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The most deadly poison of our times is indifference. And this happens, although the praise of God should know no limits. Let us strive, therefore, to praise Him to the greatest extent of our powers. St. Maximilian Kolbe
Today's Meditation“I do not wish the soul to consider her sins, either in general or in particular, without also remembering the Blood and the broadness of My mercy, for fear that otherwise she should be brought to confusion. And together with confusion would come the Devil, who has caused it, under colour of contrition and displeasure of sin, and so she would arrive at eternal damnation, not only on account of her confusion, but also through the despair which would come to her, because she did not seize the arm of My mercy. This is one of the subtle devices with which the Devil deludes My servants, and, in order to escape from his deceit, and to be pleasing to Me, you must enlarge your hearts and affections in My boundless mercy, with true humility. Thou knowest that the pride of the devil cannot resist the humble mind, nor can any confusion of spirit be greater than the broadness of My good mercy, if the soul will only truly hope therein.”
—St. Catherine Of Siena, p. 94
Daily VerseHe who pursues righteousness and kindness will find life and honor. A wise man scales the city of the mighty and brings down the stronghold in which they trust. Proverbs 21:21-22
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EWTN Daily Saint
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St. Maximilian KolbePatron Saint of: Prisoners, pro-life causes, and people with addictions
Feast Day: August 14 St. Maximilian Kolbe (1894–1941) was born in Poland to a devout Christian family. As a boy he had a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She showed him two crowns: a white one for virginity and a red one for martyrdom, and asked him which he would be willing to accept. He replied that he would accept both. He later joined the Franciscans. While studying for the priesthood in Rome, he organized a group of friars and founded the Militia of the Immaculata in 1917 to crusade for consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and to oppose the evil of Freemasonry. From it came the Knights of the Immaculate magazine that reached a circulation of 750,000, as well as a radio show, both of which became a resource for strengthening faith across Poland. He also established a monastery which grew to 800 friars, the largest in the world at the time. In 1930 he traveled to the Far East and founded another monastery in Nagasaki, Japan. He returned to Poland in 1936. During World War II, St. Maximilian Kolbe housed over 3,000 Polish refugees at his monastery. He was eventually imprisoned because of his effective work, and was sent to Auschwitz in 1941. There he endured special cruelty because he was a Catholic priest. St. Maximilian ministered to the prisoners, and offered his life in place of a father who had been condemned to death. After being starved for two weeks and still found alive, Maximilian was killed by lethal injection on August 14, 1941. He is the patron saint of families, drug addicts, prisoners, journalists, and the pro-life movement. His feast day is August 14th.
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Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and MartyrLectionary: 417 Reading 1Ezekiel 16:1-15, 60, 63 The word of the LORD came to me:
Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations.
Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem:
By origin and birth you are of the land of Canaan;
your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.
As for your birth, the day you were born your navel cord was not cut;
you were neither washed with water nor anointed,
nor were you rubbed with salt, nor swathed in swaddling clothes.
No one looked on you with pity or compassion
to do any of these things for you.
Rather, you were thrown out on the ground as something loathsome,
the day you were born. Then I passed by and saw you weltering in your blood.
I said to you: Live in your blood and grow like a plant in the field.
You grew and developed, you came to the age of puberty;
your breasts were formed, your hair had grown,
but you were still stark naked.
Again I passed by you and saw that you were now old enough for love.
So I spread the corner of my cloak over you to cover your nakedness;
I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you;
you became mine, says the Lord GOD.
Then I bathed you with water, washed away your blood,
and anointed you with oil.
I clothed you with an embroidered gown,
put sandals of fine leather on your feet;
I gave you a fine linen sash and silk robes to wear.
I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms,
a necklace about your neck, a ring in your nose,
pendants in your ears, and a glorious diadem upon your head.
Thus you were adorned with gold and silver;
your garments were of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth.
Fine flour, honey, and oil were your food.
You were exceedingly beautiful, with the dignity of a queen.
