SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Wednesday - August 01, 2018

Wednesday - August 01, 2018

My Jesus, how good it is to love you!

Let me be like your disciples on Mount Tabor, seeing nothing else but you, my Savior.

Let us be as two friends, neither of whom can bear to offend the other. Amen.

-sAINT JOHN VIANNEY

August 1, 2018

« July 31  |  August 2 »

Saint Alphonsus Liguouri, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 403

Reading 1JER 15:10, 16-21

Woe to me, mother, that you gave me birth!
a man of strife and contention to all the land!
I neither borrow nor lend,
yet all curse me.
When I found your words, I devoured them;
they became my joy and the happiness of my heart,
Because I bore your name,
O LORD, God of hosts.
I did not sit celebrating
in the circle of merrymakers;
Under the weight of your hand I sat alone
because you filled me with indignation.
Why is my pain continuous,
my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?
You have indeed become for me a treacherous brook,
whose waters do not abide!
Thus the LORD answered me:
If you repent, so that I restore you,
in my presence you shall stand;
If you bring forth the precious without the vile,
you shall be my mouthpiece.
Then it shall be they who turn to you,
and you shall not turn to them;
And I will make you toward this people
a solid wall of brass.
Though they fight against you,
they shall not prevail,
For I am with you,
to deliver and rescue you, says the LORD.
I will free you from the hand of the wicked,
and rescue you from the grasp of the violent.

Responsorial PsalmPS 59:2-3, 4, 10-11, 17, 18

R. (17d) God is my refuge on the day of distress.
Rescue me from my enemies, O my God;
from my adversaries defend me.
Rescue me from evildoers;
from bloodthirsty men save me.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
For behold, they lie in wait for my life;
mighty men come together against me,
Not for any offense or sin of mine, O LORD.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
O my strength! for you I watch;
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
As for my God, may his mercy go before me;
may he show me the fall of my foes.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
But I will sing of your strength
and revel at dawn in your mercy;
You have been my stronghold,
my refuge in the day of distress.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
O my strength! your praise will I sing;
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
my merciful God!
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.

AlleluiaJN 15:15B

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I call you my friends, says the Lord,
for I have made known to you all that the Father has told me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelMT 13:44-46

Jesus said to his disciples:
"The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again,
and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant
searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price,
he goes and sells all that he has and buys it."

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Finding Hidden Treasures

Like the author of today's first reading, we believe that God's Word brings us joy, but when we're in the middle of problems that were caused by our sins and we don't know how to undo the damage, or when shame cripples us, we feel unhappily crushed by the truth. We feel stricken down by the weight of the burden.

Furthermore, if we wrestle with the truth, the burden weighs even more heavily, and the problems themselves crush us. We cry, "Why is my pain continuous, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?"

God answers: "If you repent, I will restore you .... If you bring forth only what is precious and not the vile ...."

We lose our joy when God's instructions are contrary to our self-centered, worldly (and therefore vile) ideas of what is right and good for us. We turn away from him and then wonder why we feel alone. When someone hurts us, we justify our anger and, in our lack of forgiveness, we complain that God is not helping us.

The pearl in today's Gospel reading can be any truth. Although it's always precious, if we don't see the pearl's value (because we prefer a sinful alternative), we toss it aside as worthless. To discover the beauty of any truth that we dislike, we need to humbly open ourselves to a new perspective.

I learned this from my son when he was four. David thought he'd found the jackpot of all treasure caches when we came upon a clearance table in the local toy store. I told David he could buy anything priced under $2. With as much careful decision-making as a tot could muster, he began rummaging and examining. He chose a scratched-up, much-abused, hand-size pinball game. It wasn't worth the asking price of 25 cents.

I suggested other toys that were in better condition. He looked at me with exasperation. Why couldn't I see that this pinball game was the only real treasure on the table?

It turned out to be a great purchase. David took it everywhere -- to bed, to the dinner table, to the bathroom. He also carried a baby rattle he'd recently found in some forgotten cranny of the house. That rattle had bored him in earlier years. Now when it was outdated and useless, it became one of his treasures.

