† Daily Verse "But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine."" — Isaiah 43:1 | St. Jeanne (Jane) Frances de Chantal (1572–1641) was born in Dijon, France. She was the daughter of the president of parliament, and lived up to her noble status as a refined, cheerful, and beautiful woman. At the age of twenty-one she married a baron and together they had six children. She was strong in her faith, having daily Mass said in her castle, giving alms to the poor, and skillfully managing her household. After seven years of marriage, her husband was killed in an accident. To protect the estate for her children, she was obliged to live with her ill-tempered father-in-law for seven years. When she was thirty-two she met St. Francis de Sales, whom she had previously seen in a vision after praying for a spiritual director. To her private vow of chastity she added another of obedience to his direction, while continuing to provide for her children. At the age of forty-five, after meeting her family obligations, she and St. Francis founded a religious institute for women, the Congregation of the Visitation, which was to exemplify the virtues of the Virgin Mary at the Visitation. The Visitation sisters accepted women who were rejected from other religious orders due to age or illness. They were notable for their charitable works. Aristocrats and the nobility flocked to Jeanne de Chantal's reception-room to seek her counsel. She underwent great trials, including the deaths of many of her close family and friends. She also traveled extensively to found new Visitation houses, having established eighty-six at the time of her death. Her feast day is August 12th. | Tuesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Deuteronomy 31:1-8 When Moses had finished speaking to all Israel, he said to them,
"I am now one hundred and twenty years old
and am no longer able to move about freely;
besides, the LORD has told me that I shall not cross this Jordan.
It is the LORD, your God, who will cross before you;
he will destroy these nations before you,
that you may supplant them.
It is Joshua who will cross before you, as the LORD promised.
The LORD will deal with them just as he dealt with Sihon and Og,
the kings of the Amorites whom he destroyed,
and with their country.
When, therefore, the LORD delivers them up to you,
you must deal with them exactly as I have ordered you.
Be brave and steadfast; have no fear or dread of them,
for it is the LORD, your God, who marches with you;
he will never fail you or forsake you." Then Moses summoned Joshua and in the presence of all Israel
said to him, "Be brave and steadfast,
for you must bring this people into the land
which the LORD swore to their fathers he would give them;
you must put them in possession of their heritage.
It is the LORD who marches before you;
he will be with you and will never fail you or forsake you.
So do not fear or be dismayed." Responsorial Psalm Deuteronomy 32:3-4ab, 7, 8, 9 and 12 R.(9a) The portion of the Lord is his people.
For I will sing the LORD's renown.
Oh, proclaim the greatness of our God!
The Rock–how faultless are his deeds,
how right all his ways! R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
Think back on the days of old,
reflect on the years of age upon age.
Ask your father and he will inform you,
ask your elders and they will tell you. R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
When the Most High assigned the nations their heritage,
when he parceled out the descendants of Adam,
He set up the boundaries of the peoples
after the number of the sons of Israel. R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
While the LORD's own portion was Jacob,
his hereditary share was Israel.
The LORD alone was their leader,
no strange god was with him. R. The portion of the Lord is his people. Alleluia Matthew 11:29ab R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14 The disciples approached Jesus and said,
"Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?"
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
"Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever becomes humble like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. "See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.
What is your opinion?
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?
And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14 Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3) Imagine being one of the disciples that day. You have just asked Jesus who among your group would be the greatest in his kingdom, and he tells you this. You look at the child he has just placed in front of him, you look at your fellow disciples, and you look at the expression on Jesus' face. Then you realize, he's serious. He isn't saying, You need to work on this a little. He is saying, You can't even enter unless you get this right. What caused Jesus to correct them so forcefully? He could tell that his disciples were trying to take the concept of greatness evident in the kingdoms around them and apply it to the kingdom he had been proclaiming. In the kingdoms that the disciples were familiar with, people competed with one another for the chance to be recognized and honored. If you performed a heroic act in battle or if you brought in more taxes for the king, you would be rewarded with prestige, land, and power. But instead of pointing to a mighty warrior or a powerful courtier, Jesus held up a child, someone with no wealth, no power, and no influence. "Whoever becomes humble like this child," he told them, "is the greatest" (Matthew 18:4). Humility. Like a child. That's the foundation of greatness in Jesus' kingdom. Just as children look to their parents for guidance, Jesus asks us to look to our heavenly Father. Just as children instinctively know their parents love them, Jesus wants us to know that we don't have to earn our Father's love. Just as a little child feels free to express himself openly to his parents, Jesus invites us to be as open as we can with our Father. We can be confident that no matter what we reveal to him about the desires of our hearts, he will treat us with love and mercy. Maybe this reading brings up an uncomfortable realization. Is there a part of your life that is still shaped by the world's definition of greatness? Ask the Lord, and he will make you "great" in his kingdom—great like a child. "Jesus, help me to see my life through your eyes." Deuteronomy 31:1-8
(Psalm) Deuteronomy 32:3-4, 7-9, 12 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?"
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
"Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever becomes humble like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me."
Word of the Lord. | You know I tune into many near death experiences, and there seems to be in the majority of positive ones, that there is this amazing love they experience and they never want to come back. A love like no other, and you feel right at home, like, that's where you belong.
And that is because Heaven is where we belong, as God's children.
The bible says that God is Love, so, therefore, the Kingdom of God is in fact, the Kingdom of Love.
And for this, I am realizing, that God wants to love His children through you, your body, your eyes, your hands, your everything. Is that crazy?
And so He ventures into the darkness, leaving Heaven...this is Jesus, and now in the Holy Spirit, to find that lost soul.
What lost soul?
Have you been lost? Do you know someone who is lost? Has lost their faith? Has lost the way? Lost the flock of God's people?
How far would you go to help bring back that soul?
I get to witness God in action in the various ministries I'm involved in.
I see Him at work. I see Him right there in the midst. I see Him involved, very involved in their salvation. I see Him comforting souls. I see Him reaching out to those lost ones, and they are so weak, that they cannot see Him, or hear Him. His heart hurts.
It hurts because those who should be shepherds are not feeding them.
He sees, that instead of helping them, they walk right past them. They are invisible to them.
You see, the quote "seek and ye shall find" also applies to the shepherds, that shepherd in you.
It is that shepherd in you that must go out to find the lost and lonely.
You don't have to go very far. Some in your family are lost. Right around in your neighborhood, there are lost souls. In jail. In nursing home, abandoned, and forgotten. Ill, and unable to come seek help.
How will you ever see what God wants, if you do not apply yourself to His Holy Desires of being the true Father that He is?
Jesus came to show us the Father, to fulfill the desire of the Father.
And so our Lord Jesus is the Good Shepherd, doing God's will in every sense of the command.
And now we are all commissioned to the do the same by our Lord Jesus, that we may shepherd gently, lovingly, sometimes sternly, but with love, leading the sheep into the bosom of our Father, who is in Heaven.
What an honor, this holy calling from above. Lord, give us your eyes and heart to see and love as Our Father desires. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Romans 14:8 " For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's." Word of the Lord. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
