† Quote of the Day "In everything, whether it is a thing sensed or a thing known, God Himself is hidden within." — St. Bonaventure Today's Meditation "Worrying appeals to us because it gives us a sense that we are in control of what might happen–that by thinking through what could happen, we could somehow stave off potential harm or damage. There can be advantages to thinking problems through and trying to prepare ourselves for whatever may come, but we can often take it to an extreme, leading to decision making based on fear and anxiety rather than balance and trust." –Carrie Gress and Noelle Mering, p.71
An excerpt from Theology of Home II: The Spiritual Art of Homemaking Daily Verse "Then 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 human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible."" — Matthew 19:23-26 | St. Orontius Of Lecce St. Orontius of Lecce (1st c.) was the son of the Roman imperial treasurer in Lecce, Italy. Upon his father's death he inherited the position. Orontius was converted to the Christian faith along with his nephew, Fortunatus, by Justus, a disciple of St. Paul the Apostle. Orontius was later denounced to the authorities as a Christian and was ordered to sacrifice to the pagan gods. He refused and was arrested, removed from his office, tortured, and exiled to Corinth together with Fortunatus. In Corinth the pair met St. Paul the Apostle, who consecrated Orontius as the first bishop of Lecce. When Orontius and Fortunatus returned to Lecce they were persecuted and imprisoned again, but were released and ordered to stop preaching. They continued to preach in the surrounding cities, and were arrested a third time and executed. St. Orontius' feast day is August 26th. | Monday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 2 Thes 1:1-5, 11-12 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the Church of the Thessalonians
in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters,
as is fitting, because your faith flourishes ever more,
and the love of every one of you for one another grows ever greater.
Accordingly, we ourselves boast of you in the churches of God
regarding your endurance and faith in all your persecutions
and the afflictions you endure. This is evidence of the just judgment of God,
so that you may be considered worthy of the Kingdom of God
for which you are suffering. We always pray for you,
that our God may make you worthy of his calling
and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose
and every effort of faith,
that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you,
and you in him,
in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ. Responsorial Psalm Ps 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 4-5 R. (3) Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.
R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations.
For great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
awesome is he, beyond all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are things of nought,
but the LORD made the heavens.
R. Proclaim God's marvelous deeds to all the nations. Alleluia Jn 10:27
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 23:13-22 Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men.
You do not enter yourselves,
nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You traverse sea and land to make one convert,
and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna
twice as much as yourselves. "Woe to you, blind guides, who say,
'If one swears by the temple, it means nothing,
but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.'
Blind fools, which is greater, the gold,
or the temple that made the gold sacred?
And you say, 'If one swears by the altar, it means nothing,
but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.'
You blind ones, which is greater, the gift,
or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;
one who swears by the temple swears by it
and by him who dwells in it;
one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God
and by him who is seated on it."
| Daily Meditation: Matthew 23:13-22 You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men. You do not enter yourselves. (Matthew 23:13) Of all the charges that Jesus makes against the Pharisees and scribes in today's Gospel, locking up the kingdom of heaven might be the most serious. Jesus had begun his public ministry by announcing, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2). He came to earth to usher in God's kingdom and to open the gates of heaven to all who believe. But by their rejection of him, these scribes and Pharisees were both locking themselves out of that kingdom and preventing others from entering it as well (23:13). Through our Baptism, we have already received the gift of the kingdom of heaven—a kingdom of love, mercy, peace, and joy. Yet how many times have we in some way "locked" ourselves out or been hesitant to enter it? This can happen in a number of different ways. For example, we might falsely think we aren't worthy of entering the kingdom. Maybe we believe that our past sins or way of life disqualify us, even when we've received absolution for those sins in Confession. Or maybe we are still struggling to overcome a pattern of sin, even though we continue to ask for the Lord's help and grace. Another way we can "lock" ourselves out of God's kingdom is to get so caught up in worldly pleasures and concerns that this world becomes the kingdom we inhabit most of the time. That could lead us to neglect our daily time with the Lord or even to skip Mass at times. As a result, we end up missing the opportunity to receive the mercy, grace, and nourishment that we need to live as citizens of heaven. Many of the Pharisees and scribes missed out on the invitation that Jesus was offering them to enter into the new kingdom he was inaugurating. But you don't have to. Every day you face the choice of whether you will embrace God's kingdom and its values. Let's make sure we "unlock" any doors of our hearts that we may have closed and say yes to the Lord! "Lord, I want to live in your heavenly kingdom, now and forever." 2 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 11-12
Psalm 96:1-5 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
""Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men.
You do not enter yourselves,
nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter........"_ end quote. | From Bishop's Barron's Word on Fire Reflection today:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus launches a blistering attack on the scribes and Pharisees.
The Son teaches, heals, preaches to, and forgives those who feel far from the mercy of God. He is the hand that the Father stretches out to sinners and to those who are lost. And by the same token, he is the judge of a sinful world. When the light of God's forgiving love appears, the shadows of sin become all the deeper and more obvious. In light of him, there is nowhere to hide. And Jesus, the Word of the Father, gives voice to this judgment: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. . . ."
The Son names all those powers that are opposed to the creative and loving intentions of his Father. He speaks a word of judgment on a world grown cozy with sin. He "channels" all of the feelings of the Father toward the world: intense, forgiving love to those who are lost, and equally intense hatred for the structures of darkness." end quote Bishop Barron.
Wow, those Pharisees were really put on the spot were they not?
Our Lord said they were locking people of God's Kingdom! Ouch!
That defeats the whole point of having a temple.
Why do you want people at church? To suit them to your own needs and ideas? What about what God wants?
And lets not get too comfy thinking about leaders in the church like priests alone.
You are a leader. You are leading people just by the way you walk and talk! And what comes out of your mouth is what is in your heart!
Before I go on, I want to take a moment to thank you for your prayers for this weekend's cursillo. I highly encourage anyone that can go to cursillo to go. Whether as a first time candidate pilgrim or then on a team.
Your prayers, your desires, they are met when it comes to God's will, and God's will is that souls be saved.
We keep moving forward, the 4th day starts today, of our 3 day journey, from death on a Friday, to a resurrection on Sunday, to the new life as if Heaven on earth, as our Lord says in the Lord's prayer.
So, who is blocking grace to others? Have you been more of a road obstacle for others to live a life of grace? Are we doing a better job of keeping people out of church or bringing them into church? And what good is it to bring people without a heart, a love or yearning for God.
The cursillo is designed really, to make one hungry said the founder Eduardo Bonin. His tombstone says simply his name and "An Apprentice of Christ". Simple, yet puts out a message of humility to the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom of Christ followers of "The Way" to live as His totally.
But how can you love someone you've never met? Couples love an unborn child, or an expectant single person already loves the one they pray for before they arrive. So it is not that difficult to love the groom that is coming. Back in the day, long ago in the times of our Lord, arranged marriages existed. You'd meet your spouse at the altar, you might encounter them before, but then you join in love.
This is the Church. This is you and me. We are to expect Him with our lights on. Let it shine...or else, be found lost in the darkness of the world.
With the light, you can see colors. With the light, you can see snakes at your feet. With the light there is life. Jesus is the life, the light, and everything that is good, because He is the heart of God.
Jesus asks you now:
"Do YOU Love Me?" |  audio | WOW! AMAZING: Random Bible Verse 1
Matthew 24:42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
