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Tuesday, October 6, 2026

† “ There is need of only one thing. .... ’”

 

†

While the world changes, the cross stands firm. -St. Bruno
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Today's Meditation

We don’t encounter God’s will in the past, because the past is gone. We don’t encounter God’s will in the future, because the future does not yet exist. God reveals His will to us only in the present moment of our existence, accompanied by the specific graces we need in order to conform ourselves to it. This is the only time we’re given to follow His lead.

— Good Catholic Series, Thy Will Be Done


Daily Verse †

[There is] one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
- Ephesians 4:4-7

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Saint-of-the-Day

EWTN Daily Saint

asaint

St. Bruno

Patron Saint of: Carthusians, contemplatives, and exorcists
Feast Day: October 6

St. Bruno (1030-1101) was born to a noble and prominent family in Cologne, Germany. He was well educated and excelled in his studies, and became a priest around the year 1055. He went on to direct and teach at the episcopal school at Reims for many years, earning a reputation as a learned scholar. After also serving as the chancellor of his archdiocese, he and a few companions left their positions in the diocese in order to follow a path of greater religious observance. In 1084 Bruno settled in the Chartreuse Mountains in France with a small group of scholars who, like himself, desired to become contemplative monks. This was the beginning of the Carthusian order founded by St. Bruno, combining the solitary life of hermits with the conventual life of religious observance. These alpine monks embraced a strictly disciplined life of poverty, labor, prayer, and fasting. After living six years of strict asceticism, St. Bruno was called to Rome by the Pope, who was his former student, to assist with the troubles and controversies rocking the Church. Bruno became a close advisor to the Pope and was allowed to return to monastic life only if he remained nearby within Italy, leading Bruno to establish a second Carthusian monastery there in 1095. St. Bruno wrote many manuscripts and commentaries during his life. His feast day is celebrated on October 6th.

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Tuesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 462

Reading 1

Galatians 1:13-24

Brothers and sisters:

You heard of my former way of life in Judaism,

how I persecuted the Church of God beyond measure

and tried to destroy it,

and progressed in Judaism

beyond many of my contemporaries among my race,

since I was even more a zealot for my ancestral traditions.

But when he, who from my mother’s womb had set me apart

and called me through his grace,

was pleased to reveal his Son to me,

so that I might proclaim him to the Gentiles,

I did not immediately consult flesh and blood,

nor did I go up to Jerusalem

to those who were Apostles before me;

rather, I went into Arabia and then returned to Damascus.

Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas

and remained with him for fifteen days.

But I did not see any other of the Apostles,

only James the brother of the Lord.

(As to what I am writing to you, behold,

before God, I am not lying.)

Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

And I was unknown personally to the churches of Judea

that are in Christ;

they only kept hearing that “the one who once was persecuting us

is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”

So they glorified God because of me.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 139:1b-3, 13-14ab, 14c-15

R. (24b) Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.

O LORD, you have probed me and you know me;

you know when I sit and when I stand;

you understand my thoughts from afar.

My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,

with all my ways you are familiar.

R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.

Truly you have formed my inmost being;

you knit me in my mother’s womb.

I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;

wonderful are your works.

R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.

My soul also you knew full well;

nor was my frame unknown to you

When I was made in secret,

when I was fashioned in the depths of the earth.

R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.

Alleluia

Luke 11:28

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed are those who hear the word of God

and observe it.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Luke 10:38-42

Jesus entered a village

where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.

She had a sister named Mary

who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.

Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,

“Lord, do you not care

that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?

Tell her to help me.”

The Lord said to her in reply,

“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.

There is need of only one thing.

Mary has chosen the better part

and it will not be taken from her.”

agosp

Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ!

***
wau

From Word Among Us WAU.org

Daily Meditation: Luke 10:38-42

Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. (Luke 10:41)

We can probably relate to Martha in today’s Gospel. She was hard at work while her sister sat quietly at Jesus’ feet. Why didn’t anyone seem to see her plight? So, understandably, she came to Jesus, frustrated and looking for his intervention.

His response might surprise us. It almost certainly surprised Martha. Jesus doesn’t do what Martha asks of him. He doesn’t solve her frustration by sending Mary to help out in the kitchen. Instead, he gently corrects Martha and tries to open her eyes to see the situation differently.

What an unexpected moment of grace! Jesus points out that what Mary has chosen—to sit at his feet and listen to him—is better (Luke 10:42). He gently shows Martha that her irritation with her sister is an obstacle. It is causing her to miss out on the one truly necessary thing: listening to him. He shows her that even a good thing like looking after her guest has the potential to distract from what really matters.

