† Quote of the Day ""When you have free moments, go faithfully to prayer. The good God is waiting for you there."" -St. Julie Billiart Today's Meditation "I call upon you, my God, my mercy, who made me, and did not forget me, although I forgot you. I call you into my soul, which you prepare to accept you by the longing that you breathe into it. Do not desert me now when I call upon you, for before I called upon you, you went ahead and helped me, and repeatedly you urged me on by many different words, so that from afar I would hear you, and be converted, and call upon you as you called to me." —St. Augustine, p. 302
An excerpt from The Confessions of Saint Augustine Daily Verse "So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs." -Mark 16:19-20 | Bl. Bartholomew of Vicenza (1201-1270), also known as Bartholomew of Braganca or Breganza, was born to a noble family in Vicenza, Italy. While studying in Padua he entered the newly established Dominican Order as one of their first friars, receiving the habit from St. Dominic himself. Bartholomew quickly advanced to positions of prominence within the Order, becoming prior and then overseeing several convents. He was sent to preach against the heretics in Lombardy, and was so successful that in 1235 the Holy Father made him Master of the Sacred Palace (an office known as "The Pope's Theologian") a position which was first held by St. Dominic. In this role he also founded a military order of knights for the purpose of maintaining civil order and peace throughout Italy called the Order of the Knights of the Mother of God (or the Knights of St. Mary). He was later made bishop of Cyprus, and also served as papal legate and confessor to St. Louis King of France, who was then leading a crusade in the Holy Land. From this friendship Bartholomew received the gift of a relic of the True Cross and a thorn from the Crown of Thorns. When Bartholomew returned to his native Vicenza as the city's bishop he built a church to house the precious relics called the Church of the Holy Crown. Bl. Bartholomew of Vicenza was an effective mediator between the factions and feuds of his day, even converting the leader of a heretical party back to the Catholic faith. His feast day is October 27th. | Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 479
Reading 1 Romans 8:12-17 Brothers and sisters,
we are not debtors to the flesh,
to live according to the flesh.
For if you live according to the flesh, you will die,
but if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,
you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you received a spirit of adoption,
through which we cry, "Abba, Father!"
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God,
and if children, then heirs,
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,
if only we suffer with him
so that we may also be glorified with him. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 68:2 and 4, 6-7ab, 20-21 R. (21a) Our God is the God of salvation.
God arises; his enemies are scattered,
and those who hate him flee before him.
But the just rejoice and exult before God;
they are glad and rejoice. R. Our God is the God of salvation.
The father of orphans and the defender of widows
is God in his holy dwelling.
God gives a home to the forsaken;
he leads forth prisoners to prosperity. R. Our God is the God of salvation.
Blessed day by day be the Lord,
who bears our burdens; God, who is our salvation.
God is a saving God for us;
the LORD, my Lord, controls the passageways of death. R. Our God is the God of salvation.
Alleluia John 17:17b, 17a R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your word, O Lord, is truth;
consecrate us in the truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Luke 13:10-17 Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath.
And a woman was there who for eighteen years
had been crippled by a spirit;
she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect.
When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said,
"Woman, you are set free of your infirmity."
He laid his hands on her,
and she at once stood up straight and glorified God.
But the leader of the synagogue,
indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath,
said to the crowd in reply,
"There are six days when work should be done.
Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day."
The Lord said to him in reply, "Hypocrites!
Does not each one of you on the sabbath
untie his ox or his ass from the manger
and lead it out for watering?
This daughter of Abraham,
whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now,
ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day
from this bondage?"
