† Quote of the Day "You are rewarded not according to your work or your time but according to the measure of your love." — St. Catherine of Siena Today's Meditation "We are the holy Church. But I do not say 'we' as though to indicate only we who are here, you who have just been listening to me. I mean all of us who are here and by the grace of God faithful Christians in this church, that is, in this city; all those in this region, in this province, across the sea, all those in the whole world. Such is the Catholic Church, our true mother, the true spouse of so great a husband." —St. Augustine, p. 87
An excerpt from Augustine Day by Day Daily Verse "Because he cleaves to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will rescue him and honor him." — Psalm 91:14-15 | St. Anne St. Joachim St. Anne and St. Joachim (1st c. B.C.) are the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the maternal grandparents of Jesus. Their names have been preserved in Church tradition since the second century, although little is known of their lives. It is believed that St. Joachim and St. Anne, although wealthy, lived a devout and simple life of voluntary poverty, chastity, and generosity to the poor. According to legend, after long years of suffering from infertility and praying for a child, Joachim and Anne were each separately visited by an angel in their old age, who announced that they would give birth to a very special child. Their moment of joy at this happy news is depicted with their embrace and kiss at the Golden Gate in Jerusalem. It was from their holy and chaste marriage that the Immaculate Conception was brought into the world. According to tradition, when the Child Mary was three years old, they dedicated her to God and presented her to live in the Jerusalem temple until the time of her betrothal to St. Joseph. St. Anne is the patroness of unmarried women, wives, expectant mothers, pregnancy, women in labor, grandmothers, childless couples, and against poverty and sterility. Women praying to meet their future spouse often turn to St. Anne. St. Joachim is the patron of fathers and grandfathers. Their feast day is July 26th. See more about St. Anne. See more about St. Joachim. | Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary • Readings for the Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary Reading 1 JER 3:14-17 Return, rebellious children, says the LORD,
for I am your Master;
I will take you, one from a city, two from a clan,
and bring you to Zion.
I will appoint over you shepherds after my own heart,
who will shepherd you wisely and prudently.
When you multiply and become fruitful in the land,
says the LORD,
They will in those days no longer say,
"The ark of the covenant of the LORD!"
They will no longer think of it, or remember it,
or miss it, or make another.
At that time they will call Jerusalem the LORD's throne;
there all nations will be gathered together
to honor the name of the LORD at Jerusalem,
and they will walk no longer in their hardhearted wickedness. Responsorial Psalm JER 31:10, 11-12ABCD, 13 R. (see 10d) The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,
proclaim it on distant isles, and say:
He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together,
he guards them as a shepherd his flock.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
The LORD shall ransom Jacob,
he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror.
Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion,
they shall come streaming to the LORD's blessings:
The grain, the wine, and the oil,
the sheep and the oxen.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Then the virgins shall make merry and dance,
and young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock. Alleluia LK 8:15 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart
and yield a harvest through perseverance.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel MT 13:18-23 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Hear the parable of the sower.
The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the Kingdom
without understanding it,
and the Evil One comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.
The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
he immediately falls away.
