†Quote of the Day
"Great love can change small things into great ones, and it is only love which lends value to our actions."
–St. Faustina Kowalska †Today's Meditation
"I desire trust from My creatures. Encourage souls to place great trust in My fathomless mercy. Let the weak, sinful soul have no fear to approach Me, for even if it had more sins than there are grains of sand in the world, all would be drowned in the unmeasurable depths of My mercy."
—Jesus to St. Faustina Kowalska, (1059) †Daily Verse
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time."
–1 Peter 1:3-5 |  click to read more | | St. Maria Faustina Kowalska St. Maria Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938), baptized with the name Helena, was one of ten children born to a devout, peasant farming family in Poland. She grew up during the tough years leading up to and following the first World War, and received little formal education. She worked as a poor housekeeper before following her religious vocation at the age of 20, entering the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Krakow. There she was given simple, humble jobs which hid her deep interior life. St. Faustina was graced with mystical visions and revelations from Jesus, as well as her Guardian Angel and certain saints. Jesus gave her the mission to proclaim his infinite, powerful, loving mercy to the whole world, especially to hardened sinners and those facing the hour of their death. St. Faustina, as Jesus' "secretary and apostle of Divine Mercy", faithfully recorded these messages in great detail in a nearly 700-page diary. In it she promoted devotion to the Divine Mercy of Jesus Christ as instructed by Our Lord himself, now famous throughout the Church, and a great consolation for many souls who would otherwise fear to approach God because of their burden of sin. She died at the age of 33 from tuberculosis. Pope St. John Paul II made St. Faustina the first saint of the new millennium. Her feast day is October 5th. | Thursday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time • Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Faustina Kowalska, virgin Reading 1 Neh 8:1-4a, 5-6, 7b-12 The whole people gathered as one in the open space before the Water Gate,
and they called upon Ezra the scribe
to bring forth the book of the law of Moses
which the LORD prescribed for Israel.
On the first day of the seventh month, therefore,
Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly,
which consisted of men, women,
and those children old enough to understand.
Standing at one end of the open place that was before the Water Gate,
he read out of the book from daybreak until midday,
in the presence of the men, the women,
and those children old enough to understand;
and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law.
Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform
that had been made for the occasion.
He opened the scroll
so that all the people might see it
(for he was standing higher up than any of the people);
and, as he opened it, all the people rose.
Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God,
and all the people, their hands raised high, answered,
"Amen, amen!"
Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the LORD,
their faces to the ground.
As the people remained in their places,
Ezra read plainly from the book of the law of God,
interpreting it so that all could understand what was read.
Then Nehemiah, that is, His Excellency, and Ezra the priest-scribe
and the Levites who were instructing the people
said to all the people:
"Today is holy to the LORD your God.
Do not be sad, and do not weep"–
for all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law.
He said further: "Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks,
and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared;
for today is holy to our LORD.
Do not be saddened this day,
for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!"
And the Levites quieted all the people, saying,
"Hush, for today is holy, and you must not be saddened."
Then all the people went to eat and drink,
to distribute portions, and to celebrate with great joy,
for they understood the words that had been expounded to them. Responsorial Psalm Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 11 R. (9ab) The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye;
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
Sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart. Alleluia Mk 1:15 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand;
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 10:1-12 Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter, first say,
'Peace to this household.'
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves his payment.
Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
'The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.'
Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you,
go out into the streets and say,
'The dust of your town that clings to our feet,
even that we shake off against you.'
Yet know this: the Kingdom of God is at hand.
