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Quote of the Day
"The Cross is the way to Paradise, but only when it is borne willingly." — St. Paul of the Cross
Today's Meditation
What sorrow Mary especially must have felt at losing Jesus [in the Temple]! But, my Savior, Mary had not lost You through her fault. You had left her in order to devote Yourself to Your Father's business. I, on the contrary, have often lost You through my own fault because of my sins. I often forced You to abandon me, and I should have felt great sorrow at this loss and abandonment...Mary had lost only the bodily presence of Jesus; His friendship for her was untouched. But I lost the dearest thing in all the world; the grace and friendship of Jesus." —Alexander De Rouville, p. 139-140
Daily Verse "What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct." — Matthew: 16:26-27 | St. Christina (1150-1224) was born to a peasant family in Belgium. She was orphaned as a child and raised by her two older sisters. When she was 21 she had what was believed to be a severe seizure, and was pronounced dead. At her funeral she suddenly revived and levitated before the bewildered congregation. She said that during her coma she had been to heaven, hell, and purgatory and had been given the option to either die and enter heaven, or return to earth to suffer and pray for the holy souls in purgatory. Christina chose the greater act of charity. From then on she lived in extreme poverty: wearing rags, sleeping on rocks, and begging for her food. She is called "Astonishing" because she did the most bizarre things and suffered the pains of inhuman feats without being physically harmed by them. She would roll in fire and hide in hot ovens; she would stand in freezing water for hours in the dead of winter; she allowed herself to be dragged under water by a mill wheel; she spent much time in graveyards. She would also climb trees to escape the strong odor of sin in those she met. Many thought her to be possessed by demons or insane, but many devout people recognized and vouched for her sincerity, obedience, and sanctity. They believed that she was a living witness to the pains that souls experience in purgatory, willingly suffering with them and for them. Christina the Astonishing is the patron of those with mental illness and disorders, mental health workers, psychiatrists, and therapists. Her feast day is July 24th. | Thursday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Exodus 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20b In the third month after their departure from the land of Egypt,
on its first day, the children of Israel came to the desert of Sinai.
After the journey from Rephidim to the desert of Sinai,
they pitched camp. While Israel was encamped here in front of the mountain,
the LORD told Moses,
"I am coming to you in a dense cloud,
so that when the people hear me speaking with you,
they may always have faith in you also."
When Moses, then, had reported to the LORD the response of the people,
the LORD added, "Go to the people
and have them sanctify themselves today and tomorrow.
Make them wash their garments and be ready for the third day;
for on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai
before the eyes of all the people." On the morning of the third day
there were peals of thunder and lightning,
and a heavy cloud over the mountain,
and a very loud trumpet blast,
so that all the people in the camp trembled.
But Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God,
and they stationed themselves at the foot of the mountain.
Mount Sinai was all wrapped in smoke,
for the LORD came down upon it in fire.
The smoke rose from it as though from a furnace,
and the whole mountain trembled violently.
The trumpet blast grew louder and louder, while Moses was speaking
and God answering him with thunder. When the LORD came down to the top of Mount Sinai,
he summoned Moses to the top of the mountain. Responsorial Psalm Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56 R. (52b) Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages." R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and glorious above all forever." R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you on the throne of your Kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever." R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever." R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,
praiseworthy and glorious forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever! Alleluia See Matthew 11:25 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Matthew 13:10-17 The disciples approached Jesus and said,
"Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?"
He said to them in reply,
"Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted
and I heal them. "But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Exodus 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20 He summoned Moses to the top of the mountain. (Exodus 19:20) The fire, the lightning, the thunder, the trumpet blast. Scenes like the one in our first reading have given people the idea that the "Old Testament God" is terrifying and violent, ready to strike us down when we do something wrong. He's not like the God of the New Testament, who is loving and merciful. But that's a serious misinterpretation. God is God and he never changes. So what if we took a look at this scene from a bigger, broader perspective? What might we see? A God who wants to support Moses, his chosen leader. God wants the people to see that he is communicating directly with Moses so that "they always have faith in you also" (Exodus 19:9). He is building up Moses so that the Israelites will be united under his leadership. Moses' bravery must have made quite an impression as they saw him head into the cloud at the top of Mount Sinai! A God who is more powerful than anything else. God is perfectly complete unto himself, and he doesn't need to display his power to build himself up. Rather, seeing his power changes us. It inspires humility, reverence, and the conviction that God is ultimately in charge. It inspires awe when we contemplate that the Creator of the universe is the same God who loves us and knows us so intimately that "all the hairs of your head are counted" (Matthew 10:30). A God whose very words are filled with divine power. This scene happens right before God gives Moses the Ten Commandments. When something momentous happens in our lives, we want to mark the occasion with a special gathering, decorations, speeches, and music. God is no different here. The dramatic scene tells the Israelites that something vitally important is happening. These commandments would become the foundation of the Israelites' faith for the rest of history, and God wanted to make sure the people saw how important they were. God never changes. His demonstrations of power are always expressions of his love. No matter how he reveals himself, it is always meant to bring us his blessings. "Lord, all power and glory are yours, forever and ever." (Psalm) Daniel 3:52-56
Matthew 13:10-17 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted
and I heal them. "But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."
Word of the Lord! | Bishop Barron ended today with "But why is the biblical God so elusive? Because he brought the whole of the finite universe into existence. God must be other in a way that transcends any and all modes of otherness discoverable within creation."
Roberto Juarez ended today with "Do I value the privilege of having access to God's Word, the sacraments, and the community of faith?
Today it challenges us to move from superficial listening to committed and transformative listening.
It is not enough to "hear" the Gospel at Mass. We need to welcome it, meditate on it, let it illuminate our decisions, attitudes and relationships.
Let us ask the Lord for clean eyes to see his action in the world and attentive ears to hear his voice in silence, in the Word, in our neighbor."
Life is confusing. Faith is hard. Or can it be the opposite?
Life is straightforward. Faith is easy. Which is it?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
You may see yourself as pointless, or worthless, or used and abused...but God sees differently. He sees a whole other aspect, beauty in the abused even. Was Jesus abused? Yes. Until today, He is abused. The aggressors will pay, but the abused will be rewarded. Therefore, is it better to be abused? LOL. Funny question. The prideful people hate pain. The person with pride will attack. But the humble often have to handle onslaughts from the aggressor.
"Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted
and I heal them."
Is your heart gross? It is gross when it cannot hear God's voice. It is gross if your eyes have been closed to Jesus. Because if you had a heart, for Him, you would easily see Him and tend to Him night and day.
I like the story of a saint that was shown a truly holy person. To their surprise, they were taken out of the convent to be shown...it was a market street store owner who was seemingly mean, strict, even with customers. But then, they were shown behind the scenes at the back of the store, he was tending to his elderly father, dressing him, bathing him, feeding him with tenderness. It was an eye opening experience. I hope those who have ears hear, we do not need whitewashed tombs, the living dead are real.
Our Lord then said "But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear."
We can see and hear Him spiritually, not physically.
Have you seen Him? Can you hear Him?
I have been noticing a new device used to keep me from hearing and seeing our Lord. It's not sin! Want to know what is really bashing me right now? Distraction. A mental haze and confusion. I can't put my finger on it, if it is physical, or mental, or spiritual, but I want to ask you too, "are you being distracted....from doing the Lord's business?"
Lord, I want to be always in your Holy will and Holy Presence! Help us! |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Matthew 5:5 5 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
