† Saint Quote:Make it a practice to judge persons and things in the most favorable light at all times and under all circumstances. St. Vincent de Paul Meditation quote“Beloved brothers and sisters, we must strive with all our strength to repel the enemy of our soul, with full attention and vigilence, as he rages and aims his darts against every part of us that can be assaulted and wounded. This is what the Apostle Peter, in his epistle, warns and teaches us about, saying: ‘Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour’ (1 Pt. 5:8).”
—Paul Thigpen, p.150 Daily VerseWith the loyal thou dost show thyself loyal; with the blameless man thou dost show thyself blameless; with the pure thou dost show thyself pure; and with the crooked thou dost show thyself perverse. For thou dost deliver a humble people; but the haughty eyes thou dost bring down. Yea, thou dost light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness. Yea, by thee I can crush a troop; and by my God I can leap over a wall. This God—his way is perfect; the promise of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. Psalm 18:25-30
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EWTN Daily Saint
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St. Victor of MarseillesPatron Saint of: Millers and soldiers
Feast Day: July 21 St. Victor of Marseilles (d. 290 A.D.) was a Christian soldier serving in the Roman imperial army in Marseilles, France. Christianity was thriving there, until Emperor Maximian arrived with the intention of putting the Christians to death. This caused the Christians to fear, and St. Victor would go from house to house under the cover of night to admonish them to stand strong in their faith. This behavior drew attention, and during one of his nightly rounds he was arrested. The Roman prefects tried to dissuade him from following a “dead man” (Jesus), but St. Victor testified boldly for the truth of the Christian faith. Enraged, the prefects had him bound and dragged through the streets. Victor was undeterred and continued to denounce the Roman gods. His tortures were renewed until his torturers grew tired, after which he was thrown into a dungeon. That night he was visited by angels, and his three guards were converted and baptized that same night. The next morning the Emperor had the guards beheaded, while St. Victor was kept alive for fresh torments. After three days of abuse, the Emperor commanded Victor to burn incense to the gods. Instead, St. Victor walked up to the altar and kicked it over with his foot. In retaliation, his foot was cut off. Seeing that his efforts to cause Victor to apostatize were useless, the Emperor finally had him crushed to death on a grindstone. His body was thrown into the sea before being recovered and buried by Christians. His tomb became a place where many miracles occurred. St. Victor of Marseilles’ feast day is July 21st.
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Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary TimeLectionary: 396 Reading 1Micah 7:14-15, 18-20 Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock of your inheritance,
That dwells apart in a woodland,
in the midst of Carmel.
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,
as in the days of old;
As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt,
show us wonderful signs.Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt
and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;
Who does not persist in anger forever,
but delights rather in clemency,
And will again have compassion on us,
treading underfoot our guilt?
You will cast into the depths of the sea
all our sins;
You will show faithfulness to Jacob,
and grace to Abraham,
As you have sworn to our fathers
from days of old. Responsorial PsalmPsalm 85:2-4, 5-6, 7-8 R. (8a) Lord, show us your mercy and love.
You have favored, O LORD, your land;
you have brought back the captives of Jacob.
You have forgiven the guilt of your people;
you have covered all their sins.
You have withdrawn all your wrath;
you have revoked your burning anger.
R. Lord, show us your mercy and love.
Restore us, O God our savior,
and abandon your displeasure against us.
Will you be ever angry with us,
prolonging your anger to all generations?
R. Lord, show us your mercy and love.
Will you not instead give us life;
and shall not your people rejoice in you?
Show us, O LORD, your kindness,
and grant us your salvation.
R. Lord, show us your mercy and love. AlleluiaJohn 14:23 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him
and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelMatthew 12:46-50 While Jesus was speaking to the crowds,
his mother and his brothers appeared outside,
wishing to speak with him.
Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside,
asking to speak with you.”
But he said in reply to the one who told him,
“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”
And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said,
“Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father
is my brother, and sister, and mother.”
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Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ!
