†Saint Quote of the DayFor me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy. St. Therese of Lisieux
Today's Meditation“Marriage releases the flesh from its individual selfishness for the service of the family; the vow of chastity releases the flesh not only from the narrow and circumscribed family, where there can still be selfishness, but also for the service of that family that embraces all humanity. That is why the Church asks those who consecrate themselves to the redemption of the world to take a vow and to surrender all selfishness, that they may belong to no one family and yet belong to all. That is why in that larger family of the kingdom of God, the priest is called “Father” —because he has begotten children not in the flesh, but in the spirit.” —Venerable Fulton Sheen, p. 117
Daily Verse †“There is no such thing as a dull, futile, or useless experience. Every sorrow loses its sting, because everything is an opportunity to glorify God. Saint Paul wrote, “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities: for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:10). Once you have learned to find contentment in adversity, all of life becomes changed with light and hope and joy.” –J. Augustine Wetta, O.S.B, p. 103
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EWTN Daily Saint
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St. MatthewPatron Saint of: Accountants, bankers, and financial workers
Feast Day: September 21 St. Matthew the Apostle (1st c.) was a Jew who also went by the name of Levi. He was from Galilee and served in Capernaum as a tax collector for Herod Antipas before becoming a disciple of Jesus. It was in the home of St. Matthew that Jesus dined with the “sinners and tax collectors.” Under Jesus’ influence St. Matthew was led to repentance for the evil he had done as a tax-collector, a position despised by his fellow Jews. He repaid those he cheated four-fold, sold all his possessions, and followed Christ as one of the twelve Apostles. St. Matthew preached among the Jews for fifteen years following the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus. He is the author of the Gospel that bears his name, which he wrote to convince the Jews that Jesus Christ was the Messiah promised to Israel. According to tradition, St. Matthew the Apostle brought the Gospel to Syria, Media, Persia, Parthia, and finished his preaching in Ethiopia with a martyr’s death. He is the patron of guards, bankers, accountants, security forces, and stock brokers. His feast day is September 21st.
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Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and evangelistLectionary: 643 Reading 1Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13 Brothers and sisters:
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit
through the bond of peace:
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. And he gave some as Apostles, others as prophets,
others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers,
to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry,
for building up the Body of Christ,
until we all attain to the unity of faith
and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,
to the extent of the full stature of Christ. Responsorial PsalmPsalm 19:2-3, 4-5 R. (5) Their message goes out through all the earth.
The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night imparts knowledge.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.
Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth. Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
We praise you, O God,
we acclaim you as Lord;
the glorious company of Apostles praise you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelMatthew 9:9-13 As Jesus passed by,
he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, "Follow me."
And he got up and followed him.
While he was at table in his house,
many tax collectors and sinners came
and sat with Jesus and his disciples.
The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples,
"Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
He heard this and said,
"Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
Go and learn the meaning of the words,
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."
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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: Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13 One Body and one Spirit. (Ephesians 4:4) Why do we read today’s passage from Ephesians as we celebrate St. Matthew, the tax collector turned apostle turned Gospel writer? St. Paul was concerned about the threat of divisions in the church at Ephesus, so he urged the people there to “live in a manner worthy of the call” they had received (4:1). They had been called to uphold “the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (4:3). That’s the kind of unity that Matthew experienced with his brother apostles, and it’s the kind of unity that he championed as he proclaimed the gospel. Today’s Gospel reading reminds us that as a tax collector, Matthew was likely considered a traitor by some of his fellow Jews. But as a friend of “many tax collectors and sinners” (Matthew 9:10), he probably earned the disdain of his Gentile employers as well. So he didn’t quite belong to either group. Jesus, however, saw something different when he called Matthew to become an apostle. He saw a man who could speak to both groups in ways that could attract them to the Lord. And that’s exactly what happened. Especially in his Gospel, Matthew highlighted how Jesus fulfilled God’s promises to Israel—especially his promise to make the Jewish people “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14; Isaiah 49:6). But he also made it clear that Jesus belongs to “all nations” equally, not just to the Jews (Matthew 28:19). He is the one who recounted Jesus’ Beatitudes, which bless those who seek not to divide but to bring people together: “the poor in spirit,” “the merciful,” and “the peacemakers” (5:3, 7, 9). And he is the one who preserved Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant as an illustration of his desire that we not foster division but be willing to forgive “not seven times but seventy-seven times” (18:22). All these pleas for unity continue to resound today, especially in a world marked by such deep divisions. Like Matthew, may we all come to cherish the “one Body and one Spirit” that belongs to us all (Ephesians 4:4)! “Lord, heal all divisions in your Church and in the world!” Psalm 19:2-5
Matthew 9:9-13
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Reflections with Brother Adrian:
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From today's Holy Gospel: "The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples,
"Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
He heard this and said,
"Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
Go and learn the meaning of the words,
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners…..”
