† Quote of the Day "We find rest in those we love, and we provide a resting place for those who love us." — St. Bernard of Clairvaux Today's Meditation "And so the idea of peace came down to do the work of peace: The Word was made flesh and even now dwells among us. It is by faith that he dwells in our hearts, in our memory, our intellect and penetrates even into our imagination. What concept could man have of God if he did not first fashion an image of him in his heart? By nature incomprehensible and inaccessible, he was invisible and unthinkable, but now he wished to be understood, to be seen and thought of. But how, you ask, was this done? He lay in a manger and rested on a virgin's breast, preached on a mountain, and spent the night in prayer. He hung on a cross, grew pale in death, and roamed free among the dead and ruled over those in hell. He rose again on the third day, and showed the apostles the wounds of the nails, the signs of victory; and finally in their presence he ascended to the sanctuary of heaven. How can we not contemplate this story in truth, piety and holiness?" —St. Bernard, p. 186
An excerpt from Witness of the Saints Daily Verse "Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account." — Hebrews 4:12-13 | St. Bernard Of Clairvaux St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) was one of seven children born to a noble family in Burgundy, France. All seven children, six sons and one daughter, were offered to the service of God by their devout mother. Before St. Bernard was born, a holy man foretold of his great sanctity. As a child Bernard was given an excellent education. He excelled at his studies, and also possessed a personal charm that attracted many people to him. He prayed about his vocation, and at the age of twenty-two left his worldly wealth to become a Cistercian monk. Four of his brothers joined him at the monastery in Citeaux, along with many others belonging to the Burgundian nobility. He later founded and became abbot of the Abbey of Clairvaux, which rapidly grew to over 700 monks and 160 daughter-houses. Bernard, with his natural charisma, was also a skilled arbiter and counselor who proved to be instrumental in the support of the true pope of Rome against the schism of a rival anti-pope. Bernard's reputation for holiness and piety was widely known. He traveled throughout Europe as a preacher and became one of the most famous and influential men of his century. He was a man of reform, and was effective in opposing the appointment of unworthy men to episcopal offices, while others reformed themselves at his censure. St. Bernard composed many theological works and wrote tenderly on devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He is a Doctor of the Church, and the patron of beekeepers and candlemakers. His feast day is August 20th. | Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church Lectionary: 420
Reading 1 Ez 28:1-10 The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man,
say to the prince of Tyre:
Thus says the Lord GOD: Because you are haughty of heart,
you say, "A god am I!
I occupy a godly throne
in the heart of the sea!"—
And yet you are a man, and not a god,
however you may think yourself like a god.
Oh yes, you are wiser than Daniel,
there is no secret that is beyond you.
By your wisdom and your intelligence
you have made riches for yourself;
You have put gold and silver
into your treasuries.
By your great wisdom applied to your trading
you have heaped up your riches;
your heart has grown haughty from your riches–
therefore thus says the Lord GOD:
Because you have thought yourself
to have the mind of a god,
Therefore I will bring against you
foreigners, the most barbarous of nations.
They shall draw their swords
against your beauteous wisdom,
they shall run them through your splendid apparel.
They shall thrust you down to the pit, there to die
a bloodied corpse, in the heart of the sea.
Will you then say, "I am a god!"
when you face your murderers?
No, you are man, not a god,
handed over to those who will slay you.
You shall die the death of the uncircumcised
at the hands of foreigners,
for I have spoken, says the Lord GOD. Responsorial Psalm Deuteronomy 32:26-27AB, 27CD-28, 30, 35CD-36AB R. (39c) It is I who deal death and give life.
"I would have said, 'I will make an end of them
and blot out their name from men's memories,'
Had I not feared the insolence of their enemies,
feared that these foes would mistakenly boast."
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
"'Our own hand won the victory;
the LORD had nothing to do with it.'"
For they are a people devoid of reason,
having no understanding.
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
"How could one man rout a thousand,
or two men put ten thousand to flight,
Unless it was because their Rock sold them
and the LORD delivered them up?"
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
Close at hand is the day of their disaster,
and their doom is rushing upon them!
Surely, the LORD shall do justice for his people;
on his servants he shall have pity.
R. It is I who deal death and give life. Alleluia 2 Cor 8:9 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus Christ became poor although he was rich
so that by his poverty you might become rich.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 19:23-30 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich
to enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Again I say to you,
it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God."
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said,
"Who then can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said, "For men this is impossible,
but for God all things are possible."
Then Peter said to him in reply,
"We have given up everything and followed you.
What will there be for us?"
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you
that you who have followed me, in the new age,
when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory,
will yourselves sit on twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters
or father or mother or children or lands
for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more,
and will inherit eternal life.
