† Quote of the Day "Do not seek to be regarded as somebody, don't compare yourself to others in anything. Leave the world, mount the cross, discard all earthly things, shake the dust from off your feet."
— St. Barsanuphius Today's Meditation "He that sacrifices to God his property by alms-deeds, his honor by bearing insults, or his body by mortifications, by fasts and penitential rigours, offers to Him a part of himself and of what belongs to him; but he that sacrifices to God his will, by obedience, gives to Him all that he has, and can say: Lord, having given you my will, I have nothing more to give you." —St. Alphonsus Liguori, p. 191
An excerpt from The Sermons of St. Alphonsus Liguiori Daily Verse "Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made."
— Romans 1:20a | St. Zoe Of Rome St. Zoe of Rome (d. 286 A.D.) was a noblewoman married to a Roman court official during the reign of the infamous Emperor Diocletian. For six years she suffered from a condition that left her unable to speak; when she met St. Sebastian she fell at his feet so that he would heal her. St. Sebastian made the Sign of the Cross over her, and from that moment her speech miraculously returned. As she was being healed she had a vision of an angel standing next to St. Sebastian holding a book in which was written everything that St. Sebastian preached. Her first words were ones of thanks and praise to God, and many witnesses of the miracle were brought to faith in Christ. Zoe and her husband then received baptism, along with many others who had come to believe in Christ through St. Sebastian's miracles. Of this new group of Christians, St. Zoe was the first to be martyred for her faith. She was greatly devoted to St. Peter the Apostle, and was arrested while praying at his tomb. She was martyred by being hung from a tree by her hair, with a fire lit under her feet. After her death her body was thrown into the Tiber River. She then appeared in a vision to St. Sebastian, who was in prison awaiting his execution, to tell him of her martyrdom and subsequent glory. St. Zoe of Rome's feast day is July 5th. | Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Am 8:4-6, 9-12 Hear this, you who trample upon the needy
and destroy the poor of the land!
"When will the new moon be over," you ask,
"that we may sell our grain,
and the sabbath, that we may display the wheat?"
We will diminish the containers for measuring,
add to the weights,
and fix our scales for cheating!
We will buy the lowly man for silver,
and the poor man for a pair of sandals;
even the refuse of the wheat we will sell!" On that day, says the Lord GOD,
I will make the sun set at midday
and cover the earth with darkness in broad daylight.
I will turn your feasts into mourning
and all your songs into lamentations.
I will cover the loins of all with sackcloth
and make every head bald.
I will make them mourn as for an only son,
and bring their day to a bitter end. Yes, days are coming, says the Lord GOD,
when I will send famine upon the land:
Not a famine of bread, or thirst for water,
but for hearing the word of the LORD.
Then shall they wander from sea to sea
and rove from the north to the east
In search of the word of the LORD,
but they shall not find it. Responsorial Psalm Ps 119:2, 10, 20, 30, 40, 131 R. (Matthew 4:4) One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Blessed are they who observe his decrees,
who seek him with all their heart.
R. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
With all my heart I seek you;
let me not stray from your commands.
R. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
My soul is consumed with longing
for your ordinances at all times.
R. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
The way of truth I have chosen;
I have set your ordinances before me.
R. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Behold, I long for your precepts;
in your justice give me life.
R. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
I gasp with open mouth
in my yearning for your commands.
R. One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Alleluia Mt 11:28 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 9:9-13 As Jesus passed by,
he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, "Follow me."
And he got up and followed him.
While he was at table in his house,
many tax collectors and sinners came
and sat with Jesus and his disciples.
The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples,
"Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
He heard this and said,
"Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
Go and learn the meaning of the words,
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners." | DAILY MEDITATION: MATTHEW 9:9-13 Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners? (Matthew 9:11) "Tax collectors and sinners." That's how these Pharisees described the people Jesus was eating with (Matthew 9:11). Why didn't they use their names? They might not have known them. But perhaps it was because they didn't see these folks as individuals with God-given dignity. Unfortunately, that's how we might relate to people we don't understand or maybe don't want to understand. We distance ourselves by putting them into a category. That way, we don't have to interact with them. But in doing so, we risk overlooking the God-given dignity of each person. Jesus, on the other hand, looked at people much differently. He didn't view them as "other." He saw their humanity first and their behavior second. Each one was a person he wanted to know and love and heal. He wanted to be in a relationship with each of them and for each of them to receive his love and forgiveness. We can learn a lot from Jesus' approach to people! Everyone we meet is our brother or sister. Everyone was made by God to know him in this life and live with him forever in heaven. So how do we interact with the people we meet? We follow Jesus' example. He gained peoples' trust by loving them and treating them with respect. He acknowledged where they were in their lives, and he invited them into his kingdom. Treating people with respect is a lot more challenging than dismissing the ones we see as different or difficult. In fact, following Jesus' example will require that we put aside the subtle—or not-so-subtle—judgments we hold so that we can show his love to other people. It will call us to consider how Jesus viewed the people everyone else shunned and to ask him to help us see them with his eyes. And that's always something he's ready to do in us. So think about who the "tax collectors and sinners" in your life might be. How can you "eat with them" and, like Jesus, bring the kingdom of God into their lives? "Lord, I want to see other people the way you see them. Help me to show your love to everyone I meet today." Amos 8:4-6, 9-12
Psalm 119:2, 10, 20, 30, 40, 131 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
He heard this and said,
"Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
Go and learn the meaning of the words,
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners....." end quote. | From Bishop Barron Today:
"Friends, our Gospel for today is the simple but magnificent story of the conversion of Matthew. I urge you to read it and meditate upon it this week, for it's about you. The Bible says that Jesus told Matthew, "Follow me." The call of Jesus is meant to get into your mind, and then past your mind into your body, and then through your body into your life, into your most practical decisions.
And then we hear that Matthew "got up and followed him." The verb used here in the Greek is the same verb used to describe the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead: Matthew rose. Conversion means a transition into a higher life, arising from a preoccupation with the goods of the world and a reorientation to the things of God.
Then we hear what happened after Matthew's conversion: "While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples." This deeply annoys the Pharisees, who ask of Jesus' disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" The answer is that Jesus loves sinners, and he doesn't require perfection before he approaches them.." End Quote Bishop Barron.
When our Lord looks at Matthew, a tax collector, and says "Follow me", something unexplainable happened inside of him. His life was transformed from being a selfish man that lived by lining his pockets, to a man that emptied his pockets and his life for the Lord. So much so, that eventually literally gave himself totally as an apostle and Marty for Christ.
What is important here?
Have u been losing faith?
Has it been hard to get into the church, or back into the groove?
Have you lost sight and, perhaps stopped caring?
There is a solution to all of this before it's too late and we face the grim reaper. And we can begin to appreciate life when you think life has lost its taste. We need salt. We need to appreciate. We need to give thanks. We need to be grateful.
We can have an eye opening experience to gratefulness by following Christ simply through obedience or if need be, or a catastrophic event.
As for me, it has taken both, daily perseverance and a realization through catastrophe that God our Father wants us to wake up, and stay awake.
Or else we will drift off on the river if indifference, floating away until we care less and less. And then it's just too hard to come back.
Then what? Then it's a fight all the way.
And this is where we meet on the way and in the fight to be holy.
To be righteous. To be made perfect like Saint Matthew.
Jesus meets you and says "Follow Me".
And never look back.
Then we become the salt and light the world so much needs.
That we would die for Love...and God is Love. Sacred, Most Precious Blood of Jesus, be my Love. | Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 13:20 20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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