† Saint QuoteWhen you have free moments, go faithfully to prayer. The good God is waiting for you there. St. Julie Billiart
Today's Meditation“I call upon you, my God, my mercy, who made me, and did not forget me, although I forgot you. I call you into my soul, which you prepare to accept you by the longing that you breathe into it. Do not desert me now when I call upon you, for before I called upon you, you went ahead and helped me, and repeatedly you urged me on by many different words, so that from afar I would hear you, and be converted, and call upon you as you called to me.”
—St. Augustine, p. 302
Daily Verse †So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs. Mark 16:19-20
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EWTN Daily Saint
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Bl. Bartholomew of VicenzaPatron Saint of: Dominicans, peacemakers, and preachers
Feast Day: October 27 Bl. Bartholomew of Vicenza (1201-1270), also known as Bartholomew of Braganca or Breganza, was born to a noble family in Vicenza, Italy. While studying in Padua he entered the newly established Dominican Order as one of their first friars, receiving the habit from St. Dominic himself. Bartholomew quickly advanced to positions of prominence within the Order, becoming prior and then overseeing several convents. He was sent to preach against the heretics in Lombardy, and was so successful that in 1235 the Holy Father made him Master of the Sacred Palace (an office known as “The Pope’s Theologian”) a position which was first held by St. Dominic. In this role he also founded a military order of knights for the purpose of maintaining civil order and peace throughout Italy called the Order of the Knights of the Mother of God (or the Knights of St. Mary). He was later made bishop of Cyprus, and also served as papal legate and confessor to St. Louis King of France, who was then leading a crusade in the Holy Land. From this friendship Bartholomew received the gift of a relic of the True Cross and a thorn from the Crown of Thorns. When Bartholomew returned to his native Vicenza as the city’s bishop he built a church to house the precious relics called the Church of the Holy Crown. Bl. Bartholomew of Vicenza was an effective mediator between the factions and feuds of his day, even converting the leader of a heretical party back to the Catholic faith. His feast day is October 27th.
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Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary TimeLectionary: 480 Reading 1Ephesians 5:21-33 Brothers and sisters:
Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord.
For the husband is head of his wife
just as Christ is head of the Church,
he himself the savior of the Body.
As the Church is subordinate to Christ,
so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives,
even as Christ loved the Church
and handed himself over for her to sanctify her,
cleansing her by the bath of water with the word,
that he might present to himself the Church in splendor,
without spot or wrinkle or any such thing,
that she might be holy and without blemish.
So also husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.
He who loves his wife loves himself.
For no one hates his own flesh
but rather nourishes and cherishes it,
even as Christ does the Church,
because we are members of his Body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother
and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery,
but I speak in reference to Christ and the Church.
In any case, each one of you should love his wife as himself,
and the wife should respect her husband. Responsorial PsalmPsalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5 R. (1a) Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
Your children like olive plants
around your table.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord. AlleluiaSee Matthew 11:25 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
You have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelLuke 13:18-21 Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like?
To what can I compare it?
It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden.
When it was fully grown, it became a large bush
and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.” Again he said, “To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God?
It is like yeast that a woman took
and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch of dough was leavened.”
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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 5:21-33Christ loved the Church and handed himself over for her. (Ephesians 5:25) We all know that Christian marriage can be a shining witness to the love that is possible by the power of the Holy Spirit. Many couples, in fact, demonstrate this grace in their faithfulness and love for one another. In today’s reading from his Letter to the Ephesians, however, Paul doesn’t tell us to look at a good marriage if we want to understand how Jesus loves his Church. He says that if we want to see the perfect model of love in a marriage, we should look at how Jesus loves his Church. The pattern of perfect love isn’t the best of human marriages; it’s Jesus giving himself up for us on the cross. Paul then goes on to say something mysterious. Referring to the story in Genesis about man and wife becoming one body, he says, “This a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the Church” (Ephesians 5:32; see Genesis 2:24). The Greek word for “mystery” here speaks of a secret that has now been revealed to us. And what is that secret? That human marriage, which is already good in and of itself, has a place in God’s bigger, bolder, deeper plan to unite all people to the Lord in an eternal covenant of love. Isn’t that amazing? Before sin entered the world, before the people of Israel had come to be, God already had the Church in mind. He designed his creation so that, by a covenant between a man and a woman, the human race would be fruitful and multiply and form a people who would live in union with God himself. Not even sin could thwart that plan! Not even the death that followed sin could impede his grace! God’s grace is deeper than sin, and his love is stronger than death. Paul uses this earthly imagery of marriage to help us understand Christ’s love for the Church, and he also gives us a vision for married love. In love, the Son of God united himself to us by becoming “one flesh” with his people and coming among us as a man. In that flesh, he offered himself up for us on the cross. And in the waters of Baptism, Jesus has cleansed us and clothed us in holy splendor so that we can be united with him forever. Can you imagine what the world would be like if every married couple loved each other just as fully? “Lord, thank you for your faithful love! Pour out a spirit of selfless love on us all!” Psalm 128:1-5
Luke 13:18-21
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Reflections with Brother Adrian:
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“Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like?
