SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Saturday - June 13, 2020

Saturday - June 13, 2020

"Charity is the soul of faith, makes it alive; 

without love, faith dies."

--St.    Anthony  of Padua

 

June 13 2019

 

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Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 362

Reading 12 COR 3:15—4:1, 3-6

Brothers and sisters:
To this day, whenever Moses is read,
a veil lies over the hearts of the children of Israel,
but whenever a person turns to the Lord the veil is removed.
Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, 
there is freedom.
All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory,
as from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Therefore, since we have this ministry through the mercy shown us,
we are not discouraged.
And even though our Gospel is veiled,
it is veiled for those who are perishing,
in whose case the god of this age
has blinded the minds of the unbelievers,
so that they may not see the light of the Gospel
of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
For we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord,
and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus.
For God who said, Let light shine out of darkness,
has shone in our hearts to bring to light
the knowledge of the glory of God
on the face of Jesus Christ.

Responsorial PsalmPS 85:9AB AND 10, 11-12, 13-14

R.(see 10b) The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD–for he proclaims peace to his people.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and salvation, along the way of his steps.
R. The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.

AlleluiaJN 13:34

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I give you a new commandment:
love one another as I have loved you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelMT 5:20-26

Jesus said to his disciples: 
"I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that
of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.

"You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment,
and whoever says to his brother,
'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin,
and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,
and there recall that your brother
has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar,
go first and be reconciled with your brother,
and then come and offer your gift.
Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him.
Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,
and the judge will hand you over to the guard,
and you will be thrown into prison.
Amen, I say to you,
you will not be released until you have paid the last penny."

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Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua  

Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the Evil One.”
Opening Prayer: I come before you today, Lord, filled with a desire to get to know you more deeply, and to experience the interior peace you promised to leave us. I believe in you, and you know that my hopes for happiness are in you. But I get distracted so easily! Please remind me today of your love for me, of your plan for my life. Please grant me the graces I need to hear your word and heed it as I continue my pilgrimage of faith today.
Encountering Christ:
1. The Gift of Language: Today Jesus instructs us about one of the greatest gifts in our possession: the gift of language. Of all the creatures in this visible universe, only human beings have true language. Only human beings can sit around a table and sip coffee and talk for hours on end. Language is the mysterious manifestation of our being both material and spiritual: we infuse spiritual meaning into material sounds, and this allows us to connect with other spiritual beings, other persons. We can know and be known through this wonderful gift of language. We can learn and grow because of this gift. We can be enriched and enlightened because language can impart to us the treasures of wisdom accumulated by other individuals, and even by entire cultures or civilizations. When was the last time I reflected on the amazing reality of words and how they affect my life and the world around me? Have I taken this for granted? Jesus himself is the Word of God, and so our ability to communicate to each other through words–not just through grunts and gestures, like other animals in this visible world–reflects our dignity as being created in God’s own image and likeness.
2. The Abuse of the Gift: In the Old Testament, the eighth commandment was directed toward the proper use of the gift of language: “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” This is the arena of behavior Jesus is addressing in the verses from the Sermon on the Mount used in today’s Gospel reading. By these exhortations today Jesus is reminding us that our words need to respectfully and humbly embody truth. So often we exaggerate with our words. We are afraid of what other people may think of us, or we try to ingratiate ourselves or deceive our way into certain honors or opportunities—and we do so by abusing the gift of language. We lie, we deceive, we flatter, we manipulate. Since language is part of our spiritual heritage, it has the potential for great good when we use it well, but it has the potential for great destruction when we abuse it. Jesus cautions us in this passage to use language well. He encourages us to be humble, truthful, simple, and honest in our speech; to say what we mean, to use the gift of language to create an authentic connection with other people and thus build meaningful relationships and create a healthy social environment. That’s what we do when we let our “yes” be “yes” and our “no” be “no.” What a great gift we can give to those around us (and to ourselves) if we respect the gift of language enough to use it as God meant it to be used!
3. St. Anthony of Padua’s Gift of Preaching: Today’s liturgy remembers the Franciscan Doctor of the Church, St. Anthony of Padua. Padua is the city in Italy where St. Anthony exercised his ministry for many years. But he was originally from Portugal. He joined the Franciscan order and headed to North Africa hoping to become a martyr by trying to convert the Muslims there. A storm drove his boat off course and he ended up landing in Italy. He met St. Francis and was sent into a hermitage in northern Italy. He was such a quiet and self-effacing person that they thought he would be a good candidate for a hermit’s life of prayer and penance. But one day he was invited to give an emergency discourse at an event for which the organizers had overlooked preparing the proper speech. His deep learning, vibrant spirituality, and humble fervor shone forth during that impromptu talk, and immediately afterward he was sent out to preach to the towns and cities of the area. His holiness and supernatural eloquence ignited a widespread spiritual reform and renewal throughout the area. By the time he died at the young age of 34, he had served as God’s instrument to revitalize the Church in a time and place known for rampant corruption and spiritual decadence. And it was his preaching that did it—his words. His words flowed from a heart purified of selfishness and fear and filled to overflowing with faith, hope, and love for God. His years of study, and then his years of humble service (when he never put himself forth to preach or teach in spite of his impressive qualifications and talents), had cleansed his soul so that when God called upon him to speak forth for the Gospel, his words carried the healing and enlightening power of God’s grace. We can all yearn for that same grace. If we let God’s grace heal and strengthen our hearts, then our words will become beacons of hope and healing for others. 
Conversing with Christ: Lord, I am surrounded by so many words, so much noise! And so often my own words are thoughtless and superficial, even deceptive and unwholesome. Please teach me to use the gift of language in a way that will spread your light and goodness. Teach me to let my yes be yes and my no be no. I don’t need to use words as shields or swords. I am your friend and your ambassador. You are my inspiration and my companion. You are my safety and my refuge; I have no need to fear. Purify my heart, Lord, so that my words will speak out your praise.
Resolution: Lord, today, by your grace, I will pay special attention to my spontaneous comments, reflecting on what they reveal about the state of my heart and the habits of my tongue. At the end of the day, I will speak with Our Lord about what he is inviting me to change in this area of my life.

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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!”