Whispers – Daily Mass Quotes begins after this Intro.
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Elijah’s Whisper – My Whisper
Then the LORD said (to Elijah), “Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD; the LORD will be passing by.” A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the LORD – but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake – but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was fire – but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound. When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave. A voice said to him, “Elijah, why are you here?” 1 Kings 19:11-13
Why are YOU here, beloved?
Was it to discover magnificent colors? Was it to find colorful music or awesome videos? Was it just curiosity? Was it accidental? Were you really looking for God, for Hope, for true LOVE somewhere in this menagerie we call the web?
Or were you just hiding in a cave, waiting on the Lord to Whisper in your ear – a Word – LIFE! Life, it’s in You! And YOU are beautiful in the Eyes of God, no matter what the world may say or think.
You are Loved!!
Every day the Lord whispers in our ears – Words of HOPE, Words of LOVE, and maybe not even words – just His JOY in our hearts.
Let’s follow the Scriptures of our daily Mass and see if we can catch those Words – simple but beautiful – Whispers to the Wind . . .
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09-30-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 30, 2020
(St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church)
As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding on their journey, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” Lk_9:57-62
In other words, Jesus was telling him that you will not find physical comfort and rest in following Him. At least not in this world. But in the world that Jesus has come to inform us of, that Kingdom of God, there, we will find the rest of union with God. We can experience little glimpses of that kingdom sometimes here in this world, but not to the extent that we will in our heavenly glory. And there is our hope. And there is the true value of following Jesus now and forever.
09-29-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 29, 2020
(Ss. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels)
St. Michael – “Who is like God.”
St. Gabriel – “Power of God and Messenger.”
St. Raphael – “God has healed.”
Jesus said to Nathanael, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” Jn_1:47-51
Angels, we see them throughout the Old Testament, in the Psalms, the Gospels, the Epistles and in the Book of Revelation. There is a whole world around us beloved, which we cannot see. And there are battles. Sometimes we’re the victims and sometimes we’re saved by their invisible interaction with and protection of us.
All we have to do is look around us to see the impact Satan (that fallen angel) has upon the world (people’s evil inclinations) to know of his real and harmful presence. And yet, between our prayer, fasting and dependence upon the holy Angels and the Holy Spirit, we know that we can overcome that evil. Jesus provides us with all those resources to bring us help and healing and strength.
Today we recognize some of those highest ranking, Archangels who brought messages of great importance (Gabriel), who healed the most needy (Raphael) and who fought the battles of evil to renew our hope (Michael). We pray today for their intercession in our lives, in the Name of Jesus, with the heart of the Holy Spirit, and to the Glory of God our Father!
09-28-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 28, 2020
John said to Jesus, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow in our company.” Jesus said to him, “Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you.” Lk_9:46-50
So, we are to dismiss our prejudices, hold back our judgments of others, and love those who love and even hate us. For everything works towards the Good, towards the Glory of God our Father.
09-27-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 27, 2020
(26th Sunday Ordinary Time, A)
Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Phil_2:1-11
The great confession! The early Creed of our Faith. Jesus is Lord of all!
09-26-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 26, 2020
(Ss. Cosmas and Damian, Martyrs)
Rejoice, O young man, while you are young and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart, the vision of your eyes; Yet understand that as regards all this God will bring you to judgment. Ward off grief from your heart and put away trouble from your presence, though the dawn of youth is fleeting. Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come . . . Eccl_11:9-12:8
A word to the young and the wise.
Never forget your Creator!
09-25-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 25, 2020
There is an appointed time for everything,
and a time for every thing under the heavens.
A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant. . . .
a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces. Eccl_3:1-11
If one were to put a board over a beautiful patch of green, living grass, it would not take very long for that grass to die.
Yes, there is a time to embrace and a time to be far from embraces. We call it COVID. It’s one of the nastiest pranks that’s ever been played on humanity. It’s the board that’s starving the world of light, of community, of nourishment and of life. And we’ve allow it’s darkness to oppress us for long enough.
Yes, there is a time to be far from embraces, but wake up world, that time is long done. It’s time to begin to love one another again. Jesus embraced even the lepers. Please pray for our world’s sanity, beloved. We so want it back!!! And in the meantime we also give thanks to God for the hope we’ve been given in Jesus. He is our light and our life! Even if no one else is there, Live in Him and for Him and with Him through it all. And He will bring us back!!! LOVE.