We don’t know how Martha responded to Jesus’ words at that moment. But it seems as if they eventually pierced her heart. When her brother, Lazarus, became sick and died, she openly and confidently professed that Jesus was “the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world” (John 11:27).

Martha’s story shows us that our unexpected moments of grace can come even when we’re not in the best frame of mind. But that might be exactly when Jesus wants to help us see things differently. So let’s invite the Lord to help us recognize those times when we, like Martha, feel so overburdened that we let irritation get the best of us. Or when we are so hyperfocused on a goal that we might neglect the chance to spend time with Jesus. Let’s not miss these opportunities to experience the blessings he offers us.

So keep cultivating your friendship with Jesus. Give him the freedom to break through and gently correct you when necessary. That way, you’ll also be giving him room to amaze you with an experience of his grace right in the midst of your busyness!

“Lord, help me be willing to listen the next time you want to surprise me.”

Galatians 1:13-24

Psalm 139:1-3, 13-15

anf

Reflections with Brother Adrian:

2cents2

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“The Lord said to her in reply,

“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.

There is need of only one thing.

Mary has chosen the better part

and it will not be taken from her.”

From Roberto Juarez:

"……This Gospel can be misinterpreted as Jesus pitting Martha and Mary against each other, work and prayer, action and contemplation. But the Lord does not despise Martha's service. What he desires is for his service to be born of a living relationship with Him. Authentic prayer leads us to concrete love; and Christian service needs to be nourished by prayer. If we only act, we run the risk of becoming exhausted, of believing that everything depends on us, or of ending up serving with bitterness. If we only talk about prayer, but never care about others, our faith risks remaining in words. We need both dimensions: being with Christ and working for the Kingdom of God. Mary teaches us to listen; Martha reminds us of the importance of serving. In our Christian life, both attitudes are called to meet: listening to the Lord in order to serve better and serving our brothers and sisters while continuing to listen to the Lord. Apostolic activity, catechesis, care for the poor, care for the sick and the daily tasks of our families will be more fruitful when they are born of a deep relationship with Christ.
Today let us ask the Lord to help us to order our priorities, not to be dominated by worries and to find a moment every day to be at the feet of Jesus. May we not be so busy doing things for the Lord that we forget to be with the Lord. And that, listening to his Word, we may learn to serve with joy, to love with patience and to live each day with the peace that comes from knowing that we are accompanied by Him." end quote.
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From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, today's Gospel, almost more than any other, has inspired protests when I have to preach it. "Bishop, I believe that Martha is unjustly accused." For centuries, this story has been interpreted to mean that Martha represents the "active" life and Mary, the "contemplative" life. I would like to emphasize that reading this story of Martha and Mary in terms of active/contemplative life is not very helpful. We have to go a little deeper.
What does Martha reproach her for? "Martha, Martha, you are restless and agitated by many things." It is the quality of a hectic, divided, unfocused life to which Jesus directs attention. And why is Mary praised? Not precisely because she is "contemplative," but because she has chosen the unum necessarium (the only thing necessary). She has sat discreetly at the Lord's feet, not so much to avoid work but to find herself, to understand what she essentially is.
There is a cacophony of voices calling us; there are thousands of influences pulling one way or the other. What is the only thing necessary? To hear the voice of Jesus expressing his love telling you who you are." end quote.
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From bro. Adrian:

Sometimes, I feel like Martha.
I am in a ton of ministries. And I don't feel like I get enough help in many of them, or enough successes…for the Lord.
So what is our Lord saying here? Even as I type, I'm trying to rush out to meet people from out of state on important catholic matters for the Nation.

So now what?
It is easy to forget the reason for our service. That is the problem. You get wrapped up, and focus on the problem, in this case, those that won't come and help, and our Lord says that THEY have chosen the better part.
So now what? Stop serving?
Be only Mary? A contemplative? Not at all. Our Lord wants us to focus on Him….no matter what we are doing, and in the problem…turn to Him. He makes the burden light….if we truly yoke in LOVE!
We are missing the point, and to miss the mark, can be what it means to sin. Back to the basics….focus on our Lord!

jesuslove

Click for Audio

Random Bible Verse 1
1 Peter 1:24–25

“All flesh is like grass

and all its glory like the flower of grass.

The grass withers,

and the flower falls,
25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.


Word of the Lord!

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God Bless You! Peace

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Monday, October 5, 2026

† “You shall love the.... ’”

 

†

Great love can change small things into great ones, and it is only love which lends value to our actions.
- St. Faustina Kowalska
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Today's Meditation

“I desire trust from My creatures. Encourage souls to place great trust in My fathomless mercy. Let the weak, sinful soul have no fear to approach Me, for even if it had more sins than there are grains of sand in the world, all would be drowned in the unmeasurable depths of My mercy.”

