† Saint Quote:The Cross is the way to Paradise, but only when it is borne willingly. St. Paul of the Cross Meditation quote“What sorrow Mary especially must have felt at losing Jesus [in the Temple]! But, my Savior, Mary had not lost You through her fault. You had left her in order to devote Yourself to Your Father’s business. I, on the contrary, have often lost You through my own fault because of my sins. I often forced You to abandon me, and I should have felt great sorrow at this loss and abandonment…Mary had lost only the bodily presence of Jesus; His friendship for her was untouched. But I lost the dearest thing in all the world; the grace and friendship of Jesus.”
—Alexander De Rouville, p. 139-140 Daily VerseWhat profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct. Matthew: 16:26-27
|
EWTN Daily Saint
|
|
St. Christina the AstonishingPatron Saint of: Psychiatrists, mental illness, and therapists Feast Day: July 24 St. Christina (1150-1224) was born to a peasant family in Belgium. She was orphaned as a child and raised by her two older sisters. When she was 21 she had what was believed to be a severe seizure, and was pronounced dead. At her funeral she suddenly revived and levitated before the bewildered congregation. She said that during her coma she had been to heaven, hell, and purgatory and had been given the option to either die and enter heaven, or return to earth to suffer and pray for the holy souls in purgatory. Christina chose the greater act of charity. From then on she lived in extreme poverty: wearing rags, sleeping on rocks, and begging for her food. She is called “Astonishing” because she did the most bizarre things and suffered the pains of inhuman feats without being physically harmed by them. She would roll in fire and hide in hot ovens; she would stand in freezing water for hours in the dead of winter; she allowed herself to be dragged under water by a mill wheel; she spent much time in graveyards. She would also climb trees to escape the strong odor of sin in those she met. Many thought her to be possessed by demons or insane, but many devout people recognized and vouched for her sincerity, obedience, and sanctity. They believed that she was a living witness to the pains that souls experience in purgatory, willingly suffering with them and for them. Christina the Astonishing is the patron of those with mental illness and disorders, mental health workers, psychiatrists, and therapists. Her feast day is July 24th.
|
Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary TimeLectionary: 399 Reading 1Jeremiah 3:14-17 Return, rebellious children, says the LORD,
for I am your Master;
I will take you, one from a city, two from a clan,
and bring you to Zion.
I will appoint over you shepherds after my own heart,
who will shepherd you wisely and prudently.
When you multiply and become fruitful in the land,
says the LORD,
They will in those days no longer say,
“The ark of the covenant of the LORD!”
They will no longer think of it, or remember it,
or miss it, or make another. At that time they will call Jerusalem the LORD’s throne;
there all nations will be gathered together
to honor the name of the LORD at Jerusalem,
and they will walk no longer in their hardhearted wickedness. Responsorial PsalmJeremiah 31:10, 11-12abcd, 13 R. (see 10d) The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,
proclaim it on distant isles, and say:
He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together,
he guards them as a shepherd his flock.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
The LORD shall ransom Jacob,
he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror.
Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion,
they shall come streaming to the LORD’s blessings:
The grain, the wine, and the oil,
the sheep and the oxen.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Then the virgins shall make merry and dance,
and young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock. AlleluiaLuke 8:15 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart
and yield a harvest through perseverance.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelMatthew 13:18-23 Jesus said to his disciples:
“Hear the parable of the sower.
The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the Kingdom
without understanding it,
and the Evil One comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.
The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
he immediately falls away.
The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”
|
Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ!
