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:God does not fit in an occupied heart.” St. John of the Cross Meditation quoteToday's Meditation
"[Some people], when they [receive Holy Communion], strive with all their might for sensible sweetness, instead of worshipping in humility and praising God within themselves. So much are they given to this, that they think when they derive no sensible sweetness, they have done nothing, so meanly do they think of God; neither do they understand that the least of the blessings of the Most Holy Sacrament is that which touches the senses, and that the invisible grace It confers is far greater; for God frequently withholds these sensible favors from men, that they may fix the eyes of faith upon Himself . . . All this is a very great imperfection, being against the purity of Faith, and directly at variance with the nature of God." St. John of the Cross An excerpt from Dark Night of the Soul: Pg. 28 Daily VerseThen Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Matthew 16:24-25
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EWTN Daily Saint
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St AmeliaPatron Saint of: Farmers, gardeners, and against arm injuries
Feast Day: July 10 St. Amelia (741-772 A.D.) was born into a noble and pious Christian family in the land of the Ardennes, bordering what is today Belgium and Luxembourg. She was a devout child of strong character who committed her virginity to Christ from a young age. However, because she was such a beautiful and virtuous woman, she was pursued for several years by the young Charlemagne. In one account, Charlemagne broke her arm in a physical struggle to hold her hand, and afterwards her arm was miraculously healed. His romantic interest was rebuffed, and Amelia was eventually able to realize her desire to enter the convent. She spent the rest of her life in the Benedictine abbey of Münster-Bilzen in Belgium, and helped to build a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the Belgian town of Temsche. St. Amelia is said to have performed many miracles, the most famous being the one in which she crossed the Schelde River miraculously while standing on the back of a giant sturgeon fish. St. Amelia is the patroness of farmers, fishermen, and those suffering from arm and shoulder pain. Her feast day is celebrated on July 10th.
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Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary TimeLectionary: 387 Reading 1Hosea 14:2-10 Thus says the LORD:
Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God;
you have collapsed through your guilt.
Take with you words,
and return to the LORD;
Say to him, “Forgive all iniquity,
and receive what is good, that we may render
as offerings the bullocks from our stalls.
Assyria will not save us,
nor shall we have horses to mount;
We shall say no more, ‘Our god,’
to the work of our hands;
for in you the orphan finds compassion.”
I will heal their defection, says the LORD,
I will love them freely;
for my wrath is turned away from them.
I will be like the dew for Israel:
he shall blossom like the lily;
He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar,
and put forth his shoots.
His splendor shall be like the olive tree
and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar.
Again they shall dwell in his shade
and raise grain;
They shall blossom like the vine,
and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim! What more has he to do with idols?
I have humbled him, but I will prosper him.
“I am like a verdant cypress tree”—
because of me you bear fruit! Let him who is wise understand these things;
let him who is prudent know them.
Straight are the paths of the LORD,
in them the just walk,
but sinners stumble in them. Responsorial PsalmPsalm 51:3-4, 8-9, 12-13, 14, 17 R. (17b) My mouth will declare your praise.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. My mouth will declare your praise.
Behold, you are pleased with sincerity of heart,
and in my inmost being you teach me wisdom.
Cleanse me of sin with hyssop, that I may be purified;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
R. My mouth will declare your praise.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. My mouth will declare your praise.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
R. My mouth will declare your praise. AlleluiaJohn 16:13a; 14:26d R. Alleluia, alleluia.
When the Spirit of truth comes,
he will guide you to all truth
and remind you of all I told you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelMatthew 10:16-23 Jesus said to his Apostles:
“Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves;
so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.
But beware of men,
for they will hand you over to courts
and scourge you in their synagogues,
and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake
as a witness before them and the pagans.
When they hand you over,
do not worry about how you are to speak
or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say.
For it will not be you who speak
but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Brother will hand over brother to death,
and the father his child;
children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but whoever endures to the end will be saved.
When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.
Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel
before the Son of Man comes.”
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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 10:16-23Be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. (Matthew 10:16) Do you remember learning about similes in grammar class? A simile is a figure of speech that compares one thing to another to make a description more vivid. Jesus was a master of them! In today’s Gospel, as he prepares to send his disciples out to proclaim the good news, he tells them, “I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves” (Matthew 10:16). That’s a lot of similes! So let’s look at each of them to understand Jesus’ words a little better. Sheep. We often use the image of sheep to describe people who blindly follow what everyone around them is doing. But that’s not what Jesus meant. He wants us to trust him as much as vulnerable sheep trust their shepherd. If our “Good Shepherd” is sending us out into the world to share his gospel, we can trust that he will also send us his Spirit to alert us to the wolves—those temptations that might keep us from preaching the good news. Serpents. Jesus wants us to be as shrewd as serpents. It’s shrewd to try to find the best strategy that will help us reach each individual person with the message of salvation. Shrewdness here means being discerning enough to know that not every approach works for every person. It means being open to the Spirit’s guidance so that we can be as effective as possible. Doves. When Jesus says we must be as simple as doves, he’s telling us to nurture a pure, undivided heart. He’s telling us to aim for the clarity of mind that comes from a heart fixed only on him. That kind of clarity will keep us focused on Jesus’ love and his desire to see everyone come to faith in him. Trusting as sheep. Shrewd as serpents. Simple as doves. These are the qualities that make for effective missionary disciples. They don’t all come naturally, but they do come as we practice them. They come as we step out in faith and try our best to share our faith in the Lord. So don’t give up! Jesus has called you to proclaim his gospel; and if he has called you, he will empower you! “Lord, teach me how to share your great good news!” Hosea 14:2-10
Psalm 51:3-4, 8-9, 12-14, 17
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Reflections with Brother Adrian:
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From today's Holy Gospel: "... You will be hated by all because of my name,
but whoever endures to the end will be saved.
