† Quote of the Day "O my God, teach me to be generous, to serve you as you deserve to be served, to give without counting the cost, to fight without fear of being wounded, to work without seeking rest, and to spend myself without expecting any reward, but the knowledge that I am doing your holy will. Amen." -St. Ignatius of Loyola Today's Meditation "Our Lord, by descending into hell, planted (if I may thus express myself), in the spiritual garden of the Church, a mysterious tree, the fruits of which—namely, His merits—are destined for the constant relief of the Poor Souls in Purgatory. The Church Militant must cultivate the tree, and gather its fruits, in order to present them to that suffering portion of the Church which can do nothing for itself. Thus it is with all the merits of Christ; we must labor with Him if we wish to obtain our share of them; we must gain our bread by the sweat of our brow. Everything which Our Lord has done for us in time must produce fruit for eternity; but we must gather these fruits in time, without which we cannot possess them in eternity. The Church is the most prudent and thoughtful of mothers; the ecclesiastical year is an immense and magnificent garden, in which all those fruits for eternity are gathered together, that we may make use of them in time. Each year contains sufficient to supply the wants of all; but woe be to that careless or dishonest gardener who allows any of the fruit committed to his care to perish; if he fails to turn to a proper account those grace which would restore health to the sick, strength to the weak, or furnish food to the hungry! When the Day of Judgment arrives, the Master of the garden will demand a strict account, not only of every tree, but also of all the fruit produced in the garden." —Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich, p. 351-352
An excerpt from The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ Daily Verse "'Be still, and know that I am God. I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth!' The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge." -Psalm 46:10-11 | St. Martin de Porres (1569-1639) was born in Lima, Peru. He was the illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman and a freed slave woman from Panama, of either African or Native American descent. His parents never married. For the first eight years of his life his father did not acknowledge him, and abandoned the family after Martin's sister was born. St. Martin de Porres was raised in poverty with the societal stigma of being mix-raced. As a young man he served as an assistant to a barber-surgeon where he learned medicine and the care of the sick. When he was 15 he joined the Dominican friars as a helper, eventually becoming a Lay Brother which at the time was forbidden for the children of slaves by Peruvian law. He took on the work of nursing the sick in the Dominican infirmary as well as the sick among the townspeople, even giving a sick man his own bed. He was also made almoner, and begged money to assist his work with the poor and sick. He founded an orphanage, tended to slaves brought from Africa, and dispensed alms to the needy. His prayers and penances were so great that he soon demonstrated miraculous powers. In addition to healing the sick, his other miracles were bi-location, levitation, hidden knowledge, and the ability to communicate with animals. Word of his sanctity spread and people from all walks of life came to him for spiritual direction. St. Martin de Porres is the patron saint of social justice, bi-racial people, African-Americans, hairdressers, barbers, public education, public health, and the poor. His feast day is November 3rd. | Monday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Romans 11:29-36 Brothers and sisters:
The gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. Just as you once disobeyed God
but have now received mercy
because of their disobedience,
so they have now disobeyed in order that,
by virtue of the mercy shown to you,
they too may now receive mercy.
For God delivered all to disobedience,
that he might have mercy upon all. Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord
or who has been his counselor?
Or who has given him anything
that he may be repaid? For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To God be glory forever. Amen. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 69:30-31, 33-34, 36 R. (14c) Lord, in your great love, answer me.
But I am afflicted and in pain;
let your saving help, O God, protect me.
I will praise the name of God in song,
and I will glorify him with thanksgiving. R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
"See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not." R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
For God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
They shall dwell in the land and own it,
and the descendants of his servants shall inherit it,
and those who love his name shall inhabit it. R. Lord, in your great love, answer me. Alleluia John 8:31b-32 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,
and you will know the truth, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Luke 14:12-14 On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees.