09-24-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 24, 2020
(Our Lady of Mercy)
Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth,
vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!
What profit has man from all the labor
which he toils at under the sun?
One generation passes and another comes,
but the world forever stays. Eccl_1:2-11
C (est) la vie!
. . . means ‘such is life’ or ‘that’s life’. When things don’t go according to plan, some people complain non-stop; while others accept the fact that disappointments are a part of life and get on with it. The expression ‘c‘est la vie‘ is mostly used to downplay a sense of disappointment.
LOVE JESUS!
09-23-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 23, 2020
(St. Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest – Padre Pio)
Two things I ask of you,
deny them not to me before I die:
Put falsehood and lying far from me,
give me neither poverty nor riches; Prv_30:5-9
Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. Lk_9:1-6
These were the goals and accomplishments of St. Padre Pio. And all he did well, beginning with his enormous love of God, of Jesus, of Mary and of all people, expressed in his prayer life, his healings, his ability to read souls, and his uplifting inspiration. All despite his own personal suffering in body and soul.
In keeping the Franciscan charism of poverty, generosity and love, just like Jesus, Padre Pio lived a life of joy. Something we are all capable of with the help of the Holy Spirit!
09-22-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 22, 2020
Blessed are they whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD. Ps 119
And how we pray for the wisdom, courage and strength to know and to keep that Law of LOVE!
Thank you Jesus and the Holy Spirit for showing us the “way.”
09-21-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 21, 2020
(St. Matthew, Apostle)
As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. Mt_9:9-13
St. Paul wrote, grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. And he gave some as Apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the Body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, Eph_4:1-7,11-13
It was one of those “Kodak moments.” Or, as they might have said, in the late, 16th century, a Caravaggio moment. Caravaggio was the Italian artist who was responsible for one of the most famous paintings on the “Calling of St. Matthew,” the tax collector.
Can you just picture it? There he was, sitting at his Custom Post, minding his own business. It was one of those crazy, busy, aggravating days. One of those days Matthew wished he had never gotten up. We all know those days! Between the complainers, the magistrates, the barking dogs and the screaming kids, it was all he could do, not to just leave it all.
And there it was, almost imperceptably wordless, that Finger of God – pointing directly at him. It was Jesus, saying, “Follow me.” Who me? Why Me? And yet, that was all it would take! Matthew was out of there in a flash!
In the stresses of our daily lives, beloved, ever wish it was you! Let me off this crazy roller coaster! And yet, every day, it IS you! For, Jesus is calling every one of us to His peace. He’s calling us to His patience. He’s calling us to insurmountable endurance. He’s calling us to use the extraordinary Gifts He has given to US, to us alone, just like Matthew, to be His Apostles.
Follow me!
And then, just imagine what that painting might look like with US in it, instead of Matthew. Would it be us, behind the store counter? Would it be us in the repair shop, or in the isolated, little accounting cubicle? Would it be us driving that delivery truck, or gardening, or sewing, or walking the sidewalk in support of the unborn, and hearing those words, Follow me!
According to Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus turns this call, of himself, Matthew, into another teaching lesson. For the next thing you know, is that there they were having diner at Matthew’s house. Jesus was good at always visiting the homes of those he called. Just as he still does with us. Remember Zacchaeus, that other tax-collector? Dinner with the Master!
And in making that visit with Matthew, as always, there were those pesky, antagonist Pharisees, like those unrelenting gnats, or those buzzing mosquitos, saying: “Hey, who are they – that You should be consorting and eating and chatting with them?” You see, as always, their jealous, selfish, pompous hearts were obvious from their words.
It was exactly what St. Paul was preaching about today. We’re not supposed to be cutting one another down. We’re supposed to be ONE. And what “Oneness” means is that we accept others for their own individual gifts and talents, without judgment.
So maybe we’re not very good at singing, or accounting, or deep scientific thought. Maybe we’re not experts in organization, or leadership, or communication, or wealth, but somewhere, someone else is!
And instead of being jealous of them, we should be praising God that their talents can help complement whatever our gifts are, in order to make the world a whole lot better place than it would have been without them or us!
It’s an incredible concept, this Oneness. And it may even go against some of our innate, human natures. But when we can embrace the concept of UNITY, of Community, of the Love that Jesus was trying to get us to understand, then our whole lives, and those of the rest of the world, will be transformed into exactly what Jesus was trying to impress on us.
