†Saint Quote
"The works of God are not accomplished when we wish them, but whenever it pleases Him."
–St. Vincent de Paul †Today's Meditation
"If the soul will analyze the desire it has of happiness, and the idea of happiness that presents itself to it, it will find that the object of this idea and of this desire is only and can only be God. This is the impression that the soul bears in the depths of its nature; this is what reason will teach it if it will only reflect a little, and this is what neither prejudice nor passion can ever entirely efface."
—Fr. Jean Nicholas Grou, p. 4 An Excerpt From
The Spiritual Life †Daily Verse
"Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ. I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do. Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began. I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word."
–John 17:3-6 |  click to read more | | St. Rose of Lima St. Rose (1586-1617) was born in Lima, Peru, one of ten children belonging to a Spanish immigrant and his wife, a descendant of the Incas. Rose was beautiful and very pious. She was so sensitive to compliments on her physical appearance that, to combat vanity, she disfigured her face with pepper and lime. When her father's finances deteriorated, Rose used her skill at needlework to help support her family. Her parents desired that she marry, but she refused, and lived as a recluse in a hut in her parent's garden. Inspired by the example of St. Catherine of Siena, Rose joined the Third Order Dominicans, dedicated her life to chastity and assisting the sick and poor, and inflicted severe penances on herself daily. For this extreme behavior she endured disapproval and persecution from her family, especially when she began to have visions and other mystical experiences. An evaluation by priests and physicians proved Rose's experiences to be authentically supernatural. She also spoke out against the corruption of her day, as the Spanish grew rich from Peru's natural resources while Peruvians became impoverished. She was greatly revered by the people, and at the time of her death, at the age of 31, her body could not be buried for several days due to the large crowds. After her death many miracles were attributed to her intercession. Rose of Lima was the first native-born saint from the Americas to be canonized. She is the patroness of the Americas, the Philippines, India, Peru, and of gardeners, florists, needle-workers, and against vanity. Her feast day is August 23rd. | Tuesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 2 THES 2:1-3A, 14-17 We ask you, brothers and sisters,
with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
and our assembling with him,
not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly,
or to be alarmed either by a "spirit," or by an oral statement,
or by a letter allegedly from us
to the effect that the day of the Lord is at hand.
Let no one deceive you in any way.
To this end he has also called you through our Gospel
to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, stand firm
and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught,
either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours.
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father,
who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement
and good hope through his grace,
encourage your hearts and strengthen them
in every good deed and word. Responsorial Psalm PS 96:10, 11-12, 13 R. (13b) The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Before the LORD, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth. Alleluia HEBREWS 4:12 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel MT 23:23-26 Jesus said:
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin,
and have neglected the weightier things of the law:
judgment and mercy and fidelity.
But these you should have done, without neglecting the others.
Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You cleanse the outside of cup and dish,
but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.
Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup,
so that the outside also may be clean." | Daily Meditation: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3, 14-17 Stand firm and hold fast. (2 Thessalonians 2:15) Seeing a ballet dancer do a pirouette is awe-inspiring. How can she spin and spin but never lose her balance? By focusing on one point for as long as possible as the rest of her body turns. Then, she quickly brings her head back around to her focal point. It takes a lot of practice, but the end result is a stunning display of both discipline and gracefulness. In a similar way, the Christians in Thessalonica needed to find their own focal point. Fear and confusion swirled around them. People were preaching that the end was near and were even passing off fake letters as if they came from Paul himself. Paul saw that all this was putting them off-balance in their spiritual lives. So he advised them, "Stand firm and hold fast" (2 Thessalonians 2:15). In other words, keep turning your eyes back to what you have been taught about God. Paul's advice still holds true today. Fear and confusion swirl around us. People ridicule faith and stoke fear with stories that make evil seem greater than God. But rather than being shaken, we can keep our eyes on God, our focal point. You can start by looking at how Paul describes God in this passage: He is our Father who loves his children (2 Thessalonians 2:16). He has called us to possess his glory (2:14). He is the source of all grace and gives us hope and encouragement (2:16). He is our strength (2:17). Go back to these truths each time fearful or doubtful thoughts start swirling in your mind. You can try this today by taking regular breaks and—literally—turning your eyes to the Lord! Look up from your work or studies and fix your attention on a crucifix on the wall, on your computer screen, or on a holy card or a rosary. As you gaze on Jesus on the cross, let him remind you how much he loves you, how he has called you to be his child, how his unchanging presence is your comfort and security. Keep practicing this, and over time you'll develop the habit of turning to the Lord when confusion or anxiety arises. And the result will be balance and confidence—just like a ballet dancer. "Lord God, be my focal point today." Psalm 96:10-13
Matthew 23:23-26 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"Therefore, brothers and sisters, stand firm
and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught,
either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours." Stand firm, says the Lord, and hold fast to traditions. This flies fast against protestant thought which teaches against tradition, yet, they have their own traditions. Our traditions in the Holy Faith trace back to the Last Supper and includes the culmination of all Jewish teachings, mitigated and renewed in Jesus our Lord. In comes that clue word...obedience. | We pray today;
"Say among the nations: The LORD is king. He has made the world firm, not to be moved; he governs the peoples with equity. The Lord comes to judge the earth."
There has come another media warning about a possible food shortage that is to come. Who's fault will it be? Nature? Government? Both? What will happen? Rioting and looting? Violence? Dissent? Can we avoid the coming calamity? Sure. All we have to do is turn to our Lord and turn away from sin. Stop having two faces with God. Hoarding will not help but fatten the selfish. Right? My life vision on the situation? How can I feed my family by sharing with others? You see, if you want more, you have to give more. Doesn't make sense in worldly terms. Today's bad decisions will affect tomorrow's life. Yet the inverse is true, that today's good decisions, holy decisions make for a hopeful tomorrow. | Our Lord speaks;
"You cleanse the outside of cup and dish,
but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence."
Our Lord wants the world to see what is inside of me.
This is the point of confession.
This is the point of conversion.
This is the point of coming clean...from the inside out.
How can you give from the inside that what does not exist?
Whitewashed tombs hide dead bones.
I implored people at a rosary vigil yesterday, to listen to our consciousness of God's commands written in our heart.
To stop venturing into darkness and come to the light of true joy. | And I'm speaking to the world as a whole. Turn away from sin, and turn away from self. The coming warnings are for us to look at the world and see what's wrong. And then, look inside of self. How can one soul make a difference? St. Lima of Peru Pray for us! |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: Matthew 5:9
9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons1 of God. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
