† Quote of the Day "A friend is more to be longed for than the light; I speak of a genuine one. And wonder not: for it were better for us that the sun should be extinguished, than that we should be deprived of friends; better to live in darkness, than to be without friends." — St. John Chrysostom Today's Meditation "Even if you do not confess, God is not ignorant of the deed, since he knew it before it was committed. Why then do you not speak of it? Does the transgression become heavier by the confession? No, it becomes lighter and less troublesome. And this is why he wants you to confess: not that you should be punished, but that you should be forgiven; not that he may learn your sin—how could that be, since he has seen it?—but that you may learn what favor he bestows. He wishes you to learn the greatness of his grace, so that you may praise him perfectly, that you may be slower to sin, that you may be quicker to virtue. And if you do not confess the greatness of the need, you will not understand the enormous magnitude of his grace." —St. John Chrysostom, p. 255
An excerpt from A Year with Church Fathers Daily Verse "Many are invited, but few are chosen." — Matthew 22:14 | St. John Chrysostom St. John Chrysostom (347-407 A.D.) was born to noble parents in Antioch, an important center of Christianity in his day. After the death of his father, his mother sent him to the best schools for his education. As a result of his philosophical studies he was convinced of the truth of Christianity, entered the Church, and became a renowned scholar and orator. He then adopted a life of extreme asceticism as a hermit and committed the whole of Sacred Scripture to memory. The brilliance of his mind combined with the holiness of his soul made him famous; he was ordained a bishop in Antioch and was later appointed to the Archbishopric of Constantinople. He was an incredible preacher, among the greatest in the history of the Church, which earned him the name 'Chrysostom' meaning, 'Golden-mouthed' or 'Golden tongued'. His sermons, which extended for up to two hours, were public marvels. His straightforward style of preaching the Scriptures and his practical homilies made him very popular. He also denounced the abuses of the ruling authority and preached against the immorality of the day, which resulted in him being exiled numerous times. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 451. St. John Chrysostom's feast day is September 13th. | Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church • Readings for the Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Reading 1 1 COR 9:16-19, 22B-27 Brothers and sisters:
If I preach the Gospel, this is no reason for me to boast,
for an obligation has been imposed on me,
and woe to me if I do not preach it!
If I do so willingly, I have a recompense,
but if unwillingly, then I have been entrusted with a stewardship.
What then is my recompense?
That, when I preach, I offer the Gospel free of charge
so as not to make full use of my right in the Gospel.
Although I am free in regard to all,
I have made myself a slave to all
so as to win over as many as possible.
I have become all things to all, to save at least some.
All this I do for the sake of the Gospel,
so that I too may have a share in it.
Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race,
but only one wins the prize?
Run so as to win.
Every athlete exercises discipline in every way.
They do it to win a perishable crown,
but we an imperishable one.
Thus I do not run aimlessly;
I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing.
No, I drive my body and train it,
for fear that, after having preached to others,
I myself should be disqualified. Responsorial Psalm PS 84:3, 4, 5-6, 12 R. (2) How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
My soul yearns and pines
for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and my flesh
cry out for the living God.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest
in which she puts her young—
Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my king and my God!
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
Blessed they who dwell in your house!
continually they praise you.
Blessed the men whose strength you are!
their hearts are set upon the pilgrimage.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
For a sun and a shield is the LORD God;
grace and glory he bestows;
The LORD withholds no good thing
from those who walk in sincerity.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God! Alleluia See Jn 17:17b, 17a R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your word, O Lord, is truth;
consecrate us in the truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 6:39-42 Jesus told his disciples a parable:
"Can a blind person guide a blind person?
Will not both fall into a pit?
No disciple is superior to the teacher;
but when fully trained,
every disciple will be like his teacher.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?
How can you say to your brother,
'Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,'
when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye?
