† Quote of the Day "There are in truth three states of the converted: the beginning, the middle, and the perfection. In the beginning they experience the charms of sweetness; in the middle the contests of temptation; and in the end the fullness of perfection." — Pope St. Gregory the Great Today's Meditation "The first level of contrition is a contrition of fear. It's called, "imperfect contrition" or "attrition," because it's motivated by awareness of the ugliness of sin and by fear of eternal damnation. Prompted by the Holy Spirit, it begins a process of inner conversion that disposes us to grace and is completed by sacramental absolution...The second level of contrition, called "perfect contrition," [is] motivated not by a self-oriented fear, but by love for God and the awareness of how good He is. This is much more personal, leading to a deeper relationship with God and a growing desire to avoid anything that might offend Him." – Vinny Flynn, p.118-119
An excerpt from 7 Secrets of Confession Daily Verse "For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?" — Romans 8:29-31 | St. Gregory The Great Pope St. Gregory the Great (540-604 A.D.) was the son of a wealthy Roman senator. His mother and two of his aunts are also saints, which provided him with a strong and devout religious upbringing. His skill in grammar and rhetoric were exceptional, and he followed in his father's political footsteps by serving in public office as the prefect of Rome. Discerning a call to the religious life, he sold all of his possessions and converted his home into a Benedictine monastery. He used his liquidated assets to build six other monasteries. Because of his talent and intelligence he was unanimously chosen to become the Roman Pontiff, the first monk to become Pope. During his lifetime Rome was sacked by invading barbarian hordes, and the city also suffered severe damage from floods and pestilence, causing his pontificate to be an important one. He brought stability and order to the Church in a time of great societal and cultural upheaval. His profound influence on the doctrine, organization, and discipline of the Church cannot be underestimated, thus earning him the title "The Great" which he shares with only two other popes. For his abundant doctrinal and spiritual writings he is also considered to be one of the four great Doctors of the Latin Church. He is most commonly known for promoting and standardizing the sacred music of liturgical worship, now called "Gregorian Chant." Pope St. Gregory the Great is the patron of popes, masons, choir boys, singers, teachers, and musicians. His feast day is September 3rd. | Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church • Readings for the Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church Reading 1 1 COR 2:10B-16 Brothers and sisters:
The Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God.
Among men, who knows what pertains to the man
except his spirit that is within?
Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God.
We have not received the spirit of the world
but the Spirit who is from God,
so that we may understand the things freely given us by God.
And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom,
but with words taught by the Spirit,
describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms.
Now the natural man does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God,
for to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it,
because it is judged spiritually.
The one who is spiritual, however, can judge everything
but is not subject to judgment by anyone.
For "who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to counsel him?"
But we have the mind of Christ. Responsorial Psalm PS 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13AB, 13CD-14 R. (17) The Lord is just in all his ways.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is just in all his ways.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. The Lord is just in all his ways.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. The Lord is just in all his ways.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R. The Lord is just in all his ways. Alleluia Lk 7:16 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 4:31-37 Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee.
He taught them on the sabbath,
and they were astonished at his teaching
because he spoke with authority.
In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon,
and he cried out in a loud voice,
"What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!"
Jesus rebuked him and said, "Be quiet! Come out of him!"
Then the demon threw the man down in front of them
and came out of him without doing him any harm.
They were all amazed and said to one another,
"What is there about his word?
For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits,
and they come out."
And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.
| They were astonished at his teaching because he spoke with authority. (Luke 4:32) At times, Jesus taught his listeners in a rabbinical fashion: asking questions to try to draw out a conclusion from them. At other times, he taught with parables—using simple stories to impart deeper concepts. But no matter how he taught, Jesus spoke "with authority and power" (Luke 4:36). Look at today's Gospel. We see a man with an unclean spirit interrupting Jesus in a rather violent way. Not one to be put off, Jesus addressed the situation directly, commanding the demon, "Be quiet! Come out of him!" (4:35). And the demon did just that. When Jesus spoke, his words made things happen! Not only in today's account, but at many other times as well. For example, when he spoke to a fig tree, it withered (Mark 11:14, 20-21). When he spoke to a centurion, the man's servant was healed (Luke 7:2-10). And when he told Lazarus to come out of his tomb, the dead man came back to life (John 11:43-44). Jesus' words are not only for teaching us and imparting wisdom. They have power to bring real change in our lives. So when you hear the word of God at Mass or read the Bible in your prayer time, you are not just receiving instructions for living well. You are receiving words that have the potential to leave you "amazed," as the people were in today's Gospel (Luke 4:36). You are receiving words that can change your life. What do you need today? Are you anxious about your future? You can take Jesus' words, "It is I. Do not be afraid" (John 6:20), and let them wash over your soul. Do you need assurance that the Lord has taken you by the hand? You can ponder his promise, "I am the good shepherd [who] lays down his life for the sheep (10:11). Is guilt from the past still eating at you? You can hear Jesus say to you, "Neither do I condemn you" (8:11) and be set free from shame. It's true that Jesus wants to lead you in truth and wisdom. But he also wants to heal you and deliver you and fill you with his grace and power. He wants to speak to you—today! "Jesus, help me experience the power of your word today." 1 Corinthians 2:10-16
Psalm 145:8-14 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!"
