†
Quote of the Day
"Never will we understand the value of time better than when our last hour is at hand." — St. Arnold Janssen
Today's Meditation
"This God of all goodness has made those things easy which are common and necessary in the order of nature, such as breathing, eating, and sleeping. No less necessary in the supernatural order are love and fidelity, therefore it must needs be that the difficulty of acquiring them is by no means so great as is generally represented. Review your life. Is it not composed of innumerable actions of very little importance? Well, God is quite satisfied with these. They are the share that the soul must take in the work of its perfection." —Jean-Pierre de Caussade
Daily Verse "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings, who publishes peace, who brings good tidings of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.'" — Isaiah 52:7 | St. Junipero Serra (1713 - 1784) was born to a farming family on the Spanish island of Majorca. He was baptized the same day he was born, and was later sent to be educated by the Franciscans. In 1730 he joined the Franciscans and was ordained to the priesthood. St. Junipero was considered brilliant by his peers; he was well-trained in philosophy and theology, and taught at the university. In 1750 he traveled to the New World and began ministering to the people of Mexico City. In 1768 he moved north and began working in the Californian missions. As a result of his tireless missionary efforts, he is largely responsible for the spread of Catholicism along the western coast of the United States—as testified by the many Californian cities with Spanish Christian names. He founded the first nine of twenty-one Catholic missions that spread along the California coast. He converted thousands of Native Americans to the Christian faith and taught them new methods of agriculture, animal husbandry, and craftsmanship. He died from tuberculosis at the age of 71. The Native Americans he ministered wept at his death out of their love for him. Junipero Serra was beatified by Pope St. John Paul II in 1988 and canonized by Pope Francis during his trip to the United States in 2015, the first canonization Mass to ever take place on American soil. His feast day is July 1st. | Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Genesis 19:15-29 As dawn was breaking, the angels urged Lot on, saying, "On your way!
Take with you your wife and your two daughters who are here,
or you will be swept away in the punishment of Sodom."
When he hesitated, the men, by the LORD's mercy,
seized his hand and the hands of his wife and his two daughters
and led them to safety outside the city.
As soon as they had been brought outside, he was told:
"Flee for your life!
Don't look back or stop anywhere on the Plain.
Get off to the hills at once, or you will be swept away."
"Oh, no, my lord!" Lot replied,
"You have already thought enough of your servant
to do me the great kindness of intervening to save my life.
But I cannot flee to the hills to keep the disaster from overtaking me,
and so I shall die.
Look, this town ahead is near enough to escape to.
It's only a small place.
Let me flee there–it's a small place, is it not?–
that my life may be saved."
"Well, then," he replied,
"I will also grant you the favor you now ask.
I will not overthrow the town you speak of.
Hurry, escape there!
I cannot do anything until you arrive there."
That is why the town is called Zoar. The sun was just rising over the earth as Lot arrived in Zoar;
at the same time the LORD rained down sulphurous fire
upon Sodom and Gomorrah
from the LORD out of heaven.
He overthrew those cities and the whole Plain,
together with the inhabitants of the cities
and the produce of the soil.
But Lot's wife looked back, and she was turned into a pillar of salt. Early the next morning Abraham went to the place
where he had stood in the LORD's presence.
As he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah
and the whole region of the Plain,
he saw dense smoke over the land rising like fumes from a furnace. Thus it came to pass: when God destroyed the Cities of the Plain,
he was mindful of Abraham by sending Lot away from the upheaval
by which God overthrew the cities where Lot had been living. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 26:2-3, 9-10, 11-12 R.(3a) O Lord, your mercy is before my eyes.
Search me, O LORD, and try me;
test my soul and my heart.
For your mercy is before my eyes,
and I walk in your truth.
R. O Lord, your mercy is before my eyes.
Gather not my soul with those of sinners,
nor with men of blood my life.
On their hands are crimes,
and their right hands are full of bribes.
R. O Lord, your mercy is before my eyes.
But I walk in integrity;
redeem me, and have mercy on me.
My foot stands on level ground;
in the assemblies I will bless the LORD.
R. O Lord, your mercy is before my eyes. Alleluia Psalm 130:5 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Matthew 8:23-27 As Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him.
Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea,
so that the boat was being swamped by waves;
but he was asleep.
They came and woke him, saying,
"Lord, save us! We are perishing!"
He said to them, "Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?"
Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea,
and there was great calm.