The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold." | Daily Meditation: Matthew 13:18-23 The seed sown on the rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit. (Matthew 13:23) When he explains the parable of the sower to his disciples, Jesus makes it clear that the quality of the seed was not lacking. It was good seed, since the word of God can be nothing less than supremely good. Furthermore, Jesus says that this seed was spread across all types of soil, even though only some soil yielded plants capable of bearing fruit. And that's where the disparity in fruitfulness comes from—the condition of the soil. Hard, rocky, thorn-infested ground does not make for a good garden. No matter how good a seed is, it still needs well-tilled and fertile earth for it to grow. But soil does not till itself. A barren field will remain that way unless someone comes along with a hoe and gets to work. This is the work Jesus wants to do in our hearts. Like a wise landowner, he is not afraid to get his hands dirty! Just look at the cross: his "work" that day involved blood, sweat, and tears. But through that work, he removed the greatest obstacle of all: our bondage to sin and death. Yet Jesus' work in us is not done. He wants to make the "soil" of our hearts rich so that we can produce "a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold" (Matthew 13:23). And so he lovingly invites us into his work of reclamation. He wants us to pick up our trowel and join him in his work of tilling. How? Notice that those in Jesus' parable who fell away initially heard "the word of the Kingdom," but they did not understand it or persevere in nourishing the seed of that word (Matthew 13:19). Understanding God's word and then acting on it are the keys to bearing fruit. Our tilling of the soil requires that we dig deep into the Scriptures. Then, as we pray and listen to the Lord, he will help us discover what his word means for our lives. But it's not all up to us. We still need Jesus, our "Good Farmer," to water and fertilize the soil of our hearts with his grace so we can do whatever he asks of us. Our God is so faithful. Let's trust him to bring about an abundant harvest! "Jesus, thank you for the work you are doing in me so that I can bear fruit for your kingdom." Jeremiah 3:14-17
(Psalm) Jeremiah 31:10-13 |  Hear AI Read it to you. Updated 7/10/24 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold."......" end quote. | From Bishop Barron:
"...So from these sad cases we can construe the nature of good soil. When we understand the faith, when we take the time to read theology, to study the Scriptures; when we persevere, discipline ourselves, and practice the faith; when we have our priorities straight; then the seed will take root in us. And it will bear fruit thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold." end quote Bishop Barron.
I don't know about you, but I'm always wondering if I'm bearing fruit for God's vineyard. My name means fertile soil, and I'm constantly ready for the call of the Lord to say yes. It has gotten me in tight spots with schedule and balancing of work and family but by the grace of God, His will is done. If only we are not afraid. Saying yes though, is the easy call to answer for me. This week, I was at an economic council meeting which I've been a board member of for years, and we usually start with a prayer. As I walked in, the current president asked if I would lead with prayer, and I joked "did somebody die? Usually I get asked to pray only when somebody dies!" LOL. But looking back, it is not much of a joke. I don't get asked for prayers much outside of funerals. As a matter of fact, asking people to come pray with me is like asking them to come to a funeral. Just try to do a weekly rosary and invite people, see how that goes, let me know! For prayer groups and reunions for me for the last 15 years has been nothing but a solid challenge.
But nevertheless, the seeds must be spread.
What chokes us from doing God stuff?
When Father Joseph read the scriptures today in daily Mass in the nursing home, he read the spanish scripture which said the word "seductions" of worldly things choked people.
Aren't we seduced in the world? Gotta have that money! Gotta have that extra toy! Gotta have that pleasure! Gotta have that lust! And like fools we wonder after the mirage.
What else chokes us? Fear. Anxieties. So many things choke us. I've noticed when I get overloaded with stress and problems, I literally feel tensed and almost choking or drowning in problems. It is not a good feeling. I'm learning that I have to snap out of it, and pray. Some people take to meditation and yoga, but all that focuses on yourself again or on worldly things, so the best thing to do is to focus outwardly to God.
Once again, who is God? I can't explain God, nobody can. The only thing that I can say about His being, is two words "Terribly Amazing". And the word "amazing" to be said of God is a sign of love and fear and wonder and a true sign that the Holy Spirit is working within you. For years of reflections and ministry, I can very easily see how the parable of the seed works when I see people go to a retreat, they are touched and some go back to the "real world" and quickly lose what they felt or learned. The evil one seduces it out of them real quick if there are no roots. It is as if the seed fell on rocky ground. Or birds come snatch it away, black crows and vultures, take advantage and make you "snap back" into their own version of reality. But sometimes, maybe 1 out of 50 people, will actually take the word and touch of God and be forever grateful. This is the cause of a saint. The person that is touched is forever grateful.
And this moves the person to become a servant and slave of Love, God the Father.
You see, God isn't that concerned with the world problems, He's got it figured out. His concern is His desire of this beautiful gift of love from above. And the greatest action of Love is Jesus, as is exemplified and given metaphysically in the Holy Eucharist.
And so the question is, is it really that hard to be fruitful?
Don't listen to protestants who say you don't have to work out salvation, because the whole truth is not there. We do have to be active and thereby, fruitful. But first by letting God manifest Himself in you, like in the Eucharist. So that you may grow and grow others in love of God for the sake of each other's greater good. Lord, Precious Blood of Jesus. Make our Hearts like unto Yours! |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Ephesians 5:1–2 Walk in Love 5
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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