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Quote of the Day "Make it a practice to judge persons and things in the most favorable light at all times and under all circumstances." — St. Vincent de Paul
Today's Meditation "Beloved brothers and sisters, we must strive with all our strength to repel the enemy of our soul, with full attention and vigilence, as he rages and aims his darts against every part of us that can be assaulted and wounded. This is what the Apostle Peter, in his epistle, warns and teaches us about, saying: 'Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour' (1 Pt. 5:8)." —Paul Thigpen, p.150
Daily Verse "With the loyal thou dost show thyself loyal; with the blameless man thou dost show thyself blameless; with the pure thou dost show thyself pure; and with the crooked thou dost show thyself perverse. For thou dost deliver a humble people; but the haughty eyes thou dost bring down. Yea, thou dost light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness. Yea, by thee I can crush a troop; and by my God I can leap over a wall. This God—his way is perfect; the promise of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him." — Psalm 18:25-30 | St. Victor of Marseilles (d. 290 A.D.) was a Christian soldier serving in the Roman imperial army in Marseilles, France. Christianity was thriving there, until Emperor Maximian arrived with the intention of putting the Christians to death. This caused the Christians to fear, and St. Victor would go from house to house under the cover of night to admonish them to stand strong in their faith. This behavior drew attention, and during one of his nightly rounds he was arrested. The Roman prefects tried to dissuade him from following a "dead man" (Jesus), but St. Victor testified boldly for the truth of the Christian faith. Enraged, the prefects had him bound and dragged through the streets. Victor was undeterred and continued to denounce the Roman gods. His tortures were renewed until his torturers grew tired, after which he was thrown into a dungeon. That night he was visited by angels, and his three guards were converted and baptized that same night. The next morning the Emperor had the guards beheaded, while St. Victor was kept alive for fresh torments. After three days of abuse, the Emperor commanded Victor to burn incense to the gods. Instead, St. Victor walked up to the altar and kicked it over with his foot. In retaliation, his foot was cut off. Seeing that his efforts to cause Victor to apostatize were useless, the Emperor finally had him crushed to death on a grindstone. His body was thrown into the sea before being recovered and buried by Christians. His tomb became a place where many miracles occurred. St. Victor of Marseilles' feast day is July 21st. | Exodus 14:5-18 When it was reported to the king of Egypt that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants changed their minds about them. They exclaimed, "What have we done! Why, we have released Israel from our service!" So Pharaoh made his chariots ready and mustered his soldiers—six hundred first-class chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt, with warriors on them all. So obstinate had the Lord made Pharaoh that he pursued the children of Israel even while they were marching away in triumph. The Egyptians, then, pursued them; Pharaoh's whole army, his horses, chariots and charioteers, caught up with them as they lay encamped by the sea, at Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. Pharaoh was already near when the children of Israel looked up and saw that the Egyptians were on the march in pursuit of them. In great fright they cried out to the Lord. And they complained to Moses, "Were there no burial places in Egypt that you had to bring us out here to die in the desert? Why did you do this to us? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Did we not tell you this in Egypt, when we said, 'Leave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptians'? Far better for us to be the slaves of the Egyptians than to die in the desert." But Moses answered the people, "Fear not! Stand your ground, and you will see the victory the Lord will win for you today. These Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again. The Lord himself will fight for you; you have only to keep still." Then the Lord said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. And you, lift up your staff and, with hand outstretched over the sea, split the sea in two, that the children of Israel may pass through it on dry land. But I will make the Egyptians so obstinate that they will go in after them. Then I will receive glory through Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots and charioteers. The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I receive glory through Pharaoh and his chariots and charioteers."
Exodus 15:1bc-2, 3-4, 5-6 R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
I will sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously triumphant;
horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.
My strength and my courage is the Lord,
and he has been my savior.
He is my God, I praise him; the God of my father, I extol him. R. The Lord is a warrior,
Lord is his name!
