SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Friday - November 01, 2019

Friday - November 01, 2019

The Saints rejoiced at injuries and persecutions, because in forgiving them they had something to present to God when they prayed to Him.

-- St. Teresa of Avila

 

November 1, 2019

 

« October 31  |  November 2 »

Solemnity of All Saints
Lectionary: 667

Reading 1RV 7:2-4, 9-14

I, John, saw another angel come up from the East,
holding the seal of the living God.
He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels
who were given power to damage the land and the sea,
"Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees
until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God."
I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal,
one hundred and forty-four thousand marked
from every tribe of the children of Israel.

After this I had a vision of a great multitude,
which no one could count,
from every nation, race, people, and tongue.
They stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
They cried out in a loud voice:

"Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne,
and from the Lamb."

All the angels stood around the throne
and around the elders and the four living creatures.
They prostrated themselves before the throne,
worshiped God, and exclaimed:

"Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving,
honor, power, and might
be to our God forever and ever. Amen."

Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me,
"Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?"
I said to him, "My lord, you are the one who knows."
He said to me,
"These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their robes
and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb."

Responsorial PsalmPS 24:1BC-2, 3-4AB, 5-6

R. (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD's are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

Reading 21 JN 3:1-3

Beloved:
See what love the Father has bestowed on us
that we may be called the children of God.
Yet so we are.
The reason the world does not know us
is that it did not know him.
Beloved, we are God's children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.
Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure,
as he is pure.

AlleluiaMT 11:28

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelMT 5:1-12A

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. 
He began to teach them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven."

*************************************************************************** 

YOU are a Saint!

YOU are a saint. Don't argue with me, I know you're a saint, because a saint is anyone who's either in heaven or on their way to heaven by following Christ. In the Apostle's Creed we say, "I believe in the communion of saints...." That includes you! It's the whole community of Christ-followers.

As followers of Christ, we have been redeemed from the power of sin. We have been reborn as "saints" and are no longer "sinners." Yes, we do sin every day; we have not yet perfected our sainthood. So we grow in holiness by becoming more and more who we truly are. This is life as an earthly saint.

Look at today's first reading. We could see this as a huge prayer meeting in heaven, but it's not just about the after-life. You, right now, are part of that "great multitude" when you worship God enthusiastically. Every time we praise God, we're joining ourselves to the whole communion of saints, including our loved ones who left earth in the Lord's arms.

We're also united to them after our sins are absolved in the mercy of God through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, for then we, too, have "washed our robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Until the next time we sin, we're on the Lord's mountain, standing in a holy place, because our hands are sinless, our hearts are clean, and we are not desiring what is vain (as the responsorial Psalm says).

The same unity occurs when we receive the Eucharist after making a heartfelt journey through the prayers of repentance and requests for forgiveness that the Church provides during each Mass. (Oops, until we get mad at the guy in the parking lot who briefly blocks our escape from church into the world.)

As the second reading points out, we are saints because we are God's children. The saints in heaven have the advantage of being free from evil, while we live in a sin-filled world. But notice how we become pure: The hope (i.e., belief in God's promise) that eventually we'll behave like Christ all the time should energize us to purge our lives of unholiness now. This hope is based on knowing that Christ redeems us from sin, the Father forgives us, and after death, whatever clean-up still remains to be done, it will be accomplished thanks to purgatory.

The Gospel reading reminds us that we are saints because we are blessed. Isn't anything that God blesses made holy? Therefore, any person whom God blesses is made holy by his love: the poor in spirit, those who mourn and receive the Holy Spirit's comfort, the meek who submit to God's will, and so on down the list of beatitudes. Meditate on each blessing and notice your sainthood and the challenge to become more saintly by improving how you live the truth of each beatitude.

The Church canonizes saints so we can have role models and so we know they're available for prayer support to assist us on our journey to heaven. We should not compare our lives to theirs, however, for we all have different circumstances in which to grow in holiness. We can only compare ourselves to what we used to be like. Meanwhile, we can pray with the saints and accept their spiritual guidance.

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 - Thursday - October 31, 2019

Thursday - October 31, 2019

The rosary is said not with the lips alone, muttering Hail Marys one after the other. … For a Christian vocal prayer must spring from the heart, so that while the rosary is said, the mind can enter into contemplation of each one of the mysteries.

