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Quote of the Day "What is a vocation? It is a gift from God, so it comes from God. If it is a gift from God, our concern must be to know God's will. We must enter that path: if God wants, when God wants, how God wants. Never force the door." — St. Gianna Molla
Today's Meditation "Christ Himself taught humility of heart, and the heart must not remain idle, nor fail to produce the necessary acts... It would be absurd to hope for the reward which is promised to the humble without being humble, or at least making acts of humility; humility of heart without the heart's humbling itself—what folly! Are you foolish enough to believe that this can be done? ... it is necessary to humble ourselves when we approach God with prayer to obtain some grace, because God does not regard nor heed nor impart His grace except to the humble ... When, therefore, you come to ask God for some grace of the body or of the soul, do you always remember to practice this humility? When we pray, and especially when we say the 'Our Father', we are speaking to God; and how many times when you are saying your prayers, do you speak to God with less respect than if you were speaking to one of your fellow creatures? —Rev. Cajetan da Bergamo, p. 138
Daily Verse "For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and preserving the way of his saints." — Proverbs 2:6-8 | St Peter Chrysologus St. Peter Chrysologus (406-450 A.D.) was born in Imola, Italy. He was an adult convert to Christianity and studied under his bishop, Cornelius, who ordained him a deacon. In his day the city of Ravenna was the center of the Roman Empire, making the Archbishop of Ravenna an important position in the Church. When the Archbishop of Ravenna died, a new archbishop was elected by the clergy and the people of Ravenna. Bishop Cornelius of Imola went to Rome with his deacon, St. Peter Chyrsologus, to have the Ravenna appointment confirmed by Pope Sixtus III. When the pope saw St. Peter, he appointed him the new Archbishop of Ravenna instead. St. Peter was an effective shepherd who stamped out paganism, heresy, and ecclesiastical abuses from his diocese, earning the high regard of Emperor Valentinan III who resided in Ravenna. He also organized services to help the poor of the city. St. Peter was renowed for his profound and eloquent sermons, and his skill with taking complex theological truths and putting them in plain language, earning him the name 'Chrysologus' meaning 'the man of golden speech' or 'golden word' as well as the 'Doctor of Homilies.' In 1729, Pope Benedict XIII declared him a Doctor of the Church. His feast day is July 30. | Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Exodus 34:29-35 As Moses came down from Mount Sinai
with the two tablets of the commandments in his hands,
he did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant
while he conversed with the LORD.
When Aaron, then, and the other children of Israel saw Moses
and noticed how radiant the skin of his face had become,
they were afraid to come near him.
Only after Moses called to them did Aaron
and all the rulers of the community come back to him.
Moses then spoke to them.
Later on, all the children of Israel came up to him,
and he enjoined on them all that the LORD
had told him on Mount Sinai.
When he finished speaking with them,
he put a veil over his face.
Whenever Moses entered the presence of the LORD to converse with him,
he removed the veil until he came out again.
On coming out, he would tell the children of Israel
all that had been commanded.
Then the children of Israel would see
that the skin of Moses' face was radiant;
so he would again put the veil over his face
until he went in to converse with the LORD. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 99:5, 6, 7, 9 R. (see 9c) Holy is the Lord our God.
Extol the LORD, our God,
and worship at his footstool;
holy is he! R. Holy is the Lord our God.
Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
and Samuel, among those who called upon his name;
they called upon the LORD, and he answered them. R. Holy is the Lord our God.
From the pillar of cloud he spoke to them;
they heard his decrees and the law he gave them. R. Holy is the Lord our God.
Extol the LORD, our God,
and worship at his holy mountain;
for holy is the LORD, our God. R. Holy is the Lord our God. Alleluia John 15:15b R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I call you my friends, says the Lord,
for I have made known to you all that the Father has told me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Matthew 13:44-46 Jesus said to his disciples:
"The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again,
and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Exodus 34:29-35 The skin of his face had become radiant while he conversed with the Lord. (Exodus 34:30) In ancient Judaism, it was thought that God's face was so glorious that no human could behold him and survive (Exodus 33:20; Isaiah 6:5). And yet Moses had seen the face of God, not once, but numerous times! He enjoyed the privilege of speaking with God "face to face, as a person speaks to a friend" (Exodus 33:11). And the Israelites could see the evidence: Moses' face glowed from his encounters with the living God. Fearing that looking at Moses might be as dangerous as looking at the Lord himself, the people held back from Moses. They were so afraid that Moses felt he had to veil his face when he shared with them all that the Lord had said. For centuries, the Jewish people revered the Lord, but few people actually beheld him. Prophets like Isaiah and Ezekiel saw the Lord in visions, but ordinary believers did not. It wasn't until Jesus came that God became visible—and approachable. Because Jesus had taken on human flesh, humans could now look upon God and live! Even now for us, there is no veil that need separate us from him. When we pray, it's as if we are coming face-to-face with Jesus. We come into the presence of the God who made us, who saved us, and whose Spirit lives in us. What an awesome privilege it is to spend time with him in praise, thanksgiving, petition, and quiet listening! And even more awesome, as we linger with him, we begin, little by little, to see "the glory of God on the face of [Jesus] Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6). The best part about gazing upon Jesus in prayer is that not only can we "see" the face of God, but his presence has the power to transform us. As it happened to Moses, so it can happen to us: we begin to radiate God's goodness to the people around us. Prayer really can change us. It can make us more loving disciples. It can make us holy! Paul's promise can come true even today: "All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory" (2 Corinthians 3:18). Beholding the Lord in prayer is such a privilege—so don't let anything keep you from him! "Show me your glory, Lord!" Psalm 99:5-7, 9
Matthew 13:44-46 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: ".....The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again,
and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it."...
Word of the Lord! | From Bishop Barron:
"Sometimes God's love is found that way. There's a saying: "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." Sometimes in the course of our everyday lives, something happens that vividly and surprisingly summons us to union with God. We realize, in a flash, what it's all about. We weren't particularly looking for it, but it found us.
That's what Jesus is getting at today. As you walk through the fields of life, be open to the inrushing of grace when you least expect it. And when it comes, give up anything that holds it back." end quote.
From Roberto:
"The Kingdom of God is offered to all, but it is not imposed. Love does not oblige: it expects a free response. • Do I earnestly and joyfully seek God's will, or do I settle for the superficial? Today Jesus invites us to rediscover the joy of his Kingdom, to examine what we value most and to make concrete decisions.
Perhaps it is time to leave behind grudges, superficialities, comforts, to embrace with all our hearts the new life that God offers us.
Like the man who found the treasure, let us also decide to "sell everything" with joy, because God is worth more than everything." end quote from Roberto Juárez.
Our Lord rightly speaks in parables, and why? To amaze people that have ears for His message.
Do you find what He says as amazing?
Did you know that to be amazed means to be in awe and fear of the Lord?
In comes the transformative light, the luminous mystery of the transfiguration. In the first Holy Scripture, we find Moses speaking to God face to face, and when he leaves His presence, they say the face of Moses was radiant with light, so much so that he had to cover himself to help those who met him afterwards.
Then, we have the time our Lord Jesus became light and was found speaking with Moses and Elijah at the mount.
Can we put two and two together? Jesus IS GOD.
And what does He have to tell us? Those who are amazed, share the good news. What is being said is spectacular news. What treasure, what value do you find in today's readings? Has it hit your heart? Show me where your treasure is, and we will show you where your heart is! Right?
What do you value the most? Is it showing? Does your treasure show by how you live?
Does the light of God show? We show by how we love, by how we give. May the Lord be our light...our love, our treasure, our all, both now and forever.... |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 13:20 20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
