† Quote of the Day Jesus, help me to simplify my life by learning what you want me to be, and becoming that person.
— St. Therese of Lisieux Today's Meditation "The queen bee never settles in her hive without being surrounded by her swarm, and charity never takes possession of the heart without bringing in her train all other virtues, exercising them and bringing them into play as a general his troops. But she does not call them forth suddenly, all at once, nor in all times and places. The good man is like a tree planted by the water-side that will bring forth its fruit in due season, because when a soul is watered with charity, it brings forth good works seasonably and with discretion." —St. Francis de Sales, p. 117
An excerpt from An Introduction to the Devout Life Daily Verse "In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; God has made the one as well as the other." — Ecclesiastes 7:14a | St. Kilian St. Kilian (c. 640-689 A.D.), also known as St. Cillian, was born to a noble family in Ireland. As a child he was known for his piety and love of study, which led him to the priesthood. He became a traveling bishop on the island, and in 686 A.D. left Ireland with eleven companions to travel throughout Gaul (present day France and parts of Germany) to preach the Gospel. From there he traveled to Rome to get official sanction from the Pope to become a missionary. Once obtained, St. Kilian returned north and settled in Würzburg as his base of activity along with two of his original companions. He began his work evangelizing the pagans in large parts of Franconia and Thuringia (north and central Germany), earning the name 'Apostle of Franconia.' Saint Kilian converted the Duke of Würzburg and convinced him to end his unlawful marriage. This greatly angered the Duke's wife, who resisted St. Kilian's attempts to convert her. While her husband was away, she had St. Kilian and his two missionary companions beheaded as they were preaching. A cathedral was built on the spot of their martyrdom by the first bishop of Würzburg. On St. Kilian's feast his relics, along with those of his two companions, are paraded through the streets and put on display in the Würzburg Cathedral, which is dedicated to him. St. Kilian's feast day is July 8th. | Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Hos 2:16, 17c-18, 21-22 Thus says the LORD:
I will allure her;
I will lead her into the desert
and speak to her heart.
She shall respond there as in the days of her youth,
when she came up from the land of Egypt. On that day, says the LORD,
She shall call me "My husband,"
and never again "My baal." I will espouse you to me forever:
I will espouse you in right and in justice,
in love and in mercy;
I will espouse you in fidelity,
and you shall know the LORD. Responsorial Psalm PS 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 R. (8a) The Lord is gracious and merciful.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.
Generation after generation praises your works
and proclaims your might.
They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty
and tell of your wondrous works.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.
They discourse of the power of your terrible deeds
and declare your greatness.
They publish the fame of your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your justice.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful. Alleluia See 2 Tm 1:10 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 9:18-26 While Jesus was speaking, an official came forward,
knelt down before him, and said,
"My daughter has just died.
But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live."
Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples.
A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him
and touched the tassel on his cloak.
She said to herself, "If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured."
Jesus turned around and saw her, and said,
"Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you."
And from that hour the woman was cured. When Jesus arrived at the official's house
and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion,
he said, "Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping."
And they ridiculed him.
When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand,
and the little girl arose.
And news of this spread throughout all that land.
| Daily Meditation: Hosea 2:16-18, 21-22 I will espouse you to me forever. (Hosea 2:21) The Book of Hosea opens with a shocking request: God asks the prophet to find a "woman of prostitution" and marry her (1:2). Hosea then marries Gomer, whose infidelity makes her a symbol of Israel's unfaithfulness. Through Hosea's faithfulness to Gomer, God shows that he will be like a faithful spouse who will not abandon his people, even when they are unfaithful and turn to other gods. During the time when Hosea was prophesying, God's people had already fractured into the northern and southern kingdoms. The northern kingdom of Israel, in particular, had given in to the many sinful practices of their neighbors, including the worship of the foreign god Baal (Hosea 2:18). The prophet makes it clear just how divided the hearts of God's people are and how far they have fallen. But even more striking is how God reacts. No matter how unfaithful the people are, he promises that he will always love them: "I will espouse you to me forever" (2:21). Today's reading is an invitation for us to grapple with the reality that we are all, in some way or other, like Gomer and the people she represents. We all too often struggle with letting other "loves" come between us and our love and worship of the Lord. Our hearts are so easily divided! But God wants our whole heart, one that mirrors his own faithfulness to us. Today in prayer, ask the Spirit whether there are other gods in your life—something that is interfering with your relationship with God and leading you away from him. If something comes to mind, remember that God doesn't want you to wallow in guilt and shame. Instead, he is inviting you to return to him and be healed and restored by his mercy and grace. It's sometimes difficult to conceive how the Lord's love for each one of us could be so steadfast and passionate. We might even find ourselves doubting it at times. If that happens, remember the marriage of Hosea and Gomer. God pursues us even when we have turned away from him. He seeks out the lost; he is faithful to the unfaithful. May we always have the grace and humility to return to him! "Lord, I praise you for your never-ending love for me!" Psalm 145:2-9
Matthew 9:18-26 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
""My daughter has just died.
