10-31-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-31-13
In St. Paul’s beautiful, theological letter to the Church in Rome,
he sang out these words:
“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?”
If it is God who acquits us and Jesus who intercedes for us, then:
“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.” Rom 8:31b-39
INSEPARABLE LOVE!
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10-30-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-30-13
Today’s set of Scripture readings have an almost endless list of notable quotes,
and it really is best today to read all of it in context. But we’ll list a few of them here:
St. Paul wrote to the Church in Rome:
“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.“ Rom 8:26-30
So when we feel deficient in prayer, beloved,
just let go and let the Spirit proceed . . .
Allow yourself to be the “conduit” of communication
between God and the Spirit within you.
Paul continued, “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (same ref.)
And we are all “called.”
The question is, are we listening?
Then in answer to a question by one of the “crowd” of His followers, about WHO
will be saved, Jesus said: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many,
I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.“ Lk 13:22-30
I always thought this was such a scary proposition.
How DO I find that narrow gate? Am I strong enough?
Am I one of those chosen ones?
What about my dearest friends and relatives???
Jesus went on to say: “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!’” (same Luke ref.)
Harsh words! But said to people who continually questioned and
were never satisfied with the answers – even visible miracles!
Know anyone like that, beloved?
Now, I’m a scientist myself. And I ask many questions.
And I like proof, methodology, concrete answers.
But I’ve learned with age, that there are many things that we
cannot yet definitively prove: the age of the universe,
the size of the universe, the origin of mankind,
the ultimate unified force.
Yes, we have lots of theories. Ideas that have put people’s
names in books and on plaques. But in the blink of an eye,
someone else refutes their ideas, or our technology
proves something new to be closer to the truth . . .
The TRUTH we are so desperately seeking.
And the true question is:
“Where are WE coming from?“
IF we’re coming from a self-centered idealism that rejects
the presence of the Spirit within, that rejects the FACT
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, is the second Person of
the Holy Trinity who died and rose for US, then we will never ever
find that truth that we seek. For God Himself IS
that Truth! The ultimate answer.
You see, beloved, Jesus wasn’t speaking to you and I when
he described that narrow gate and the shut door.
For we are already down that road and half way through that door!
For God our Father, Jesus our brother
and the Holy Spirit our guide
is already in our hearts.
We have answered the call to BELIEVE.
And with that belief – we have found the TRUTH.
Eternal Life – in Jesus Christ
our Lord!
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10-29-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-29-13
(St. Narcissus, Bishop of Jerusalem)
St. Paul said, “For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for
what we do not see, we wait with endurance.“ Rom 8:18-25
Faith takes Patient Endurance!
Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like?
To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a man took and
planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush
and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.” Lk 13:18-21
And that seed doesn’t grow into that huge bush overnight.
It takes years of watering and fertilizing and sunshine. It fights
the bugs and the wind and the snow and the heat.
The Kingdom of God grows within us, beloved.
It’s the seed of life that struggles much like the tree.
And over time grows closer and closer to God,
as it overcomes the obstacles of temptation,
sickness, sorrow, disappointment
and loneliness.
Never to be lonely again, as the sunshine of Jesus
brightens every day with HOPE!
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10-28-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-28-13
(St. Simon and Jude, Apostles)
“Brothers and sisters: You are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members
of the household of God,“ Eph 2:19-22
Something happened. It may have been a funny look, or a word, or an act
that alienated the two of you. Maybe it was done unconsciously or maybe
even on purpose. But because of it, you have become strangers to one another.
You thought they knew you. You thought you knew them well enough,
that such a small matter to one of you would never have caused such separation.
But separate you are, forever.
Then along comes Jesus.
Along comes Peter and Paul, Simon and Jude, Bartholomew and Matthew,
Andrew, James, John, Philip, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,
and even Judas Iscariot, to teach us a lesson in forgiveness or a lesson in
how to speak a word of Love and offer compassion when we’ve oopsed in what
we’ve said or done to hurt others.
Jesus died in that we might be reunited with God and one another,
brothers and sisters.
Don’t let his death be in vain.
Love ANYWAY!
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10-27-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-27-13
(30th Sunday Ordinary Time C)
“The one who serves God willingly is heard;
his petition reaches the heavens.“ Sir 35:12-18
“When the just cry out, the Lord hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.“ Ps 34
“The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat
and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom.
