† Quote of the Day "Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe." — St. Augustine Today's Meditation "The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ's Passover, that is, of the work of salvation accomplished by the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, a work made present by the liturgical action. It is Christ himself, the eternal high priest of the New Covenant who, acting through the ministry of the priests, offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. And it is the same Christ, really present under the species of bread and wine, who is the offering of the Eucharistic sacrifice." —Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1409-1410
An excerpt from Catechism of the Catholic Church Daily Verse "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body." — 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 | St. Bernardino Realino St. Bernardino Realino (1530–1616) was born in Italy to a noble family. He grew into an accomplished "Renaissance Man" of his day; he studied law and medicine, had a successful career as an attorney and judge, and served as the mayor of three cities. At the age of 34 he completed an eight-day retreat with Jesuit priests, and during this time he discerned a call to the religious life. He entered the Jesuit order and was ordained a priest in 1567. As a priest he preached, taught, and visited the sick and poor in the areas of Naples and Lecce. He was much loved and venerated by the people he ministered to, especially because of the miracles he performed. It was commonly believed among the people that he was a living saint. Even public scandal and civil strife were calmed due to his holy influence. While he was on his death bed, the city leaders of Lecce came to request of him that he become the official patron saint of their city once he entered heaven. After St. Bernardino's death, vials of his blood were kept for veneration, which were observed to liquefy and exhibit unusual phenomena for more than a century. St. Bernardino Realino's feast day is July 2nd. | Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 AM 3:1-8; 4:11-12 Hear this word, O children of Israel, that the Lord pronounces over you,
over the whole family that I brought up from the land of Egypt:
You alone have I favored,
more than all the families of the earth;
Therefore I will punish you
for all your crimes.Do two walk together
unless they have agreed?
Does a lion roar in the forest
when it has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out from its den
unless it has seized something?
Is a bird brought to earth by a snare
when there is no lure for it?
Does a snare spring up from the ground
without catching anything?
If the trumpet sounds in a city,
will the people not be frightened?
If evil befalls a city,
has not the Lord caused it?
Indeed, the Lord God does nothing
without revealing his plan
to his servants, the prophets.The lion roars--
who will not be afraid!
The Lord God speaks--
who will not prophesy!
I brought upon you such upheaval
as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah:
you were like a brand plucked from the fire;
Yet you returned not to me,
says the Lord.
So now I will deal with you in my own way, O Israel!
and since I will deal thus with you,
prepare to meet your God, O Israel. Responsorial Psalm PS 5:4B-6A, 6B-7, 8 R. (9a) Lead me in your justice, Lord.
At dawn I bring my plea expectantly before you.
For you, O God, delight not in wickedness;
no evil man remains with you;
the arrogant may not stand in your sight.
R. Lead me in your justice, Lord.
You hate all evildoers;
you destroy all who speak falsehood;
The bloodthirsty and the deceitful
the Lord abhors.
R. Lead me in your justice, Lord.
But I, because of your abundant mercy,
will enter your house;
I will worship at your holy temple
in fear of you, O Lord.
R. Lead me in your justice, Lord. Alleluia PS 130:5 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I trust in the Lord;
my soul trusts in his word.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel MT 8:23-27 As Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him.
Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea,
so that the boat was being swamped by waves;
but he was asleep.
They came and woke him, saying,
"Lord, save us! We are perishing!"
He said to them, "Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?"
Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea,
and there was great calm.
The men were amazed and said, "What sort of man is this,
whom even the winds and the sea obey?" | Daily Meditation: Matthew 8:23-27 O you of little faith! (Matthew 8:26) That must have been some storm! The waves were so high that the apostles' boat "was being swamped" (Matthew 8:24). Even the fishermen among them, who knew this lake intimately and had survived many a storm, were terrified for their lives. You can understand why they woke Jesus up and begged him to save them. Wouldn't you do the same thing? But Jesus didn't sound so understanding. You can hear the disappointment in his voice when he called them "you of little faith" (Matthew 8:26). Clearly, he was looking for a better response! He wanted them to believe that his Father was more powerful than whatever forces were driving the storm. He wanted them to trust that even if they were to die, God would bring them into eternal life. Why couldn't they place themselves in his Father's hands, just as he had done? If it sounds like Jesus was setting a pretty high bar for the apostles, it's because he did. Jesus knew what faith could do in the human heart: it could remove obstacles as tall as mountains and calm anxieties as overwhelming as stormy seas. If only they had known how powerful faith could be, they might not have woken him up! Jesus wants us to have this kind faith as well: the kind of faith that keeps us peaceful even in the most difficult situations. The kind of faith that enables us to offer comfort and encouragement to others even as we face our own trials. The kind of faith that continues to trust in his love and protection even when it seems he has fallen asleep. So yes, it's fair to say that Jesus has set a high bar, even for us. But that doesn't mean he will condemn you for not meeting that bar. It just means that he knows how much power his gift of faith has. He knows that the more you exercise your faith, the more you'll see that faith bear fruit—in your life and in the lives of the people around you. Is there a storm of some kind raging around you or within you right now? If so, try putting your faith to work. Imitate Jesus and try to rest in God's presence, maybe for just a few minutes. Surrender the storm to him, and let him give you his peace. "Lord, you know I believe. Help my unbelief!" Amos 3:1-8; 4:11-12
Psalm 5:4-8 |  HEAR it read by AI | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea,
so that the boat was being swamped by waves;
but he was asleep.
