†Quote of the Day "Guard against anger. But if it cannot be averted, let it be kept within bounds. For indignation is a terrible incentive to sin. It disorders the mind to such an extent as to leave no room for reason." St. Ambrose †Today's Meditation "How might the sacrament of Reconciliation help us grow in the gift of knowledge? First of all, through a thorough and heartfelt confession, the mortal sins that shut off the channels of graces, including the gifts [of the Holy Spirit] are reopened. Secondly, the gift of knowledge may very well help us to make a good confession if it has prompted us to learn throughly the tenets of our Faith, including the thoughts and deeds that are right and wrong in the eyes of God. The gift of knowledge can also enable us to reflect on the world's effects on us—and our effects on others—that might lead to sin."
—Kevin Vost, PSY.D. p.78
Cover image from the book, The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit
An Excerpt From The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit †Daily Verse "For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him [on] the last day." John 6:40 | Saint Leonard of Noblac/Limonges St. Leonard of Noblac (d. 559 A.D.) also known as St. Leonard of Limoges, was a French nobleman in the court of Clovis I, King of France. He was converted to the Christian faith, along with the King, by St. Remigius, Bishop of Rheims. After his conversion he abandoned his worldly pursuits, left the royal court, and followed St. Remigius as a disciple. He obtained special permission from the king to release any prisoners whom he deemed worthy of pardon. He declined an offer of a bishopric and entered the monastery at Orleans to live a life of prayer and penance. Desiring greater solitude and penance than what the monastery allowed, he withdrew into a forest to live as a hermit. He built a small cell and lived on herbs and fruits. He soon attracted followers who joined him in his ascetic life. In thanksgiving for his prayers that the Queen of France would safely deliver her child, St. Leonard was given a large tract of royal land in Noblac. There the saint built an abbey where he served as abbot until his death. A village grew around the abbey that still exists today, named Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat. Numerous shrines are dedicated to St. Leonard across Europe, and thousands of miracles are credited to his intercession. He is the patron saint of prisoners and women in labor. His feast day is November 6th. | Monday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 485
Reading 1 Rom 11:29-36 Brothers and sisters:
The gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. Just as you once disobeyed God
but have now received mercy
because of their disobedience,
so they have now disobeyed in order that,
by virtue of the mercy shown to you,
they too may now receive mercy.
For God delivered all to disobedience,
that he might have mercy upon all. Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord
or who has been his counselor?
Or who has given him anything
that he may be repaid? For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To God be glory forever. Amen. Responsorial Psalm Ps 69:30-31, 33-34, 36 R. (14c) Lord, in your great love, answer me.
But I am afflicted and in pain;
let your saving help, O God, protect me.
I will praise the name of God in song,
and I will glorify him with thanksgiving.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
"See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not."
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
For God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
They shall dwell in the land and own it,
and the descendants of his servants shall inherit it,
and those who love his name shall inhabit it.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me. Alleluia Jn 8:31b-32 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,
and you will know the truth, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 14:12-14 On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees.
He said to the host who invited him,
"When you hold a lunch or a dinner,
do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters
or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,
in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
| Daily Meditation: Luke 14:12-14 When you hold a banquet, invite the poor. (Luke 14:13) For Jesus, the dinner table is a sacred place. He often chose to make a personal connection with people by coming to eat at their homes. Because Jesus is present in the sacred meal of the Eucharist, heaven touches earth at every Mass. This holy encounter will continue into eternity in the "wedding feast of the Lamb" (Revelation 19:9). But even ordinary mealtimes can provide opportunities to meet with God. From Abraham to Rahab to the first disciples, God's people encountered their Lord by showing hospitality (Genesis 18; Joshua 2; Acts 2:44). Even more, they reflected the generous hospitality of God himself. So when Jesus talks about holding a banquet and inviting the poor, he's inviting us to be hospitable like his Father (Luke 14:13). He's asking us to rework our guest lists and reorient our hearts. He's asking us to open our arms to the suffering and marginalized and see them with his compassion. And he's reminding us that people who are poor or suffering have great dignity. Jesus is not just describing a meal offered, but a meal shared as family. We can truly encounter and connect with another person by welcoming them, by being present and listening, and by experiencing God's love together. As we sit at such a table, walls begin to tumble. Sharing a meal communicates love in tangible ways that surpass words, and a stranger can become a brother or a sister. We might not know how to "invite the poor" into our lives, but we can start by asking the Holy Spirit to show us someone who is hungry—whether for food or for an experience of God's love. The Spirit can open our eyes and help us to reach out to them. People often have simple, ordinary needs. Even a smile or a few dollars or a kind word can open the door to the hospitality God wants us to show. As we talk with them, we may have an opportunity for a longer encounter—perhaps by getting a cup of coffee or inviting them to lunch. There, we will also encounter the God who lives within them. We can affirm the beauty and dignity he has breathed into their souls—and find Jesus himself. "Lord, open my heart, my schedule, and my table today to someone who is poor or poor in spirit today." Romans 11:29-36
Psalm 69:30-31, 33-34, 36 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:Audio Link | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"For God delivered all to disobedience,
that he might have mercy upon all.
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways!.........."
. . . The world continues to teach that "god is not good", and lowercase because they do not know and so do not honor Him. But what if I said "if it weren't for the fall of Adam and Even, we wouldn't be here today!". Because only then did proliferation of mankind begin...and we can say the same of our latest ancestors, both physical and spiritual. | We pray today:
"Lord, in your great love, answer me.
"See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not." Lord, in your great love, answer me ....." | In the Gospel today we heard our Lord:
"Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."...." end of Gospel verse. | From Bishop Barron Today:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus gives us this extraordinary command to consider the weakest and most vulnerable in our society: "When you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind." This is one of his central concerns throughout the Gospels. Aliens, strangers, foreigners, widows, orphans, the poor—if these weak people are ignored, God will become angry.
God's passion not only runs right through the biblical tradition, but it comes roaring up into the social teaching of the Catholic Church: "If you have two coats in your closet, one belongs to you; the other belongs to the man who has no coat."
Let us not forget the poor and marginalized today.
......" end quote Bishop Barron.
Our Lord speaks about payment quite often, right? This is about works. Not faith alone. But works that receive payments. And how can we receive good payment? Give knowing you will not be repaid. That is how our Lord gave Himself on earth. If we only know the worth of this. It's all that matters. No thing else matters to God who is Love.
What example can we give: Doing something for a stranger. A person that cannot ever repay you is the easiest. But I've done some giving to some family that are not ever able to repay too.
And what are we giving? Money? Not all the time. How about gestures of love, holding a door, or spending time with a sick person, or in a nursing home. How else can you give? I'm heavily involved in the new construction of our church, and I'm knowing full well that the true beneficiaries will be mostly strangers, maybe my children some, but mostly for complete strangers. We are laying foundations for the future.
Such was God's love on earth. He was not only laying His life as the cornerstone, but this cornerstone would become our very life. Light to light, life to life, love to love.
Love covers a multitude of sins. Then, if this is true, we can pay now rather than later. What we do now is hundreds sometimes thousands of times more powerful than in the next life. This life matters, every moment matters. What we do has everlasting impacts. Our Lord then is revealing something right now: That whole meal thing for strangers...Jesus is the meal in the Eucharist. He gives Himself, offers Himself to those who have been estranged. His mercy is being offered and we are asked to come take and partake. ........
Let us pray:
Lord, I want Mercy, Grace, and Holy Communion. May we allow ourselves to be totally committed in Love with You in one another. |  Click To Hear | Random Bible Verse 1
John 10:27–30 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me,1 is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one." | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