To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.“ 2 Tm 4:6-8, 16-18
And Jesus said, “whoever exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.“ Lk 18:9-14
So, it sounds like there are a couple things we can do to be among
those who find rescue, safety and reward from God.
We serve God in humility and we ask His protection against evil.
Sounds easy! But you know what beloved?
The closer we get to God the stronger the Evil One fights against us.
So be prepared! Trust in God in all things.
And He WILL see you through.
Have an awesome Sunday!
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10-26-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-26-13
St. Paul said, “If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit that dwells in you.“ Rom 8:1-11
And how do I know if His Spirit dwells within me?
Jesus told a couple of parables about repentance and Life (Lk 13:1-9).
If, as we said yesterday, when we make an error in righteousness, and it
immediately strikes us as evil, and we ask God’s forgiveness, “I’m sorry Lord,”
then we know that the Spirit dwells within us.
Yes, there still may be sins we commit that we’re not even aware of,
but we will learn – before it’s ever too late – BECAUSE of that Spirit within.
One of Jesus’ parables was about a fruitless fig tree that the owner wanted cut down.
But the gardener (Jesus) pleaded that the owner (God) give it one last chance to improve. Jesus will always give us another chance. We will be aerated and fertilized and loved.
And if none of that brings us to the repentance He desires –
then we’ve got to be pretty numb, pretty dead already.
Sometimes, that Spirit is already there, beloved,
and all we have to do is recognize Her.
ALWAYS that Spirit is there, unless we’ve killed her.
And even then, Jesus will give us “another year.”
Hope is never lost!
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10-25-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-25-13
St. Paul began to recognize the sin that dwelt within his thoughts and his actions.
And it became a war within himself, fighting his human (fleshly) desire to sin,
while inside his heart and within his soul was an even greater desire to please God.
So Paul confessed and pleaded, “Miserable one that I am!
Who will deliver me from this mortal body?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.“
Rom 7:18-25a
Are you there yet, beloved?
Every time you get on the road and someone wants to drag race,
or cut you off, so they can go slow in front of you.
And your anger, your vengeance flares up.
Or the kids stress you to the limits of patience.
Or the boss gives you – just one more URGENT project
than your overfilled mind can handle.
Or besides increasing your phone, or trash, or electric, or medical bills,
just for the fun of it – they add on another fee for sending you the bill. @#$%
And that curse is on the tip of your tongue.
And you find yourself constantly saying,
“Sorry Lord! Sorry Lord!”
WHO will DELIVER me?????
Who will deliver ALL of us?
(Guess we know who won’t.)
But…
Thanks be to God for Jesus.
You know what, beloved, Jesus might not pay our bills,
or finish our projects, or strike that crazy driver with lightning.
But He can soothe our anxieties enough to have
the right mind to see it all through, to see a way out,
when no other option seems to work.
“Sorry Lord. Please bring me peace.
Please bring us patience, and enough money, and food,
and Hope, and LOVE!”
And SO He will . . .
JESUS
just ask!
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10-24-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-24-13
(St. Anthony Mary Claret)
Continuing on the theme of sin and death,
righteousness and eternal life,
St. Paul said, “For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Rom 6:19-23
Wages are payments for employment.
When we employ our efforts towards sin,
our salary is death.
Gift, on the other hand, is freely given,
and sometimes not even deserved (Grace).
And the Gift that God gives us is – life.
Life, not just for the now, but life eternal – forever!
When we believe in Jesus, beloved, our whole life changes
such that sin is no longer desirable to us.
It’s actually repulsive.
And LIFE, and Love, and Kindness
truly become the desires of our hearts.
Come, beloved,
believe and Live!
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10-23-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-23-13
(St. John of Capistrano, Franciscan Friar, Priest)
Jesus said to his disciples: “Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known
the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect,
the Son of Man will come.” Lk 12:39-48
On that hour, in that moment, beloved, when Jesus comes to us,
what will we say, what will we do? Will we even know it’s Jesus
in that poor beggar, in that stranger with a question, in that
foreigner who can understand? Will we ignore, get angry,
or purposely avoid encounter?
The Son of Man WILL come!
Will we recognize Him in the Whispers?
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10-22-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-22-13
(Blessed Pope John Paul II)
St. Paul said, “Through one man (Adam) sin entered the world, and through sin,
death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned.“
Yet, “If by that one person’s transgression (sin) the many died,
how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the
one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many.“
Thus, “just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all,
so, through one righteous act acquittal and life came to all.” Rom 5:12-21
THROUGH Jesus Christ, beloved,
we (you and I)
are REDEEMED.
