† Saint Quote of the DayWe find rest in those we love, and we provide a resting place for those who love us. ▪ St. Bernard of Clairvaux
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St. Bernard of Clairvaux |
Today's Meditation“And so the idea of peace came down to do the work of peace: The Word was made flesh and even now dwells among us. It is by faith that he dwells in our hearts, in our memory, our intellect and penetrates even into our imagination. What concept could man have of God if he did not first fashion an image of him in his heart? By nature incomprehensible and inaccessible, he was invisible and unthinkable, but now he wished to be understood, to be seen and thought of. But how, you ask, was this done? He lay in a manger and rested on a virgin’s breast, preached on a mountain, and spent the night in prayer. He hung on a cross, grew pale in death, and roamed free among the dead and ruled over those in hell. He rose again on the third day, and showed the apostles the wounds of the nails, the signs of victory; and finally in their presence he ascended to the sanctuary of heaven. How can we not contemplate this story in truth, piety and holiness?” ▪ St. Bernard, p. 186
Daily VerseIndeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account. ▪ Hebrews 4:12-13
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EWTN Daily Saint
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St. Bernard of ClairvauxPatron Saint of: Beekeepers, candlemakers, and against demonic possession
Feast Day: August 20 St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) was one of seven children born to a noble family in Burgundy, France. All seven children, six sons and one daughter, were offered to the service of God by their devout mother. Before St. Bernard was born, a holy man foretold of his great sanctity. As a child Bernard was given an excellent education. He excelled at his studies, and also possessed a personal charm that attracted many people to him. He prayed about his vocation, and at the age of twenty-two left his worldly wealth to become a Cistercian monk. Four of his brothers joined him at the monastery in Citeaux, along with many others belonging to the Burgundian nobility. He later founded and became abbot of the Abbey of Clairvaux, which rapidly grew to over 700 monks and 160 daughter-houses. Bernard, with his natural charisma, was also a skilled arbiter and counselor who proved to be instrumental in the support of the true pope of Rome against the schism of a rival anti-pope. Bernard’s reputation for holiness and piety was widely known. He traveled throughout Europe as a preacher and became one of the most famous and influential men of his century. He was a man of reform, and was effective in opposing the appointment of unworthy men to episcopal offices, while others reformed themselves at his censure. St. Bernard composed many theological works and wrote tenderly on devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He is a Doctor of the Church, and the patron of beekeepers and candlemakers. His feast day is August 20th.
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Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the ChurchLectionary: 422 Reading 1Ezekiel 36:23-28 Thus says the LORD:
I will prove the holiness of my great name,
profaned among the nations,
in whose midst you have profaned it.
Thus the nations shall know that I am the LORD, says the Lord GOD,
when in their sight I prove my holiness through you.
For I will take you away from among the nations,
gather you from all the foreign lands,
and bring you back to your own land.
I will sprinkle clean water upon you
to cleanse you from all your impurities,
and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you,
taking from your bodies your stony hearts
and giving you natural hearts.
I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes,
careful to observe my decrees.
You shall live in the land I gave your ancestors;
you shall be my people, and I will be your God. Responsorial PsalmPsalm 51:12-13, 14-15, 18-19 R. (Ezekiel 36:25) I will pour clean water on you and wash away all your sins.
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. I will pour clean water on you and wash away all your sins.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners shall return to you.
R. I will pour clean water on you and wash away all your sins.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R. I will pour clean water on you and wash away all your sins. AlleluiaPsalm 95:8 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelMatthew 22:1-14 Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and the elders of the people in parables saying,
“The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who gave a wedding feast for his son.
He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast,
but they refused to come.
A second time he sent other servants, saying,
‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet,
my calves and fattened cattle are killed,
and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’
Some ignored the invitation and went away,
one to his farm, another to his business.
The rest laid hold of his servants,
mistreated them, and killed them.
The king was enraged and sent his troops,
destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
Then the king said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready,
but those who were invited were not worthy to come.
Go out, therefore, into the main roads
and invite to the feast whomever you find.’
The servants went out into the streets
and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,
and the hall was filled with guests.
But when the king came in to meet the guests
he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.
He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it
that you came in here without a wedding garment?’
But he was reduced to silence.
Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet,
and cast him into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’
Many are invited, but few are chosen.”
