The Precious Blood"Prayer to the Precious Blood" written by St. Elizabeth Ann Seton: Lord Jesus, by faith in Your merits, I now take Your Precious Blood and sprinkle it over myself and my family right from the crown of my head to the very soles of my feet. I claim total and complete protection for my life and my family. Lord Jesus, keep me free today from evil, sin, temptation, Satan’s attacks and afflictions, fear of darkness, fear of man, sickness, diseases, doubts, anger, all calamities and from all that is not of thy Kingdom. Fill me, Lord Jesus, with the gift of Your Holy Spirit, and grant me the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, understanding and discernment so that I will live today in Your glory by doing that which is right. Amen.
† Saint Quote:“Young people need the light of watchful guides to lead them on the path of salvation.” St. John Baptist de la Salle Meditation quoteToday's Meditation
"Heaven is the birth-place and home of love. Its blessed inhabitants love much, love forever, and love only what is worthy of love. Joseph, however, was blessed by anticipation, for he passed all his days in the exercise of divine love, and lived a life of love upon earth. The Evangelists do not record a single word of this great saint; he observed, indeed, a marvelous silence. Not, however, an ungracious silence. The silence of ordinary men, as well as their irrepressible flow of words, is often merely selfish. But Joseph’s silence and his speech were alike prompted and regulated by the law of charity ... His words, indeed, were never superfluous, for they had their source in love, but they were also ruled by his will, not forced from him as the expression of his feelings." Edward Healy Thompson An excerpt from The Life and Glories of St. Joseph: Pg. 362
SHOP NOW Daily VerseFor God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.
2 Timothy 1:7-8
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EWTN Daily Saint
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St Augustine Zhao RongPatron Saint of: China, Chinese Catholics, and persecuted Christians
Feast Day: July 9 St. Augustine Zhao Rong (d. 1815) was a Chinese soldier who was assigned to escort the captive Catholic bishop, John Gabriel Taurin Dufresse, to Beijing where he was to be executed by beheading. The bishop's faith made a strong impact on Zhao, who then requested baptism. He took the Christian name Augustine, and later entered the seminary and was ordained to the priesthood. During the continuing persecution of Christians in China, Augustine was one of thousands of Chinese Catholics who suffered martyrdom for the faith. He was arrested, tortured, and killed in 1815. St. Augustine Zhao Rong is honored with a group of 120 martyrs who were killed for their Catholic faith in China from 1648-1930. The group was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II in 2000. Of them, 87 were Chinese natives and 33 were Western missionaries. The feast day of St. Augustine Zhao Rong and the Chinese Martyrs is July 9th.
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Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary TimeLectionary: 386 Reading 1Hosea 11:1-4, 8e-9 Thus says the LORD:
When Israel was a child I loved him,
out of Egypt I called my son.
The more I called them,
the farther they went from me,
Sacrificing to the Baals
and burning incense to idols.
Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
who took them in my arms;
I drew them with human cords,
with bands of love;
I fostered them like one
who raises an infant to his cheeks;
Yet, though I stooped to feed my child,
they did not know that I was their healer. My heart is overwhelmed,
my pity is stirred.
I will not give vent to my blazing anger,
I will not destroy Ephraim again;
For I am God and not man,
the Holy One present among you;
I will not let the flames consume you. Responsorial PsalmPsalm 80:2ac, 3b, 15-16 R. (4b) Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hearken.
From your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth.
Rouse your power.
R. Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved.
Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see:
Take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted,
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
R. Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved. AlleluiaMark 1:15 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand:
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelMatthew 10:7-15 Jesus said to his Apostles:
“As you go, make this proclamation:
‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;
no sack for the journey, or a second tunic,
or sandals, or walking stick.
The laborer deserves his keep.
Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it,
and stay there until you leave.
As you enter a house, wish it peace.
If the house is worthy,
let your peace come upon it;
if not, let your peace return to you.
Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words--
go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.
Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment
than for that town.”
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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: Matthew 10:7-15Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give. (Matthew 10:8) What a gift our faith is! Generation after generation of Christians have passed it down to us. Saints and martyrs have fought to preserve it for us at the cost of their own lives. We truly are members of a glorious family of faith, coheirs to an inheritance that is kept for us in heaven (1 Peter 1:4). We have received—without cost to us—the good news of salvation and the chance to experience new life in Jesus Christ. This unearned, unpurchased gift is of immeasurable value. In today’s Gospel, Jesus commands the apostles to give “without cost” as they preach the gospel (Matthew 10:8). They are not to expect anything in return. Jesus encourages us in the same way. He asks us to proclaim, “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand” (10:7) with generous hearts, freely offering people the gift of new life in Jesus, just as it was freely given to us. This may sound intimidating. You might think that you don’t know enough about your faith. You might be afraid that you won’t know what to say if someone asks a hard question. But by your Baptism, you are filled with the Spirit and empowered to proclaim what God has done for you. He can use you exactly as you are, exactly where you are, to bring the good news of salvation to those you meet. He can give you the words and strength you need to share your faith! Perhaps your story of God’s goodness in your life can spur someone in a similar situation to turn to the Lord. Your wrestling with faithfulness to prayer might inspire someone with the same struggle. And your willingness to listen might encourage a friend to come back to church. You received your faith without cost—so give it away! Look for a chance to share the good news with someone, and trust God to give you the right words to say. It could be as simple as sharing an insight from Mass with your coworker or asking a friend how you can pray for them. Whatever it is, have confidence that the Lord has anointed you to give what he has freely given you. “Lord, help me to share your good news today!” Hosea 11:1-4, 8-9
Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16
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Reflections with Brother Adrian:
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From today's Holy Gospel: "... Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words--
go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.
Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment
than for that town.” .... ”
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From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus sends the Twelve to evangelize the countryside. To evangelize is to proclaim Jesus Christ crucified and risen from the dead. When this kerygma, this paschal mystery, is not at the heart of the project, Christian evangelization effectively disappears, devolving into a summons to bland religiosity or generic spirituality.
When Jesus crucified and risen is not proclaimed, a beige and unthreatening Catholicism emerges, a thought system that is, at best, an echo of the environing culture. Peter Maurin, one of the founders of the Catholic Worker movement, said that the Church has taken its own dynamite and placed it in hermetically sealed containers and sat on the lid.
In a similar vein, Protestant theologian Stanley Hauerwas commented that the problem with Christianity is not that it is socially conservative or politically liberal but that “it is just too damned dull”! For both Maurin and Hauerwas, what leads to this attenuation is a refusal to preach the dangerous and unnerving news concerning Jesus risen from the dead." end quote from Bishop Barron.
From Roberto Juarez:
"This Gospel could make us think only of the missionaries who proclaim the Gospel in distant lands. And we certainly must pray for them. But the mission starts much closer. In our home, in our work, in the parish, in the school, in the group of friends. Every Christian is sent to take the Kingdom where he lives. We may never give a great preaching. But a word of hope, a visit to a sick person, a family reconciliation, a silent help. All this announces the Kingdom of God. Jesus sends the light apostles of baggage. Maybe today we should ask ourselves: What do I carry in my heart? Am I loaded with resentment? Of excessive worries? Need for recognition? Scared? Only those who travel light can walk freely. And the luggage that weighs the most is usually the interior. Christ also wants to free us from these burdens. Today’s Gospel reminds us that we are all missionaries. Not because we chose a task. But because Christ has called us. He sends us to announce that the Kingdom of God is near. It invites us to do so with poverty of spirit, with gratuitousness, peace and confidence in providence. Let us ask him today to grant us a heart free from everything that impedes the mission. May we learn to live grateful for the gifts received. And may our whole life, more than our words, announce to all that God continues to approach the world with the same love with which he one day sent his apostles." end of quote from Roberto.
Have you ever thought about going out and knocking on doors, house to house, like the Jehovah's witnesses do?
They are doing as their name says "witnessing".
And I bet they get tons of rejections, because of what we now know about what they preach, but some do not know better, and they accept them into their home.
Weak Catholics will fall for their narratives and understanding, and immediately throw out their prayer life and memorabilia, like pictures and statues of saints, literally throwing them out or tearing them up.
Some that have no faith are introduced to a faith in God. And some seek God more truly and from their go to other Christian churches and begin to learn and grow in faith as a believer.
But if they go to my house, or a truly devout Catholic, the Jehovah witnesses may leave your house perplexed, and some even converted if they are open to the truth of the Gospel of our Lord.
But to get to this type of conversion, it takes a tremendous amount of faith.
Back to the question: Do you ever feel like knocking on people's doors? Unannounced? Uninvited? Just a cold call, a cold knock, totally unexpected? Is that what our Lord is calling us to do? Sure! Why not? A cold sinner will NOT be calling you to visit them. They are cold...and you are hot.
And so the Good News is not always a welcome guest!
So what are we to do? Stay away? Stay silent always? No.
That silence is deadly, and that silence is what evil wants.
Evil wants you to be quiet. To be separated. Evil does not desire you to gather for the Lord and in the name of the Lord. This is why many take comfort in their blankets in bed on a Sunday morning instead of seeking the Lord to take comfort in Him. This is why many find it hard to gather and pray as a family. This is why many will not share their faith...it is...uncomfortable.
Do you think I feel perfectly comfortable leaving my work and family to go on a retreat? When my kids were younger, it was very hard to see my wife left alone with the heavy load. And I could feel it. She was not comfortable, and I was not comfortable...it was a very real sacrifice.
I told her "It is because of you that I can do this...and so we are in essence doing this together". God knows, the struggle, for Him.
But at first, this is hard to see.
In comes faith.
I have often equated that word "Faith" with the word "Love".
Do you really have faith?
Do you really have love? Of God, and neighbor?
Our Lord told the Disciples to go without money or even a second pair of clothes or sandals! Let NOTHING worry you for
Yahweh Yireh, which is a Hebrew name for God that translates to "The LORD Will Provide".
This is FAITH.
The Lord will find a way.
God is love. Jesus is God. Holy Spirit is God.
LOVE WILL FIND A WAY.
AMEN? Today we will have the funeral for my nephew, if you would please pray for his soul, he left on a sad note. Only God knows the reality of all the details of a human heart. So we lift him up to God in our prayers in the Holy Mass and the family to become strengthened in faith and love. Thank you.
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Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 121:5–6 [Psalm 121] The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
Word of the Lord!
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God Bless You! Peace
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