†
Quote of the Day "To put into practice the teachings of our holy faith, it is not enough to convince ourselves that they are true; we must love them. Love united to faith makes us practise our religion." — St. Alphonsus Liguori
Today's Meditation "How great is the sweetness which a soul experiences, when, in the time of prayer, God, by a ray of his own light, shows to her his goodness and his mercies towards her, and particularly the love which Jesus Christ has borne to her in his passion! She feels her heart melting, and, as it were, dissolved through love. But in this life we do not see God as he really is: we see him, as it were, in the dark. 'We see now through a glass in a dark manner, but then face to face' (1 Cor. 13:12). Here below God is hidden from our view; we can see him only with the eyes of faith: how great shall be our happiness when the veil shall be raised, and we shall be permitted to behold God face to face! We shall then see his beauty, his greatness, his perfection, his amiableness, and his immense love for our souls." —St. Alphonsus Liguori, p. 133
Daily Verse "And if you be unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." — Joshua 24:15 | St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696–1787) was born near Naples, the eldest of eight children of a noble family. He became a lawyer after receiving doctorates in canon and civil law at the age of 16. For many years he was successful in practicing law, but grew disenchanted with the profession. After losing a case for the first time at the age of 27 after eight years of practicing the law, he discerned a call to enter the seminary and became a priest. Alphonsus spent the early years of his priesthood ministering to homeless and marginalized youth, and through this work eventually founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, known as the Redemptorists, which aimed to preach in city slums. He was known best for his sermons, especially his ability to convert those who were estranged from the faith, and for his great works in moral and spiritual theology. He was a practical and prudent theologian, avoiding the extremes of being too rigid and legalistic on the one hand, and too lax on the other, despite the fact that he struggled with scrupulosity in his personal life. He suffered much from arthritis in his old age, his neck becoming so bent that his chin left an open sore on his chest. His most famous written works were on the Virgin Mary and the Blessed Sacrament. For his work in moral theology he was declared a Doctor of the Church. He is the patron saint of moral theologians, vocations, arthritis sufferers, and those who struggle with scrupulosity. St. Alphonsus Ligouri's feast day is August 1st. | Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church • Readings for the Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Reading 1 Leviticus 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34b-37 The LORD said to Moses,
"These are the festivals of the LORD which you shall celebrate
at their proper time with a sacred assembly.
The Passover of the LORD falls on the fourteenth day of the first month,
at the evening twilight.
The fifteenth day of this month is the LORD's feast of Unleavened Bread.
For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.
On the first of these days you shall hold a sacred assembly
and do no sort of work.
On each of the seven days you shall offer an oblation to the LORD.
Then on the seventh day you shall again hold a sacred assembly
and do no sort of work." The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the children of Israel and tell them:
When you come into the land which I am giving you,
and reap your harvest,
you shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest
to the priest, who shall wave the sheaf before the LORD
that it may be acceptable for you.
On the day after the sabbath the priest shall do this. "Beginning with the day after the sabbath,
the day on which you bring the wave-offering sheaf,
you shall count seven full weeks,
and then on the day after the seventh week, the fiftieth day,
you shall present the new cereal offering to the LORD. "The tenth of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement,
when you shall hold a sacred assembly and mortify yourselves
and offer an oblation to the LORD. "The fifteenth day of this seventh month is the LORD's feast of Booths,
which shall continue for seven days.
On the first day there shall be a sacred assembly,
and you shall do no sort of work.
For seven days you shall offer an oblation to the LORD,
and on the eighth day you shall again hold a sacred assembly
and offer an oblation to the LORD.
On that solemn closing you shall do no sort of work. "These, therefore, are the festivals of the LORD
on which you shall proclaim a sacred assembly,
and offer as an oblation to the LORD burnt offerings and cereal offerings,
sacrifices and libations, as prescribed for each day." Responsorial Psalm Psalm 81:3-4, 5-6, 10-11ab R. (2a) Sing with joy to God our help.
