A great number of Christians perished at the hands of the Roman Emperor Nero during the terrible persecution that lasted from 64-68 A.D. This was the first of many major persecutions of the newly founded Church at Rome. The holy men and women who first died for the Gospel of Jesus Christ are also called the "Protomartyrs of Rome." Some were burned as living torches in the Emperor's gardens; some were crucified; others were fed to wild animals. Many died even before Sts. Peter and Paul, and therefore it is said of them that they are the "Disciples of the Apostles ... whom the Holy Roman Church sent to their Lord before the Apostles' death." God used the sacrifice of these holy men and women, who suffered like their savior Jesus Christ, to lay the indestructible foundation of His Church. Their bold witness for the Christian faith as they endured a brutal death won many converts and caused the Church to grow and spread throughout the world. The feast day of the First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church is June 30th. †
Quote of the Day
"Health is Gods great gift, and we must spend it entirely for Him. Our eyes should see only for God, our feet walk only for Him, our hands labor for Him alone; in short, our entire body should serve God while we still have the time. Then, when He shall take our health and we shall near our last day, our conscience will not reproach us for having misused it." — St. John Bosco
Today's Meditation
"We will never be free of trials and temptations as long as our earthly life lasts. For Job has said: 'Is not the life of human beings on earth a drudgery?' (Job 7:1). Therefore, we should always be on our guard against temptations, always praying that our enemy, the devil, 'who never sleeps but constantly looks for someone to devour.' (1 Pet 5:8), will not catch us off guard. No one in this world is so perfect or holy as not to have temptations sometimes. We can never be entirely free from them. Sometimes these temptations can be very severe and troublesome, but if we resist them, they will be very useful to us; for by experiencing them we are humbled, cleansed, and instructed. All the Saints endured tribulations and temptations and profited by them, while those who did not resist and overcome them fell away and were lost. There is no place so holy or remote where you will not meet with temptation, nor is there anyone completely free from it in this life; for in our body we bear the wounds of sin—the weakness of our human nature in which we are born." —Thomas รก Kempis, p. 31
Daily Verse "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven." — Matthew 7:21 | Bl. Gennaro Sarnelli (1702 – 1744) was born to a noble family in Naples, Italy. He was very well educated, and completed his doctorate in civil and canon law at the age of 20. He gave much of his time to caring for the incurably sick, through which he discerned a call to the priesthood. He was ordained in 1732. He became good friends with St. Alphonsus Liguori, founder of the Redemptorists. Shortly afterward, Blessed Gennaro became a Redemptorist priest. Gennaro's special work was preaching to those who were the most spiritually deprived, while also caring for the temporal needs of impoverished children. He was a great defender of the dignity of women, and worked intensely to free women and girls from forced prostitution. Blessed Gennaro was also a talented writer, penning over 30 books ranging in subjects such as theology, law, prayer, spiritual direction, and contemporary moral issues. He worked so hard that his health suffered, and he died when he was only 42 years old. He was beatified by Pope St. John Paul II in 1996. His feast day is June 30. | Monday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Genesis 18:16-33 Abraham and the men who had visited him by the Terebinth of Mamre
set out from there and looked down toward Sodom;
Abraham was walking with them, to see them on their way.
The LORD reflected: "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,
now that he is to become a great and populous nation,
and all the nations of the earth are to find blessing in him?
Indeed, I have singled him out
that he may direct his children and his household after him
to keep the way of the LORD
by doing what is right and just,
so that the LORD may carry into effect for Abraham
the promises he made about him."
Then the LORD said:
"The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great,
and their sin so grave,
that I must go down and see whether or not their actions
fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me.
I mean to find out." While the two men walked on farther toward Sodom,
the LORD remained standing before Abraham.
Then Abraham drew nearer to him and said:
"Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?
Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city;
would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it
for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it?
Far be it from you to do such a thing,
to make the innocent die with the guilty,
so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike!
Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?"
The LORD replied,
"If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom,
I will spare the whole place for their sake."
Abraham spoke up again:
"See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord,
though I am but dust and ashes!
What if there are five less than fifty innocent people?
Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?"
He answered, "I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there."
But Abraham persisted, saying, "What if only forty are found there?"
He replied, "I will forbear doing it for the sake of forty."
Then Abraham said, "Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on.
What if only thirty are found there?"
He replied, "I will forbear doing it if I can find but thirty there."
Still Abraham went on,
"Since I have thus dared to speak to my Lord,
what if there are no more than twenty?"
He answered, "I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty."
But he still persisted:
"Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time.
What if there are at least ten there?"
He replied, "For the sake of those ten, I will not destroy it." The LORD departed as soon as he had finished speaking with Abraham,
and Abraham returned home. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 103:1b-2, 3-4, 8-9, 10-11 R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath forever.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful. Alleluia Psalm 95:8 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Matthew 8:18-22 When Jesus saw a crowd around him,
he gave orders to cross to the other shore.
A scribe approached and said to him,
"Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."
Jesus answered him, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head."
Another of his disciples said to him,
"Lord, let me go first and bury my father."
