†Saint Quote
"The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for what He is sending us every day in His goodness."
–St. Gianna Molla †Today's Meditation
"When a trial is sent to us, it is more difficult than at other times to know how to be thankful to God. We need to acquire sufficient supernatural strength in order to believe that God remains a Father when He makes us feel the weight of the Cross. Behind the suffering that occupies the foreground, we must learn to discover the heart of the One who, by this trial, wishes either to make us grow more spiritually, to permit us to expiate our sins, or to identify us more with His divine Son and to make us participate more fully in the Redemption."
—Raoul Lus, S.J., p. 11 An Excerpt From
Uncommon Virtue †Daily Verse
"For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God."
–1 Peter 3:17-18a |  click to read more | | St. Isaac Jogues St. Isaac Jogues (1607–1646) was born in France to a middle-class family, and at the age of 17 entered a Jesuit seminary where he displayed a talent for writing and teaching. He was ordained in January of 1636 at the age of 29, and three months later was sent as a missionary priest to the rugged wilderness of New France (now Canada) to work among the Huron and Algonquin Native American tribes. Despite the hardship of life in the wilderness, Isaac experienced great spiritual joy in his mission. One day, six years into his work, he was captured by a Mohawk-Iroquois war party. He was enslaved and ritually tortured, in addition to being malnourished and inadequately clothed. His hands were severely mutilated and many of his fingers destroyed, which prevented his ability to say Mass. He continued to preach the faith and was named Ondessonk, "the indomitable one," by his Mohawk captors. After over a year in captivity he escaped with the help of Dutch settlers. He went back to France where he was honored as a "living martyr." He obtained special permission from the pope to say Mass with his mutilated hands. Instead of continuing his life in peace, St. Isaac was zealous to return to his mission field. He returned to New France, and by that time a peace treaty was arranged between the warring native tribes allowing him to work among the Mohawks. However, when they suffered a crisis of crop failure and epidemic disease, the Mohawks blamed the Christians for sorcery and attacked the settlers. St. Isaac Jogues died after being tomahawked in the head, and his body was thrown into the Mohawk River. He is the patron of the Americas and Canada. Isaac Jogues earned the name "Apostle of the Mohawks" for his work. New York state's first Catholic baptismal record was due to his priestly ministry. He and his companions were the first martyrs of the North American continent officially recognized by the Church. His feast day is October 19th. | Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs • Readings for the Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, priests and martyrs, and their companions, martyrs Reading 1 EPH 3:2-12 Brothers and sisters:
You have heard of the stewardship of God's grace
that was given to me for your benefit,
namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation,
as I have written briefly earlier.
When you read this
you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,
which was not made known to human beings in other generations
as it has now been revealed
to his holy Apostles and prophets by the Spirit,
that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same Body,
and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.
Of this I became a minister by the gift of God's grace
that was granted me in accord with the exercise of his power.
To me, the very least of all the holy ones, this grace was given,
to preach to the Gentiles the inscrutable riches of Christ,
and to bring to light for all what is the plan of the mystery
hidden from ages past in God who created all things,
so that the manifold wisdom of God
might now be made known through the Church
to the principalities and authorities in the heavens.
This was according to the eternal purpose
that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,
in whom we have boldness of speech
and confidence of access through faith in him. Responsorial Psalm IS 12:2-3, 4BCD, 5-6 R. (see 3) You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation. Alleluia MT 24:42A, 44 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stay awake!
For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel LK 12:39-48 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Be sure of this:
if the master of the house had known the hour
when the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."
Then Peter said,
"Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?"
And the Lord replied,
"Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward
whom the master will put in charge of his servants
to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
Truly, I say to you, he will put him
in charge of all his property.
But if that servant says to himself,
'My master is delayed in coming,'
and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,
to eat and drink and get drunk,
then that servant's master will come
on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
and will punish the servant severely
and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
That servant who knew his master's will
but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will
shall be beaten severely;
and the servant who was ignorant of his master's will
but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating
shall be beaten only lightly.
Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more."
| Daily Meditation: Luke 12:39-48 Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. (Luke 12:43) What an honor! The servant's task in this parable from Jesus was to make sure that each of the fellow servants was properly cared for in the master's absence. He was given all the authority he needed to meet the needs of the household. But the longer the master was delayed, the less focused the servant became on doing his master's will. Perhaps he stopped believing that his master would ever return. Or maybe his complacency slipped into unfaithfulness, and instead of caring for his fellow servants, he abused them. While most of us would never behave this way, there may be other ways that we might delay or neglect God's call to care for others. For example, perhaps we feel the Spirit prompting us to visit a sick neighbor, but we put it off because we are too busy. After a time, we even forget about the inspiration we had to visit that person. Maybe we delay calling an old friend who is going through a hard time because it might feel awkward. Or we become so focused on our own family and friends that we don't see the needs of the poor among us. God has given each of us various gifts to use freely to serve his people until he comes again. He has equipped us with all the grace we need to love our neighbor as he loves us. He has promised to help us as we reach out and try to care for someone on his behalf. This is more than a duty or command; it's a privilege to carry out the master's will while he is away. And while the servant in Jesus' parable had the privilege of running the household, the privilege for us as Christians is much greater. Because through the love and care we show someone, we can reveal Christ to that person. So don't delay! Look at the needs that are within your reach today, and then get to work. Even small acts can reveal God's presence to another person. One phone call, one email, one kind word, one hug, or one act of service—these are all ways of showing that you care. Then do something else the next day. Let love be your guide as you prepare for the Lord's return. "Lord Jesus, thank you for the privilege of caring for your people!" Ephesians 3:2-12
(Psalm) Isaiah 12:2-6 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the inscrutable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for all what is the plan of the mystery" Isn't it hard to preach about inscrutable riches, if you don't see them, or appreciate them? Isn't it hard to preach the love of God if you don't have any? Isn't it hard to feel the love of God that He sends if you don't feel or appreciate it? Isn't it hard to believe if you don't see for yourself? What if I told you that all we've got to believe in...is the experience? St. Paul experienced something extraordinary, a real encounter with Christ our Lord, although he didn't see, he heard. But all of us can experience God too. How? Truth is, St. Paul used to be Saul, a very zealous Jew striving to do his best for God, until our Lord corrected his zealous direction and pointed Him to the right Way, the Truth...and the Life. | We pray today;
" Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation." I was watching last night, a video about a man that said he'd experienced heaven, and a part that caught my attention was that of the songs he heard, and many musicians quizzed him on how sounds worked, the songs, so we can possibly duplicate them. But the man said it was too much to explain, and that basically, it seemed the song was tied to the heart. Singing praise takes on a whole new meaning then...if the heart is being called to do the singing...praising, and glorifying. | In the Gospel today we heard our Master and Teacher:
"You also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come." And our Lord continues:"That servant who knew his master's will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely".
Protestants do not believe in the words of our Lord said today, about being beaten severely, at the hour the Son of Man will come. It'd be nice to be a protestant who doesn't believe in Purgatory, some don't even believe really in hell, most deny saints, or Mother Mary as the first Saint of the world. Suddenly, it's not that nice to think that way. For my life is more and more filled with saints and angels and Mother Mary, all things I too once felt apart from and denied inadvertently.
But our Lord warns us today. You, knowing full well what you ought to do, and you won't do it.
The Lord says, that no one can escape this fact, that His commands are written in our hearts now. The tablets of stone are now tablets written in our hearts not made of stone. What does this mean? It means it is now worldwide...we are called to do God's will. | "Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more." What or whom am I entrusted with? Anyone and everyone really. It could be a stranger, whom by the very encounter...is not a stranger...but neighbor. You see how it can be anyone and everyone?
Strive to see life this way, and you will be striving to enter the narrow gate. That God can be in anyone, at any given time, therefore...everything you do, and everything you say....does matter.
For countless souls are serving God, in Heaven and earth. What we do matters forever. Why would we deserve to be beaten? For failing to believe...for failing to love...for failing to do what we knew we are to do. We would deserve the beating, but even more...we would desire the beating, wailing, gnashing of teeth, the lamenting and the sorrows for not doing what we should be doing...striving to be perfect, and holy, and bringing souls to light and salvation.
..............
Lord, help us be your servants of light...forever.
............... adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse 1
Acts 20:32 32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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