I tell you,
it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town." | Daily Meditation: Nehemiah 8:1-12 Rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength! (Nehemiah 8:10) After years of exile, the Jewish people had returned to Jerusalem. Now Ezra, the priest, and Nehemiah, the governor of Judah, call all the people together so that they can hear the Law of Moses being read aloud (Nehemiah 8:1). The people respond by prostrating themselves and weeping (8:6, 9). God's word pierces their hearts because they see just how far they have strayed from his commandments. And yet Ezra instructs them to rejoice because "today is holy to the Lord your God" (Nehemiah 8:9). It was holy because the Jews were rediscovering their identity: chosen by God, they were "a people specially his own" (Deuteronomy 7:6). Now they can repent and begin to walk in his ways once more. And that is a cause for joy! We don't usually associate repentance with joy. Like these Israelites, when we recognize the ways that we have strayed from God, we may feel like weeping. But the recognition of sin and the sorrow we feel is a work of the Holy Spirit. He moves in our hearts—sometimes in subtle ways, other times quite profoundly—to show us where we need to change. That could involve a serious sin, but it could just as well relate to an attitude or perspective that is hindering our walk with the Lord. What a great grace it is when the Spirit reveals our failings to us! Though it might sadden us at first, it means that we don't have to be stuck in our old ways. By repenting and receiving God's mercy, we are able to rediscover our identity as members of his special people: as sons and daughters who can live in the freedom that Christ won for us. This is why we need to make repentance a regular part of our time with the Lord each day. It's also why the Sacrament of Reconciliation is so important. When we ask God to move in our hearts so that we can see where we have strayed, he will show us. And when we repent and experience his mercy, what joy we will feel! That joy will be the source of our strength (Nehemiah 8:10)—the strength we need to face our sin and turn to our merciful God each and every day! "Father, today I repent of _______. Help me to rejoice today in your unfailing mercy." Psalm 19:8-11
Luke 10:1-12 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:
Audio Link | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"He opened the scroll
so that all the people might see it
(for he was standing higher up than any of the people);
and, as he opened it, all the people rose.
Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God,
and all the people, their hands raised high, answered,
"Amen, amen!"......" end of verse.
. . .
Someone said that if you wanted to see what Judaism was like in the old days, go into a Catholic Mass.
And it is true. We have the temple. We have the sacrifice. But first we have the Word of God come to us. And we stand to hear the Gospel. And the Priest raises the scripture, and we all say "Amen". And then we sit to hear our Lord speak. And mind you, not all priests are great homilists, they don't sit there and entertain you and moving you with great emotions, but listen to me as I say this, "listen to the Holy Spirit". No matter what words or what language, the Holy Spirit speaks. For nearly 2,000 years, the Catholic Mass was said in one language, universal across the globe. What I mean is that the language doesn't make the whole word, and as a matter of fact, they say most that is communicated in human interaction is body language, and even more than that, is the openness to the Holy Spirit who speaks in languages not known by human ears. | We pray today:
"The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever; The ordinances of the LORD are true, all of them just. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart......"_ end of Psalm." | In the Gospel today we heard:
""The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves......." end of Gospel verse. | From Bishop Barron Today:
"Friends, our Gospel, taken from the magnificent tenth chapter of Luke's Gospel, is a portrait of the Church. It shows us what Jesus wants his followers to be doing and how to do it. Listen to how the passage begins: "Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit."
We are a missionary Church. We are sent by the Lord to spread his word and do his work. The Christian Gospel is just not something that we are meant to cling to for our own benefit. Rather, it is like seed that we are meant to give away.
He sends them two by two. We do this work together, with others, in community. Ministers need people to support them, pray for them, talk to them, challenge them. St. Francis of Assisi had an experience of God and then, within months, gathered people around him; St. Dominic, from the beginning, had brothers in his work; St. Teresa of Kolkata attracted a number of her former students to join her in her mission. We don't go it alone. " end quote.
The laborers are few my friend. Sometimes I like to think as I write, that I am actually writing to the laborers, the doers of the Word.
James 1:22 says " But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does."
And so there are two parts to the Liturgy of the Mass.
1. The Liturgy of the Word.
2. The Liturgy of the Eucharist.
When we hear the Word proclaimed, then we move to the altar, where the Word becomes flesh. An incarnation takes place.
And from there, it goes into Holy Communion, between God, Jesus, into the willing soul to do His deed, His will.
And at the end, the priest tells us to "Go Forth and...."
this is the final blessing. Sadly, some don't stay for the last blessing of the Father. It's as if to dismiss it as nothing important.
But every part is important.
Let us not forget, that we are being asked for a Eucharistic Revival.
Our Lord sends us out from Mass, to be His Body proclaiming to all households, and for those that will have us....there will be healing.
Yes! Yes you! Yes them! Yes our Lord reaches them through willing bodies united with Him! We are touched by the grace of God, aren't we?
........Let us pray:
Lord, I pray that what we hear now becomes a reality. That we may have the courage to go out and proclaim, out of our comfort zones, and giving all we got, Your Seed, Your Word, Your willingness for Life to Thrive....life eternal, meaning salvation now! |  Click To Hear | Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 103:2–5 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