— Jesus to St. Faustina Kowalska, (1059)


Daily Verse †

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time.

1 Peter 1:3-5

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Saint-of-the-Day

EWTN Daily Saint

asaint

St. Maria Faustina Kowalska

Patron Saint of: Divine Mercy and Poland
Feast Day: October 5

St. Maria Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938), baptized with the name Helena, was one of ten children born to a devout, peasant farming family in Poland. She grew up during the tough years leading up to and following the first World War, and received little formal education. She worked as a poor housekeeper before following her religious vocation at the age of 20, entering the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Krakow. There she was given simple, humble jobs which hid her deep interior life. St. Faustina was graced with mystical visions and revelations from Jesus, as well as her Guardian Angel and certain saints. Jesus gave her the mission to proclaim his infinite, powerful, loving mercy to the whole world, especially to hardened sinners and those facing the hour of their death. St. Faustina, as Jesus’ “secretary and apostle of Divine Mercy”, faithfully recorded these messages in great detail in a nearly 700-page diary. In it she promoted devotion to the Divine Mercy of Jesus Christ as instructed by Our Lord himself, now famous throughout the Church, and a great consolation for many souls who would otherwise fear to approach God because of their burden of sin. She died at the age of 33 from tuberculosis. Pope St. John Paul II made St. Faustina the first saint of the new millennium. Her feast day is October 5th.

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Monday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 461

Reading 1

Galatians 1:6-12

Brothers and sisters:

I am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking

the one who called you by the grace of Christ

for a different gospel (not that there is another).

But there are some who are disturbing you

and wish to pervert the Gospel of Christ.

But even if we or an angel from heaven

should preach to you a gospel

other than the one that we preached to you,

let that one be accursed!

As we have said before, and now I say again,

if anyone preaches to you a gospel

other than the one that you received,

let that one be accursed!

Am I now currying favor with human beings or God?

Or am I seeking to please people?

If I were still trying to please people,

I would not be a slave of Christ.

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters,

that the Gospel preached by me is not of human origin.

For I did not receive it from a human being, nor was I taught it,

but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 111:1b-2, 7-8, 9, 10c

R. (5) The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.

or:

R. Alleluia.

I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart

in the company and assembly of the just.

Great are the works of the LORD,

exquisite in all their delights.

R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.

or:

R. Alleluia.

The works of his hands are faithful and just;

sure are all his precepts,

Reliable forever and ever,

wrought in truth and equity.

R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.

or:

R. Alleluia.

He has sent deliverance to his people;

he has ratified his covenant forever;

holy and awesome is his name.

His praise endures forever.

R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Alleluia

John 13:34

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

I give you a new commandment:

love one another as I have loved you.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Luke 10:25-37

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said,

“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law?

How do you read it?”

He said in reply,

“You shall love the Lord, your God,

with all your heart,

with all your being,

with all your strength,

and with all your mind,

and your neighbor as yourself.”

He replied to him, “You have answered correctly;

do this and you will live.”

But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,

“And who is my neighbor?”

Jesus replied,

“A man fell victim to robbers

as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.

They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.

A priest happened to be going down that road,

but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.

Likewise a Levite came to the place,

and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.

But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him

was moved with compassion at the sight.

He approached the victim,

poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.

Then he lifted him up on his own animal,

took him to an inn, and cared for him.

The next day he took out two silver coins

and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,

‘Take care of him.

If you spend more than what I have given you,

I shall repay you on my way back.’

Which of these three, in your opinion,

was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”

He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”

Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

agosp

Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ!

***
wau

From Word Among Us WAU.org

Daily Meditation: Luke 10:25-37

A Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion. (Luke 10:33)

Imagine the condition of the man in the parable—beaten, bloodied, and motionless. It would have taken extreme optimism to believe this “half-dead” man could be saved. The priest and the Levite saw a corpse, but the Samaritan saw a neighbor and was “moved with compassion at the sight” (Luke 10:30, 33).

What an excellent illustration of the way Jesus looks at us! All of humanity lay in the dirt of sin, stripped of dignity and barely alive. As God looked on us, his heart wrenched with love. Like the Samaritan approaching the victim, the Lord came close to us in the Incarnation. He poured the oil of forgiveness and the wine of grace over our wounds and brought us into the “inn” of the Church, where we could be nursed to health (Luke 10:34). Today, you are spiritually alive because God didn’t pass you by; he saw that you could be healed!

Yet all around us, there are still many victims left in the ditch. They have been overpowered by dark forces like addiction, war, economic injustice—add to the list whatever “robbers” you can think of. They may appear “half-dead” until you try seeing them the way Jesus does: as wounded but not beyond help. As you look at them this way, as you see them as your neighbors, you will be “moved with compassion” and feel compelled to offer whatever mercy you can (Luke 10:33).

