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Quote of the Day
"God does not fit in an occupied heart." St. John of the Cross
Today's Meditation "[Some people], when they [receive Holy Communion], strive with all their might for sensible sweetness, instead of worshipping in humility and praising God within themselves. So much are they given to this, that they think when they derive no sensible sweetness, they have done nothing, so meanly do they think of God; neither do they understand that the least of the blessings of the Most Holy Sacrament is that which touches the senses, and that the invisible grace It confers is far greater; for God frequently withholds these sensible favors from men, that they may fix the eyes of faith upon Himself . . . All this is a very great imperfection, being against the purity of Faith, and directly at variance with the nature of God."
—St. John of the Cross, p. 28
Daily Verse "Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Matthew 16:24-25 | St. Amelia
St. Amelia (741-772 A.D.) was born into a noble and pious Christian family in the land of the Ardennes, bordering what is today Belgium and Luxembourg. She was a devout child of strong character who committed her virginity to Christ from a young age. However, because she was such a beautiful and virtuous woman, she was pursued for several years by the young Charlemagne. In one account, Charlemagne broke her arm in a physical struggle to hold her hand, and afterwards her arm was miraculously healed. His romantic interest was rebuffed, and Amelia was eventually able to realize her desire to enter the convent. She spent the rest of her life in the Benedictine abbey of Münster-Bilzen in Belgium, and helped to build a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the Belgian town of Temsche. St. Amelia is said to have performed many miracles, the most famous being the one in which she crossed the Schelde River miraculously while standing on the back of a giant sturgeon fish. St. Amelia is the patroness of farmers, fishermen, and those suffering from arm and shoulder pain. Her feast day is celebrated on July 10th. | Genesis 44:18-21, 23b-29; 45:1-5 Judah approached Joseph and said: "I beg you, my lord, let your servant speak earnestly to my lord, and do not become angry with your servant, for you are the equal of Pharaoh. My lord asked your servants, 'Have you a father, or another brother?' So we said to my lord, 'We have an aged father, and a young brother, the child of his old age. This one's full brother is dead, and since he is the only one by that mother who is left, his father dotes on him.' Then you told your servants, 'Bring him down to me that my eyes may look on him. Unless your youngest brother comes back with you, you shall not come into my presence again.' When we returned to your servant our father, we reported to him the words of my lord. "Later, our father told us to come back and buy some food for the family. So we reminded him, 'We cannot go down there; only if our youngest brother is with us can we go, for we may not see the man if our youngest brother is not with us.' Then your servant our father said to us, 'As you know, my wife bore me two sons. One of them, however, disappeared, and I had to conclude that he must have been torn to pieces by wild beasts; I have not seen him since. If you now take this one away from me, too, and some disaster befalls him, you will send my white head down to the nether world in grief.'" Joseph could no longer control himself in the presence of all his attendants, so he cried out, "Have everyone withdraw from me!" Thus no one else was about when he made himself known to his brothers. But his sobs were so loud that the Egyptians heard him, and so the news reached Pharaoh's palace. "I am Joseph," he said to his brothers. "Is my father still in good health?" But his brothers could give him no answer, so dumbfounded were they at him. "Come closer to me," he told his brothers. When they had done so, he said: "I am your brother Joseph, whom you once sold into Egypt. But now do not be distressed, and do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here. It was really for the sake of saving lives that God sent me here ahead of you." Psalm 105: 16-21 R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
or R. Alleluia.
When the Lord called down a famine on the land
and ruined the crop that sustained them,
He sent a man before them,
Joseph, sold as a slave. R. They had weighed him down with fetters,
and he was bound with chains,
Till his prediction came to pass
and the word of the Lord proved him true. R. The king sent and released him,
the ruler of the peoples set him free.