When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated;
and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him. | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Romans 7:18-25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 7:25) We have spent the past two weeks reading from St Paul's Letter to the Romans. Saints and scholars throughout the ages have called Romans his theological masterpiece—and they have studied it and argued over it for just as long! But as dense as it can appear at times, at its heart it is nothing but good, good news. So today, let's join Paul in crying out with joy: "Thanks be to God!" Thanks be to God that while I was still a sinner, you sent Jesus to die for me! When I was laboring under the weight of my sins, my heart cried out, "Who will deliver me?" (7:24). I had no hope, no way out of the chains I had forged for myself. But you heard my cry and did for me what I could never do for myself. You bent down, took up my sins, and put them to death on your cross. Thanks be to God that you rescued me and brought me into your own kingdom. Now, freed from the curse of sin and death, I can meet you in prayer. I can walk in your presence wherever I go. And I can shine the light of your love on everyone I meet. Thanks be to God that my "old self was crucified" with you when I was baptized into your death and resurrection! Jesus, your cross has set me free from "slavery" to the lure and the power of sin (Romans 6:6). I can rise above every temptation that comes my way. Even when it feels impossible, you tell me that I can say no to sin. By your Spirit dwelling in me, I can "conquer overwhelmingly" every dark impulse that threatens to separate me from you and the people you've placed in my life (8:37). Thanks be to God that while "the wages of sin is death," you offer something far greater than "wages": your "gift" of "eternal life" (Romans 6:23). You have freely given me something greater than what I could earn on my own: eternal, unending, joy-filled life in your presence! Together with the angels and saints, I'll finally see you as you are—and I'll become like you (1 John 3:2). All my tears will be wiped away, all my fears removed, all my deepest desires fulfilled. What else can I say but . . . "Thanks be to you, O Lord, for your great love for me!" Psalm 119:66, 68, 76-77, 93-94
Luke 12:54-59 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Ai Audio 2cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "...But the leader of the synagogue,
indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath,
said to the crowd in reply,
"There are six days when work should be done.
Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day."
The Lord said to him in reply, "Hypocrites!
Does not each one of you on the sabbath
untie his ox or his ass from the manger
and lead it out for watering?
This daughter of Abraham,
whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now,
ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day
from this bondage?"
When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated;
and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him...." Word of the Lord. | From Bishop Barron: "Friends, today's Gospel gives us a wonderful story of Jesus performing a miracle, something he still does today. I want to draw your attention to an extraordinary book by Protestant scholar Craig Keener titled Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts. The most surprising section of the book contains his reports of some of the millions of miracles that come, even today, from all over the world. I'll relay to you just one case from Keener's book. Ed Wilkinson's eight-year-old son was found to have two holes in his heart. Surgery was scheduled and, while he was waiting, Ed prayed, but he was struggling with doubts. When his son asked whether he was going to die, his father was honest with him. Ed's pastor decided to hold a prayer service for the boy, during which hundreds gathered to pray for his recovery. The day of the surgery arrived, and Ed was told the surgery would take four to six hours. After about a half hour, the surgeon entered the waiting area, and Ed feared for the worst. Instead, the doctor had inexplicable news: There were no holes in the boy's heart. They had simply closed up. " end quote.
Something happens when the law of man becomes more than the law of God....something terrible happens.
This can happen to all of us if we are not careful though.
You make up your own rules in your head, ones that people cannot cross...or else. Or else you may not forgive them. And this can be bad for you, because when you choke others, you are choking your own life.
Our Lord said "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings." and this came from Hosea, a prophet centuries before Christ enters our world.
And when our Lord enters, He comes to fulfill the old in every way, to transform it anew with a light for all nations.
Where had mercy gone? Why did they want to murder Christ for healing on a Sabbath? Because, Sabbath became the god they made up, and how did this happen? When our hearts do not let love reign.
When Love does not reign supreme, then darkness rules.
Our Lord comes to fulfill another Scripture from the Prophet Joel, ""Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning."
"Return to Me!".
For they had lost their way.
Have we lost our way? Have we helped others find the way?
What is the way?
Jesus came and said "I AM THE WAY". He is the LIFE. He is the Truth.
And so the message is of reuniting with Christ our Lord and Savior. To do His will, to be His Sacred Body, as He desires.
Lord, help us be one in You, both now and forever. |  Audio of Random Verse | Random Bible Verse 1
1 Peter 2:11
" Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul."
Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
