† Quote of the Day "Commitment is doing what you said you would do, after the feeling you said it in has passed." — St. Camillus Today's Meditation "Although our Divine Redeemer was the Lord and Master of all the riches of Heaven and earth, He willed nevertheless to become poor in this world that through His example we might become rich. He wished to induce us to love poverty as He did, for poverty, by detaching us from earthly riches, enables us to share in the treasures of Heaven. ... [It is] the teaching of our Blessed Lord that the poor in spirit shall have a great and certain reward. Their reward is certain, for when our Savior enumerated the Beatitudes in the Gospel, He referred in most instances to the future ... but to the poor in spirit, He promises happiness even in this life: 'Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' (Matt. 5:3). While here on earth, they receive special graces. The reward of the poor in spirit is, secondly, very great. 'The less we have here,' says St. Teresa, 'the greater will be our joy in Heaven, where our dwelling shall correspond to the love with which we imitated the life of poverty of our Divine Master here on earth'. The truly poor in spirit enjoy a heavenly peace even here in this world. ... [He] who is poor from choice despises the possessions of this earth and is at the same time the master of all." —St. Alphonsus Liguori, p. 122
An excerpt from 12 Steps to Holiness and Salvation Daily Verse "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear or be in dread of them: for it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you." — Deuteronomy 31:6 | St. Camillus St. Camillus de Lellis (1550–1614) was a wild, undisciplined youth who became a battle-hardened soldier with a violent temper and a gambling addiction. His bad behavior, combined with a persistent war wound in his leg, left him in poverty. He found work doing odd jobs at a Capuchin friary. Gradually the good influence of the friars inspired him to a better life, and he experienced a true conversion. He sought to join the Franciscans, but was prevented due to his leg wound. He then moved to Rome and worked for a hospital that cared for patients with incurable illnesses. He later became its director as he continued a life of penance and virtue. Seeing that his patients often received poor attention from hospital staff, he devoted his life to providing excellent care for the sick, in whom he saw the face of Christ. He established a religious order of men committed to helping patients who were the most ill, even at the risk of their own well-being, known as the Order of St. Camillus, or the Camillians. For this task he studied for the priesthood and was ordained at the late age of 34. His order gave medical care to anyone in need of treatment. In addition to serving in hospitals, they also served on the battlefield. The Camillians developed into a worldwide relief effort of like-minded medical workers who seek to follow Christ through ministering to the sick. The large red cross on his habit became an international symbol of charitable medical aid. St. Camillus is the patron of the sick, hospitals, nurses, and physicians. His feast day is July 18th. | Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Is 26:7-9, 12, 16-19 The way of the just is smooth;
the path of the just you make level.
Yes, for your way and your judgments, O LORD,
we look to you;
Your name and your title
are the desire of our souls.
My soul yearns for you in the night,
yes, my spirit within me keeps vigil for you;
When your judgment dawns upon the earth,
the world's inhabitants learn justice.
O LORD, you mete out peace to us,
for it is you who have accomplished all we have done. O LORD, oppressed by your punishment,
we cried out in anguish under your chastising.
As a woman about to give birth
writhes and cries out in her pains,
so were we in your presence, O LORD.
We conceived and writhed in pain,
giving birth to wind;
Salvation we have not achieved for the earth,
the inhabitants of the world cannot bring it forth.
But your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise;
awake and sing, you who lie in the dust.
For your dew is a dew of light,
and the land of shades gives birth. Responsorial Psalm Ps 102:13-14ab and 15, 16-18, 19-21 R. (20b) From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
You, O LORD, abide forever,
and your name through all generations.
You will arise and have mercy on Zion,
for it is time to pity her.
For her stones are dear to your servants,
and her dust moves them to pity.
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
The nations shall revere your name, O LORD,
and all the kings of the earth your glory,
When the LORD has rebuilt Zion
and appeared in his glory;
When he has regarded the prayer of the destitute,
and not despised their prayer.
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
Let this be written for the generation to come,
and let his future creatures praise the LORD:
"The LORD looked down from his holy height,
from heaven he beheld the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoners,
to release those doomed to die."
