† Saint Quote:Everybody today seems to be in such a terrible rush, anxious for greater developments and greater riches and so on, so that children have very little time for their parents. Parents have very little time for each other, and in the home begins the disruption of peace in the world. St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta Meditation quote“There is, actually, only one person in all humanity of whom God has one picture and in whom there is a perfect conformity between what he wanted her to be and what she is, and that is his own mother. Most of us are a minus sign, in the sense that we do not fulfill the high hopes the heavenly Father has for us. But Mary is the equal sign. The ideal that God had of her, that she is, and in the flesh. The model and the copy are perfect; she is all that was foreseen, planned, and dreamed. The melody of her life is played just as it was written.”
—Archbishop Fulton Sheen, p. 15 Daily VerseBlessed is the man who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proved he will receive the crown of life that he promised to those who love him. James 1:12
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EWTN Daily Saint
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St. Alexius of RomePatron Saint of: Pilgrims, beggars, and the homeless
Feast Day: July 17 St. Alexius (d. 417 A.D.) was a native of Rome, the son of a distinguished Roman senator. His parents arranged a marriage for him, but he had a divine calling to a higher vocation. On the night of his wedding, with permission from his fiance, he secretly fled to Edessa in Syria to live in poverty and obscurity as a holy ascetic. He disguised himself as a beggar, unrecognized by all, even accepting alms from his own servants who were sent to look for him. St. Alexius lived in this way for seventeen years. A vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the church near his dwelling identified him as a “Man of God.” When the fame of his sanctity spread in Edessa, he moved back to Rome so that he could continue his hidden life. He lived as a beggar under the very stairs of his father’s palace, his true identity completely unknown to anyone. He lived in this way for another seventeen years. He was befriended by other Christians, shared his alms with the poor, and taught catechism to children. It was only after his death that his identity was revealed through a document that he secretly carried on his person. He was then venerated as a saint, and his father’s palace was converted into a church in his honor. St. Alexius’ feast day is July 17.
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Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary TimeLectionary: 393 Reading 1Isaiah 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8 When Hezekiah was mortally ill,
the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, came and said to him:
"Thus says the LORD: Put your house in order,
for you are about to die; you shall not recover."
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD: "O LORD, remember how faithfully and wholeheartedly
I conducted myself in your presence,
doing what was pleasing to you!"
And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: "Go, tell Hezekiah:
Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David:
I have heard your prayer and seen your tears.
I will heal you: in three days you shall go up to the LORD's temple;
I will add fifteen years to your life.
I will rescue you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria;
I will be a shield to this city." Isaiah then ordered a poultice of figs to be taken
and applied to the boil, that he might recover.
Then Hezekiah asked,
"What is the sign that I shall go up to the temple of the LORD?" Isaiah answered:
"This will be the sign for you from the LORD
that he will do what he has promised:
See, I will make the shadow cast by the sun
on the stairway to the terrace of Ahaz
go back the ten steps it has advanced."
So the sun came back the ten steps it had advanced. Responsorial PsalmIsaiah 38:10, 11, 12abcd, 16 R. (see 17b) You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.
Once I said,
"In the noontime of life I must depart!
To the gates of the nether world I shall be consigned
for the rest of my years."
R. You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.
I said, "I shall see the LORD no more
in the land of the living.
No longer shall I behold my fellow men
among those who dwell in the world."
R. You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.
My dwelling, like a shepherd's tent,
is struck down and borne away from me;
You have folded up my life, like a weaver
who severs the last thread.
R. You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.
Those live whom the LORD protects;
yours is the life of my spirit.
You have given me health and life.
R. You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die. AlleluiaJohn 10:27 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelMatthew 12:1-8 Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath.
His disciples were hungry
and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them.
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him,
"See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath."
He said to them, "Have you not read what David did
when he and his companions were hungry,
how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering,
which neither he nor his companions
but only the priests could lawfully eat?
Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath
the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath
and are innocent?
I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.
If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
you would not have condemned these innocent men.
For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath."
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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 12:1-8Something greater than the temple is here. (Matthew 12:6) When some Pharisees criticized Jesus’ disciples for picking and eating grain on the Sabbath, Jesus said they were missing the point. Jesus didn’t fall into the trap of arguing against the objections of his adversaries. With a loving heart, he tried to teach them and help them accept who he was. He wanted them to come to know him, and he was giving them the chance just then to discover more about him. So instead of merely defending his disciples, Jesus reveals himself to his questioners. He is greater than David or Solomon. He is even greater than the Temple. He is the new temple, the new place where God and man meet, the place where perfect worship will be offered. These particular Pharisees wanted to argue with Jesus over the interpretation of sabbath observance. In fact, Jesus and his disciples were not violating the sacred Law of Moses. But Jesus had something much bigger to say: that he is the fulfillment of that Law. In and of himself, he surpasses even their holiest place. And he is Lord of their holiest time—the Sabbath. Even in this situation, even when his opponents might think they have an indisputable objection, Jesus sees the bigger picture. His priority is that everyone would come to accept him and receive salvation and life through him. And so he doesn’t get caught up arguing about minor objections. He cuts straight to the heart of the matter: he is the Messiah, the One longed for throughout generations, and he is far more than they could have imagined. He wants even his adversaries to come to believe in him. The next time you feel as if someone is questioning your faith, remember Jesus. Your priority isn’t to amaze them with a clever argument. It’s to approach them as Jesus would, with love and with your eyes on the big picture. So try to look beyond the arguments, as Jesus did. Ask the Holy Spirit how to demonstrate the attitude of Christ as you seek to speak the truth in love. “Jesus, help me not fall into the trap of trying to win every argument. Help me to love people and to proclaim your good news.” Isaiah 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8
(Psalm) Isaiah 38:10-12, 16
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Reflections with Brother Adrian:
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From today's Holy Gospel: "... Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath
the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath
and are innocent?