Jesus rebuked him and said, "Be quiet! Come out of him!"
Then the demon threw the man down in front of them
and came out of him without doing him any harm.
They were all amazed and said to one another,
"What is there about his word?
For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits,
and they come out......."_ end quote. | From Bishop Barron: "Astonished" is a pretty strong word. But we have to understand the tenor of the time. When a Jewish rabbi would speak, he would reference his teacher—another rabbi—who in turn had learned from another rabbi and he from another and so on. Finally, appeal would be made, implicitly or otherwise, to Moses, who had received the word and commandments of God on Mt. Sinai. What makes Jesus' teaching so striking—apart from the content, which is striking enough—is his manner of teaching. He doesn't appeal to "Rabbi so and so" and finally back to Moses. He teaches on his own authority. The Greek word behind "authority" here is instructive—exousia, which means "from his own being." He moves through his public life, Chesterton said, like a lightning bolt." end quote Bishop Barron. From a Spanish Friar's reflection:
" For the followers of Jesus of Nazareth, life is presented as a challenge in which we are invited to swim against the current on more than one occasion. Always treading on the ground of good is not easy. Therefore, the question of the one who is possessed: "What do we have to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth?" takes us to the interior of our being, so that in a contemplative attitude and in the light of the Holy Spirit, we are able to discover the poverty of my life, the lack of coherence, the lack of fidelity, the lack of faith and trust on so many occasions, the internal resistance that I put up to look towards the divine and fly higher than human misery dictates. In this way, I will be able to overcome that evil that tries to take me off the path of good, overcome the resistance that is in me and let the Holy Spirit dwell in me, give me light to recognize Christ as the treasure of my life." end quote.
So, this man yelled out while the Lord was teaching: "Have you come to destroy us?".
Most people would not have known this was an evil spirit. But Jesus knew. That's when everyone else realized it was a bad spirit. The light shines on the serpents.
We need that light don't we? We need to cast out the demons of our lives, don't we?
What demons? The demons come in all shapes and sizes and they are spirits. Their aim is to divide and conquer. The split you off the heard to devour you by overcoming you. "It is not good for man to be alone" said our Lord in Genesis. We are not to travel this faith alone. We need church. We need God. We need His religion. We need the Sacraments. We need His grace.
So how do you know when evil is talking in your life? When you know it is against God's will. When couples fight and start throwing separation words like divorce and cursing in fights, you know evil is in the picture to divide and conquer, not so much as the couple, but the children, and the community. When others divorce it affects not just that family but the whole community, the extended family. An earthquake is felt by many, and destroys homes.
Now that you can identify evil talking in your life, how can you confront it?
Our Lord spoke directly to it. He said "Be quiet!". He didn't use many words. Just asked for silence. How many of us can be silent in a storm of hurling words in a fight? How can we expel bad spirits?
In my personal testimony, I simply say the name of our Lord with faith, and let the other party hear it gently, because His name is peace itself, His name is power in of itself, because God said so. And that self expulsion is a silencer, for the soul. Let peace flow.
Turn on the worldly news and hear of all the wars and murders. Turn on good news and hear songs of hope and salvation.
If anything, it can help you with humility and grace, actual grace that is needed at the moment, when habitual grace as not been properly lived. I say that because we should strive for this grace that is brought about by piety and in the Sacraments.
The people were amazed. And I want you to be amazed by faith too.
We need to amaze the world with faith, and it will not happen without self sacrifice. Jesus our Lord and Savior is the ultimate example of faith. Lord, help us be aware, in a life of grace, of how we are to listen to Thy quiet voice, and not to the voices of the world that detract us from living a life closer with Thee, in the Holy Light, of true grace. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Romans 6:3–4 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
