†Quote of the Day
"When you pray, you only have to ask for two things: You should ask for the light to see the will of God, and you have to ask for the courage to be able to do the will of God."
–Venerable Msgr. Aloysius Schwartz †Today's Meditation
"Avoid worrying, then, about anything else for your children except whatever may contribute to bringing them up virtuously. For the rest, having entrusted them to God, try to see what His will for them is, to help them along the path in life He has chosen for them. Never be afraid of relying too much on Him, but rather seek always to increase your trust more and more, for this is the most pleasing homage you can pay Him and it will be the measure of the graces you will receive. Little or much will be given you according as you have expected little or much."
—St. Claude De La Columbiere, p.46 †Daily Verse
"It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. For this I labor and struggle, in accord with the exercise of his power working within me."
–Colossians 1:28-29 |  click to read more | | St. Henry II Saint Henry II (972-1024 A.D.) was born to the Duke of Bavaria and the Princess of Burgundy. He was a pious child and was given the education of a priest. However, his destiny changed when he succeeded his father as the Duke of Bavaria and took a holy woman as his wife. Upon the sudden death of his cousin he also became the King of Germany. Then, in 1014 A.D. he was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in St. Peter's Basilica by Pope Benedict VIII. St. Henry was determined to rule the empire with justice for the greater glory of God. He was known for his virtue and great faith; when entering any town, he would first pray in a church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He also invoked the saints to help him in battle against pagan armies. He did much good for his subjects and for the Church, and was graced with many mystical experiences. He and his wife, St. Cunegundes, observed perfect chastity during their marriage and therefore remained childless. Henry tried to enter a monastery after the death of his wife, however, his application was refused because it was thought he would continue to do much good if he remained in the world. St. Henry is the patron of dukes, kings, childless people, the handicapped, and people rejected by religious orders. His feast day is July 13th.
Find a Devotional for This Saint | Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Gn 44:18-21, 23b-29; 45:1-5 Judah approached Joseph and said: "I beg you, my lord,
let your servant speak earnestly to my lord,
and do not become angry with your servant,
for you are the equal of Pharaoh.
My lord asked your servants, 'Have you a father, or another brother?'
So we said to my lord, 'We have an aged father,
and a young brother, the child of his old age.
This one's full brother is dead,
and since he is the only one by that mother who is left,
his father dotes on him.'
Then you told your servants,
'Bring him down to me that my eyes may look on him.
Unless your youngest brother comes back with you,
you shall not come into my presence again.'
When we returned to your servant our father,
we reported to him the words of my lord. "Later, our father told us to come back and buy some food for the family.
So we reminded him, 'We cannot go down there;
only if our youngest brother is with us can we go,
for we may not see the man if our youngest brother is not with us.'
Then your servant our father said to us,
'As you know, my wife bore me two sons.
One of them, however, disappeared, and I had to conclude
that he must have been torn to pieces by wild beasts;
I have not seen him since.
If you now take this one away from me, too,
and some disaster befalls him,
you will send my white head down to the nether world in grief.'" Joseph could no longer control himself
in the presence of all his attendants,
so he cried out, "Have everyone withdraw from me!"
Thus no one else was about when he made himself known to his brothers.
But his sobs were so loud that the Egyptians heard him,
and so the news reached Pharaoh's palace.
"I am Joseph," he said to his brothers.
"Is my father still in good health?"
But his brothers could give him no answer,
so dumbfounded were they at him. "Come closer to me," he told his brothers.
When they had done so, he said:
"I am your brother Joseph, whom you once sold into Egypt.
But now do not be distressed,
and do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here.
It was really for the sake of saving lives
that God sent me here ahead of you." Responsorial Psalm Ps 105:16-17, 18-19, 20-21 R. (5a) Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
or:
R. Alleluia.
When the LORD called down a famine on the land
and ruined the crop that sustained them,
He sent a man before them,
Joseph, sold as a slave.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
or:
R. Alleluia.
They had weighed him down with fetters,
and he was bound with chains,
Till his prediction came to pass
and the word of the LORD proved him true.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The king sent and released him,
the ruler of the peoples set him free.
He made him lord of his house
and ruler of all his possessions.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia Mk 1:15
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand:
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 10:7-15 Jesus said to his Apostles:
"As you go, make this proclamation:
'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;
no sack for the journey, or a second tunic,
or sandals, or walking stick.
The laborer deserves his keep.
Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it,
and stay there until you leave.
As you enter a house, wish it peace.
If the house is worthy,
let your peace come upon it;
if not, let your peace return to you.
Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words—
go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.
Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment
than for that town." | Daily Meditation: Genesis 44:18-21, 23-29; 45:1-5 It was really for the sake of saving lives that God sent me here. (Genesis 45:5) When Joseph finally revealed his identity to his brothers, "his sobs were so loud that the Egyptians heard him" (Genesis 45:2). And these Egyptian attendants weren't even in the same room! Why this excessive display of emotion? Joseph had already met with his brothers twice before without telling them who he was (Genesis 42:6-7; 43:15-16). But this time he just couldn't contain himself. To the astonishment of his brothers, he says he is the younger brother they had tried to kill and subsequently sold to traders. Joseph didn't deny the pain of his past—the betrayal, the separation, the hardships of prison. Perhaps that was one of the reasons he sobbed so loudly. But he also didn't allow these past events to control the future. He was able to recognize God's hand at work: "Do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here. It was really for the sake of saving lives that God sent me here ahead of you" (Genesis 45:5). Then in one of the most touching scenes of reconciliation in the Old Testament, Joseph "kissed all his brothers and wept over them" (45:15). Have you ever experienced one of these moments when you recognized that God had been using some painful moment to bring about an even greater good? Such "Aha!" moments don't necessarily lessen our pain, but they do help us to see how faithful God is. We realize that he always had a good plan for our lives, even if we couldn't see it at the time. And that leads us to trust him in a deeper way in all the events of our lives. Unlike Joseph, we don't always get to see how God is working through our trials—not even in retrospect. When this happens, we need to cling to the truth that God is good, and so he is always at work bringing some good out of our difficulties. Jesus promises that when we finally see him face-to-face, we will all have our own "Aha!" moments. Then we will understand just how good and faithful our God is, and we will rejoice for all eternity! "Father, help me to trust in your saving power, even in the midst of hardship." Psalm 105:16-21
Matthew 10:7-15 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
""I am your brother Joseph, whom you once sold into Egypt.
But now do not be distressed,
and do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here.
It was really for the sake of saving lives
that God sent me here ahead of you."" end of verse. Joseph was sold for some pieces of silver, betrayed by a brother and other accomplice brothers. Joseph was left for dead. All could have guilt for not one of them returned to save him.
And years later, that betrayal was brought to their face, at the moment of life and death, where they needed food to live another day, and Joseph would be the provider of that very sustenance of life.
This is a foreshadowing of our Lord Jesus the Christ, the Savior of our world, our lives, the universe.
We betray Him. But we trust in His mercy. We come dying, and He still sobs, weeps, wishes to reconcile us with the father.
Can God really be that loving? Can He be that merciful? Is there really a unification of family after betrayal? And forever?
This is a rhetorical question, but I say this because the world teaches us that God is NOT good, and this is a terrible notion that says...there is no hope! But we come here for a reason for hope, a reason to believe, but do you come for a reason to completely surrender to the almighty? | We pray today:
"When the LORD called down a famine on the land and ruined the crop that sustained them, He sent a man before them,
Joseph, sold as a slave.
Remember the marvels the Lord has done." end of Psalm. | In the Gospel today we heard:
"As you go, make this proclamation:
'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons." end of Gospel verse. Again, our Lord tells the Apostles to proclaim "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!".
This means the time for reckoning is now, everything would be better now, than the next life, and I mean the work to be done should be now, because here on earth, this world, one day is like a thousand years in the next, and one word worth thousands than the next. We are on a fast track in this world, no minute, and no second really should be wasted on nothingness, idleness, like that of turning from our Lord.
I say this so that we take into account the dire importance of every soul and what every soul can actually be and do with faith and works that are at hand.
You have faith for listening so far. You have the ability to pray, to love, and to make reparations to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Such is the value of a Holy Hour, the holy visits to the Blessed Sacrament, and the reconciliation that happens when a soul goes to the Lord on their knees.
And what should happen after being on our knees?
Living a life of gratitude. This is to live a Eucharistic life.
And our Lord knows that not everyone will accept Him into their lives...as King.
Shake the dust off your feet.
How many times have we encountered those that hear us, but don't listen to us?
Shake the dust off.
What does it mean to shake the dust off your feet?
"Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words—
go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet."
When you live a life of grace, you shake the dust off your feet when you encounter negativity, and this means you will not carry negative or evil in your soul, harboring grudges, resentments, or anything displeasing to our Lord Jesus.
Our Lord is saying to follow Him exactly as He is with us for God is Good, because my vision of Christ shows me that Jesus is the heart of God. If our Father ever wanted to reveal Himself to the world in the flesh, He has chosen to do it through Jesus our Lord.
And now our Lord reveals Himself to people, in order to reveal who the Father is.
And the thousands of years of revelations show two things...He is Mercy, and His Sacred Heart burns with a sacrificial love from the King. | Let's pray: Lord, I pray that I can love you with a burning heart, full of grace, like our Mother in Heaven, that we may truly do God's will, not for our own sake, but for the whole world! |  Click To Hear | Wow! Random Bible Verse 1
Colossians 2:6–7 [Colossians 2]
Alive in Christ 6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
