† Quote of the Day "Be sure that you first preach by the way you live. If you do not, people will notice that you say one thing, but live otherwise, and your words will bring only cynical laughter and a derisive shake of the head." — St. Charles Borromeo Today's Meditation "What is this brightness—with which God fills the soul of the just—but that clear knowledge of all that is necessary for salvation? He shows them the beauty of virtue and the deformity of vice. He reveals to them the vanity of the world, the treasures of grace, the greatness of eternal glory, and the sweetness of the consolations of the Holy Spirit. He teaches them to apprehend the goodness of God, the malice of the evil one, the shortness of life, and the fatal error of those whose hopes are centered in this world alone. Hence the equanimity of the just. They are neither puffed up by prosperity nor cast down by adversity.'A holy man', says Solomon, 'continueth in wisdom as the sun, but a fool is changed as the moon.' (Ecclus. 27:12). Unmoved by the winds of false doctrine, the just man continues steadfast in Christ, immoveable in charity, unswerving in faith." —Venerable Louis Of Grenada, p. 135
An excerpt from The Sinner's Guide Daily Verse "So we are always courageous, although we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight." — 2 Corinthians 5:6-7 | St. Kieran The Younger St. Kieran the Younger (512-546 A.D.), also known as St. Ciaran, was born in Connacht, Ireland, the son of a carpenter. He demonstrated a great aptitude in his studies, being educated by a holy deacon who had him baptized. Kieran tended cattle in the fields before continuing his education at Saint Finnian's monastery school at Clonard, where he became a monk. He soon earned the reputation for being the most learned monk at Clonard, and was held in high esteem by his instructors and peers. Kieran's years of residence there were marked by many miracles. He also mentored, befriended, and tutored many of the founders of the Catholic Church in Ireland. Saint Kieran eventually left Clonard and went on to found the famous Clonmacnoise Abbey in West Meath Ireland, which attracted thousands of students from all over Europe. St. Kieran was one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland - the first twelve bishops in Ireland consecrated by St. Patrick. He is also honored as the first Irish-born saint. St. Kieran's feast day is September 9th. | Memorial of Saint Peter Claver, Priest • Readings for the Memorial of Saint Peter Claver, priest Reading 1 1 COR 5:1-8 Brothers and sisters:
It is widely reported that there is immorality among you,
and immorality of a kind not found even among pagans–
a man living with his father's wife.
And you are inflated with pride.
Should you not rather have been sorrowful?
The one who did this deed should be expelled from your midst.
I, for my part, although absent in body but present in spirit,
have already, as if present,
pronounced judgment on the one who has committed this deed,
in the name of our Lord Jesus:
when you have gathered together and I am with you in spirit
with the power of the Lord Jesus,
you are to deliver this man to Satan
for the destruction of his flesh,
so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.
Your boasting is not appropriate.
Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?
Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough,
inasmuch as you are unleavened.
For our Paschal Lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.
Therefore, let us celebrate the feast,
not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness,
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Responsorial Psalm PS 5:5-6, 7, 12 R. Lead me in your justice, Lord.
For you, O God, delight not in wickedness;
no evil man remains with you;
the arrogant may not stand in your sight.
You hate all evildoers.
R. Lead me in your justice, Lord.
You destroy all who speak falsehood;
The bloodthirsty and the deceitful
the LORD abhors.
R. Lead me in your justice, Lord.
But let all who take refuge in you
be glad and exult forever.
Protect them, that you may be the joy
of those who love your name.
R. Lead me in your justice, Lord. Alleluia Jn 10:27 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 6:6-11 On a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught,
and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.
The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely
to see if he would cure on the sabbath
so that they might discover a reason to accuse him.
But he realized their intentions
and said to the man with the withered hand,
"Come up and stand before us."
And he rose and stood there.
Then Jesus said to them,
"I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath
rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?"
Looking around at them all, he then said to him,
"Stretch out your hand."
He did so and his hand was restored.
