† Quote of the Day The sacred heart of Christ is an inexhaustible fountain, and its sole desire is to pour itself out into the hearts of the humble so as to free them and prepare them to lead lives according to his good pleasure." -St. Margaret Mary Today's Meditation "If meekness is not exactly the worldly ideal, neither is it universally correlated with strength. Contrariwise, is not the first connotation of meekness in many minds that of supineness, spiritlessness, weakness? It is strange that this should be so, when Jesus set forth meekness as the expression of His own divine-human heart. It is interesting that Christ asked us to master only one lesson plan in life: "Learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart" (Matt. 11:29). It is certainly not without significance that He never specifically asked us to learn anything else." —Mother Francis, PCC, p.26
An excerpt from Blessed Are You Daily Verse "Then they will hand you over to persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name. And then many will be led into sin; they will betray and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and deceive many; and because of the increase of evildoing, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come." -Matthew 24:9-14 | St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) was born in France to a virtuous and distinguished family. As a child she showed great devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and by the age of 9 was practicing severe penances. In her childhood she became sick with rheumatic fever and was confined to bed for four years. She made a vow to the Blessed Virgin to consecrate herself to the religious life, after which she was instantly healed. She often had visions of Jesus, which she thought was a normal experience in the spiritual life. When she turned 17 her mother insisted that she establish a place for herself in the world. Margaret imagined that her childhood vow was not binding, and persuaded herself that she could serve God while living at home and continuing her penances and charity to the poor. She then joined her brothers at dances and began considering marriage. One day, upon returning home from a carnival ball, Jesus appeared to her and reproached her for her infidelity, reminding her of her promise. Margaret then entered a Visitation convent at the age of 24. Jesus appeared to her frequently, and entrusted to her the mission of establishing devotion to his Sacred Heart during a time when religion in France had grown rigorous and cold. Because of her visions she was greatly persecuted by those around her, until her virtue under suffering won over her enemies. Her visions were determined to be genuine and officially recognized by the Catholic Church 75 years after her death. Her feast day is October 16th. | Thursday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Romans 3:21-30 Brothers and sisters:
Now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law,
though testified to by the law and the prophets,
the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ
for all who believe.
For there is no distinction;
all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God.
They are justified freely by his grace
through the redemption in Christ Jesus,
whom God set forth as an expiation,
through faith, by his Blood, to prove his righteousness
because of the forgiveness of sins previously committed,
through the forbearance of God–
to prove his righteousness in the present time,
that he might be righteous
and justify the one who has faith in Jesus. What occasion is there then for boasting? It is ruled out.
On what principle, that of works?
No, rather on the principle of faith.
For we consider that a person is justified by faith
apart from works of the law.
Does God belong to Jews alone?
Does he not belong to Gentiles, too?
Yes, also to Gentiles, for God is one
and will justify the circumcised on the basis of faith
and the uncircumcised through faith. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 130:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6ab R. (7) With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication. R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
Lord, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered. R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
My soul waits for the LORD
more than sentinels wait for the dawn. R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption. Alleluia John 14:6 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Luke 11:47-54 The Lord said:
"Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets
whom your fathers killed.
Consequently, you bear witness and give consent
to the deeds of your ancestors,
for they killed them and you do the building.
Therefore, the wisdom of God said,
'I will send to them prophets and Apostles;
some of them they will kill and persecute'
in order that this generation might be charged
with the blood of all the prophets
shed since the foundation of the world,
from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah
who died between the altar and the temple building.
Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood!
Woe to you, scholars of the law!
You have taken away the key of knowledge.
You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter."
When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees
began to act with hostility toward him
and to interrogate him about many things,
for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say. | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Romans 3:21-30 There is no distinction. (Romans 3:22) By the time Paul began writing his Letter to the Romans, the church in Rome had experienced two dramatic upheavals. The first happened around AD 49, when the emperor Claudius expelled all the Jews from Rome (Acts 18:1-2). It must have been very disruptive to the church's efforts at evangelization to have so many of its own members taken away like that. It also must have been very painful for Jews and Gentiles who had grown to love each other as brothers and sisters in Christ to suddenly be pulled apart. The second upheaval happened in AD 54, when, upon Claudius' death, Jews were permitted to return to the city. That was, obviously, a much more joyous upheaval, but it still must have caused a significant disruption to the day-to-day lives of the believers there. Both the Jewish and Gentile believers had to learn all over again how to accept one another as full brothers and sisters in Christ. That's why Paul placed such a strong emphasis on the truth that there is "no distinction" between Jew and Gentile (Romans 3:22). It's also why he made it clear that God was offering the gift of his righteousness to "all who believe" in his Son, Jesus (3:22, emphasis added). And it's why he later asked, "Does God belong to Jews alone? Does he not belong to Gentiles, too?" (3:29). You can hear Paul pleading for the Romans to embrace the radical unity at the heart of the gospel. This is the beauty of the Christian life. There is indeed no distinction at all. Because everyone is a sinner, everyone can be redeemed. Jesus didn't die just for Jews or for Gentiles. He didn't die just for the poor or the wealthy or for the oppressed or the free. No one person and no one group can claim him as their own. Jesus belongs to everyone—and that means everyone can belong to him. Today's reading begins with Paul announcing that "the righteousness of God has been manifested" (Romans 3:21). It was manifested at Jesus' death and at his resurrection. And it continues to be manifested every time ordinary believers put aside animosity, divisions, and prejudice in order to love each other as Jesus loves each one of us! "Jesus, teach us to live as one in you!" Psalm 130:1-6
Luke 11:47-54 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Ai Audio 2cents | From today's Holy Gospel: ".. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood!
Woe to you, scholars of the law!
You have taken away the key of knowledge.
You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter."
When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees
began to act with hostility toward him
and to interrogate him about many things,
for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say....." Word of the Lord. | From Roberto Juarez:
"Am I an obstacle or a bridge for others to draw closer to God? How can I help others find the truth and live it?
The Pharisees and doctors of the law reacted with hostility to Jesus' correction. Instead of acknowledging their mistake, they sought to catch and eliminate it. This passage invites us to ask ourselves how we react when God corrects us through the Word or circumstances. It is natural to feel uncomfortable in the face of correction, but true wisdom is in accepting the call to change and grow.
How do I react when God corrects me? Am I open to changing my attitudes and behaviors, or do I resist and look for excuses to stay wrong?"...
Have people ever acted with hostility towards you? I have. Much more than I feel comfortable with. In family, in church, and at work, and even out and about, things can go suddenly awry. Truth sees all. The world has hostility integrated, with evil. What are we to do? The words "Handle with Care" comes to mind. And in this case, we should "Handle with Grace". How do we obtain grace? What is grace? Grace, like faith, is a gift from God. Handle faith with care. Handle grace with care, and learn to live in grace, lest, we do the opposite, and be disgraceful, with our manners, our words, our very lives that should resemble the life of Christ as He desires to live and act through us all.
Today, our Lord is asking us to beware. And to consider the "last things" that are out our doorstep. And, at the same time...we are being encouraged, amen? To persevere. On that note, we have started a bible study to cover at least Sunday Scriptures. To me, one hour is not enough. To know scriptures is to know Christ. The hour passes by and feels like 10 minutes, to discuss ancient history, and the continuation of faith, and in this case, on Sunday, we will hear about persistence. Another encouragement from above. Persistence pays. And it our Lord asking us to remain. To remain in Him. Remain in the vine, as He leads us to the Divine Himself.
I hope these messages strengthen you. Lord, thank you. |  Audio of Random Verse | Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 84:11 "For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly."
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