But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live."
Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples.
A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him
and touched the tassel on his cloak.
She said to herself, "If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured."
Jesus turned around and saw her, and said,
"Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you."
And from that hour the woman was cured......" end quote. | From Bishop Barron Today:
"Friends, the centerpiece of our Gospel today is the story of the hemorrhaging woman. To get at the power of the Gospel, we have to reacquaint ourselves with the Jewish attitudes regarding the clean and the unclean. In the book of Leviticus, we find carefully laid-out prescriptions dealing with animals, plants, foods, and situations that are unclean. These prescriptions were meant to identify the Jewish people as a people. But they had a rather severe downside, since they placed certain people in extremely difficult situations.
Having a flow of blood for twelve years meant that for that entire period the woman in our Gospel was a virtual pariah. Anyone with whom she came in contact would be considered unclean. She couldn't participate in the ordinary life of her society.
She touches Jesus and should have rendered him unclean. But so great is her faith, that her touch, instead, renders her clean. Jesus effectively restores her to full participation in her community.
The most important outcome is this: Jesus implicitly puts an end to the ritual code of Leviticus. The identity of the new Israel, the Church, would not be through ritual behaviors but through imitation of him......" End Quote Bishop Barron.
I wrote a song for contest the National Eucharistic Congress that is about to happen. I didn't win! LOL. Reminds me of the time entered the biggest talent show on television about 12 years ago. I didn't win. Only one out of thousands wins. But I remember the song I chose then, I had nailed down a worldly song, but on my way up to the contest I fell in love with a song I heard on the radio, "My Savior My God" by Aaron Shust.
I got shot down right away. I just left helping at another funeral, I saw a man, sitting at the very end by himself. Before Mass I was being told that he was a really rough fighter in his younger years. I looked through the glass of the chapel where we practice before Mass and I was speaking to him even though he couldn't hear me, telling him to come to Mass now, come enliven the faith, come with your wife, and be blessed from now on. The choir smiled at me as I did it. And lo and behold, the man was alone in the church as the funeral procession left, he got our attention from across the church raising his hand "beautiful songs". I thanked him. I started putting up our gear, I looked up, and he was gone. I won. I won this contest. The world doesn't need another worldly idol, from American Idol. What the world needs is healing and a conversion from a soul that has lost its way. I win when Christ wins. And He wins when we let Him live inside to do as He loves.
The song I wrote says:
Talitha Verse 1
"Why this commotion and why do all weep?
The child is not dead, she is nothing but asleep."
And they ridiculed him, He simply sent them away,
He took along the child's true family, and showed them the way. Verse 2
"Talitha koum," "Little girl, I say arise!"
The girl, arose now walking, opening all eyes,
He said that no one should know this feat,
He said she should be given something to eat.
Chorus
Give me your food my Lord,
On my knees this I extoll,
Your precious body and blood my Lord,
And I will give you my soul.
- -
Bridge- Exultation:.
I am hungry now my Lord,
I am tired of the negative world,
I am hungry for Your light,
I am ready to be all yours.
—-
Verse 3
"Who has touched my clothes?"
My Lord, Nobody knows.
"The crowd is pressing on you,
and yet you ask, Who?" Verse 4 Suffering woman, tremble in fear,
"Daughter, your faith has saved you.
Go in peace and cured" dry your tears. Chorus
Give me your food my Lord,
On my knees this I extoll,
Your precious body and blood my Lord,
And I will give you my soul. The father of the dead girl asked our Lord to come touch her, at least lay Hands over hear to come alive.
It's all about the touch of God.
The suffering and bleeding woman touched the tassel of our Lord's cloak and she was healed.
Do we really need to touch to be healed?
Our Lord says "Courage, daughter, your faith has saved you".
Why is it so hard to believe?
Because you tried and nothing happened?
Because you think you have little faith?
People with great faith do great things.
People with little faith do very little things.
People with great love do great things.
People with little love do very little things. Of all that you have heard today, what has enlivened your faith?
I wrote a song. It went nowhere. I sung a song today and it changed one's soul. Keep singing. Keep spreading the Gospel.
That was for me. I'm sure you think what you do doesn't change people, but keep at the faith thing, the more the better, because this great love of God is the great faith in God. Love Him More, and see Him start coming alive inside, that you might touch people and that they might be healed. Sacred Blood of Jesus, Come Alive in our hearts! | Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 19:11 11 Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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