†Saint Quote
"Quote of the Day
"To convert somebody, go and take them by the hand and guide them."
–St. Thomas Aquinas †Today's Meditation
"One of our sure guides along the path of life is that we do not know when earthly life will come to an end. How important that our repentance for past and present transgressions be a daily practice."
—Rev. Thomas J. Donaghy, p. 36 An Excerpt From
Inspirational Thoughts for Everyday †Daily Verse
"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"
–Psalm 27:1 |  click to read more | | St. Clare of Assisi St. Clare (1194–1253) was born in Assisi, Italy, to an aristocratic family, the daughter of a wealthy count. From childhood she was pious after the example of her mother, and as she grew up her longing for God increased. When she was eighteen she heard St. Francis of Assisi preach a Lenten mission in the local church. His holy example kindled her desire to renounce the world and follow Christ. She secretly begged Francis to help her live as he did, in simplicity according to the Gospel. St. Francis agreed. On Palm Sunday, Clare attended High Mass in all her finery for the final time. There she received a mystical experience which confirmed her desire to renounce the world and follow Christ after the example of St. Francis. That same night she secretly fled her father's house, along with two companions, to a chapel where St. Francis awaited her with his friars. She exchanged her fine clothes for a rough tunic and veil, and had her hair cut off. Francis placed Clare for a time with Benedictine nuns to escape the wrath of her family. She was soon joined by her sister, Agnes, and other young women whom St. Francis inspired. He permanently housed the women, with Clare as abbess, in the Church of San Damiano outside Assisi. This became the first foundation of the Poor Clare nuns. St. Clare lived there for the next forty years in prayer, penance, and fasting. She is the patroness of eyes and eye diseases, the telephone, and television. Her feast day is August 11th.
Find a Devotional for This Saint | Memorial of Saint Clare, Virgin • Readings for the Memorial of Saint Clare, virgin Reading 1 EZ 12:1-12 The word of the LORD came to me:
Son of man, you live in the midst of a rebellious house;
they have eyes to see but do not see,
and ears to hear but do not hear,
for they are a rebellious house.
Now, son of man, during the day while they are looking on,
prepare your baggage as though for exile,
and again while they are looking on,
migrate from where you live to another place;
perhaps they will see that they are a rebellious house.
You shall bring out your baggage like an exile in the daytime
while they are looking on;
in the evening, again while they are looking on,
you shall go out like one of those driven into exile;
while they look on, dig a hole in the wall and pass through it;
while they look on, shoulder the burden and set out in the darkness;
cover your face that you may not see the land,
for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel.
I did as I was told.
During the day I brought out my baggage
as though it were that of an exile,
and at evening I dug a hole through the wall with my hand
and, while they looked on, set out in the darkness,
shouldering my burden.
Then, in the morning, the word of the LORD came to me:
Son of man, did not the house of Israel, that rebellious house,
ask you what you were doing?
Tell them: Thus says the Lord GOD:
This oracle concerns Jerusalem
and the whole house of Israel within it.
I am a sign for you:
as I have done, so shall it be done to them;
as captives they shall go into exile.
The prince who is among them shall shoulder his burden
and set out in darkness,
going through a hole he has dug out in the wall,
and covering his face lest he be seen by anyone. Responsorial Psalm PS 78:56-57, 58-59, 61-62 R. (see 7b) Do not forget the works of the Lord!
They tempted and rebelled against God the Most High,
and kept not his decrees.
They turned back and were faithless like their fathers;
they recoiled like a treacherous bow.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
They angered him with their high places
and with their idols roused his jealousy.
God heard and was enraged
and utterly rejected Israel.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
And he surrendered his strength into captivity,
his glory in the hands of the foe.
He abandoned his people to the sword
and was enraged against his inheritance.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord! Alleluia PS 119:135 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let your countenance shine upon your servant
and teach me your statutes.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel MT 18:21–19:1 Peter approached Jesus and asked him,
"Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive him?
As many as seven times?"
Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.'
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
'Pay back what you owe.'
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'
But he refused.
Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed,
and went to their master and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?'
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart."