-- St. Josemaria Escriva

 

October 31 2019

 

« October 30  |  November 1 »

Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 482

Reading 1ROM 8:31B-39

Brothers and sisters:
If God is for us, who can be against us?
He did not spare his own Son
but handed him over for us all,
how will he not also give us everything else along with him?
Who will bring a charge against God's chosen ones?
It is God who acquits us.
Who will condemn?
It is Christ Jesus who died, rather, was raised,
who also is at the right hand of God,
who indeed intercedes for us.
What will separate us from the love of Christ?
Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine,
or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?
As it is written:

For your sake we are being slain all the day;
we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered.

No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly
through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities,
nor present things, nor future things,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature will be able to separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Responsorial PsalmPS 109:21-22, 26-27, 30-31

R. (26b) Save me, O Lord, in your mercy.
Do you, O GOD, my Lord, deal kindly with me for your name's sake;
in your generous mercy rescue me;
For I am wretched and poor,
and my heart is pierced within me.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your mercy.
Help me, O LORD, my God;
save me, in your mercy,
And let them know that this is your hand;
that you, O LORD, have done this.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your mercy.
I will speak my thanks earnestly to the LORD,
and in the midst of the throng I will praise him,
For he stood at the right hand of the poor man,
to save him from those who would condemn his soul.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.

AlleluiaSEE LK 19:38; 2:14

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.
Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelLK 13:31-35

Some Pharisees came to Jesus and said,
"Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you."
He replied, "Go and tell that fox,
'Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow,
and on the third day I accomplish my purpose.
Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day,
for it is impossible that a prophet should die
outside of Jerusalem.'

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,
how many times I yearned to gather your children together
as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,
but you were unwilling!
Behold, your house will be abandoned.
But I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say,
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

******************************************************** 

Keep Your Eyes on Jesus  

Do you feel overwhelmed? Is a problem causing you anguish, or distress, or persecution, or a famine of unmet needs, or a feeling of being too vulnerable, or danger?

In today's first reading, Saint Paul assures us that, in reality, it's not the problems that are overwhelming. It's our victory over the problems: "We conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us."

While in the midst of trials, it's difficult to feel the closeness of God and see his plan of action and understand why he's allowing us to suffer. We miss seeing this truth because we're focused on who's causing the problem and what's happening in the visible world.

We need to put our focus back on Jesus! Since he loved us so much that he sacrificed his life for us, we have proof that his love is so strong it will always embrace us. Jesus will always take good care of us, doing what's best for us as well as for all those who are involved in the same situation (he loves your trouble-makers as much as he loves you).

When it seems like God has abandoned us or neglected our needs or ignored our prayer requests, that's when we most need to put our eyes back on Jesus and take a good look at who God really is and what his personality is really like. God is love, and it's impossible for love to stop loving.

Whatever is causing us to feel anguish or distress, whatever we're worried about, thanks to our relationship with God it's really never as bad as it seems. Evil will not defeat us. No troubles can come between us and our Lord. God's love won't fail to intervene and protect us and guide us to the best solutions. Even while it seems to take "too long", he is helping us.

We certainly can fail to receive his help, we can make bad decisions that lead us into more trouble, and we can let others control our moods if we depend on them for our joy, but God's love never stops ministering to us, never stops providing us with everything we need, never stops being a cause for joy.

The only thing that's impossible for love to do is to stop loving us. The only way for evil to defeat this love is for us to believe -- whole-heartedly -- that such undying love isn't really what we want. And that's how people end up in hell.

Evil creates a false illusion that it's going to win against God's power. Evil has momentary victories when we take our eyes off of Jesus and let the sources of our troubles control our faith. (Thus, we become our own worst enemies.) Yet, even before we reclaim our faith by choosing to trust God, God's love is covering us, surrounding us, seeking a way into our hearts so it can fill us, always making itself available.

God's love overwhelms all strategies of evil and all potentials for disaster. Our trust in this love overwhelms our negative emotions and produces lasting joy. Choose to trust!