By our Baptism, death has been
buried under the water,
that we might be REBORN
into eternal life:
A life of Belief, a life of Love, a life of Community.
Jesus!
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10-21-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-21-13
Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, prophesied in thanksgiving to God,
“This was the oath he (God) swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies, free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.“ Lk 1:69-75
To set us free, beloved, through the sacrifice of Jesus.
And even if that freedom might be withheld bodily, we are
always free in spirit to worship and believe and love,
just as Jesus taught.
Pray tonight beloved, for those who are persecuted for their faith.
May our Loving God bless them and keep them safe!
In Jesus’ Name we pray.
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10-20-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-20-13
(29th Sunday Ordinary Time C)
St. Paul said, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.“ 2 Tm 3:14-4:2
So it just might make us wonder what holding Moses’ hands up in order to “mow” the Amaleks has to do with anything “good,” as we read in the First Scripture reading today.
Well, the hidden key to all the Scriptures today is the word “persistence.” In order for the Israelites to win the battle, Moses had to be persistent. And even when his arms could no longer hold those hands up – Moses had a community to help him STAY persistent –
by holding his arms up themselves!
“As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight, but when he let his hands rest, Amalek had the better of the fight. Moses’ hands, however, grew tired; so they put a rock in place for him to sit on. Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other,“ Ex 17:8-13
St. Paul exhorted Timothy to “Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed,“
2 Tm 3:14-4:2 So we are to persevere in our faith and persist in our prayer.
(Link to homily on Persistence and Perseverance).
In the Gospel today, Jesus tells a parable about an “dishonest” judge who was persistently pestered by a woman who wanted justice. The judge finally responded: “because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her“ Lk 18:1-8
So our Whisper for today is the word Persistence.
Persistence in prayer, that the Will of God be done in all things,
will always bear results, beloved!
Trust in Jesus!
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10-19-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-19-13
Jesus warned His disciples about forthcoming persecutions of those
who believe in Him. And He said, “do not worry about how or what your
defense will be or about what you are to say. For the Holy Spirit will teach
you at that moment what you should say.“ Lk 12:8-12
It takes FAITH!
Trust in the Lord, beloved!
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10-18-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-18-13
(St. Luke, the Evangelist)
Jesus said, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way; . . . first say, ‘Peace to this household.’
. . . and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’” Lk 10:1-9
Jesus was THE Greatest Healer.
He was able to heal both body and soul.
And, as both are intimately united, the healing of one
would ultimately lead to the healing of the other as well.
From leprosy to blindness, from mental disorders to
simple ignorance of their actions, Jesus healed!
Sacrifice, Strength, Service
St. Luke was also quite a remarkable healer. Being a physician, Luke was also able to heal people bodily, just as our doctors do today.
Yet, beyond the physical, through the working of the Holy Spirit, St. Luke was gifted with the ability to heal people spiritually through the writings of his Gospel about the life of Jesus and about the early Church in the Book of Acts.
.
You see, brothers and sisters in Christ, we too can be witnesses to the great healing power of Jesus, through His Word, as told by Luke the Evangelist, now, even 2000 years later.
Though each of the four Gospel Evangelists,
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,
had their own unique writing styles, Luke wrote particularly to the
attention of the poor and the Gentile audience. His Gospel included
the stories of Naaman the Syrian, the Widow at Zarephath, the Good Samaritan,
and Jesus’ healing of the one grateful leper of ten, that we just heard Sunday.
All of these are examples of Luke’s consideration of the Gentile audience
from the point of view of Jesus’ love for everyone.
For you see, Luke himself, being a Greek, Gentile, was converted
to Christianity by St. Paul in Antioch around the year 51 AD.
And we all know that there is no better way to relate
to others than having been there ourselves.
Luke also stressed the importance of Sacrifice in his Gospel.
From the Passion of Jesus to the importance of our own daily sacrifice
for living each day as a member of His Body, we too are called,
just as St. Paul was, to overcome desertion, and persecution,
and abuse, and attack for the sake of proclaiming
that healing Word of Jesus;
for the sake of the Love of one another
that Jesus professed for us.
And that makes us, beloved, just as important as
Luke, or Matthew, or Mark, or John,
for saving the lives of every person we cross paths with.
The Peace and the Kingdom BE
with You!
