†Saint Quote
"We must pray literally without ceasing— without ceasing—in every occurrence and employment of our lives . . . that prayer of the heart which is independent of place or situation, or which is rather a habit of lifting up the heart to God as in a constant communication with Him."
–St. Elizabeth Ann Seton †Today's Meditation
"Among the various indications that make the holiness of God known to men, the most convincing sign is the holiness of men, who are sanctified by the divine indwelling . . . In teaching us the words, 'hallowed be Thy name,' our Lord also bids us, when we pray, to ask that God may be glorified by our lives. The sense of the prayer is this: 'Grant us so to live, that all men may glorify Thee through us.' God is sanctified or hallowed in the minds of other men through us, to the extent that we are sanctified by Him. Hence when we say: 'hallowed be Thy name,' we pray, as Cyprian remarks, that God's name may be hallowed in us. Following the lead of Christ, who says: 'Be holy, because I am holy,' we beg that we, who have been sanctified in Baptism, may persevere in the state in which we began. Furthermore we pray daily to be sanctified in order that we, who daily fall, may wash away our sins by a constant process of purification."
—St. Thomas Aquinas, p. 350-351 An Excerpt From
Aquinas's Shorter Summa †Daily Verse
"Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
–John 14:6 |  click to read more | | Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925) was born in Turin, Italy, to a wealthy and prominent family. He was a vibrant, joyful, and athletic youth with an adventurous spirit and a strong zest for life. He loved mountain climbing, the theater, opera, and literature. He also had a deep spiritual life and a strong devotion to the Holy Eucharist and the Virgin Mary, even while his piety provoked criticism from his parents. He challenged his friends to a life of virtue, leading them in spiritual exercises such as daily Mass and the rosary. He joined the St. Vincent de Paul Society in 1918 and became a Lay Dominican in 1922. He was also politically active in resisting fascism and communism; he took part in public demonstrations and joined religious-political organizations such as the Catholic Students Federation and Catholic Action. He also spent much time caring for the sick and poor to a heroic degree, yet his parents punished him when they caught him giving away his money and possessions. While ministering to the sick he contracted polio and died just six days later at the age of 24. His family, thinking he suffered from a mild sickness, did not realize the seriousness of his condition until it was too late. At his funeral his parents were shocked to find thousands of the city's poor, whom their son had helped in some way, arrive to pay their respects. Pope St. John Paul II called Pier Giorgio Frassati a "man of the beatitudes" at his beatification in 1990. His feast day is July 4th. | Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time • Readings for the Independence Day Reading 1 HOS 2:16, 17C-18, 21-22 Thus says the LORD:
I will allure her;
I will lead her into the desert
and speak to her heart.
She shall respond there as in the days of her youth,
when she came up from the land of Egypt.
On that day, says the LORD,
She shall call me "My husband,"
and never again "My baal."
I will espouse you to me forever:
I will espouse you in right and in justice,
in love and in mercy;
I will espouse you in fidelity,
and you shall know the LORD. Responsorial Psalm PS 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 R. (8a) The Lord is gracious and merciful.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.
Generation after generation praises your works
and proclaims your might.
They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty
and tell of your wondrous works.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.
They discourse of the power of your terrible deeds
and declare your greatness.
They publish the fame of your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your justice.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful. Alleluia 2 TM 1:10 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel MT 9:18-26 While Jesus was speaking, an official came forward,
knelt down before him, and said,
"My daughter has just died.
But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live."
Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples.
A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him
and touched the tassel on his cloak.
She said to herself, "If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured."
Jesus turned around and saw her, and said,
"Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you."
And from that hour the woman was cured.
When Jesus arrived at the official's house
and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion,
he said, "Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping."
And they ridiculed him.
When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand,
and the little girl arose.
And news of this spread throughout all that land.
