† Quote of the Day "Realize it, my brethren; —every one who breathes, high and low, educated and ignorant, young and old, man and woman, has a mission, has a work. We are not sent into this world for nothing; we are not born at random; . . . God sees every one of us; He creates every soul, He lodges it in the body, one by one, for a purpose. He needs, He deigns to need, every one of us. He has an end for each of us; we are all equal in His sight, and we are placed in our different ranks and stations, not to get what we can out of them for ourselves, but to labor in them for Him. As Christ has His work, we too have ours; as He rejoiced to do His work, we must rejoice in ours also." -St. John Henry Newman Today's Meditation "O my God, you and you alone are all wise and all knowing! You know, you have determined everything that will happen to us from first to last. You have ordered things in the wisest way, and you know what will be my lot year by year until I die. You know how long I have to live. You know how I shall die. You have precisely ordained everything, sin excepted. Every event of my life is the best for me that it could be, for it comes from you. You bring me on year by year, by your wonderful Providence, from youth to age, with the most perfect wisdom, and with the most perfect love." —St. John Henry Cardinal Newman, p. 103
An excerpt from Everyday Meditations Daily Verse "Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy." -Hebrews 10:23 | Saint John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801–1890) was the eldest of six children born to a nominal Protestant family in London, England. As a child he loved reading the Scriptures and experienced a conversion to Christianity at the age of fifteen. He became a brilliant academic, an extremely influential Oxford scholar, and an Anglican priest. He was a leader in what was called the "Oxford Movement," which argued for a revival of traditional religious practice in the Church of England. Once anti-Catholic in his religious sentiments, sentiments that were common in England, Newman was increasingly impacted by the Church Fathers and other Catholic writers. His theological views gradually aligned with the Catholic Church in opposition to Anglican doctrine. Through his continued study of Church history he became unable to remain a Protestant in good faith. He made the decision to convert to Catholicism in 1845, which exposed him to much ridicule in his academic and religious circles. Two years later he was ordained a Catholic priest in Rome. He was made Cardinal in 1879. John Henry Newman is remembered for his influential writings on theology and philosophy as well as his founding of the famous London Oratory. Newman wrote forty books and 21,000 letters, some of which had profound influence on the Second Vatican Council, making him one of the most important theologians of his day. His most famous work is his Apologia in which he defends his conversion to the truths of the Catholic Church. His feast day is October 9th. | Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Malachi 3:13-20b You have defied me in word, says the LORD,
yet you ask, "What have we spoken against you?"
You have said, "It is vain to serve God,
and what do we profit by keeping his command,
And going about in penitential dress
in awe of the LORD of hosts?
Rather must we call the proud blessed;
for indeed evildoers prosper,
and even tempt God with impunity."
Then they who fear the LORD spoke with one another,
and the LORD listened attentively;
And a record book was written before him
of those who fear the LORD and trust in his name.
And they shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts,
my own special possession, on the day I take action.
And I will have compassion on them,
as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.
Then you will again see the distinction
between the just and the wicked;
Between the one who serves God,
and the one who does not serve him.
For lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,
when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble,
And the day that is coming will set them on fire,
leaving them neither root nor branch,
says the LORD of hosts.
But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6 R. (Ps 40:5a) Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night. R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers. R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord. Alleluia See Acts 16:14b R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Luke 11:5-13 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,'
and he says in reply from within,
'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.'
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence. "And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?" | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Luke 11:5-13 How much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit? (Luke 11:13) If you have children or grandchildren or nieces or nephews, you probably love surprising them with gifts. As you watch them tear open the wrapping paper, their joy becomes your own. It's proof that we, "who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to [our] children" (Luke 11:13). We sacrifice to give them special gifts or experiences. We may even scrimp and save so that they can attend Catholic school or go to college. Just so, Jesus is telling us that we are God's children, and his Father is our Father! And because he is God, he is far better than even the very best human parent. He is infinitely good, infinitely wise, and infinitely loving. Always. Without exception. His love for us cannot be contained—he always wants to bless us. That's why Jesus exclaims, "How much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?" (Luke 11:13). Do you believe that God loves you that much? That he delights in giving you good things? He wants you to come to him in the way a child goes to his father or mother: full of faith and trust in his goodness. He even promises that the Father is more than happy to give his Spirit to you. He doesn't begrudge giving you this gift; he wants you to have it. Not just because the Spirit is the greatest gift he could ever give, but also because the Spirit helps you experience his love more deeply. As you deepen your relationship with his Spirit, you'll grow in confidence of God's love for you. You'll become more rooted in your identity as a child of God, and you'll become more like Jesus, his Son. So don't hesitate to come to your Father today. Seek him out, open your heart to him, even pester him! Bring him your worries and fears, your very real needs. Ask his Spirit for the wisdom, grace, and strength that you need and for a fresh outpouring of God's love. And if you fear that he won't answer you, tell yourself, "This is my Father! I know he will take good care of me." "Father, help me to trust more fully in your love for me." Malachi 3:13-20
Psalm 1:1–4, 6 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Ai Audio 2cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "...For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?"..." Word of the Lord. | From Roberto Juarez:
"Jesus assures us that God, in His goodness, gives us the Holy Spirit if we ask Him. This teaches us that, beyond material needs, our greatest longing should be to receive the Holy Spirit, who gives us the wisdom and strength to live according to God's will. Through the Spirit, we receive the gift of faith, hope, and love, which are essential to our Christian life. Do I ask in my prayers for what I really need for my spiritual life? Do I long for the presence of the Holy Spirit and the gifts He offers me?
As we contemplate God's generosity, we are called to imitate him in our daily lives. Just as He gives us everything we need, we are also called to share with others and to be generous in our relationships. Prayer, in addition to bringing us closer to God, transforms us and makes us more sensitive to the needs of others. Am I generous and compassionate to others, as God is to me? Do I seek to help those around me, sharing what I have with those in need?
Today Jesus teaches us to pray with perseverance and to trust in the goodness of our heavenly Father. Let us approach God with a trusting heart and not be discouraged when the answers do not come in the time we expect. Let us have patience and faith to continue praying with hope."
Our Lord says to us:
"If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?" What is our Lord saying to us here? He is declaring that God is Good! And not only good, but better than the good we know on earth. For He knows beyond what is good...for us.
So many times we "want" something, especially in our prayers, but God knows more...He knows what we really need. And, He goes beyond that, because He knows already what you will want, He has anticipated the desire with a resolution...that works for the greater whole, of our combined desires. Things don't work out for you, but they work out for...everybody. And here is where humility and obedience begin to peak their head. That we may praise God in the good and the bad, even though the bad is not bad as we say in His eyes, it is still for the good.
What does all this mean? Our Lord calls us out all the time about...faith. Faith is hope and faith is trust. We can surrender, and just know that we are loved, right? Or, we can show God how much we trust Him, and then...actually trust Him with our Heart, and all of its desires. In other words...we give Him our very heart! Wow. Did you capture all of this from His Holy Sacred Heart today? Lord, help us be predisposed to Your Holy Will, and give us grace to show You how much we can truly love you! |  Audio of Random Verse | Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 25:21–22 "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,
for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you."
Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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