But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first." | Daily Meditation: Matthew 19:23-30 Everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children . . . for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more. (Matthew 19:29) How often do we calculate the cost of something—groceries or a meal out or a trip? We carefully prepare our budget and consider what the items or the experience is worth to us before making the purchase. If the cost is too high, we may choose a less expensive option or postpone the purchase altogether. But when it comes to calculating the cost of following the Lord, Jesus asks us to count the cost in a very different way. In his kingdom, whatever we give up in order to follow him is promised back to us "a hundred times more" plus the greatest reward of all: eternal life with God in heaven (Matthew 19:29)! So the more we "spend" on Jesus, the more we will receive back. This cost/benefit analysis can be a stretch for us to wrap our heads around when we are used to thinking in terms of our limited resources! Yet God's love and generosity far exceed what we can calculate or imagine. Consider, for example, how he multiplied the sacrifice of one person: St. Teresa of Kolkata. She gave up the security and comfort of her teaching position and her close-knit religious community to embrace God's call to serve and live among the poorest of the poor. She set out alone, not knowing who would join her or how far and wide her new community would grow. But look what God did with what she "spent" on him! Today more than 5,750 members of the Missionaries of Charity are serving in 139 countries. Sometimes when God calls us to a new path—perhaps to start a new business or to move to a new city—we only see what we are giving up. We can't see what awaits us on the other side, and it can be hard to trust him as we move forward. But when God asks us to give up a plan or even a relationship that we hold close, he promises to give back to us even more generously—a hundred times more. So yes, calculate your grocery budget. But don't calculate your commitment to follow Jesus. He is worth all that you have. "Lord, you are so generous! I want to spend everything on you." Ezekiel 28:1-10
(Psalm) Deuteronomy 33:26-28, 30, 35-36 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Jesus said to his disciples:
"Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Again I say to you,
it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God."
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said,
"Who then can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said, "For men this is impossible,
but for God all things are possible......."_ end quote. | From a Spanish Reflection today from Fernando Torres, cmf:
"The Kingdom is the center of everything in Jesus. And everyone who wants to follow him must put everything he is and everything he has at the service of the Kingdom, which is nothing other than the justice and brotherhood of the sons and daughters of God. Are you intelligent? Put your intelligence at the service of your brothers. Do you have wealth? Put those wealth at the service of your brothers. And so we could continue with all our qualities, with all our strength, with everything we possess. As a liberation theologian said many years ago: we must go over to the poor with weapons and baggage. He meant that it is not about giving up what we are and have but putting everything at the service of the poorest.
That is where we will find salvation. That is where we will find life, Life with a capital L, the one that is worth living because it does not end, because it is forever.
Clinging to money or other things as if salvation were there is a grave error. In the short term it may make us feel safe, but in the end it is worthless. Life is not about money, or big houses, or fancy cars, or bank accounts with lots of zeros. Life is found in the fraternal embrace of a brother, in love that is always free. That is the life worth living. That is the life of the Kingdom.' end quote. Bishop Barron said "Once you let go of the world in a spirit of detachment, once you remove the things of this world from your grasp and see them without distortion, you will really have them. They will appear as they are, as God intended them. They will no longer be objects for your manipulation or possession but beautiful realities in themselves."
Our Lord said:
"And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters
or father or mother or children or lands
for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more,
and will inherit eternal life.
But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first." Wow. Who does that? Who gives up their houses and families, and businesses for the sake of His name? Can we all do this? Who is Jesus our King talking to here?
Let us be clear, He speaks to us all, and our responses are not all the same, in our state of life. Some are little children, they don't have houses or business. Some are elderly, they don't have moms or dads to give up. But the message is the same.
We are called to give up ourselves in our lives to Him. How do we do that?
Quite simple really. Let Him reign true in your heart. Let Him live in your heart. Let Him speak. Let Him love. Let Him lead. Let Him guide. Let Him protect. Let Him breathe life into your soul. Let Him be your fresh air. Let Him be Your aim in life. Let Him be your goals in life. Let Him be the love that the world needs through you.
We have enough hatred, animosity, resentment, cruelty, and ugly mannerisms. We need the sacrificial love of God.
Have you ever seen the movie "Sound of Freedom" where there are men who give up their jobs to go rescue kidnapped children? They give up wives, and their lives. They even have children, but for the sake of that lost one, they go save lives.
The same it is with you. Yes you the housewife, yes you the school teacher, yes you the blue collar worker, yes you the forgotten. The same it can be with you. We too can give up our business and family, can't we? How?
Go to church for an hour in adoration. Go pray in your room for 30 minutes. You should see that when you left all behind, and you pray for the lost soul, how much salvation comes about. Perhaps your household will be saved plus the ones you are praying and sacrificing for. And the more, the better.
So is it that hard? At first, everything is hard, all that is worth the love of God. Everything is uphill to Calvary. But atop the mountain, after all the struggles, the views are breathtaking. God sees all, knows all, and wants to be in all of our hearts as true love.
He must reign. We are praying that Jesus Christ reigns in all lives in this world every day. "Holy Mother of God, spread the effect of grace of thy Flame of Love over all of humanity" I ask for prayer for our english Men's Cursillo this weekend. That plenty of candidates enter, and that they are infused with the love and faith in God. They will leave families and work, and so will us few on the team, for the sake of God's Kingdom. And this is grace that calls upon grace.
Lord hear us. Lord graciously hear us. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
1 John 4:9 [1 John 4] 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