When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.
Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel
before the Son of Man comes. .... ”
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From Bishop Robert Barron:
"Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus predicts the persecution of his followers. A vast army of martyrs have in the course of Christian history given their lives for the sake of Christ and his gospel. They are from every culture, country, language, and background. This is the army that stands opposed to worldly armies that do their work through violence, threats, and oppression. They witness to the power and authority of the risen Lord and therefore they are fighters—but they do not fight with the weapons of the world. One might think of St. Peter himself, crucified upside down; or Felicity and Perpetua, thrown to wild animals; or of Thomas Becket, who resisted King Henry II’s attempts to manipulate the Church and was butchered by his henchmen; or Thomas More, who resisted another King Henry and paid for it with his head. One might think of Paul Miki, the Japanese Jesuit, who was crucified for announcing the Christian faith; or Miguel Pro, who was shot to death for defying a repressive Mexican government, shouting as he was martyred, “Viva Cristo Rey!” end of quote from Bishop.
From Roberto Juarez: "We may think that these words belong only to times of persecution. But they are enormously topical. Today Christians are called to live consistently in environments where faith is often irrelevant or even uncomfortable. We are not asked to be aggressive, nor to impose our ideas. We are asked to remain faithful. To be light without making noise, salt without losing flavor, witnesses rather than polemicists. The world needs convinced, serene and joyful Christians.
The answer is in the Gospel itself. Not in our abilities, in our eloquence, in our organization. The strength is in the Holy Spirit. Every time we pray. Every time we celebrate the sacraments, we hear the Word of God. The Spirit continues to strengthen the Church. The mission is never up to us alone.
Today's Gospel is not meant to instill fear, but to strengthen our confidence. Jesus does not hide the difficulties of the Christian journey. But it also leaves no doubt about an essential truth: we will never be alone. The Holy Spirit always accompanies those who proclaim the Gospel faithfully. Let us ask the Lord for the grace to be prudent without losing simplicity. Brave without falling into aggressiveness. Firm without ceasing to be humble. And when the trial comes, great or small, we may remain faithful to the end, in the certainty that Christ walks with us and that no difficulty will be able to separate his Church from the love with which he sustains her." end quote from Roberto.
My dad loved this scripture of our Lord's words and he would always say "be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves." And another he loved to say is "Cursed is the person who trusts in mankind, who makes flesh his strength, and whose heart turns away from the LORD." Jeremiah 17. Our Lord said today " beware of men ". What men? Those men that only trust in each other...and not in the Lord. Those men that live for the flesh and self power. Those men that have given their lives to the world and not to our Lord in Heaven. Be watchful. But do not be afraid.
Be watchful of the sin they want to force upon you.
Be watchful and shrewd. Be like the dove in peace in your heart and words. But be shrewd like the serpent that is ready to give accounts in the response.
And what of the response you are to give? At the moment you are to speak for the Lord...it is the Lord that will speak...if you allow Him to work in you.
I can give a quick testimony. A couple days ago, at my nephew's funeral vigil service, there came a moment to speak, my mom was leading the service and she paused to let anyone give words about my nephew's life, and she said "but let's keep this positive". There was a moment of silence...and she looked towards me, and that was my cue, to speak, and before that I had been focusing on my guitar on which I have a guard with the picture of the Holy Spirit, asking Him to speak.
Mind you, I had an entire page of things to say typed up, I had about 10 bullet points to cover in my head if I needed to speak about my nephew, and all of us as a whole.
But I did not have that with me, only the Holy Spirit would speak.
I spoke, and I tried to be bilingual, speaking Spanish and English. And what I had written did not come out, and the bullet points were not emphasized as I was imagining to do.
So after quite a bit of what felt like rambling, I finally moved away and let others speak.
That evening, someone commented on the speach, saying it was good.
And the next day, another, a fallen away Catholic whom we pray to return, she also said it was good. I told all that I had been worried that I had just rambled and not got my message across well. But, another also came up and said it had made him move deeply within.
And so, we can just agree, it was the Holy Spirit speaking to all in a unique way to each heart.
That there is amazing. It is when I think I fumble the most, that God is working the most. When I get out of the way, He works HIS way. If only....we trust, and pray, let Him say what He wants to say.
The points I wanted to say though, I thought were crucial.
Be careful what enters the body, it can affect your mind...and soul.
Be careful what enters the mind, it can affect the body, and soul.
Be careful what enters the soul, it can affect the mind and body.
For the good, or the worse.
What we are feeding ourselves, mind, body and soul...is critical.
Let it be that we feed our mind, Jesus.
Feed our body, Jesus.
Feed our soul, Jesus.
It is possible...in the Eucharist, and our daily meditation on His life....
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Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 30:11–12 "You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
12 that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!"
Word of the Lord!
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God Bless You! Peace
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