† Quote of the Day "In the first place it should be known that if a person is seeking God, his beloved is seeking him much more." — St. John of the Cross Today's Meditation "Marriage releases the flesh from its individual selfishness for the service of the family; the vow of chastity releases the flesh not only from the narrow and circumscribed family, where there can still be selfishness, but also for the service of that family that embraces all humanity. That is why the Church asks those who consecrate themselves to the redemption of the world to take a vow and to surrender all selfishness, that they may belong to no one family and yet belong to all. That is why in that larger family of the kingdom of God, the priest is called "Father" —because he has begotten children not in the flesh, but in the spirit." —Venerable Fulton Sheen, p. 117
An excerpt from The Cries of Jesus From the Cross Daily Verse "Hark, your watchmen lift up their voice, together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the Lord to Zion. Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God." — Isaiah 52:8-10 | St. Joseph Of Cupertino St. Joseph of Cupertino (1603-1663) was the son of a poor Italian carpenter. His father died before he was born, leaving his mother destitute. As a result Joseph was underfed and often sick. He was an intellectually dull child who constantly found himself the worse off in every situation. He was awkward, absent-minded, unintelligent, and difficult to be around. Many people thought he was good for nothing–including his own mother, who treated him harshly and considered him a burden. Added to the scorn he received from everyone, at the age of eight he began receiving ecstatic visions for which he was also ridiculed. At the age of seventeen Joseph found work with the Capuchin Franciscan friars, eventually joining their order once they recognized his holiness beneath his irritating demeanor. His ecstasies became more pronounced, and he would often levitate or float as they happened. These ecstasies could be triggered easily through the mention of anything heavenly, or by any mortification. These occurrences became a spectacle and disturbance to others and caused Joseph much suffering; they were a cross he would bear his whole life. For example, as a priest he could not celebrate Mass publicly due to his distracting ecstasies. He was even reported to the Inquisition for fear he was involved in witchcraft. Yet St. Joseph lived a life of deep prayer and severe penance through continual fasting, subjecting himself every year to seven Lents of forty days each. Sometimes called "The Flying Saint," St. Joseph of Cupertino is also the patron of air crews and aviators. His feast day is September 18th. | Wednesday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 1 Cor 12:31-13:13 Brothers and sisters:
Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts. But I shall show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in human and angelic tongues
but do not have love,
I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.
And if I have the gift of prophecy
and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge;
if I have all faith so as to move mountains,
but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I give away everything I own,
and if I hand my body over so that I may boast
but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind.
It is not jealous, love is not pompous,
it is not inflated, it is not rude,
it does not seek its own interests,
it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,
it does not rejoice over wrongdoing
but rejoices with the truth.
It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.
If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing;
if tongues, they will cease;
if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.
For we know partially and we prophesy partially,
but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.
When I was a child, I used to talk as a child,
think as a child, reason as a child;
when I became a man, I put aside childish things.
At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror,
but then face to face.
At present I know partially;
then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.
So faith, hope, love remain, these three;
but the greatest of these is love. Responsorial Psalm Ps 33:2-3, 4-5, 12 and 22 R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten stringed lyre chant his praises.
Sing to him a new song;
pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
For upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own. Alleluia See Jn 6:63c, 68c R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life,
you have the words of everlasting life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 7:31-35 Jesus said to the crowds:
"To what shall I compare the people of this generation?
What are they like?
They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another, 'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance.
We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.' For John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine,
and you said, 'He is possessed by a demon.'
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said,
'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.'
But wisdom is vindicated by all her children."
| Daily Meditation: 1 Corinthians 12:31–13:13 . . . a still more excellent way. (1 Corinthians 12:31) Love. It's the most excellent of all spiritual gifts and virtues that St. Paul celebrates in his first letter to the Corinthians. Yes, there are the great virtues of faith and hope, but "the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13). That's because God is love. That can sound kind of pie in the sky. What exactly is love? Paul describes it in 1 Corinthians 13:4-6. But don't just read his words; imagine what love might look like for you. Love . . . Is patient. When you good-naturedly listen to your spouse talk about their tough day even though yours was not much better, that's love. Is kind. When you save someone's place in line even though you're in a hurry as well, that's love. Is not jealous. When you smile at the attention a family member receives instead of asserting yourself, that's love. Is not pompous. When you catch yourself trying to look superior to a friend and instead praise her accomplishments, that's love. Is not rude. When you check an insulting comment before it comes out of your mouth, that's love. Does not seek its own interests. When you choose to put aside your plans and help a neighbor who needs a lift, that's love. Is not quick-tempered. When you count to ten before reacting to an abrasive coworker, that's love. Does not brood. When you stop rehashing all the ways someone has wronged you, that's love. Rejoices with the truth. When you go back to pay for an item you hadn't been charged for at the grocery store, that's love. Love never fails (13:8). The love that never fails comes directly from God. It's the love he has poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). This is an eternal love that leads us right into the courts of heaven. It's a love that fills us to overflowing and empowers us to love one another the way he loves us. May we all learn to live in that love! "Lord, lead me in the most excellent way—the way of your love!" Psalm 33:2-5, 12, 22
Luke 7:31-35 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"We played the flute for you, but you did not dance.