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10-17-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-17-13
(St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr)
“My soul waits for the LORD
more than sentinels wait for the dawn.“ Ps 130
If you ever drove a full day and night, 16-19 hours straight, you know what it means to be waiting for the dawn. You know what it’s like when the alligators and bears come jumping in your path in the pitch blackness of a night with no sleep. OH the dawn. And then it happens. A faint glimmer of light on the horizon. And in no time, you’re awake again. The “ninth” wind to keep the sails billowing and a destination nearly in sight.
Jesus came to free us from sin. And now, as we await our reunion, our souls long for Him like a deer longing for streams of water, or a sentinel for the dawn, or a long distance driver for that final destination. Hang on beloved. He WILL come!
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10-16-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-16-13
St. Paul said, “You, O man, are without excuse, every one of you who passes judgment.
For by the standard by which you judge another you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the very same things.“ Rom 2:1-11
Today’s readings all contain the theme of Judgment. And within that theme, they all tell us that WE are not the ones to be judging others. That, is in the hands of God. But as we judge, so will we BE judged. Funny, as we so often tend to look at others, we always seem to find this to be the case. The very thing they complain about is the very thing they do or become themselves, in no time at all. And if that’s true, then we don’t even have to look at others, beloved. All we need do is look at ourselves. And when we discover that TRUTH in ourselves, then it hits our very hearts – Don’t Judge!
The more we can let go of the judging, the happier we become.
The Psalmist said, “Only in God is my soul at rest; from him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold;
I shall not be disturbed at all.“ Psalm 62
And the simple solution:
FOCUS ON GOD, ALWAYS,
and all the rest will fall in it’s proper place.
God love you,
beloved!
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10-15-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-15-13
(St. Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church)
St. Paul said, “Brothers and sisters: I am not ashamed of the Gospel.
It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes“ Rom 1:16-25
Believe, therefore, in Jesus Christ and be saved!
Song based on St. Teresa’s prayer . . .
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10-14-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-14-13
Jesus said, “there is something greater than Solomon here . . .
and there is something greater than Jonah here.“ Lk 11:29-32
Greater than the greatest Wisdom ever.
Greater than the boldest, bravest Messenger.
That “greater” is Jesus himself.
St. Paul called himself a “slave for Christ” in that he was “called“
and “set apart” for the Gospel of God. Which he further defined as:
“the Gospel about his (God’s) Son, descended from David according to the flesh,
but established as Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness
through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom 1:1-7
A Gospel that tells us that:
we “also, are called to belong to Jesus Christ . . .
called to be holy.” Rom 1:1-7
Thus, like Paul, we submit to the “yoke” of Christ,
for the freedom of eternal life.
The yoke of LOVE!
May your blessings be abundant this week, beloved.
And may His Love brighten your lives!
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10-13-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-13-13
(28th Sunday, Ordinary Time C)
Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times
at the word of Elisha, the man of God. His flesh became again like
the flesh of a little child, and he was clean of his leprosy. 2 Kgs 5:14-17
I just love the story of Naaman.
I use it when talking about Baptism, showing how it prefigured baptism:
the baptism of John and Jesus and you and I.
It’s also a great example of GRACE.
For here was an enemy of the Israelites,
and a non-Jew, healed by the God of the Jews.
Just goes to prove that God is the God of ALL.
And Elisha the prophet would take no credit or payment.
Because all the credit went to God.
And through Elisha, God had won a new convert in Naaman!
Grace – God’s unmerited favor – given to everyone,
even you and I beloved.
How much more awesome can we get!!!
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10-12-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-12-13
“While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out
and said to him, ‘Blessed is the womb that carried you
and the breasts at which you nursed.’ He replied, ‘Rather,
blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.’“ Lk 11:27-28
We can look at Jesus’ response to the woman all by itself and say,
“Yes, those who follow the Word of God will be blessed
because God’s Word to us is for our benefit,
because God loves us.”
But putting it into the perspective of the woman’s comment
makes a world of difference. It’s not just a pretty little saying.
It is SO important that it even takes priority over our own families.
This BLESSEDNESS that comes from hearing and following the
Word of God is The MOST essential thing in our lives.
And then comes family and job and car and cell phone and tv….
We can actually live without all of those.
But NOT without
God!
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10-11-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-11-13
The Prophet Joel cried out:
Proclaim a fast, call an assembly; gather the elders, all who dwell in the land,
Into the house of the LORD, your God, and cry to the LORD! . . .