When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee
and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.
| Daily Meditation: Matthew 18:21–19:1 . . . forgives . . . from [the] heart. (Matthew 18:35) It's a familiar parable. A king forgives his servant a tremendous debt, just as God has forgiven us with his immeasurable mercy. And what is our "debt"? It's the obedience and love we owe to our heavenly Father. It's a huge debt that we've defaulted on by our sins—a debt we can never repay. But God has canceled that debt, "nailing it to the cross" (Colossians 2:14). This is such good news that it's easy to stop right there and offer a heartfelt "Thanks be to God!" But take some time to ponder the second half of Jesus' parable and his words about forgiving one another "from [the] heart" (Matthew 18:35). Those three words are troubling. Though the mind acknowledges, "I have to forgive," the heart declares, "It's too hard." But Jesus assures us that it's not impossible. He is not issuing an ultimatum—forgive or else; he's extending an invitation. He is offering you a chance to exchange the weight of unforgiveness for the light mantle of your Father's love, a chance to set your own heart free as you forgive. You know who your debtors are—who took what from you. Maybe someone you relied on stole your trust through deceit. Maybe your view of the goodness in others was stolen through neglect or abuse. Or maybe harsh words robbed you of self-esteem. Discovering the wound is the first step toward healing. Pay attention to where the pain still lives in your heart and where the memories still burn in your mind. Then ask the Holy Spirit to show you the debts that are owed to you, the things that can never be repaid. And then, in the light of God's merciful love, make the decision to cancel the debt. Ask the Spirit to help you, especially when it seems hard. Forgive. Seventy-seven times, if you have to. What starts as an act of the will can lead to an encounter with God. He will help you see the wounds you have endured from his perspective. He will also give you compassion for those who have hurt you, even those who have hurt you deeply. Let Jesus heal you so that you can forgive from the heart. Let him help you replace the IOU in it with his love and mercy. "Lord, you know where my heart is hard. Please help me want to forgive!" Ezekiel 12:1-12
Psalm 78:56-59, 61-62 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"The prince who is among them shall shoulder his burden and set out in darkness, going through a hole he has dug out in the wall, and covering his face lest he be seen by anyone." There's not much talk, or evangelization going on, but subtly, and this in the "land of the free". I would dare say, there is much more talk of our Lord in a state of duress. Perhaps because of danger, and thus...a need for a Savior. But should we be pushed down on our knees and made to flee before turning to the Lord? Why would we make ourselves go through that? It is the Lord's will that we live praising Him and giving Him glory and the more the better as of right this moment. Lest the distractions of life lead us astray. | We pray in Psalms:
_"They tempted and rebelled against God the Most High, and kept not his decrees.
They turned back and were faithless like their fathers; they recoiled like a treacherous bow.
Do not forget the works of the Lord" And so I propose to you, something you may have a hunch on already, and that is the fact that evil is used for the greater good. It is meant to straighten us up. Are you experiencing evil? It is a call to straighten up! Listen up my people! Listen my country? We have been all things evil, now let us turn and let us all become holy children of God our Father! | In today's Gospel we heard our Lord:
"...how often must I forgive him?
As many as seven times?"
Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times." And we are talking 490 times to forgive someone. After that, you may just be used to forgiving on the fly! That is my goal, to be able to forgive on the fly, immediately, choosing the side of mercy...lest I be held accountable for being stingy with mercy. You want God to be merciful? Then prove to the world that God is merciful...YOU be merciful, to show the world God moves and lives in you. Let the world see that we are true. Not resentful. Not spiteful. Not brooding. Not waiting for the world to bow to me. The youth must learn to be meek and humble, but not by slapping them across the face, but to be taught that a slap in the face can be used for greater glory in God's kingdom. It used to be that during the Sacrament of Confirmation, the bishop would gently slap you across the face, as if to awaken, arouse the Spirit inside for greater Glory to come...maybe ready for martyrdom as well.
And what happens if you can't forgive? Then you better get closer to the fire of God, lest you face the fires of eternal damnation.
We better get connected to the vine, Jesus, so that we become His fruitful branches. | _"So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart." Lord, I want to forgive from the heart, now and always, as many times as it takes...to honor You with Your holy will. I always want forgiveness too. May I love Your Divine Mercy. Pray the Divine Mercy. Be Your Divine Mercy. May we become radiant with mercy. May we show the world that You are compassionate...passionate about God's Holy Will. |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: Romans 13:10
10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