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From Word Among Us WAU.org
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Daily Meditation: Micah 7:14-15, 18-20Show us wonderful signs. (Micah 7:15) Many of the prophecies in the Book of Micah contain warnings to the people of Jerusalem about the Lord’s coming judgment upon their sins. But Micah is not just a prophet of doom. He also speaks words of hope from the Lord, prophecies of a coming day of salvation when the people will be restored and their sins wiped away. Today’s reading is a prayer that Micah offers on behalf of the people. He asks the Lord to care for them and to bring them into a place of safety. And in the midst of this prayer, he asks, “Show us wonderful signs” (Micah 7:15), similar to the marvels God worked during the Exodus from Egypt. Show us these signs so that we know that you are with us and that you will save us from our sins! In the centuries after Micah, God did show the people marvelous signs when they cried out to him. But all these signs found their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus. The healings and miracles he performed all pointed to God’s powerful and merciful presence with his people. Then came the most wonderful sign of all, Jesus’ cross and resurrection. More than any other miracle, this sign revealed a God who has “compassion on us, treading underfoot our guilt” (Micah 7:19). It shows that Jesus came not just to forgive our sins but also to usher us into new and eternal life in his presence. Surely you’ve seen some “wonderful signs” in your life. Perhaps you faced a difficult decision, but you somehow knew that God was guiding your choice. Or a loved one in the midst of a frightening health crisis suddenly began to recover, and you knew the Lord was answering your prayers for their healing. The signs are all around. And like the signs that Micah prayed for, they are all meant to point you to the greatest and most powerful of all signs: the sign of a Savior who gave up his very life to set you free. God has done wonderful things for us. May we never grow weary of recalling them. And may we never forget his most powerful marvel: the sign of his cross! “Lord, I am amazed at all that you have done and continue to do in my life!” Psalm 85:2-8
Matthew 12:46-50
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Reflections with Brother Adrian:
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From today's Holy Gospel: "... But he said in reply to the one who told him,
“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”
And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said,
“Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father
is my brother, and sister, and mother.” .... ”
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From Bishop Barron: "Family is wonderful. There is nothing in the world wrong with fostering the flourishing of your family. But over and again, the Bible places the goods of the world into question—even something as good as family relationships. Why? Because family isn’t God. It is not that which you should serve with your whole heart; it doesn’t belong in the center of your life. Is family the point around which most of your energies revolve? Is it your primary focus as you make your way through the day? Are there times when you feel your family obligations competing with the will of God? Then remember Jesus’s words: “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers? . . . Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father.”
From Roberto Juarez: "...Today's Gospel does not diminish the value of the family, on the contrary, it reveals to us that God wants to form with us a much larger family, where we can all recognize ourselves as children of the same Father. Mary occupies a unique place in that family. Because no one listened and fulfilled God's will like her. And precisely for this reason she continues to be our Mother.
Today let us ask the Lord to grant us a docile heart to listen to his Word. May we learn, like Mary, to respond generously to the Father's will. And may our Christian communities be true families where each person can experience the welcome, forgiveness, fraternity and love that flow from the heart of Christ." end of Roberto quote.
Your brother Adrian: Last night, as I was teaching an adult O.C.I.A. class, those wishing to receive the Holy Sacraments in our Holy Catholic faith, I brought up the whole thing of God's family.
I spoke about priorities.
I said that in my many years of ministries, I see false idols.
I see false ideologies, false gods, all things that vie and compete for the attention that will replace our God from His pedestal, His throne.
I see it clearly on the altars of homes and their phones.
I sneak a peak at people's wallpaper, backgrounds on computers, and their tattoos, what they love above all. I do it to see their state of life.
One former protestant student asked "what do I do when my protestant family quizzes me about my altars and statues and images, because they say the bible speaks against that".
I said "you will need to study for the answer, because when people quiz you, it is test of faith, a question on the quiz for the answer you should know and need to find out".
And so, the tests are not ultimately bad...but good.
And the same if for temptations...they show you what you are needing improvement on. For gluttony, we need prudence and moderation. For vanity, we need prudence and moderation.
For all sin, we need the counter of them all, and most leading to...humility to God.
In comes the family of God.
Our Lord was quizzed when they said "your mother and brothers are out here waiting for you". As if to say, that he belonged outside to them.
But He answered amazingly.
He said "Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father
is my brother, and sister, and mother” as He stretched His hand around Him.
In other words...once again...He is opening His arms and hands to all those around Him in an invitation to God's Kingdom of the Divine will.
Remember the book of Heaven I'm nearly 20 volumes in of the 36 volumes? It is ALL ABOUT THE HOLY DIVINE WILL OF GOD OUR FATHER.
We are in an era of showing His will. For the first centuries, us Christians showed our allegiance to God, and in cost many thousands of lives, but converted more and more along the way.
And in the last centuries, hundreds of thousands have been killed for believing. The devil has not tired in killing lives to attempt hush the light of Christ.
But...it is also good.
It is good when you show the world that you are willing to die to do the Holy will of God.
And it doesn't happen out there...but in here..in your heart.
That is where it starts.
Your relationship...your love.
What is at the centerpiece, the center of your altar...the altar of your heart my child?
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Random Bible Verse 1
Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
Word of the Lord!
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