You were renowned among the nations for your beauty, perfect as it was,
because of my splendor which I had bestowed on you,
says the Lord GOD. But you were captivated by your own beauty,
you used your renown to make yourself a harlot,
and you lavished your harlotry on every passer-by,
whose own you became. Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were a girl,
and I will set up an everlasting covenant with you,
that you may remember and be covered with confusion,
and that you may be utterly silenced for shame
when I pardon you for all you have done, says the Lord GOD. Or:Ezekiel 16:59-63 Thus says the LORD:
I will deal with you according to what you have done,
you who despised your oath, breaking a covenant.
Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were a girl,
and I will set up an everlasting covenant with you.
Then you shall remember your conduct and be ashamed
when I take your sisters, those older and younger than you,
and give them to you as daughters,
even though I am not bound by my covenant with you.
For I will re-establish my covenant with you,
that you may know that I am the LORD,
that you may remember and be covered with confusion,
and that you may be utterly silenced for shame
when I pardon you for all you have done, says the Lord GOD. Responsorial PsalmIsaiah 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6 R. (1c) You have turned from your anger.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
R. You have turned from your anger.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R. You have turned from your anger.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
R. You have turned from your anger. AlleluiaSee 1 Thessalonians 2:13 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Receive the word of God, not as the word of men,
but, as it truly is, the word of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelMatthew 19:3-12 Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying,
"Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?"
He said in reply, "Have you not read that from the beginning
the Creator made them male and female and said,
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?
So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate."
They said to him, "Then why did Moses command
that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?"
He said to them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts
Moses allowed you to divorce your wives,
but from the beginning it was not so.
I say to you, whoever divorces his wife
(unless the marriage is unlawful)
and marries another commits adultery."
His disciples said to him,
"If that is the case of a man with his wife,
it is better not to marry."
He answered, "Not all can accept this word,
but only those to whom that is granted.
Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so;
some, because they were made so by others;
some, because they have renounced marriage
for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever can accept this ought to accept it."
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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 19:3-12Because of the hardness of your hearts. (Matthew 19:8) When some Pharisees asked him why the Mosaic law allowed a man to divorce his wife, Jesus answered, “Because of the hardness of your hearts” (Matthew 19:8). This can sound as if he is blaming every failed marriage on an extreme, obstinate opposition to the Lord. We might assume that one partner—or both—is especially sinful and hard-hearted. But bitter experience tells us that this isn’t always the case. Marriages fail for many reasons, which are both complicated and deeply personal. So how do we understand the “hardness of heart” that Jesus speaks about in today’s Gospel? Maybe looking into our own hearts can help. Hardness of heart is not just a matter of one person’s particularly sinful attitude or another person’s especially sinful actions. Rather, because we are all fallen, we all experience a hardness in our hearts. It’s formed by worldly philosophies, wounds we have received, and unmet—at times unrealistic—expectations. It moves us to resist the call to offer compassion, forgiveness, or support to one who has sinned. It’s the kind of hardness that can keep spouses caught in patterns of sin; the hardness that keeps them from reaching out to each other in humility; the hardness that keeps them from seeking help from a counselor, pastor, or trusted friend. But most important of all, it’s a hardness that Jesus longs to heal and forgive. If you have been part of a wounded or failed marriage, know that the Lord looks on you with great compassion. Know that whatever led to the breakup, you are still a loved, treasured child of God. Jesus is standing before you with open arms, ready to forgive what needs forgiveness and to heal what needs healing. No matter what has happened and no matter who is at fault, his heart remains open to you. We all experience hardness of heart in one way or another. We all commit sins and hurt the people around us. But Jesus is stronger than any sin we could ever commit. His love is greater than any resentment or wound we are bearing. It’s also greater than any wound we have caused. He is our merciful and patient Redeemer. “Lord, bring healing to everyone who has been hurt by divorce.” Ezekiel 16:1-15, 60, 63
(Psalm) Isaiah 12:2-6
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Reflections with Brother Adrian:
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From today's Holy Gospel: "...... So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate."
