SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Thursday - August 01, 2019

Thursday - August 01, 2019

 You cannot please both God and the world at the same time. They are utterly opposed to each other in their thoughts, their desires, and their actions.

-- St. John Mary Vianney

 

August 1 2019

 

« July 31  |  August 2 »

Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 404

Reading 1EX 40:16-21, 34-38

Moses did exactly as the LORD had commanded him.
On the first day of the first month of the second year
the Dwelling was erected.
It was Moses who erected the Dwelling.
He placed its pedestals, set up its boards, put in its bars,
and set up its columns.
He spread the tent over the Dwelling
and put the covering on top of the tent,
as the LORD had commanded him.
He took the commandments and put them in the ark;
he placed poles alongside the ark and set the propitiatory upon it.
He brought the ark into the Dwelling and hung the curtain veil,
thus screening off the ark of the commandments,
as the LORD had commanded him.

Then the cloud covered the meeting tent,
and the glory of the LORD filled the Dwelling.
Moses could not enter the meeting tent,
because the cloud settled down upon it
and the glory of the LORD filled the Dwelling.
Whenever the cloud rose from the Dwelling,
the children of Israel would set out on their journey.
But if the cloud did not lift, they would not go forward;
only when it lifted did they go forward.
In the daytime the cloud of the LORD was seen over the Dwelling;
whereas at night, fire was seen in the cloud
by the whole house of Israel
in all the stages of their journey.

Responsorial PsalmPS 84:3, 4, 5-6A AND 8A, 11

R. (2) How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!
My soul yearns and pines 
for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and my flesh
cry out for the living God.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest
in which she puts her young–
Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my king and my God!
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!
Blessed they who dwell in your house!
continually they praise you.
Blessed the men whose strength you are!
They go from strength to strength.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!
I had rather one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I had rather lie at the threshold of the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!

AlleluiaSEE ACTS 16:14B

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelMT 13:47-53

Jesus said to the disciples:
"The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets.
What is bad they throw away.
Thus it will be at the end of the age.
The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."

"Do you understand all these things?"
They answered, "Yes."
And he replied,
"Then every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of heaven
is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom
both the new and the old."
When Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there.

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What are You Collecting?

After listening to what Jesus says in our Gospel reading today, consider what you're collecting in your net. When your life on earth has reached its end and Jesus comes to take you home, what will be in your net? What will you try to drag into heaven? What will the angels have to sort through to yank out and help you get rid of in "the fiery furnace"? (Now there's a picture of purgatory!)

And what will the angels show to God and say in great delight, "Hey, look at this! Awesome! Really cool!"

Whatever we collect that does not belong to the kingdom of God is worthless. It won't give us heaven on earth and it won't get us into heaven later. In fact, it's a handicap that will lengthen our purging process in purgatory. We might see value in it now, but that's only an illusion. The value we've assigned to it does not exist in real life -- "real life" is the eternal life that we have with God.

I think my computer is valuable because I'm using it to share my insights with you, but I can't take it to heaven. I can't even keep it working well here on earth! Therefore, it's worthless in real life and a burden. What is valuable, however, is how I choose to use it as a tool for the kingdom of God. Although my words can disappear off the monitor with a click of the delete button (or the unexpected meltdown of the hard drive), the words you receive from me as inspirations of the Holy Spirit will last forever.

The gifts that God gave me that enable me to share these inspirations, and the partnership I have with the Holy Spirit who uses them to bless you and heal you and challenge you, and the ability to convey these words with compassion so that the challenges don't drive you away, and the gift of being able to pay for the equipment and Internet services that deliver them to you -- these are the truly valuable treasures that have been caught in my net.

I can choose to use my net to capture things that have no lasting value. I could write fluff that is nice to your ears but does nothing to help you travel farther on your journey of holiness. I could use my writing talents for immoral trash or stories that glamorize violence and horror. But why should I do any of that? It's meaningless. It's a waste of my short time on earth!

What are you collecting? What's in your net that the angels will have to hurl when Jesus takes you to heaven? Will you be wrestling the angels for it? You can get rid of the bad fish now! Utilize the power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, that sacred gift that helps us make room for the awesome stuff of God, the valuable treasures that we can use in his kingdom today and will be ours to enjoy forever.

