†Saint Quote of the Day
"The most deadly poison of our times is indifference. And this happens, although the praise of God should know no limits. Let us strive, therefore, to praise Him to the greatest extent of our powers."
–St. Maximilian Kolbe †Today's Meditation
"I do not wish the soul to consider her sins, either in general or in particular, without also remembering the Blood and the broadness of My mercy, for fear that otherwise she should be brought to confusion. And together with confusion would come the Devil, who has caused it, under colour of contrition and displeasure of sin, and so she would arrive at eternal damnation, not only on account of her confusion, but also through the despair which would come to her, because she did not seize the arm of My mercy. This is one of the subtle devices with which the Devil deludes My servants, and, in order to escape from his deceit, and to be pleasing to Me, you must enlarge your hearts and affections in My boundless mercy, with true humility. Thou knowest that the pride of the devil cannot resist the humble mind, nor can any confusion of spirit be greater than the broadness of My good mercy, if the soul will only truly hope therein."
—St. Catherine Of Siena, p. 94 An Excerpt From
Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena †Daily Verse
"He who pursues righteousness and kindness will find life[a] and honor. A wise man scales the city of the mighty and brings down the stronghold in which they trust."
–Proverbs 21:21-22 |  click to read more | | St. Maximilian Kolbe St. Maximilian Kolbe (1894–1941) was born in Poland to a devout Christian family. As a boy he had a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She showed him two crowns: a white one for virginity and a red one for martyrdom, and asked him which he would be willing to accept. He replied that he would accept both. He later joined the Franciscans. While studying for the priesthood in Rome, he organized a group of friars and founded the Militia of the Immaculata in 1917 to crusade for consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and to oppose the evil of Freemasonry. From it came the Knights of the Immaculate magazine that reached a circulation of 750,000, as well as a radio show, both of which became a resource for strengthening faith across Poland. He also established a monastery which grew to 800 friars, the largest in the world at the time. In 1930 he traveled to the Far East and founded another monastery in Nagasaki, Japan. He returned to Poland in 1936. During World War II, St. Maximilian Kolbe housed over 3,000 Polish refugees at his monastery. He was eventually imprisoned because of his effective work, and was sent to Auschwitz in 1941. There he endured special cruelty because he was a Catholic priest. St. Maximilian ministered to the prisoners, and offered his life in place of a father who had been condemned to death. After being starved for two weeks and still found alive, Maximilian was killed by lethal injection on August 14, 1941. He is the patron saint of families, drug addicts, prisoners, journalists, and the pro-life movement. His feast day is August 14th. | Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr • Readings for the Memorial of Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe, priest and martyr Reading 1 Dt 10:12-22 Moses said to the people:
"And now, Israel, what does the LORD, your God, ask of you
but to fear the LORD, your God, and follow his ways exactly,
to love and serve the LORD, your God,
with all your heart and all your soul,
to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD
which I enjoin on you today for your own good?
Think! The heavens, even the highest heavens,
belong to the LORD, your God,
as well as the earth and everything on it.
Yet in his love for your fathers the LORD was so attached to them
as to choose you, their descendants,
in preference to all other peoples, as indeed he has now done.
Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and be no longer stiff-necked.
For the LORD, your God, is the God of gods,
the LORD of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome,
who has no favorites, accepts no bribes;
who executes justice for the orphan and the widow,
and befriends the alien, feeding and clothing him.
So you too must befriend the alien,
for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.
The LORD, your God, shall you fear, and him shall you serve;
hold fast to him and swear by his name.
He is your glory, he, your God,
who has done for you those great and terrible things
which your own eyes have seen.
Your ancestors went down to Egypt seventy strong,
and now the LORD, your God,
has made you as numerous as the stars of the sky." Responsorial Psalm Ps 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20 R. (12a) Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem. Alleluia See 2 Thes 2:14 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God has called you through the Gospel
to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 17:22-27 As Jesus and his disciples were gathering in Galilee,
Jesus said to them,
"The Son of Man is to be handed over to men,
and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day."