R. From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth. 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 11:28-30 Jesus said:
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." | Daily Meditation: Matthew 11:28-30 My yoke is easy, and my burden light. (Matthew 11:30) If you've ever worked with or observed oxen yoked together, then you can appreciate how uplifting and encouraging Jesus' words are in today's Gospel. A yoke is a sturdy wooden brace that is typically placed on the shoulders of two oxen so that they can work together. Quite often, a younger untrained ox is yoked to an older experienced ox until the younger one learns his job. This yoke restricts the ox's movement and makes it fall into step with the more experienced one. Thus, the young ox learns how to pull its fair share of the load—and that makes the load much easier to carry. And when two experienced oxen are yoked together, they are able to pull substantially more weight and do it with less strain. When we look at Jesus' words this way, we can see how promising they are. If we take up his "yoke," we'll find it easier to bear the weight of the work he has called us to do. He will not only teach us how to walk with him, but he'll end up doing much of the heavy lifting for us. Now, taking up Jesus' yoke can seem intimidating. We see that walking with him means living by a higher standard, resisting temptation, and actively working to grow our faith. We see that it means confessing our shortcomings and sins and humbly asking for forgiveness when we disobey. But if we move past any fear or hesitation we might have and actually harness ourselves to the Lord with an openness to learn, we'll discover that his yoke truly is as "easy" and "light" as he promised. Not because we can still do whatever we want, but because Jesus is such a "meek and humble" master (Matthew 11:29). He is patient with us because he knows all our weaknesses and failings—and he loves us unconditionally. Is there an area of your life that you're struggling to bring under Jesus' yoke? Remember the oxen! Remember how much easier life can be if you confess your need for him. Rather than trying to fight and pull to go your own way, imagine how much more restful it can be if you surrender to him. Maybe not immediately, but definitely in the long run, you will "find rest" under the gentle mastery of the Lord (Matthew 11:29)! "Lord, teach me how to walk under your yoke." Isaiah 26:7-9, 12, 16-19
Psalm 102:13-21 |  Hear AI Read it to you. Updated 7/10/24 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light......" end quote. | From Bishop Barron today:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus is not offering us one more philosophy of God. He is offering us the view from the inside of the Trinity. And that is why we should respond to his compelling invitation: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest."
What everyone wants is rest, but not in the sense of relaxation. Rest here means achievement of joy. The great illusion is that joy will come from filling up the ego with goods. In fact, it will come from emptying out, from turning one's life over to the direction of God.
We also find in today's Gospel those extraordinary words: "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me." Jesus himself is bearing the yoke that he speaks of since he is yoked to the Father, doing only what he sees the Father doing. Jesus is, in his innermost nature, the one who listens and obeys.
What he is saying, therefore, is to stand next to him, just as one ox stands next to the other as they pull together. Just as Jesus is yoked to the Father, so we should be yoked to him, obeying him as he obeys the Father......" end quote from Bishop Barron.
So is Bishop Barron's reflection suggesting that there is a Trinity yoke?
The Father and Son are yoked with what or who? The remainder is the Holy Spirit?
There is something unknown, and scientists are trying to figure it out, that something that is holding us together. Some have called it "Black Matter", that goes through everything in existence.
We don't have to go out of our way, as they have, building miles and miles of tubes, tunnels and machines to try to figure it out, we just believe and know that something is holding us together. It is God, and it is the Holy Spirit that holds us together, the one who invented the black matter, the creator of all.
If this is the case, then we must allow our souls to bind ourselves to God, through grace, through love, and mercy.
Our Lord says to hook up with Him, not as animals, but as God Himself.
What an honor! What an invitation! And He says "check this out, if you do things My Way, your burdens will be light and easy". And it goes back to the camel in the eye of the needle. If you lighten your load, you can go through the eye of the needle of the wall of the castle into freedom from the invasion and manifestations of the world. Remember, we are pilgrims on a journey in this life, but let's not take that as "we are tourists in a strange land". No! Heavens no. Sadly, most go through life, letting themselves get tossed by the whims of the world. That's why we have so many liberal laws activated today, because people don't care to say anything otherwise. No. We cannot be sightseers. We cannot be tourists. We cannot be neutral. We cannot sit on the stands. This life is precious. The little things matter. Your actions matter. Your words matter. Your sacrificial love matter. How can a poor lonely person, for instance, in a nursing home, or prison, how can they matter?
Remember that what bonds us.
Remember that we can bond ourselves.
We can live His way, and clasped by His hand, the hand of God.
"...for I am meek and humble of heart..."
Sin makes a conscious soul uneasy.
The reason most feel alone or anxious is because we are not clasped by the hand of God. He has a grip on us, but we always have a weak grip, or are fighting to let go.
Clasp His Hand. Yoke up with Him. Yoke to His life.
Say "yes Lord, where will we go the extra mile for somebody today? My family? My boss? My church? My Priest?"
There is something liberating in slaving away for the Lord. You begin to learn to love and to love like Him. Let your yes become another yes. And let your yes be the seed of love of God for the world to see Him alive and in love with us today and forever. Sacred Blood of Jesus, by our Love! | Random Bible Verse 1
1 Thessalonians 5:23–24 23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
