†Quote of the Day
""Never say, 'What great things the saints do,' but, 'What great things God does in His saints.'"
–St. Philip Neri †Today's Meditation
"The beatitude of the saints is immutable, like that of the Son of God. . . Add ages to ages; multiply them equal to the sand of the ocean or the stars of heaven; exhaust all numbers, if you can, beyond what the human intelligence can conceive, and for the elect there will be still the same eternity of happiness. They are immutable, and this immutability excludes weariness and disgust. The life of an elect soul is one succession, without end, of desires ever arising and ever satisfied, but desires without trouble, satiety or lassitude. The elect will always see God, love God, possess God and always will wish to see Him, love Him and possess Him still more. This beatitude is the end destined for all; God has given us time only in order to merit it, being and life only to possess it. Reflect seriously on this great truth, and ask yourself these three questions at the foot of the crucifix: What have I done hitherto for heaven? What ought I to do for heaven? What shall I do henceforward for heaven?"
—St. Ignatius of Loyola, p. 179 †Daily Verse
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
–Philippians 4:8 | Daily Feast: All Saints Day On November 1st the Church celebrates all her holy ones in heaven, known and unknown, with the feast of All Saints. The solemnity originally began in the 4th century to commemorate all the Christian martyrs killed during those centuries of brutal persecution before Christianity was legalized. There were so many martyrs that a separate feast day could not be given to each one individually, yet, the Church did not want to leave any martyr without proper veneration. A common feast day developed and was usually celebrated in the Easter season. In the 8th century Pope Gregory III consecrated a chapel in St. Peter's Basilica to all the saints and moved the feast day to November 1st. The feast of All Saints is a Holy Day of Obligation. Daily Prayer Prayer for the Dead
In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters.
In this life you embraced them with your tender love;
deliver them now from every evil and bid them eternal rest.
The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise,
where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain,
but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy
Spirit forever and ever. Amen. |  click to read more | | St. Deborah St. Deborah (11th c. B.C.) was a godly widow and saint of the Old Testament. She was a courageous prophetess and champion of the Israelites. All Israel came to her to judge their disputes, and God prophesied to Israel through her. She was Israel's only female judge. Her role as the military leader who defended the Israelites is commemorated in the Bible's "Song of Deborah." It was her military counter-attack against Sisera at Mount Tabor that successfully delivered Israel's enemies into their hands. As prophetess, she foretold that Israel would have peace for 40 years following this victory. St. Ambrose and St. Jerome observed that St. Deborah is a good role model for the encouragement of courageous, godly women. Her feast day is November 1st. | Solemnity of All Saints Lectionary: 667
Reading 1 Rv 7:2-4, 9-14 I, John, saw another angel come up from the East,
holding the seal of the living God.
He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels
who were given power to damage the land and the sea,
"Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees
until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God."
I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal,
one hundred and forty-four thousand marked
from every tribe of the children of Israel. After this I had a vision of a great multitude,
which no one could count,
from every nation, race, people, and tongue.
They stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
They cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne,
and from the Lamb." All the angels stood around the throne
and around the elders and the four living creatures.
They prostrated themselves before the throne,
worshiped God, and exclaimed: "Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving,
honor, power, and might
be to our God forever and ever. Amen." Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me,
"Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?"
I said to him, "My lord, you are the one who knows."
He said to me,
"These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their robes
and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb." Responsorial Psalm Ps 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6 R. (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD's are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face. Reading 2 1 Jn 3:1-3 Beloved:
See what love the Father has bestowed on us
that we may be called the children of God.
Yet so we are.
The reason the world does not know us
is that it did not know him.
Beloved, we are God's children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.
Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure,
as he is pure. Alleluia Mt 11:28 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
And I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 5:1-12a When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven." | Daily Meditation: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14 . . . a great multitude, which no one could count. (Revelation 7:9) Just think about all the saints who are in heaven right now, worshipping God as part of that great multitude described in the Book of Revelation! Of course, that group includes our "favorite" saints, whose names we took at Confirmation, whose writings and lives have inspired us, or to whom we turn with a particular need. But it also includes everyone who has entered eternal life with God, whether or not they have been canonized. It's mind-boggling to consider just how many people that might be. After all, it's been more than two thousand years since Jesus opened heaven's gates! On today's feast of All Saints, we shouldn't forget that we, too, were created to be part of that uncountable number. God has offered salvation to people from every nationality, race, and background. Together, that great multitude proclaims, "Salvation comes from our God" (Revelation 7:10). Responding to that gift of salvation, day in and day out, is what made the saints holy. And it's what prepares us to join the heavenly host. But it's not easy. The saints in our first reading were faithful to Christ to the point of martyrdom, washing their robes in the "Blood of the Lamb" (Revelation 7:14). For our part, our response to God might be to turn from a deeply-rooted pattern of sin, to stay faithful when we're tempted, or to give more of ourselves than we might think we can. As St. Teresa of Calcutta said, "Holiness is not the luxury of a few, but a simple duty for you and me." Let's set our sights on that great multitude that cannot be counted. Let's do everything we can to be faithful so that, with God's grace, we can become saints! "Almighty God, you have invited me to be part of the heavenly host. Help me respond to your invitation today and every day." Psalm 24:1-6
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew 5:1-12 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:Audio Link | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"After this I had a vision of a great multitude,
which no one could count,
from every nation, race, people, and tongue.
They stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
They cried out in a loud voice:..........."
. . . If you go to other denominations, they start guessing at the bible, as if to have some divine authority over how it should read and what it "really means". Even today's scripture of 144,000 names in the bible are severely misconstrued, that is, they say these are the names of the saved and none else. And so, you have the Jehova's witnesses saying this is the only life you get, the one on earth, and it is already Heaven on earth they mistakenly say. It's just as good as being an atheist if you believe like this! YOLO! Is there song, meaning "you only live once" the very communist songs that pervade the ages. Only one Holy Church brought about by their very blood until this day can and has already interpreted Holy Scripture because they compiled the blood writings and know what they mean. And be rest assured, there are countless souls in Heaven, myriads of angels and human souls, and guess what? There's room for more. No joke! God loves you like no other. They are actually preparing a place for you and me....now, whether we get there, that is up to our willingness to accept God's invitation, and fall in love with grace. | We pray today:
"Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob......." | In the Gospel today we heard our Lord:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land......." end of Gospel verse. | From Bishop Barron Today:
"Friends, today we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints. Many who have stood in the presence of the Gothic rose windows—brightly fashioned with images of the saints—have heard the windows sing. The Lord Jesus says, "For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it," and this wonderful loss of self happens when we listen to the singing of the rose window.
The rose is also an evocative symbol of what the spiritual masters refer to as the center. At the center is a depiction of Christ. Then wheeling around the Christic core is a harmoniously arranged amalgam of "medallions," images, from the lives of the saints.
The medallions are often connected to one another and to the center by a series of spokes. This structured harmony is intended to be a picture of the well-ordered soul. When the divine power is the uncompromised center of our lives—as it is for the saints—then the myriad energies of our souls—intellectual, moral, physical, emotional, sexual—tend to fall into harmony around it.
When Christ is the "ground" of the soul, the soul finds peace, order, and beauty. Make God's will the center of your concerns, and your proximate needs, desires, and longings will tend to find their place......" end quote Bishop Barron.
Today we heard our Lord proclaim the Beatitudes. Blessed Are: ▪ the poor in spirit,
▪ they who mourn
▪ the meek
▪ they who hunger and thirst for righteousness
▪ the merciful
▪ the clean of heart
▪ the peacemakers
▪ they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness
▪ you when they insult you and persecute you "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven."
| ▪ | they who hunger and thirst for righteousness | | ▪ | they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness | | ▪ | you when they insult you and persecute you "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven." | When is the last time you rejoiced because they insulted you and persecuted you for proclaiming Him above all?
I get it pretty often. It doesn't always feel too good! But our Lord says Rejoice! Be glad! Why?
Because your reward will be great in heaven!
But ahh man! Why can't we get rewards now? Right? LOL.
We are a people that love rewards, we love pat on the backs "good jobchild" and applause and trophies too! Just look at all the "participation awards" kids get and how some floppy schools want to do away with traditional grading systems. Hogwash!
I've said it once, and I'll say it again, when I make church announcements, to make a driving point for the Lord and ask for participation, I get applause and very few sign ups. Boy that gets under my skin! Very few will go to the bible study or help at the festivals. Hogwash! All the ducks went walking home after singing "AMEN" to the preacher duck after the preacher said "you all can fly!". LOL
And so, today, here it goes: My child, you can be a saint! You can be meek, merciful, clean of heart, a peace maker and you can get persecuted for Jesus too!
How about that now?
The highest honor is persecution. What other kind of crown do you envision in Heaven? LOL, there's a local church that I've heard that seats some on fancy chairs and they wear crowns. That's NOT the crown that Jesus Christ wore.
Our Lord says "Follow Me" and He walks up the hill of Calvary, the place of the skull. This is where saints earn their crowns, by the blood of Jesus, the only blood in the universe that turns things white, pure, into a beautiful light for the world to see God's love.
Can we? Yes.
Will we? We can.
We can walk on water, AND we can fly too! Says the prophet Adrian today. Because we are baptized in His blood and water, priest, prophet, and king...of glory....no guts, no glory.
........
Let us pray:
May the Song of Deborah come into our lives.
May the saints and angels of Heaven come into our lives.
May we conquer our spiritual enemies, and not anyone by force.
May we become united with Heaven through our pains and offer them united to Christ on the Cross, for the love of God to show the light forever.
Amen? AMEN! |  Click To Hear | Random Bible Verse 1
Deuteronomy 7:9 9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
