†Quote of the Day
"The closer one approaches to God, the simpler one becomes."
–St. Teresa of Avila †Today's Meditation
"Meekness is spiritual; meekness is joy. And we should all strive to have in our hearts that joy that is contagiously cheerful. We need not think that we must be continually joking; nor should we believe that even-temperedness must express its happiness in laughter. We may and undoubtedly will have bothersome worries, but we can and should be even-tempered, retain our peace of heart, be meek in spite of them. We can at least bear with life's small problems in such a way as not to allow them to rush upon others. Even temper is attractive, helps the community spirit, keeps down all that ends to anger for it seeks under varying circumstances to be pleasant, amiable, agreeable, mild, patient. It is, in fact, the practice of many virtues."
—Matt Fradd, p.79 An Excerpt From
Rooting Out Hidden Faults - How the Particular Examen Conquers Sin †Daily Verse
"Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is his name: Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things which you have not known."
–Jeremiah 33: 2-3 |  click to read more | | St. Januarius St. Januarius (d. 305 A.D.), also known as San Gennaro, was the Bishop of Benevento, Italy. Little is known of his early life. He was arrested and imprisoned for his faith while visiting other Christians in jail during the persecution of Roman Emperor Diocletian. Many attempts were made to kill him, but one after another they failed. He was thrown into a fiery furnace, but he came out unscathed. He was then thrown to wild beasts in the amphitheater, but they did not attack. He was finally beheaded, and his blood was collected by Christians and kept in a sealed glass vial for veneration. The vial of blood is still kept today in the Naples cathedral, and it has continually demonstrated miraculous properties for which no scientific explanation has been offered. St. Januarius' blood liquefies and becomes fresh on particular occasions throughout the year, especially his feast day, for which the saint has become famous. This phenomenon has been occurring with regularity for centuries, and is one of the "blood miracles" that is historically well-documented among the relics of certain saints. He is the patron saint of blood banks and the city of Naples, Italy. St. Januarius's feast day is September 19th. | Tuesday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 1 Tm 3:1-13 Beloved, this saying is trustworthy:
whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task.
Therefore, a bishop must be irreproachable,
married only once, temperate, self-controlled,
decent, hospitable, able to teach,
not a drunkard, not aggressive, but gentle,
not contentious, not a lover of money.
He must manage his own household well,
keeping his children under control with perfect dignity;
for if a man does not know how to manage his own household,
how can he take care of the Church of God?
He should not be a recent convert,
so that he may not become conceited
and thus incur the Devil's punishment.
He must also have a good reputation among outsiders,
so that he may not fall into disgrace, the Devil's trap. Similarly, deacons must be dignified, not deceitful,
not addicted to drink, not greedy for sordid gain,
holding fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
Moreover, they should be tested first;
then, if there is nothing against them,
let them serve as deacons.
Women, similarly, should be dignified, not slanderers,
but temperate and faithful in everything.
Deacons may be married only once
and must manage their children and their households well.
Thus those who serve well as deacons gain good standing
and much confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus. Responsorial Psalm Ps 101:1b-2ab, 2cd-3ab, 5, 6 R.(2) I will walk with blameless heart.
Of mercy and judgment I will sing;
to you, O LORD, I will sing praise.
I will persevere in the way of integrity;
when will you come to me?
R. I will walk with blameless heart.
I will walk with blameless heart,
within my house;
I will not set before my eyes
any base thing.
R. I will walk with blameless heart.
Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret,
him will I destroy.
The man of haughty eyes and puffed up heart
I will not endure.
R. I will walk with blameless heart.
My eyes are upon the faithful of the land,
that they may dwell with me.
He who walks in the way of integrity
shall be in my service.
R. I will walk with blameless heart. Alleluia Lk 7:16 Lk 7:16 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 7:11-17 Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain,
and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him.
As he drew near to the gate of the city,
a man who had died was being carried out,
the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.
A large crowd from the city was with her.
When the Lord saw her,
he was moved with pity for her and said to her,
"Do not weep."
He stepped forward and touched the coffin;
at this the bearers halted,
and he said, "Young man, I tell you, arise!"
The dead man sat up and began to speak,
and Jesus gave him to his mother.
Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming,
"A great prophet has arisen in our midst,"
and "God has visited his people."