Today's Prayer

My Lord: Help me to have, deep inside my heart, a life surrendered to You. Purify me of whatever is evil in me, and with the treasure of Your kingdom, may I be able to take souls to You. Amen.

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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 : Wednesday - July 31, 2019

Wednesday - July 31, 2019

Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbor... Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.

~~Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

 

July 31 2019

 

« July 30  |  August 1 »

Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest
Lectionary: 403

Reading 1EX 34:29-35

As Moses came down from Mount Sinai
with the two tablets of the commandments in his hands,
he did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant
while he conversed with the LORD.
When Aaron, then, and the other children of Israel saw Moses
and noticed how radiant the skin of his face had become,
they were afraid to come near him.
Only after Moses called to them did Aaron
and all the rulers of the community come back to him.
Moses then spoke to them.
Later on, all the children of Israel came up to him,
and he enjoined on them all that the LORD
had told him on Mount Sinai.
When he finished speaking with them,
he put a veil over his face.
Whenever Moses entered the presence of the LORD to converse with him,
he removed the veil until he came out again.
On coming out, he would tell the children of Israel
all that had been commanded.
Then the children of Israel would see
that the skin of Moses' face was radiant;
so he would again put the veil over his face
until he went in to converse with the LORD.

Responsorial PsalmPS 99:5, 6, 7, 9

R.(see 9c) Holy is the Lord our God.
Extol the LORD, our God,
and worship at his footstool;
holy is he!
R. Holy is the Lord our God.
Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
and Samuel, among those who called upon his name;
they called upon the LORD, and he answered them.
R. Holy is the Lord our God.
From the pillar of cloud he spoke to them;
they heard his decrees and the law he gave them.
R. Holy is the Lord our God.
Extol the LORD, our God,
and worship at his holy mountain;
for holy is the LORD, our God.
R. Holy is the Lord our God.

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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THE VALUABLE PEARL

When Jesus told the parable of today's Gospel reading, how did he know what it's like to find the reign of God and then sell everything to get it? How could he understand this search for his father's kingdom -- he was born already fully alive in it!

Turn this story around and look at it from another angle. Read it again, replacing "the reign of God" or "the kingdom of heaven" (two translations of the same words) with "Christ's relationship with me", like so: "Christ's relationship with me is like a really valuable pearl that a salesman found in his search for merchandise that would help him earn a good living. When he found this amazing pearl, he quickly sold off the rest of his stock so that he could afford to buy it."

If Jesus were reading this scripture to you, he would explain it this way: "You, my precious friend, are a very valuable pearl. I gave up everything and bought you with my life so that I could have you with me forever."

See! Jesus surely knows what it means to off-load everything to obtain a prize. YOU are that prize. Your relationship with him is a real treasure that he cherishes very much.

Do you feel the same way about him? Have you found a way to afford the high cost of making God the top priority in your life? Is there anything you cherish more than him, such as activities that keep you too busy for quiet time alone with him? Or desires or addictions that displease him? Or the approval of people who don't agree with him?

In other words, have you off-loaded everything that's less valuable in order to obtain more of the kingdom of heaven while you are still living on the earth?

We say we believe that putting God first in our lives is our highest priority, but is it really? How many distractions are pulling you away from this treasure? What unrepented sins?

What are you unwilling to give up in order to obtain the fullness of life that comes from God's Holy Spirit?

And consider this: Do you, at any time, feel like you are not a precious pearl to Jesus? Are there people in your life who are undervaluing you? Disrespecting you? Failing to love you as they should? Don't allow them to distract you from seeing how precious you are to God.

When you understand that you are a treasure, a valuable pearl in God's kingdom, it becomes easier to let go of the desire to feel valued by others. Everything else that makes us feel important and valued becomes less necessary. Intimacy with God is the only thing that really matters.

Today's Prayer

Lord, give me wisdom to see beyond evil and beyond the worldly things, and may nothing stop my determined race to Your kingdom to meet You. Amen.

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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, 2019

Monday - July 30, 2019

All the darkness in the world 

cannot extinguish 

the light of a single candle.