Blow the trumpet in Zion, sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all who dwell in the land tremble,
for the day of the LORD is coming; Jl 1:13-15; 2:1-2
Sounded pretty ominous! Well it was. Historically, in the time period of Joel, about 400 BC, the land of Judah was ravaged by locusts. And the Prophet foresaw the devastation as a premonition of the end. So he warned everyone to be prepared for the “Day of the Lord.” It would be a day of Judgment. And Justice would prevail!
Jesus also, spoke often about the end times. And the people of his day, as well as our own, had a fair notion of right and wrong, and good and evil. Yet, they were very skeptical of evil doings, and even questioned whether the works of Jesus came from God or from Satan.
But Jesus responded with good old common sense, when He said, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?“ Lk 11:15-26
Hmmm, sounds like the state of our own country and the state of much of the world today. But we won’t get political. Funny though, it’s just as much common sense today as it was 2000 years ago. Whatever seems not to make any common sense – probably doesn’t. And the problem is – that too many people today have lost their bearing on what common sense really is. And like zombies, just as in Jesus’ time, they can be mesmerized by the wrong leaders and the wrong principles.
So what’s the answer? The answer is – that whether we clean house on a personal, or a global scale – we HAVE TO make sure that it’s quickly refilled with the right furnishings. And we’ll know that those furnishings are “right,” when they are based on LOVE and LIFE, on Unity and Community; when they are based on God. Because without these basic, common sense principles, we’ll simply fall again to the whims of a lost world.
In the meantime: WE – you and I, beloved, we give thanks to God for what we DO have. We pray for the world’s and our own – sanity and health and security. And we speak up – whenever we see injustice, knowing that our Hope is in the Justice of God, and that our Salvation is gloriously secure – in the welcoming hands of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
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10-10-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-10-13
Continuing on the theme of prayer, Jesus tells another parable to His disciples
about a man who asks his neighbor for some bread to feed an unexpected visitor.
The neighbor is reluctant to open his home up in the middle of the night,
but, Jesus says,
“I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.
And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.“ Lk 11:5-13
Again, Jesus is speaking about our relationship with God.
A relationship built upon belief, respect, love and
communication, which is prayer.
God knows us. He knows our hearts desires.
And He wants us to be blessed in this life and beyond.
When our relationship between God and our neighbor is healthy,
God will ALWAYS answer our prayers.
All we need do, is ASK.
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10-09-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-09-13
Jesus said, “When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test.” Lk 11:1-4
If we look, only at the surface level, the outside layer of today’s readings,
we come to find that they all have to do with prayer . . .
– Jonah is praying in desperation that the Lord takes away his life,
– the psalmist is pleading for mercy,
– and the disciples, well the disciples are still lost at square one,
trying to figure out HOW to pray.
You see, prayer is extremely important to our Spiritual lives.
It is our communication, our link with God.
And as much as we sometimes might feel that God is not listening to us,
it’s more likely the case, that WE are not listening for His response.
So let’s go, just a little bit deeper, into those readings.
In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is teaching His disciples the very basics of how to
communicate with God. It’s the old ACTS or A-C-T-S acronym.
Do you remember it?
A is for Adoration – we adore you O Lord and “Hallowed be Thy Name”
C is for Contrition – we are truly sorry Lord, so please “Forgive us our sins”
T is for Thanksgiving – in all things we give thanks because,
“Thy Kingdom come and Thy will be done” and
S is for Supplication – asking for all the things we need,
we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.”
You see, the psalmist had it down pat when, in his Sorrow, he Adored, he gave Thanks, and he Asked for mercy! Now we might not be as poetic as the psalmist, but whenever our minds or our hearts get all twisted up into not knowing what to say to God, we’ll find that the Our Father covers it all – A.C.T.S.
And then there was Jonah. Jonah, if you pardon the pun, well, Jonah just missed the boat.
You see, yesterday the psalmist spoke about God marking iniquities. And even though God might mark iniquities, as He did with the city of Ninevah, He always gives the sinner many, many chances to repent, because of His great Love for all of us.
But when WE judge others with hatred or revenge in our hearts, we not only mark them, but we mark our own souls as well. And that’s exactly what happened to Jonah. Jonah knew that the Ninevites were not very good, and he himself judged them worthy of God’s punishment. And by marking their iniquities, Jonah marked his own soul as well.
