† Quote of the Day "Only in Christ can men and women find answers to the ultimate questions that trouble them. Only in Christ can they fully understand their dignity as persons created and loved by God." -Pope St. John Paul II Today's Meditation "And so, in the redemptive economy of grace, brought about through the action of the Holy Spirit, there is a unique correspondence between the moment of the Incarnation of the Word and the moment of the birth of the Church. The person who links these two moments is Mary: Mary at Nazareth and Mary in the Upper Room at Jerusalem. In both cases her discreet yet essential presence indicates the path of 'birth from the Holy Spirit'. Thus she who is present in the mystery of Christ as Mother becomes—by the will of the Son and the power of the Holy Spirit—present in the mystery of the Church. In the Church too she continues to be a maternal presence, as is shown by the words spoken from the Cross: 'Woman, behold your son!'; 'Behold your mother.'" —Pope St. John Paul II, p. 94
An excerpt from Mary: God's Yes to Man Daily Verse "We belong to God, and anyone who knows God listens to us, while anyone who does not belong to God refuses to hear us. This is how we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit." -1 John 4:6 | Pope St. John Paul II (1920–2005) was born in Poland and was a vibrant, athletic, and intelligent child. His deeply religious father played an important role in his spiritual formation after his mother's death when he was 8 years old. He studied literature, poetry, and theater before his studies were interrupted by the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939. He answered the call to the priesthood, and after entering a clandestine seminary was ordained in 1946. He completed his doctoral studies in Rome and returned to Poland where he ministered in a special way to young people. He was ordained a bishop in 1958 and attended the Second Vatican Council in 1962. He is well known for his leadership in encouraging a spiritual and cultural resistance to the Communist occupation of Poland. He was elected Supreme Pontiff in 1978, the first non-Italian pope in over 450 years, and had the second-longest pontificate in history. He was a remarkable theologian and philosopher and a guardian of orthodoxy. During his time as Holy Father he gave a multitude of important contributions to the Church including his teaching on the Theology of the Body, his emphasis on the Universal Call to Holiness, and his strong devotion to the Virgin Mary. He is also known as the "Pope of the Family." During his pontificate he beatified 1338 people and canonized 482 saints. He also visited 129 countries, making him one of the most well-traveled world leaders in history. He was canonized by Pope Francis in 2014. His feast day is October 22nd. | Wednesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Romans 6:12-18 Brothers and sisters:
Sin must not reign over your mortal bodies
so that you obey their desires.
And do not present the parts of your bodies to sin
as weapons for wickedness,
but present yourselves to God as raised from the dead to life
and the parts of your bodies to God
as weapons for righteousness.
For sin is not to have any power over you,
since you are not under the law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law
but under grace?
Of course not!
Do you not know that if you present yourselves
to someone as obedient slaves,
you are slaves of the one you obey,
either of sin, which leads to death,
or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
But thanks be to God that, although you were once slaves of sin,
you have become obedient from the heart
to the pattern of teaching to which you were entrusted.
Freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 124:1b-3, 4-6, 7-8 R. (8a) Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Had not the LORD been with us,
let Israel say, had not the LORD been with us–
When men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive;
When their fury was inflamed against us. R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us;
over us then would have swept the raging waters.
Blessed be the LORD, who did not leave us
a prey to their teeth. R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
We were rescued like a bird
from the fowlers' snare;
Broken was the snare,
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth. R. Our help is in the name of the Lord. Alleluia Matthew 24:42a, 44 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stay awake!
For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Luke 12:39-48 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Be sure of this:
if the master of the house had known the hour
when the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come." Then Peter said,
"Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?"
And the Lord replied,
"Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward
whom the master will put in charge of his servants
to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
Truly, I say to you, he will put him
in charge of all his property.
But if that servant says to himself,
'My master is delayed in coming,'
and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,
to eat and drink and get drunk,
then that servant's master will come
on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
and will punish the servant severely
and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
That servant who knew his master's will
but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will
shall be beaten severely;
and the servant who was ignorant of his master's will
but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating
shall be beaten only lightly.
Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Romans 6:12-18 You are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:14) In today's first reading, St. Paul cautioned the Romans not to use God's free gift of grace as an excuse to sin (Romans 6:15). Similarly, he told the Corinthians not to receive that grace in vain (2 Corinthians 6:1). So what is this grace? Simply put, it is unmerited favor. The Catechism calls it the "free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become children of God, adoptive sons, partakers of the divine nature and of eternal life" (1996). If you look at the Greek word that is translated "grace," charis, you'll see that it isn't earned; it's a gift that we freely receive from our heavenly Father. So we are now "under" God's grace. It's the new ruling principle of our lives. No longer are we subject to condemnation for our sins; we have been forgiven by the generous gift of God. His favor has brought us liberty—not the freedom to follow our impulses, but the unfettered ability to walk in his ways. It's a freedom that liberates us from sin and unites our hearts with the Lord. Paul is a great example of living under grace, so it's not surprising that he wrote so much about it. He received a dramatic outpouring of grace when, on the road to Damascus, he encountered the risen Jesus (Acts 9). In that revelation, the Lord showed him that he was wrong to have been persecuting the Church. But he also revealed that he did not condemn Paul for what he had done. He had forgiven him instead! He was set free from the guilt of his prior offenses, and as a result, he was free to follow Jesus wherever he led him. It's the same for you. Your worst choices don't define you. Because you have received God's grace, you are defined by his love. Every day, you can receive even more grace to help you walk in his ways. Every day, because of that grace, you can live as someone "raised from the dead to life" (Romans 6:13). Today, you can experience freedom from sin and live more fully as a child of God and partaker in his nature. All because you are under grace! "Lord Jesus, help me to remember everything that your grace has done for me!" Psalm 124:1-8
Luke 12:39-48 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Ai Audio 2cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "..That servant who knew his master's will
but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will
shall be beaten severely;
and the servant who was ignorant of his master's will
but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating
shall be beaten only lightly.
Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more...." Word of the Lord. | From Bishop Barron today:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, the Lord urges his disciples and us to be prudent servants, following his ways in anticipation of his coming again. Theologians often call prudence the queen of the virtues because it is the capacity to reign sovereignly over one's life, both ordering one's inner powers and directing one's affairs wisely in the outside world. Prudence is that sure touch, that moral instinct that renders one capable of making the right decision under pressure and in the face of complex circumstances. Prudence is a sort of accumulated theoretical and practical wisdom, a know-how that is for the most part instinctual, in the bones. When placed in the Christian context, therefore, prudence is a feel for how Jesus would react, how he would think, how he would move in a particular situation. It is tantamount to having one's soul gathered around Christ as its center, so that all one's actions are informed by Jesus and his way of being in the world. Christian prudence comes from apprenticing to Christ—that is to say, moving with him, watching at close quarters how he lives and moves and gestures." end quote.
From Roberto Juarez:
"Jesus makes it clear that those who have been given more will be asked for more. This applies not only to Church leaders or those with visible responsibilities, but to all who have received spiritual, intellectual, or material gifts. The question is: How are we using what God has given us? Are we responding generously to his call?
The Gospel invites us to live in an attitude of vigilance and fidelity. Jesus reminds us that we are stewards of the gifts and responsibilities we have received, and that one day we will be called to account. This invitation to vigilance should not lead us to anxiety, but to a life of responsibility and coherence, always seeking to do God's will in our daily actions. Living with this awareness allows us to always be prepared for when the Lord comes to meet us. May our lives be a testimony of faithfulness, trust, and responsibility in all that we do." end quote.
There is a beating waiting for us.
Really?
Yes.
Now, it is up to us, what kind of beating we can head towards.
Evil works deserve a royal beating. Especially for those that know better!
Even small things, like, not bowing or reverencing the altar, those things can deserve punishment, or bad words and cussing, or gossip, or ignoring a charitable opportunity! Even ignoring your kids! All these things call for self damnation! Don't believe it? No problem, but the Lord has called us out to be ready, to meet the Lord of Justice, the Lord of Love, the Lord of Mercy.
And He is mercy, but not that we should take advantage of it! We shouldn't sin and count on mercy, on purpose! What a slap to the face! We must strive for perfection...all things holiness, amen?
And the Lord will see the truth of the heart. Sunday, we will read about what God sees...the center, the core of our self...the heart.
There is a beating that can choose though, the good one, the one less painful, but more enjoyable....the beating of God's Heart...Jesus. Oh, if only we loved Him so much that we would want to be always at His side! So close, your ear to His heart...to hear His heart beating. The Book Of Heaven touches this in volume 19 I believe. The beat of His heart envelops with individual messages of His majesty, grace, and mercy. The beats of his heart are alive, and constantly going outwards. The beating of His heart is then, a super enormous life giving, soul saving effect that permeates forever.
That's the beating we should strive for. Not the horrible beat down deserved by choosing to be lazy, and ignoring His every little call, even daily...opportunities of love offerings.
Let those who have ears...Hear this. |  Audio of Random Verse | Random Bible Verse 1
1 John 3:1 "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him."
Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