~~St. Francis of Assisi

 

July 30 2019

 

« July 29  |  July 31 »

Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 402

Reading 1EX 33:7-11; 34:5B-9, 28

The tent, which was called the meeting tent,
Moses used to pitch at some distance away, outside the camp.
Anyone who wished to consult the LORD
would go to this meeting tent outside the camp.
Whenever Moses went out to the tent, the people would all rise
and stand at the entrance of their own tents,
watching Moses until he entered the tent.
As Moses entered the tent, the column of cloud would come down
and stand at its entrance while the LORD spoke with Moses.
On seeing the column of cloud stand at the entrance of the tent,
all the people would rise and worship
at the entrance of their own tents.
The LORD used to speak to Moses face to face,
as one man speaks to another.
Moses would then return to the camp,
but his young assistant, Joshua, son of Nun,
would not move out of the tent.

Moses stood there with the LORD and proclaimed his name, "LORD."
Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out,
"The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God,
slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity,
continuing his kindness for a thousand generations,
and forgiving wickedness and crime and sin;
yet not declaring the guilty guiltless,
but punishing children and grandchildren
to the third and fourth generation for their fathers' wickedness!"
Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship.
Then he said, "If I find favor with you, O LORD,
do come along in our company.
This is indeed a stiff-necked people; 
yet pardon our wickedness and sins,
and receive us as your own."

So Moses stayed there with the LORD for forty days and forty nights,
without eating any food or drinking any water,
and he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant,
the ten commandments.

Responsorial PsalmPS 103:6-7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13

R.(8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.
The LORD secures justice 
and the rights of all the oppressed.
He has made known his ways to Moses,
and his deeds to the children of Israel.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath forever.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.

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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Weeds and Flowers in God's Bouquet

Jesus' explanation about the harvest at the end of time, which is told in our Gospel reading today, raises, in my mind, the question: Why do we have to wait until the end of the world for God to rescue us from evildoers? I want them out of my life -- NOW!

Oops, how selfish of me! That would make my life much easier, but what about the people who are weeds in my plot of land in the field? What about their lives? What about their eternal lives?

We Christians are nurtured in the garden of God's love to grow strong and tall, as beautiful flowers, so that we can make the world a prettier place. We have been commissioned by Christ to go into the world with our fragrance, which is the perfume of heaven, to affect the lives of the weedy, so that they, too, will want to convert into flowers for the bouquet of God's kingdom.

If weeds are yanked out too early (such as when criminals are executed by a death penalty or when we eject troublemakers from our lives), they lose future opportunities for conversion. Then, we who wanted our soils free of their filth will have to explain to God why we didn't care about their souls.

Oh, and by the way, some weeds are quite ugly, but some are very pretty. We have to learn to recognize the difference between beautiful weeds and true flowers so that we aren't duped into accepting their sins as okay and end up joining them in their filth. But what is that difference?

A weed is any plant that's growing where it's not supposed to be. Grass is a weed in a corn field, but on my lawn, corn would be the weed. A weed-person is anyone who is not committed to being one of God's beautiful flowers.

My job, as a commissioned Christian -- and yours, too -- is to help weed-people discover their true beauty and fragrance, i.e., who they are as children of God and how they can grow into beautiful flowers.

Meanwhile, this does not mean allowing their sins to hurt us. We need to figure out, often with professional help, how to prevent their weedy poison from harming us and from spreading. And we have to stay in close contact with God so that we know when it's time to pluck them out and give others a chance to convert them.

All weeds start out as plants that God made and called "good." In their rightful place, doing what God designed them to do, they're not weeds, but by growing in ways that they were not designed to do, they became evil-doers. Weeds are unblossomed flowers who have not discovered their true identities as children of God nor their true calling as servants of God.

Instead of complaining about the evildoers, we should do what we were commissioned and empowered by God to do: Reach out to the weeds and help them discover their inner beauty and awaken their desire to be true flowers in God's bouquet.

Today's Prayer

Lord Jesus, make my life an instrument in Your hands so many who are lost may believe and desire to be transformed as the good seed from which You can reap in the end. Amen.

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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!”