Wednesday, August 7, 2019

⛪ ...As You Wish . .⛪

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Clare's Gift of Contemplation

Perhaps Clare's greatest gift to the Franciscan story and to the church is a new, refreshing way to look at contemplation. Contemplation for Francis and Clare was a matter of vision, a matter of where one focused his or her gaze. The goal of the monk of that time was to gaze upward toward heaven and this upward direction would lead to union with God. The goal for the Franciscan, on the other hand, was a penetrating gaze into the ordinary of life. The starting point is the Incarnation, God descending to us rather than our ascending to God. Our gaze is upon this Incarnate God as reflected, particularly, in the Crucified Lord. The goal of contemplation for a monk focused on a vision of God that resulted in the ecstatic union. The goal of contemplation for the Franciscan focused on transformation by which one became like the face of God reflected in the Incarnation.

—from the book In the Footsteps of Francis and Clare by Roch Niemier, OFM


†Saint Quote
"When we go to confession, we ought to persuade ourselves to find Jesus Christ in the person of our confessor."
— St. Philip Neri

— St. Therese of Lisieux, p. 4-5
Story of a Soul

Luke 14:27


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Saint Cajetan

(October 1, 1480 – August 7, 1547)
Like most of us, Cajetan seemed headed for an "ordinary" life—first as a lawyer, then as a priest engaged in the work of the Roman Curia.


The greatest need of the time was the reformation of a Church that was "sick in head and members." Cajetan and three friends decided that the best road to reformation lay in reviving the spirit and zeal of the clergy. Together they founded a congregation known as the Theatines—from Teate [Chieti] where their first superior-bishop had his see. One of the friends later became Pope Paul IV.

They managed to escape to Venice after their house in Rome was wrecked when Emperor Charles V's troops sacked Rome in 1527. The Theatines were outstanding among the Catholic reform movements that took shape before the Protestant Reformation. Cajetan founded a monte de pieta—"mountain or fund of piety"—in Naples, one of many charitable, nonprofit credit organizations that lent money on the security of pawned objects. The purpose was to help the poor and protect them against usurers. Cajetan's little organization ultimately became the Bank of Naples, with great changes in policy.

If Vatican II had been summarily stopped after its first session in 1962, many Catholics would have felt that a great blow had been dealt to the growth of the Church. Cajetan had the same feeling about the Council of Trent, held from 1545 to 1563. But as he said, God is the same in Naples as in Venice, with or without Trent or Vatican II. We open ourselves to God's power in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, and God's will is done. God's standards of success differ from ours.



Pope St. Sixtus II (d. 258 A.D.) became the Roman Pontiff in the year 257 A.D. His early life is uncertain, and he is mentioned by name in the Roman Canon of the Mass. He helped mend the relationship between Rome and the Eastern and African churches over the problem of the rebaptism of converted heretics, a controversy which threatened schism. St. Sixtus II, a peaceful man, restored friendly relations and maintained unity. However, he served as Holy Father for only one year due to the persecution of Christians by Roman Emperor Valerian. As a result, Pope St. Sixtus II was suppressed and forbidden to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. He continued to worship in secret in defiance to the unjust law, and while offering Mass in a cemetery chapel he was ambushed and beheaded by Roman soldiers. His feast day is August 7th.


Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time


"Send men to reconnoiter the land of Canaan,
which I am giving the children of Israel.
You shall send one man from each ancestral tribe,
all of them princes."

After reconnoitering the land for forty days they returned,
in the desert of Paran at Kadesh,
made a report to them all,
and showed the fruit of the country
to the whole congregation.
and the towns are fortified and very strong.
Besides, we saw descendants of the Anakim there.
Amalekites live in the region of the Negeb;
Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites dwell in the highlands,

But the men who had gone up with him said,
So they spread discouraging reports among the children of Israel
about the land they had scouted, saying,
And all the people we saw there are huge, veritable giants
(the Anakim were a race of giants);

At this, the whole community broke out with loud cries,
and even in the night the people wailed.