To find the treasures that will bring us great joy, we have to ignore the preferences of our worldly flesh-nature and dare to trust God in his Word. We have to look for precious pearls in the redemption that Jesus brings to our sins. Great wisdom can be gained by asking: "Why am I bothered by this sin? What does it say about my desire for growth?" What a beautiful hidden treasure!

God Bless You.....

Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”

SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Tuesday - July 31, 2018

Tuesday - July 31, 2018

Our wish, our object, our chief preoccupation must be to form Jesus in ourselves, to make his spirit, his devotion, his affections, his desires, and his disposition live and reign there. All our religious exercises should be directed to this end. It is the work which God has given us to do unceasingly.

-- St. John Eudes

 

July 31, 2018

 

« July 30  |  August 1 »

Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest
Lectionary: 402

Reading 1JER 14:17-22

Let my eyes stream with tears
day and night, without rest,
Over the great destruction which overwhelms
the virgin daughter of my people,
over her incurable wound.
If I walk out into the field,
look! those slain by the sword;
If I enter the city,
look! those consumed by hunger.
Even the prophet and the priest
forage in a land they know not.

Have you cast Judah off completely?
Is Zion loathsome to you?
Why have you struck us a blow
that cannot be healed?
We wait for peace, to no avail;
for a time of healing, but terror comes instead.
We recognize, O LORD, our wickedness,
the guilt of our fathers;
that we have sinned against you.
For your name's sake spurn us not,
disgrace not the throne of your glory;
remember your covenant with us, and break it not.
Among the nations' idols is there any that gives rain?
Or can the mere heavens send showers?
Is it not you alone, O LORD,
our God, to whom we look?
You alone have done all these things.

Responsorial PsalmPS 79:8, 9, 11 AND 13

R. (9) For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name's sake.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Let the prisoners' sighing come before you;
with your great power free those doomed to death.
Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

Alleluia 

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower;
all who come to him will live for ever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelMT 13:36-43

Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house.
His disciples approached him and said,
"Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."
He said in reply, "He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,
the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom.
The weeds are the children of the Evil One,
and the enemy who sows them is the Devil.
The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire,
so will it be at the end of the age.
The Son of Man will send his angels,
and they will collect out of his Kingdom
all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.
They will throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the Kingdom of their Father.
Whoever has ears ought to hear."

 

 

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HOW CAN WE SHINE LIKE THE SUN?

Do you know if you're going to reach heaven? Many Catholics tell me that while they hope so, they're not sure. They're afraid they might ruin their salvation between now and the day they die.

Jesus says in today's Gospel passage, "The righteous will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom." So let's change the question to: Are you righteous?

God isn't yet removing from the earth all the weeds that strangle our righteousness, but he certainly can remove their influence on us. This is why he has given us his own Holy Spirit. We can lean on Jesus when we fall short of righteousness.

Plus, we can ask Jesus to give us holy angels who will help us sort right from wrong, truth from deception, good seed from bad seed. We don't have to be aware of their presence to be guided by them. They are quite capable of protecting us from the infections of evildoers as long as we remain humbly correctable.

Here's a wonderful prayer that can help with this:

The Litany of Humility(written by Cardinal Merry del Val)

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honored,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being maliciously or falsely accused,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected,
Deliver me, Jesus.
That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I,
Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That in the opinion of the world, others may increase, and I may decrease,
Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside,
Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed,
Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything,
Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I,
provided that I may become as holy as I should,
Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.
Amen!

God Bless You.....

Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”

SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Monday - July 30, 2018

Monday - July 30, 2018

Blessed is the servant who loves his brother as much when he is sick and useless as when he is well and an be of service to him. And blessed is he who loves his brother as well when he is afar off as when he is by his side, and who would say nothing behind his back he might not, in love, say before his face.

