†Saint Quote of the DayYou must speak to Jesus, not only with your lips, but also with your heart; actually, on certain occasions, you should speak with only your heart.
- Saint Padre Pio
Today's Meditation“Always be impartial and just in your deeds. Put yourself into your neighbor’s place, and him in yours, and then you will judge fairly . . . Frequently, therefore, examine your heart, whether it is so disposed towards your neighbor, as you would have his disposed towards you, were you to change places; for this is the true test.” —St. Francis de Sales, p. 226
Daily Verse †O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.
- 1 Chronicles 16:34
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EWTN Daily Saint
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St. Padre Pio of PietrelcinaPatron Saint of: Civil defense volunteers, adolescents, stress relief, and healing
Feast Day: September 23 St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (1887–1968) was born to peasant farmers in southern Italy. By the time he was 5 years old he practiced a life of penance and made the decision to give himself completely to God. He grew up working in the fields, and at the age of 19 joined the Capuchin Franciscan friars. His Franciscan spirituality was characterized by a life of poverty, love of nature, and charity to those in need, especially to those who were his “spiritual children.” St. Padre Pio had many spiritual gifts and was a great miracle-worker. These were well-documented from multiple reliable sources and included bilocation, levitation, reading souls, and physical healing by touch. Word of his holiness spread and people both pious and curious flocked to see him, especially to have him hear their confession. He is the first priest known to have received the stigmata, for which he suffered suspicion and investigation. Because of the unusual supernatural phenomena surrounding his life, he is considered one of the great visionaries and mystics of the Church. Padre Pio died in 1968 at the age of 81. He was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II in 2002. Because of the many miracles he performed during his life, he is commonly invoked as a healing saint for various ailments. His feast day is September 23rd.
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Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, PriestLectionary: 451 Reading 1Proverbs 30:5-9 Every word of God is tested;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Add nothing to his words,
lest he reprove you, and you will be exposed as a deceiver. Two things I ask of you,
deny them not to me before I die:
Put falsehood and lying far from me,
give me neither poverty nor riches;
provide me only with the food I need;
Lest, being full, I deny you,
saying, "Who is the LORD?"
Or, being in want, I steal,
and profane the name of my God. Responsorial PsalmPsalm 119:29, 72, 89, 101, 104, 163 R. (105) Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Remove from me the way of falsehood,
and favor me with your law.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Your word, O LORD, endures forever;
it is firm as the heavens.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
From every evil way I withhold my feet,
that I may keep your words.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Through your precepts I gain discernment;
therefore I hate every false way.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Falsehood I hate and abhor;
your law I love.
R. Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet. AlleluiaMark 1:15 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand;
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelLuke 9:1-6 Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority
over all demons and to cure diseases,
and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God
and to heal the sick.
He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey,
neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money,
and let no one take a second tunic.
Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.
And as for those who do not welcome you,
when you leave that town,
shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them."
Then they set out and went from village to village
proclaiming the Good News and curing diseases everywhere.
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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: Luke 9:1-6. . . proclaiming the good news. (Luke 9:6) It’s quite possible that the Twelve had been with Jesus long enough by the time of today’s Gospel reading that they had no expectations about how they would be received: they were quite prepared to be rejected. But wouldn’t that be strange, especially considering their mission? Jesus had sent them to cast out demons, cure diseases, and announce that the kingdom of God had come. Why would anyone object to that? Maybe a look at our own lives can help answer the question. Aren’t there times when, instead of welcoming God’s word joyfully and gratefully, we put up some resistance? Imagine, for instance, that Peter and Matthew have come, two by two, to visit you. You gladly welcome Peter, the head of the apostles, as he shares the teachings of the Church with you. But you want nothing to do with Matthew when he starts talking about living simply and sharing your finances with the poor. Or maybe giving generously isn’t too hard, but if John were to join them and try to talk about God’s desire to be close to you, you may become scared and shut the door as quickly as possible. It’s not as if we’re rejecting Jesus completely. But it’s in these pockets of resistance that we see why the good news of the kingdom causes such a reaction. It’s because the message of Jesus, of the apostles, and of the Church is twofold. First, “The kingdom of God is at hand!” Everyone welcomes that exciting news. But then comes the call: “Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Change your heart. Turn away from sin. Humble yourself before the Lord. This is where we get caught. We forget that we are sinners. We forget that Jesus came to take away our sins—and to do it not by himself but very much with our cooperation. Or we forget that repentance is a lifelong pursuit as we continue to learn more about ourselves and the areas of our lives that we might try to shield from the Lord. But God is persistent. And he is patient. The key is to not close the door on him abruptly when you feel resistance in your heart. Instead, let him in and just listen. Give him the chance to show you the freedom that comes when you repent and believe! “Lord, help me to welcome you into all aspects of my life.” Proverbs 30:5-9
Psalm 119:29, 72, 89, 101, 104, 163
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Reflections with Brother Adrian:
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From today's Holy Gospel: "….Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.
And as for those who do not welcome you,
when you leave that town,
shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them."