They came and woke him, saying,
"Lord, save us! We are perishing!"
He said to them, "Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?"
Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea,
and there was great calm.
The men were amazed and said, "What sort of man is this,
whom even the winds and the sea obey?"......" end quote. | A boat swamped by waves, tossing in the sea with a storm brewing. How many times has this happened in your own life?
It can happen sometimes daily for some people. For some, it may only happen every once in a while. Can we see Jesus in the comfort of every day life? Do we care to see Him in the comfortable lifestyle that we choose for ourselves, a very light cross, perhaps?
Who wants a heavy cross that hurts, that is too heavy, that is just a bad burden and cringes your lifestyle? A comfortable lifestyle doesn't always lead us to a better life with our Lord. Yet, our Lord lets us live that way, if we choose.
Yesterday, in a meeting with a customer and friend, he spoke about an immigrant in our conversation. He said some immigrants come from some socialists countries, and they expect to be cared for by the government. They arrive, they are given a cell phone, a bus or a plane ride, and one went to a fast food store with an uber ride provided by the government here, and at the fast food they gave her a cup for her drink to serve herself and she squawked "I didn't come all the way over here for me to serve my own drink, I expect you fully to come and serve ME".
There is a hefty price to live this way. They want something for nothing. One immigrant was on his way back to his country saying "I didn't come all the way over here to be forced to work, this is an injustice by this country! An INJUSTICE!".
But there is a heavy payment for this. Once a country turns socialist, and communist, where everything is turned grey, no rich people allowed and no poor people allowed, and even worse, no religion allowed, because there is no "need" for religion because the government takes care of you, then salvation is thrown out. A hefty price for such little given. The cross of Christ is discarded so that you don't have to lift a finger but to live according to your animal-like desires.
So what does this have to do with the boat rocking in the storm?
These are fishermen. One of the Lord's miracles prior to the storm in the sea was a miraculous catch of fish on the Lake of Gennesaret.
These men knew it when a bad storm was hitting, they knew when to be afraid. Comfort times sometimes call for storms.
I just keep thinking of "The Book of Heaven". I do not suggest this book for just anybody, especially those that are beginners in faith. It says many things that are hard to swallow and it can seem to be repetitive and in those two things it can be frustrating to stay onboard.
But it seems that our Lord was revealing himself to a sickly woman, always suffering in bed and offering her sufferings for our Lord to accept to help His sufferings.
What sufferings? A lackadaisical, a very lukewarm church, especially through the priests. This makes our Lord suffer. Why? How? Because, the body of Christ begins to hurt, and to hurt bad. Why? How?
Lukewarm faith means more permissiveness is entering the world, permission for evil. This is bad. These visitations of our Lord were not for no reason. This was before the World Wars began. There was going to be some terrible things happening in the next few decades for a good reason. The world was about to experience waves and storms and thunder.
The wars got so bad that evil came knocking at the gates of St. Peter, the Church of Jesus Himself in an attempt to take over.
Snakes are very quiet when they live and culminate under your house. You must be on the constant lookout for them and take care of them before they run over and cause harm.
So how does this apply to you? You are not a world leader?
Neither was the frail, the sickly lady Luisa laying in her sick bed for years. But our Lord chooses to come to the weak,for us to listen to Him in the quiet whisper of the peace of God.
Next time you are in a heated rage, and everyone wants to fight and divide, then, right then and there go off to a side, the side of the boat where Jesus is,visit Him, and there on you knees plea for help.
His name means "He Saves". His Name, just pronouncing His name can save us.
The story of the storm is for each soul to listen up. And I kept asking the nursing home folks on this story, what words did our Lord say? In another account of this story, He said "Be QUIET" and "Be Still".
Sometimes we start shaking with so many problems. But our Lord says "Be still, my love, know that I AM God".
This story of love was written for you.
Do you want to grow closer in love with Christ? Then embrace the cross. What is the cross? Follow Christ closer and you will know. It is sacrificial obedience, love til the end, and love with no end. To know that you were loved forever means everything. Jesus gave us His blood and this means the world has been saved, yes, but the world is very much alive, just as Christ is very much alive. Salvation is being. Salvation is alive. Jesus was chosen to save for all time. HE SAVES. That's what He does. He Saves through you and me. Nobody is saved until God's grace says so. We are all tasked with the cross of great love. Souls are dying right before your eyes and we allow it to happen. When we choose to not speak in the name of Love, souls die. When we hush instead of speaking truth, souls perish. All in the name of comfort. All in the name of selfish pride. The cross hurts. The cross is heavy.
But the cross is good. It is stained red with blood. And that blood reveals a light in the darkness. And that blood is what we are baptized in. We are no longer children of the world, but children of God!
They asked our Lord "do you NOT CARE that we are DYING!?".
As if He is the one that doesn't care. We point the finger and the rest point back.
"Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?"
Lord Help us believe, help us have faith! Help us have Love! Sacred Blood Of Jesus, burn inside my heart! |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 16:3 3 Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
