† Quote of the Day“The patient and humble endurance of the cross—whatever nature it may be—is the highest work we have to do.” -St. Katharine Drexel Today’s Meditation"If, then, we wish to persevere and to be saved—for no one can be saved without perseverance—we must pray continually. Our perseverance depends, not on one grace, but on a thousand helps which we hope to obtain from God during our whole lives, that we may be preserved in his grace. Now, to this chain of graces a chain of prayers on our part must correspond: without these prayers, God ordinarily does not grant his graces. If we neglect to pray, and thus break the chain of prayers, the chain of graces shall also be broken, and we shall lose the grace of perseverance." —St. Alphonsus Liguori, p. 201
An excerpt from The Sermons of St. Alphonsus Liguori Daily VerseAnd this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God. -John 3:19-21
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EWTN Daily Saint
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St OliviaSt. Olivia (448 – 463 A.D.) was the beautiful daughter of a noble family living near Palermo on the island of Sicily. She desired to serve God through her life as a consecrated virgin, and gave her wealth to the poor. When the King of the Vandals invaded Italy and came to Palermo, many Christians were martyred at his hands. The young Olivia would visit and encourage the Christians in prison. Her piety, which was greatly admired, caused the local authorities to send her to Tunis to face the governor. There she converted many to the Christian faith, and as punishment she was banished into the wilderness to starve to death or be devoured by wild beasts. She was later found alive by hunters, and upon being brought back to civilization she continued to convert many pagans with her zeal. She was again sent to the governor for punishment and was cruelly tortured. After being dipped in a vat of hot oil and miraculously suffering no harm, she was finally beheaded. In Tunisia there was an ancient Christian basilica dedicated in her honor and built on the site of her tomb; today a mosque rests on the site, yet it retains her name and the memory of her relics. St. Olivia is a virgin martyr venerated especially in Sicily and Tunisia. Her feast day is June 10th.
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Wednesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary TimeLectionary: 361 Reading 11 Kings 18:20-39 Ahab sent to all the children of Israel
and had the prophets assemble on Mount Carmel. Elijah appealed to all the people and said,
"How long will you straddle the issue?
If the LORD is God, follow him; if Baal, follow him."
The people, however, did not answer him.
So Elijah said to the people,
"I am the only surviving prophet of the LORD,
and there are four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal.
Give us two young bulls.
Let them choose one, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood,
but start no fire.
I shall prepare the other and place it on the wood,
but shall start no fire.
You shall call on your gods, and I will call on the LORD.
The God who answers with fire is God."
All the people answered, "Agreed!" Elijah then said to the prophets of Baal,
"Choose one young bull and prepare it first,
for there are more of you.
Call upon your gods, but do not start the fire."
Taking the young bull that was turned over to them, they prepared it
and called on Baal from morning to noon, saying,
"Answer us, Baal!"
But there was no sound, and no one answering.
And they hopped around the altar they had prepared.
When it was noon, Elijah taunted them:
"Call louder, for he is a god and may be meditating,
or may have retired, or may be on a journey.
Perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened."
They called out louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears,
as was their custom, until blood gushed over them.
Noon passed and they remained in a prophetic state
until the time for offering sacrifice.
But there was not a sound;
no one answered, and no one was listening. Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come here to me."
When the people had done so, he repaired the altar of the LORD
that had been destroyed.
He took twelve stones, for the number of tribes of the sons of Jacob,
to whom the LORD had said, "Your name shall be Israel."
He built an altar in honor of the LORD with the stones,
and made a trench around the altar
large enough for two measures of grain.
When he had arranged the wood,
he cut up the young bull and laid it on the wood.
"Fill four jars with water," he said,
"and pour it over the burnt offering and over the wood."
"Do it again," he said, and they did it again.
"Do it a third time," he said,
and they did it a third time.
The water flowed around the altar,
and the trench was filled with the water. At the time for offering sacrifice,
the prophet Elijah came forward and said,
"LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,
let it be known this day that you are God in Israel
and that I am your servant
and have done all these things by your command.
Answer me, LORD!
Answer me, that this people may know that you, LORD, are God
and that you have brought them back to their senses."
The LORD's fire came down
and consumed the burnt offering, wood, stones, and dust,
and it lapped up the water in the trench.
Seeing this, all the people fell prostrate and said,
"The LORD is God! The LORD is God!" Responsorial PsalmPsalm 16:1b-2ab, 4, 5ab and 8, 11 R. (1b) Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the LORD, "My Lord are you."
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
They multiply their sorrows
who court other gods.
Blood libations to them I will not pour out,
nor will I take their names upon my lips.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
O LORD, my allotted portion and cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope. AlleluiaPsalm 25:4b, 5a R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Teach me your paths, my God,
and guide me in your truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelMatthew 5:17-19 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven."
