† Quote of the Day "No one can make excuses, because anyone can love God; and he does not ask the soul for more than to love him, because he loves the soul, and it is his love." -Blessed Angela of Foligno Today's Meditation "The vow of poverty is a generous renunciation and detachment from the heavy burden of temporal things. It is an alleviation of the spirit, it is a relief afforded to human infirmity, the liberty of a noble heart to strive after eternal and spiritual blessings. It is a satiety and abundance, in which the thirst after earthly treasures is allayed, and a sovereignty and ownership, in which a most noble enjoyment of all riches is established. All this, my daughter, and many other blessings are contained in voluntary poverty, and all this the sons of the world are ignorant and deprived of, precisely because they are lovers of earthly riches and enemies of this holy and opulent poverty." —Ven. Mary of Agreda, p. 85
An excerpt from The Mystical City of God Daily Verse "We know that we belong to God, and the whole world is under the power of the evil one. We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us discernment to know the one who is true. And we are in the one who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life." -1 John 5:19-20 | Pope Saint Callistus I Pope St. Callistus I (d. 223 A.D.) was a Roman by birth and a Christian slave. He was the servant of a fellow Christian serving in the Roman imperial household. He was entrusted with the task of managing his master's wealth, which he used to operate a bank into which many Christians invested their money. When the bank failed due to unpaid loans, Callistus fled the city in fear of retribution. He was soon caught, and in punishment was sentenced to hard slave labor in the Sardinian mines. He eventually obtained his freedom when he and the other Christian slaves working in the mines were released, or perhaps ransomed, with special pardon from the Emperor. Callistus was later recalled to Rome by Pope Zephyrinus to serve as his deacon, top adviser, and the caretaker of the important Christian cemetery along the Appian Way. This cemetery, which now bears Callistus' name, contains the relics of many martyrs. When Pope Zephyrinus died, Callistus was elected to the Chair of St. Peter in 217 A.D. As pope, St. Callistus was known for his leniency and forgiveness. He upheld the teaching of the Church that grave sins could be forgiven with true contrition and due penance, which was controversial at the time. He reigned for five years and died a martyr; one account holds that he was killed by an anti-Christian mob, being thrown from his house and stoned to death. His feast day is October 14th. | Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Romans 1:16-25 Brothers and sisters:
I am not ashamed of the Gospel.
It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes:
for Jew first, and then Greek.
For in it is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith;
as it is written, "The one who is righteous by faith will live." The wrath of God is indeed being revealed from heaven
against every impiety and wickedness
of those who suppress the truth by their wickedness.
For what can be known about God is evident to them,
because God made it evident to them.
Ever since the creation of the world,
his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity
have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made.
As a result, they have no excuse;
for although they knew God
they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks.
Instead, they became vain in their reasoning,
and their senseless minds were darkened.
While claiming to be wise, they became fools
and exchanged the glory of the immortal God
for the likeness of an image of mortal man
or of birds or of four-legged animals or of snakes. Therefore, God handed them over to impurity
through the lusts of their hearts
for the mutual degradation of their bodies.
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie
and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator,
who is blessed forever. Amen. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 19:2-3, 4-5 R. (2a) The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night imparts knowledge. R. The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message. R. The heavens proclaim the glory of God. Alleluia Hebrews 4:12 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Luke 11:37-41 After Jesus had spoken,
a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home.
He entered and reclined at table to eat.
The Pharisee was amazed to see
that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.
The Lord said to him, "Oh you Pharisees!
Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.
You fools!
Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
But as to what is within, give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Luke 11:37-41 As to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you. (Luke 11:41) This is a puzzling story. Jesus is the guest of a Pharisee who places a priority on cleanliness (Luke 11:38). Seeing this, Jesus points out that his host is too concerned about cleansing "the outside" with ritual washings but not attentive to the "plunder and evil" of sin inside his heart (11:39). If he really wants to be thoroughly cleansed, Jesus says, he should give alms. Giving alms makes everything clean for us? How does that happen? Let's take a look at two ways. When you give to someone who is less fortunate than you are, you are allowing the Holy Spirit to shift your focus away from yourself. He helps you to become aware of other people and their needs. Just think of the way your heart goes out to victims of a hurricane or an earthquake. Generosity and kindness spring up when you consider their suffering. And when your heart is full of generosity and kindness toward someone else, there is less room for your own muddied desires to put yourself first. Giving alms also gives the Spirit room to show you how deeply you have been blessed by God—so deeply that you can use your blessings to help meet the needs of your neighbors. When you make the sacrifice to give to a family who has lost everything in a devastating fire, you are acknowledging that you can trust the Lord. The Spirit convinces you that he will care for you as you give some of your own resources to take care of someone else. And over time, little by little, you become less attached to your belongings. Being free of the urge to put yourself first and being delivered from a strong attachment to your possessions—it sounds a lot like the way Jesus lived, doesn't it? That's the fruit of almsgiving: it opens you up to the Holy Spirit's cleansing work and makes you more like Jesus. Jesus loves to see you trusting in his ability to provide for you as you show generosity to the needy around you. He sees the double blessing of your faith: you are blessing someone else and you are opening yourself to his power to cleanse your heart—from the inside out! "Lord, cleanse my heart to make me more like you." Romans 1:16-25
Psalm 19:2-5 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Ai Audio 2cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "..The Lord said to him, "Oh you Pharisees!
Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.
You fools!
Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
But as to what is within, give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you...." Word of the Lord. | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, Jesus concludes today's Gospel by prescribing giving alms as a key to holiness. I've quoted to you before some of the breathtaking remarks of saints and popes about almsgiving. Leo XIII says that once the demands of necessity and propriety have been met, the rest of your money belongs to the poor. John Chrysostom says, "The man who has two shirts in his closet, one belongs to him; the other belongs to the man who has no shirt." The deepest root of all of this is in the prophets, who continually rail against those who are indifferent to the poor. The prophets teach us that compassion is key to biblical ethics, feeling the pain of others in our own hearts. We're not dealing with an abstract Aristotelian moral philosophy but rather with something more visceral. This is precisely why the two great commandments are so tightly linked: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart . . . and love your neighbor as yourself." In loving God you feel the feelings of God, and God is compassionate to the poor and oppressed. That's all the argument that a biblical person needs." end quote.
Whitewashed tombs?
Clean on the outside but rotting on the inside?
What is going on? What is our Lord saying to us?
He is asking us to consider what He sees, amen?
He sees the inside, not so much the outside. For the Kingdom is backwards of what the eyes behold. The little are the great ones. The last are first. And the inside is what counts.
Ever met a beautiful soul? How did you know you met the beautiful soul?
And how will you know if you only focus on the outside?
And how do your insides look?
One way to know is to notice how you see others, and the world.
The wood beam in your eye is a big clue.
If you think the world stinks, maybe check what is right under your nose.
If you touch something and it hurts, maybe it is your finger that is broke!
How do you see God's people?
Here, in my 2 cents, I get to share a personal witness. I deal with many, many people in man ministries. I deal with managing 50 employees daily in our family business, and I deal with community events and organizations. So, you could say, I have some management experience! Right?
Can I see their souls? And their state of grace? I don't know. But, I can see the light, and innocence in some, and in others, I have to ask "Lord, is that you hiding in that hard to deal with person!!". Then humility is demanded. Then open heart surgery begins. He is the greatest of surgeons, for He knows how to fix our hearts. Seek and ye shall find...the path to sanctity, that is holiness, that is the normal way to Heaven. Don't we all desire to be God's children?
What is the key to dealing with God's people? Wisdom? How do you gain wisdom? Understanding? How do you understand so many different people? Knowledge? Where do you look for knowledge? It is with the Holy Spirit that we shall know...fortitude, with piety, and then, know counsel, a supernatural gift from God.
God sees you, and I told hundreds and you today, "OH HOW HE LOVES YOU". If only we'd love Him, through others, through everybody, especially the hardest to love, where God could be hiding deep inside!
Seek and ye shall find...the Kingdom is at Hand....God is here. |  Audio of Random Verse | Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart."
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God Bless You! Peace | | |
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