† Quote of the Day "Viva Cristo Rey! Long live Christ the King!" Blessed Miguel Pro Today's Meditation "To love God's will in consolations is a good love when it is truly God's will we love and not the consolation wherein it lies. Still, it is a love without opposition, repugnance, or effort. Who would not love so worthy a will in so agreeable a form? To love God's will in His commandments, counsels, and inspirations is the second degree of love and it is much more perfect. It carries us forward to renounce and give up our own will, and enables us to abstain from and forbear many pleasures, but not all of them. To love suffering and affliction out of love for God is the summit of most holy charity. In it nothing is pleasant but the divine will alone; there is great opposition on the part of our nature; and not only do we forsake all pleasures, but we embrace torments and labors." —St. Francis de Sales, p. 76 Daily Verse "For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? This God is my strong refuge, and has made[a] my way safe. He made my feet like hinds' feet, and set me secure on the heights. He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. Thou hast given me the shield of thy salvation, and thy help made me great. Thou didst give a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip." 2 Samuel 22:32-37 | Pope St. Leo III Pope St. Leo III (d. 816 A.D.) was a Roman cardinal who was unanimously elected pope on the same day his predecessor was buried. He lived during a time of tension between the popes and emperors and their respective rights, powers, and responsibilities. Unlike his predecessor, Leo recognized Charlemagne as the protector of the See of Rome, which won him many enemies among the Roman nobility. As a result, Pope St. Leo III was attacked by a mob who cut out his eyes and tongue so that he could no longer serve in his office. He survived the attack, but was imprisoned by his attackers and deposed from his office under false accusations. Leo's eyes and tongue were miraculously restored, and he was able to escape his captivity and flee to Charlemagne for protection. Charlemagne in turn took up the Holy Father's cause, escorted him back to Rome, and put his enemies on trial. A few days later, at the Christmas Mass of 800 A.D., Pope St. Leo III crowned Charlemagne as the Holy Roman Emperor. As the Roman Pontiff, Pope St. Leo III was known for being an effective administrator and for improving the Roman churches. He also paved the way for a more unified Europe, and for greater cooperation across national borders between the Church and the secular European nations to maintain their collective Christian identity. His feast day is June 12. | 2 Corinthians 3:15–4:1, 3-6 Brothers and sisters: To this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over the hearts of the children of Israel, but whenever a person turns to the Lord the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit. Therefore, since we have this ministry through the mercy shown us, we are not discouraged. And even though our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled for those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that they may not see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus. For God who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to bring to light the knowledge of the glory of God on the face of Jesus Christ. Psalm 85:9-14 R. The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land. I will hear what God proclaims; the Lord—for he proclaims peace. Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him, glory dwelling in our land. R. Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven. R. The Lord himself will give his benefits; our land shall yield its increase. Justice shall walk before him, and salvation, along the way of his steps. R. Gospel Acclamation Alleluia, alleluia. I give you a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you. - Jn 13:34 Alleluia, alleluia. Matthew 5:20-26 Jesus said to his disciples: "I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven. "You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Matthew 5:17-19 I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. (Matthew 5:17) When a man and a woman come together in marriage, two things happen at the same time. First, the man "leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife." And second, "the two of them become one" (Genesis 2:24). This twofold act of leaving behind something good for the sake of something even better is one way to understand Jesus' words about fulfilling the Law of Moses in today's Gospel. Every husband and wife bring their past experiences with them into their marriage, and together they take who they were and what they have learned and create something unique out of it: a new family. They don't abolish their past or the people they once were. They take what was good from it and leave behind what no longer works. Everything they have learned finds its fulfillment in the life they forge together. Over time, they raise their children to live out this new life they have created. Similarly, when Jesus became a man, he united himself to our humanity in an intense and intimate way. And by doing so, he took all that his people, Israel, had learned and all they had become, and he created something new out of it: the family of the Church. By offering himself on the cross, he fulfilled the heart of the commandment to love God and neighbor, even as he made it possible for us to do the same. And by giving us the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist, he transformed the ancient rituals into something life-giving for all of us. The result? Children of God who shine his light to the entire world. In the Gospel readings over the next few days, Jesus will be laying out what he wants life in his new family to look like: reconciliation between brothers and sisters, turning the other cheek, purity in marriage, and love for our enemies. All of this can sound intimidating at first. But always remember: you are part of a new family. You are a "new creation" in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17)! That means you are an heir to all the grace you need to live the life Jesus has called you to. So how will you fulfill the purpose and intentions of God's laws today? "Thank you, Lord, for making me a new creation and bringing me into your family!" Acts 11:21-26; 13:1-3 Psalm 98:1-6 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny."...." | Settle with our opponents? Many times we will discuss bible scriptures, and then many will say "enemies? I don't have any enemies!" therefore, there is nothing to be done about this whole issue. But the truth is, throughout each and every day, we go through many interactions. For some, like me, it could be hundreds or thousands of interactions. How is this even possible. Every gesture. Every word. Every thought, every meeting with someone, friend or stranger. Every whisper. Every movement, can all glorify God...who is Love, or not. And for the counteraction that occurs, it could hurt your relation with God and others. And this is a self infliction, that calls for one to pay to the last penny. Protestants don't like this notion...of purgatory, but a true lover of God will know this is true. For you will not want to enter Heaven with the smallest blemish that clings to your soul. Protestants will say "you are washed clean and have nothing to pay!", but we know, our God given consciousness knows. Our bodies suffer the repercussions of sin. Our souls suffer tremendously, and it shows in our bodies that dwindle on purpose, for greater Glory. So, our Lord asks us not to be angry, and do not even call others fools! But our Lord said fools...in the right and proper and loving way. To the hypocrites, He calls them fools, because a fool is someone who has been fooled. Sadly, I have been fooled many times in my life, living a life of sin. There was a time that I felt it necessary to be sinful, to keep up with culture. The so called "modern" culture has a way of fooling the youth. But deep down, we all yearn for truth. We yearn for our Lord. God gave us a new commandment written, not in stone...but in blood and flesh....it is Jesus. If only we would love the new Commandment, the Sacred burning Heart of Jesus. The light would quickly immerse the world, on fire of God's love. | audio | Random Bible Verse 1 Ephesians 2:4–7 4 But1 God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com God Bless You! Peace | | |