† Saint Quote: "Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin." St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta Today's Meditation "Oftentimes, we don't recognize the many gifts that God pours out to us in our daily lives. What we do recognize are daily annoyances, burdens, difficulties, and inconveniences. These win our attention. These get us complaining. These get us in a bad mood and sap our energy. Wouldn't it be a tragedy if, after we started receiving even more gifts and graces through our consecration [to Mary], we didn't change this negative attitude? Yes, it would be…St. Mother Teresa lived in some of the poorest environments on earth. She had to put up with burning heat, bad breath, stuffy rooms, nagging fatigue, endless responsibilities, bland food, hard beds, body odor, cold water bathing, and an agonizingly deep spiritual aridity. Yet, despite all this, she radiated joy. She smiled. She marveled at the good things God did in her life and in the lives of others, and she pondered the countless loving details arranged by Our Lady. Seeing and recognizing all this, she didn't complain.
–Michael E. Gaitley, MIC, p.77
Cover image from the book, 33 Days to Morning Glory
An Excerpt From 33 Days to Morning Glory Daily Verse "This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24 | St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910–1997), known simply as Mother Teresa, was born to a family of Albanian descent in what is now Macedonia. As a young girl Mother Teresa was fascinated by stories she heard of missionaries serving in India. By age 12 she discerned a vocation to the religious life, and at the age of 18 joined the Sisters of Loreto as a missionary to India. She chose her religious name after St. Therese of Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries. She arrived in Calcutta, India in 1929 and taught at a schoolhouse for wealthy children, eventually becoming head mistress. She enjoyed her work, but became increasingly disturbed by the extreme poverty and societal unrest she observed around her. In 1946 she received a "call within a call" and began her own religious order in Calcutta dedicated to ministering to, in her words, "the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society, people that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone." This order was established in 1950 with 12 sisters and named the Missionaries of Charity. By the time of her death on September 5, 1997, the Missionaries of Charity had grown to 4,000 sisters operating 610 missions in 123 countries. She received the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize and the Nobel Peace Prize for her inspiring work with social outcasts. Mother Teresa was canonized by Pope Francis on September 4, 2016. Her feast day is September 5th. | Thursday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 1 Cor 3:18-23 Brothers and sisters:
Let no one deceive himself.
If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age,
let him become a fool, so as to become wise.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God,
for it is written: God catches the wise in their own ruses, and again: The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you,
Paul or Apollos or Cephas,
or the world or life or death,
or the present or the future:
all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God. Responsorial Psalm Ps 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6 R. (1) To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
The LORD's are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it. Alleluia Mt 4:19 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come after me, says the Lord,
and I will make you fishers of men.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 5:1-11 While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God,
he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.
He saw two boats there alongside the lake;
the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.
Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
"Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch."
Simon said in reply,
"Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,
but at your command I will lower the nets."
When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish
and their nets were tearing.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat
to come to help them.
They came and filled both boats
so that the boats were in danger of sinking.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,
"Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man."
For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him
and all those with him,
and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
who were partners of Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid;
from now on you will be catching men."
When they brought their boats to the shore,
they left everything and followed him.
| Daily Meditation: Luke 5:1-11 At your command I will lower the nets. (Luke 5:5) Have you ever felt that no matter how hard you are working, you never seem to be getting anywhere? Many of us juggle work, family life, volunteer responsibilities, and more, and we can sometimes feel as if we're just spinning our wheels. Our efforts and our striving just aren't bearing fruit. In today's Gospel reading, Peter experienced a similar frustration. He and his men had caught nothing all night. Not one fish. Their nets were completely empty. Then Jesus entered the picture, and they caught more fish than they could bring into the boat! It's this stark difference between "before" and "after" that makes this a memorable miracle. For Peter, it was life-changing. He had probably never caught so many fish. But it wasn't really "his" catch. Yes, he and his men had done the work of lowering their nets into the water. But there was clearly something greater at work here. When Peter obeyed Jesus, he received grace that took him beyond his expectations. He knew that without Jesus, he would still be looking at empty nets. The lesson Peter learned can change our lives, too. Our own efforts, like Peter's unsuccessful night of fishing, can get us only so far. But when we listen to and obey Jesus, as Peter did, we allow him and his grace into our lives. We open ourselves to new and unexpected ways that he might want to work in and through us. So where do you feel like you're spinning your wheels? Are you dealing with a troubled child? Invite Jesus into the situation and ask him to give you his peace or maybe even to give you the right words to say to your son or daughter. Are you feeling exhausted as you wrestle with a difficult situation at work? Put it in Jesus' hands and let him guide you through the obstacles. Are you dejected as you struggle once again with a persistent sin pattern? Abandon yourself to Jesus and let him forgive you and raise you up. As you yield to Jesus and offer him your self-reliance, he will show you that he can bless and provide, even when your efforts seem to come up empty. "Lord, I give you all the ways I rely on myself. Help me to receive your grace." 1 Corinthians 3:18-23
Psalm 24:1-6 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
"Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch."
Simon said in reply,
"Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,
but at your command I will lower the nets."
When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish
and their nets were tearing.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat
to come to help them.
They came and filled both boats
so that the boats were in danger of sinking.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,
"Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man."........"_ end quote. | From Bishop Barron: "Friends, today's Gospel gives us the story of the miraculous draught of fishes. In many ways, the whole of the spiritual life can be read off of this piece.
Without being invited, Jesus simply gets into the fisherman's boat. This is to insinuate himself in the most direct way into Simon's life. And without further ado, he begins to give orders, first asking Simon to put out from the shore and then to go out into the deep. This represents the invasion of grace. The single most important decision that you will ever make is this: Will you cooperate with Jesus once he decides to get into your boat?
In many ways, everything else in your life is secondary, is commentary. When the Lord Jesus Christ gets into your boat, he will always lead you to the depths. Duc in altum ("Put out into the deep"), as St. John Paul II loved to quote. More dangerous? Yes. More exciting? Yes.
Now, mind you, the depths we're talking about here are spiritual depths. The excitement we're talking about is the true excitement that comes from spiritual transformation. The depths have nothing to do with what the world considers important or exciting...." end quote Bishop Barron.
When Simon (later called Peter by Christ), our first Pope said "but at your command I will lower the nets.", it reminds one of the words of the Centurion that said the words we say before receiving the Lord in the Eucharist in Mass "only say the word and it shall be done".
It only takes a word for things to happen. The order comes out and it comes to be.
Do you believe?
Simon obeyed. He didn't complain. He simply let all know the facts, that there were not fish to be caught, but so that the world would believe "stretch out your hand" says our Lord. And the cripple straightens up...Simon Peter hit his knees. Never in his whole entire fishing life and career had he ever witnessed such an astonishment. This was impossible. It was not the time of day. Fish would normally only be caught at night. But it was day.
St. (Simon) Peter was amazed. They were all amazed. So much so that the men converted on the spot and left everything and followed Him.
Have you ever been amazed and converted like that? You won't be perfect, but you will be His.
So take heart my child, God knows things aren't as perfect as you think they should be, but He knows more, more of what's in store that we cannot even believe is possible. The fish under the boat, the blessings He knows at the appropriate time.
It makes the conversion all the more fuller, more complete, more perfect, and this takes time.
St. Peter eventually got it right, but it took many more lessons and miracles and heartaches to see it all come together...and then He renounced His life, as he was crucified as well, for the love of God and the will of God's Kingdom.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy Will be done. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
James 4:11–12 11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.1 The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor? | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
