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Saint Quote of the Day
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And Thou sent Thine hand from above, and drew my soul out of that profound darkness, my mother, Thy faithful one, weeping to Thee for me, more than mothers weep the bodily deaths of their children. For she, by that faith and spirit which she had from Thee, discerned the death wherein I lay, and Thou heard her, O Lord; Thou heard her, and despised not her tears, when streaming down, they watered the ground under her eyes in every place where she prayed; yea Thou heard her. ▪ St. Augustine in The Confessions
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St. Augustine in The Confessions |
Today's Meditation“I was sure that it was better for me to give myself up to your love than to give in to my own desires. However, although the one way appealed to me and was gaining mastery, the other still afforded me pleasure and kept me victim. I had no answer to give to you when you said to me, ‘Rise, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will enlighten you.’ When on all sides you showed me that your words were true, and I was overcome by your truth, I had no answer whatsoever to make, but only those slow and drowsy words, ‘Right away. Yes, right away.’ ‘Let me be for a little while.’ But ‘Right away—right away’ was never right now, and ‘Let me be for a little while’ stretched out for a long time.” ▪ St. Augustine, p. 152
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Daily VerseHear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry come to thee! Do not hide thy face from me in the day of my distress! Incline thy ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call! ▪ Psalm 102:1-2
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EWTN Daily Saint
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St. MonicaPatron Saint of: Mothers, difficult marriages, and conversion of family members
Feast Day: August 27 St. Monica (322-387 A.D.) was raised in a Christian home in Tagaste, North Africa. Early in life she struggled with alcoholism, sneaking draughts of wine from the family cellar, before being caught and overcoming the habit. She was later given in marriage to an ill-tempered and adulterous pagan Roman official. She suffered greatly on account of her husband, and that of her unkind mother-in-law with whom she lived, and she fervently prayed for their conversion over the course of many years. Her patience and kindness became a source of encouragement to other unhappy housewives with whom she came in contact. Monica gave birth to three children, and she was grieved that her husband would not allow them to be baptized. Her eldest son, Augustine, was a wayward child and caused her the most pain, and she prayed fervently for decades for him to become a Christian. Through her persistence in prayer and good example, her husband was converted shortly before his death. When Augustine became entrenched in heretical sects and moved to Milan, St. Monica followed him. Monica befriended the Bishop of Milan, St. Ambrose, who consoled her by saying, “The child of those tears shall never perish.” Augustine was eventually brought into the Church by St. Ambrose. Everything we know of St. Monica’s heroic virtue is from the writings of her son, who became the great St. Augustine of Hippo, one of the most influential saints in Church history. St. Monica is patron of housewives, difficult marriages, alcoholism, mothers, widows, abuse victims, victims of adultery, and disappointing children. Her feast day is August 27th.
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Memorial of Saint MonicaLectionary: 428 Reading 11 Corinthians 1:1-9 Paul, called to be an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
and Sosthenes our brother,
to the Church of God that is in Corinth,
to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy,
with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
their Lord and ours.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always on your account
for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus,
that in him you were enriched in every way,
with all discourse and all knowledge,
as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you,
so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift
as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He will keep you firm to the end,
irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God is faithful,
and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Responsorial PsalmPsalm 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 R. (1) I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Generation after generation praises your works
and proclaims your might.
They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty
and tell of your wondrous works.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
They discourse of the power of your terrible deeds
and declare your greatness.
They publish the fame of your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your justice.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord. AlleluiaMatthew 24:42a, 44 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stay awake!
For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelMatthew 24:42-51 Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this:
if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come. “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant,
whom the master has put in charge of his household
to distribute to them their food at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.
Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.