But they became enraged
and discussed together what they might do to Jesus. | Daily Meditation: Luke 6:6-11 He realized their intentions. (Luke 6:8) Sometimes it's helpful to use our imagination and picture ourselves in a Gospel scene. Let's try this with today's Gospel. You have come to get a glimpse at this Jesus, whom you have heard so much about. The minute you enter the synagogue, you detect tension. You notice some scribes and Pharisees watching Jesus intently, following his every move. Yet when you glance around the synagogue, you see other people looking excited and hopeful. Then you notice a man familiar to you, a man with one hand that is paralyzed and withered. Immediately, you begin to wonder if perhaps Jesus might heal him. When you glance again at the scribes and Pharisees, however, you see their knitted brows. They're concerned that a healing would break the sabbath laws. Jesus knows what they are thinking, and he asks, "Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" (Luke 6:9). Then he miraculously heals the man! If you were in that synagogue, you would probably be rejoicing with the rest of the congregation. This man's life has been radically changed! But the scribes and Pharisees were unable to enter into their joy. Already suspicious of Jesus, they used this healing to reinforce their negative view of him. Sometimes our own negative preconceptions can act as obstacles in our life with the Lord, too. For example, maybe we really don't expect Jesus to intervene in a difficult situation. So when we pray and nothing seems to be happening, we might use it as evidence that Jesus doesn't care about us. Or maybe we assume that God won't speak to us, so we don't listen very carefully or spend enough time in silent prayer. Today, examine your heart to see if you are harboring any views or preconceptions about the Lord that prevent you from enjoying a deeper, more joy-filled relationship with him. If you see any signs of doubt, cynicism, or discouragement, come and stand before Jesus, as this man did. Ask him to heal you, and then trust him to do it! "Jesus, I love you! Remove any obstacles that might come between us!" 1 Corinthians 5:1-8
Psalm 5:5-7, 12 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Then Jesus said to them,
"I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath
rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?"
Looking around at them all, he then said to him,
"Stretch out your hand."
He did so and his hand was restored.
But they became enraged
and discussed together what they might do to Jesus........"_ end quote. | From Bishop Barron: "Friends, in our Gospel today, Jesus heals a man with a withered hand. As I've said many times before, we tend to domesticate Christ, reducing him to a guru or a teacher, one spiritual guide among many. But this is to do violence to the Gospel, which presents him not simply as teacher but as savior.
I realize that the culture militates against Christianity at this point, for it steadily teaches the ideology of self-esteem and self-assertion: "I'm okay and you're okay"; "Who are you to tell me how to behave?"
But this sort of thing—whatever value it might have politically or psychologically—is simply inimical to a biblical Christianity. The biblical view is that we have, through the abuse of our freedom, gotten ourselves into an impossible bind. Sin has wrecked us in such a fundamental way that we have become dysfunctional. Until we truly feel what it means to be lost and helpless, we will not appreciate who Jesus is and what he means.
Jesus is someone who has rescued us, saved us, done something that we could never, even in principle, do for ourselves....." end quote Bishop Barron.
I like the reflections I've heard, at Mass, and in all today's reflections. You can imagine a poor crippled man, and there are three kind of people there in the temple, just like today. There are those who are strict rule keepers that do better at kicking people out of church, and then you got those opposite of them, ready and eager to see a miracle, open to God's love. The 3rd set of people? Those that are just there as onlookers, tourists, not really phased by anything that happens.
A Holy Mass should always be one to remember. Our bodies meet the body of Christ in every sense of the word, mind, body, and soul.
Some will leave lifted, fed, and amazed, grace soaked into their sponge for a heart.
Some will leave the mass untouched, nothing happened, water on a rock. The water is grace.
And the rest? Some may get a little soaked, but it'll dry up quick.
The healed man was healed by God's mercy and grace.
We too can leave healed and touched.
Or we can go, be angry at how things went down, or how someone was dressed, or how poorly they were fed with music and homilies instead of being fed by Christ Himself in the Holy Eucharist.
Or like the 3rd set, that came, sort of liked it but wasn't enough to keep them hungering for more.
What will make us truly open to God in the temple? How can we avoid being lukewarm or a mean Pharisee? There are books one can read on how to set yourself up to get ready for Mass. Read scriptures ahead of time. Fast before Mass, the more the better. And like all sacraments, it is the disposition of your heart. We want to be ready. We want to be healed. We want to feel God's touch.
And when it happens, you will never forget, you will always want to come back for more, like the stray dog, or the Prodigal Son. You know where you can be with the Father and be fed right.
This is an eternal banquet invitation. The ultimate miracle is before us.
God happens.
And He happens in the most phenomenal and mind blowing way. He enters the soul. Is the soul ready for Him? Is the soul cleansed? Is the temple ready and setup for Him? Is it a welcoming place for sacrificial love?
Your body is a temple. For who? For what?
Let us glorify God with everything we got. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Mark 13:31 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
