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Quote of the Day "Love your children. In them you can see Baby Jesus. Pray for them a lot and every day put them under Holy Mary's protection." — St. Gianna Molla
Today's Meditation Who art thou, that thou shouldst be afraid of a mortal man? Today he is, and tomorrow he appears no more. Fear God, and thou shalt have no need of being afraid of man. What can anyone do against thee by his words or injuries? He rather hurts himself than thee, nor can he escape the judgment of God whoever he be. See thou have God before thine eyes and do not contend with complaining words. And if at present thou seem to be overcome, and to suffer a confusion which thou has not deserved, do not repine at this and do not lessen thy crown by impatience." —Thomas รก Kempis, p.148
Daily Verse "In him we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us the mystery of his will in accord with his favor that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times, to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth." — Ephesians 1:7-10 | Bl. Pope Benedict XI (1240-1304) was born in Italy with the name Nicholas Boccasini. At the age of 14 he entered the Dominican Order, and went on to become a theology professor before being named Master General of the Order in 1296. As Master of the Dominicans, Boccasini defended Pope Boniface VIII when the hostility of secular rulers towards the Roman Pontiff grew, especially during the pope's open conflict with the King of France. In reward for his loyalty, Boccasini was elevated to Cardinal and then Bishop of Ostia. When Hungary was torn with civil war, Boccasini was sent there by the Holy See to restore peace. When he returned to Rome, the Pope's conflict with France reached its height; Boniface VIII was seized, beaten, and driven from the Sacred Palace by his enemies, while Boccasini was one of only two cardinals who defended the Holy Father to the end. After Boniface VIII died, Boccasini was elected in his place and took the name Pope Benedict XI. He excommunicated all those who had taken part in the seizure and abuse of his predecessor, while at the same time restoring peace with the French court. In this time of tumult he repaired the damage with leniency, yet without compromising the Holy See or the good memory of the previous pope. His reign was brief; he died suddenly of a suspected poisoning after only eight months in office. Bl. Pope Benedict XI was the author of a volume of sermons and commentaries on the Gospel of Matthew, Psalms, Job, and Revelation. His feast day is July 7th | Genesis 28:10-22a Jacob departed from Beer-sheba and proceeded toward Haran. When he came upon a certain shrine, as the sun had already set, he stopped there for the night. Taking one of the stones at the shrine, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep at that spot. Then he had a dream: a stairway rested on the ground, with its top reaching to the heavens; and God's messengers were going up and down on it. And there was the Lord standing beside him and saying: "I, the Lord, am the God of your forefather Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you are lying I will give to you and your descendants. These shall be as plentiful as the dust of the earth, and through them you shall spread out east and west, north and south. In you and your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing. Know that I am with you; I will protect you wherever you go, and bring you back to this land. I will never leave you until I have done what I promised you." When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he exclaimed, "Truly, the Lord is in this spot, although I did not know it!" In solemn wonder he cried out: "How awesome is this shrine! This is nothing else but an abode of God, and that is the gateway to heaven!" Early the next morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head, set it up as a memorial stone, and poured oil on top of it. He called the site Bethel, whereas the former name of the town had been Luz. Jacob then made this vow: "If God remains with me, to protect me on this journey I am making and to give me enough bread to eat and clothing to wear, and I come back safe to my father's house, the Lord shall be my God. This stone that I have set up as a memorial stone shall be God's abode." Psalm 91:1-4, 14-15 R. In you, my God, I place my trust. You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
Say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust." R. For he will rescue you from the snare of the fowler,
from the destroying pestilence.
