002. Because of the many miracles he performed during his life, he is commonly invoked as a healing saint for various ailments. His feast day is September 23rd. | Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest • Readings for the Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, priest Reading 1 ECCL 3:1-11 There is an appointed time for everything,
and a time for every thing under the heavens.
A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to tear down, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them;
a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away.
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.
What advantage has the worker from his toil?
I have considered the task that God has appointed
for the sons of men to be busied about.
He has made everything appropriate to its time,
and has put the timeless into their hearts,
without man's ever discovering,
from beginning to end, the work which God has done. Responsorial Psalm PS 144:1B AND 2ABC, 3-4 R. (1) Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
my mercy and my fortress,
my stronghold, my deliverer,
My shield, in whom I trust.
R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
LORD, what is man, that you notice him;
the son of man, that you take thought of him?
Man is like a breath;
his days, like a passing shadow.
R. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock! Alleluia MK 10:45 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Son of Man came to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel LK 9:18-22 Once when Jesus was praying in solitude,
and the disciples were with him,
he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"
They said in reply, "John the Baptist; others, Elijah;
still others, 'One of the ancient prophets has arisen.'"
Then he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Peter said in reply, "The Christ of God."
He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.
He said, "The Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised."
| Daily Meditation: Ecclesiastes 1:2-11 Nothing is new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9) Today's first reading isn't very inspiring, but it is relatable! Haven't we all sometimes felt like Qoheleth, the author of this passage? Our days can seem routine and monotonous. Why are we here? What is the point of all our work and struggles, all the things we accumulate, when it will eventually be turned to dust? If you are a person of faith, you may feel guilty for feeling this way. Shouldn't believing in Jesus and obeying him put a smile on your face every moment of the day? Shouldn't helping people be its own reward, no matter how futile it can seem at times? Of course, we know the answer to these questions should always be yes. But there's often a difference between what we should experience and what we actually do experience. Some of our greatest saints, like Mother Teresa and John of the Cross, have faced the loneliness and confusion of feeling distant from God. So put your guilt aside. It's okay to admit that you haven't figured out the secret to constant happiness! In the end, Jesus is more concerned with your actions than your feelings. Instead of fighting the sense of emptiness, try accepting it. Try telling God how bored, frustrated, or hopeless you feel—he won't condemn you. In fact, he is there with you in the midst of the frustration or the dullness. You may not feel motivated to pray, but you can still do it anyway and offer your efforts to him regardless of your feelings. You may feel unable to hear his voice, but you can still ask him questions. Or you may not feel happier, but you can place your hope in the promise that the Lord will eventually reward your persistence—even if it's with a greater degree of patience! God wants to bless your efforts—but he has to have efforts to bless. So even if you feel unenthusiastic, take those first steps to accomplish the work he has put in front of you. The work may be unglamorous and hidden to the world, but God can still draw blessings from it. That's because his faithfulness knows no bounds! "Lord, give me the strength to carry your light into the world." Psalm 90:3-6, 12-14, 17
Luke 9:7-9Daily Meditation: Luke 9:18-22 Who do the crowds say that I am? (Luke 9:18) If you asked ten people on the street who Jesus is, you would probably get fifteen different answers! Some might say he is a historical figure. Others might call him a moral teacher or philosopher. Some may deny that he ever existed. And still others might call him a prophet, like the people in the crowd in today's Gospel. But you might also hear one or two people echo Peter in confessing that Jesus is the Christ (Luke 9:20). That answer is as radical today as it was in Jesus' time—and we are blessed to proclaim it! Our answer connects us all the way back to Peter and the other disciples. Like them, we have spent time with Jesus. We have studied his teachings, been awed by his mighty deeds, and heard the whisper of the Holy Spirit revealing Jesus' glory to us. What's more, we have become convinced that Jesus truly is the Son of God—something even the disciples weren't sure about at the time. We proclaim this truth every week at Mass when we recite the Creed. We do it so often, in fact, that it can seem routine, even ordinary. But it is extraordinary. Together as one body, we declare our belief in a God who became human, who suffered, died, and rose again. We have come to know Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, and so we boldly proclaim our faith in him as the Son of God. How grateful we should be for this gift of faith! How grateful we should be too that God promises us that we can always grow in our understanding of who Jesus is. His love is so vast that we will never tire of exploring all that it means for us. You might want to try focusing on a portion of the Creed in your prayer each day. Think about each statement as you declare it. Ask the Lord to highlight one or two phrases to you and to reveal himself even more to you. Then, on Sunday at Mass, pause before the Creed and thank Jesus for revealing his truth to you, to whatever degree you understand it. Pray that the Spirit would help you to find a way to share this great good news with someone so that they too can join Peter in his proclamation. "Jesus, you are the Christ, the Son of God!" Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
Psalm 144:1-4 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. What advantage has the worker from his toil?"
A time to hate? There does come a time that we will hate. But what will you hate? A whole person? Or what evil the person does? How would you like to be hated for something you did? What if you repented? How can you be hated forever? How long does hatred last? What if lack of forgiveness costs you eternal damnation? You see, then, what we should hate is sin, all the more, because it detracts us from the eternal good. The Holy Scripture calls us to recognize... the time and the time is now with our Lord. | We pray today;
"LORD, what is man, that you notice him;
the son of man, that you take thought of him?
Man is like a breath; his days, like a passing shadow. Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!" How many people have lived before us? Some people believe our very bodies could be made of past bodies, with the soil we leave behind. Reincarnation starts peeking its head, but this dust, from this crust of the earth, is so much more than recycled material. You are molded and formed for your inmost being...that which God has made eternal, the life that gives life to the dirt...the very soul. This is where God desires to live...in your heart. | In the Gospel today we heard:
"Who do the crowds say that I am?"
They said in reply, "John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, 'One of the ancient prophets has arisen.'" And the answers are the same today, to the tune of millions and billions of people. For, if you are a Jew, they would say Jesus a teacher, and if you ask the Muslims, they'll say He was a Prophet. And if you ask a non-believer they may say he never existed or that they heard he was a moral teacher as well, a story teller even.
So, if He is a teacher, then what? Are you a student?
If He is a prophet, do you believe the prophetic things He said and did, especially about Himself? | From Bishop Barron today:
"...Finally, Simon Peter speaks: "The Christ of God." You are the Messiah, the anointed, the long-awaited Savior; but more to it, you are the Son of God, not just a human hero. This is the mystical faith that stands at the heart of Christianity. This is the standing or falling point. To hold this Petrine faith is to be a Christian; to deny it is not to be a Christian."
............................... Who do you say that Jesus is?
Some may see Him as a buddy, but how many see Him as WHO HE said HE IS?
He said He is GOD, and if He is God then, we better hit our knees in Holy adoration, because He is an awesome God deserving of all our praise and gratitude...our very lives.
I've about had enough of us all, including myself, not revering His Holiness as we ought. With true sanctity of life, with true living of life, with true holiness. It costs too much to pray a whole rosary. It costs too much to be quiet and let God inside of me in Adoration or Holy Mass. It costs too much to go see Him in Confessions. It costs too much to go to a retreat. It costs too much to really, REALLY believe! Lord, we do believe! HELP our Disbelief!
So that we may love Thee with all our heart, mind, and soul! All our lives, forever. |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: Random Bible Verse 1
Acts 2:36 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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