To what can I compare it?
It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden.
When it was fully grown, it became a large bush
and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.” Again he said, “To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God?
It is like yeast that a woman took
and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch of dough was leavened.”."
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From Roberto Juarez end of his reflection: "The mustard seed and the leaven teach us to trust in God's action and to collaborate with it. But we do not have to walk this path with our own strength alone. Let us ask the Lord to grant us a persevering faith, which is not discouraged in the face of difficulties; a hope that does not depend exclusively on visible results; and a charity that is manifested in the small details of each day. May we learn to value humble seeds, to respect the processes of growth and to be leaven of the Gospel wherever life has placed us. Let us not forget Jesus' teaching: a small seed can become a tree, and a tiny amount of leaven can transform a large lump. Let us not despise the small. A prayer, a kind word, an act of forgiveness or a service carried out with love can be the beginning of something great in God's hands. May the Lord grant us to be seeds of hope and leaven of fraternity, so that, through our lives, his Kingdom may grow and his love may reach everyone." end quote.
Your Brother Adrian. I've decided to include the entirety of today's Gospel. And in it, we have 2 parables. Very small indeed. The smallest perhaps of the whole bible.
And in it, we hear about the small seed. And the small amount of yeast.
We hear what becomes of that tiny seed. It becomes the largest of bushes.
We hear about the yeast, the makes bread rise many times over.
Are they similar? Sure. Our Lord speaks about something small that does great things.
If only we would understand. Some will. Some will not. Some will realize what this potential means, and some will not be affected.
Why? Because, it is a matter of faith. The whole bible hinges on the matter of faith in God.
I can tell you amazing things, but will you have faith in the end?
Some may be entertained. Some may take it serious. Some may not want to hear it.
It is the same as when our Lord walked this earth, and spoke, and provided astonishing miracles, which, still happen today, for those who care to see.
I am astonished at saints, like Mother Teresa of Calcutta, or here in our country, Mother Cabrini. Just absolute marvels of God's works. Mother Teresa, without a dime, helping thousands of souls with her own hands. Mother Cabrini opening over 60 institutions, schools, orphanages, hospitals, who knows how many things, without a dime, just her own 2 hands, and both had helpers….believers.
Ah. That faith.
That faith that can move mountains.
That breath of fresh air, in a faithless place, a lifeless place.
What did Mother Teresa then bring into the world? Christ. The love of God, yes.
Was it easy? Nothing is easy in faith many times, because it is a choosing of sacrifice, my thoughts, my will, for God's thoughts, and God's will.
Was it easy for her to pick up children out of trash cans?
She was one of the most prolific speakers on the issue against abortion. Even when she was receiving a Nobel prize she simply spoke about the atrocity of killing children.
She picked up dying people off the streets for a living. This is WORK. This is God's work.
And how can we follow this example in our plush and comfortable lifestyles?
Follow Christ.
The problem here, is nobody wants to do anything that costs something. SACRIFICE.
If it will cost time to do God stuff, then it will be evaluated, heavily.
If it will cost money, it will need a good look at the benefits, will it be a tax write off? Hmmm.
If it will cost me my physical labor, and my ego, "what will people say", then that will weigh in on the decision. Isn't it like that?
Where then, is the faith that our Lord is asking us for?
Yes, its a hard world…HAVE FAITH.
Yes, we don't see much love…HAVE FAITH.
Yes, it is hard to believe…HAVE FAITH! The mustard seed is an amazing work of creation.
But, the human seed is millions of times more amazing. The human is the fastest growing seed in the womb, growing millions of millions times over, with a heart beating at something like 21 days!
This is amazing. YOU ARE AMAZING.
In Heaven, God sees you, and sees you as HIS baby.
THAT is amazing.
His creation. His love. Love looking for love.
If you want to experience true love…then start with true faith.
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Random Bible Verse 1
Romans 12:13 "Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality."
Word of the Lord!
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God Bless You! Peace
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