With his pinions he will cover you,
and under his wings you shall take refuge. R. Because he clings to me, I will deliver him;
I will set him on high because he acknowledges my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in distress. R. Gospel Acclamation Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
Cf. 2 Tm 1:10
Alleluia, alleluia. Matthew 9:18-26 While Jesus was speaking, an official came forward, knelt down before him, and said, "My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live." Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples. A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel on his cloak. She said to herself, "If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured." Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, "Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you." And from that hour the woman was cured. When Jesus arrived at the official's house and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion, he said, "Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping." And they ridiculed him. When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand, and the little girl arose. And news of this spread throughout all that land. | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Genesis 28:10-22 Truly the Lord is in this spot, although I did not know it! (Genesis 28:16) In today's first reading, we see Jacob at the beginning of his relationship with the Lord. We know that he has tricked his brother, Esau, out of his inheritance and his blessing. We also know that Esau is intent on revenge. So Jacob's journey to find a bride among his mother's people is also a convenient way for him to flee his brother's wrath. But even as he tries to flee Esau, Jacob can't flee the Lord. God visits him in a dream when he stops for the night at a shrine in Bethel. Jacob's nighttime vision marks a dramatic new step in his relationship with the Lord. Surely he was already familiar with God's promises to his father, Isaac, and his grandfather, Abraham. But now the promise comes to him directly as God appears and swears to him not only the blessings of land and descendants—promises he had also made to Abraham and Isaac—but also his ongoing presence and protection for Jacob himself! Jacob's response is typical of a man of his time, when people bargained with their gods to gain some benefit. He agrees to follow God if God grants him success and keeps him safe. But the Lord accepts Jacob's less-than-ideal response. He knows that over time, Jacob will gain a new awareness of the way that God is working out his purposes in his life. Like Jacob, we can be surprised—and blessed—when God reaches out to us and invites us to draw closer to him. Sometimes he does this in a dramatic way, like when we experience a clear sense of his presence in prayer or when he gives us a wake-up call about a pattern of sin or complacency in our lives. But sometimes it's a gentler nudge, like an impulse to join a Bible study, help with a parish outreach, or pick up a book lying on a table. Your faith is more than something you inherited from your family. It's meant to grow over your lifetime and draw you closer to the Lord. It's meant to bring you into a personal relationship with the living God. Today's reading shows us Jacob at the start of his journey, but it was only the beginning. God had much more in store for him. And the same is true for you! "Lord, give me the eyes to see you and the heart to respond and draw closer to you." Psalm 91:1-4, 14-15&l
Matthew 9:18-26 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "She said to herself, "If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured." Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, "Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you." And from that hour the woman was cured. When Jesus arrived at the official's house and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion, he said, "Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping." And they ridiculed him. When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand, and the little girl arose. And news of this spread throughout all that land......" end quote. | "Lord, today I want to touch you with my heart, like that woman who believed without words, like that father who sought you without fear. Raise me up from my deaths, heal me in my wounds, and may my faith make me walk again with joy." , Roberto Juarez.
And you? What would you like to be healed from? "Where does it hurt?" asks the doctor. "On a scale from 1 to 10, what level is your pain?".
For the hemorrhaging woman, it was years and years of suffering, bleeding out. Everything hurt. Her body, her mind, her soul. Somehow, she broke through the crowds and was healed by our Lord, without Him even knowing about the request...she was just healed! Say what? Yes!
We can reach to God's power, by a simple touch, a simple act of faith!
Can you imagine then what can happen with God's full knowledge of the request?
I'm thinking of the Holy Mass. In the Mass there is everything. There is Jesus at the center. There is the person who needs to touch Him. In the Mass there is the full knowledge of God and His Holy Divine Presence. And what we have now is the granting of the desires of our hearts as we all pray in one accord. We pray for mercy.
That is why I go.
My soul suffers the effects of my sin and the sins of others.
I go to touch Him, and with Him in full knowledge of my requests.
I need help, I always pray. Don't we all?
I need grace, the whole world needs more grace.
We need healing, our finite needs the infinite.
Our souls then...need Christ our Lord...for everything.
And so God gives us everything...in Christ.
He says to all in the world, "you have Me, what else could you desire?" |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
John 6:37 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