Who might they be? The stressed-out colleague who needs someone to ask, “Can I take something off your plate today?” The family member whose heart has been hardened by loneliness and who is carrying hurt that a simple phone call could soothe. The outsider who is treated with suspicion or simply ignored, for whom a smile or an offer of help could restore a sense of dignity.

In this parable, Jesus paints a picture of someone—a good Samaritan—whose priority is tending to the wounded. But it’s not just a touching story; it’s a challenge for you to “go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37). It all starts by asking the Lord to open your eyes so you can see hope and potential in a wounded, hurting world.

“Lord, give me eyes of love and a heart moved with compassion.”

Galatians 1:6-12

Psalm 111:1-2, 7-10

anf

Reflections with Brother Adrian:

2cents2

Click To Hear 2 Cents Audio

“You shall love the Lord, your God,

with all your heart,

with all your being,

with all your strength,

and with all your mind,

and your neighbor as yourself.”

He replied to him, “You have answered correctly;

do this and you will live.”

From Roberto Juarez:

"……Let us pray that our prayer does not end when we leave church, but that we continue in our way of working, of living together, of caring for creation and of serving others.
Jesus tells us today: "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you". Let us accept these words with confidence. Let us give thanks for what we have received. Let us humbly ask for what we need. Let us persevere when we do not understand God's ways. And let us not forget that authentic prayer transforms our hearts and makes us more available to others. May Mary, a grateful and trusting woman, who knew how to recognize the wonders of God and proclaim his mercy in the Magnificat, teach us to live with a grateful heart and hands ready to share. Good Father, thank you for your gifts; hear our prayers, strengthen our hope and teach us to turn all that we receive from you into a blessing for others." end quote.
- - -

From bro. Adrian:

The other day at bible study, I was ending things with a summary on the microphone, and my wife asked if she could say something, and she said "let's not just put up what we've learned into our bags and forget about it, but keep these books out and apply them daily".

I find that to be true. I see it most often in the singe time people normally go listen to the Word, once a week for a few minutes…in HOLY MASS.

We go, we sit. And we can't wait to leave. Cars already revving up with remote start. Some have one hand on the door knobs. And long before that, the mind had already closed up, which means…a way to the heart…the heart is closed up.

And so, when I get up to speak at announcements yesterday, to ask for 30 volunteers missing for our family festival, I said "there almost three hundred people here, we need help in the vineyard" because the gospel touched on the vineyard parables.
About 10 people signed up. That is about three percent help. 3 out of a hundred. I would have hoped to get 20 out of a hundred, or even 10 percent. But only 3.
And so I spoke at the next Mass, by then, most hearts are clocked out, hearts closed. But I still went to announce that our church needed help. And I said "at the previous Mass, a youth told me they would love to help but they were not sure if they were going out of town" and I said "if you are deciding, choose the church! We need help!

So many of us put other things first. And that is the problem.

GOD COMES FIRST.
What does that mean?

Today we hear about a beat up guy, bleeding on the streets, and a priest and a Levite rushed passed them and I am sure they had their reasons for rushing passed him.

But were the reasons any good….really?
They say in India, the traffic is super crazy, and if one has an accident, the flow of trafffic just drives around them trying to maintain the same rush until someone decides to stop or emergency comes.

Isn't that the story of our lives though?
We are all like that. We are too busy…for God.
We just read in the old Testament about the return from exile. And now people were allowed to rebuild the TEMPLE! But…they were not doing it. The kings even gave money, and they weren't even of the religion, but….people were not building, they were in no hurry at all, they were minding their own temples instead of God's temple.
People minding their own "businses", right?
But what about what our 12 year old Lord Jesus say when they finally found Him supposedly lost and found in the temple?

He said "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know I must be about my Father's business?". That is in some translations.
What is the fruit God wants? I asked the people in the nursing home the same yesterday as me and my kids were singing to them. One said "Love". Love is the fruit.

Then what is God's business? Obedience? Yes, sure, of course. But even more, the next level….love of God, that produces….love of neighbor.

Now things get real. Right in your lap. Right in your heart.
Who is bleeding on the streets?

It is Jesus.
And not only once…but always…why? Because…His sacrifice is eternal, and He lives in the true believer that is being martyred.

jesuslove

Click for Audio

Random Bible Verse 1
Isaiah 40:26

"Lift up your eyes on high and see:

who created these?

He who brings out their host by number,

calling them all by name;

by the greatness of his might

and because he is strong in power,

not one is missing."


Word of the Lord!

***

If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace

***
 
 
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