|
From Word Among Us WAU.org
|
Daily Meditation: Matthew 13:18-23Hear the parable of the sower. (Matthew 13:18) In today’s Gospel, Jesus explains the parable of the sower to his confused disciples. It’s not surprising they are puzzled. After all, the sower seems to be having more failure than success! The seed he scatters is going everywhere. Most of it is getting choked, scorched, or carried away. What is this supposed to teach them about the kingdom of God? Jesus tells his disciples that the seed is his word that he sows into the heart of each person. The different types of soil represent some typical responses that people can have to his word. So his parable can inspire us to examine how prepared we are to receive and understand what Jesus says to us, and to ask how we can improve the quality of our “soil.” The story can also move us to look at the sower himself. He seems reckless. But as Jesus’ explanation today shows us, his actions can reveal the lavish love of God, who persists in reaching out to us and in constantly giving us opportunities to hear and respond to him. Jesus knows our hearts can be like the trodden path; we might hear God’s word without understanding it. But he keeps sowing. He knows we can be like the rocky soil; we might joyfully receive his word, but it doesn’t sink deeply into our hearts and take root. But he keeps sowing. He knows that we can be preoccupied with this world’s anxieties and pressures so that our hearts are like the thorny soil, where the growth of the seed is choked off. But he keeps sowing. Is the sower a failure? Of course not! He embodies the loving kindness of God, who continues to sow the seed of his word until it finds a heart that will hear and understand him and bear fruit for his kingdom. That’s not failure. It’s persistence! Even when you feel like rocky soil, you can trust Jesus, the Sower who won’t stop sowing. Even when you worry about the loved ones you’re praying for, know that Jesus never gets tired of scattering seed. He will not give up—he will keep spreading the seed until it finds its proper soil. “Thank you, Jesus, for your relentless love that never stops reaching out to me!” Jeremiah 3:14-17
(Psalm) Jeremiah 31:10-13
|
Reflections with Brother Adrian:
|
From today's Holy Gospel: "... The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.” .... ”
|
From Bishop Barron: "One of our favorite pastimes is setting limits to the love of God. We say that God loves those who love him, or that God loves those who are in the right church or have the right doctrines. But God does not sow only on the receptive soil; he sows everywhere, even in those places that are least receptive.. .” End quote.
From Roberto Juarez: "Perhaps the most important question is this. No: "What terrain was I years ago?" Not even: "What terrain do I want to be?" Rather: What terrain am I today? Because the same heart can go through different stages. There are days when we are more open. Others in which we live distracted. Others in which suffering hardens the soul. The Gospel invites us today to sincerely review our interior. If we look for an example of good soil, we find it in the Virgin Mary. She listened to the Word, welcomed it, meditated on it, kept it in her heart. And he bore the greatest fruit in history: Jesus Christ. That is why the Church always presents Mary as a model of the disciple. She teaches us that listening is not simply hearing. It's letting the Word transform your whole life.
Today's Gospel reminds us that God continues to sow with untiring generosity. The seed is always good. The question is how our heart is. It may need to be softened. Perhaps some brambles will have to be uprooted. It may need to take deeper roots. Or perhaps the Lord is simply inviting us to persevere in order to continue to bear fruit. Let us ask him in this Eucharist to make our hearts a good soil. May his Word not slip on the surface of our lives. That it takes deep roots. May it overcome the brambles of our worries and selfishness. And that, sustained by his grace, we may bear the abundant fruit of a holy life, of a firm faith and of generous charity, for the glory of God and the good of our brothers and sisters." end quote.
Have we received the Seed of God?
The seed of man is flesh, and a child is born.
But when the seed of God is in the person, then a child of God is born.
Therefore, the seed is implemented, some merely by the Word, but for Catholics...it gets much deeper, in the Holy Eucharist.
Not only is the seed received in a Holy Mass by Word, liturgy of the Word, but also, in the Body of Christ, in the Holy Eucharist.
An incarnation is to happen in that moment, where His word becomes flesh, in you, and me.
To go and bear good fruit. Or else, bad fruit my come from a rotten heart, darkened by sin.
Why would I want to hand God the Father a piece of bad fruit...from my soul, and my life?
We can prune ourselves to bear good fruit. Fasting. Yes. Giving. Yes. Praying. Yes.
But upon this all, we have to bear in mind the first fruits of God Himself...Jesus.
Oh that fruit He bears in us all. Fruit that is so, so very good.
Our Lord Jesus is the very trunk of the vine, and we are the branches...therefore, whoever remains in Him will bear GOOD FRUIT.
How can we remain?
Remain: Faithful. Yes.
Remain: Consistent. Yes.
Remain: Humble. YES PLEASE DO.
Remain: Repentant. Yes.
Why should I be a perennial penitent? Because, showing you are truly sorry, truly contrite, makes for a true contrition, and this allows the very power of God in Holy Grace through course through your soul.
This is how we are to remain, true, and truly in love with Christ our Lord and Savior.
An old man shouted at my original cursillo "IF YOU REALLY LOVE GOD, HOW WILL YOU FAIL HIM!" Lord, I need you more and more, the more I love you, the more I need to love YOU!
|
Click for Audio
|
Random Bible Verse 1
Galatians 5:1 [Galatians 5]
Christ Has Set Us Free "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."
Word of the Lord!
|
If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment