† Quote of the Day ""Is it not a wonderful thing, that he that is the Lord and author of all liberty, would thus be bound with ropes and nailed hand and foot unto the Cross?"" -St. John Fisher Today's Meditation "You must first have peace in your own soul before you can make peace between other people. Peaceable people accomplish more good than learned people do. Those who are passionate often can turn good into evil and readily believe the worst. But those who are honest and peaceful turn all things to good and are suspicious of no one. ... It is no test of virtue to be on good terms with easy-going people, for they are always well liked. And, of course, all of us want to live in peace and prefer those who agree with us. But the real test of virtue and deserving of praise is to live at peace with the perverse, or the aggressive and those who contradict us, for this needs a great grace. ... in this mortal life, our peace consists in the humble bearing of suffering and contradictions, not in being free of them, for we cannot live in this world without adversity. Those who can best suffer will enjoy the most peace, for such persons are masters of themselves, lords of the world, with Christ for their friend, and heaven as their reward." — Thomas รก Kempis, p.72-73
An excerpt from Imitation of Christ Daily Verse "In fact, all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But wicked people and charlatans will go from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived. But you, remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it, and that from infancy you have known [the] sacred scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." -2 Timothy 3:12-15 | St. John of Capistrano (1385-1456) was born in Capistrano, Italy. After the death of his father, his mother sent him to study law in Perugia where he rose to prominence. He achieved great success as a lawyer and was appointed governor of Perugia. He was an upright leader who refused bribes and corruption. While attempting to negotiate a peace treaty he was imprisoned, which gave him opportunity to assess the direction of his life and the state of his soul. After having a vision of St. Francis of Assisi, John left the world and entered religious life as a Franciscan friar. He was taught theology by St. Bernardine of Siena, and together the two worked to reform the Franciscan order. St. John traveled throughout Italy preaching for the salvation of souls, combating the heresies of his day, and winning many souls away from schism and heresy. Merchants would suspend their business as great crowds gathered to hear him preach in the public squares. He was also known as a healer, and many of the sick were brought to him to be cured. St. John was frequently used as an ambassador by the Holy See which allowed him to preach across the Holy Roman Empire, earning him the name "Apostle of Europe." He also preached a crusade against the Muslim Turks for the emancipation of Hungary. He was present at the Battle of Belgrade and led the charge of the Christian army under a banner monogrammed with the Holy Name of Jesus, to which he had a great devotion, urging the crusaders to invoke the name of Jesus for success in battle. The victory of the Christian army was attributed to his efforts. St. John of Capistrano is the patron of judges, military chaplains, lawyers, and jurists. His feast day is October 23rd. | Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Romans 6:19-23 Brothers and sisters:
I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your nature.
For just as you presented the parts of your bodies as slaves to impurity
and to lawlessness for lawlessness,
so now present them as slaves to righteousness for sanctification.
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness.
But what profit did you get then
from the things of which you are now ashamed?
For the end of those things is death.
But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God,
the benefit that you have leads to sanctification,
and its end is eternal life.
For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6 R. (Ps 40:5) Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night. R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers. R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes. R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord. Alleluia Philippians 3:8-9 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I consider all things so much rubbish
that I may gain Christ and be found in him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Luke 12:49-53 Jesus said to his disciples:
"I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided,
three against two and two against three;
a father will be divided against his son
and a son against his father,
a mother against her daughter
and a daughter against her mother,
a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Romans 6:19-23 You . . . have become slaves of God. (Romans 6:22) Did you know that slaves made up almost a third of the population in St. Paul's time? It's not surprising, then, that Paul uses the analogy of slave and master to help us understand the spiritual choice that each of us faces: Will we be slaves to sin, which leads to death, or slaves to righteousness, which leads to sanctification and eternal life (Romans 6:23)? As Christians, we've chosen righteousness—the righteousness we received through Baptism into Jesus' death and resurrection. Because of his sacrifice on the cross, he has freed us to be "holy and without blemish" before God (Ephesians 1:4). Now we can freely choose to serve the God who has given us this amazing gift. As "slaves of God" (Romans 6:22), we haven't actually given up our freedom. Rather, we use our freedom to serve the One we love. We freely choose to follow him and