You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter in your brother's eye."
| Daily Meditation: 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-27 I have become all things to all. (1 Corinthians 9:22) Has this ever happened to you? You're facing a hard decision, and you don't know which way to go, when all of a sudden, you remember a friend's sage piece of advice from long ago. At that moment, everything makes sense, and you know what your decision should be. Not only that, but any anxiety or fear you were feeling dissipates, and a sense of peace and confidence washes over you instead. Amazed and grateful, you breathe a word of thanks to the Holy Spirit, both for your friend from so long ago and for reminding you of his words at just the right time. This is one way we can understand St. Paul's words in today's first reading. When he tells the Corinthians about his desire to "become all things to all," Paul is not only referring to his practice of adapting his preaching to fit his audience. He is also speaking about all the friendships he has made as he preached the gospel from place to place (1 Corinthians 9:22). Paul did not just arrive, deliver a message, and depart. He developed relationships with people. He shared stories about his own experiences of Jesus, and he listened to their stories. Even after he left, he continued to stay in touch through his letters. It was obvious that he deeply loved his friends—and that they loved him. And in the end, it was that love that brought them to Christ. Here is how Pope Francis explains Paul's approach: "Today, as the Church seeks to experience a profound missionary renewal, there is a kind of preaching which falls to each of us as a daily responsibility. It has to do with bringing the Gospel to the people we meet, whether they be our neighbors or complete strangers. This is the informal preaching which takes place in the middle of a conversation, something along the lines of what a missionary does when visiting a home" (Evangelii Gaudium, 127). Perhaps another way to put this is to say that you can't just tell someone about God's love. You have to show it to them as well. And even then, it's up to the Holy Spirit to use you and your words in whatever way he sees fit. All you need to focus on is the call to love. "Come, Holy Spirit, and help me spread the love of Christ wherever I go." Psalm 84:3-6, 12
Luke 6:39-42 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Jesus told his disciples a parable:
"Can a blind person guide a blind person?
Will not both fall into a pit?
No disciple is superior to the teacher;
but when fully trained,
every disciple will be like his teacher.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?......"_ end quote. | From Bishop Barron: "Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus asks, "Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?" I recommend that you apply this text to your choice of a spiritual director.
Does the person to whom you've entrusted your soul know where to take you? Or are they as lost as you are? How do we know whether they see properly? In a way, this is rather simple: Have you entrusted yourself to someone who is utterly dedicated to Christ?
The next quality of a good spiritual teacher is that he acknowledges his need for a savior. Jesus uses a rather funny image to make this point. "Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?
Every spiritual teacher is eager to tell you what's wrong with you. They are confident diagnosticians of your problems. But unless they've surrendered to Christ and found salvation in him, they are absolutely in no position to help you. They are as absurd as the man with a roof beam sticking out of his eye......." end quote Bishop Barron.
In daily Mass, Fr. Joseph said at the nursing home that we must practice what we preach. We are good at pointing out everybody's flaws, but we are not that good at fixing our own flaws.
This is why the Lord brings this up. How can we get that log out of our eye? We have to get that out of the way before getting little splinters out of others' eyes, right?
What is that flaw you see so much in others? Is it true when they say that when you point the finger, that all the rest of your fingers point back at you?
Maybe Dr. Phil has it right when he says about this by saying: "I don't like in you, what I see in me".
We have much to work on don't we? Take a step back next time you are ready to pounce on someone's imperfection. Before letting them have it, pray. And after prayer, consider, how everyone can benefit from constructive criticism. And if you go for the criticism, do it with utmost care, and tender love, as if every soul were a fragile soul. Not everybody is as strong as your remarks may come out to be.
You know who is most fragile? Children. And some never really grow up. Their bodies get older, but their souls remain immature, very fragile, very susceptible. We must learn to discern everything with God's eyes, before we can try to see with our own fragile eyes. He is the only one that can see truly, therefore, we must begin to see Him as Master.
Jesus is Master. No one is above Jesus. But we can be mastering like Him...the Way, of love and mercy, in purity, and humility.
But this, this is tough. This is why most don't do it. It's gonna take self sacrifice. To halt, bite your tongue, fast, don't eat, hit your knees, spend more time before the Lord, and then approach the situation, instead of a knee jerk reaction, that might leave oneself looking like a jerk! LOL, right?
I've noticed most business owners I've met, they have these interesting qualities of a leader. They don't have knee-jerk reactions. They speak with a calmness. They are able to discern, and they then, are mastering and able to lead. Not with mere feelings, but with a sensitivity that stems from love. The ones I speak of are the ones I know at my church.
And the church avails this to all. How?
The Holy Sacraments. A life filled with grace, so we don't live a life of disgrace.
Lord, I want to see, so I do not lead blindly. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Numbers 23:19 19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
