†Saint Quote
"The deeds you do may be the only sermon some people will hear today."
–St. Francis of Assisi †Today's Meditation
"Avoid worrying, then, about anything else for your children except whatever may contribute to bringing them up virtuously. For the rest, having entrusted them to God, try to see what His will for them is, to help them along the path in life He has chosen for them. Never be afraid of relying too much on Him, but rather seek always to increase your trust more and more, for this is the most pleasing homage you can pay Him and it will be the measure of the graces you will receive. Little or much will be given you according as you have expected little or much."
—St. Claude De La Columbiere, p.46 An Excerpt From
Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence †Daily Verse
"For I have learned, in whatever situation I find myself, to be self-sufficient. I know indeed how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance. In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need. I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me."
–Philippians 4:11b-13 |  click to read more | | Sts. Martha, Mary and Lazarus St. Martha (1st c.) was a pious Jewish woman from Bethany near Jerusalem. She was a close friend of Jesus during his earthly ministry, as was her brother, St. Lazarus, and her sister, St. Mary of Bethany (St. Mary Magdalene – separate feast day on July 22nd). The Gospels tell us that "Jesus loved Martha, and her sister Mary and Lazarus." Martha would serve the Lord faithfully when he was a guest in her home, once busying herself so much with her work that she neglected to spend time enjoying his presence, for which she earned a gentle rebuke from Our Lord. Martha had great faith in Christ, especially evidenced in her belief that he could raise her brother Lazarus from the dead. In the Gospels we read that St. Martha testified that Jesus was the Son of God even before his Passion and Resurrection. According to tradition, after the Ascension of Jesus into heaven, St. Martha gathered a group of women together to live, pray, and do penance in common, one of the early Christian houses of consecrated women. St. Martha is the patron of servers, maids, butlers, servants, single laywomen, homemakers, housewives, and cooks. Together, these siblings share a feast day on July 29th. See more about St. Martha. See more about St. Mary. See more about St. Lazarus. | Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus • Readings for the Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus Reading I Jer 26:1-9 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim,
son of Josiah, king of Judah,
this message came from the LORD:
Thus says the LORD:
Stand in the court of the house of the LORD
and speak to the people of all the cities of Judah
who come to worship in the house of the LORD;
whatever I command you, tell them, and omit nothing.
Perhaps they will listen and turn back,
each from his evil way,
so that I may repent of the evil I have planned to inflict upon them
for their evil deeds.
Say to them: Thus says the LORD:
If you disobey me,
not living according to the law I placed before you
and not listening to the words of my servants the prophets,
whom I send you constantly though you do not obey them,
I will treat this house like Shiloh,
and make this the city to which all the nations of the earth
shall refer when cursing another. Now the priests, the prophets, and all the people
heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the LORD.
When Jeremiah finished speaking
all that the LORD bade him speak to all the people,
the priests and prophets laid hold of him, crying,
"You must be put to death!
Why do you prophesy in the name of the LORD:
'This house shall be like Shiloh,' and
'This city shall be desolate and deserted'?"
And all the people gathered about Jeremiah in the house of the LORD. Responsorial Psalm 69:5, 8-10, 14 R. (14c) Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Those outnumber the hairs of my head
who hate me without cause.
Too many for my strength
are they who wrongfully are my enemies.
Must I restore what I did not steal?
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Since for your sake I bear insult,
and shame covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my brothers,
a stranger to my mother's sons,
Because zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
But I pray to you, O LORD,
for the time of your favor, O God!
In your great kindness answer me
with your constant help.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me. Alleluia Jn 8:12 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 11:19-27 Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary
to comfort them about their brother [Lazarus, who had died].
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
she went to meet him;
but Mary sat at home.
Martha said to Jesus,
"Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
God will give you."
Jesus said to her,
"Your brother will rise."
Martha said to him,
"I know he will rise,
in the resurrection on the last day."
Jesus told her,
"I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?"
She said to him, "Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world." OR:
Lk 10:38-42 Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
"Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply,
"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her."
| Daily Meditation: John 11:19-27 Yes, Lord. I have come to believe. (John 11:27) "God made us a family. We need one another. We love one another. We forgive one another. . . . Together we serve our God. Together we hope for heaven. These are our hopes and ideals. Help us to attain them, O God, through Jesus Christ our Lord." This popular prayer reminds us that each family has a vocation. Even though a family is made up of individuals who can be wildly different, they are called to love and help each other grow in holiness. Moreover, when families combine their individual strengths and weaknesses, they find that they can serve God in a way that is unique to their own family. Today we celebrate one such family that served the Lord in its own unique way: Sts. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. This family, made up of clearly different individuals, opened their home and their hearts to Jesus. The Gospels tell us that they faced the same struggles that many of us face: getting along with each other, dealing with the death of a loved one, and struggling to come to belief in the Lord (Luke 10:38-42; John 11:17-19, 32-36). The Gospels also tell us that Jesus loved this family, despite their individual weaknesses. Family life is not always picture-perfect, but if the whole family tries to come together in faith, despite their differences, each member can grow in love, both for the Lord and for each other. We know that sometimes it is hard to get all family members on the same wavelength, but God can take even the most halting effort and bless it. Even if all you do is recite the family prayer above, know that you're off to a good start. Let's take today's feast as an opportunity to pray for all families, including our own. May we all take strides to grow closer to each other. May we all take strides to grow closer to the Lord together. And most important, may we all welcome Jesus into our homes and invite him to live with us, just as Martha, Mary, and Lazarus did. "Lord, be with every family, and help them embrace their calling!" Jeremiah 26:1-9
Psalm 69:5, 8-10, 14 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"Perhaps they will listen and turn back, each from his evil way, so that I may repent of the evil I have planned to inflict upon them for their evil deeds." Why does God allow evil?
So we will turn to good. Why do we hurt our bodies in exercise? For the greater good. Why do we discipline our kids? Used to be with good ol' spankings too. For the greater good. So if you see evil, it is a call from God. TURN TO GOD! NOW!! | We pray in Psalms:
"But I pray to you, O LORD, for the time of your favor, O God! In your great kindness answer me with your constant help."
God is Savior. He loves to save. He answers the call to save. Perhaps not to save as we want, or at the time we want, but the call for the greater good is always answered. Watch Lazarus. | In today's Gospel we heard our Lord:
"I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" I'm sure they prayed to God and to our Lord for Lazarus not to die.
But he died.
I'm sure it did not cause them to lose their faith. But it sure hurt.
Yet our Lord shows up and says "he will live!" and not only that "he will live forever!"
But how? For believing in Him.
God believes. Do you?
Can we believe? People are looking at you constantly for signs, to believe. Watch therefore what you do and say.
This is probably why St. Francis said: 'The deeds you do may be the only sermon some people will hear today."
So let's remind ourselves where good deeds come from: the true love of God, the true striving to be perfect in love of God. Amen? Do you believe this? Do you believe you can lean on our Lord more? Do you believe you can trust Him more?
Do you believe He gots you because He actually loves you?
I think if I knew God loved me dearly my life would totally change. I would die for Him.
But He does it first.
He died for us. He does things we cannot ever understand.
Like Loving like nobody else will.
Like turning into a living heart to feed Heaven.
Now we are speaking a language of Heaven, of God, of amazing trueness we care not to imagine. | Lord, we need You.
Had you been here, my loved ones would not have died!
Yet He was there. And our Loved ones can live forever!
I believe. Help our desbelief! |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: James 1:19–20 Hearing and Doing the Word 19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