Take up a melody, and sound the timbrel,
the pleasant harp and the lyre.
Blow the trumpet at the new moon,
at the full moon, on our solemn feast. R. Sing with joy to God our help.
For it is a statute in Israel,
an ordinance of the God of Jacob,
Who made it a decree for Joseph
when he came forth from the land of Egypt. R. Sing with joy to God our help.
There shall be no strange god among you
nor shall you worship any alien god.
I, the LORD, am your God
who led you forth from the land of Egypt. R. Sing with joy to God our help. Alleluia 1 Peter 1:25
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of the Lord remains forever;
this is the word that has been proclaimed to you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Matthew 13:54-58 Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue.
They were astonished and said,
"Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?
Is he not the carpenter's son?
Is not his mother named Mary
and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
Are not his sisters all with us?
Where did this man get all this?"
And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them,
"A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and in his own house."
And he did not work many mighty deeds there
because of their lack of faith.
| Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Exodus 40:16-21, 34-38 The glory of the Lord filled the Dwelling. (Exodus 40:34) What is the most glorious royal palace that has ever been built? You might answer Versailles in France, with its 2,300 rooms and its vast Hall of Mirrors. Or maybe the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, which covered more than two million square feet. Or perhaps the Forbidden City in Beijing, which was the palace of the Chinese emperors for more than 500 years. How about a tent in the middle of the Sinai desert instead? That's the structure Moses had built to house the ark of the covenant and the place where Israel's priests would offer sacrifice to the Lord. As today's first reading tells us, when Moses completed constructing this tent, "the glory of the Lord" himself filled the place in the form of a great cloud (Exodus 40:34). There's nothing more glorious than that! On the outside, Moses' tent probably didn't look anywhere near as awe-inspiring as a grand palace. But imagine how it must have felt being on the inside when the cloud of God's glory settled on it! No amount of gold leaf or crystal chandeliers could even come close! Fast-forward three thousand years later, and there's something even more astounding: each one of us has become a glorious dwelling place for the Lord. As St. Paul reminded the Corinthians, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?" (1 Corinthians 6:19). Or as he told the Ephesians, "We are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus" (2:10). And when God crafts something as his "handiwork," it is glorious indeed! This is something that we should always keep in mind. Each of us has a dignity and a kind of grandeur, both because we are created in God's image and because we have been redeemed by him and have become a dwelling place for his Spirit. That we, with all of our human frailties, could hold God's presence is truly stupendous. Even when life throws challenges your way, remember that you are still a temple of the Holy Spirit. God himself dwells in you! "Lord, may I never forget that I have been filled with your glory. Help me to rejoice in that truth every day!" Psalm 84:3-6, 8, 11
Matthew 13:47-53 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?
Is he not the carpenter's son?
Is not his mother named Mary
and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
Are not his sisters all with us?
Where did this man get all this?"
And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them,
"A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and in his own house."
And he did not work many mighty deeds there
because of their lack of faith......" Word of the Lord! | The last verse of today's Gospel says it all: "...he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith."
They even took offense at Him it said.
Familiarity can hide things we'd never expect.
You may have a saint in your neighborhood, but you'd never know it or expect it from them.
We have many people dedicating themselves to the Lord, but not very many dedicating themselves to the Lord's true desire.
We have many fulfilling obligations, but very few in sincere dedication.
And so we have the prideful attitude that rears up amongst the people in ministry or even in family and work, and the devil speaks up "who are YOU to tell ME what to do!"
And thus, the humility of the Lord is pushed away. We shun Him.
Or to be crass...we shut Him up and out of our lives... most easily with weakness and sin.
And the horrible part is that we do it inadvertently, like the sin of omission. But this sin, can be avoided. How you may ask?
The formation of our faith. The growing in the faith. So that we may not be found lacking in faith.
May these words find you ready to have faith, to move mountains, to do the unthinkable, because when we limit faith...we limit God Himself.
And that is a dark place to be. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Matthew 16:24 [Matthew 16]
Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus "Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
