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Monday, October 7, 2024

† "Take Care of Him ... "

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The feast of Our Lady of the Rosary was instituted following the Christian victory over the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571. Pope St. Pius V, the "Pope of the Rosary," attributed the naval victory of the Catholic forces, who were greatly outnumbered, to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Our Lady was invoked on the day of battle through a papal campaign asking the faithful across Europe to pray the rosary for the triumph of the Church. In thanksgiving for the miraculous victory, Pope St. Pius V instituted a feast to be celebrated throughout the world every year on October 7th. Originally known as "Our Lady of Victory," the feast was changed to Our Lady of the Rosary to honor the spiritual weapon through which the Blessed Virgin Mary saved Catholic Europe from the threat of Muslim invasion.

Quote of the Day

"Love Our Lady and make her loved; always recite the Rosary and recite it as often as possible." — Padre Pio

Today's Meditation

"Saint John Paul II proposed another set of mysteries that many of us are now familiar with: the Mysteries of Light (Luminous Mysteries). These scenes from the Gospels fill in the gap between Christ's childhood and His Passion with events from His public ministry...They have a distinctly sacramental character not found in the traditional fifteen mysteries. They remind us that our salvation is revealed not just in Jesus' life two thousand years ago, but also in Baptism, Matrimony, the Eucharist, and the other sacraments." —Dan Burke and Connie Rossini, p. 34
An excerpt from The Contemplative Rosary

Daily Verse

"With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones." — Ephesians 6:18

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St. Justina of Padua (d. 304 A.D.) was a young and pious Christian woman who dedicated her virginity to Christ. She received baptism at the hands of St. Prosdocimus, the first Bishop of Padua in Italy. At the age of sixteen she was arrested for being a Christian under the persecutions of Roman Emperor Maximinian, and was ordered to make sacrifice to the pagan gods. When she refused, she was stabbed with a sword and left to die. Overlooking the field where she was martyred is a basilica named in her honor which holds her relics, as well as those of St. Luke the Evangelist, St. Matthias the Apostle, St. Prosdocimus, and other patron saints of Padua. Her feast was the day the Catholic naval forces won victory over the Turks in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, which increased her popularity among the faithful. St. Justina of Padua's feast day is October 7th.

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Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary

• Readings for the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary

Reading 1 GAL 1:6-12

Brothers and sisters:
I am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking
the one who called you by the grace of Christ
for a different gospel (not that there is another).
But there are some who are disturbing you
and wish to pervert the Gospel of Christ.
But even if we or an angel from heaven
should preach to you a gospel
other than the one that we preached to you,
let that one be accursed!
As we have said before, and now I say again,
if anyone preaches to you a gospel
other than the one that you received,
let that one be accursed!
Am I now currying favor with human beings or God?
Or am I seeking to please people?
If I were still trying to please people,
I would not be a slave of Christ.
Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters,
that the Gospel preached by me is not of human origin.
For I did not receive it from a human being, nor was I taught it,
but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

Responsorial Psalm PS 111:1B-2, 7-8, 9 AND 10C

R. (5) The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:

R. Alleluia.

I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart
in the company and assembly of the just.
Great are the works of the LORD,
exquisite in all their delights.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:

R. Alleluia.

The works of his hands are faithful and just;
sure are all his precepts,
Reliable forever and ever,
wrought in truth and equity.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:

R. Alleluia.

He has sent deliverance to his people;
he has ratified his covenant forever;
holy and awesome is his name.
His praise endures forever.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:

R. Alleluia.

Alleluia JN 13:34

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I give you a new commandment:
love one another as I have loved you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 10:25-37

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said,
"Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law?
How do you read it?"
He said in reply,
"You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself."
He replied to him, "You have answered correctly;
do this and you will live."
But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,
"And who is my neighbor?"
Jesus replied,
"A man fell victim to robbers
as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.
A priest happened to be going down that road,
but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
Likewise a Levite came to the place,
and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him
was moved with compassion at the sight.
He approached the victim,
poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.
Then he lifted him up on his own animal,
took him to an inn, and cared for him.
The next day he took out two silver coins
and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,
'Take care of him.
If you spend more than what I have given you,
I shall repay you on my way back.'
Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbor to the robbers' victim?"
He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy."
Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."


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Daily Meditation: Luke 10:25-37

Go and do likewise. (Luke 10:37)

Jews and Samaritans—the hatred between them stretched all the way back to the eighth century BC. When Assyria conquered the northern kingdom of Israel (also known as Samaria) in 721 BC, they deported many Jews and brought in people from other nations who intermarried with the Jews who remained. To the Jews in Jerusalem, these "Samaritans" were heretics and traitors.

So when Jesus told this scholar of the law the parable of the "good" Samaritan, of course the man was upset! The hero of the story, the one who showed compassion to the robbers' victim, was a Samaritan. Not only that, but Jesus also told this scholar to "go and do likewise" (Luke 10:37)—to go and act like a Samaritan!