Even though he knew that God is merciful and gracious, the iniquity that was planted in
Jonah’s soul grew into a huge vine that strangled his own heart and mind and manifested itself as anger, and depression, and hopelessness. So hopeless was Jonah, that he was ready to give up his own life for the sake of his selfish pride.
You see Jonah just kept missing the big picture –
that enormous love of God . . .
– The Love that saved him in the boat,
– the Love that saved him in the fish.
– and the Love that saved him from the evil Ninevites, he hated so much.
And even after all that Love, Jonah’s heart was so entangled in iniquity,
that he missed
– the prayers of Adoration,
– and the prayers of Contrition,
– and the prayers of Thanksgiving.
And all he could do – was complain!
You see, brothers and sisters in Christ, when all that exists in our lives, is complaint, then its time to seek out and eliminate the iniquity. It’s time to open up the bigger picture and discover the beautiful love and mercy and grace of God.
And when we can do that,
then we will truly be able to pray,
and we will hear God’s voice,
Loving us – in return.
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10-08-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-08-13
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities, LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness, that you may be revered. Ps 130
As we continue our story of Jonah today, we hear
Jonah warn the inhabitants of Nineveh that God will be destroying
their city in 40 days. God had clearly marked their iniquities.
But the King of Nineveh acknowledged the warning and repented,
along with all the people and even the animals.
So God relented and Nineveh was saved. (Jon 3:1-10)
If justice is in the hands of the Lord, then who are we
to be marking the iniquities of others. The problem is, that when
God does it, He gives them every chance possible to turn around.
But when we do it, we not only place that mark upon them,
usually permanently, but we unknowingly, also place a mark upon ourselves.
You see, beloved, prejudice, hatred and revenge truly do leave ugly marks
upon our souls.
That’s why Jesus so strongly and often spoke about forgiveness.
That’s why, although both Mary and Martha had their faults,
Martha’s demand for justice out of anger or jealousy, by far
outweighed Mary’s apathy or laziness to help her sister,
which appears on the outside to be her preference
to listen to Jesus instead. (Lk 10:38-42)
Although listening to Jesus is always truly the best of any part,
not causing mortal wounds to our own souls
by marking iniquities on others
is pretty important too.
Jesus loves us so immeasurably,
and all we need to do
is Let Him.
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10-07-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-07-13
(Our Lady of the Rosary)
Two ‘rescue’ stories today, both connected to the most IMPORTANT ONE.
1. In the midst of a stormy sea in a wave tossed boat, Jonah was tossed into the raging water, and the storm broke. But Jonah was swallowed up by a big fish.
After Jonah prayed for 3-days and nights, God bid the fish
to deliver Jonah alive on the shore. Jon 1:1–2:1-2, 11
Jonah prayed, “From the midst of the nether world I cried for help,
and you heard my voice.” Jon 2:3, 4, 5, 8
2. Jesus also tells a parable about a man who was stripped, beat, robbed
and ignored by several people passing by, except for one “good” Samaritan who
dressed his wounds and delivered him from certain death. Lk 10:25-37
3. Both stories connect to the most IMPORTANT event in the history of the world,
the passion and death of Jesus Christ, who was delivered
from actual death, after 3-days in a tomb, in order
to prove to us that there is eternal life after worldly death.
Leaving us with the question – Will we just be cold passers-by,
or will we believe and thus be delivered ourselves
into the loving arms of our God and Father?
Jesus will be waiting to welcome us!
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10-06-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-06-13
(27th Sunday Ordinary Time C)
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”
The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’
and it would obey you. Lk 17:5-10
It was really quite an insult.
It kind of meant that they had a little less faith than none.
But then, who would want to move a tree into the sea anyway?
That wasn’t the point!
The point was that they were asking for something that they
really had no idea, what it was all about.
Jesus was talking about forgiveness, and how forgiveness
came out of love, and how God’s love had to be in their hearts
before they could properly forgive others.
They thought that more Faith would help them be more capable of forgiving
when in their hearts they really didn’t want to.
Faith is not more gigabytes to help us get to
heaven faster or easier.
Faith is trust
that God will spark the flame of LOVE in our hearts,
so that heaven comes to us by what we
have done with it (like forgiving)!
