†Quote of the Day
"Continuously ask your guardian angel for help. Your guardian angel has to become your best friend."
–St. Carlo Acutis †Today's Meditation
"St. Gregory of Nyssa makes a delightful comparison when he says that we are all artists and that our souls are blank canvases that we have to fill in. The colors that we must use are the Christian virtues, and our Model is Jesus Christ, the perfect Living Image of God the Father. Just as a portrait painter who wants to do a good job places himself before his model and glances at him before making each stroke, so the Christian must always have the life and virtues of Jesus Christ before his eyes so that he may never say, think, or do the least thing that is not in harmony with his Model."
–St. Louis Mary de Montfort, p.90 †Daily Verse
"Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality."
–Romans 12:9-13 |  click to read more | | Blessed Carlo Acutis "For the first time in history we will see a saint dressed in jeans, sneakers, and a sweater…" These are some of the words spoken on the occasion of the beatification of Blessed Carlo Acutis in October of 2020. Blessed Carlo was born on May 3, 1991 and grew up in Italy. He enjoyed amateur computer programing and video games. From an early age he had a great devotion to the Holy Eucharist. He researched sites of Eucharistic miracles and then created a website to categorize them. This website still exists and has also been turned into a traveling exhibition of Eucharistic Miracles which has been seen around the world. Blessed Carlo Acutis suffered from leukemia and died on October 10, 2006 at the age of 15. He is remembered for his cheerfulness and compassion for those in need. He is the patron of computer programmers and youth and was beatified on behalf of Pope Francis on October 10, 2020. His exposed relics can be viewed in Assisi. His feast day is October 12th.
Find a Devotional for This Saint | Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Mal 3:13-20b You have defied me in word, says the LORD,
yet you ask, "What have we spoken against you?"
You have said, "It is vain to serve God,
and what do we profit by keeping his command,
And going about in penitential dress
in awe of the LORD of hosts?
Rather must we call the proud blessed;
for indeed evildoers prosper,
and even tempt God with impunity."
Then they who fear the LORD spoke with one another,
and the LORD listened attentively;
And a record book was written before him
of those who fear the LORD and trust in his name.
And they shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts,
my own special possession, on the day I take action.
And I will have compassion on them,
as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.
Then you will again see the distinction
between the just and the wicked;
Between the one who serves God,
and the one who does not serve him.
For lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,
when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble,
And the day that is coming will set them on fire,
leaving them neither root nor branch,
says the LORD of hosts.
But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays. Responsorial Psalm Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6 R. (Ps 40:5a) Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord. Alleluia See Acts 16:14b R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 11:5-13 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,'
and he says in reply from within,
'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.'
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence. "And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?"
| Daily Meditation: Psalm 1:1-4, 6 The Lord watches over the way of the just. (Psalm 1:6) Today's first reading from Malachi and the responsorial psalm both paint a picture of the blessings that God promises to lavish on the just: everything they do will prosper. They will be made as strong and stable as a majestic, fruitful tree whose roots drink freely from fresh running water. The Lord will listen attentively to them, and their names will be written in his own record book. God will even go so far as to set up an astronomical reward for them by appointing the sun to rise on them so that they can enjoy its constant healing rays of light. Could anyone possibly embody these characteristics more than Jesus, the just man? He spent his entire life delighting in God's word and sharing the good news of that word with the people around him. He resisted "the counsel of the wicked" (Psalm 1:1), whether it was the devil's suggestion that he should seize worldly power or the thief who urged him to save himself from the cross. Jesus certainly didn't "walk in the way of sinners," either (1:1)! On the contrary, he called sinners to follow him instead! But that's not fair, you might respond. Jesus is the Son of God; of course he's going to be perfectly just! And you'd be right. None of us can fulfill the standards of righteousness as perfectly as Jesus did. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. In today's Gospel, Jesus promises that God will give his Holy Spirit to anyone who asks (Luke 11:13). And that Spirit can empower us to live a just and holy life—and to ease our conscience when we seek forgiveness after having fallen into sin. He is the Lord who "watches over" us when we try to follow "the way of the just" (Psalm 1:6). This means that the promises contained in today's readings are for you as well as for Jesus. By learning to yield to the Spirit, you can become more and more like the just person described by Malachi and the psalmist. You can reflect the perfect justice—and the love, joy, and mercy—of Jesus to everyone around you. "Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me your Holy Spirit! Thank you for helping me to be more like Jesus!" Malachi 3:13-20
Luke 11:5-13 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:
Audio Link | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"Then you will again see the distinction
between the just and the wicked;
Between the one who serves God,
and the one who does not serve him.
For lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,
when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble,
And the day that is coming will set them on fire..........."
. . .
So there are two ways to be on fire, your soul on fire:
1. Burning inside for the Lord, with a Sacred Love fire.
or
2. Burning from the outside...forever...empty inside. Wouldn't it be better to be burning with an eternal fuel source? It is the Lord God Himself.
And this is a burning love. We should take to the right fire.
Why should we have a fire rain down from us in punishment?
We should only call on the Holy Spirit's fire to come upon us. We should. We could. And do we?
I know I do. Every day, all the time, in every prayer. I've even started for almost a year, putting up a Come Holy Spirit prayer before Masses for all to join me, because I believe so strongly in it, that He may enjoin us, that we may open ourselves up to Him in everything. | We pray today:
"He is like a tree planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves never fade. Whatever he does, prospers.
Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so; they are like chaff which the wind drives away. For the LORD watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked vanishes......." | In the Gospel today we heard:
_"I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence. "And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you......"_ end of Gospel verse. | From Bishop Barron today:
"Friends, our Gospel offers a wonderful promise of answered prayer: "And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."
Petitionary prayer is one of the most fundamental ways that we raise our minds and hearts to God. It is also the most common form of prayer in the Bible. Every major Scriptural character—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon, Ezra, Nehemiah, Peter, James, Paul, and John—prays in this way; they all ask God for things.
There is something, of course, primal and elemental about this kind of prayer: "O God, please help me! O Lord, save my child!" If we could place a net capable of catching prayers as they waft their way to heaven from hospitals and churches, we would corral millions upon millions of them. Finally, the paradigmatic prayer that Jesus taught us—the Our Father—is nothing but a series of petitions, and Jesus urged his followers, again and again, to persevere in prayer.
" end quote.
My daughter, Bella Faith, a bubbly girl, super curly hair and dimples, tried to show me something yesterday that I'm recalling, for she is an artistic person and loves crafts, and this time it was a poster, a large heart, and a door in the middle, and with so much going on, I had a hard time remember what she said it was all about...she said "it's full of gifts inside". And I didn't stop to explore the conversation more. And isn't that a learning experience? That we are "too busy" and "got other things to do"? I am a busy person, at the end of the day, I run out of time, for work things, for family things, for church things. And is church last really? Why isn't it first? Does it have to fit around my schedule? My agenda? Ouch! That sounds bad. Why isn't Christ first?
Yesterday after Mass, I took my son Adonai to a Dollar store to get my next class in a few minutes some candies for awards for answering questions (and boy they went crazy, anything for sugar! LOL). But at the store, an older lady was outside, I was on the phone (as usual either calling or texting, especially now that it is time for our Family Festival and it is super busy), but the lady asked if I could help with money for groceries. She look a little rough and one can easily judge people that look rough. Knowing I didn't have cash and was on the phone I said "I'm going into the store first" or something like that. We rushed in, waited in line to pay, time was ticking, time for class almost! After paying, I walk out and she is still there, as if to have been waiting for me! MAN! I thought to myself, now what? So I said to her, "I don't got cash, and I don't got time, I'm going to church (I felt like the priest in the Good Samaritan story trying to avoid the needy)" and I continued "but if you need something inside, let's go buy it with my card, but we only got a few minutes!" She limped inside. We caught up to her after I got off another call, and I signaled it was time to go, and the lines were long again, slow, time was ticking. I paid for her groceries, a few items only, and she was thankful.
How does this relate to the Gospel?
Persistence pays. She persisted with me. I caved in.
I had to! Because I want mercy too! The day I ask the Lord at His gates, I'm going to plead just like her! A little mercy please?
And the store's doors were opened wide, and she was fed.
And the doors to Heaven will open wide for me, for us, and we can be fed!
The man received bread, and for his relatives and friends.
The man didn't receive bread my friend, no, that bread was much more...it was love. And just writing this from the Holy Spirit burns my heart and tears to my eyes. It is the Lord...in the Eucharist. ........
Let us pray:
Lord, Jesus, You are so, so good to us. Thank you for being who You are, mercy, and bread, life and love.
Help us be one with You forever! |  Click To Hear | WOW!
Random Bible Verse 1
Matthew 5:6 6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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