†Quote of the Day
"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 |  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 • Readings for the Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr Reading 1 Rom 1:16-25 Brothers and sisters:
I am not ashamed of the Gospel.
It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes:
for Jew first, and then Greek.
For in it is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith;
as it is written, "The one who is righteous by faith will live." The wrath of God is indeed being revealed from heaven
against every impiety and wickedness
of those who suppress the truth by their wickedness.
For what can be known about God is evident to them,
because God made it evident to them.
Ever since the creation of the world,
his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity
have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made.
As a result, they have no excuse;
for although they knew God
they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks.
Instead, they became vain in their reasoning,
and their senseless minds were darkened.
While claiming to be wise, they became fools
and exchanged the glory of the immortal God
for the likeness of an image of mortal man
or of birds or of four-legged animals or of snakes. Therefore, God handed them over to impurity
through the lusts of their hearts
for the mutual degradation of their bodies.
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie
and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator,
who is blessed forever. Amen. Responsorial Psalm Ps 19:2-3, 4-5 R. (2a) The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night imparts knowledge.
R. The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.
R. The heavens proclaim the glory of God. Alleluia Heb 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 Lk 11:37-41 After Jesus had spoken,
a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home.
He entered and reclined at table to eat.
The Pharisee was amazed to see
that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.
The Lord said to him, "Oh you Pharisees!
Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.
You fools!
Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
But as to what is within, give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you."
| Daily Meditation: Luke 11:37-41 As to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you. (Luke 11:41) Appearances can be deceiving. What looks clean on the outside might actually be covering up some evil within. That's what Jesus was warning the Pharisee about in today's Gospel. This man's concern with outward piety—the prescribed washing of hands before meals—didn't reflect the inward condition of his heart. But Jesus didn't just criticize this Pharisee who had invited him to dinner. He offered a remedy: "Give alms" (Luke 11:41). That is what would cleanse the man's heart. What is it about giving alms that is so beneficial for us? When we give something away, whether it's our money, our possessions, or our time, we have to detach from it; it's no longer ours to keep. This has a purifying effect on us because it requires us to let go of things that in the end can never satisfy our hearts. It also requires us to think of the needs of others above our own comfort or desires. But "giving alms" involves not just our material goods but also our thoughts, intentions, and motives. When we give these to the Lord, we are giving over to him what is most precious to us. And in surrendering these movements of our minds and hearts, we are allowing him to shine a light on anything that needs to change. It's like taking the lid off a cup and letting the Lord scrub it clean! What if this Pharisee had freely offered his thoughts to Jesus that day? He could have opened his heart by confessing his confusion over why Jesus was ignoring the prescribed handwashing. That could have led to a conversation that would have allowed this man to let go of his judgments and pride. It could have even helped him to recognize Jesus as Messiah. What can you give to Jesus today? Though you might experience some resistance within you, "give alms" by letting it go and letting the Lord do his work of purification. He wants to make you clean—inside and out! "Lord, I surrender all to you. Cleanse me through and through." Romans 1:16-25
Psalm 19:2-5 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:
Audio Link | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"Therefore, God handed them over to impurity
through the lusts of their hearts for the mutual degradation of their bodies.
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. ........"
. . . Who exchanged the truth for a lie?
We all do.
For example, simple example, all I have to do is turn on any channel and tune into anything that is not of God; it can be worldly music, the sensations in news, or sensationalism in sports or perverted shows and pictures, even focusing strictly on money, and soon I focus on the creature, mainly myself and others, instead of focusing on our Creator, who desires truth which is light for the world.
But thanks be to God, we are here, tuning into the right channels, and thus, here right now, we are opening ourselves to Him right now, amen? | We pray today:
"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day pours out the word to day, and night to night imparts knowledge......" | In the Gospel today we heard:
"The Lord said to him, "Oh you Pharisees!
Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.
You fools!
Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
But as to what is within, give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you."....." end of Gospel verse. | From Bishop Barron today:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus declares the value of almsgiving: "As to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you."
Almsgiving is valuable because we're members of a Mystical Body—we're implicated in each other. I can never say that your suffering is not mine or that your neediness is not mine. All of us are co-implicated. We're responsible for each other, and giving alms is a very concrete way to acknowledge that. When we share gifts or charity with those in need, we're acknowledging the fact that we're not in this alone, that the things that we own are meant for others. Almsgiving is also tied to the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, which every Catholic is obligated to practice every day.
Numerous spiritual masters have witnessed that belief in God is strengthened not so much from intellectual effort as from moral action. When a man asked the English Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins what he must do in order to believe, Hopkins replied, "Give alms." As you love through tangible acts, you will come to believe more deeply and to enter more fully into friendship with God.
. . . ." end quote.
Our Lord was invited to eat by a Pharisee, and then he calls out the Pharisees. There were different levels, so to speak, of Jewish people. You had the Sauducees, the Pharisees, and the Essenes. The Essenes were a Jewish "sect" or school of philosophy with two branches: some were celibate, disdained marriage and adopted children; others believed that marriage and procreation were needed if the group was to continue and not disappear. Their community was hierarchical, structured, and disciplined, and there is reason to believe that Mary and Joseph were of the Essenes, total celibates and would adopt or rarely meet to procreate, or a man would marry a woman to protect her celibacy, her virginity, and thus was Joseph with Mary. These were people that were constantly purifying and living the most pure life possible, of which St. John the baptist was probably connected with.
Then you had the Pharisees, they were more mingled with the Saducees. Sadducees were upper-class wealthy men mostly from Jerusalem who made up the Jewish aristocracy. Pharisees came from all economic classes but were distinguished by their rigid adherence to specific behavior prescriptions arising from their interpretation of the ambiguities in the Torah. Sadducees were heavily involved even with politics. So the Pharisees were "middle of the road" so to speak, and this is why we see them always probing our Lord, especially with their strict laws "why are you doing this wrong now?" they always seemed to ask our Lord.
And so our Lord calls out the truth. We become visibly "clean" to the world, following the laws, but inside we are evil doers.
There are seemingly "good" people we knew that are not in Heaven after they died. They preached on the streets, they cast out demons, and they even performed miracles, and our Lord said to them "I do not know you" and dismisses them to a place of wailing and tears.
It boils down to what is inside.
So what level are we at? Only God knows the heart. All I know is that just about every soul I've met has room to improve our love for God. ........
Let us pray:
Lord help us love Thee as we ought.
St. Ignatius of Antioch, pray for us. |  Click To Hear | Random Bible Verse 1
1 Peter 1:24–25 [1 Peter 1] 24 for "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls,
25 but the word of the Lord remains forever." And this word is the good news that was preached to you. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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