| Daily Meditation: Matthew 9:18-26 An official came forward. . . . A woman . . . touched the tassel of his cloak. (Matthew 9:18, 20) "Impossible" is the word for this Gospel account—impossible for a dead girl to live again, impossible for a hemorrhaging woman to be healed instantly. The impossible occurs frequently in the Gospels. But what about today? What do you do when you have an impossible situation in your life? How do you reach out to the Lord with impossible requests and the hope of seeing your needs met? Let's consider what the official and the hemorrhaging woman did. First, they focused on Jesus. They had watched him; they knew where he had been and what he had been doing. He had cleansed a leper (Matthew 8:1-3), cured "all the sick" (8:16), and cast out demons (8:28-33). They must have concluded that he cared about their pain, their suffering, and their hopes and desires. They determined that he was approachable, and so they approached him. In your pain and need, go to Jesus. Go to him with your hopes and dreams as well. Sit in his presence and focus on the truth that he cares deeply about every aspect of your life. Second, this man and woman had expectant faith and were willing to do whatever was necessary to receive Jesus' healing touch. The official walked past the people who were ridiculing Jesus for saying that the little girl was not dead but sleeping (Matthew 9:24). The woman pushed through the crowd so that she could touch the tassel of Jesus' cloak (9:20-21). Like this man and woman, be expectant that the Lord will act in your life. Then give him permission to work in whatever way he wants. "Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you" (Matthew 9:22). This is what Jesus says to us as well. He is patient and gentle. He is with you and for you in every situation. So pursue him, just as the official and the hemorrhaging woman did. Expect him to work in your day and in your life. He might do something other than what you're asking for, but he will always do something! "Lord Jesus, I need you to act! I believe that as I reach out to you, I will see your goodness." Hosea 2:16-18, 21-22
Psalm 145:2-9 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"I will espouse you in fidelity, and you shall know the LORD." He will marry us in faithfulness? How would you like to be married in faithfulness? How about you marry TO faithfulness? For our Lord is faithful. More faithful than a mother. Let everyone else fail you, but see how faithful He is. And what does it mean to be faithful? What does it mean to be beautiful? Full of beauty? Then to be faithful is to be full of faith. | We pray in Psalms:
"The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness.The LORD is good to all and compassionate toward all his works.
The Lord is gracious and merciful." And now we hear the Word call the Word...merciful. Full of mercy. Such has been God's message from the cross as if to say, "Look at Me, I am Merciful, you have done with Me as you please, now look to Me in humility, and be Me, merciful, for an eternity". My life has been changed forever...by mercy. | In today's Gospel we heard our Lord:
"Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you." And from that hour the woman was cured."
She was cured at what hour? Divine Mercy Hour. Right? Isn't that the hour we should all experience His healing?
And what of healing? Mind? Body? Spirit? What kind of healing do you need? What kind of healing does the world need? All of the above right? And what is the secret in healing? Touching Christ. | ""Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping." And they ridiculed him." They just knew better than Him right? The number one sin against God and faith in God, to declare you know more or better. That's why they mocked Him, laughed at Him, poked at Him, and even had Him killed, right? Where is humility there? Only the dead experienced Christ in a way unknown to the living. Therefore, Christ calls us to Himself.
"When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand,
and the little girl arose."
In another Gospel account we hear Him say in Mark 5:41 "He took the child by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" which means: "Little girl, I say to you, arise!"
In one account, a grown woman touches Christ, and in another account, a dead little girl is touched by Christ. What's the difference? None. In His eyes, we are all His children. The hemorrhaging woman is in Christ's eyes a dead little girl, ousted by the world, and in need of restoration to the flock. This is the purpose of HIS healing. We want healing alright, but just to go on our own little way. But when HE heals, it is so that we go on to HIS own way of living, and dying, and rising.
And so, since the stories touch upon so much the fact of faith, let me let you in on something that is changing me today in faith.
I heard someone say that it takes much more faith for atheist to declare they don't believe in God, than it does for a believer to believe in God.
What does this mean? It means let go, and let God.
Just let down your guard and believe. What good have your doubts brought about for you? False security? We have nations armed to the teeth in hopes to be secure. We have nations this day persecuting Catholics and all Christians in hopes to have their version of security. Most who want this security is to secure glory for themselves, egos, and pride are at risk.
Back to faith. Back to humility. Back to that child laying on the bed. Back to that bleeding woman, suffering for years at the hands of men, and doctors, and giving them all her money, and now she had no hope for a cure....except Christ.
At what point will you become saved?
Only when in dire need? Most people don't want to offer their lives to God until it is just about too late. And for most, it will be too late then.
You have read this for a purpose, and a divine purpose at that.
Our Lord wants to heal you. Come to confession. Come to the Eucharist. Come for an anointing. Come for a baptism. Come to be espoused, married to mercy. Come to enjoin your life to His forever. What is in the next world is beyond your dreams...if we only know how to be poor. May we be truly free from sin and death. May we be freed by His blood. May we live in true joy in His freedom. May we rise with Him by the hand and love Him forever. |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator:
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WOW! AMAZING Luke 4:18–19 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
