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Quote of the Day "The spirit of humility is sweeter than honey, and those who nourish themselves with this honey produce sweet fruit." — St. Anthony of Padua
Today's Meditation "The man who is filled with the Holy Spirit speaks in different languages. These different languages are different ways of witnessing to Christ, such as humility, poverty, patience, and obedience; we speak in those languages when we reveal in ourselves these virtues to others. Actions speak louder than words . . . it is useless for a man to flaunt his knowledge of the law if he undermines its teaching by his actions. But the apostles spoke as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech. Happy the man whose words issue from the Holy Spirit and not from himself! ... We should speak, then, as the Holy Spirit give us the gift of speech. Our humble and sincere request to the Spirit for ourselves should be that we may bring the day of Pentecost to fulfillment, insofar as he infuses us with his grace, by using our bodily senses in a perfect manner and by keeping the commandments. " —St. Anthony of Padua, p. 492 An excerpt from Witness of the Saints
Daily Verse "But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit that you have leads to sanctification, and its end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." — Romans 6:22-23 | St. Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) was born in Lisbon, Portugal to a powerful yet pious family. At age 15 he relinquished a life of nobility, wealth, and honor, and chose instead to serve God with the Augustinians. Years later he witnessed the dead bodies of Franciscan friars who had been martyred by Muslims being carried through the town where he was stationed. Filled with renewed zeal to follow Christ even more completely after the example of these martyrs, St. Anthony joined the Franciscan order and traveled to Morocco to preach to the Moors. However, his poor health prevented his mission and he was forced to return to Italy. There he lived a largely quiet and secluded life, spending his time in prayer, study, and priestly duties. No one had any idea of St. Anthony's giftedness as a preacher and teacher of theology until one day he was called upon to be a substitute preacher. He amazed everyone in attendance with his depth of knowledge and oratory skill. He then became the foremost preacher of the Franciscans and was sent to preach against the heretics and the vices of the day. His zeal and effectiveness as a preacher earned him the title "Hammer of the Heretics." St. Anthony was known for his holiness and miracles, and was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1946. He is the patron saint of the elderly, fishermen, and the poor, and is renowned as the finder of lost articles. His feast day is June 13. | Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church Reading 1 2 Corinthians 4:7-15 Brothers and sisters:
We hold this treasure in earthen vessels,
that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.
We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained;
perplexed, but not driven to despair;
persecuted, but not abandoned;
struck down, but not destroyed;
always carrying about in the Body the dying of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.
For we who live are constantly being given up to death
for the sake of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.
Since, then, we have the same spirit of faith,
according to what is written, ""I believed, therefore I spoke,""
we too believe and therefore speak,
knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus
will raise us also with Jesus
and place us with you in his presence.
Everything indeed is for you,
so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people
may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 116:10-11, 15-16, 17-18 R.(17a) To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I believed, even when I said,
"I am greatly afflicted";
I said in my alarm,
"No man is dependable." R. To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds. R. To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
or:
R. Alleluia.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people. R. To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Philippians 2:15d, 16a R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Shine like lights in the world,
as you hold on to the word of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Matthew 5:27-32 Jesus said to his disciples:
"You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery.
But I say to you,
everyone who looks at a woman with lust
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
If your right eye causes you to sin,
tear it out and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.
And if your right hand causes you to sin,
cut it off and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body go into Gehenna. "It was also said,
Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.