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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: Ezekiel 36:23-28 . . . when in their sight I prove my holiness through you. (Ezekiel 36:23) It has often been said that one of the most common reasons why people stop practicing their faith is the example of people who claim to follow Christ while acting harshly or hypocritically. But the reverse is also true. When a person meets someone in whom they sense the mercy and love of the Lord, the encounter can be so powerful that they are moved to seek the Lord for themselves. They begin praying or searching the Scriptures or asking to learn more until they come to believe in Christ on their own. This is the story of great saints like Edith Stein and Francis Xavier, as well as the story of everyday people whose lives are touched by the witness of a coworker, neighbor, or family member. We can also see echoes of this truth in today’s first reading. Speaking to the Israelites in exile, Ezekiel says, “The nations shall know that I am the Lord . . . when in their sight I prove my holiness through you” (36:23). Through Ezekiel, the Lord is promising to bring the exiles back to Jerusalem. And the sight of the holy city being filled once more with joy-filled, purified, faithful Israelites will reveal his holiness and his faithfulness to the whole world. Ezekiel’s words today reveal that God’s work in our lives can make a real difference in the world. Through our patience, our forgiveness, our compassion, and our commitment to justice, people can get a glimpse of who the Lord is and how real his love is. And that glimpse can spark a desire to understand more and to encounter the Lord for themselves. Of course, when we act out of pride or envy or callousness, we obscure that image of Christ. But today’s reading calls us, not to a human-generated perfection, but to an ever-growing and deepening relationship with the Lord. It calls us to let God continue to purify our hearts so that our lives testify to his love more and more. May we all burn brightly with the love of Christ so that, through us, he can draw people out of their exile and back home to his presence! “Lord, help me to become a testimony to your holiness so that others are drawn to you!” Psalm 51:12-15, 18-19
Matthew 22:1-14
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Reflections with Brother Adrian:
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From today's Holy Gospel: ".... Go out, therefore, into the main roads
and invite to the feast whomever you find.’
The servants went out into the streets
and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,
and the hall was filled with guests.
But when the king came in to meet the guests
he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.
He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it
that you came in here without a wedding garment?’
But he was reduced to silence.
Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet,
and cast him into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’
Many are invited, but few are chosen.”
...”
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From Robert Juarez: "The end of the parable reminds us, "Many are called, but few are chosen." We should not interpret these words as if God wanted to exclude the majority. The whole Gospel shows us precisely the opposite. God wants everyone to be saved. The invitation is universal. But God respects our freedom. We can accept or reject, open our hearts or close them, put on the garment of charity or remain locked in our selfishness. Grace is free. But it's never useless. When God enters our lives, He transforms us. Today's Gospel reminds us that God has prepared a banquet for us. He invites us to participate in his life. The invitation is free and universal. But we cannot respond with indifference. We can't be so busy with our things that we forget God. We cannot enter the banquet without allowing Christ to transform our hearts. Today the Lord asks us: Do you want to come to my banquet? Perhaps we have been away for a long time, perhaps our worries have made us forget the essential, perhaps our faith has become routine. Today we can hear the invitation again. "Everything is ready. Come to the wedding." Let's open our hearts. Let us allow Christ to clothe us in the garment of charity, forgiveness, mercy and service. Let us ask the Lord never to reject his invitation, to know how to recognize the calls he makes to us every day. And when the final moment comes, may we participate forever in that eternal banquet where there will no longer be tears, no pain, no death, but the joy of living forever in the presence of God." end quote.
From Brother Adrian: Yesterday, remember our Lord spoke about inviting workers to the vineyard.
Today, He speaks about a banquet. But not just any banquet.
It was THE KING'S invitation to His son's wedding.
We should all be thinking of a banquet called, the Holy Mass.
And our Lord is about to roll out an eternal truth when He says this parable.
He is measuring out a prophecy, an invitation, and apocalyptic measures all in one, much like when He said that the temple would be destroyed and raised up again in 3 days.
He is not merely speaking about earthly things, but eternal things in God's Kingdom that is not merely on earth.
Back to the feast.
We heard: "Some ignored the invitation and went away,
one to his farm, another to his business.
The rest laid hold of his servants,
mistreated them, and killed them.
The king was enraged and sent his troops,
destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. "
And this rolled out just as He said it would.
The story began to unfold in truth, as the people began to lay hands on Him and His followers, and killed them all.
It was a story of past prophets that were murdered, especially in Jerusalem. But it was a story of a lamb that would be the last of the prophets in this type....forever.
Some people today, still, lay hands on His followers and messengers. The past 100 years has been the most murderous time for Christians.
And the sad part is about where it starts...everybody is too busy for God's business....people just want to be about their own business instead of His Holy Will.
I am not pointing fingers. I can be guilty of this too. I studied business. I am in businesses all day. And my days fly by, a couple days ago, I tried counting the calls I was on, over 120 various calls. And sometimes I catch myself..."I feel like I am being choked by weeds". Especially if I forget to focus on God's grace.
And so, we have to have a plan. Know yourself. Study. Pray, remain in Piety.
And so, pray. Be ready for God's invitation. That garment you need, it is in relation to the oil you need for when He comes, as the groom for His Bride in the second coming. That we may simply be availed to Him, so He can unveil us...and unveil what has been awaiting us from the dawn of time..... And the Groom and the bride grow in love together. Jesus and His Church. One Body. Think Eucharist. Think Banquet. Think true love.
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Random Bible Verse John 13:34–35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Word of the Lord!
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God Bless You! Peace
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