†A word or a smile is often enough to put fresh life in a despondent soul. St. Therese of Lisieux
Today's Meditation“Almost everyone today wants religion, but everyone wants a religion that does not cost too much; that is why Christianity has been watered down to suit the modern mind….The tens of thousands who in the past year tried to give up smoking cigarettes, and then, after twenty-four hours, saw their resolution go up in smoke, can testify how little the modern mind is prepared for any kind of real sacrifice or self-denial.” —Fulton Sheen, Go to Heaven, p. 30
Daily Verse †I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect. ▪ Romans 12:1-2
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EWTN Daily Saint
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St. Therese of LisieuxPatron Saint of: Sickness, tuberculosis, and loss of parents
Feast Day: October 1 St. Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897) was the last of nine children born to Saints Louis and Zelie Martin in Alencon, France. Her family was devoutly religious, and all five surviving siblings, all daughters, entered the convent. From an early age Therese desired to give herself totally to Jesus. Her happy childhood gave way to trial following the death of her mother when she was four years old. This event changed her personality from merry and bright to withdrawn and sensitive. She also suffered a strange illness that brought her near death. Her sisters prayed for her recovery, and Therese was completely healed after she saw the Virgin Mary statue in her room smile down on her. Just before her 14th birthday, on Christmas Eve, Therese had a mystical experience of the Child Jesus. Her sensitiveness disappeared and her faith was greatly fortified. She attended daily Mass with her father and cultivated her strong desire for the salvation of souls. At the age of 15 she obtained special permission to enter the Carmelite convent in Lisieux where two of her sisters were professed. Recognizing her youth and weakness, and unable to do the great things for God in the world that her heart desired, she determined that she would follow the path of spiritual childhood at the feet of Jesus, as his “Little Flower”, and instead focus on small acts of kindness for love of Jesus and interior acts of self-denial, a spirituality called “The Little Way.” Therese died of Tuberculosis at the age of 24, and her high degree of holiness was discovered through her autobiography, Story of a Soul. Her “Little Way” became profoundly influential around the world, and although she was not a learned scholar, her deep theological life caused Pope St. John Paul II to declare her a Doctor of the Church. She is the patron against sickness, tuberculosis, and loss of parents, as well as of pilots, air crews, florists, missionaries, and the sick. St. Therese of Lisieux’s feast day is October 1st.
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Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the ChurchLectionary: 458 Reading 1Job 19:21-27 Job said: Pity me, pity me, O you my friends,
for the hand of God has struck me!
Why do you hound me as though you were divine,
and insatiably prey upon me? Oh, would that my words were written down!
Would that they were inscribed in a record:
That with an iron chisel and with lead
they were cut in the rock forever!
But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives,
and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust;
Whom I myself shall see:
my own eyes, not another’s, shall behold him,
And from my flesh I shall see God;
my inmost being is consumed with longing. Responsorial PsalmPsalm 27:7-8a, 8b-9abc, 13-14 R. (13) I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;
have pity on me, and answer me.
Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living. AlleluiaMark 1:15 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand;
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelLuke 10:1-12 Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter, first say,
‘Peace to this household.’
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves his payment.
Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’
Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you,
go out into the streets and say,
‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet,
even that we shake off against you.’
Yet know this: the Kingdom of God is at hand.
I tell you,
it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day
than for that town.”
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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: Psalm 27:7-9, 13-14 I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living. (Psalm Response) The psalmist didn’t hold back about how things looked around him: “Evildoers come at me to devour my flesh” and “An army encamp[s] against me” (Psalm 27:2, 3). But even with the injustice and danger he faced, the psalmist proclaimed his trust in God: “I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living” (27:13). We see a similar response from Job in today’s first reading. When his friends accused him of deserving the suffering he was experiencing, Job lamented, “Why do you hound me as though you were divine, and insatiably prey upon me?” (19:22). But like the psalmist, he declared his confidence: “I know that my Vindicator lives. . . . And from my flesh I shall see God” (19:25, 26). When we go through trials and sufferings, it’s often wise to ask what we could do differently. For example, a health crisis might prompt us to take better care of our bodies, or a strained relationship might lead us to be more patient with our loved ones. But there are some trials that can’t be resolved by new resolutions. In a special way, these challenges invite us to lean on the Lord more fully. Just as Job and the psalmist believed that their trials would come to an end, you can be certain that yours will, too, whether in this life or in the next. As you walk through them now, you can also be sure that God is walking with you. He is faithful in every season of your life. So even today, you can see his “good things”—in the peace that he gives you, in his mercy, and in his promise to remain with you. So join the psalmist in proclaiming, “I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord. I believe that I can experience his presence and his peace. I believe that I can draw from the abundant provision that he provides—right here and right now.” “Lord, I trust in your goodness and mercy.” Job 19:21-27
Luke 10:1-12
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Reflections with Brother Adrian:
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From today's Holy Gospel: "Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals."
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From Roberto Juarez: "… Today Jesus says to us again: "Go". Go to your family, to your work, to your environments, to those who need hope and proclaim, above all with your life: "The Kingdom of God is near you". Let us ask the Lord to take away our fear of evangelizing, to grant us humility so as not to proclaim ourselves, to give us meekness so as not to impose, to give us poverty of spirit to trust in him and to make us instruments of his peace. Because the harvest is still abundant. And Christ continues to need disciples ready to set out on a journey." end quote.
From Bishop Barron: "He sends them two by two. We do this work together, with others, in community. Ministers need people to support them, pray for them, talk to them, challenge them. St. Francis of Assisi had an experience of God and then, within months, gathered people around him; St. Dominic, from the beginning, had brothers in his work; St. Teresa of Kolkata attracted a number of her former students to join her in her mission. We don’t go it alone… " end quote.
From bro. Adrian: Our Lord often speaks of pairs. The first pair of people? Adam and Eve?
They were set forth to do God's will.
And here we are, descendants.
We do encounter wolves. Don't we?
If you have not encountered ravenous wolves while evangelizing, then are you really getting out there for our Lord?
It doesn't always happen, but our Lord says it does happen!
I know I have, in all things I do, I encounter negativity. People come against me directly or indirectly. It is NOT easy. Almost every priest that has come through our parish has experienced this too. Why? It is NOT the people! Let's get things right here. We are not to divide this group versus another! NO! The wolves are dark spirits working through people.
Now with that clarification, we have heard that as baptized souls, we are called to the body of Christ to fulfill God's Holy Will!
How hard is that? What are you supposed to be doing? Following His commandments to start.
And then? Following HIS footsteps closer, day by day.
In a sense, we should be shedding material weight, and taking on spiritual weight. Less of me, more of Him.
This is most apparent in a fast, especially during Lent.
So, question.
How is the Word of God supposed to spread across the world?
Through people right.
Are you receiving it and relaying it?
You are the connection! If only…
Everything hinges on that decision. Sunday's Gospel will be about fruit for God's Kingdom. It is about working in the vineyard. And if we are bound to the Lord, then we are the branches….you are the local branch! Let your community, faith and parish produce wonderful fruit for our GOD!
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Click for Audio
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Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 94:12–13 " Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law,
13 to give him rest from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked."
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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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