But I say to you,
whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful)
causes her to commit adultery,
and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: 2 Corinthians 4:7-15 We hold this treasure in earthen vessels. (2 Corinthians 4:7) Why is St. Paul talking to the Corinthians about earthen vessels? We know that he had established the church at Corinth around AD 50, spent eighteen months with the believers there, and then moved on (Acts 18:1-18). In his absence, other gifted teachers, whom Paul called "superapostles," arrived and confused the Corinthians about doctrine (2 Corinthians 11:5). They persuaded some of the believers to reject Paul's teaching and his authority as a leader. So Paul made a painful return visit, and many believers returned to him—but not all. In today's first reading, then, we see him trying to reassure them of his love and commitment—and defending himself. When Paul calls himself an "earthen vessel," his words aren't just theoretical; they are personal (2 Corinthians 4:7). The Corinthians had been impressed by the "superapostles"; they were wealthy, successful, and articulate. Paul, by contrast, was poor. He lacked eloquence and worked as a manual laborer. He moved from place to place. He was no stranger to persecution and was often beaten by crowds. Naturally, the Corinthians preferred the others. But Jesus himself "became poor although he was rich" (2 Corinthians 8:9)—so much so that his entire life culminated in the humiliation of the cross. So when the Corinthians disapproved of Paul because of his weakness, they were also rejecting Jesus, the true "treasure in earthen vessels" (4:7). Paul reminds us that true discipleship is not about being impressive or garnering praise. It's about carrying the presence of Christ to others. Jesus has chosen to dwell in earthen vessels like us, despite our weakness and fragility. Our call is to point people to Jesus, the treasure within us. This is the good news of the gospel that Paul proclaimed: Jesus takes us as we are and fills us with his presence, a treasure more valuable than gold. He turns our views of greatness upside down and helps us become like him in humility and love. You may feel lacking as a disciple, like a cracked clay pot. That's okay! You carry Jesus Christ himself. He delights to live in you and minister through you! "You are my treasure, Lord!" Psalm 116:10-11, 15-18
Matthew 5:27-32 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "If your right eye causes you to sin,
tear it out and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.
And if your right hand causes you to sin,
cut it off and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body go into Gehenna. "It was also said,
Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.
But I say to you,
whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful)
causes her to commit adultery,
and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery...." | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, in today's Gospel from the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord prohibits divorce.
Is there any better description of sex anywhere in the literature of the world than that provocative line, "The two of them become one flesh"? In a Jewish context, flesh carries the sense of the whole person. Hence sexual union is meant to be a union at all levels.
A husband says to his wife, "My life is no longer about me; it's about you and the children we will have." And the wife says the same thing to her husband: "My life is not mine anymore; it belongs to you and our children."
Some might expect Jesus to have a soft or relativized teaching on divorce, but later in Matthew's Gospel he firmly declares, "What God has joined together, no human being must separate." The husband and wife, who become one flesh, are brought together not just by their mutual attraction but by God. Their union is ingredient in God's purposes. And this is why it cannot be undone. God doesn't go back on his word. "
In the prison, a Muslim asked in a question answer session, about the man's role in marriage.
An explanation was given, he seemed to be satisfied, but, I wanted to let him know there was more...much more.
I explained they symbolism of marriage, in our Catholic upbringing. The Sacrament is made between the man and woman, the Church merely con-validates, it does not convey the sacrament, for the man and the woman sacrament themselves one upon the other. It is the most unique Sacrament in this manner. And this is how it is with our Lord Jesus and His bride, the Church that He desires to be made holy, as He is the head, and gives His life for her. And then, the two become one, the Heavens meet the earth, in a commingling, of the divine, and the flesh. God becomes one with us through Jesus...in the flesh. We are living proof of Christ, as He is enjoined in us in the intimate setting of the Holy Eucharist. But in Marriage, the two become one in the child, and just the intimate union makes them one, a complement, a fulfilling of God's Holy wish.
Marriage has been mocked for many years now. We must reverse this trend of mockery. How? God's will is that the marriage produces children...of God, not children scattered without a Father. This atrocity is hard to witness, a suffering child, that God loves, but is suffering alone in the world as if fatherless.
One of my younger sons has been asking me for a pet lately, a hamster now. I said we used to have some, maybe later. He said he wanted a pet again. I said maybe start small, a hermit crab! He seemed to really want to watch over a pet. A day or two later, a couple days ago, we were walking in the sunset, and one of our dogs was sniffing at something in a weed with thorns. That was strange. Me and that son went, and my son moved the thorns and asked "dad what is that?" I said "that's a baby duck!". "Can I watch it? Can I keep it?", I said "yes, let's take care of it, it is in great danger here with dogs, coyotes, owls, and snakes, maybe when it grows we can release it".
The cute duckling blackish with yellow stripes about its head was weak. It drank water, and it is being fed daily. I told him that the "duckling needs lots of care and attention, they need company, and they look for the first impression, to follow."
The same it is with all the orphans, the fatherless, in great need of great care, and they look to the leader to follow.
It is absolutely critical that we find our Lord and help each other follow our Lord...the Lord of life, yes, but He is the very Sacred Heart of God, pure love pouring out of His heart for the world. He loves you. More than you will ever know. If only the world would know! |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 119:11 11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
