Friday - October 04, 2019
"Those who say the Rosary daily and wear the Brown Scapular and who do a little more, will go straight to Heaven."
October 4 - Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi, religious
Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi, religious
Lectionary: 651
Below are the readings suggested for today's Memorial. However, readings for the Memorial may also be taken from the Common of Holy Men and Women: For Religious, #737-742.
Reading 1GAL 6:14-18
Brothers and sisters:
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
through which the world has been crucified to me,
and I to the world.
For neither does circumcision mean anything, nor does uncircumcision,
but only a new creation.
Peace and mercy be to all who follow this rule and to the Israel of God.
From now on, let no one make troubles for me;
for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit,
brothers and sisters. Amen.
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
through which the world has been crucified to me,
and I to the world.
For neither does circumcision mean anything, nor does uncircumcision,
but only a new creation.
Peace and mercy be to all who follow this rule and to the Israel of God.
From now on, let no one make troubles for me;
for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit,
brothers and sisters. Amen.
Responsorial PsalmPS 16:1B-2A AND 5, 7-8, 11
R. (see 5a) You are my inheritance, O Lord.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to the LORD, "My Lord are you."
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to the LORD, "My Lord are you."
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
AlleluiaSEE MT 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.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 11:25-30
At that time Jesus answered:
"I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."
"I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."
******************************
As God's prophet, You are not alone
Every time we open our mouths to speak, we need to remember that we have a ministry of words. Always. Nothing that is vocalized can be deleted from the air before penetrating the minds of those who hear us. Even our tone of voice conveys a message. So, too, the silent words of emails and blogs.
Are our words always holy? Is there any valid reason why our words shouldn't always be holy?
Jesus is our example of words and tones that reflect the kingdom of God.
He says to us in our Gospel reading today, "Anyone who listens to you is listening to me, and anyone who rejects you is rejecting both me and the Father who sent me." See how important our words are? Do others hear Jesus every time we open our mouths? Well, shouldn't they be able to? Did Jesus ever take a break from speaking the words of his Father?
As Christians, we serve as God's prophets. When we were baptized, we were joined to the ministry of Christ's priesthood, kingship, and mouth. We are Christ in the flesh for our contemporary world. Anyone who knows that we claim to be Christian gets either a good idea or a wrong idea about who Jesus is and what he is really like, based on what they hear from us.
Being a prophet is often a very sad ministry, because too many people fail to see Jesus in us. Sometimes it's our fault, but sometimes, no matter how holy our words and no matter how purely we speak with love, the people who hear us have the same problem as the Israelites did in today's first reading; they are "only too ready to disregard God's voice."
For many varied reasons, ranging from a faulty upbringing to freely made choices, they refuse to "heed the voice of the Lord in the words of the prophets he sends." However, Jesus isn't finished talking to them yet.
It's been said that a person has to hear the truth from seven different people before it begins to change them. That number won't always be literally accurate, but it is true that multiple prophets are needed. When it's our turn, we don't know if we're the first, in the middle, or the last prophet whom God puts in their path.
When they refuse to listen to us, it's important that we forgive them so that we convert our frustration into sadness instead of resentment. Then we can use our sorrow for prayer power. With yearning, ask God to soften their hearts through the circumstances and people who come their way. Remember, it is not you who's being rejected; it's Jesus, so don't take it personally. Let the rejection go through you to him where it belongs. He's the one who will figure out what to do next, not us.
We are not alone in this. God will indeed send other prophets. In him, there is always reason to hope. We are in partnership with Jesus and with the entire earthly Body of Christ.
Today's Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus: Your Word is like a fire that I must receive and spread. Give me the grace of humility, so that I may produce abundant fruit for the glory of God the Father. 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!”
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