† Quote of the Day "Our Lord has created persons for all states in life, and in all of them we see people who achieved sanctity by fulfilling their obligations well." — St. Anthony Mary Claret Today's Meditation "Whoever confesses his sins ... is already working with God. God indicts your sins; if you also indict them, you are joined with God. Man and sinner are, so to speak, two realities: when you hear 'man' - this is what God has made; when you hear 'sinner' - this is what man himself has made. Destroy what you have made, so that God may save what he has made ... When you begin to abhor what you have made, it is then that your good works are beginning, since you are accusing yourself of your evil works. The beginning of good works is the confession of evil works. You do the truth and come to the light." —The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1458
An excerpt from The Catechism of the Catholic Church Daily Verse "The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him? Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth." — 1 John 3:16-18 | St. Bernard Montjoux St. Bernard of Montjoux (c. 923–1008 A.D.), also known as St. Bernard of Menthon, was born to a wealthy and noble family in the Kingdom of Arles (present day France and Switzerland). As an adult he refused an honorable marriage and determined instead to give his life in service to the Church. He became a priest in northern Italy and spent more than four decades doing missionary work in the Alps. He built schools and churches, and is especially known for aiding travelers. The area where he ministered had an ancient, snowy, and dangerous pass winding through the mountains along which pilgrims traveled to and from Rome. To serve the pilgrims St. Bernard built a hospice at the highest point of the pass, 8,000 feet above sea level. Later he founded another hospice along another smaller pass. St. Bernard obtained papal approval for communities of priests to serve in the hospices, which have generously aided travelers for more than a millennium. The priests and their well-trained dogs (the St. Bernard breed named for the saint) would seek and rescue lost pilgrims. St. Bernard was declared the patron saint of skiers and mountain climbers by Pope Pius XI in 1923. His feast day is celebrated on May 28th.
Find a devotional for this saint | Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 348
Reading 1 1 Pt 1:10-16 Beloved:
Concerning the salvation of your souls
the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours
searched and investigated it
investigating the time and circumstances
that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated
when it testified in advance
to the sufferings destined for Christ
and the glories to follow them.
It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you
with regard to the things that have now been announced to you
by those who preached the Good News to you
through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven,
things into which angels longed to look. Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, live soberly,
and set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Like obedient children,
do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance
but, as he who called you is holy,
be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct,
for it is written, Be holy because I am holy. Responsorial Psalm Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4 R. (2a) The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation. Alleluia See Mt 11:25 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 10:28-31 Peter began to say to Jesus,
"We have given up everything and followed you."
Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you,
there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or lands
for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel
who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:
houses and brothers and sisters
and mothers and children and lands,
with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.
But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first." | Daily Meditation: Mark 10:28-31 The last will be first. (Mark 10:31) We all have areas of our lives that frustrate us: the way we can't stop yelling at our kids, that chip on our shoulder that we can't seem to get rid of, or that sinful habit that we can't seem to overcome. We might even say that this is where we fall in "last place" in an imaginary lineup of disciples. But that's not the way Jesus thinks. He hasn't set up the world to be a race in which there are winners and losers and runners-up. There is no competition in the kingdom of God. He wants everyone to win—especially the ones the world might consider to be in last place. Isn't that good news? It's never too late to take the next step toward the Lord. For instance, God might have been asking you for years to control your anger, remove the chip from your shoulder, or stop committing the same sin over and over again. But suppose that you do find the grace to change. He won't ask, "What took you so long?" His mercy is abundant and overflowing. It doesn't work on a schedule or a tight deadline, so you're not late. This is a hard concept to wrap our minds around. Jesus doesn't keep time or measure progress the same way our boss or anybody else does. Everything depends on his free gift of grace—a gift that he offers us to the very end. That's why "the last will be first" (Mark 10:31). It's not necessarily because they will outrun the first; it's because the people we consider "last" will be treated just as bountifully as the ones who we think are "first." Jesus promised that anyone who gives up his old way of life will receive "a hundred times more now in this present age . . . , and eternal life in the age to come" (Mark 10:30). Even you. This is an unusual race you're running. The rules are stacked in your favor! So leave behind any frustration that you feel and start fresh today once again. Ask the Lord to show you his mercy in just the place you need it. Let that mercy remind you that it's never too late to change or to try again. "Jesus, thank you for your generous mercy." 1 Peter 1:10-16
Psalm 98:1-4 |  try to hear it read by AI | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Peter began to say to Jesus,
"We have given up everything and followed you."
Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you,
there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or lands
for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel
who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:
houses and brothers and sisters
and mothers and children and lands,
with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.
But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first....." end quote. | What have you given up for the Lord? Houses? Fathers, mothers, children or lands for the sake of the Lord and the Gospel?
What is our Lord asking of us here? That we cut off an arm and a leg again? That we sell all our riches, give them to the poor and then follow Him? How many of us would turn away sad from the Lord and walk away at this request? We love our stuff, don't we? Our house, car, our things we got with our hard earned money, right? We love our family, we wouldn't want to say goodbye and lock ourselves up in a monastery or go off on a mission forever, right?
Yet that is the problem. We love our comfortable life styles. And that is exactly how to kill a frog. Get him comfortable in a pot of water, and just turn up the heat little by little and before you know it, he is dead. The same happens with us. We can get so comfortable and thus, stingy with our time, talent, and treasures! Can't we? We get used to saying not to God when He asks you to come to a retreat, or go see someone in need, like in a prison, or hospital, or someone in great depression in their own home! We get used to avoiding giving donations, or tithing. We get used to saying no to anything that will pull us out of our comfort zone.
And slowly we boil in our comfort pot.
I am asking you in the name of the Lord to hop out of the hot pot.
Give like there is no tomorrow. Give time to God, in prayer, and gather in prayer. Give to God your talents, whatever it is you can do, cleaning, teaching, going off on a mission, singing, what can you do? Talk? Preach. Can you walk? Go visit someone, or go on a Eucharistic Procession. What can you do? God needs you to do His will. There is not enough being taught and emphasized in doing His will.
It is His will that we are holy. It is His will that we allow Him to move in charity. It is His will that we sacrifice evil, go to confession, and pour out what is not His will and begin to seek his will. That we may live now, how we want to live with Him forever.
You know very well the many ministries I am involved in, and they wouldn't be if it were not for my wife and children's sacrifice of me, they give up father, and I give up wife and children on a Cursillo weekend, or weekend with prisoners. In a sense, daddy is off at war. Daddy is off on a 3 day journey to a dying and rising. And as my wife and children follow what I am doing, I hope they too learn to give up family, lands, jobs, anything at least for weekends, or months, little by little, you can start with a few seconds of prayer, then a few minutes of prayer, then a few hours of prayer. Sounds impossible, but like the saint Francis said "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible."
And the Franciscans are now all over the world, all because St. Francis gave up his father, job, everything, and by doing so St. Francis in his rather short life, has gained not only hundreds, but thousands of fathers, mothers, and lands and more for the Kingdom of God our Father.
Isn't that what it is all about? God's will?
Doesn't He want souls to be enlivened with His word?
Let me tell you something that might not resonate too well with worldly thoughts.
Our God is more interested in His flock that He gathered than anyone else right now. So that the flock might feed the world with the Light of God.
We are entrusted with much then aren't we? Beginning with the clergy, and then the laity that is to assist the clergy and be the living body of Christ that we call Corpus Christi.
May we see our Father's will right before our eyes, and ask for the grace to do it. |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
John 1:1–3 [John 1]
The Word Became Flesh 1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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