†Saint Quote
"It is not that I want merely to be called a Christian, but to actually be one. Yes, if I prove to be one, then I can have the name."
–St. Ignatius of Antioch †Today's Meditation
"The Church, which has spread everywhere, even to the ends of the earth, received the faith from the apostles and their disciples … Having one soul and one heart, the Church holds this faith, preaches and teaches it consistently as though by a single voice. For though there are different languages, there is but one tradition. … Just as God's creature, the sun, is one and the same the world over, so also does the Church's preaching shine everywhere to enlighten all men who want to come to a knowledge of the truth. Now of those who speak with authority in the churches, no preacher however forceful will utter anything different—for no one is above the Master—nor will a less forceful preacher diminish what has been handed down. Since our faith is everywhere the same, no one who can say more augments it, nor can anyone who says less diminish it."
—St. Ignatius of Antioch, p. 194 An Excerpt From
Witness of the Saints †Daily Verse
"Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing."
–John 15:4-5 |  click to read more | | St. Ignatius of Antioch St. Ignatius of Antioch (d. c. 98-117) was a Syrian who became a disciple of St. John the Apostle. Tradition holds that he was the infant whom Jesus took in his arms, saying, "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me" as recounted in Mark's Gospel. St. Ignatius was a pagan convert to Christianity and succeeded St. Peter the Apostle as the third bishop of Antioch, being ordained by St. Peter himself. He was an important Church Father of the Apostolic age, an ideal pastor, and a fearless soldier of Christ. He was tireless in supporting his flock against dangerous heresies and the terrors of the persecutions of the Roman Emperors. When Ignatius violated the imperial edict to worship false gods, he was arrested and led before Emperor Trajan. After boldly proclaiming the truth of Jesus Christ, he was condemned to be devoured by wild beasts for public sport in the Roman Colosseum. On his journey from Syria to Rome he wrote many letters to his fellow Christians, encouraging them with his apostolic zeal and exhorting them to obey their bishops. He also pleaded that none try to obtain his release, as he was eager to lay down his life for Jesus, saying, "The only thing I ask of you is to allow me to offer the libation of my blood to God. I am the wheat of the Lord; may I be ground by the teeth of the beasts to become the immaculate bread of Christ." He was devoured by lions in Rome in the early second century. St. Ignatius of Antioch is the first to have used the term "Catholic" Church, meaning "Universal." His feast day is October 17th. | Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr Lectionary: 473
Reading 1 EPH 2:1-10 Brothers and sisters:
You were dead in your transgressions and sins
in which you once lived following the age of this world,
following the ruler of the power of the air,
the spirit that is now at work in the disobedient.
All of us once lived among them in the desires of our flesh,
following the wishes of the flesh and the impulses,
and we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest.
But God, who is rich in mercy,
because of the great love he had for us,
even when we were dead in our transgressions,
brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
raised us up with him,
and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,
that in the ages to come
he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace
in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;
it is not from works, so no one may boast.
For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works
that God has prepared in advance,
that we should live in them. Responsorial Psalm PS 100:1B-2, 3, 4AB, 4C-5 R. (3b) The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Sing joyfully to the LORD all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise.
R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Give thanks to him; bless his name, for he is good:
the LORD, whose kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R. The Lord made us, we belong to him. Alleluia MT 5:3 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are the poor in spirit;
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel LK 12:13-21 Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
"Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me."
He replied to him,
"Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?"
Then he said to the crowd,
"Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one's life does not consist of possessions." Then he told them a parable.
"There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.
He asked himself, 'What shall I do,
for I do not have space to store my harvest?'
And he said, 'This is what I shall do:
I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.
There I shall store all my grain and other goods
and I shall say to myself, "Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!"'
But God said to him,
'You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?'
Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself
but is not rich in what matters to God." | Daily Meditation: Ephesians 2:1-10 That . . . he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:7) Have you ever wondered what it means for God to be glorified in your life? Maybe if you started a soup kitchen, or if you preached the gospel on a podcast every week, or if you did something else impressive, God would be glorified. After all, Paul says in today's first reading that we're "created in Christ Jesus for good works that God has prepared in advance" (Ephesians 2:10). Well, those good works are part of the picture. But they're not the whole picture. Paul also tells us that the foundational way God is glorified in our lives is when we embrace his mercy and let it change us. God's immeasurable riches of grace are revealed when we, who were cut off from him by sin, are brought back into fellowship with him (Ephesians 2:4-5). That kindness and mercy, lavished upon us, shows the world how good God is. And by revealing him to the world, it brings glory to him. We know that we receive God's mercy through Baptism and whenever we turn to him in repentance. But that's not the end of it. Every day that awesome mercy can help us glorify the Lord even more as we let it shape our thoughts and actions. God's mercy and grace shine forth when we go from "following the wishes of the flesh" (Ephesians 2:3) to living as new creations in Christ. What does this look like? Sometimes God is glorified when our experience of his mercy leads us to be merciful to the people around us. Other times it's when we have the confidence to reach outside of ourselves to help someone in need. But God can also be glorified in something as simple as our joyful attitude or our ability to stay at peace during a stressful time. So today, if you feel God is calling you to accomplish something impressive for his kingdom, go right ahead. But know that God is also glorified in you when his mercy is active in your life. So seek it out. Let it change the way you think, speak, and act. That just might be the way the people who know you best will see God's glory at its brightest. "Lord, by your mercy, rescue me and help me display the greatness of your glory!" Psalm 100:1-5
Luke 12:13-21 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;" Wait, wait...faith is a gift? Who gets this gift? Truthfully, we are all engraved with His commands in our spiritual DNA. And it all grows different in different circumstances. "For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them." | We pray today;
"Give thanks to him; bless his name, for he is good:
the LORD, whose kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations. The Lord made us, we belong to him." There's a sever lack of love in the world. What love? The love for God on our part. We belong to the creator, we are even called adopted children of Him.
Have you ever adopted a child? Do you know what it is like? After years of dealing with orphans, I've been tempted to adopt now. I've seen a couple of adoptions and I see how the children are loved exactly like the blood children, sometimes even more. Is that right? Can God love you that much?
Question is, can we love God that much? Gift is faith and faith is love, God gives us both. | In the Gospel today we heard our Master and Teacher:
_""Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one's life does not consist of possessions." This weekend I spoke with a guy from really deep Mexico, and we spoke about children, he is 30 years old with 2 children and I encouraged him to get married by the Church and have more children and he brought up the problem of economics and I said that is the same excuse we have in the rich country of the USA, most don't want kids because of the economics. You see, economics reigns supreme, don't it? The bull market? Right? But that is a bunch of bull that we feed. My dad was raised dirt poor, so poor that they were looking for food and fighting for food at the lanfills of Juarez in old Mexico. One of his brothers was losing his sight with malnutrition, and there were 13 of them. They all made it, and most became successful people in their lives. And most, very, very faithful Catholics. But, we want economics to reign supreme, the harvest so huge that we don't know what to do with all the extra...money. That is why the young man is here, wants to make more money basically, to help his situation back home. I tried to steer him from not losing his sight... in this spiritual malnutrition. | "Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself
but is not rich in what matters to God."
And so, it happens today, that we easily lose sight of what is important. The love of God, and the love of neighbor, and the love of God in our neighbor. Our Lord is asking us to realize what it means to live on this earth...
Are we giving Him the glory He deserves by pouring ourselves out for Him and His Holy will? Or are we so engrossed with self, in consumerism and in the world of economics?
Do you even know what economics means? In the Greek or Hebrew, I believe the word means "state of the household".
What is at the center and the very state of your household...your temple of God?
............... Lord that you may live and I shall live. from your child and brother,
adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse 1
1 John 4:7–8 [1 John 4]
God Is Love 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