But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’
and begins to beat his fellow servants,
and eat and drink with drunkards,
the servant’s master will come on an unexpected day
and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely
and assign him a place with the hypocrites,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”
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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 24 :42-51Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household? (Matthew 24:45) That’s a good question: what does it take to be a “faithful and prudent servant” of the Lord (Matthew 24:45)? Let’s take a look at Jesus’ parable in today’s Gospel for some answers. The master in the parable might remind us of Jesus, who will one day return “in glory to judge the living and the dead,” as we proclaim in our creed. But while he is away, he has entrusted us to carry on his work. That charge applies to all of us, not just those who lead in our parishes or in the Church as a whole. Each of us is called to serve God in a way that reflects Jesus’ selfless love, both in our everyday relationships and as we care for one another in the Church. This calling especially involves distributing “food” to other members of the household (Matthew 24:45). Of course, this calls to mind the role of priests in celebrating the Eucharist, but it’s not limited to that. Each of us has a role to play in nourishing our brothers and sisters. Our very presence at Mass—especially as we pour out our hearts in worship to the Lord—can help build everyone up. Anytime we offer to pray with a friend, read the Bible with our children, or reach out to the needy, we are sharing with others the blessings we ourselves have received from the Lord. So what does it take to be a “faithful and prudent servant”? Both a little and a lot. A little because the servant in the parable wasn’t doing anything special—only what his master expected of him. So it is with us. On any ordinary day, we’ll encounter plenty of opportunities to offer the “food” of a relationship with Christ to the people who cross our paths. We don’t have to go searching for them. But it also takes a lot because it means staying “awake” and “prepared,” always ready to share about God’s goodness and give of ourselves when the opportunity arises (Mattew 24:42, 44). God has given you the privilege of sharing his “food” with the people around you. And he has already given you an abundance of this food. How will you share it today? “Jesus, thank you calling me to be your servant!” 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Psalm 145:2-7
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Reflections with Brother Adrian:
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Click To Hear 2 Cents Audio
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From today's Holy Gospel: "…. Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant,
whom the master has put in charge of his household
to distribute to them their food at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.
Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.
But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’
and begins to beat his fellow servants,
and eat and drink with drunkards,
the servant’s master will come on an unexpected day
and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely
and assign him a place with the hypocrites,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth….”
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From Roberto Juarez: "That is why the best way to prepare ourselves to meet Christ is not to live obsessed with the end, it is to love today, to serve, to forgive, to pray, to help, to share, to celebrate, because when Christ returns, what he will find will not simply be our agenda. He will find our heart. And the question will be: Have you loved?
Today's Gospel leaves us with a very simple question: If Jesus were to come today, how would he find our hearts? We don't know when our last hour will come. But we do know what we can do in the meantime. We can live awake, be faithful, serve, love, forgive, do good, take advantage of the day that God gives us. We don't need to wait for great opportunities. We have today's opportunity in front of us. Perhaps the Lord is telling us, "Be faithful in the little things, in your family, in your work, in your prayer, in your service, when no one is watching." And then one day we will be able to hear those words full of joy: "Blessed is that servant if the master, when he arrives, finds him doing his duty." end of quote from Roberto.
From Brother Adrian: Today we heard our Lord say " distribute to them their food at the proper time…".
There are many important things to consider here.
He told St. Peter our first Pope: "Feed my lambs".
He told the woman from Cana "He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
Again with the food.
Our Lord continuously talks about food. And, to top things off, He says that HE IS THE FOOD for eternal life!
What is that food? The Holy Eucharist, in Holy Mass.
What is the Eucharist? The body, blood, soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus.
Once a Catholic priest consecrates, a transubstantiation occurs, something which we can be.
Sunday's 2nd reading will tell us to be conformed and transformed.
This happens with a willing spirit, a willing heart.
Back to the food to distribute: Eucharistic miracles prove a living heart. I have always said the Eucharist is the very heart of God.
Our Lord Jesus is the Eucharist. And He said He is the way, life, and truth. This is the food. We consume this. A true Christian is led to be food for the world. That you may decrease, that He may increase….that the will of God our Father is revealed and made real in you, today, and forever.
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Random Bible Verse 1
Colossians 3:1–2 [Colossians 3]
Put On the New Self "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth."
Word of the Lord!
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God Bless You! Peace
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