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron:
"How long will this wicked assembly grumble against me?
Tell them: By my life, says the LORD,
Here in the desert shall your dead bodies fall.
Forty days you spent in scouting the land;
forty years shall you suffer for your crimes:
one year for each day.
Thus you will realize what it means to oppose me.
I, the LORD, have sworn to do this
to all this wicked assembly that conspired against me:


We have sinned, we and our fathers;
we have committed crimes; we have done wrong.
Our fathers in Egypt
considered not your wonders.
But soon they forgot his works;
they waited not for his counsel.
They gave way to craving in the desert
and tempted God in the wilderness.
They forgot the God who had saved them,
who had done great deeds in Egypt,
Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham,
terrible things at the Red Sea.
Then he spoke of exterminating them,
but Moses, his chosen one,
Withstood him in the breach
to turn back his destructive wrath.

Alleluia Lk 7:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 15: 21-28

"Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!
My daughter is tormented by a demon."
But he did not say a word in answer to her.
His disciples came and asked him,
He said in reply,
He said in reply,
"It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs."
that fall from the table of their masters."
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
"O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish."
And her daughter was healed from that hour.


Meditation: Matthew 15:21-28

Saint Sixtus II, Pope, and Companions, Martyrs (Optional Memorial)

My daughter is tormented. (Matthew 15:22)

We've all heard stories of a parent springing into action to lift a car off of a trapped child. It's a response to sudden danger that releases superpower-like strength in a person, and it has been documented all over the world. In today's Gospel, we see a mother with a different kind of superpower: extreme faith in Jesus.

This woman was desperate. Her daughter was being harassed by a demon, and she didn't know where else to turn. We don't know why she approached Jesus. Perhaps she had heard stories about other people he had healed. Maybe she had heard that he fed a huge crowd with five loaves and two fish. Or maybe she had heard of how open and generous this Jesus was. Whatever the case, she found the courage to ask Jesus for his help, though she was a Gentile. "If anyone has the answer," she must have thought, "this man does."

So she dug in and asked Jesus over and over again, until she was literally begging him to heal her daughter. She wouldn't take no for an answer, not from the disciples and not even from Jesus himself! With heroic faith, she pressed him for the miracle that she knew he could accomplish—and he did it!

Let this mother's faith inspire you. Maybe your daughter is struggling with her faith or with a serious illness. Or a grandchild or nephew needs direction in his life, but he won't accept your help. You can't fix the situation, and you don't know how to help. Don't give up! Bring your needs to Jesus as this mother did. Refuse to take no for an answer. Don't let other people's pessimism bring you down. Instead, push through every doubting thought, every voice that says you're too weak, and exercise your extreme faith.

It can be hard to persist, but it's well worth the effort. Pray every single day, and never give up. Include your loved ones in your intentions at every single Mass. Keep on asking for the miracles they need. Believe that God wants to do good things for his children—including the young ones in your life.

"Lord, please reach out and touch my children. Draw them close to you."




Jesus came to baptize us in the Holy Spirit, and the power and grace that comes from the baptism in the Holy Spirit changes lives. For the millions of Catholics worldwide who have had this experience it is a transforming grace that brings freedom, peace, and the very presence of God.
from The Wild Goose


""We ought to go up and seize the land, for we can certainly do so." But the men who had gone up with him said, "We cannot attack these people; they are too strong for us."
Have you ever met naysayers in your life? I've encountered them everywhere. Negative. Always on the contrary, with no heart and no will. Bad news bearers. Those with hot juicy gossip are the same. All they seem to live for is bad news, and the media loves it too. It makes for a depressing atmosphere, people live in depression, and seek remedies for anxiety and depression, and so drugs both legal and illegal are an epidemic we face. Our Lord did not like it one bit! As a matter of fact, He punished everyone for falling for the bad news and lifestyle, all things contrary to Him and doing what He says! They fell into a rut "can't". To this day I face nay sayers in just about every single ministry. It's like fighting against a current always, nothing is ever easy, and if it is, it's not worth a fight. What is easy? His yoke? Saying yes? Carrying a load of obedience? God is asking us to fight and conquer, and most are on sidelines on "take it easy road". Probably the hardest thing in the world is to fight to be holy...compassionate, all things a saint is called to be, all HIS.