He said to the host who invited him,
"When you hold a lunch or a dinner,
do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters
or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,
in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Luke 14:12-14 Blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. (Luke 14:14) Word about Jesus' miracles and teachings has spread, so one of the Pharisees invites him to dinner. The host's generosity seems calculated—he is proud to have Jesus himself as a guest of honor. Some of the guests are trying to find the best seats, while others are eyeing him closely, but politely, to see what he will do. In response to all this, Jesus suggests something completely different: stop trying to curry favor with those who are well-to-do. If you're going to host a dinner, do it for nobler reasons. Treat the people around you, both poor and rich, the way God has treated you. Share your bounty with no expectation of return. Don't get caught up in the quest for influence and control. Freely you have received from a generous God; now freely give! Jesus' words would have confused his host just as much as they probably confuse some of us! Jesus told him not to invite "your friends or your brothers or sisters or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors" (Luke 14:12). Rather, he should invite the poor and those struggling with disabilities. If he does, he will be blessed "because of their inability to repay" him (14:14, emphasis added). We do this, not for any earthly reward but because of the generous, no-expectations love that God has poured into our hearts. He has welcomed us and treated us with mercy so great that we could never repay him—and that experience moves us to show the same love to those who can't repay us. Of course, Jesus isn't telling us never to host a meal or a party with our friends and family. But he is asking us to consider how we can extend hospitality toward people who can't repay us. The truth is, you may already be doing this! For example, when you take the time to listen to someone who is troubled or to greet fellow parishioners after Mass, that's hospitality without repayment. God sees all the ways that you strive to create a welcoming space for people who can't repay you. And he blesses you for them all! "Lord, help me to care generously for others today." Romans 11:29-36
Psalm 69:30-31, 33-34, 36 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Ai Audio 2cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "....Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking,
"Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?"
But they kept silent; so he took the man and,
after he had healed him, dismissed him.
Then he said to them
"Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern,
would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?"
But they were unable to answer his question....." Word of the Lord. | Bishop Barron says:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus gives us this extraordinary command to consider the weakest and most vulnerable in our society: "When you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind." This is one of his central concerns throughout the Gospels. Aliens, strangers, foreigners, widows, orphans, the poor—if these weak people are ignored, God will become angry. God's passion not only runs right through the biblical tradition, but it comes roaring up into the social teaching of the Catholic Church: "If you have two coats in your closet, one belongs to you; the other belongs to the man who has no coat." Let us not forget the poor and marginalized today." end quote.
From Roberto Juarez:
"The Gospel shows us that true generosity and charity are based on gratuitousness. Jesus invites us to live a charity that is not tied to retribution or the pursuit of temporal rewards, but to the certainty that God's love is our true and only reward.
In this call to selfless generosity, Jesus reminds us that authentic love is that which is given to those who cannot return it to us. May this teaching inspire us to open our hearts and hands to those who most need to experience God's love and mercy." end quote.
Our Lord said:
"Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." Who do we invite to dinner or birthday parties? Just people we like and love? How about those that people don't like or love?
What if God is inside of those people that we don't like or love?
Why does it seem God things are backwards?
Shouldn't we love to be with our loved ones?
Yes, but if that is all you do, then we are missing the mark...and to miss the mark is to sin.
Welcoming the stranger, God is there. Sometimes I pick up hitchhikers, or stop to talk with homeless people. Why? To meet God. This is why I serve in nursing homes and prisons, to see our Lord, at least to visit Him for a bit, and I'm embarrassed to say this, but, it is because it is easier to feel Him there, to love and to hold, than in the Blessed Sacrament, where I am in total silence, and my restless mind and heart cannot settle for a minute. But I do both, because the harder it is, the better it is.
How many obstacles are there to enter to see these people that are locked up?
Our Lord is locked up in the Blessed Sacrament's Tabernacle too!
But His presence is there, and we are there...for each other ... in love.
How can I pay Him back?
I am that poor person that needs Him. For I am locked up in this body, in this world, unable to see Him at times, unable to hear Him at times, and my desire, our desire should an everlasting longing to be with Him, never to depart from Him whom loves us dearly. |  Audio of Random Verse | Random Bible Verse 1
Romans 8:37 [Romans 8] 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. . . . . . . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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