Then they set out and went from village to village
proclaiming the Good News and curing diseases everywhere.”
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From Roberto Juarez: "….The true evangelizer can say: "I am not the center. Christ is the center." St. John the Baptist expressed it perfectly: "He must increase and I must decrease." Every authentic apostolate leads to Jesus. Today Jesus also gathers us and sends us. Perhaps our mission is not to go to a distant place, perhaps it is much simpler: to bring hope to our family, to have a word of encouragement for someone, to forgive, to serve, to accompany a person who is alone, to speak of God when the opportunity presents itself, to live our faith coherently. Because mission begins where we are.
Today let us ask the Lord to grant us a missionary heart, that we may not be afraid, that we may know how to walk lightly, trusting in his grace. And that we may hear his call every day: "Go and proclaim the Kingdom of God." end quote.
Bishop Barron said:
"As members of the mystical body, we share the mission of evangelization.
In accord with the subjectivism of our culture, many Christians think of their spiritual lives in an individualist way, as the cultivation of their personal friendships with God. But this overlooks something that the New Testament authors took for granted—namely, that Christians exist not for themselves but for the world. Jesus compared his followers to salt, which is designed to preserve and enhance something other than itself, and to light, whose purpose is to be set on a stand in order to illumine what is around it. Pope St. Paul VI articulated the same truth as follows: The Church doesn’t have a mission; the Church is a mission. We go forth, therefore, with God’s authority and empowered for his work. When we stand before the judgment seat of Christ, he will ask whether we have taught the world how to praise, how to reverence the truth, how to go out vigorously on campaign to extend the kingdom of God. " end quote.
- - - From Brother Adrian: Why does our Lord ask us to be on a mission until He returns?
The answer is: Why not?
Amen?
What could be more powerful, more beautiful, than to cultivate God's seeds in this free world He created?
What is beautiful, God created. What we believe is not beautiful, only magnifies what is beautiful. Amen?
I wrote a song one time that said "if everything were light, we could not see!" We need the contrast, we need the struggles, we need something to run away from, so we can run to something else.
We are the flock that He shepherds through people.
You are being guided by voices in the world. And our Lord is among us, calling in the most humble of voices. He says: I Am here.
He says: Take Courage.
He said: I will be with you through it all.
Do you believe?
Now, we need not look for trouble or darkness, it is always around us so long as we live in this world.
But we do need to look for Him daily, to run to His arms and help others run to His arms of refuge. How? Holiness. How else? Doing whatever He tells us, as Our Blessed Mother told us all.
What will your last words be?
Padre Pio, today is His saint day, they said His last words were: "Jesus, Mary".
He suffered much, from the people's accusations, the ridicule, and the church leaders around him criticized his "stigmata" the wounds of Christ that constantly leaked blood out of his body.
But they say that he lived so close to Christ, like best friends. He lived very tightly with his guardian angel.
They said he levitated and was known for bi-location, one time a pilot said he saw him in mid air when he needed help!
All this because…he suffered. And why?
Mother Mary is known to be Our Lady of Sorrows, for her tremendous suffering.
Yet, these two, were supremely united with Jesus our Lord and Savior.
And you? How close are you with your savior, and our savior?
How can be with so many millions at once?
Easy. Answer is, Holy Trinity.
He can more than bi-locate. He can multi-locate! Ahh…let us copyright that! Amen?
He can be everywhere at once, because…HE is God.
Now. Back to the message. My brothers and sisters are the ones who do the will of God.
Our Lord came on a mission on earth. And now, the mission continues through each baptized soul, that is, if they are willing. Fruits. Ahh that word that many a Christian avoids.
Yet, silence kills. Inaction kills. Stagnate water becomes Stagnant water becomes a breeding ground for pests, bacteria, and foul odors when it sits undisturbed for 24 to 48 hours. And so is a stagnate soul without living water….Christ.
You see, the body can be a sign of the spiritual life. The addictions. Bad spirits. The sickness, is the calling for a need of healing.
And so God left us to heal one another, to save one another, and He is there with us….
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Random Bible Verse
Romans 15:4 "For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
Word of the Lord!
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Month of Our Lady of Sorrows (Mater Dolorosa)
Devotion of the Month Opening prayer of Novena to Our Lady of Sorrows: O, Mother most holy and sorrowful, Queen of Martyrs, you who stood by your Son as He agonized on the cross; by the sufferings of your life, by that sword of pain that pierced your heart, by your perfect joy in heaven, look down on me kindly as I kneel before you, sympathizing with your sorrows and offering you my petition with childlike trust. Dear Mother, since your Son refuses you nothing, ask of His Sacred Heart to mercifully grant what I ask, through the merits of His sacred passion, along with those of your sufferings at the foot of the cross. Mother most merciful, to whom shall I go in my misery if not to you who pities us poor, sinful exiles in this valley of tears? In our name, offer Jesus but one drop of His most precious blood, but one pang of His loving heart. Remind Him that you are our sweetness, our life, and our hope, and your prayer will be heard. Amen.
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God Bless You! Peace
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