†Saint Quote of the Day
"Make it a practice to judge persons and things in the most favorable light at all times and under all circumstances."
–St. Vincent de Paul †Today's Meditation
"Beloved brothers and sisters, we must strive with all our strength to repel the enemy of our soul, with full attention and vigilence, as he rages and aims his darts against every part of us that can be assaulted and wounded. This is what the Apostle Peter, in his epistle, warns and teaches us about, saying: 'Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour' (1 Pt. 5:8)."
—Paul Thigpen, p.150 An Excerpt From
Manual for Spiritual Warfare †Daily Verse
"With the loyal thou dost show thyself loyal; with the blameless man thou dost show thyself blameless; with the pure thou dost show thyself pure; and with the crooked thou dost show thyself perverse. For thou dost deliver a humble people; but the haughty eyes thou dost bring down. Yea, thou dost light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness. Yea, by thee I can crush a troop; and by my God I can leap over a wall. This God—his way is perfect; the promise of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him."
–Psalm 18:25-30 |  click to read more | | †St. Victor of Marseilles St. Victor of Marseilles (d. 290 A.D.) was a Christian soldier serving in the Roman imperial army in Marseilles, France. Christianity was thriving there, until Emperor Maximian arrived with the intention of putting the Christians to death. This caused the Christians to fear, and St. Victor would go from house to house under the cover of night to admonish them to stand strong in their faith. This behavior drew attention, and during one of his nightly rounds he was arrested. The Roman prefects tried to dissuade him from following a "dead man" (Jesus), but St. Victor testified boldly for the truth of the Christian faith. Enraged, the prefects had him bound and dragged through the streets. Victor was undeterred and continued to denounce the Roman gods. His tortures were renewed until his torturers grew tired, after which he was thrown into a dungeon. That night he was visited by angels, and his three guards were converted and baptized that same night. The next morning the Emperor had the guards beheaded, while St. Victor was kept alive for fresh torments. After three days of abuse, the Emperor commanded Victor to burn incense to the gods. Instead, St. Victor walked up to the altar and kicked it over with his foot. In retaliation, his foot was cut off. Seeing that his efforts to cause Victor to apostatize were useless, the Emperor finally had him crushed to death on a grindstone. His body was thrown into the sea before being recovered and buried by Christians. His tomb became a place where many miracles occurred. St. Victor of Marseilles' feast day is July 21st. | Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Ex 11:10—12:14 Although Moses and Aaron performed various wonders
in Pharaoh's presence,
the LORD made Pharaoh obstinate,
and he would not let the children of Israel leave his land. The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
"This month shall stand at the head of your calendar;
you shall reckon it the first month of the year.
Tell the whole community of Israel: On the tenth of this month
every one of your families must procure for itself a lamb,
one apiece for each household.
If a family is too small for a whole lamb,
it shall join the nearest household in procuring one
and shall share in the lamb
in proportion to the number of persons who partake of it.
The lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish.
You may take it from either the sheep or the goats.
You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, and then,
with the whole assembly of Israel present,
it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight.
They shall take some of its blood
and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel
of every house in which they partake of the lamb.
That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh
with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
It shall not be eaten raw or boiled, but roasted whole,
with its head and shanks and inner organs.
None of it must be kept beyond the next morning;
whatever is left over in the morning shall be burned up. "This is how you are to eat it:
with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand,
you shall eat like those who are in flight.
It is the Passover of the LORD.
For on this same night I will go through Egypt,
striking down every first born of the land, both man and beast,
and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt—I, the LORD!
But the blood will mark the houses where you are.
Seeing the blood, I will pass over you;
thus, when I strike the land of Egypt,
no destructive blow will come upon you. "This day shall be a memorial feast for you,
which all your generations shall celebrate
with pilgrimage to the LORD, as a perpetual institution." Responsorial Psalm Ps 116:12-13, 15 and 16bc, 17-18 R. (13) I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord. Alleluia Jn 10:27 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord,
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 12:1-8 Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath.
His disciples were hungry
and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them.
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him,
"See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath."
He said to the them, "Have you not read what David did
when he and his companions were hungry,
how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering,
which neither he nor his companions
but only the priests could lawfully eat?
Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath
the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath
and are innocent?
I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.
If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
you would not have condemned these innocent men.