Let us pray and remember:
"But soon they forgot his works; they waited not for his counsel. They gave way to craving in the desert and tempted God in the wilderness. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people." How did they tempt God? They tempted His anger. Didn't they? They tempted Him to go against His own will. Right? Why don't we tempt Him for the greater good? How? I was listening to a video in spanish on 17 reasons to make a Holy Hour of Adoration. One that I cannot forget said that doing this helps like a balm, to sooth and heal our Lord's suffering for a disobedient world. I thought "so the Lord suffers? He continues to suffer?" Apparently so, for every time our Lady, our Blessed Mother appears, she says she wants atonement in sorts, right? To make reparations? Amen? Divine Mercy began for this reason, right? Does God really suffer and hurt? Yeah. Sometimes, BIG TIME. How can I say this? If He is in Heaven and perfect? Because, he lives among us, in the poor, the forgotten, the lonely, the forsaken, the lost, the lonely, the abused, the ones facing great violence, hunger, strife, and the list goes on and on....


In the Holy Gospel, the disciples asked if they could brush off, shoo away this pesky dog lady. A woman from the outskirts, Canaan. A woman that didn't belong to their cult. A woman that was not a follower, just some woman that wanted something for nothing. Just some nobody that didn't need to bother them anymore. How many times do we meet an annoying person, someone you might even hate! And we say "you don't have to take that from them!". I see that attitude in people, in jails, in ministries at church, at work, in families, I see it everywhere. What is it? Selfish pride.

Our Lord says to her ""It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs." Say whaaat? Now that's a cold bucket of water, ain't it? She is resilient though. Faithful, like a true dog. Hit him and he still is faithful. Smack him around and the dog still comes back loyal. Check this out. This past Sunday we had to go in two separate cars to Mass because we went to Rock The Desert, a Christian concert out in a pasture in a nearby city. Our family van had a flat tire that Sunday morning. So we agreed I'd take all the boys and my wife the girls. For some reason I took longer to get the boys ready, lost track of time. So we rushed to Mass early to practice for choir with the others. We arrive, rushed in the practice chapel, and I am saying sorry to everyone for being late. I heard "I'm so sure you're sorry" and laughs. It kinda hurt, and I just said "uhh...ok??" and we began. Snarky comments. "Ohh I don't have to take that! I should just quit!"(that'd be a normal, non-graceful response, right?). So I dwelt on it a little bit. And here's what came out of I thought, "you know, I wonder if I am REALLY sorry", I mean, maybe I'm always late? Why can't I make it minutes earlier? You see? I can be sweet when others are not, amen? I can do what God wants by tempting Him for the greater good. The dog woman said " "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters." She had the correct posture, attitude for prayer. She was humbly asking with all her heart, and for what? For another tormented soul.

Do you have a child tormented by a demon?

Do you know of a loved one suffering in life without God?
I bet we all do. And I bet we could all use some humble pie!

In the world, in the ministries we do, let us take things, not just with a grain of salt, but with great love. Most saints lived tormented by their comrades or superiors, but it is how they responded that made them saints. You can't sit their and correct everyone to their face all the time, putting others in their place, sometimes you need to take it like a real child of God, obedient and humble. That's why Jesus took a child in His arms and said the first must be last, we must be servants, and sometimes servants are abused, amen? Take it to God and tempt Him for the greater good! Tempt Him to bless others. Tempt Him to be pleased and soothed, and healed. Tempt Him to pour out Divine Mercy as He did to the Canaanite woman. She not only saved her daughter, but herself along the way.

Suddenly, things aren't about just me anymore.
Learn what it means when He desires mercy, more than sacrifice. For sacrifice should be for mercy.


hear it read


Random Bible Verse 1
2 Corinthians 7:10 (Listen)


Thank You Jesus

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