SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY - Thursday - October 04, 2018

Thursday - October 04, 2018 "O sinner, be not discouraged, but have recourse to Mary in all you necessities. Call her to your assistance, for such is the divine Will that she should help in every kind of necessity." - Saint Basil the Great   October 4, 2018   « October 3  |  October 5 » Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi Lectionary: 458 Reading 1JB 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 PsalmPS 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. AlleluiaMK 1:15 R. Alleluia, alleluia. The Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel. R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelLK 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." ***********************************************************************  SIMPLY BECAUSE GOD IS GOOD Think of something that you're waiting for, that you're hoping will soon happen, something that you've been asking from God with many prayers of yearning and heart-felt supplications. Has God been ignoring your prayers? Today's responsorial Psalm, especially verse 13, is one of my most necessary favorite scriptures. When the Holy Spirit was first teaching me about longevity in prayer during great difficulty, the Lord made this verse pop into view quite often. He enjoys giving us comfort and hope. If it seems like your prayers for an end to your current trials will never be answered, remind God and yourself (out loud!) of this promise in his Word: "I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living." Amen! Alleluia! In today's first reading, poor Job is still waiting to see the return of the good things in life. But rather than despairing, because he has confidence in the goodness of God, he trusts that he won't have to die first before he sees the glory of the Lord. He says that in his flesh - i.e., in this life on earth - he shall see God. The key to Job's confidence is expressed in the next line: "My inmost being is consumed with longing." Longing for what? The return of good things? No - he longs for God. He knows that his friendship with God is essential; it's of utmost importance, and from this all else will follow, not because of his own goodness, not because he has earned the right to have his prayers answered, not because he deserves anything, but simply because God is good. God is good to all of us simply because God is good. Sometimes, we think that our prayers are answered because we've prayed the right words or said enough rosaries. That's not true prayer; that's bargaining. God answers our prayers simply because he is good and what we've asked for is good for us. The rosaries and other prayer efforts we make are a practice in self-discipline to align ourselves more closely to God, not to align God with us. Sometimes, we think our prayers go unanswered because we're not good enough. Well, in fact we are never good enough! God is always doing what's best for us - and for all those who are affected by the prayed-over situation - simply because he is good. He who is good cannot do anything but good, no matter what, all the time. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living. Before I die! You can believe it, too: Experience some of the joy of heaven while you're still on earth. This really is God's plan for you - simply because he is good. Today's Prayer Thank You, Lord, for allowing me to feel Your presence and share your presence with others. 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!”