We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.'
For John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine,
and you said, 'He is possessed by a demon.'
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said,
'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.'
But wisdom is vindicated by all her children."........"_ end quote. | From Bishop Barron: "Friends, in today's Gospel, the Pharisees compare the eating habits of John the Baptist, who fasted, and Jesus, who dined with sinners. In the carefully stratified society of Jesus' time, a righteous person would never associate with the unrighteous for fear of becoming unclean.
But here is Jesus, scandalizing everyone because he does indeed break down these barriers. How would you feel if you saw me socializing with prostitutes and drug dealers, eating and drinking with terrorists? Would it shock you, dismay you, disappoint you? But this is what Jesus did, precisely because he is the Incarnation of the God who aggressively seeks out the lost.
God looks for us, comes running after us, never lets go, never relents, never gives up. The more we run, the more he runs after; the more we hide, the more he looks; the more we resist, the more he persists. God loves sinners and associates with them..." end quote Bishop Barron.
"We played a flute and you did not dance". What's it going to take for everyone to get involved in the Kingdom of God?
Well, truth is, we are in His Kingdom. But, who will do what the King wants? Who is the King? It is Jesus! He is alive. He is sending messages. As a matter of fact, the scripture has been delivered to you today courtesy of a troubadour right now. Don't shoot the messenger! You may not like the messenger, but you must obey the King! I'm talking about prophets, and in the same way our Lord came to give us the message from God Our Father. "This is how it's going to be" He says. And it is exactly how He says.
He says we will be like lambs among wolves. Being a true Jesus in the world is hard. Everything about it is hard, no matter if you are a layperson, a priest, or a monk in a monastery, or a prisoner, a teacher, a young kid. But why is it hard?
Last night we had a family discussion with our daughter that decided to go to public school, as a freshman in high school. She wanted to know if she could go to a trip to Florida with the choir at the end of the year, when school is over. It would cost about $2,200.00 that we would have to pay ourselves, for a few days for them to go to undetermined places, amongst were choices of Disney world places, in June. I have not had a personal favorable idea of that corporation and what they promote especially in the month of June in all their networks and cartoons with witchcraft and cartoons showing two mommies and daddies and other kids shows showing kids as grown ups and grown ups are depicted as goofballs. Everything is upside down really. They are attempting to revolutionize world family mentality to a skewed view in the name of money their god. I said "my child, you want us to spend all that money for a few days in a place I rather you not go to?" She said "well, that's kind of the whole reason I joined the choir, for that trip!". And in conversation she said she wasn't enjoying choir and wanted out. I said "then do something you enjoy, and save all that money for our whole family to enjoy a trip together". We were all waiting for her reply in suspense. She said "let's all go on a trip together instead". There was peace, and the rift went away.
She had to take one for the team.
In the same way, we are all going to have to learn to be self sacrificial.
Yesterday, I got a disheartening call. You know, I'm working for years to build a new hall at our church, and we built it, I had a key since contractors let me have one during the construction process. I designed the building, been the director of construction, leading many ministries in the church, and yesterday the church people said I needed to surrender my key, so that "not everybody starts getting copies". To you it may not seem like a big deal, but to me, it has been. I'm a rascal. I like to get into all buildings and rooms, I am super active in the church. I'm the Vice President of the Pastoral council. I'm the lead director for choirs. I'm the go to person for most issues. But, I'm not trusted with a single key? Really? As of today, my plan is to personally surrender my key, and "take one for the team". Who is the team? The family of God. I won't be as happy, for now, but later, I will be happy to see the rest happy. Think Jesus on the cross...our King, the heart of God.
Bite your lip. I'm working on that! Don't speak ill. I'm working on that! Don't get so mad so easy! I'm working on that! Sacrifice yourself. I'm working on doing that better!
Jesus is playing the flute for us to dance. Now dance! At first it is awkward, but then you will enjoy it.
Jesus is playing the dirge, that we may take part in the sad part of life to enjoin our suffering with Him, for greater glory, greater love of God.
One of the hardest things for a troubadour like myself, a singer, and leader in events, is to try to get a dead crowd going. I wonder how our Lord sees us when He's reaching out to us and we don't want to lift a finger!
It takes guts to do His will. It takes a real person to be real humble.
And that's why I brought up the story of my daughter. I told her and all my kids " in the world, there is a battle between the humble and the pride". I had to swallow my pride, when I decided I'd surrender the key.
Who is going to be happy? Father.
My daughter had to surrender herself. Who is going to be happy? Me and the rest of the family. We won't have to sell her used car I got her to practice driving either! LOL
Lord, please, we need your grace in our world to see things as you see them, with tremendous compassion, in the end...for the greater good. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Matthew 18:21–22 [Matthew 18]
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant 21 Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
