† Quote of the Day "We have received baptism, entrance into the Church, and the honor of being called Christians. Yet what good will this do us if we are Christians in name only and not in fact?" — St. Andrew Kim Taegon Today's Meditation "The second stage of contemplation and the sixth of prayer is that of quiet. This is the union of the will with God, who, as highest Good, attracts it forcefully so that in Him alone it may find its rest. Infinite power, goodness, gentleness, and sweetness, with God's gifts of fear, piety, fortitude, and wisdom, overwhelm it and at the same time take it captive, set it ablaze, fill it with caresses, and drawing it near...there the soul finds for a time every now and then—times that seem to it short however long they last—its full rest, its refreshment and strength, its peace and happiness." —J.G Arintero, O.P., p.44-45
An excerpt from Stages in Prayer Daily Verse "Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you." — Matthew 5:11-12 | St. Andrew Kim Tae Gon St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon (1821-1846) was born to a noble family in Korea, and was baptized at the age of 15 after his parents converted to the Catholic faith. Andrew's father, great-grandfather, and great-uncle were martyred during the government's staunch persecution against Christianity, leaving the remaining family in poverty. Andrew was later chosen to travel over 1,000 miles to the nearest seminary in China to be trained for the priesthood. He was ordained in Shanghai as the first native Korean priest in the Church's history of evangelizing in that country. He returned to Korea in secrecy to avoid detection by the authorities. Once back in his hometown, he worked to catechize the faithful until his bishop summoned him to Seoul to help smuggle French missionaries from China into Korea, with the aid of Chinese fishermen. During this operation he was caught and imprisoned by the border patrol, and charged as a traitor to his country. He was tortured and beheaded on September 16, 1846, at the age of 25. Pope John Paul II canonized Fr. Andrew Kim Tae-gon, along with 102 other Korean martyrs, on May 6, 1984. St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon is the patron saint of Korea. His feast day is celebrated on September 20th.
Find a devotional for this saint | Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Priest, and Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs • Readings for the Memorial of Saint Andrew Kim Taegon, Priest and Martyr, and Saint Paul Chong Hasang, Catechist and Martyr, and their Companions, Martyrs Reading 1 1 COR 15:12-20 Brothers and sisters:
If Christ is preached as raised from the dead,
how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead?
If there is no resurrection of the dead,
then neither has Christ been raised.
And if Christ has not been raised, then empty too is our preaching;
empty, too, your faith.
Then we are also false witnesses to God,
because we testified against God that he raised Christ,
whom he did not raise if in fact the dead are not raised.
For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised,
and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain;
you are still in your sins.
Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
If for this life only we have hoped in Christ,
we are the most pitiable people of all.
But now Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. Responsorial Psalm PS 17:1BCD, 6-7, 8B AND 15 R. (15b) Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
Hear, O LORD, a just suit;
attend to my outcry;
hearken to my prayer from lips without deceit.
R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my word.
Show your wondrous mercies,
O savior of those who flee
from their foes to refuge at your right hand.
R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
Hide me in the shadow of your wings,
But I in justice shall behold your face;
on waking, I shall be content in your presence.
R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full. 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 Lk 8:1-3 Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another,
preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God.
Accompanying him were the Twelve
and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities,
Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,
Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza,
Susanna, and many others
who provided for them out of their resources.
| Daily Meditation: 1 Corinthians 15:12-2 Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:20) Our decaying bodies one day being brought to life? To some of the Christians in Corinth, that seemed impossible! So St. Paul explained why belief in the resurrection had to be the bedrock of the faith they professed: "If the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain" (1 Corinthians 15:16-17). That Jesus rose from the dead—and that we Christians will also be raised one day—can admittedly be difficult for us to wrap our heads around, too. After all, Jesus was raised from the grave after three days of lying in a tomb. And he didn't just resume his former bodily life as a resuscitated person would. He rose up bearing the wounds of his crucifixion, but he had been changed and glorified—and he is alive in this same body in heaven, right now and forever. However, as amazing as this is, Jesus' resurrection wasn't meant just for him. His rising from the dead was "the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1 Corinthians 15:20). On the last day, we believe, each of us will stand with him in heaven—not just as kindred spirits, but as bodily persons. If you, like some of the Corinthians, struggle with believing in your own resurrection, think about some of the "firstfruits" you experience now, in this life. Because of Christ's resurrection, you have the freedom to call God your Father, to experience the forgiveness of your sins, and to receive the grace to follow the Lord. This is the guarantee of your risen life to come—a deposit on a future when you will overcome all the effects of sin, including death. What a day that will be! You will have your same body, but it will be glorified, as Jesus' body was. You will have the same memories and personality, but you will be transformed by God's love, without your tendency to sin. Isn't that's amazing? Today, fill your mind with this hope. Set your heart on Jesus and all the graces that flow, even now, from his risen body to you. "Lord, I wait in joyful hope to be with you one day, body and soul, in heaven." Psalm 17:1, 6-8, 15
Luke 8:1-3 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another,
preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God.
