† Quote of the Day ""Don't spend your energies on things that generate worry, anxiety and anguish. Only one thing is necessary: Lift up your spirit, and love God."" -Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina Today's Meditation "I think the main reason we keep returning [to Confession] with the same list [of sins] is that we don't understand what Christ wants to do in the confessional. We go simply wanting our sins forgiven, not realizing that He wants to do much more. He wants to heal us of the attitudes, disordered desires, problems, and wounds that are causing us to keep committing those sins...Since the purpose of every sacrament is to give grace, and the purpose of grace is to heal and sanctify, then the ultimate goal of each sacrament is to heal us and make us holy so that we can become like God." – Vinny Flynn p.26-27
An excerpt from 7 Secrets of Confession Daily Verse "In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised holy Spirit, which is the first installment of our inheritance toward redemption as God's possession, to the praise of his glory." -Ephesians 1:13-14 | St. Alphonsus Rodriguez (1532–1617) was born in Segovia, Spain, the son of a wool merchant. He was prepared for his First Holy Communion by St. Peter Faber, one of the first Jesuits. When his father died, Alphonsus had to leave school at the age of 14 to take over the family business, which eventually failed. He married and had three children, and was left a widower at the age of 31 when his wife died in childbirth. In subsequent years he also lost his mother and all three of his children. Alphonsus developed a life of prayer, intense piety, and rigorous penances, with a deep devotion to the Blessed Mother under her title of the Immaculate Conception. His desire for the religious life increased and he attempted to join the Jesuits as a late vocation, but his lack of education made him a poor candidate. To amend his deficiency he went back to school, while begging alms to support himself and enduring ridicule from his much younger classmates. After a long delay he was finally admitted to the Jesuits when he was nearly 40 years old, but only as a lay brother. He was given the humble job of a porter (doorkeeper), a job which he served with dedication for 46 years. Many people within the religious community, as well as many visitors, recognized his holiness and sought his advice and spiritual council. St. Peter Claver was one of his disciples, and St. Alphonsus is credited for directing him in his mission to African slaves. St. Alphonsus was known for his rigorous obedience and discipline, and for suffering from scrupulosity, temptations, and attacks from the devil. He took his final vows with the Jesuits at the age of 54. He continued to serve and even preach sermons into his 80's. He is credited with popularizing the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, copies of which he stockpiled and distributed. His feast day is October 30th. | Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Romans 8:31b-39 Brothers and sisters:
If God is for us, who can be against us?
He did not spare his own Son
but handed him over for us all,
how will he not also give us everything else along with him?
Who will bring a charge against God's chosen ones?
It is God who acquits us.
Who will condemn?
It is Christ Jesus who died, rather, was raised,
who also is at the right hand of God,
who indeed intercedes for us.
What will separate us from the love of Christ?
Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine,
or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?
As it is written: For your sake we are being slain all the day;
we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly
through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities,
nor present things, nor future things,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature will be able to separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 109:21-22, 26-27, 30-31 R. (26b) Save me, O Lord, in your mercy.
Do you, O GOD, my Lord, deal kindly with me for your name's sake;
in your generous mercy rescue me;
For I am wretched and poor,
and my heart is pierced within me. R. Save me, O Lord, in your mercy.
Help me, O LORD, my God;
save me, in your mercy,
And let them know that this is your hand;
that you, O LORD, have done this. R. Save me, O Lord, in your mercy.
I will speak my thanks earnestly to the LORD,
and in the midst of the throng I will praise him,
For he stood at the right hand of the poor man,
to save him from those who would condemn his soul. R. Save me, O Lord, in your mercy. Alleluia See Luke 19:38; 2:14 R. Alleluia, alleluia. Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.
Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Luke 13:31-35 Some Pharisees came to Jesus and said,
"Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you."
He replied, "Go and tell that fox,
'Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow,
and on the third day I accomplish my purpose.
Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day,
for it is impossible that a prophet should die
outside of Jerusalem.' "Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,
how many times I yearned to gather your children together
as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,
but you were unwilling!
Behold, your house will be abandoned.
But I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say,
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."
| Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Romans 8:31-39 What will separate us from the love of Christ? (Romans 8:35) Sometimes it can feel like the whole world is working against us. We spill our coffee all over the table when we are running late. A coworker doesn't give us the benefit of the doubt, or we suffer a financial hardship. We find ourselves confessing the same sin over and over. Not to mention the pressures of living as a Christian in a world where many are opposed to the gospel message! We may think it would be easier to give up following Jesus and try something else! All this can make us feel weary and distant from the Lord. But today St. Paul asks us, "What will separate us from the love of Christ?" (Romans 8:35). Paul was speaking from his own experience. It seemed that throughout his missionary journeys, he experienced hardships. He was shipwrecked, beaten, stoned, and imprisoned multiple times (2 Corinthians 11:24-26). And in today's first reading, he mentions persecution, famine, and the sword (Romans 8:35). It really did seem as if the whole world was against Paul! Yet despite his trials, he persevered. Rather than giving into despair, he declared in confidence, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). You probably haven't faced shipwrecks or a sword, but your trials are still real, and they still matter to Jesus. When you are struggling, you can cry out with the psalmist, "Help me, O Lord, my God; save me, in your mercy" (Psalm 109:26). Your Father in heaven will help you! In fact, in all circumstances—from something as trivial as spilled coffee to something as serious as a life-threatening illness—he can empower you to "conquer overwhelmingly" (Romans 8:37). Nothing, not even death itself, can separate you from his love! That is a bold promise—and that promise is for you! So if it feels like you are in a losing battle today, remember that Jesus has already won the real battle. He triumphed over sin and death and now offers you a share in his victory! You are never alone—he is with you. In moments of despair, loneliness, or suffering, as well as in moments of joy, consolation, and peace, nothing can separate you from his love! "Lord, even when I don't feel it, I will trust in your unfailing love." Psalm 109:21-22, 26-27, 30-31
Luke 13:31-35 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Ai Audio 2cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "....Some Pharisees came to Jesus and said,
"Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you."
He replied, "Go and tell that fox,
'Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow,
and on the third day I accomplish my purpose...." Word of the Lord. | "Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus compares himself to a mother hen who longs to gather her chicks under her wing. As the theologian N. T. Wright points out, this is much more than a sentimental image. It refers to the gesture of a hen when fire is sweeping through the barn. In order to protect her chicks, she will sacrifice herself, gathering them under her wing and using her own body as a shield. On the cross, Jesus used, as it were, his own sacrificed body as a shield, taking the full force of the world's hatred and violence. He entered into close quarters with sin (because that's where we sinners are found) and allowed the heat and fury of sin to destroy him, even as he protected us. With this metaphor in mind, we can see, with special clarity, why the first Christians associated the crucified Jesus with the suffering servant of Isaiah. By enduring the pain of the cross, Jesus did indeed bear our sins; by his stripes we were indeed healed. " end quote Bishop Barron.
Our Lord said:
"Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,
how many times I yearned to gather your children together..." Evil gets very territorial. Especially within a body, claiming its rights. What rights? The rights of authority...the permission based rights. In this case, I can sense evil coming to our Lord and saying "shoo get away...or else". But, instead of backing away, our Lord heads straight into Jerusalem.
He sets His face like flint said the scripture in one translation.
Like an arrow, straight to the heart, of where God wanted Him to be.
He knew full well God's will, as hard as it was, we are called to be strong.
This is why He says to strive to be strong, and perfect.
For this, we need an eternal bond with the strong and the perfect...the Heavens, and our God our Father Himself. |  Audio of Random Verse | Random Bible Verse 1 Proverbs 16:19
"It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud."
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God Bless You! Peace | | |
