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Quote of the Day
"Young people need the light of watchful guides to lead them on the path of salvation." — St. John Baptist de la Salle
Today's Meditation "Heaven is the birth-place and home of love. Its blessed inhabitants love much, love forever, and love only what is worthy of love. Joseph, however, was blessed by anticipation, for he passed all his days in the exercise of divine love, and lived a life of love upon earth. The Evangelists do not record a single word of this great saint; he observed, indeed, a marvelous silence. Not, however, an ungracious silence. The silence of ordinary men, as well as their irrepressible flow of words, is often merely selfish. But Joseph's silence and his speech were alike prompted and regulated by the law of charity ... His words, indeed, were never superfluous, for they had their source in love, but they were also ruled by his will, not forced from him as the expression of his feelings." —Edward Healy Thompson, p. 362
Daily Verse "For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God." — 2 Timothy 1:7-8 | St. Augustine Zhao Rong (d. 1815) was a Chinese soldier who was assigned to escort the captive Catholic bishop, John Gabriel Taurin Dufresse, to Beijing where he was to be executed by beheading. The bishop's faith made a strong impact on Zhao, who then requested baptism. He took the Christian name Augustine, and later entered the seminary and was ordained to the priesthood. During the continuing persecution of Christians in China, Augustine was one of thousands of Chinese Catholics who suffered martyrdom for the faith. He was arrested, tortured, and killed in 1815. St. Augustine Zhao Rong is honored with a group of 120 martyrs who were killed for their Catholic faith in China from 1648-1930. The group was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II in 2000. Of them, 87 were Chinese natives and 33 were Western missionaries. The feast day of St. Augustine Zhao Rong and the Chinese Martyrs is July 9th. | Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Genesis 41:55-57; 42:5-7a, 17-24a When hunger came to be felt throughout the land of Egypt
and the people cried to Pharaoh for bread,
Pharaoh directed all the Egyptians to go to Joseph
and do whatever he told them.
When the famine had spread throughout the land,
Joseph opened all the cities that had grain
and rationed it to the Egyptians,
since the famine had gripped the land of Egypt.
In fact, all the world came to Joseph to obtain rations of grain,
for famine had gripped the whole world. The sons of Israel were among those
who came to procure rations. It was Joseph, as governor of the country,
who dispensed the rations to all the people.
When Joseph's brothers came and knelt down before him
with their faces to the ground,
he recognized them as soon as he saw them.
But Joseph concealed his own identity from them
and spoke sternly to them. With that, he locked them up in the guardhouse for three days. On the third day Joseph said to his brothers:
"Do this, and you shall live; for I am a God-fearing man.
If you have been honest,
only one of your brothers need be confined in this prison,
while the rest of you may go
and take home provisions for your starving families.
But you must come back to me with your youngest brother.
Your words will thus be verified, and you will not die."
To this they agreed.
To one another, however, they said:
"Alas, we are being punished because of our brother.
We saw the anguish of his heart when he pleaded with us,
yet we paid no heed;
that is why this anguish has now come upon us."
Reuben broke in,
"Did I not tell you not to do wrong to the boy?
But you would not listen!
Now comes the reckoning for his blood."
The brothers did not know, of course,
that Joseph understood what they said,
since he spoke with them through an interpreter.
But turning away from them, he wept. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 33:2-3, 10-11, 18-19 R. (22) Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
Sing to him a new song;
pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness. R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
The LORD brings to nought the plans of nations;
he foils the designs of peoples.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations. R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
But see, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine. R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you. Alleluia Mark 1:15 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand:
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Matthew 10:1-7 Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.
The names of the Twelve Apostles are these:
first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew,
Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;
Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot
who betrayed Jesus. Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
"Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.
Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: 'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Wednesday, July 9 Matthew 10:1-7 Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits. (Matthew 10:1) What comes to mind when you hear the words "unclean spirits"? Maybe the grotesque demons portrayed in centuries-old sacred art? Or St. Peter's image of a lion "prowling around . . . looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8)? Or maybe you remember the famous prayer to St Michael, in which we ask for him to "thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls." Many of these images give us the sense that the devil is a terrifying enemy against whom we are weak and defenseless. But the truth is that every believer is a soldier in this battle. Today we read how Jesus entrusted his apostles—everyday human beings—with his own "authority" (Matthew 10:1). And the history of the Church tells us that this very same authority has been imparted over the centuries to bishops, priests, and even to everyday laypeople. It has been handed down to you! You probably don't remember having been given this authority, but that's exactly what happened to you when you were baptized. Baptism is not just a washing away of your sins. It also grants you a share in the priestly, prophetic, and royal mission of Christ. It gives you the dignity of a child of God—a dignity that enables you to "stand firm against the tactics of the devil" (Ephesians 6:11). So how do we stand firm? Through the powerful weapon of prayer. If you feel tempted to give in to anger or jealousy or lust or any other sin, you can cry out to your heavenly Father, "Deliver me from evil!" You can picture yourself wrapping your arms around the risen Lord and holding tight while the enemy flees. You can stand firm against his lies and accusations by holding fast to the promises of "the word of God," which protects you from "the evil one" (1 John 2:14). Never forget that there is an invisible spiritual struggle going on around you. But never let it fill you with fear or anxiety. Jesus has given you the authority to overcome evil and to live in the "glorious freedom of the children of God" (Romans 8:21). "Lord, thank you for equipping me for the spiritual battle!" Genesis 41:55-57; 42:5-7, 17-24
Psalm 33:2-3, 10-11, 18-19 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
"Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.
Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: 'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'"....." end quote. | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus summons apostles whom he shapes and sends on mission. Priests through the centuries—from Augustine and Aquinas, to Francis Xavier and John Henry Newman, to John Paul II—are the descendants of those first friends and apprentices of the Lord. They have been needed in every age, and they are needed today, for the kingdom of heaven must be proclaimed, the poor must be served, God must be worshiped, and the sacraments must be administered. Spiritual fathers are required especially in our time, when a rising tide of secularism threatens to overwhelm the religious impulse. We are wired for God; we will never satisfy the deepest longing of our heart apart from God. The secularist ideology teaches that sufficient amounts of wealth, pleasure, power, or honor will make us happy. Who will counter this? Who will speak to this culture of the beauty of God? Who will remind us that our lives are not about us? Who will break open the words of the Gospel and spread out the banquet table of Christ's Body and Blood? This is why we need priests." end quote Bishop Barron.
From Roberto Juarez:
"Proclaiming the Kingdom is not a matter of great speeches, but of concrete gestures: accompanying, serving, reconciling, praying with others. • What sign of the Kingdom am I called to bring to those around me?
Jesus instructs them to first go to "the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Sometimes we want to evangelize those outside, but we forget what is close to us and most needs to be heard or accompanied: our family, our friends, co-workers, neighbors. That's where the mission begins. We are called to care, heal and proclaim in our environment, in our families and communities.
Evangelizing is not always talking a lot about God, but living with so much coherence, joy and peace, that others can say: "I also want what you have." • Am I willing to begin my testimony from those closest to me, even if it is uncomfortable or challenging? Jesus called the Twelve and gave them the power to heal. Let us ask the Lord to call us also by name and to make us instruments of his Kingdom of love and peace. Let us have the courage to proclaim him, the wisdom to begin with those around us, and the humility to serve with joy. Amen."
End quote: Roberto Juárez
Our Lord summons everyone with the special call.
Have you heard His call?
Have you been making calls for Him?
Have you been making visits in His name?
Have you therefore...proclaimed His Kingdom that is "at hand" ?
If you are in doubt of any of these, then, take heart, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
What does this even mean though? Why should that affect a person I approach that is fallen away? The lost people, the ones who have lost their way...who are they? Sinners. All of us. We all get lost. We all fall...from grace.
We all need then...each other! We don't have to believe we need to go on a once in a lifetime missionary trip across the world to evangelize lost souls...no! For Heaven's sake no! That is good and has merits, but no, it means more...in our daily lives.
Don't we all need daily reminders that "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand"?
How often do we pray the Lord's prayer and pray those very words in this daily prayer? Thy Kingdom Come! Thy WILL BE DONE!
Right? There it is...the secret...is in doing God's Holy Will.
Soon, repentance follows. Soon, true love in sacrifice follows. Soon, humility, this special light is revealed to the world, and it has a face, yes yours, but Jesus in that face.
May the Sacred Blood of Jesus anoint us all who hear this message today. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Philippians 4:13 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