But Jesus answered him, "Follow me,
and let the dead bury their dead." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Genesis 18:16-33 See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord! (Genesis 18:27) Imagine that you're a manager in a very large company. You hear that the CEO is planning to institute a new policy that could threaten the jobs of hundreds of employees, and you're very concerned. Because you have a good relationship with the CEO, you decide to speak to him about it. You walk into his office and, while showing respect for his position, you speak to him very frankly about your concerns. You know you might be putting your own job at risk, but you feel that you need to speak up. That's the kind of attitude Abraham had when he tried to convince God not to destroy the city of Sodom. He wasn't insolent or presumptuous. He knew whom he was speaking to, but he also knew that the stakes were too high for him to remain silent. If there were innocent people in the city, they should be spared! So speaking with great respect, he persisted in interceding before the Lord for them. Abraham could pray as boldly as he did because he had a good relationship with the Lord. From the moment God first called him, Abraham sought to obey him and reverence him. He'd had numerous encounters with the Lord that proved God's love for him—and that challenged him to love God in return. So Abraham felt comfortable interceding with him for an entire city. You can be just as comfortable coming before the Lord! Because you have been baptized into Christ, God is not just your Master or your "boss"; he is your Father. That means you, too, can "confidently approach the throne of grace" to ask for his help (Hebrews 4:16). And he will listen! We're familiar with praying for our loved ones and those closest to us, but why not follow Abraham and pray "big"? Think of your city or even your country. Think of the wars raging around the globe. Think of the families dying of starvation in areas plagued by famine or economic distress. Lift them up to the Lord in prayer. Humbly but boldly, ask him to bring healing, peace, and protection. Ask him to spare those suffering needlessly because of the injustice and violence in the world. Ask your Father in heaven to change the very course of history! "Lord, let there be peace on earth!" Psalm 103:1-4, 8-11
Matthew 8:18-22 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."
Jesus answered him, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head."
Another of his disciples said to him,
"Lord, let me go first and bury my father."
But Jesus answered him, "Follow me,
and let the dead bury their dead."....." end quote. | From Bishop Barron today:
" Friends, in today's Gospel, a man who appears willing to become Jesus' disciple makes a reasonable request: "Lord, let me go first and bury my father." But the man receives a shocking rebuke from Jesus: "Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead."
What is more important than the mission? Nothing. Not even one of the most sacred and revered practices of our society: piety toward our dead relatives. Could you imagine a scenario in which you wouldn't give permission to someone to attend his father's or mother's funeral?
I don't want to soften Jesus' words or explain them away or contextualize them. They are what they are, and they're harsh, for the man in his own time and for us. But they compel us to make a decision: Are we finally about the things of God or about something else? Is religion and the mission attached to it substantial for us, or merely decorative?
Now mind you, we don't usually have to make such a terrible choice. Normally, our love for God and our love for family don't come into conflict. But this is a sort of spiritual exercise, an experiment. What if it came down to God or my family? Whom would I choose?"
From the Mass Readings of the First Martyrs today, "...Many false prophets will arise and deceive many;
and because of the increase of evildoing,
the love of many will grow cold.
But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved." An increase in evildoing causes love to grow cold.
So how are we to persevere? In faith. Yes. IN the true love of God our Father, yes. There are so many that I know that would love to follow our Lord Jesus, and feel this romantic call to a life of mission even across the world...but, the excuses start flowing in. The obstacles. The so called "reality" comes into play. The doubts. Oh that little doubt that has caused so much calamity in the world. An ex-convict had a near death experience, dying suddenly in his prison cell; I listened attentively to Mcdonald, an ex pagan priest, anti-Christian man. He saw his sins when he died, they were always in his face, replayed over and over, and he lived them out again, but in the life of the victim. "What you do unto others, you do unto ME" says our Lord. After what seemed years and years of this suffering and crying and anguish, and desireing his tongue to cool, eventually it subsided. And that man was standing there again, in front of him whom he had feared to look in his eyes, like a father that he knew and he was in trouble before experiencing hell.
You see, we are called out to Love God. Of the many things McDonald said, he said "a half truth is worse than a lie". He got to experience a Heavenly realm later, and explained that we are like vessels that get tainted with sin, and we are not able to capture "the Spirit" as he called it, to live alive in Him to hold His what I call...grace.
He would sob in his cell, and eventually he was stabbed by the pagans and beat almost to death. Eventually he was transferred and eventually set free. Today all he wants to do is to proclaim ... the truth...he realized many of his experiences were basically all in the bible, and now proclaims Jesus the Savior, our Savior.
But for the rest of us, what will it take to truly follow our Lord? Do you know any on mission today? I do. I've no further to look than our priest. From another country. With no family here. The very least we could do, is to offer the love of family to one who has given up families, and homes, and children for the sake of the Kingdom.
Today, the feast of the first martyrs, should be one of strength, in the outpouring, of the love of God, to say to the world like they did "I love God our Father, more than any thing or any one in this world and the world to come!" First martyrs, pray for us! |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Philippians 4:19 19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
