† Quote of the Day "When an evil thought is presented to the mind, we must immediately endeavor to turn our thoughts to God, or to something which is indifferent. But the first rule is, instantly to invoke the names of Jesus and Mary and to continue to invoke them until the temptation ceases. He who trusts in himself is lost. He who trusts in God can do all things." -St. Alphonsus Liguori Today's Meditation "True devotion to Our Lady is interior; that is, it comes from the mind and the heart. It flows from the esteem we have for her, the high idea we have formed of her greatness, and the love which we have for her. It is tender; that is, full of confidence in her, like a child's confidence in his loving mother ... It implores the aid of its good Mother at all times, in all places and above all things: in its doubts, that it may be enlightened; in its wanderings, that it may be brought into the right path; in its temptations, that it may be supported; in its weaknesses, that it may be strengthened; in its falls, that it may be lifted up; in its discouragements, that it may be cheered; in its scruples, that they may be taken away; in the crosses, toils and disappointments of life, that it may be consoled under them. In a word, in all the evils of body and mind, the soul ordinarily has recourse to Mary, without fear of annoying her or displeasing Jesus Christ." —St. Louis De Montfort, p. 54
An excerpt from True Devotion to Mary Daily Verse "Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:6-7 | St. Guy (950–1012), also known as the "Poor Man of Anderlecht," was born to pious parents of humble means in the country village of Anderlecht near Brussels. Having no money for school, from his childhood he served the poor and fostered a great devotion to the Church while praying for the grace to love and accept his poverty. He was regarded as a young saint by those who knew him. One day a priest, who noticed his great reverence while praying in church, invited him to serve it for a small sum by sweeping the floors and keeping the altar and sacred vessels clean. During the day St. Guy would help the poor, and at night he would work and pray in the church; these were his two great loves. He served in this way joyfully and faithfully. One day a shipping merchant from Brussels, prompted by a devil who wanted to take St. Guy away from his holy work as a sacristan, presented him with a lucrative opportunity to invest his small savings into a business venture. Guy, not recognizing the temptation, accepted the job offer under the pretense of making more money to give to the poor, and he left his position as sacristan. When his first cargo ship sunk as it left the harbor, Guy realized his error and the deception he had succumbed to in giving up his happy and humble work serving Christ. He went back to the church and found that the sacristan position had been replaced. Left without a job and no money, Guy was so filled with remorse over his foolish decision that he went on a penitential pilgrimage. He visited Rome, the Holy Land, and other shrines over a period of seven years. He returned to Anderlecht in 1012 and died in the same year. Miracles were reported at his grave, after which a church was built in his honor. His feast day is September 12th. | Friday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time Reading I 1 Timothy 1:1-2, 12-14 Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our savior
and of Christ Jesus our hope,
to Timothy, my true child in faith:
grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I am grateful to him who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord,
because he considered me trustworthy
in appointing me to the ministry.
I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and an arrogant man,
but I have been mercifully treated
because I acted out of ignorance in my unbelief.
Indeed, the grace of our Lord has been abundant,
along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 16:1b-2a and 5, 7-8, 11 R. (see 5) You are my inheritance, O Lord.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge; I say to the LORD, "My Lord are you."
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup, you it is who hold fast my lot. R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
I bless the LORD who counsels me; even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me; with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
You will show me the path to life, fullness of joys in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever. R. You are my inheritance, O Lord. Alleluia See John 17:17b, 17a R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your word, O Lord, is truth;
consecrate us in the truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Luke 6:39-42 Jesus told his disciples a parable:
"Can a blind person guide a blind person?
Will not both fall into a pit?
No disciple is superior to the teacher;
but when fully trained,
every disciple will be like his teacher.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?
How can you say to your brother,
'Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,'
when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye?
