Feast: Our Lady of Ransom St. Peter Nolasco (12th c.) was inspired to establish a religious order for the ransom of Christians from Muslim captivity. On August 1, 1218 the Blessed Virgin appeared to St. Peter Nolasco along with his confessor, St. Raymond of Peñafort, and to King James I of the Kingdom of Aragon to verify the Divine inspiration of this mission. Word of the Marian apparition soon spread to the entire kingdom. The new religious foundation, called the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy (the Mercedarians), was established and approved by Pope Gregory IX. The order worked to raise money to ransom Christians who had been captured and enslaved by Muslims, and to offer themselves, if necessary, as payment for their release. A feast was instituted under the title of Our Lady of Ransom and observed on September 24, later extended to the entire Church. † Quote of the Day "The Divine Heart is an ocean full of all good things, wherein poor souls can cast all their needs; it is an ocean full of joy to drown all our sadness, an ocean of humility to drown our folly, an ocean of mercy to those in distress, an ocean of love in which to submerge our poverty." -St. Margaret Mary Today's Meditation "I never found anyone so religious and devout as not to have sometimes a subtraction of grace, or feel a diminution of fervor. No saint was ever so highly rapt and illuminated as not to be tempted sooner or later. For he is not worthy of the high contemplation of God who has not, for God's sake, been exercised with some tribulation. For temptation going before is usually a sign of ensuing consolation. For heavenly comfort is promised to such as have been proved by temptation. To him that overcometh, saith our Lord, I will give to eat of the tree of life." —Thomas à Kempis, p. 65
An excerpt from Imitation of Christ Daily Verse "But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance." -2 Timothy 4:5-8 | St. Gerard Sagredo (980–1046 A.D.) was born in Venice, Italy. From an early age he desired to dedicate his life to God, and as a young man became a Benedictine monk. He first served as abbot at a monastery in Venice, but left to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. While passing through Hungary he met the Hungarian king, St. Stephen, who asked him to stay in his country to evangelize and minister to his people. St. Gerard agreed, and was named Bishop of Csanád and the royal tutor of the Hungarian prince. He ministered tirelessly among the Hungarian people and helped to convert the whole country to Christianity, for which he is called the "Apostle of Hungary." After the death of King St. Stephen there was a pagan uprising against the Christians, and St. Gerard was martyred for the faith along with two others. His death took place on a hill in Budapest which is now named after him; according to one tradition he was placed in a barrel lined with spikes, and rolled down the hill. He was declared a saint in 1083 by Pope St. Gregory VII. St. Gerard Sagredo is the patron saint of Hungary, and his feast day is September 24th. | Wednesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time Reading I Ezra 9:5-9 At the time of the evening sacrifice, I, Ezra, rose in my wretchedness,
and with cloak and mantle torn I fell on my knees,
stretching out my hands to the LORD, my God.
I said: "My God, I am too ashamed and confounded to raise my face to you,
O my God, for our wicked deeds are heaped up above our heads
and our guilt reaches up to heaven.
From the time of our fathers even to this day
great has been our guilt,
and for our wicked deeds we have been delivered up,
we and our kings and our priests,
to the will of the kings of foreign lands,
to the sword, to captivity, to pillage, and to disgrace,
as is the case today.
"And now, but a short time ago, mercy came to us from the LORD, our God,
who left us a remnant and gave us a stake in his holy place;
thus our God has brightened our eyes
and given us relief in our servitude.
For slaves we are, but in our servitude our God has not abandoned us;
rather, he has turned the good will
of the kings of Persia toward us.
Thus he has given us new life
to raise again the house of our God and restore its ruins,
and has granted us a fence in Judah and Jerusalem." Responsorial Psalm Tobit 13:2, 3-4a, 4befghn, 7-8 R. (1b) Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
He scourges and then has mercy; he casts down to the depths of the nether world, and he brings up from the great abyss.
No one can escape his hand. R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
Praise him, you children of Israel, before the Gentiles, for though he has scattered you among them, he has shown you his greatness even there. R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
So now consider what he has done for you, and praise him with full voice.
Bless the Lord of righteousness, and exalt the King of ages. R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
In the land of my exile I praise him and show his power and majesty to a sinful nation. R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
Bless the Lord, all you his chosen ones, and may all of you praise his majesty.
Celebrate days of gladness, and give him praise.
R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever. Alleluia Mark 1:15 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand;
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Luke 9:1-6 Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority
over all demons and to cure diseases,
and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God
and to heal the sick.