I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.
If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
you would not have condemned these innocent men.
For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath." .... ”
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From Bishop Barron: "Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus corrects the Pharisees with this theme of his ministry: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” Every saint had a past, and every sinner has a future. That is key to Catholic spirituality. In the lives of every one of these heroes of the faith, there is some conversion. And every sinner—every one of us—has a future. That is why we soak in the mercy of God. There is a beautiful reference in the Psalms to oil running down upon your beard, upon the collar of your robe. The divine mercy is like that: poured out upon us, poured out without reservation—and not because it’s earned, because it can’t be earned. God doesn’t love us because we’re worthy. We’re worthy because he loves us. We don’t deserve his mercy, but we soak it in and thereby are transformed." end quote.
From Roberto Juarez: "The Gospel ends with a solemn affirmation: "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." Jesus is not eliminating the sense of sacred rest. He is saying that He is the one who gives it its ultimate meaning. True rest is not simply about interrupting activity. It consists in entering into communion with Christ. He alone can give rest to the human heart. That is why, a few verses earlier, we heard that beautiful invitation: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened." Christ is our true rest. When we learn to look with mercy, it changes the way we relate to others. We stop judging quickly. We learn to understand. We listen before condemning, we correct with charity. We forgive more easily. Not because we relativize the truth. But because we imitate the way Jesus acts. He never lowered the demand of the Gospel. But he always welcomed people with love. Truth without charity hurts. Charity without truth becomes superficial. In Christ the two always remain united. Today's Gospel invites us to review our way of living the faith. Jesus does not reject the Law. He takes it to its fullness. It reminds us that every rule makes sense when it leads to love. That all religious practice must lead to mercy. And that true worship consists in loving God with all our heart and our neighbor as ourselves. Let us ask the Lord to deliver us from a superficial or merely legalistic faith. May he grant us a heart like his. A heart capable of uniting fidelity to the truth with immense mercy. And may each Eucharist make us leave this temple more human, more compassionate and more like Jesus Christ, who is the Lord of the Sabbath and the visible face of the Father's mercy." end of Roberto quote.
Your brother Adrian: There is still much dispute about the Sabbath. There is even another denomination split calling themselves 7th Day Adventists. And there are many heated discussions that cause splintering on this debate, about the Sabbath.
And it is sad to see protestants be so washy on this, because it also has to deal with works, and some of them denominations say faith alone, and bible alone saves one. Not true, it is all of the above! Because faith without works is dead. To know the bible is one thing, but to live the life of Christ is the embodiment of Sacred Scripture.
What I have learned about the Sabbath...is much.
It is God's invitation to His house. Could this mean Heaven?
Because He speaks about rest.
There, He shares His Word, and His Meal of His very Body that is the fulfillment of all Holy Scripture.
The Mass is the perfect offering for this Holy Day of the week.
And how shall we keep it Holy? By following the 613 Jewish laws about the Sabbath and life?
How did our Lord Jesus keep it Holy?
Our Lord performed works that were "illegal" in Jewish laws, on a Sabbath as well.
He healed on the Sabbath.
He picked grains on the Sabbath, to feed His sheep.
He did this and more than we do not know.
He broke the law according to them, but it was them that were breaking God's laws...against humanity.
When laws turn against humanity...then we have a dark problem.
And so our Lord comes as the light in the dark world.
He reveals what God wants from Heaven. God's light is Jesus. God's heart is Jesus.
God's Holy will is Jesus.
And He is the way to Heaven.
If only we truly did as our Lord desires, how different the world would be.
But we want all the goodness of Heaven without really desiring Heaven.
And my readings about Heaven...you do not want to know.
If you really want to know what Heaven on earth looks like, you will probably walk away sad like the rich young man that came to Jesus and was asked to leave everything to follow Him.
It costs us too much. We do all the right things in our opinion, but when He presents His Holy will?
There needs to be more brave hearts. We need to truly give. Amen?
Time is flying by, especially in our world, and in our country. Time flies by super fast. What will stick? What will matter? What matters to God?
What does our Lord desire?
My beloved...His message from the cross cries out for an eternity....I DESIRE MERCY. Thanks for your following of legalistic laws, thanks for the gift at the altar...but I DESIRE MORE.
Mercy to this world, and those around you. This feels like love. This feels like God. This feels like true offering....
The Sabbath then is Mercy itself awaiting....
....
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Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 21:21
"Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor."
Word of the Lord!
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