Today's Prayer

Lord, forgive me, because my words towards others have not always been words of hope and encouragement. Give me the grace of looking at problems through Your eyes. 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 - Wednesday - October 30, 2019

Wednesday - October 30, 2019

"Let, then, the life of Mary be as it were virginity itself, set forth in a likeness, from which, as from a mirror, the appearance of chastity and the form of virtue is reflected. From this you may take your pattern of life, showing, as an example, the clear rules of virtue: what you have to correct, to effect, and to hold fast. The first thing which kindles ardour in learning is the greatness of the teacher. What is greater than the Mother of God?"

~ Saint Ambrose

 

October 30 2019

 

« October 29  |  October 31 »

Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 481

Reading 1ROM 8:26-30

Brothers and sisters:
The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.
And the one who searches hearts
knows what is the intention of the Spirit,
because he intercedes for the holy ones
according to God's will.

We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers.  
And those he predestined he also called;
and those he called he also justified;
and those he justified he also glorified.

Responsorial PsalmPS 13:4-5, 6

R.(6a) My hope, O Lord, is in your mercy.
Look, answer me, O LORD, my God!
Give light to my eyes that I may not sleep in death
lest my enemy say, "I have overcome him";
lest my foes rejoice at my downfall.
R. My hope, O Lord, is in your mercy.
Though I trusted in your mercy,
Let my heart rejoice in your salvation;
let me sing of the LORD, "He has been good to me."
R. My hope, O Lord, is in your mercy.

AlleluiaSEE 2 THES 2:14

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God has called us through the Gospel
to possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelLK 13:22-30

Jesus passed through towns and villages,
teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.
Someone asked him,
"Lord, will only a few people be saved?"
He answered them,
"Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
'Lord, open the door for us.'
He will say to you in reply,
'I do not know where you are from.'
And you will say,
'We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.'
Then he will say to you,
'I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you evildoers!'
And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west
and from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the Kingdom of God.
For behold, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last."

********************************************************************** 

ALL THINGS ARE WORKING FOR YOUR GOOD

When you walk to your mailbox, into church, through a parking lot, down the street, or anywhere else that your feet take you, what do you usually look at? Are you watching your feet? And the ground go by? Or is your head up? Are you observing how beautiful the clouds look and appreciating the way the tree branches intermingle and raise their leaves toward heaven?

Keep walking. When there's a crowd blocking your path, do you look for the easiest route around and through them? Or do you look at those people with admiration for God's handiwork and recall that he loves them all?

Directing our sight upward is great spiritual exercise. It helps us to understand and live in the truth of today's first reading. As Saint Paul points out, instead of focusing on our weaknesses, instead of noticing how our prayers are not being answered, instead of paying attention to our insufficiency and powerlessness when praying for big needs, we should remember the love and power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God partners with us, leads us, and prays with us. In whatever we're lacking, whatever's missing or not yet accomplished, God's Spirit within us can fill up the gaps and provide peace.

Look at that! Look at the goodness of God! Keep your eyes on Jesus!

No matter how bad a trial has been, no matter how destructive it seems, if we give it to Jesus, he redeems it. Redemption means that something bad or worthless is converted into something good (like redeeming a coupon at the grocery store, which is just a piece of paper until we use it to buy something).

Jesus always uses everything for the good of those who love him. We can benefit from even the worst of hardships. The benefit might be more inner strength, or fuller compassion, or special blessings and graces. There is no evil that God cannot or will not defeat by redeeming it into something useful for his kingdom.

There is no victimization without victory if we turn it over to Jesus.

Of course, asking God to redeem a bad situation isn't enough. We have to keep our eyes on Jesus, looking upward to see the good that he raises from the bad. We have to embrace what the Father gives us instead of turning away and pouting, "But that's not what I want! Why won't You give me what I've been praying for? Why won't You do it my way?"

When we have difficulty seeing the good that God is doing in a bad situation, we can pray what the psalmist did in the responsorial Psalm today: "Give light to my eyes ... let my heart rejoice in Your salvation; let me sing that the Lord has been good to me."

We experience joy in the midst of suffering when we stop watching the dirty ground beneath us and look up to observe the beauty and the blessings that God has placed around us. This is when we can genuinely proclaim: "All my hope, O Lord, is in Your loving kindness!"

Today's Prayer

Jesus, when it is my turn to go home to You, I hope You receive me with the doors open telling me, "Come, blessed of my Father." Help me listen to Your Holy Spirit and follow Your teachings until my last breath. 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!”