For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath."
| Daily Meditation: Exodus 11:10–12:14 You shall eat like those who are in flight. (Exodus 12:11) When you think of an important meal, you might think of Christmas dinner. You clean and decorate and prepare special foods. Finally, everything is ready, the table is set, and everyone sits down for the feast. Because it's a special day, they linger at the table and enjoy each other's company well into the evening. By contrast, the Passover meal in today's first reading sounds more like an exercise in rushing out the door. Everyone is dressed for a journey, with their walking staff in hand. Even some of the food—like the unleavened bread—is something you can take on the go. In modern terms, it's as if you're standing at the counter eating a sandwich, with your coat on and the car engine running. You're ready to leave at a moment's notice: "like those who are in flight" (Exodus 12:11). This description of a vigilant, on-the-go meal can serve as a helpful symbol of the Christian life. Like the Israelites, we are pilgrims journeying toward our true homeland. So we need to be ready to follow the Lord whenever and wherever he leads. And as it was for them, so for us there are some things we need to do and there are some things God does for us. For our part, we need to keep a "journey" mindset by staying alert for the Lord's direction. That means learning to hear God's voice in prayer and Scripture. It means staying flexible and holding our own plans and possessions loosely. It also means not getting too comfortable here on earth because we know it's not our final destination. As for God's part, he has been at work from the beginning. He has already saved us and made us his own. He continues to teach us and lead us by his Spirit. He gives himself to us as our unleavened bread and Passover lamb in the Eucharist. He also feeds us every day in his word, in prayer, and through our brothers and sisters in Christ. In short, he provides everything we need so that we are ready to hear him calling us when the time comes. You are on a journey to an eternal banquet—and God himself is leading you! "Here I am, Lord! I'm ready to go wherever you lead me." Psalm 116:12-13, 15-18
Matthew 12:1-8 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"It is the Passover of the LORD.
For on this same night I will go through Egypt,
striking down every first born of the land, both man and beast,
and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt—I, the LORD!
But the blood will mark the houses where you are.
Seeing the blood, I will pass over you;...." end of verse. It is the Passover. Blood will be shed. There will be death. Who would die? The first born. And this will be the sacrifice. The first born. The perfect lamb. And that blood of that sacrificed lamb would be cause for salvation. A sign, a recognition of obedience, and in obedience and trust, and faith, there would be salvation. Mercy comes. | We pray today:
"To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord..." end of Psalm. This is what we do in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It is not a "service". It is not something we go do, and it something we go and "get". No! Heavens no. In the Mass we go offer ourselves! We offer thanksgiving...and God HIMSELF provides the sacrifice of thanksgiving....Jesus Himself. We forever live the very moment our Lord gave Himself, in full remembrance, and thus obedience, and in faith, until He comes again. | In the Gospel today we heard:
"When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him,
"See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath...
Our Lord Jesus said later: "I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.
If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
you would not have condemned these innocent men.
For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.".."" end of Gospel verse. | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus corrects the Pharisees with this theme of his ministry: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice."
Every saint had a past, and every sinner has a future. That is key to Catholic spirituality. In the lives of every one of these heroes of the faith, there is some conversion. And every sinner—every one of us—has a future. That is why we soak in the mercy of God.
There is a beautiful reference in the Psalms to oil running down upon your beard, upon the collar of your robe. The divine mercy is like that: poured out upon us, poured out without reservation—and not because it's earned, because it can't be earned.
God doesn't love us because we're worthy. We're worthy because he loves us. We don't deserve his mercy, but we soak it in and thereby are transformed."
LOL, one time I imagined the disciples walking across the field, with our Lord, and yes, they picked up grains to eat, and suddenly, a Pharisee pops out of the grass "aha! see you aren't doing things right, I told you!". Like a whack-a-mole game where you are just tempted to whack them with a hammer back into the ground! LOL. I digress.
But it is a learning lesson for all. It is not necessarily bad to question, it is good. I get lots of questions from non catholics about why we do what we do. And most of the time they leave enlightened. This is the importance of apologetics. Of knowing your faith. Of teaching. Of knowing. And more importantly, being the living and active word of our Lord, which acts as a sword and a light for the world.
It's Sabbath.
There's wheat in the scene.
They learn a lesson.
Sounds like Holy Mass to me! LOL.
Our Lord reveals Himself. He blatantly says He is greater than their highest temple, and He is greater than the Sabbath, their highest worship in the week.
What does this mean when He says He is greater? God is love, amen? Then, this means Love is greater, mercy is greater than sacrifice. Sure you sacrificed to go to Mass the other day, but you didn't go sacrifice yourself, did you?
To sacrifice yourself in a Sacrament means something.
Like in Holy Confession, you should come away different, sacrificed, and crossed, sacramentalized to sin no more.
In the old sacrifice, like an animal, a covenant was made by parting the flesh in half. And God would pass through, your half and His half. To seal the brokeness. To fill the gap. To make something new...a promise, a new living being out of the old.
I digress.
There's wheat in today's scriptures. Bread.
There's meat in today's Holy Scriptures, the unblemished lamb.
There's mercy spoken. A command. An invitation.
One half goes to church. The other half is waiting. God is the other half. We are made whole in Him. He completes us. The less of us, the more of Him. The smaller I become, the greater He becomes. And then everything can be full. Let's pray:
God be my everything! Jesus come and get me! Like a bride swept away by the groom, ever in love, ever joyful at finding the other half, and in true love .... forever, for real. |  Click To Hear | Random Bible Verse 1 Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So "Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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