Deuteronomy 4:32-40 Moses said to the people: "Ask now of the days of old, before your time, ever since God created man upon the earth; ask from one end of the sky to the other: Did anything so great ever happen before? Was it ever heard of? Did a people ever hear the voice of God speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live? Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, with his strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors, all of which the Lord, your God, did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? All this you were allowed to see that you might know the Lord is God and there is no other. Out of the heavens he let you hear his voice to discipline you; on earth he let you see his great fire, and you heard him speaking out of the fire. For love of your fathers he chose their descendants and personally led you out of Egypt by his great power, driving out of your way nations greater and mightier than you, so as to bring you in and to make their land your heritage, as it is today. This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart, that the Lord is God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is no other. You must keep his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you today, that you and your children after you may prosper, and that you may have long life on the land which the Lord, your God, is giving you forever." Psalm 77:12-16, 21 R. I remember the deeds of the Lord.
I remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I remember your wonders of old.
And I meditate on your works;
your exploits I ponder. R. O God, your way is holy;
what great god is there like our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
among the peoples you have made known your power. R. With your strong arm you redeemed your people,
the sons of Jacob and Joseph.
You led your people like a flock
under the care of Moses and Aaron. R. Gospel Acclamation Alleluia, alleluia.
"Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness;
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven."- Mt 5:10
Alleluia, alleluia. Matthew 16:24-28 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. 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 each according to his conduct. Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Matthew 16:24-28 Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. (Matthew 16:24) At one time or another, you've probably seen ads for exercise programs. Did you ever notice that they always show healthy people? You never see anyone having any difficulties or looking exhausted. They are all glowing with health and seem to be enjoying themselves immensely. Those ads can seem phony to us, but there is a deliberate strategy to them. They are focusing on the end result and how you could look after completing the program, not the steps you have to take to get there. Of course, we know that if you're not in shape, it's hard to get in shape, no matter what program you rely on. It will be challenging, and you will get tired. It's like that in the spiritual life, too. Taking up our cross is not easy! That's why it's helpful to look at why we take up our cross. What is our motivation for denying ourselves and for enduring the suffering and challenges that come from living a life of discipleship? And not just the motivation: what is the goal? We can sum up the answer to both questions in one word: Jesus. Our goal is to become more like him and to be with him for all eternity. And the hardships we suffer, as well as whatever we choose to accept for his sake, we choose because we have tasted his love. Suffering is not our goal. That's why Jesus doesn't say only, "Take up your cross." He goes on to say, "And follow me." It makes all the difference where we place our attention. If we focus only on our crosses, they will seem heavier. But if we look at the way these crosses lead us to a deeper reliance on Jesus and a closer relationship with him, they will become a little bit lighter. As in everything else, Jesus himself is our model for taking up our cross. No matter what he did, he always kept his focus on his Father, not on the challenges or hardships he was facing. In the same way, when you keep your focus on Jesus and strive to follow him with all your heart, you'll accept every joy and sorrow as another step closer to becoming like Jesus, your crucified and risen Lord. "Lord, give me the grace to take up my cross and follow you!" Deuteronomy 4:32-40
Psalm 77:12-16, 21 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "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. 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?....." Word of the Lord! | Our Lord says "deny yourself".
The world we live in says "do not deny yourself anything", guilty pleasures.
Our Lord says "take up your cross".
The world we live in says "you do not need to suffer, believe whatever you want". As a matter of fact, the worldly trend is to do everything you can so you do not have to suffer.
But the cross involves suffering. Why does God order us to take up our cross?
What is the cross? Well, it is what the world dishes out on us, especially if we choose to follow the Lord our God very closely!
But, if you grow up spiritually, you will suffer with Love, and God is love.
The Book of Heaven (really tons of books and volumes) involves a suffering servant lady, tied to her bed, and Jesus is living in her and suffering with her and accepting her sufferings, as the world was about to enter World Wars. He was warning her what was coming.
He told her that even the priests did not seem to care or do as He desired....to be truly Holy, and not like the world.
The word "Holy" comes from the old language "Ka'dosh".
Ka'dosh is an Anglicized spelling of the Hebrew word "Kadosh" (קדוש).
Here's a breakdown of its meaning: Holy or Sacred: It signifies something holy, sacred, consecrated, or purified. Set Apart: More literally and biblically, it means to be set apart or separated for a special purpose
And thus was the cause of Abraham. To be apart, to do God's will.
Such was the purpose of Moses, to regain His people, to bring them to God and the promised land.
And such is the cause for our Lord Jesus, everything Holy, everything to be set apart, and set His people apart for the world to see that the light exists, that God exists, and that God is among us, asking to join in our lives and to do God's Holy will...both now, and....forever.... Please continue to pray for us in the Cursillo. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 27:14 [Psalm 27] "Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!"
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God Bless You! Peace | | |