He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey,
neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money,
and let no one take a second tunic.
Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.
And as for those who do not welcome you,
when you leave that town,
shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them."
Then they set out and went from village to village
proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.
| Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | He has given us new life to raise again the house of our God. (Ezra 9:9) What would you say is one of the most important virtues we could have? How about faith? Faith is more than just believing that God exists. It's trusting that he is with us. It's trusting that he is at work in our lives and that he has a purpose for us. And it's moving forward in that trust, even when it's difficult. That's the kind of faith that Ezra shows in today's first reading. Ezra could have easily given up. Growing up in exile, he was sent by the Persian king to Jerusalem to help rebuild the Temple and to teach the Law of Moses to the people. But when he arrived in Jerusalem, he found that many of the people had strayed far from the Lord. They had married foreigners and embraced pagan idols and practices. Ezra was overcome with sorrow upon hearing this, so he fell on his knees and offered prayers of repentance for his people. But he also recognized that while they had given up on God, God had not given up on them. He saw God's hand in their circumstances and knew that the Lord had sent him and his companions to the Israelites so that they could rebuild the Temple and revive their faith. We, like Ezra, live in a sinful world, and we are sinners as well. Yet God has given us "new life," as he did for Ezra, and even more so! Through his Son, he has redeemed us from our sin. He has filled us with the Holy Spirit and poured his own divine life and love into our hearts! So we should have faith, as Ezra did. Whatever our situation is, we can be sure that God is with us and will help us to stay faithful to him. You might wonder, though, how much faith you really have, especially if you're facing a hardship. You may wonder, Do I have enough? The answer is, Yes, you do! That's because faith is a divine gift given by a loving God. You don't create faith; you receive it. You lean on it. You rest in it. Because faith is believing in Jesus, the Son of God, who loves you and gives himself to you every day. So affirm your faith in the Lord today. He is the One who gives you new life. "Lord, thank you for the gift of faith! How could I possibly go on without you?" (Psalm) Tobit 13:2-4, 7-8
Luke 9:1-6 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Ai Audio 2cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority
over all demons and to cure diseases,
and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God
and to heal the sick.
He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey...." Word of the Lord. | Roberto Juarez said: "Like the disciples, we are also called to proclaim the Kingdom of God in our lives. Not all of us are called to do so formally or as preachers, but our actions, words, and lifestyle can be a witness to the Kingdom. How am I living and proclaiming the Kingdom of God in my environment, in my family, work and community?
Jesus warns that we will not always be welcomed when we proclaim the Gospel, and this is something that all Christians can experience. However, the answer should not be despair, but confidence that our mission is to sow, and God will take care of the growth. How do I handle rejection or indifference when I try to live and share my faith?"
From Bishop Barron: "Jesus compared his followers to salt, which is designed to preserve and enhance something other than itself, and to light, whose purpose is to be set on a stand in order to illumine what is around it. Pope St. Paul VI articulated the same truth as follows: The Church doesn't have a mission; the Church is a mission. We go forth, therefore, with God's authority and empowered for his work. When we stand before the judgment seat of Christ, he will ask whether we have taught the world how to praise, how to reverence the truth, how to go out vigorously on campaign to extend the kingdom of God."
He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey....", and they were sent, so what does this mean?
It means total dependency on God, total trust, total faith.
It means that He will be that promise of Abraham, that command from Moses, that He will provide what is necessary, not all that we want, but what is necessary for HIS will to be done, on earth...as it is in Heaven..
Our Lord is the prime example, as He came to this world, as a poor baby, literally in poverty, and rejected before being born, and rejected after being born. God sees this rejection, He sees everyone who is rejected...and it is precious to Him, because, he is compassion, He desires compassion, He loves compassion, He loves to extend mercy.
This message is for the sinner. If it has not touched you personally, then, perhaps there is some remorse to be had for your imperfections, your sins, your detraction from our Lord.
Today, our Lord asks us to go in total faith in Him.
The world will always attempt to extinguish the fire, but the harder it tries, the more it spreads. Because, it is from Heaven. Because, God's will, shall always be.
If only we believed the cursillo motto, "Christ and I, are an overwhelming majority".
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Amen. I believe. Let it be done.
Lord, that we may believe, and truly step out in Holy Faith! |  Audio of Random Verse | Random Bible Verse 1
Philippians 2:13 "...for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure."
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God Bless You! Peace | | |