And they were overwhelmed with grief. When they came to Capernaum,
the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said,
"Does not your teacher pay the temple tax?"
"Yes," he said.
When he came into the house, before he had time to speak,
Jesus asked him, "What is your opinion, Simon?
From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax?
From their subjects or from foreigners?"
When he said, "From foreigners," Jesus said to him,
"Then the subjects are exempt.
But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook,
and take the first fish that comes up.
Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax.
Give that to them for me and for you."
| Daily Meditation: Matthew 17:22-27 The subjects are exempt. (Matthew 17:26) Peter was in a quandary. Some officials had demanded to know whether Jesus had paid the annual Temple tax—as if Peter had any idea! Probably surprised by the question, Peter answered with a brief yes and continued on his way (Matthew 17:25). Clearly, though, Peter had no idea, because when he returned home, Jesus used a parable to tell him that no, he hadn't paid. He was "exempt" from the tax (Matthew 17:26). He then arranged for a little miracle so that Peter could pay the tax—for both of them. We can read today's Gospel as a simple story about a fish miraculously dispensing a coin, but this wasn't a magic trick. Jesus was giving Peter an illustration of what a life of discipleship meant: Yes, there would be challenges, like the one Peter had just experienced with the tax collectors. Yes, there would be missteps, as when, just a couple of days prior, God himself had to correct Peter for wanting to build a monument to Jesus' transfiguration (Matthew 17:4-5). And yes, there would be times when Peter would get things spectacularly wrong, as when he tried to keep Jesus from the cross (Matthew 16:21-23). But through it all, one thing would never change: Peter was still a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. Imagine how Peter must have felt when he pulled that coin from the mouth of the fish—especially given all the recent drama he had experienced! Jesus hadn't performed this miracle to keep the authorities happy; they had no idea where the money had come from. He did it to give Peter a simple sign to encourage and reassure him. As he did for Peter, Jesus will give us signs occasionally to reassure us and to remind us that we belong to him. These don't have to be big miracles like a healing. They're often little things like a word of affirmation from a friend or a song on the radio or the reappearance of a cherished item you thought you had lost forever—or a million other "little miracles." Especially when we are going through our own rough times, Jesus will reach out to us. The signs will be there; we just need to see them for what they are: generous gifts from a loving God. "Jesus, thank you for always surrounding me with your love!" Deuteronomy 10:12-22
Psalm 147:12-15, 19-20 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"And now, Israel, what does the LORD, your God, ask of you
but to fear the LORD, your God, and follow his ways exactly,
to love and serve the LORD, your God,
with all your heart and all your soul,
to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD
which I enjoin on you today for your own good?......" end of verse. Do you fear the Lord? Do you have a holy fear? Or do you have a wretched fear? What then is fear to be? A holy fear is a holy love. A holy love of God. | We pray today:
"He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
Praise the Lord, Jerusalem......."_ end of Psalm. | In the Gospel today we heard:
"When he said, "From foreigners," Jesus said to him,
"Then the subjects are exempt.
But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook,
and take the first fish that comes up.
Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax.
Give that to them for me and for you."....." end of Gospel verse. | Why in the world did our Lord choose to get a coin from the fish of the sea to pay the temple tax?
What else was a treasure come from a fish?
It was Jonah.
Jonah was the treasure the temple needed.
It was the very message of Christ.
Repent, and believe, and give God your Heart, not just sacrifice.
Return!
That is what Jesus gave to them.
He is giving us a message, to you in this free world.
Only a select few will hear this proclaimed.
Only a select few will take heart.
The temple tax has been paid.
Now God enters the temple.
We have let God in with a price tag.
God pays.
God always pays the price...for our sin.
Let us pray.
Lord, let us make a heartfelt return to You, now, this day, this hour, to love Thee with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, inside our temple. |  Click To Hear | Random Bible Verse 1
Romans 5:1 [Romans 5]
Peace with God Through Faith Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we1 have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