This report about him spread through the whole of Judea
and in all the surrounding region. | Young man, I tell you, arise! (Luke 7:14) The Gospels tell the stories of three different people whom Jesus raised from the dead: Lazarus (John 11:1-44); the young daughter of Jairus (Mark 5:22-43); and the son of the widow of Nain, which we read about today (Luke 7:11-17). Luke's story differs from the other two in a significant way. For both Lazarus and Jairus' daughter, their loved ones sought Jesus' help while they were both still sick. But in the story of the widow of Nain, no one sought Jesus out—he just showed up and raised the young man on his own initiative. Isn't it awesome that Jesus works this way sometimes? He shows up and intervenes all on his own. When we don't expect it, he showers us with blessings that we haven't even asked for. This is yet another sign that his love and mercy are for all people, even for those who might not be aware of his presence. You might wonder, then: is there even a point to turning to Jesus for what we need? Absolutely! When we bring our petitions to Jesus in prayer, we are also bringing ourselves to him. When we tell him what is weighing on our hearts, we are also opening our hearts to him. And when we bring ourselves to him and pray with open hearts, our relationship with him deepens. We receive his love, and his heart becomes our heart. That heals us from the inside out. It makes us more humble and more open to receiving whatever he wants to do in us and in our loved ones. So go ahead and pray for the things you want. After all, this widow probably prayed for her son's recovery. Come to him in humility and tell him that you are ready to accept his will over yours. Come to him with trust, believing that he loves you more than you can ever know. Come to him in faith, confident that he will pour out his blessings according to his own perfect will and intentions for you. And don't be surprised if Jesus just "shows up" and does something you didn't even know you needed! "Jesus, I trust that you have a perfect plan for my life and for those I love!" 1 Timothy 3:1-13
Psalm 101:1-3, 5-6 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"Moreover, they should be tested first; then, if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.
Women, similarly, should be dignified, not slanderers,
but temperate and faithful in everything......." end of verse.
. . . Deacons are tested. And the women, wives are tested. And sometimes I have seen they are tested with fire, those who attempt to become deacons and their wives along too. Atrocities strike them while trying to become deacons. Yet, they persevere, and their ministry seems more blessed even. Could it be like this for all of us who are trying to follow the Way of Christ? All those who are trying to be good Christians should know there is a test, a lifelong test at that. | We pray today:
"I will walk with blameless heart, within my house;
I will not set before my eyes any base thing. I will walk with blameless heart.
Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him will I destroy.
The man of haughty eyes and puffed up heart
I will not endure......"_ end of Psalm." Perhaps the little known murders of today are the ones that begin with slander, belittling others, speaking of them in a negative light. How in the world will this ever help edify the body of Christ? And it happens in church and family. How can we avoid the near occasion of sin here? Avoid it in your heart....always. Be blameless. Be perfect. We can do this with Christ in our hearts. | In the Gospel today we heard:
"When the Lord saw her,
he was moved with pity for her and said to her,
"Do not weep."
He stepped forward and touched the coffin;
at this the bearers halted,
and he said, "Young man, I tell you, arise!"
The dead man sat up and began to speak,
and Jesus gave him to his mother......." end of Gospel verse.
... | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, our Gospel today gives us Jesus' raising of the son of the widow of Nain. This is a prime exemplification of the key Gospel truth that everything Jesus said and did, in one way or another, is an anticipation of his Resurrection. The God of Israel, the God of Jesus Christ, is a God of life, a God of the living. He hates death and the ways of death.
The death in today's Gospel goes beyond the tragic loss of a loved one, as awful as that is. In the context of Jesus' time and place, this is a disaster for the widow. There is no social safety net, no insurance, no guaranteed income. Unless she finds kindly neighbors who will support her, she is lost without her husband and, importantly, her "only son." This is why the heart of Jesus is especially moved with pity.
Notice please that the reaction of the bystanders is fear. This is the fear that comes from the turning upside-down of a world. This is also the reaction of the women at the tomb on Easter Sunday morning. An evangelization that isn't a little scary is an inadequate evangelization.."
End quote Bishop Barron.
Our Lord made many dead come back to life, but not all.
Who came back? A little girl. A widow's son. His friend Lazarus. And who knows how many more we don't hear about.
At His commanding Word, they come back. All He says is "Arise".
And they come back to life. His Word is life. His life is life. And when I speak life, it is not merely earthly life, but life eternal, not death. Life eternal is to have life with Him.
But who would console Mother Mary when her only son would die and she would have no one to take care of her?
Our Lord knew the pain. And so, He gave her to us. And not only that, but He would rise Himself and console her. Life is temporal. How prudent and wise we would be to heed the prophetic words, to remember to count our days of life left on earth. At times, I worry much, and I wonder if that is faithlessness. I worry because we don't have much construction work in our family business. I worry because I don't believe I'm doing enough to bring vocations to the religious life in my family, and my community. Why be religious? Because, it brings life to the body of Christ. The world hates that word and most wash their hands like Pontius Pilate denying the true faith and boldly say "I'm not religious...I'm spiritual. But even demons are spirituals.
If we are to bring the dead to life and to dispel darkness, then we must be on the side of life, on the side of Christ, where His blood and water are pouring forth into loving and willing souls...for Our Father.
........ Let us pray:
Lord, I want to arise to see You there with open hands, full of life and love! |  Click To Hear | Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 3:7–8 [Proverbs 3] 7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your flesh1 and refreshment2 to your bones. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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