Pharaoh's chariots and army he hurled into the sea;
the elite of his officers were submerged in the Red Sea. R. The flood waters covered them,
they sank into the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, O Lord, magnificent in power,
your right hand, O Lord, has shattered the enemy. R. Gospel Acclamation Alleluia, alleluia.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.- Ps 95:8
Alleluia, alleluia. Matthew 12:38-42 Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." He said to them in reply, "An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here. At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here. | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Matthew 12:38-42 We wish to see a sign. (Matthew 12:38) Another sign? Hadn't Jesus done enough already? He healed one man with a withered hand and another from his blindness and inability to speak. Weren't those miracles sufficient to move these scribes and Pharisees to believe in him? Apparently not. Some of them had already begun plotting to kill him, and others had been saying, "This man drives out demons only by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons" (Matthew 12:24). Jesus, of course, knew the insincerity behind their request, and it must have grieved him deeply. God had formed Israel as a people and revealed himself to them. He had been faithful to them throughout history. Now, in Jesus, God himself was standing before them, teaching with authority and performing mighty deeds. Yet they refused to see that he himself, "something greater than Jonah," was the sign they were seeking (Matthew 12:41). What these sign-seekers really needed was to leave behind their own ideas and humbly believe in Jesus, the One God had sent. It can be the same with us. It's not our desire for a sign that is evil. Jesus loves to give us signs to help convince us that he is the Son of God and worthy of our trust. It's our reluctance to acknowledge the signs that he has already given us and to follow where they lead: to faith in Jesus. Instead of seeking a new sign from God, we should focus on all he has already done for us. Every day, we face a point of decision: will I put my faith in Jesus, or will I ask for even more signs? So look for the signs that are already here, the ones that reveal Jesus' faithfulness in your life. Recall the blessings you have received and the prayers he has answered. Remember how he was with you during trials and difficulties. Ask him to open your eyes to all the ways he has provided for you and brought you to deeper faith. Then follow those signs today and proclaim your faith in Jesus. "Lord Jesus, thank you for all the signs you have given me. Help me to follow where you lead." Exodus 14:5-18
(Psalm) Exodus 15:1-6 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." He said to them in reply, "An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet." | From Roberto Juarez:
"Because behind their request there is no sincere search for the truth. It is a generation that sees, but does not believe; who listens, but does not obey. The scribes and Pharisees ask for a sign, but Jesus denounces that they do not do so out of seeking the truth, but out of unbelief. The true believer does not need spectacular trials, but welcomes with faith the presence of God in everyday life. Sometimes we also say: "If God gives me a sign, then I will believe"; "If it goes well for me, then God is with me." But faith is not based on conditions, but on trust.
Jesus responds firmly: "No other sign will be given than that of the prophet Jonah." That is, the only definitive sign is his death and resurrection. • Am I looking for God deep down or only when He gives me trials or miracles? Jonah was a sign to Nineveh because he came out of the belly of the great fish after three days. Jesus, the Son of Man, will spend three days in the bosom of the earth, but he will be victorious in the resurrection. That is the sign that changes history. The resurrection is the ultimate sign of God's love and power. There is no greater proof than Christ crucified and risen." End quote.
From Bishop Barron today:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, the Lord tells his opponents, who asked for a sign, that no sign will be given except the sign of Jonah—that is, the Resurrection. According to the early Church Fathers, Christ's coming precipitated a warfare with the powers that hold the world in their sway. In bringing God's ordo to the world, Jesus had to move into the arena of disorder, but this invasion was not met with passivity or acquiescence. Rather, the principalities of the world—Herod, Pilate, the scribes and Pharisees, the demons—waged a ferocious struggle against him, and it was only through the drama of the cross and Resurrection that Jesus managed to defeat them. He took all of their violence, and through courageous forgiveness, robbed it of its authority, for violence feeds on itself, surviving only through reproduction. When it is met with compassion and forgiveness, it dissipates, its power source gone. In the language of the Fathers, Jesus thereby tied up the devil, frustrating him into submission, leading our captivity to hatred captive. So, as the hymn text has it: "The strife is o'er, the battle done . . ." end quote.
May I begin by saying, that sin makes us stupid. We do stupid things and we become those stupid things. But, it can get worse. We can become obstinate. And it gets worse if you are obstinate. Total loss happens.
Let's take the Egyptians, and the attitude of Pharaoh. He wasn't moved by signs, and wonders of our God.
Even if our Lord had done miracles for those asking for signs, they would still be in that state of being obstinate.
Pharaoh had 10 signs. Jesus performed 100 at least. And STILL they asked Him for a sign. They wanted a personal sign, those 100 other signs did not matter.
And you? Is this hitting home now? Do we need a personal sign?
Where is your faith right now?
What lies are we believing as truth? The devil is preaching in churches, do you believe? Especially in non-denominational and several other protestant churches. What lies? The latest is "once saved always saved". This is a full blown permission to sin. And what lies do the agnostics believe? They believe psychologists, worldly thoughts over what God says, and their theories, many which are based on the heresy of "moral relativism" that which says "believe whatever you want and that is truth".
I have a loved one that entered my office, and I never brought up religion or church talk, but since he knows what he's been through with me, namely, a cursillo and other church things, he must have it weighing on his mind, because he said "I go to church when I feel like I need it". And he hardly ever goes. And the lies he fell for are there. Namely, to "believe whatever you want, and that is the truth". And we become that stupidity...that keeps us from God, obstinate, without even knowing it. And not even a great miracle will bring them back, because the miracle has already been shown...in the Eucharist, and in the Holy Spirit.
And so, the greatest sign on earth, is the cross, the glory of God Himself.
There is our sign.
It is mind boggling. Without asking for it, I am perplexed to have seen Him. What? Why? How? Why would God come to die?
Why did God design His Mother so special? Why did God design and plan His own death? He allowed Himself to be stripped naked in front of all creation He had designed from millions upon billions of years ago. He needs nothing...except your love. That's why.
We can never comprehend this humble offering. And He calls it Thanksgiving.
Our sign, our Glory then...is God Himself. Would you hold His bloody body if you could? Mother Mary did. Her blood in Him and His now in her. Her baptism was the incarnation. And our Lord is made incarnate, into blood with ours. What a phenomenal desire from Heaven....your precious heart and the hearts of every human being He created in His image.
What a sign to behold. |  audio | AMEN! Random Bible Verse 1
2 Thessalonians 3:5 5" May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ." WORD OF THE LORD!
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God Bless You! Peace | | |