Matthew was not only a part of that Kodak, that Caravaggio moment, but he spent the entire remainder of his life trying to teach others this transforming beauty of – Life in Christ. And two-thousand and twenty years later we’re still learning from the genius of His Gospel’s evangelization . . .
Thanks be to Jesus! And thanks be to the Holy Spirit, living within every one of us.
09-20-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 20, 2020
(25th Sunday Ordinary Time, A)
Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked his thoughts; let him turn to the LORD for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts. Is_55:6-9
Kindness, generosity, forgiveness, power, strength, trust, hope, love, wisdom, knowledge, justice, patience, endurance . . . So far beyond our concepts of the meanings of these – is God’s.
So, there is no outsmarting of God. There is nothing we can say or do to merit the love He has for us. And yet, there it is! And as it should, it shakes us in awe of Him! Deeper than the depths of our deepest canyons, higher than the furthest our mightiest telescopes can envision, smaller than the smallest entity our physicists can conjure, these pale in comparison to the AWE of our God.
And in that awe, we LOVE! We love God our Father. We love Jesus and the Holy Spirit. And we love one another to the very depths of our being, because God is in all of us. And then we rest in God, as we become His Love in our world!
09-19-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 19, 2020
St. Paul, continuing on his theme of Resurrection, said, “What you sow is not brought to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel of wheat, perhaps, or of some other kind. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown corruptible; it is raised incorruptible. It is sown dishonorable; it is raised glorious. It is sown weak; it is raised powerful. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual one.” 1_Cor_15:35-37,42-49
You see, beloved, we ARE that seed, that cocoon, that tadpole, and we are approaching a GLORIOUS transformation into something even more wondrous than the sunflower, the butterfly, or the frog. We are approaching a resurrection into eternal life with God. So, yes, make the best of this mortal life while we can. But know that it is just a preparation for something much much better. And don’t let the covids, or the blms, or the natural disasters, or the human disasters that befall all of us, steal away the Joy of God in our hearts. For He will never desert nor abandon us. He IS our hope and our LIFE! And that we can count on! May He bless us all today and always.
09-18-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 18, 2020
St. Paul wrote, “If Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then neither has Christ been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then empty too is our preaching; empty, too, your faith. . . . If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all.” 1_Cor_15:12-20
Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another,
preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. Lk_8:1-3
Did you ever wonder, beloved, why Jesus preached the Kingdom of God?
Did you ever wonder exactly what that “Good News” was really all about?
Well, if we put ourselves in the place of those early, 1st-Century Jews, we’d most likely find ourselves pretty poor. We’d find ourselves oppressed, not only by our Roman occupiers, but even by our own religious leaders.
And those of us who escaped the poverty would find ourselves working as housekeepers for the royalty, or as tax collectors, or we’d be so incurably sick that poverty wouldn’t even matter to us.
So, what was “the Good News” to those people?
It was FREEDOM! Freedom to make their own decisions. Freedom from oppression. Freedom to be loved, and cared for, and healed. The Good News meant Salvation to the Jews. It meant that despite all they thought they had done to displease God, and were being punished for, would finally be forgiven.
And Jesus was telling them, that it was!
The Good News was and IS, brothers and sisters, that God loved them and loves us – NO MATTER WHAT.
And all we have to do is believe it!
And yet, that Salvation that Jesus came to inform us about, was more than just a good feeling, for now, . . . until we die. The Good News was and is, that life is not complete with mortal death.
There is a Resurrection!
And within that new Life, that resurrected Life, that eternal Life, we will be living in a new Kingdom. And we won’t BE the kings and queens, in this Kingdom, because there will only be ONE King, who IS God.
But the life that we live will so surpass the lives of any king or queen that ever existed in this mortal life, that we’ll just be happy to know – that we have a King who understands what our mortal struggles in this life were all about, because He lived it.
And He won’t “lord” his position over us, to make Himself greater, but instead, He will make US feel even greater – than we ever imagined possible.
And He won’t hate us for making mistakes but He will love us through it instead.
And He will care for us, and love us, and heal us – even when we think we don’t deserve it.
THIS is the Kingdom of God!
St. Paul warned the misguided Corinthians, that if their faith was only about life in this world, then they were the most pitiable people alive.
But with this Good News about God’s unconditional Love for us, and with the Promise of God’s Kingdom in our resurrected and eternal lives, we can BE, simply the happiest people alive, instead.