He made him lord of his house
and ruler of all his possessions. R. Gospel Acclamation Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand:
repent and believe in the Gospel. -Mk 1:15
Alleluia, alleluia. Matthew 10:7-15 Jesus said to his Apostles: "As you go, make this proclamation: 'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give. Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. The laborer deserves his keep. Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave. As you enter a house, wish it peace. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you. Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words—go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet. Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Matthew 10:7-15 Make this proclamation, "The Kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 10:7) Bob won't forget the day he met his coworker Jim. A last-minute change to their project sent the entire team scrambling. Tempers were short; words were abrupt. Except for Jim. He remained calm and focused and respectful to the rest of the team. When Bob approached Jim's desk to check on some data, he noticed a small crucifix leaning against the computer monitor. It made Bob—a lapsed Catholic—start to wonder: maybe there was a different way to approach his workday. Maybe he didn't have to react sharply to his coworkers. Maybe he could maintain some sense of peace in stressful situations. He decided he was going to ask Jim about that crucifix. This interaction might not be what you think of when you hear Jesus tell his apostles to proclaim that "the Kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 10:7). But it is one way that you can make the kingdom of God more visible to the people around you. Your "proclamation" might be with words, but it might also be through the witness of your life. Jesus lives in you, and anywhere you go, he goes with you. You carry within you everything that he has taught you, all the ways he has freed you from sin, and the ways he has brought you healing and peace. As people catch a glimpse of Jesus through you, they begin to see what the kingdom of heaven looks like. So take heart! Proclaiming the kingdom doesn't have to be daunting. Remember, Jesus is with you, and he has made a difference in your life. That means it's ultimately not your power or words that change people's hearts. It's the presence and power of Christ living in you. As you begin your day today, ask the Lord to direct your steps. Maybe he will lead you to share with a neighbor about how Jesus changed your life. Or maybe, like Jim's impact on Bob, he will use the witness of your presence to plant a seed of faith in them. Either way, the kingdom of heaven really is at hand—in you (Luke 17:21)! "Jesus, you live in me. Let my life be a clear proclamation of your kingdom everywhere I go." Genesis 44:18-21, 23-29; 45:1-5
Psalm 105:16-21 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: " Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words—go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet. Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town."...." end quote. | From Roberto Juarez:
"• How do I react to rejection or indifference when I try to bear witness?
Let us ask the Lord that his living Word may burn in our hearts and impel us to share it with generosity and joy. Let us be humble and trusting witnesses, who walk lightly, without fear or attachment, and who sow hope even when we do not see the fruit." end quote.
From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus sends the Twelve to evangelize the countryside. To evangelize is to proclaim Jesus Christ crucified and risen from the dead. When this kerygma, this Paschal Mystery, is not at the heart of the project, Christian evangelization effectively disappears, devolving into a summons to bland religiosity or generic spirituality. When Jesus crucified and risen is not proclaimed, a beige and unthreatening Catholicism emerges, a thought system that is, at best, an echo of the environing culture. Peter Maurin, one of the founders of the Catholic Worker movement, said that the Church has taken its own dynamite and placed it in hermetically sealed containers and sat on the lid. In a similar vein, Protestant theologian Stanley Hauerwas commented that the problem with Christianity is not that it is socially conservative or politically liberal but that "it is just too damned dull"! For both Maurin and Hauerwas, what leads to this attenuation is a refusal to preach the dangerous and unnerving news concerning Jesus risen from the dead." end quote.
Have you ever spread the word to somebody that you thought could use it...or invited them to a church thing...and they seem to ignore what you said?
If you're doing a good job of evangelizing, you should see this effect happening quite often.
But if you are not experiencing rejections, then...there's probably more work to be done in God's vineyard.
Our Lord wants us to spread the Word, the Good News to every piece of the world...yes...THE WORLD...your world that is.
It is a joint venture He wishes to embark on with every soul that is baptized.
And this in of itself...is GOOD NEWS. Good news that our Lord wants to be in on something...together....good or bad, He wants in on it....He loves it when you involve Him! And when it is about Our Heavenly Father's business? He's in.
Lord, help us to do Thy Holy Will from Heaven! |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Matthew 6:6 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