Accompanying him were the Twelve
and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities,
Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,
Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza,
Susanna, and many others
who provided for them out of their resources........"_ end quote. | A Spanish reflection said today:
"Jesus establishes a new way of treating women (to the scandal of his contemporaries), but not only that, but his community of disciples who follow him represent the Kingdom of God in which men and women, married and single, healthy and sick, rich and poor are reconciled. In the community around Jesus there is inclusion and diversity, and women play a unique role in Jesus' mission. All are called to actively participate in evangelization regardless of our gender, background or condition.
Women were at Jesus' side from the beginning and witnessed the most important events in his life. They did not abandon him even in the most difficult moments. They followed Jesus quietly, but with eternal fidelity. St. John Paul II wrote: "The Church gives thanks to God for all women and for each one… The Church expresses her gratitude for all the manifestations of the feminine "genius" that have appeared throughout history… she gives thanks for all the charisms given to women… for all the victories due to their faith, hope and charity; she expresses her gratitude for all the fruits of feminine holiness" (Milieris dignitatem, n. 31). end quote.
All I got to say is thank God for the women of the faith. Men can provide, but only for so much. Jesus was on the cross, and at the foot of the cross, 3 out of the 4 faithfully there were women.
There are things a woman can do that a man cannot, and vice verse.
It was hitting me in Mass, the design of women versus men. The world tries to confuse us and is always attempting to blur the lines, saying today "men and women are equal." This is not the complete truth. We are equal in human dignity, that is true, the worth, yes, but we are not equal in mind, body, and spirit. God touches us and works in us differently. For instance, a man is more visually inclined, but a woman is inclined by hearing or listening. Men don't listen like women and women don't understand men because they do not think like a man. And the body is designed different. Today, the evil world wants sexual orientations to be whatever desire a person feels like, today one thing, and tomorrow another. But that is not our true orientation as a whole, we cannot take the small exceptions and apply them to the whole. There are strengths and weaknesses to both men and women but in different ways. They are then, needing each other. The man is designed to be the giver of life, because we see God as the giver of life. The woman is designed to be the fruitful dirt to receive the seed of God for the creation of both from one to the other. This speaks of Christ Jesus, being the seed from Heaven into all humankind of which we are humus, the word for dirt, or organic matter. Women can expect men to be manly, and so, they help him be more of a man, and in doing so, all of manhood itself. But can a woman be helped by a man to be more of a woman? Sure! The same thing happens when a man helps her, by caring and providing for her, as a princess, or a queen, this is why men's bodies are built for physical strength, yet, women are built for high pain levels.
This is why when a man suffers, a woman is there, 3 women are there to help with their strength, the very body of Christ both then and now. There always seems to be 3 times more women in daily Mass, their conferences locally are seemingly that much stronger too. We need the strength of the women to help the few men that are dying and trying to die to themselves for God.
It is that critical.
The saints of today, killed in China, they died simply for being Christian, and for being thus, labeled "Traitors" as the King of England did back with King Henry when he wanted divorce no matter the cost, and wound up making a divorce for many millions in Europe from the Catholic faith.
And we must watch how all governments work their way up to dictatorship. Today as we speak, many countries consider Christians, especially Catholics, to be "traitors". Why? The dictator wants to be worshiped as king. But we only have one King, Christ JESUS our Lord. The dictators see this as an obstacle and a threat to their sovereignty. But we are all over the world under many rulers, how can this be? That would be a travesty to usurp all cultures and leaders. But we do have the King of Light and truth in morals, in the way to live our daily lives, in our nourishing of our souls.
Jesus is our love. We are that woman, the Holy Church on earth.
We are to take the Word of God into our mind, body, and soul, and let it become flesh for the world, life for the world, be the living Body of Christ.
This is a Kingdom for eternity, and you should see it as an honor to love Christ Jesus with all our heart, mind, body, and soul! To serve Him, suffer with Him, and lift Him High with our strength.
I just got out of daily Mass, this day we do it at the nursing home. Some were sad, an elderly woman had just passed, and they knew that during Mass the body of the woman would be passing by as they took it away.
It was a moment to be there for them.
At the end of the mass, a not so old man with a half fallen face and leg up on a brace named Bruce said to me, "thank you for enriching my life".
That comment floored me. I said "thank you too for encouraging me...we need each other."
With that story said, it explains our life of Christ and the Church. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 1:7 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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