† Quote of the Day "Dismiss all anger and look into yourself a little. Remember that he of whom you are speaking is your brother, and as he is in the way of salvation, God can make him a saint, in spite of his present weakness." — St. Thomas of Villanova Today's Meditation "St. Bridget once received and bore patiently a succession of trials from various persons. One of them made an insulting remark to her; another praised her in her presence, but complained of her in her absence; another calumniated her; another spoke ill of a servant of God, in her presence, to her great displeasure; one did her a grievous wrong, and she blessed her; one caused her a loss, and she prayed for her; and a seventh gave her false information of the death of her son, which she received with tranquility and resignation. After all this, St. Agnes the Martyr appeared to her, bringing in her hand a most beautiful crown adorned with seven precious stones, telling her that they had been placed there by these seven persons. Then she put it upon her head and disappeared. How could so much have been gained by any other exercise? The Blessed Angela di Foligno, when asked how she was able to receive and endure sufferings with so much cheerfulness, replied: 'Believe me, the grandeur and value of sufferings are not known to us. For, if we knew the worth of our trials, they would become for us objects of plunder, and we should go about trying to snatch from one another opportunities to suffer.'" —Cultivating Virtue: Self-Mastery With the Saints, p. 137
An excerpt from Cultivating Virtue: Self-Mastery With the Saints Daily Verse "What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna." — Matthew 10:27-28 | St. Veronica St. Veronica (1st c.) is one of the holy women of Jerusalem who accompanied Jesus on the Way of the Cross. Out of her sorrow and compassion she offered Jesus her veil to wipe the blood and sweat from his face as He carried the cross on the way to His crucifixion. In gratitude for her simple yet gracious act, Jesus left an image of His face on the cloth. According to tradition, Veronica afterwards went to Rome and brought the cloth with her. This piece of cloth, known as Veronica's Veil, has been venerated as a holy and miraculous image of Jesus Christ ever since. It has been kept since ancient times in St. Peter's Basilica. On the Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross) in Jerusalem there is a small chapel called the Chapel of the Holy Face that was built on the site of St. Veronica's home and the location where the miracle took place. St. Veronica's feast day is July 12th. | Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 387
Reading 1 HOS 14:2-10 Thus says the LORD:
Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God;
you have collapsed through your guilt.
Take with you words,
and return to the LORD;
Say to him, "Forgive all iniquity,
and receive what is good, that we may render
as offerings the bullocks from our stalls.
Assyria will not save us,
nor shall we have horses to mount;
We shall say no more, 'Our god,'
to the work of our hands;
for in you the orphan finds compassion."
I will heal their defection, says the LORD,
I will love them freely;
for my wrath is turned away from them.
I will be like the dew for Israel:
he shall blossom like the lily;
He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar,
and put forth his shoots.
His splendor shall be like the olive tree
and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar.
Again they shall dwell in his shade
and raise grain;
They shall blossom like the vine,
and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim! What more has he to do with idols?
I have humbled him, but I will prosper him.
"I am like a verdant cypress tree"—
because of me you bear fruit! Let him who is wise understand these things;
let him who is prudent know them.
Straight are the paths of the LORD,
in them the just walk,
but sinners stumble in them. Responsorial Psalm PS 51:3-4, 8-9, 12-13, 14 AND 17 R. (17b) My mouth will declare your praise.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. My mouth will declare your praise.
Behold, you are pleased with sincerity of heart,
and in my inmost being you teach me wisdom.
Cleanse me of sin with hyssop, that I may be purified;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
R. My mouth will declare your praise.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. My mouth will declare your praise.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
R. My mouth will declare your praise. Alleluia JN 16:13A; 14:26D R. Alleluia, alleluia.
When the Spirit of truth comes,
he will guide you to all truth
and remind you of all I told you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel MT 10:16-23 Jesus said to his Apostles:
"Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves;
so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.
But beware of men,
for they will hand you over to courts
and scourge you in their synagogues,
and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake
as a witness before them and the pagans.
When they hand you over,
do not worry about how you are to speak
or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say.
For it will not be you who speak
but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Brother will hand over brother to death,
and the father his child;
children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but whoever endures to the end will be saved.
When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.
Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel
before the Son of Man comes." | Daily Meditation: Hosea 14:2-10 We shall say no more, "Our god," to the work of our hands. (Hosea 14:4) Israel was a small prosperous nation, an unlikely beacon of God's faithfulness and provision in a region rampant with idolatry. The people experienced God's care in very tangible, identifiable ways. Speaking through the prophet Hosea, God said, "It was I who gave [Israel] the grain, the wine, and the oil, I who lavished upon her silver, and gold" (2:10). But the temptation to imitate their even more prosperous neighbors was strong. They began to turn the very things that they had received from God—including the silver and gold—into idols. How tragic! In today's first reading, we hear God's plea to his chosen people: "Say no more, 'Our god,' to the work of [your] hands" (14:4). God longed for the Israelites to restore their relationship with him, and this included honoring him and not Baal or anyone else. While we are unlikely to fashion a physical idol out of silver or gold as the Israelites did, Hosea's words can still strike a chord with us. How often do our own efforts—our studies or jobs or our daily sense of accomplishment—act as a sort of idol in our lives? For many of us, what we produce impacts our sense of self-worth and confidence. Our accomplishments can even become the source of our security and power. Of course, our talents and ability to work are blessings. But the "work of our hands" is God's gift to us and to other people. It's not meant to make us appear great but to give glory to the Lord. This means that while recognition and praise from others feels good and accomplishments can give us satisfaction, we should keep our gaze on the Lord. This will help us remember that all our blessings—our job, a particular set of skills, our education, even our physical strength—come from God: "Because of me you bear fruit!" (14:9). So acknowledge God as the source of your blessings today. Thank him for the gift of his Spirit, for his life in you, and for your ability to give him glory through your work. "Lord, I worship only you. May the work of my hands give you glory today." Psalm 51:3-4, 8-9, 12-14, 17
Matthew 10:16-23 |  Hear AI Read it to you. Updated 7/10/24 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Jesus said to his Apostles:
"Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves;
so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.
But beware of men,
for they will hand you over to courts
and scourge you in their synagogues,
and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake
as a witness before them and the pagans.
When they hand you over,
do not worry about how you are to speak
or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say......." end quote. | From Bishop Barron today:
"Friends, in our Gospel today, Jesus assures us that the Holy Spirit will help us when we face persecution. Speaking to his disciples the night before he dies, Jesus says that he and his Father will send another Parakletos (Advocate). That word, stemming from kaleo (to call) and para (for, or on behalf of), designates something like a lawyer, someone who would plead on behalf of another, who would support, advocate, encourage.
Jesus is saying that while he will depart physically from the scene, he and his Father will send the Spirit as a friend. This is the advocate who will inspire Christians up and down the ages.
When the martyrs went to their deaths, it was with the help of the Holy Spirit; when the missionaries went to proclaim the faith in hostile lands, it was the Holy Spirit who pleaded on their behalf...." end quote.
Why in the world would our Lord, God, the all-knowing and all-mighty send His messengers into the world as lambs amongst wolves?
And why would He ask us to be shrewd as serpents as simple as doves?
Aren't serpents a strange creature to imitate? Wasn't the serpent a bad sign in the bible? And who knows doves and their character too! LOL.
Our Lord speaks to us in terms of the world that should be known forever. But if you don't live out in nature as people did back in those days, how will you relate to farming and animals? Right? We all live mostly in enclosed shelters and in towns or cities which are basically bigger towns.
My dad, Lord rest his soul, loved to quote this line "manso como cordero,astuto como serpiente". As easy going as a lamb, and as astute as a serpent.
Well, then let's study the animals to realize what God is saying! If we care, if we really care about God's word, we should study the Word, we should study God! That's why special retreats and conferences are good, like Cursillo, and all sorts of conferences that unite us to a greater faith.
I live out in the country, I deal constantly with snakes and doves. The poor doves, they get eaten all the time by my dogs. They are pretty trusting and gentle really, you can get pretty close to them and they don't scare away easy, as if to be trusting. But snakes? It depends on the snake, but most are usually camouflaged and very still, always on the hunt, or waiting for its prey to come by to snatch at the most opportune time.
That is how we are to be, like both. Does it make sense? LOL. We need to be trusting, and gentle, and flocking in groups of at least 2 or 3. Usually the doves that get snatched are the young ones that can't fly well. But, we must be like the serpent. Always on the watch, ready to snatch at the most opportune time, always on full alert and radar for what is coming. Snakes are quick to defend. Defend your faith. Snakes are ready to pounce. Seize the day, they say. At the opportune time, let the person you've been praying for, or even a stranger know that this is the time God is calling on them. We are not two faced, but full of character, smart, maybe even cunning. The snake tempted with a doubt. We too can tempt for God, the faithless, with questions like "but what if...what if God is here? What if what they say is true about eternity, an eternity He is offering?". You see? Take a page from the enemy's tactics. Make friends with dishonest wealth, says our Lord. This page of tactics was taken by the tax collectors. They were asked to repent, and give to the poor. Be shrewd as serpents are shrewd, and now be simple. I can now jive with some in worldly ways and in their cultures, ways in manners of speaking and acting because I've been there, but I'd only jive with them in my efforts to entice them to come to the Lord. A sheep among wolves.
A sheep dressed as a wolf even. For their conversion, which means, for their salvation.
We baptized souls are in the world but not of the world.
This is what God wants. And He wants you in the mission. And this is a blessing from above. Sacred Blood of Jesus, with Your life blood in me, let me do Your Holy Will. | Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 22:4 4 The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honor and life.1 | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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