to care for his people. Still, even though we've chosen righteousness, we know that it's not a "once and done" choice. Every day, we battle against temptations to sin, so we need to choose repeatedly to obey the Lord. God knows us inside and out, so he knows that we will fail at times. But when we turn back to him, we can always count on him to show us mercy. What an awesome gift this is! Not only does God forgive us; he also gives us an opportunity to commit ourselves to him once again. Our call to discipleship—or to live as "slaves" of the Lord—involves renewing our commitment to him every day. That's why Jesus tells us, "Take up [your] cross daily" (Luke 9:23). So recommit yourself to the Lord today. Tell him that you want to love him and obey him, to go where he sends you. Tell him that you want to use your freedom to serve him. Thank him for his sacrifice on the cross, which has cleansed you and made you righteous. Thank him for all the times he has forgiven you, and be assured that he will always love you. You have chosen him, and he will not let you go! "Lord, you are my merciful Master. Thank you for freeing me from sin and leading me to eternal life!" | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Ai Audio 2cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "...I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division...." Word of the Lord. | From Bishop Barron: "Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus declares his desire to spread eternal life among human beings. He said, "I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!" What is that fire? His forerunner, John, gave us a clue: "I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. . . . He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." Jesus came in order to torch the world with the heat and light of the divine Spirit, which is none other than the love shared by the Father and the Son, the very inner life of God. Jesus is a prophet because he teaches; he is a king because he leads and shepherds; but he is a priest because he is the spreader of the sacred fire. Every one of the baptized shares in the priesthood of Christ and is therefore obligated to be a conduit of holiness, a bearer of the divine life, a spreader of the fire that sets the world ablaze." end quote.
From Roberto Juarez: "The Gospel confronts us with the need to make a clear decision for Christ. We cannot live a lukewarm or indecisive faith. Following Jesus involves giving up certain comforts and being willing to face opposition. Are we making this radical decision for Christ in our daily lives? Or are we looking for compromises that will allow us to avoid the conflict or tensions that this decision may bring?
Today we find ourselves with a call to total commitment to Christ. Jesus challenges us to light the fire of his love and justice in our lives and in the world, despite the divisions and conflicts that may arise. He invites us to accept our crosses and trials, knowing that following them implies renunciations, but also the promise of a full life. In the face of this message, we must ask ourselves: Are we willing to bear the cost of discipleship and to live our faith consistently and courageously, even when it causes us difficulties or divisions? May the Holy Spirit give us the strength to follow Christ decisively, allowing his fire to transform our lives and the world." end quote.
From Bro. Adrian. The Lord our God Himself has come into the world...to set it on fire.
What does this mean? It means the light has come. He said it. To LIGHT up the world. Fire hurts. A purgatory fire hurts. The tests you are going through are fire. It hurts! But thank God. Who can praise God in the storm? As we speak, there are continuous murders of Christians and continuous oppression in many parts of the world, and sometimes the fight comes to your doorstep...the oppressive regime that taunts you to ...give up. To extinguish...that fire. What fire?
That fire of God's love.
There is a real desire for your soul going on, in the immense realms we cannot see nor fathom really. A war for souls. What souls? Yours, and your loved ones, and all the innocent in the world who do not even know about God's love.
That fire. That fire that changes everything. That fire that renews. That fire that burns away what is no good. That fire that we can see burning true...in the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
And the conundrum, the perplexing part is falling in love with God. They say His love for us is inexplicable, unfathomable. Have you ever felt the love of God?
Have you ever felt yourself, just wishing to hug Him? To hold Him? To kiss His forehead, or His toes? Have you ever felt your heart on fire, with His love burning within?
I have. Sometimes I imagine Him so great, that all I can hug with my whole body is His toe! But I hear in the book of Heaven that He hides in the heart, comes out of the heart, and appears as a baby, to be held, nurtured, and even fed. Can you see how crazy it gets in other realms? What's even more crazy is that He ventures into the world we live in.
And He expresses His desire....His fire.
Your purpose is revealed then....God's holy will. It is the basis for the Book of Heaven. His Holy Will.
Our Lord says today: "I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!"
And I say, "Lord, my Love, I do too, I want to set the world on fire, and to set it ablaze".
May our wills unite, and ignite! I ask for prayer for a women's cursillo beginning today, let the worlds set on fire! |  Audio of Random Verse | Random Bible Verse 1
Colossians 3:9–10 "Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self1 with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
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God Bless You! Peace | | |