. . .
Because – we have the Hope, and we have the Love, and like His apostles (female and male) we will follow Jesus wherever He leads us, because –
We BELIEVE!
09-17-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 17, 2020
(St. Robert Bellarmine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church)
After explaining God’s forgiveness in human terms to the judgmental Pharisee, Jesus said to the sinful woman, who bathed His feet with her tears and anointed them with expensive perfume, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Lk_7:36-50
And what is God’s forgiveness in human terms? It’s a judgmental understanding. It’s seeing everything through the eyes of WIIFM (what’s in it for me). ‘Whosoever has been forgiven the greater sin will be the most grateful, will be the most loving of her forgiver.” In human terms everything is a comparison. Which is best? Who is greatest? And how can I be greater than all the rest?
But in God’s divinity, ALL are equally sinners and all are equally forgiven. And with that, we should all be equally loving, not only towards God, but towards one another. Jesus would love nothing more than to see us get over our human pride. It’s not easy, this humanity of ours. I still pray that the cop will finally be just around the corner to catch that &*$ who insisted on tailing inches behind my car and finally passed almost pushing me off the road. Never happens though! And in God’s terms, I should be praying for their safety instead!
I know my weaknesses. And maybe that’s a first step towards recovery, towards the holiness Jesus would like to see in all of us!
___________
Today we extend our prayers for a dear friend and sister in our OFS Order, Linda, who lost her beloved husband PJ. And for PJ that he find peace in the loving arms of his Savior!
09-16-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 16, 2020
(Ss. Cornelius, Pope and Cyprian, Bishop; Martyrs)
Jesus said, “wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” Lk_7:31-35
Are we a part of that family, beloved, a child of wisdom? Have we listened to her lately. Sometimes we call her “common sense.” But she’s only common when we all belong to her. There are those who do not. And their common sense, their wisdom is far from the wisdom of God. When wisdom calls for violence and murder, when wisdom calls for disorder and chaos, when wisdom calls for hatred, distrust and separation, it’s no wisdom at all. At least not God’s wisdom.
God’s wisdom is about love and caring and unity. It’s about life and freedom and patience and forgiveness. It’s about peace and giving and hope and faith (in Him). This IS our family beloved! And when we have lived it long enough within it, it’s pretty obvious who has it and who’s maybe a little lost, and who refuses to be any part of it. Sometimes we can help guide them back and sometimes only God can break that spirit of evil. We pray for them. And we pray for one another, that we may always be connected to our sister Wisdom, especially in times when it seems so many of us have strayed from her side.
09-15-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 15, 2020
(Our Lady of Sorrows)
Jesus’ father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted and you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Lk_2:33-35
The Love of God for us, as shown in the Passion of Christ, can only be mirrored most perfectly through the Passion of His most Blessed mother, Mary. Today we remember that passion of our Spiritual Mother, as the “Sorrows” she endured for love of Him and for the world. Listen to her, beloved and love one another with the passionate love of a Mother for her Son, and as THE Son for His Creation (all of us)!
_________________
The Seven Sorrows (or Dolors) are events in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary that are a popular devotion and are frequently depicted in art. These Seven Sorrows are often depicted as seven daggers stabbed into the heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
- The prophecy of Simeon.
- The flight into Egypt.
- The loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem.
- Mary’s meeting Jesus on the Via Dolorosa. (not in the New Testament)
- The Crucifixion of Jesus on Mount Calvary.
- The Piercing of the Side of Jesus with a spear, and his descent from the Cross.
- The burial of Jesus by Joseph of Arimathea.
It is a tradition for Catholics to say daily one Our Father and seven Hail Marys for each mystery. Ref: Wikipedia
09-14-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 14, 2020
(Exaltation of the Holy Cross)
Jesus said to Nicodemus: “No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Jn_3:13-17
Lifted UP, for us, beloved!!!
That’s LOVE!
JESUS
09-13-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 13, 2020
(24th Sunday Ordinary Time, A)
Jesus told His disciples a parable about forgiveness. The story entailed a master’s forgiving a servant in great debt. That servant in turn, found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused. Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison until he paid back the debt. Mt_18:21-35
Funny how forgiveness, guilt and vindication works, especially in comparison to the opposite – love, freedom and kindness. If we were to kindly compliment and smile at a stranger, there’s a good likelihood that it would cheer up his whole day. As a matter of fact, he might even do the same for others.