Link to today’s Homily – “The Pity-Party“
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10-05-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-05-13
(St. Maria Faustina Kowalska)
Upon the return of the 72 missionaries, Jesus
“rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, ‘I give you praise, 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.’“ Lk 10:17-24
It took child-like faith for those 72 to venture out into the unknown and
preach the Good News of Jesus, the Messiah, to the people.
And upon their return they reveled in their accomplishments.
You see, it was really the Holy Spirit who gave them
the strength to do what they did.
But Jesus told them not to be prideful and happy over what THEY
accomplished, but because of what God had accomplished through them.
And that for having done what they did, Jesus said,
“your names are written in heaven.”
Remember beloved,
not done for the pride of getting our names written in heaven.
But done because it is our calling and we act with child-like Faith.
Faith in God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit
to do His will.
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10-04-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-04-13
(St. Francis of Assisi)
Jesus sent seventy-two of his disciples out on their first missionary trip.
They were to proclaim the “Kingdom” that Jesus taught:
a Kingdom of God’s love for ALL of his Children.
And yet, He warned them that there would be people and whole towns who
would not accept them. Too many prejudices built up in their minds would
close them off from even listening. It would almost be like offering candy
to a baby, who refused it because she didn’t like the color of the wrapper.
And yet, Jesus told them, “Whoever listens to you listens to me.” Lk 10:13-16
And in turn, ‘whoever listens to me is listening to my Father.’
Are we listening, beloved?
His Word is all around us. Sometimes it might be a strain
to catch it between the noise of the world, but listen closely dear.
For you are here, searching and seeking His Love!! : )
And there it is – in YOUR heart!
May God bless you abundantly and always!
You ARE His beloved!
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10-03-13
As He sent the twelve disciples out earlier,
Jesus today sent seventy-two (other) disciples out on mission.
They were not to take any provisions for themselves,
but were to rely on the kindness of those they visited for food and lodging.
Jesus instructed, “Into whatever house you enter, first say,
‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.“ Lk 10:1-12
Do we offer our greetings of peace to others, beloved,
expecting a pleasant response?
Or do we offer it just because we care, just because we love them,
or maybe even just to help make their day a little better?
Maybe it will, maybe it won’t.
But regardless, we can’t always expect a pleasant greeting in return.
We may have just hit them at a bad time.
And if a pleasant greeting is NOT returned,
we also can not let it ruin our own day!
Jesus said that if there is no peaceful person living in there,
OUR OWN peace will be returned to us!
That’s the peace we’ve received from Jesus.
We throw it (peace) out without a mitt in our own hands,
hoping it will stick where we threw it.
And from there we also hope that it will be thrown to someone else.
PEACE!
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10-02-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-02-13
(Holy Guardian Angels)
Jesus said to His disciples, “whoever receives one child such as this
in my name receives me. See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon
the face of my heavenly Father.” Mt 18:1-5, 10
Guardian Angels
Here for us as well, beloved!
Seek them.
They are Jesus’ helpers!
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10-01-13 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
10-01-13
(Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church)
Love – Simple as a child, yet Complex as our God.
As Jesus traveled from town to town, the disciples would often precede Him to prepare each town for His reception. Sometimes the animosity between the Samaritans and the Jews was so great, they would not welcome him, even knowing the miracles Jesus could perform. This perturbed the disciples to the point of asking Jesus: “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Lk 9:51-56
.
Sometimes, beloved, there’s a fine line between Love and hate.
If someone hurts our loved ones, or us,
our natural human response is to hate them.
But God’s Love goes beyond our “natural human responses.”
Love is Supernatural!
And the supernatural nature of God’s love leads us to a different place
than natural hatred. God’s love says love them anyway.
Pray for them. Hate the sin, but love the sinner.
There is a lot of hatred in the world today, beloved.
And it doesn’t bring the peace we all want.
It doesn’t bring the unity.
But we do have the capacity to be different.
To be “supernatural.”
The Psalmist says, “God is with us.“ Ps 87
and we are with Him.
With the simplicity of a child, we too can LOVE –
as Complex as our God,
with the help of
Jesus
A very BLESSED and happy October to you, beloved!
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. . . . . . .
Happy October beloved!
Please stop by and visit September’s Daily Mass Quotes too…
Link below.
___________________
EARLIER MONTH’S QUOTES can be found
in monthly subcategories of – “Whispers“
Link to Previous Month’s Whispers
Link to Next Month’s Whispers
Link back to Whispers to the Wind
Link to Saint of the Day
(also in Time page, under Liturgical Seasons section)
Whispers to the Wind 