The men were amazed and said, "What sort of man is this,
whom even the winds and the sea obey?" | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Matthew 8:23-27 What sort of man is this? (Matthew 8:27) The disciples had just witnessed Jesus do two things that no ordinary person would do. First, they caught him sleeping peacefully as their boat was being rocked by a "violent storm" (Matthew 8:24). Then they saw him stand up, face the storm, and rebuke it as if it were a minor threat (8:26). And the storm ceased! No wonder they asked, "What sort of man is this?" (8:27). So what sort of man is Jesus? Let's see what this reading shows us. First, Jesus is a man of steadfast commitment to his mission. When the disciples woke him up, he could have angrily scolded them for panicking and then gone back to sleep. But his first thought was for them and their continued spiritual growth. With one simple question, he highlights their need and calls them to deeper trust: "Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?" (Matthew 8:26). He took every opportunity to keep teaching, encouraging, and forming his disciples. Second, Jesus is a man of divine authority. Not the human authority of a CEO or a king, but his own authority as God the Son. No matter how much worldly power a person amasses, they are still subject to forces beyond their control: diseases and hurricanes, for example. But Jesus shows himself to be the Master of the storms and the seas. "Even the winds and the sea" obey him (Matthew 8:27). Finally, and most important, Jesus is not just a man. Could a man, even a holy man, do everything Jesus did? Not in the least! Jesus is fully human, of course, but he is also fully divine. He is "God from God, Light from Light, . . . consubstantial with the Father." He is the all-holy Son of God who took on human flesh to save us. Who is Jesus? He is your Savior, your protector, and your Lord. He loves you completely and is more than able to calm whatever "storms" surround you. "Jesus, Lord of heaven and earth, I surrender my heart to you!" Genesis 19:15-29
Psalm 26:2-3, 9-12 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "They came and woke him, saying,
"Lord, save us! We are perishing!"
He said to them, "Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?"
Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea,
and there was great calm.
The men were amazed and said, "What sort of man is this,
whom even the winds and the sea obey?"....." end quote. | From Roberto Juarez:
"We find three ideas for reflection in the text:
First of all, Jesus is present in the midst of our storms. Although he seems to sleep, he does not give up. On many occasions our lives have moments of trial, hard, difficult and in which it seems that we have been abandoned by God, "left by the hand of God" we usually say. Everything is a disaster. But it is in those moments that God's presence is uncertain, and although we do not feel his immediate action, God is there with more security. God does not abandon. God squeezes, but does not suffocate, as the saying goes, and our trust in Him must be continuous.
Second, fear reveals our lack of faith. The disciples' reaction shows how fear can cloud trust in the Lord. Jesus challenges them to learn to believe even in the dark. We too feel fear and our reaction is to doubt God's presence. In the face of misfortunes, the question arises: Where is God who allows this? Our faith is shaken and doubts cause us to question ourselves. Jesus reproaches the disciples and also us when we hesitate and doubt. It is in those moments of darkness that we must most trust in God, who never gives up. Third, Jesus has authority over chaos. His power over the wind and the sea shows that He is more than a teacher—He is the Son of God. Creation obeys him. We can trust Him completely. The disciples were amazed at this power, as were we. And we also wonder who Jesus is to have this power. Only God is obeyed by the forces of the sea and the sky. • What "storms" am I experiencing in my life today, and how am I inviting Jesus to be present in the midst of them? • Do I really trust the Lord when he seems to be "sleeping" and not immediately responding to my needs? • Do I let fear govern my decisions, or do I strive to grow in faith and trust in the power of Jesus? end quote.
Bishop Robert Barron said: "This beautiful narrative seems to suggest that if we but awaken to the presence of God within us, if we learn to live and to see at a deeper level, if we live in basic trust rather than fear, then we can withstand even the most frightening storms." end quote.
The men were afraid, grown men, many of them fisher men with experience on the sea. Something caused a fear. And it could very well be what has been the biggest problem since Adam and Eve...that little doubt.
That little thing that turns into big things. A small storm turns into the worst ever in your eyes. That little thing that is actually contrary to...faith. That little thing that causes a division.
Because you doubt, you hate.
Because you doubt, you are afraid of even what God Himself can do.
Because you doubt, you shy away.
Because you doubt, you begin to feel shame.
Because you doubt, the world looks worse now.
Because you doubt, now...you are afraid.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg, the little you see above the water, but you cannot see what is below.
What is happening at the core...of your soul?
Every life force can be a light source. How? Light to light. In the beginning God said "Let there be light". And then...as light progressed...people were born...made in His image and likeness.
In the world, you may not feel special, and you may feel often overlooked or even pointless.
The little things you do that nobody sees....God sees. Your little thoughts that nobody knows, GOD KNOWS! What you dabble with is creation, and we are called to be co-creators in a sense, to be creative with His gift...of life, and love. What matters then is just that...His Holy desire, that we might obey, but not out of doubt or fear, but to do His Holy Will because you love Him, and desire to show Him how much you love Him in return.... |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 3:3–4 3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will find favor and good success1 in the sight of God and man. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
