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Quote of the Day
"For true hearts there is no separating ocean; or, rather, God is their ocean, in Whom they meet and are united; they love, and lose themselves in Him and in each other." — St. Theodore Guerin
Today's Meditation "No creature ever loved Jesus Christ more ardently, nor showed more perfect submission to His will, than Mary, His mother. If then, this Savior, immolated for us sinners, gave His mother to us, an advocate and intercessor for all time, she cannot but comply with His request, and will not refuse us her assistance. Let us, then, not hesitate to implore her pity; let us have recourse to her with great confidence in all our necessities, as she is an inexhaustible source of blessing, bestowing her favors in proportion to the confidence placed in her." —Dom Lorenzo Scupoli, p. 152
Daily Verse "Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the faithful! Let Israel be glad in his Maker, let the sons of Zion rejoice in their King! Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with timbrel and lyre! For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with victory." — Psalm 149: 1-4 | St. Dominic Henares (1764-1838) was born to a poor family in Spain. He joined the Dominican Order and was ordained a priest in 1790. Ten years later he was sent as a missionary to the Far East. He went from Mexico to the Philippines, and finally to North Vietnam. He became Bishop of Phunhay, Vietnam, in 1803. In 1831 the Vietnamese emperor officially prohibited Catholicism and severely persecuted the Church. Whole villages were sent into exile; priests were arrested and subjected to the most terrible tortures before they were killed. Those who helped capture them were richly rewarded. Bishop Henares was arrested and beheaded in Nam Dinh on June 25, 1838; the soldiers and villagers who participated in his arrest received generous compensation. St. Dominic Henares is one of an estimated 130,000 to 300,000 Catholics martyred for the faith in Vietnam between the 15th and 20th centuries. They were canonized together by Pope St. John Paul II in 1988. St. Dominic Henares' feast day is June 25, and the collective memorial for 117 of the Vietnamese Martyrs is November 24. | Wednesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Reading I Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram! I am your shield; I will make your reward very great."
But Abram said,
"O Lord GOD, what good will your gifts be,
if I keep on being childless
and have as my heir the steward of my house, Eliezer?"
Abram continued,
"See, you have given me no offspring,
and so one of my servants will be my heir."
Then the word of the LORD came to him:
"No, that one shall not be your heir;
your own issue shall be your heir."
He took him outside and said:
"Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.
Just so," he added, "shall your descendants be."
Abram put his faith in the LORD,
who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.
He then said to him,
"I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans
to give you this land as a possession."
"O Lord GOD," he asked,
"how am I to know that I shall possess it?"
He answered him,
"Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat,
a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon."
Abram brought him all these, split them in two,
and placed each half opposite the other;
but the birds he did not cut up.
Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses,
but Abram stayed with them.
As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram,
and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.
When the sun had set and it was dark,
there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch,
which passed between those pieces.
It was on that occasion that the LORD made a covenant with Abram,
saying: "To your descendants I give this land,
from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River the Euphrates." Responsorial Psalm Psalm 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9 R. (8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name; make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise, proclaim all his wondrous deeds. R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glory in his holy name; rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength; seek to serve him constantly. R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God; throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia. He remembers forever his covenant which he made binding for a thousand generations—
Which he entered into with Abraham and by his oath to Isaac. R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia John 15:4a, 5b R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Remain in me, as I remain in you, says the Lord;
whoever remains in me will bear much fruit.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Matthew 7:15-20 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing,
but underneath are ravenous wolves.
By their fruits you will know them.
Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,
and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down
and thrown into the fire.
So by their fruits you will know them."
| Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 What good will your gifts be? (Genesis 15:2) When we think about Abraham, we tend to think of him as a great hero of faith. But today's reading gives us a more nuanced picture. Yes, it tells us that Abraham "put his faith in the Lord" against all odds (Genesis 15:6). But it also shows us a man filled with doubts who has no problem complaining to the Lord he was called to believe in. Abraham asks God, "What good will your gifts be, if I keep on being childless?" (Genesis 15:2). God has been generous with him and has protected him on his long journey to the Promised Land, but he still hasn't given him the son that he had promised him. So how can the Lord make "a great nation" from him if he and Sarah end up dying childless (12:2)? You can almost picture him pointing an accusing finger at the heavens as he airs his frustrations and grievances. But see how God responds to Abraham. He doesn't get angry at his lack of gratitude. He doesn't rebuke his insolent words or get exasperated by his skepticism. Instead, he repeats his promise, stating that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky. Then, to make sure Abraham understands how serious he is, he enters into a covenant with him (Genesis 15:9-10, 17). This passage shows us that our God has all the patience and understanding in the world. It also shows us that having faith doesn't mean being free of all doubts, questions, and fears. That means that you can feel free to pour them all out to the Lord, just as Abraham did. God won't leave you in the dark, with no clue where to turn next. His guidance is all around you—in the promptings of the Holy Spirit, in the wisdom of the Scriptures, in the advice of a trusted spiritual mentor. It's comforting to remember that even after everything narrated in today's passage, Abraham still didn't know exactly how God's promises would come to pass. But he believed the Lord. He trusted that God was faithful, and that was enough to help him push through his worries. May we all follow the example of this human, faith-filled man! "Father, you know my doubts and fears. Help me to trust in your faithful love!" Psalm 105:1-4, 6-9
Matthew 7:15-20 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "Jesus said to his disciples:
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing,
but underneath are ravenous wolves.
By their fruits you will know them.
Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,
and a rotten tree bears bad fruit........." end quote. | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus tells us that a tree is known by its fruits. In the fifth chapter of his Letter to the Galatians, Paul makes this very specific. He tells us that the fruits of the Holy Spirit are "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control," implying that the Spirit's presence in one's life can be read from its radiance in these soul-expanding qualities.
All of Paul's "fruits of the Holy Spirit" are marks of an outward-looking, expansive magna anima (great soul), which stands in contradistinction to the pusilla anima (cramped soul) of the sinner. Thus love is willing the good of the other as other; joy is self-diffusive; patience bears with the troublesome; kindness makes the other gentle; self-control restricts the havoc that the ego can cause; etc.
When is the Spirit present? When these attributes are awakened and sustained; when our souls are made great." end quote.
How in the world will we know someone is a false prophet?
Nowadays, there are so many fakes and fakers, and it is only getting worse with artificial intelligence that can make fake people and fake news.
How can we know....the Truth?
Easy! It will always be Jesus. It will always be conveyed in the Holy Spirit. And it will always lead us to God our Father!
So...how do we just that exactly?
That connection needs to be nourished daily. The daily bread. The very intimacy with Christ our Lord.
You are being connected now, as we speak with these words, to Our Creator and Father and Lover of souls.
Oh My Lord how can we love Thee as we ought!?
Oh Lord my God, help us love Thee More and More!
In some ministries, I'm seeing people saying they do not want to help anymore. As if it is too much?
How can we show God we love Him if all we want to do is our "own thing"? As if to say "God, I'm just going to love you the way I say, not the way you desire".
This is not faith. This is folly.
To do God's will is everything to a true God lover.
So many take it to the next level, like I heard one say yesterday "I know they say we got to go to Mass every Sunday, but I only go when I feel like I need it, you know?".
I didn't say much. Nobody really seemed to agree, not even an agnostic atheist next to me seemed to chime in.
Silence was there after the comment.
And the truth prevails. Why? How?
Because, God has written it in our hearts, His own laws of Love that will judge us, ourselves when we meet Him face to face.
And the whole of the issue would've been the same question Saint Peter faced: "Do YOU Love Me?"
Then do as Jesus says. All the way to the cross.
I'm suffering much troubles in the many ministries I am in.
Why do I have so many heartaches? I asked myself this yesterday.
It is the people, and their miserable ways...of loving God.
The ministries are easy! That's how I've been able to serve in so many simultaneously for years. But lately, just cowardly, lazy, unfaithful attitudes, that turn to debauchery, hatred, and divisions, all things contrary to God's laws.
And so the fight is back. The fight for God's love. The fight for God's Kingdom. Nothing is easy! If it were easy, the cross would be loved by all! And it doesn't help to complain! LOL.
I ask then, whatever you are doing...especially for God, (which is everything), then do it for Him, and with great care and great love. No matter how small the mundane tasks can be.
We serve a great God, who has given us everything we have no matter how big or small.
Did you notice the flowers on your way to work, as you arose and walked about? God sent you flowers, and birds to make you look up to the Heavens, did you count the birds? 2 means "Love You", and three means "I Love YOU!". Say it to God as you live, both now...and forever...on earth as it is in Heaven. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
1 Corinthians 4:20 20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