By telling his parable this way, Jesus was seeking to break through the ancient and deep-seated prejudice that this man had inherited. He wanted to help him expand his view of who his "neighbor" was. It wasn't just the victim of the crime—the Jewish neighbor lying on the side of the road. It was also the Samaritan, who had cared for the wounded man. It was a member of a group he misunderstood, feared, and even hated.

This parable can speak to us in a similar way. Due to our upbringing and environment, we have all inherited prejudices against one group or another. Moreover, our own hurts or misunderstanding can lead us to reject or look down on a person or group that is different from us. But Jesus wants us to see even these people as our neighbors.

As you reflect on this parable, ask the Lord whom you might see as the "Samaritans" in your life. Perhaps it's someone in your neighborhood whom everyone shuns. Perhaps it's someone at your office or school whose views or lifestyle you disagree with. It might even be someone in your own family who has earned the reputation of being the black sheep. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how he sees them: they are created in God's image, just like you. They are affected by sin, just like you. And they need God's mercy, just like you. Be open to the voice of the Spirit as he teaches you how to "go and do likewise" by being a neighbor to them.

"Lord, help me to see and love your image in everyone."

Galatians 1:6-12
Psalm 111:1-2, 7-10

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Reflections with Brother Adrian:

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In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Then he lifted him up on his own animal,
took him to an inn, and cared for him.
The next day he took out two silver coins
and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,
'Take care of him.
If you spend more than what I have given you,
I shall repay you on my way back.'
Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbor to the robbers' victim?"
He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy."
Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."......"
end quote.

Bishop Barron said:
"Friends, our Gospel today is one of the best-known of Jesus' parables, the story of the Good Samaritan. Every story, parable, illustration, and exhortation is, at the end of the day, a picture of the Lord.
In one of the great windows of Chartres Cathedral there is an intertwining of two stories, the account of the fall of mankind and the parable of the Good Samaritan. This reflects a connection that was made by the Church Fathers. The Good Samaritan is a symbol of Jesus himself, in his role as Savior of the world.
Now our task is to be other Christs. "Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers' victim?" "The one who treated him with mercy." Jesus says to him, "Go and do likewise."

We spend our lives now looking for those people stranded by the road, victimized by sin. We don't walk by, indifferent to them, but rather we do what Jesus did—even for those who are our natural enemies, even for those who frighten us. And we bring the Church's power to bear, pouring in the oil and wine of compassion, communicating the power of Christ's cross.. . . ." end of Bishop's quote.


From a Dominican Friar Priest Spanish reflection today:
"As a Dominican, wearing the rosary hanging from the right side of my habit very close to my heart, listening to the joyful sound of its beads as I walk leads me to understand Christ from Mary. It is not enough to learn about Him, His teachings, the important thing is to understand Him. To enter into His intimacy. To know His feelings. To identify with His mission. And no one like Mary can help us understand Jesus. Walking with Mary through the scenes of the Rosary is like going to her school to get to know Christ, to penetrate into His secrets and intimacies and to understand His message.
We need to go regularly to the school of Mary, the handmaid of the Lord, of the eternal Magnificat, the joy and happiness of Zion." end quote from
Fr. Martín Alexis González Gaspar O.P.


There was a story of an angel that showed a saint a holy man in town. One would've never suspected that man to be holy. Outwardly he seemed crass, and even rude to his customers. But the angel took the saint to the backroom of the store...there you saw that man taking care of his elderly father, bathing him, feeding him with tenderness, and this changed everything.
I know we are not perfect, but our love has to be perfected. How do we treat the ones that are most vulnerable?

I saw a few minutes of football yesterday, and I noticed on a goal post in a game they had a wrapping with a message that said "Stop Hate". Well, on the outside, that message seems nice, but it will never work. Why? Because evil will always exist? Because nobody cares? Why do I say that message will not work?
It will not work because we need to know the truth in order to make that message true. Even our Lord said we must hate! LOL. Hate the sin. Hate what keeps us from God. Yes. But the world wants to tell you what to hate. They want you to hate a certain group, or political party, or a country. Hatred is being disseminated as we speak. The hate message grows fast, and among who? The neutral.
I saw a new cartoon movie "Transformers One" with the kids at the drive in theatre with our fold out lawn chairs and kids running at the playground as we watched. It was interesting to me, that the underlying theme was about the truth, and how people can change, especially if they don't want to hear the truth, but it all hinged on who had the truth, the very spark "energon" even of life.
That's why that "stop hate" message falls short. We have to know what to hate, not who to hate. We must hate sin, and to know sin we must be in the knowledge of the grace and mercy of God through Jesus who holds all the truth.
Most dictators want full control, and they want to be the sole truth of the country or nation. This has never set well with the truth of our Lord which is rejected, kicked to curb, and neglected.

I ask you here, to fall in love with the truth. Jesus. That you would become another Christ to the world. That you would spread the fire of His love like no other. This is the quickest way to extinguish hatred.

Mother of God help us to know the full truth the love of our lives...forever!

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Random Bible Verse 1
Matthew 5:11–12

11 "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace

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