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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: 1 Kings 18:20-39 The Lord’s fire came down and consumed the burnt offering. (1 Kings 18:38) In 2013, historians confirmed a grim reality: the Phoenician worshippers of Baal, like the ones in today’s first reading, likely practiced child sacrifice. This offers a chilling context to the story we read today. When Elijah stood on Mount Carmel and called out the prophets of Baal, he wasn’t just challenging a different religious opinion. He was confronting the powers of darkness—darkness that had crept into Israel’s own land and that some of God’s people had embraced. This dramatic confrontation reached its climax when God sent his fire to consume the sacrifice Elijah had first drenched with water. Beyond all expectations and even in defiance of the laws of physics, the Lord showed that he had accepted the sacrifice of Elijah—and not the sacrifice of the prophets of Baal. Seeing the sudden burst of fire, all the people cried out, “The Lord is God! The Lord is God!” (1 Kings 18:39). When Elijah prepared his sacrifice, he wasn’t simply setting the stage to prove God’s existence. He was standing in for a people who had strayed away from their true purpose. His offering was a sacrifice of repentance on behalf of the people in the hopes that a demonstration of God’s power would bring them “back to their senses” (1 Kings 18:37). It wasn’t the sins of the followers of Baal that moved the Lord to send fire. It was the offering of intercession made by his faithful prophet. Our world is not so different from Elijah’s. Violent atrocities dominate the headlines. In a world with so much injustice, it’s easy to wonder why God doesn’t just come and destroy all evildoers so that the righteous can live in peace. But look at the fire on Carmel, and you’ll see something different. You’ll see God reaching out to accept your offerings just as he accepted Elijah’s. You’ll see his fire surrounding your prayers, your acts of obedience, and the sacrifices you make in serving his people. He never rejects the offering of a heart intent on loving him! “Here I am, Father; I offer you my thoughts, my words, and my actions—my very life—as a sacrifice of praise!” Psalm 16:1-2, 4-5, 8, 11
Matthew 5:17-19
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Reflections with Brother Adrian:
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Audio of 2 Cents
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From today's Holy Gospel: ".... Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven." .... ”
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From Roberto Juarez:
"Jesus doesn't just teach the fulfillment of the Law. He himself fulfills it perfectly. He loves the Father with all his heart. He loves men to the extreme. Live in total obedience to the divine will. That is why Christ is not simply a teacher who points the way. It is also the one who gives us the grace to walk through it. The Christian life does not consist in a purely human endeavor. It is the response to the grace we receive from God.
All of Jesus' teaching will culminate in the new commandment: "Love one another as I have loved you." This is the fullness of the whole Law. Not a law written on tablets of stone, but a law written on the heart by the Holy Spirit. Christian love does not eliminate the commandments; it gives them their deepest meaning. Because he who truly loves does not steal, he does not lie, he does not kill, he does not betray. Love fulfills the whole Law.
Today's Gospel invites us to ask ourselves: Do I live my faith only externally or also from the heart? Do I consider the commandments a burden or a way of freedom? Do I seek to understand God's will? Do I try to live by it every day? Holiness is not about doing extraordinary things. It consists in living faithfully the small demands of the Gospel.
Today Jesus reminds us that he has not come to abolish, but to give fullness. Everything finds its deepest meaning in Him. Let us ask him to help us to love his Word, to live his commandments, and to understand that true freedom does not consist in doing what we want, but in living according to God's will. And may our obedience not be born of fear, but of love for the One who first loved us and gave His life for us." end quote.
When our Lord was transfigured on the mountain, He turned into the brightest light, and then there appeared the last of the greatest of the prophets, Elijah, and there also appeared Moses. The relationship between the two is beautifully depicted in the Transfiguration. Elijah (representing the Prophets) and Moses (representing the Law) appear with Jesus on the mountain. In this moment, the Catholic Church teaches that they converse with Jesus about his upcoming death in Jerusalem. Their presence confirms that Jesus is the culmination and fulfillment of the entire Old Testament.
All three pointed to God...and obedience, and to turn away from the world, and to turn to God. And this is affecting all of us today. Because, we are called to be the living Christ today. Turning hearts to God, teaching hearts how to love God. And we must practice what we teach, amen? How to love God. With all our heart, mind, and soul. How are you teaching others? Mostly by how we live. How we pray. And how we sacrifice in the name of Love.
And the greatest is in Mass and love of neighbor, love of God, in Holy Thanksgiving, the very meaning of Eucharist. An offering of love for love. What can you offer to God when we visit Him? All our works. All our time. All our treasure. Yes, you can show Him you love Him.
Want to give Him a hug? Hug somebody! Want to feed Him? Feed somebody in His name! Want to visit Him? Visit Him in the prisons, in the hospitals, in the forgotten, in the sinners, and one place he's usually lonely...in churches across the world, the Catholic Church, the Holy Tabernacle. Oh how hard it can be to muster up the faith, the love to go be with Him. How hard it can be to pray! And to pray as a group! And to pray daily as a family! Notice how hard the ways of Christ are. It takes effort.
It takes....heart.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, burn in us to love you truly....
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Random Bible Verse 1
1 Peter 4:12–13 "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed."
Word of the Lord!
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