† Quote of the Day "You must speak to Jesus, not only with your lips, but also with your heart; actually, on certain occasions, you should speak with only your heart." — Saint Padre Pio Today's Meditation "Always be impartial and just in your deeds. Put yourself into your neighbor's place, and him in yours, and then you will judge fairly . . . Frequently, therefore, examine your heart, whether it is so disposed towards your neighbor, as you would have his disposed towards you, were you to change places; for this is the true test." —St. Francis de Sales, p. 226
An excerpt from An Introduction to the Devout Life Daily Verse "O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever." — 1 Chronicles 16:34 | St. Padre Pio Of Pietrelcina St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (1887–1968) was born to peasant farmers in southern Italy. By the time he was 5 years old he practiced a life of penance and made the decision to give himself completely to God. He grew up working in the fields, and at the age of 19 joined the Capuchin Franciscan friars. His Franciscan spirituality was characterized by a life of poverty, love of nature, and charity to those in need, especially to those who were his "spiritual children." St. Padre Pio had many spiritual gifts and was a great miracle-worker. These were well-documented from multiple reliable sources and included bilocation, levitation, reading souls, and physical healing by touch. Word of his holiness spread and people both pious and curious flocked to see him, especially to have him hear their confession. He is the first priest known to have received the stigmata, for which he suffered suspicion and investigation. Because of the unusual supernatural phenomena surrounding his life, he is considered one of the great visionaries and mystics of the Church. Padre Pio died in 1968 at the age of 81. He was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II in 2002. Because of the many miracles he performed during his life, he is commonly invoked as a healing saint for various ailments. His feast day is September 23rd.
Find a devotional for this saint | Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest Lectionary: 449
Reading 1 Prv 3:27-34 Refuse no one the good on which he has a claim
when it is in your power to do it for him.
Say not to your neighbor, "Go, and come again,
tomorrow I will give," when you can give at once. Plot no evil against your neighbor,
against one who lives at peace with you.
Quarrel not with a man without cause,
with one who has done you no harm. Envy not the lawless man
and choose none of his ways:
To the LORD the perverse one is an abomination,
but with the upright is his friendship. The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked,
but the dwelling of the just he blesses;
When dealing with the arrogant, he is stern,
but to the humble he shows kindness. Responsorial Psalm Ps 15:2-3a, 3bc-4ab, 5 R. (1) The just one shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord.
He who walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
R. The just one shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord.
Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
By whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the LORD.
R. The just one shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord.
Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
shall never be disturbed.
R. The just one shall live on your holy mountain, O Lord. Alleluia Mt 5:16 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let your light shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 8:16-18 Jesus said to the crowd:
"No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel
or sets it under a bed;
rather, he places it on a lampstand
so that those who enter may see the light.
For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible,
and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.
Take care, then, how you hear.
To anyone who has, more will be given,
and from the one who has not,
even what he seems to have will be taken away." | Daily Meditation: Luke 8:16-18 Take care, then, how you hear. (Luke 8:18) Why does Jesus tell his disciples that they are meant to be a light shining brightly but then conclude by saying, "Take care, then, how you hear" (Luke 18:18, emphasis added). What does hearing have to do with being a light? It has to do with making sure that what is "inside" our hearts is integrated with what is "outside," with our actions. What and how we hear—what we take in from the world and make part of the foundation of our lives—affects the way we live. And that determines whether or not we'll be a light to the world around us. It's clear that the Lord wants us to radiate the light of his truth and love. We are not meant to conceal God's light within us but to put it "on a lampstand" so that it shines out of us (Luke 8:16). But to know and radiate God's truth, we need to hear his voice. And the best way to hear God's voice is to immerse ourselves in his word. We can hear the Scriptures every day at Mass. We can read and even study the Bible during our prayer time. But how are we hearing God's message? Are we putting it into practice, or are we taking God's word for granted, rushing through it, or even allowing it to stay at a superficial level? Take care how you hear. Make sure when you're spending time with the Lord in the Scriptures that you are focused and attentive. Ask the Holy Spirit to open the reading to you and give you the grace to respond to it. If a particular passage speaks to your heart, write it down so you can go back to it later. Above all, let God's word change the way you think and act—let it help you take on God's own thoughts and follow him more closely. God speaks to us most clearly and directly through his word. So spend time with the Scriptures today. The more you do this, the more you'll hear God speaking to you—and the more you'll be inspired to obey him. And that will make you like a lamp on a lampstand, shining brightly and illuminating the world around you. "Lord, thank you for speaking to me in your word! May it shine forth from me as I follow you." Proverbs 3:27-34
Psalm 15:2-5 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Jesus said to the crowd:
"No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel
or sets it under a bed;
rather, he places it on a lampstand
so that those who enter may see the light.