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From Roberto Juarez: "Today Matthew asks us a very specific question: Where does Jesus find me? Matthew was at his collection table, Peter in the boat, Zacchaeus was climbing a tree, the Samaritan woman was at the well. Each one of us was found by Christ in a specific place in his or her life. And we too have our specific place. Perhaps Jesus is calling us precisely where we are. Not tomorrow, not when we are perfect. Today. Perhaps he says to us: "Follow me". And following Jesus means getting up, leaving behind that which enslaves us and beginning to walk with him.
May Matthew intercede for us so that we may never think that our history is too far from God. May he help us to recognize Christ's gaze. May he teach us to rise when he calls us. And may he grant us a merciful heart, capable of looking at others not for their past, but in the hope of what God's grace can do in them. For perhaps the word that Jesus addresses to us today is exactly the same as the one he addressed to Matthew: "Follow me". May we know how to respond to him every day: "Yes, Lord. Here I am." end quote.
From Brother Adrian: Bishop Barron said: "Upon hearing the address of the Lord, Matthew “got up and followed him.” The Greek word behind “got up” is anastas, the same word used to describe the resurrection (anastasis) of Jesus from the dead. Following Jesus is indeed a kind of resurrection from the dead, since it involves the transition from a lower form of life to a higher. Those who have undergone a profound conversion tend to speak of their former life as a kind of illusion, something not entirely real. The father of the prodigal son can say that he “was dead and has come to life again.” So conversion is an anastasis, a rising from death. end quote. We heard: "While he was at table in his house,
many tax collectors and sinners came
and sat with Jesus and his disciples. " Our Lord once said something that stuck to my mind for a very long time….
A quick search sums it up:
"Jesus said he had "other sheep that are not of this fold" in John 10:16.
What It Means The Gentiles: Most Christian scholars agree that the "other sheep" refer to Gentiles (non-Jewish people) who would later accept the Christian."
First to the house. Yes. First to the house of Israel. The very word of economy stems from the old language.
Oikonomia is the ancient Greek word meaning "household management," which serves as the historical root of the modern word "economics".
We must first have our house in order. And our Lord came to do just that. To put HIS house in order. HIS FATHER's house. Amen? That means "OUR FATHER's" house.
Once our Lord enters our lives, things begin to fall into place…into order. Wouldn't it be wonderful if He were to be the centerpiece of your place? That is why I like to see the Holy Tabernacle at the CENTER of every church. Because Christ is the center. Not man. We've had some bad ideas come into our lives in the last few decades. Like the importance of man over our very Lord from Heaven. Who is preaching this backwards theology? God came to save man. YES. God wants to save humanity. YES! He wants to reach every single soul. AMEN!
But for the purpose of right order. God is first. God is the light. God is love. Once we put this order, we can then say: God first. Family Second. Everything else third. Why does God come before family?
Let me remind you why: Love comes first. With Him first, everything is made perfect. Perfect in His love, no matter what comes our way. So many of the atrocities are happening because we miss the mark, and to miss the mark is the meaning of sin, in its old language.
But our Lord is teaching us to hit the mark. He is guiding us. If only we would allow Him to be the Master. For He is the Master of the Way of Love, the way to God's heart, through God's Sacred Heart…of Jesus.
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Random Bible Verse 1
Romans 5:17 "For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ."
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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