† Quote of the Day "You must ask God to give you power to fight against the sin of pride which is your greatest enemy - the root of all that is evil, and the failure of all that is good. For God resists the proud."
— St. Vincent de Paul Today's Meditation "If you wish to explore the Holy Scripture, and you overcome your laziness and apply yourself, thirsting for the knowledge, then every good thing will be yours. You will fill your mind with the divine light. Then, when you apply that light to the doctrines of the Church, you will very easily recognize everything that is true and unadulterated, and lay it up in the hidden treasures of your soul." —St. Cyril of Alexandria, p. 167 Daily Verse "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation?"
— Hebrews 1:14 | St Cassian Of Imola St. Cassian of Imola (4th c.) was the Bishop of Brescia near Milan, Italy. When a wave of persecution erupted under the Roman Emperor, Cassian fled to Imola, Italy, where he found work as a schoolmaster teaching children how to read and write. He was a disciplined and effective educator. In addition to instructing his students in the Christian faith, he also taught them a form of shorthand that allowed them to write as fast as they could speak. A city official discovered that Cassian was a Christian and denounced him to the government authorities. Cassian was arrested and ordered to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, which he refused. As punishment the local judge ordered that he be stripped, bound, and tied to a stake. He was then turned over to his pagan students, numbering about 200, to be tortured to death. His students used their iron styli (writing instruments) to mercilessly carve into his skin and slowly stab him to death. St. Cassian died from the many wounds inflicted all over his body. St. Cassian of Imola is the patron saint of students, school teachers, shorthand writers, court reporters, stenographers, and parish clerks. His feast day is August 13th. | Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Deuteronomy 34:1-12 Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo,
the headland of Pisgah which faces Jericho,
and the LORD showed him all the land—
Gilead, and as far as Dan, all Naphtali,
the land of Ephraim and Manasseh,
all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea,
the Negeb, the circuit of the Jordan
with the lowlands at Jericho, city of palms,
and as far as Zoar.
The LORD then said to him,
"This is the land
which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
that I would give to their descendants.
I have let you feast your eyes upon it, but you shall not cross over."
So there, in the land of Moab, Moses, the servant of the LORD,
died as the LORD had said; and he was buried in the ravine
opposite Beth-peor in the land of Moab,
but to this day no one knows the place of his burial.
Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died,
yet his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated.
For thirty days the children of Israel wept for Moses
in the plains of Moab, till they had completed
the period of grief and mourning for Moses. Now Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the spirit of wisdom,
since Moses had laid his hands upon him;
and so the children of Israel gave him their obedience,
thus carrying out the LORD's command to Moses. Since then no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moses,
whom the LORD knew face to face.
He had no equal in all the signs and wonders
the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt
against Pharaoh and all his servants and against all his land,
and for the might and the terrifying power
that Moses exhibited in the sight of all Israel. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 66:1-3a, 5 and 8, 16-17 R. (see 20a and 10b) Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God: "How tremendous are your deeds!" R. Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
Bless our God, you peoples;
loudly sound his praise. R. Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
When I appealed to him in words,
praise was on the tip of my tongue. R. Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire! Alleluia 2 Corinthians 5:19 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
And entreating to us the message of reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Matthew 18:15-20 Jesus said to his disciples:
"If your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
If he does not listen,
take one or two others along with you,
so that every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church.
If he refuses to listen even to the Church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Matthew 18:15-20 Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20) An elderly woman is slowly losing touch with reality. She doesn't know that she is in her own apartment, and this makes her anxious. So her son kneels down beside her, holds her hand, and they pray. Her face relaxes, and she feels reassured. Together they rejoice—Jesus is in their midst! Jesus wants to reassure us with his presence, too. He is always "in the midst" of us whenever we gather to pray together (Matthew 18:20). It delights him to see his sons and daughters turn to him as one, united both in their devotion and their intention to seek him. And these prayers are powerful! As Jesus tells his disciples in today's Gospel, "If two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father" (Matthew 18:19). How do you "gather to pray" with someone else? Of course, you worship each week at Mass with your fellow parishioners. You may sit in Adoration with others in the church. You may even lift up a specific need to the Lord during a family Rosary. We all know and can trust that Jesus is with us in a special way whenever we gather like this. But there's another way we can "gather" in prayer—by simply offering to pray with someone else in a less formal setting. If you're not used to doing this, it might seem awkward at first. But people rarely refuse such prayers. For example, a coworker might confide in you that she is dealing with a family difficulty. You could tell her you will pray for her, but you could also offer to pray with her. Just a brief prayer asking the Lord to be with her can give her the courage to face another day. In that short time, she may feel not only your love and care for her but the Father's as well. The more open you are to praying with people, the more you will recognize opportunities. People might even begin to seek you out! In every situation, Jesus, who cares so much for his beloved people, will be right there with you! "Jesus, open my eyes to those times when I can 'gather' with someone and pray." Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Psalm 66:1-3, 5, 8, 16-17 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "If he does not listen,
take one or two others along with you,
so that every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church.
If he refuses to listen even to the Church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Word of the Lord. | From Bishop Barron's Word on Fire Reflections today:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus is instructing his community in the difficult task of correcting an errant brother or sister. He tells them to avoid the practice of gossiping and complaining to others about a grievance; rather, they should confront the person who has offended them directly and courageously. That way, the difficulty is addressed, the loving concern of the complainant is evident, and the process of rumor, attack, counter-attack, innuendo, and scapegoating is arrested. Now, if the person does not respond to this loving intervention, "take one or two others along with you, so that every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses." Thus, the wider community is involved, but only minimally—enough to bring the offender to repentance. Only if this small circle of the Church is ignored should one bring the complaint to the whole community. What is so rich here is the pursuit of the issue (since speaking the truth, even when it is dangerous, is essential), coupled with a deep care for the person in question and also for the entire family of the Church (since love is our constant call). " end quote.
Our Lord said that where 2 or 3 are gathered in His name and agree to pray over the same thing, He is there, and is listening to our prayers.
He grants this, in the Holy Trinity it seems, right?
But, how often do you gather 2 or 3? How often do you pray for...what really matters...like, God's Kingdom?
This is the importance of gathering.
This is the importance of praying for God's will to be done.
This is the importance of remaining in Him.
Our Lord says we can call the wrong doer, approach them with loving care, and if they do not listen, bring 2 or 3 more with you, and if they still don't listen, bring them to the church. This is 3 times, a greater and greater approach to mercy.
But, how often do we do that? It sounds kind of foreign, strange at best.
Most of us that are wronged, or see wrong, we just remain quiet or get our feelings hurt and wait for Karma to come take care of them, a sweet revenge! Right? WRONG! This is not God's way. This is NOT mercy. This is cowardice and pride at work with all its might.
We are called to care. To right the wrong, to bring sin to the light, and to eradicate it, in the name of a soul's salvation....and again, with utmost attention to be attentive, with a fragile soul, treat them with mercy, not with judgemental and crass attitude. "We will win more souls for Christ with a spoonful of sugar, than a barrel full of vinegar" said one saint. Thank You Lord, for being in our midst, especially where 2 or 3 are gathered in Your Name, to do Your Will, to be Your Body on earth...as it is in Heaven, do on earth as Heaven desires. |  audio | Random Bible Verse
Mark 11:25 " And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." Word of the Lord. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
