†Saint Quote of the Day
"The accidents of life separate us from our dearest friends, but let us not despair. God is like a looking glass in which souls see each other. The more we are united to Him by love, the nearer we are to those who belong to Him."
–St. Elizabeth Ann Seton †Today's Meditation
"Yet such are the pity and compassion of this Lord of ours, so desirous is He that we should seek Him and enjoy His company, that in one way or another He never ceases calling us to Him . . . God here speaks to souls through words uttered by pious people, by sermons or good books, and in many other such ways. Sometimes He calls souls by means of sickness or troubles, or by some truth He teaches them during prayer, for tepid as they may be in seeking Him, yet God holds them very dear."
—St. Teresa of Avila, p.26 An Excerpt From
Interior Castle †Daily Verse
"And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it."
–John 14:13-14 |  click to read more | | Pope St. Celestine I Pope St. Celestine I (d. 432 A.D.) was a Roman deacon who was elected Supreme Pontiff in 422 A.D. He was a contemporary of St. Augustine, and it is said that the two were good friends. He also lived with St. Ambrose in Milan prior to serving in Rome. Pope St. Celestine lead the Church for nine years during a troubled time of social upheaval. Within the Church there were multiple dangerous heresies spreading and corrupting the faith of the people, especially Nestorianism and Pelagianism, which he staunchly fought against, and for this he is known as a defender of orthodox doctrine. Outside the Church, barbarian hordes were invading the West, leading to the collapse of the Roman Empire. Pope St. Celestine I worked to restore the churches that were attacked when Alaric the Goth sacked Rome. He also established the papal diplomatic service to send ambassadors, known as nuncios, from the Vatican to other governments around the world. He is also the Holy Father who sent St. Patrick to evangelize Ireland, and who introduced the responsorial psalm into the papal Mass at Rome. His feast day is July 27th. | Thursday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Ex 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20b In the third month after their departure from the land of Egypt,
on its first day, the children of Israel came to the desert of Sinai.
After the journey from Rephidim to the desert of Sinai,
they pitched camp. While Israel was encamped here in front of the mountain,
the LORD told Moses,
"I am coming to you in a dense cloud,
so that when the people hear me speaking with you,
they may always have faith in you also."
When Moses, then, had reported to the LORD the response of the people,
the LORD added, "Go to the people
and have them sanctify themselves today and tomorrow.
Make them wash their garments and be ready for the third day;
for on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai
before the eyes of all the people." On the morning of the third day
there were peals of thunder and lightning,
and a heavy cloud over the mountain,
and a very loud trumpet blast,
so that all the people in the camp trembled.
But Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God,
and they stationed themselves at the foot of the mountain.
Mount Sinai was all wrapped in smoke,
for the LORD came down upon it in fire.
The smoke rose from it as though from a furnace,
and the whole mountain trembled violently.
The trumpet blast grew louder and louder, while Moses was speaking
and God answering him with thunder. When the LORD came down to the top of Mount Sinai,
he summoned Moses to the top of the mountain. Responsorial Psalm Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56 R. (52b) Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and glorious above all forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you on the throne of your Kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,
praiseworthy and glorious forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever! Alleluia See Mt 11:25 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 13:10-17 The disciples approached Jesus and said,
"Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?"
He said to them in reply,
"Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted
and I heal them. "But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."
| Daily Meditation: Matthew 13:10-17 Knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven has been granted to you. (Matthew 13:11) Was Jesus starting some kind of exclusive group with his disciples? It might look that way when you read today's Gospel. After all, the crowds didn't seem to be granted the same knowledge that the disciples had been given. But Jesus wasn't excluding anyone. When he said that the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven were being revealed to the disciples, he was speaking about the special way he was equipping them for their mission to proclaim the gospel and build his Church. Jesus had chosen the Twelve to be his first and greatest messengers. He knew that they needed a special grace of understanding if they were going to fulfill that calling. So he gave them the privilege of living with him, traveling with him, and witnessing the miracles he worked. All so that they could be as effective as possible when he sent them out. But now that the Holy Spirit has been poured out, that grace is available to every person who is open to Jesus and his message. No one is excluded; everyone can have the amazing privilege of knowing Jesus and the mysteries of his kingdom. Far from being an exclusive club, the Church is meant to expand and keep expanding. Because God wants everyone to come to know him and to live with him in heaven, he welcomes everyone who turns to him. Today, consider the tremendous gift that life in the kingdom is. It's the chance to hear and understand God's word. It's a living relationship with the One who has created you, who has redeemed you, who sustains you, and who loves you more than you can imagine. It's the freedom to live a holy life—a life in the Spirit that starts now and extends into eternity. And it's the opportunity to share this grace with everyone who is hungry for God's love and mercy. These are just some of the "mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 13:11). And they're yours to receive in greater and greater amounts every time you come to him. "Blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear" (13:16)! "Thank you, Lord, for bringing me into your kingdom! Help me share this gift with everyone I meet." Exodus 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20
(Psalm) Daniel 3:52-56 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
""I am coming to you in a dense cloud,
so that when the people hear me speaking with you, they may always have faith in you also."..." end of verse. Ever wanted to see a sign of God appearing? Today we heard of His appearance to the people. What Moses saw we don't have a clear explanation, but what the people saw...was a formidable experience. They experienced something, they didn't see someone. They had to get ready for it. They had to "...sanctify themselves today and tomorrow. Make them wash their garments and be ready for the third day....".
Sound familiar? We are called to the very same, sanctify ourselves, wash ourselves clean inside and out, and be ready for the 3rd day...the Resurrection.
And all the while, what did the people see? What they saw was basically a dark storm, with earth shaking effects of thunder and lightning, dense smoke. Where do you think Hollywood gets all its images of power from? LOL. We are visited from another world, but He is in the world. Take heart, He is in the middle of the storm, dark thunder. The very name of the heart of God, Jesus, means "He Saves" and Emmanuel, which means "God is with us". | We pray today:
"Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,
praiseworthy and glorious forever."
Glory and praise for ever!..." end of Psalm. | In the Gospel today we heard:
"You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted and I heal them......" end of Gospel verse. Wow! Every asked God for healing? How about spiritual healing? Most of the world would heal if the people would heal spiritually, from within. How? Mentally? That's a part of it. Physically? That helps. Spiritually? YES! That's the majority of all our healing. Why do you think the Holy Catholic Church offers so many opportunities and sacraments of healing?
How many are there? 2 for sure but there is another I add. There is Reconciliation, which is a holy reunification through confession, and there is anointing of the sick which also involves forgiveness of sins!
So what is the 3rd? Eucharist.
The Holy Eucharist is the blood of Christ. Venial sins can be healed here, so long as we have the intention of doing penance in reconciliation.
Why do I bring all of this up?
The word conversion.
He said that those who don't really see or hear, that is, don't really want to hear or see God, they aren't really ever converted.
Why would you want to see Heaven if you don't really want to see God?
And this is where you come in the picture.
Do you want to see God?
Then you must experience Him. He is in the dark scary storms. And He is also in the soft subtle whispers and fluttering of a butterfly. I invite you to experience God more, enter the Sacraments and Sacramentals, enter the retreats, enter the community of faith and believers weekly, the more, the better. Sacrifice makes a heart real. | Let's pray:
Lord, I pray that we experience true love and become one with Your Holy Being. |  Click To Hear | Random Bible Verse 1
Galatians 5:1 Christ Has Set Us Free "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
