†Saint Quote of the Day
"Totally love Him, Who gave Himself totally for your love."
–St. Clare of Assisi †Today's Meditation
"In the hustle and bustle of our lives, it is a great consolation that the Lord Jesus takes the initiative and approaches us. The providence of God, His fatherly care for us, is a humbling mystery that allows us to know of His presence in our lives. The Lord shows us this providence and comes directly to us "on the road" of our lives, of our suffering, confusion, anxiety, and of our joys, accomplishments, and hopes. The Lord is with us. Just as He asked the disciples about the events in Jerusalem, the Lord asks us: "What is happening in your lives?" He walks with us, listens to us, cares for us, and desires to be with us along the road of our lives."
—Father Jeffrey Kirby, STL, p.101-102 An Excerpt From
Lord Teach Us to Pray †Daily Verse
"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"
–Psalm 27:1 |  click to read more | | †St. Clare of Assisi
St. Clare (1194–1253) was born in Assisi, Italy, to an aristocratic family, the daughter of a wealthy count. From childhood she was pious after the example of her mother, and as she grew up her longing for God increased. When she was eighteen she heard St. Francis of Assisi preach a Lenten mission in the local church. His holy example kindled her desire to renounce the world and follow Christ. She secretly begged Francis to help her live as he did, in simplicity according to the Gospel. St. Francis agreed. On Palm Sunday, Clare attended High Mass in all her finery for the final time. There she received a mystical experience which confirmed her desire to renounce the world and follow Christ after the example of St. Francis. That same night she secretly fled her father's house, along with two companions, to a chapel where St. Francis awaited her with his friars. She exchanged her fine clothes for a rough tunic and veil, and had her hair cut off. Francis placed Clare for a time with Benedictine nuns to escape the wrath of her family. She was soon joined by her sister, Agnes, and other young women whom St. Francis inspired. He permanently housed the women, with Clare as abbess, in the Church of San Damiano outside Assisi. This became the first foundation of the Poor Clare nuns. St. Clare lived there for the next forty years in prayer, penance, and fasting. She is the patroness of eyes and eye diseases, the telephone, and television. Her feast day is August 11th. | Memorial of Saint Clare, Virgin • Readings for the Memorial of Saint Clare, virgin Reading 1 Dt 4:32-40 Moses said to the people:
"Ask now of the days of old, before your time,
ever since God created man upon the earth;
ask from one end of the sky to the other:
Did anything so great ever happen before?
Was it ever heard of?
Did a people ever hear the voice of God
speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live?
Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself
from the midst of another nation,
by testings, by signs and wonders, by war,
with his strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors,
all of which the LORD, your God,
did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
All this you were allowed to see
that you might know the LORD is God and there is no other.
Out of the heavens he let you hear his voice to discipline you;
on earth he let you see his great fire,
and you heard him speaking out of the fire.
For love of your fathers he chose their descendants
and personally led you out of Egypt by his great power,
driving out of your way nations greater and mightier than you,
so as to bring you in
and to make their land your heritage, as it is today.
This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart,
that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below,
and that there is no other.
You must keep his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you today,
that you and your children after you may prosper,
and that you may have long life on the land
which the LORD, your God, is giving you forever." Responsorial Psalm Ps 77:12-13, 14-15, 16 and 21 R. (12a) I remember the deeds of the Lord.
I remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I remember your wonders of old.
And I meditate on your works;
your exploits I ponder.
R. I remember the deeds of the Lord.
O God, your way is holy;
what great god is there like our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
among the peoples you have made known your power.
R. I remember the deeds of the Lord.
With your strong arm you redeemed your people,
the sons of Jacob and Joseph.
You led your people like a flock
under the care of Moses and Aaron.
R. I remember the deeds of the Lord. Alleluia Mt 5:10 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness;
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 16:24-28 Jesus said to his disciples,
"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory,
and then he will repay each according to his conduct.
Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here
who will not taste death
until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom."
| Daily Meditation: Matthew 16:24-28 Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself. (Matthew 16:24) Humans aren't naturally wired to deny themselves. Like young children, we want, we want, we want! That's why when we read Jesus' words in the Gospel today, we might cringe a little. The truth is, most of us aren't called to live the ascetical life of a monk. However, our day-to-day lives offer us plenty of opportunities to deny ourselves. Jesus promised, "Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 16:25). So what are those little losses that can help us "find" more abundant life in Christ? For starters, you may have to lose a few extra minutes of sleep in the morning so that you have enough time to pray. Or maybe you need to give up an evening in front of the TV so you can sit with the Lord in Adoration. And what do you find when you do? The love, mercy, and comfort that the Lord longs to give you. How about "losing" the right to have the last word in an argument or the right to hold a grudge? Or forgoing those many opportunities to criticize people or to indulge in judgmental or self-righteous thoughts? In the long run, you just might find your relationships becoming more loving and fruitful. There's always a loss of income that comes with a charitable donation, and volunteering for a parish ministry usually means giving up some free time. But there's also the joy and satisfaction you get from giving of yourself and providing for the needs of other people. Self-denial and self-discipline can be difficult, especially when we don't see any immediate fruit coming from them. Yet Jesus promises a reward even greater than the ones we can receive in this life: the privilege of one day living with him in his heavenly kingdom (Matthew 16:27). What is God asking you to "lose" today? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see where an instance of self-denial will draw you closer to him or better reflect his love to the world. If it seems too simple, do it anyway. It might just be another step in "finding" your life in him. "Jesus, help me to take up my cross and follow you in all things." Deuteronomy 4:32-40
Psalm 77:12-16, 21 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"You must keep his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you today,
that you and your children after you may prosper,
and that you may have long life on the land
which the LORD, your God, is giving you forever."....." end of verse. If our Lord commands us to do something, He tells us for our own good.
The only ones that don't like to listen are the ones who like to indulge in themselves, not denying themselves anything for the Lord's sake. But if we do what He says...others will prosper. Remember the definition of Love? It is to will the good of the other. To desire the good of the other. | We pray today:
"O God, your way is holy;
what great god is there like our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
among the peoples you have made known your power. I remember the deeds of the Lord......"_ end of Psalm. Do we need to see the seas opened up to believe? Do we need to see a little girl rise from the dead to believe? Do we need to see a leper cleansed to believe? Or a paralyzed person to get up and walk to believe? Well, why can't we believe the many it has happened to? If you saw it for yourself, would you believe? Would you believe someone else? Afterall, you believe the gossip and the news, don't you? LOL. And most of that is filled with twisted sensations and point of views. But the Word of the Lord asks us to taste and see, not just hear and believe. The truth can be instilled directly in our hearts if we go to receive. | In the Gospel today we heard:
"What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory,
and then he will repay each according to his conduct....." end of Gospel verse. If you go into a protestant church, some of them teach the exact opposite of this verse. They teach "once saved, always saved", and some take it a step further saying "He paid for your sins, you're going straight to Heaven!". But that is not what our Lord tells us. He said you will get repaid according to your conduct.
Every sin counts. Every good deed counts. And in the end, we will all be found wanting, that is, lacking. And this is where we all can agree, even with most protestants, that we are only saved by grace.
And so, this is a special calling then. A call for us to commune with Him, to come to Him for mercy and grace. The Holy Sacraments avail this to us, and the Holy Church offers indulgences to help pay for sins that have been forgiven, but there is still restitution.
We don't want to pay though, right? We are in a spoiled atmosphere where we want something for nothing. You should see how much hard work it takes to make something good happen. The Lord needs workers in His vineyard.
There are too many not willing to sacrifice. There are a few, and because there are so few, they shine like stars in the world of Christendom.
Your conduct then, should shine, not be of darkness.
When someone asks you to tend to God, in ministry, in prayers, and in offering of yourself in any way, then it is an opportunity for sacrifice.
And then sacrifice turns into joy.
Think of this life and the next. |
Let us pray.
Lord, teach us to love Your commands, so that they are sweeter than honey, and sweetness we desire to eat, and to be...forever. |  Click To Hear | Random Bible Verse 1
Matthew 18:5–6 "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,1 it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