They said to him, "Then why did Moses command
that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss her?"
He said to them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts
Moses allowed you to divorce your wives,
but from the beginning it was not so.
I say to you, whoever divorces his wife
(unless the marriage is unlawful)
and marries another commits adultery."
His disciples said to him,
"If that is the case of a man with his wife,
it is better not to marry."
He answered, "Not all can accept this word,
but only those to whom that is granted. ....”
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Bishop Barron said today: "Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches the sacred unity of marriage. The physical, sexual, psychological, economic, and loving bonds between a man and a woman have, ultimately, a sacred purpose: to act as a conduit of the divine life in the world. How does this work? In the unity of a man and a woman, which becomes in so many ways fruitful, we see an image of the Blessed Trinity: The Father and the Son love one another to such a perfect degree that their love gives birth to the Holy Spirit. A married couple should see their relationship as an icon of the Holy Trinity—and more to it, a means by which the Trinitarian love bursts forth into the world. The two partners have a mission before God. St. Paul saw that Christian marriage had a precisely Christian purpose: to symbolize the love of Christ and the Church. As a husband loves his wife (and as she loves him), so does Christ love the Church and the Church (at least ideally) love him. What does Christ’s love for his Church look like? Well, it’s a deeply joyful reality, for it is the sharing of the divine life." end quote.
From Robert Juarez: "Although this Gospel speaks especially of marriage, fidelity is a universal vocation. We are all called to be faithful. Faithful to our word, to our vocation, to our responsibilities, to prayer, to the Gospel. We live in a society where many things seem provisional. But God always remains faithful. And the Christian is called to reflect that fidelity in all areas of his life.
No marriage stands alone. No vocation remains alive without care. Love needs to be nourished, with dialogue, with shared time, with the ability to ask for forgiveness, with small daily gestures and, above all, with prayer. Families who pray together discover a special strength to overcome difficulties, because when Christ is at the center of the home, crises do not magically disappear, but they are no longer faced alone. The Christian home is the first domestic Church. It is there that children learn to pray, to forgive, to share, to serve, to discover the face of God. At a time when the institution of the family is facing so many challenges, this Gospel also invites us to pray especially for families. For young couples, for those who are going through difficult times, for widowers, for those who live in loneliness. And for all those who seek to rebuild their lives from faith. Today's Gospel invites us to turn our gaze to God's original plan. A project built on love, fidelity and dedication. He reminds us that the real problem is not in external circumstances, but in the hardness of the heart. And it announces to us that Christ can transform that heart to make it capable of loving as he loves." end quote.
From Brother Adrian: With such wonderful reflections, what more is there to say?
Other than an AMEN! Right?
What's the big deal about marriage? The world wants to smear it, darkness hates it, so it uses people to smear Holy Matrimony. There must be something Holy about marriage then.
And that Holiness must be...the very essence of God Himself in this union.
But things get real deep, and real quick if we expound from the microcosm to the macrocosm
Zoom out. See what God our Father is doing in the world.
When Ezekiel the prophet in the Old Testament speaks about something about raising an abandoned child, and it grows up to be beautiful, under His care, but then the child gives itself away, thus abandoning the Holy Will of God, then...we have much to reflect inside of us...as the Bride of Christ, in a body.
It is hard to make it simple, but it is easy if we give into humility. Here then is the message of the Holy Gospel. It is an invitation, to love the beloved. A groom is love His wife and for her...give His life.
Think Christ.
Think us and Christ in us, in the Holy Eucharist. This goes beyond genders, but gender is a sign and a reality of creation.
I am affected then, by something amazing...Christ's love for us.
This effect engenders and endearing move from within to the outside. The loving effect between us two, produces a love child....the Holy Spirit. It gets deeper and deeper.
With that I leave you, it is Friday, and Christ gives His life for us, His wife.
Again, "Do You Love Me!" ?
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Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 16:28 " A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends."
Word of the Lord!
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God Bless You! Peace
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