You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter in your brother's eye." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Luke 6:39-42 Remove the wooden beam from your eye first. (Luke 6:42) There is probably no better example of someone who removed the "wooden beam" from his eye than St. Paul. In today's first reading, he writes openly about his past as "a blasphemer and a persecutor and an arrogant man" (1 Timothy 1:13). We also know that he had tried "to destroy the church, entering house after house and dragging out men and women," handing them over "for imprisonment" (Acts 8:3). But when Christ appeared to him and exposed this "beam" in his eye, Paul humbly accepted God's correction and obeyed his commands. He was even willing to receive prayer from Ananias, a Christian man (9:17-19)! Once his beam was exposed and removed, Paul "began at once to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God" (Acts 9:20). That zeal remained with him for the rest of his life. It shows up time and time again in his letters, which became a source of guidance and correction for many of the early churches. Because Paul saw clearly, he was able to remove the splinters that threatened to lead these new believers away from the Lord. Whether the splinters were false doctrines, problems of discipline, false asceticism, or misguided instructions about wealth, Paul addressed them all as he called these communities to remain faithful to Jesus. While we may not experience as dramatic and sudden an intervention as Paul did, Jesus' words are for all of us. He invites us to embrace humility and be open to seeing—and removing—any beams in our eyes: beams of judgment, unforgiveness, or habits that keep us from loving other people. Like Paul, we can welcome someone like Ananias by inviting them to pray for us. When you see splinters in other people's eyes, pause to remember how your own beams have blinded you. Just as Paul's past life helped him to remain humble, so we can allow our own shortcomings to help us treat the people around us with gentleness and mercy. "Lord, thank you for opening my eyes to see clearly and giving me the humility to love people as you love them." 1 Timothy 1:1-2, 12-14
Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 11 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Hear AI Read it for u | From today's Holy Gospel: "How can you say to your brother,
'Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,'
when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye?
You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter in your brother's eye."...." Word of the Lord. | From Roberto Juarez:
"Jesus reminds us that discipleship is an ongoing formation process. As we follow his teachings, we become more perfected. However, we cannot reach the fullness of this path if we do not recognize our own need for transformation. As disciples, we must be willing to be molded and corrected." end quote.
I never forgot something in a talk show I happened to have seen years ago called Dr. Phil, when he said to someone he was giving advice to, and he said about someone that was judging apparently to always remember to think "I don't like in you, what I see in me". That's how we are! Right?
Our Lord says "Stop judging". But then, we are called to admonish the sinner, so...how? How does all this work out?
We make it hard, on ourselves, do we not?
Upon reflecting during daily Mass today, I was envisioning people helping each other, although, blind at times. The only way to see is to look at Christ the Light ahead of us.
A new revert to the faith told me in our new Grow Your Faith class, that as he traveled through many protestant churches, and now that he has found the fullness of truth in the Catholic Church, that it seemed to him in other churches, that the blind are leading the blind.
Is there salvation in other churches? God only knows! And the Catholic Church teaches we are saved by His Grace!
But we are the heart of Christ in the Body of Christ in this Catholic church founded by our Lord Himself and charged Peter with the keys of the Kingdom.
Now, are we perfect? No. You know that. Everyone knows that. But people expect perfection from us. Especially priests. And not only do people expect and desire to see perfection, but God desires it all the more. And the striving for perfection is what achieves more perfection.
A good example is the most recent martyr for the faith, Charlie Kirk. Was he at the wrong place at the wrong time? Nope. We never are. God only knows! As a matter of fact, there was no better place to be, than to be found doing God's work, evangelizing, helping the blind to see! Amen?
Exorcists teach that the devil works best in politics and in universities. There is a brooding ground for much evil in these places. This whole ordeal is an eye opening experience. There must be a change for the world to see, that the truth is here, and is still being crucified....Jesus.
Our Lord speaks about wood. The carpenter is an expert at wood work. He Himself would be fastened to wood as the instrument of His death. He was placed in a wooden trough when born to feed...the savage animals that we become with our sin.
Yet, how can I correct a sinner when I carry the exact same sin?
Before you offer your sacrifice at the altar, go make amends. Before you come to the judge, make things right, that He might not have anything to judge.
Before you speak to a sinner, pray, fast, and then with all the love and grace, you can save, not only that person...but yourself.
Our Lord healed a blind man with mud with His spit once, and the man opened his eyes only to see a lot of peope walking like trees.
Then, our Lord healed Him again...so that he might see hypocrisy, logs in our eyes.
What would you like to see in the eyes of others? The light?
How about Jesus?
Look real close, what will you see? A log? Your sins? Or Christ, the love, grace, and mercy from Heaven?
He wants to be Christ in you.... |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 73:28 "But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works."
Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
