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Quote of the Day "Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe." — St. Augustine
Today's Meditation "The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ's Passover, that is, of the work of salvation accomplished by the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, a work made present by the liturgical action. It is Christ himself, the eternal high priest of the New Covenant who, acting through the ministry of the priests, offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. And it is the same Christ, really present under the species of bread and wine, who is the offering of the Eucharistic sacrifice." —Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1409-1410
Daily Verse "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body." — 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 | St. Bernardino Realino (1530–1616) was born in Italy to a noble family. He grew into an accomplished "Renaissance Man" of his day; he studied law and medicine, had a successful career as an attorney and judge, and served as the mayor of three cities. At the age of 34 he completed an eight-day retreat with Jesuit priests, and during this time he discerned a call to the religious life. He entered the Jesuit order and was ordained a priest in 1567. As a priest he preached, taught, and visited the sick and poor in the areas of Naples and Lecce. He was much loved and venerated by the people he ministered to, especially because of the miracles he performed. It was commonly believed among the people that he was a living saint. Even public scandal and civil strife were calmed due to his holy influence. While he was on his death bed, the city leaders of Lecce came to request of him that he become the official patron saint of their city once he entered heaven. After St. Bernardino's death, vials of his blood were kept for veneration, which were observed to liquefy and exhibit unusual phenomena for more than a century. St. Bernardino Realino's feast day is July 2nd. | Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Genesis 21:5, 8-20a Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
Isaac grew, and on the day of the child's weaning
Abraham held a great feast. Sarah noticed the son whom Hagar the Egyptian
had borne to Abraham
playing with her son Isaac;
so she demanded of Abraham:
"Drive out that slave and her son!
No son of that slave is going to share the inheritance
with my son Isaac!"
Abraham was greatly distressed,
especially on account of his son Ishmael.
But God said to Abraham: "Do not be distressed about the boy
or about your slave woman.
Heed the demands of Sarah, no matter what she is asking of you;
for it is through Isaac that descendants shall bear your name.
As for the son of the slave woman,
I will make a great nation of him also,
since he too is your offspring." Early the next morning Abraham got some bread and a skin of water
and gave them to Hagar.
Then, placing the child on her back, he sent her away.
As she roamed aimlessly in the wilderness of Beer-sheba,
the water in the skin was used up.
So she put the child down under a shrub,
and then went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away;
for she said to herself, "Let me not watch to see the child die."
As she sat opposite Ishmael, he began to cry.
God heard the boy's cry,
and God's messenger called to Hagar from heaven:
"What is the matter, Hagar?
Don't be afraid; God has heard the boy's cry in this plight of his.
Arise, lift up the boy and hold him by the hand;
for I will make of him a great nation."
Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water.
She went and filled the skin with water, and then let the boy drink. God was with the boy as he grew up. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 34:7-8, 10-11, 12-13 R. (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them. R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
Fear the LORD, you his holy ones,
for nought is lacking to those who fear him.
The great grow poor and hungry;
but those who seek the LORD want for no good thing. R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
Come, children, hear me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Which of you desires life,
and takes delight in prosperous days? R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor. Alleluia James 1:18 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Father willed to give us birth by the word of truth
that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Matthew 8:28-34 When Jesus came to the territory of the Gadarenes,
two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him.
They were so savage that no one could travel by that road.
They cried out, "What have you to do with us, Son of God?
Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?"
Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding.
The demons pleaded with him,
"If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine."
And he said to them, "Go then!"
They came out and entered the swine,
and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea
where they drowned.
The swineherds ran away,
and when they came to the town they reported everything,
including what had happened to the demoniacs.