For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible,
and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.
Take care, then, how you hear.
To anyone who has, more will be given,
and from the one who has not,
even what he seems to have will be taken away."........"_ end quote. | Bishop Barron said:
"Friends, today's Gospel is the parable of the lamp, which, placed on a lampstand, gives light to all. Light obviously isn't for itself. Rather, we see things by it. It illuminates things upon which it shines.
We are light by which people around us come to see what is worth seeing. By the very quality and integrity of our lives, we shed light, illumining what is beautiful and revealing what is ugly. The clear implication is that without vibrant Christians the world is a much worse place.
Let me illustrate this principle with an example. One of the most painful truths of the last century is that the weakness of Christian witness allows some of the worst elements in society to flourish. Think of the rise of the evil powers that created World War II. Christianity had become so weak, so uncompelling, so attenuated that great evil was allowed to flourish. Yes, indeed there were a handful of powerful Christian resisters, but let's face it: the overwhelmingly vast majority of Christians either supported Hitler or remained in silence, out of either fear or indifference." end quote.
Last night I watched a video about Maria Valtorta's vision of Heaven. She was a mystic that lived I believe from 1897 to 1961 in Italy. All the talk was about the extreme degrees and variances of lights, to which a human cannot stand in their physical body.
And here, we get talk about light from Heaven. Our Lord asks us not to hide the light. Are we hiding Heaven? Are we hiding Christ? Are we even venturing to the light with all our might? Yesterday I sang "This little light of mine" at the memory care unit and at the nursing home in our hospital for the elderly. I sang it again at the end of daily Mass this morning. The song says in verse one "Hide it under a bushel? No!" and verse two says "Won't let Satan blow it out!" and verse three says "Let it shine til Jesus Comes!".
This weekend we had a large men's conference, and the keynote speaker was Jim Caviezel, the actor in "The Passion of the Christ" and "Sound of Freedom". He gave a testimony of his life and acting career. He said at one point that he had asked "why me? I'm not the best" and the person he asked said "why not you? you've been given the part now do it" and we must then do our best. He said since the movie was made or during the Passion of Christ movie, he had to undergo many physical hardships, including open heart surgeries and having been struck by lightning while on the cross. But this was the most life changing moment in his life, and it has propelled him for Christ. He spoke in Aramaic. He quoted what Saint John Paul II had told him about being light in the darkness. And he relayed the same message for us. He left quoting and reenacting the movie Brave-heart, calling men to fight for freedom, and to send evil back to where it belongs. "God doesn't always choose the best...but He chose you". And He quoted Reagan: "Evil is powerless if good men like you are unafraid".
This was the first Annual Men's Conference for the St. Andrews Men's Ministry, and it boggles the minds of regular conferences, for it started with nearly 1,200 men in attendance. Our area seems to be riddled with work, but, according to statistics, it is riddled with sex trafficking, and one of the top highest crime rates in the state. You wouldn't know this, if you grow up around it, you get used to the crime and the trafficking is underground and unknown until statistics are revealed as they were to us this weekend. Our area needs this message of the light to see what is in the dark.
May these 1,200 men now be burning lights in the dark. May we grow the light together, to show Heaven, we are with Christ and not against Him.
For with Him, we shall be confident and unafraid...to bend our knee, to pray, to rid ourselves of sin and darkness.
This little light of mine, we're gonna let it shine, our little light, burn ever bright.
There's much talk and threats of another war. Wars have never ended, just on different scales. But we can have a time of great love and peace for God. I choose the path of love and light. The impossible. I see it in your home, and in your heart. Let it grow and let it show...that you are one with God the Father, by living out His every beckoning call. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
2 Timothy 2:22 22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