-- Saint Francis of Assisi

 

 

July 30, 2018

 

« July 29  |  July 31 »

Monday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 401

Reading 1JER 13:1-11

The LORD said to me: Go buy yourself a linen loincloth;
wear it on your loins, but do not put it in water.
I bought the loincloth, as the LORD commanded, and put it on.
A second time the word of the LORD came to me thus:
Take the loincloth which you bought and are wearing,
and go now to the Parath;
there hide it in a cleft of the rock.
Obedient to the LORD's command, I went to the Parath
and buried the loincloth.
After a long interval, the LORD said to me: 
Go now to the Parath and fetch the loincloth
which I told you to hide there.
Again I went to the Parath, sought out and took the loincloth
from the place where I had hid it.
But it was rotted, good for nothing!
Then the message came to me from the LORD: 
Thus says the LORD:
So also I will allow the pride of Judah to rot,
the great pride of Jerusalem.
This wicked people who refuse to obey my words,
who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts,
and follow strange gods to serve and adore them,
shall be like this loincloth which is good for nothing.
For, as close as the loincloth clings to a man's loins,
so had I made the whole house of Israel
and the whole house of Judah cling to me, says the LORD;
to be my people, my renown, my praise, my beauty.
But they did not listen.

Responsorial PsalmDEUTERONOMY 32:18-19, 20, 21

R. (see 18a) You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you,
You forgot the God who gave you birth.
When the LORD saw this, he was filled with loathing
and anger toward his sons and daughters.
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
"I will hide my face from them," he said,
"and see what will then become of them.
What a fickle race they are,
sons with no loyalty in them!"
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
"Since they have provoked me with their 'no-god'
and angered me with their vain idols,
I will provoke them with a 'no-people';
with a foolish nation I will anger them."
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.

AlleluiaJAS 1:18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Father willed to give us birth by the word of truth
that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelMT 13:31-35

Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds.
"The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed
that a person took and sowed in a field.
It is the smallest of all the seeds,
yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants.
It becomes a large bush,
and the 'birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.'"

He spoke to them another parable.
"The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast
that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch was leavened."

All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables.
He spoke to them only in parables, 
to fulfill what had been said through the prophet:

I will open my mouth in parables,
I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation 
of the world.

 

 

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Is Your Sainthood Growing?

In today's first reading, God warns us that pride rots our relationship with him. Even if we go to church, even if we pray, even if we think we're spiritually okay, if we serve any master other than God or if we refuse to listen to our Savior on any matter, our spiritual pride and our doing-it-my-way attitude deteriorates our unity with him.

Although we really do love Jesus, something in our sainthood, which was given to us by God in our baptisms, gets buried in the dank darkness where it begins to rot. The longer we stay in this condition, the more dangerous it becomes to our spirits and to the Church (the earthly Body of Christ). The holier we are, the holier the Church is, and this impacts the world around us.

This is true, too, if we misuse or fail to use the gifts and talents that God has called us to share for the building up of the Church and the improvement of the world: Our mediocrity deteriorates our unity with Christ's dreams and desires for making the world a better, holier place.

If the Lord shows us an area of sin and we refuse to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation or we neglect to do the hard work of purifying our lives, the darkness we prefer rots our unity with the Christ's Spirit of Holiness. Is that what we really want?

In today's Gospel reading, Jesus invites us to grow anew where we've been rotting -- to grow as fast and big as a mustard plant. One way to do this is to read the lives of Saints. Like us, they had areas of rot in their lives. Like us, they wanted to become closely intimate with the Lord. Like us, they wanted to please the Lord, because they loved him and appreciated what he had done for them. And like us, they needed to grow in holiness.

What are you doing today that might rot your relationship with God? Do the television shows and the reading material you choose or the friendships you have work against intimate union with Christ?

What's working like yeast in the dough of your Christian faith?

Many years ago, a back injury confined me to bed for three days. I used that time to read a book, from cover to cover, on the lives of Saints, and I emerged from this "bedroom retreat" a changed person. Prior to this incident, I had been asking Jesus to teach me how to love everyone as he loves everyone. By reading the stories of Saints, all of whom loved others passionately the mustard seed of this desire was watered and fertilized. It grew like a mustard tree in only three days. We cannot immerse ourselves in the lives of Saint after Saint after Saint without gaining new growth in holiness.

Put aside whatever distracts you from your relationship with Christ. Whether we admit it or not, everything we take into our minds does affect us. We either starve our mustard trees or nourish them.

Today's Prayer

I praise You, Lord, for the wonders You work in my life and for those I have not seen yet, but which You have reserved for me. Amen.

God Bless You.....

Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”