Thereupon the whole town came out to meet Jesus,
and when they saw him they begged him to leave their district.
| Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Genesis 21:5, 8-20 He too is your offspring. (Genesis 21:13) When Sarah saw her son, Isaac, playing with Hagar's son, Ishmael, she demanded that Abraham "drive out that slave and her son!" (Genesis 21:10). She didn't want Isaac to share any part of Abraham's inheritance with Ishmael. But Abraham loved both his sons. How could he turn his back on his own child? It must have been very hard for him to send Hagar and Ishmael into the barren desert with only bread and water. What chance would they have of surviving in such a harsh environment? God understood how upset Abraham was. So he reassured him: God himself would provide what Abraham did not. He would protect and take care of Hagar and Ishmael. Not only that, but God would make Ishmael the father of a great nation "since he too is your offspring" (Genesis 21:13). So Abraham remembered God's faithfulness and trusted that he would do what he had promised, even though he had no idea how he would do it. And that's exactly what God did (25:12-18). Today's first reading gives us another example of Abraham's trust in the Lord. Like the faith he showed when he pulled out the knife to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham believed God's promise about Ishmael and surrendered this beloved son, not knowing what the outcome would be. As St. Paul wrote, Abraham was "fully convinced that what [God] had promised he was also able to do" (Romans 4:21). That's a good definition of faith! Like Abraham, we can grow in our faith as we recall all the promises that God has already fulfilled and trust that he can bring good out of every situation. He promised to protect Hagar and Ishmael, and he did. He promised to rescue the Israelites from slavery, and he did. He promised to send a Messiah to save us, and he did. He promised eternal life to all who believe—and that's a promise you'll see fulfilled in heaven, when you see Jesus face-to-face. What a wonderful God we have! He always fulfills his promises. "Lord, I believe! When I have doubts, help me to remember what you have already done for me." Psalm 34:7-8, 10-13
Matthew 8:28-34 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "They were so savage that no one could travel by that road.
They cried out, "What have you to do with us, Son of God?
Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?"
Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding.
The demons pleaded with him,
"If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine."
And he said to them, "Go then!"
They came out and entered the swine,
and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea
where they drowned......" end quote. | The demons were cast into pigs. The pigs went crazy and killed themselves. The swineherds reported everything to the town and the townspeople got upset and cast our Lord out of their town.
Now, what in the world is going on...until today?
They didn't want any more "trouble". They were happy with those couple demoniacs. We get comfortable with "contained sin". Sure those two are damned to hell, but "who cares?" is really the attitude. They thought it was better for them to live like that, than for Jesus to come save them and mess up...their cash flow, their economics. And it is like that every time there is an election for president. People vote with their pocketbooks. Never-mind the millions dying from abortions, the innocent children. Never-mind the politics that will affect the faith by ruling against religion. No, the people want cash in their pockets, so what if some suffer, "who cares?"?
Jesus cares. Those two nobody cared about, Jesus cared about them. It is evident, we have clear evidence that HE once again risked His life to save one or two.
This morning I read a story of a little girl that fell off a cruise ship, and the dad dove into the ocean to save her. He risked everything, left the 99 to save the one. This is the absolute crazy love of a real father, and we all have that father...Father God, the father of Abraham, the Father of Love, and God is Love and JESUS IS THE PRECIOUS BODY AND BLOOD OF GOD.
We are now in the precious blood of Jesus month. Last month, June, was dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
This is the body of God on earth, Jesus. The one who dove into the world to save you and to save me.
That's crazy love. That we are being poured out drops of blood daily.
For the past several years, I have been praying a devotion every morning to every single blood drop of Jesus. I heard that if you prayed this devotion of praying 2 Our Fathers, 2 Glory Be, and 2 Hail Mary prayers for 3 years, you could obtain the full indulgence and granted thereby, a more clear path to heaven. I've been at it for probably 5 years now, I've lost track of counting, because I no longer care about my salvation, but only about His every blood drop that came to purify and save a soul. They say "a rough estimate for an average adult is around 85,000 drops." If I said 6 prayers every day then, for every blood drop, it'd take 38 years of praying. But one blood drop can save a soul. How can we not honor, that blood drop that can save all of our souls at once?
Yet...it is here. The Eucharist. Yet, it is there in the Sacraments. And yet, just pronouncing it has power.
Who are we casting out of our lives on Sunday morning?
Who are we worshiping on Monday morning?
Where is true sacrifice of honor, and devotion? From ChurchPop Today:
Saint Catherine of Siena's "Constant Prayer" to the Precious Blood of Jesus "Precious Blood, ocean of divine mercy: Flow upon us! Precious Blood, most pure offering: Procure us every grace! Precious Blood, hope and refuge of sinners: Atone for us! Precious Blood, delight of holy souls: Draw us! Amen." |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Galatians 6:2 2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