But if we were to catch a criminal, as in Jesus’ parable, it almost wouldn’t matter how much kindness we offered him in forgiveness, the guilt of being caught, the fear of what could have happened had he not been forgiven, and the anger at those who have slighted him, would kick him into full vindication mode. “The whole reason I was in this debt situation in the first place was because John, and Bill and Sally owe me so much. So I’ll get them!”
Forgiveness is a very tricky business. But the greatest losers are always the ones who refuse to offer it. Because those are the ones with the greatest guilt, bottled up inside! So, let it go, beloved. Forgive like there will never be a tomorrow. And then move on into tomorrow in total amnesia that it ever happened. Life can be so very much more peaceful. Try it, and you just might be surprised at the result. And always remember that Jesus and the Holy Spirit will give you all the strength you need to accomplish it!
09-12-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 12, 2020
(Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the Blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the Body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one Body, for we all partake of the one loaf. 1_Cor_10:14-22
We ARE one body! The Body of Christ. So Celebrate, beloved, because only through God is this possible. Jesus IS Lord! And we are ONE!
09-11-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 11, 2020
My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the LORD. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God! Ps_84
It’s been 19-years, beloved, and this day still burns in infamy. To many of our younger generation it’s just another event in the history books. And like Covid, it shows a weakness in our armor. We are not invulnerable! And we are subject to attacks by our enemies, our enemies from beyond and even from within our own neighborhoods and families.
We must be very careful with whom we trust. And sometimes it just seems like we can’t trust anyone. But we can ALWAYS trust in the Lord. When we seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we WILL know the Truth! And the Truth will set us free. Free from death and disaster and eternal damnation. Free to live forever with God from beyond this earthly calamity.
Pray, beloved, for all who don’t realize the freedom awaiting them – If they just believed!
Jesus IS our salvation!
09-10-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 10, 2020
Jesus said, “the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” Lk_6:27-38
Therefore, we are to be generous and abundant givers. We are to be merciful and loving forgivers. And through it all we are to love, even the unlovable – IF we ever want to be loved, given and forgiven ourselves. Not done for the sake of the reward, but for the sake of the LOVE of God and of one another!
09-09-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 9, 2020
(St. Peter Claver, Priest)
Jesus said, “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.” Lk_6:20-26
Feeling excluded, beloved? Cast out, shunned, persecuted, worn out, unloved, all alone in a world where solitude has become the norm? Rejoice! Jesus is still and will always be here. And He is just waiting for you (for us) to remember Him!
09-08-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 8, 2020
(Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
The angel spoke to Joseph saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Mt_1:1-23
We celebrate this day to commemorate the birth of Mary through the Holy Spirit’s intervention with her parents, Joachim and Anna. However, since the Scriptures have no mention of this event, it refers to the conception and birth of Jesus.
And just as the Immaculate Conception is often confused with the conception of Jesus rather than the conception of Mary for the same reason, we need to remind ourselves that without Mary, conceived without sin, born of equally miraculous conditions through the Holy Spirit’s blessing, we would have no human/divine Jesus.
And in light of all these conceptions and births, we also need to remind ourselves of the immediate and equally important births of all members of humanity. This respect for human life, of God’s given life, to each of us tells us that we should never disrespect it through abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment or murder of any kind. When we can grow beyond our petty selfishness that causes us to harm others, then we’re growing closer to God, in love with Mary, Jesus and the Saints and in love with one another!
Link to a terrific reference to the Birth of Mary . . .
The Birth of Mary – Link
09-07-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 7, 2020
Again the grumbling Pharisees were complaining about Jesus. This time (again) about whatever He was doing on a Sabbath. Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” Lk_6:6-11
You know, beloved, sometimes the “law” can be twisted into doing more harm than good. Right to speech could be turned into cursing and blaspheming on public TV and movies. Right to choice could be turned into murdering the unborn. Right to protest could turn into riots and disorder. It doesn’t give us carte blanche to disobey the laws we don’t think are fair. But it does give us reason to review and amend our laws to always make sure the dignity of humanity comes first. When protest against racism becomes racism itself, you know the protest wasn’t against racism but for premeditated chaos. Just be very careful, beloved, what you’re voting for vs against and scrutinize the best lesser of the evils!
PRAY and LOVE, love, love!
Happy Labor Day to all who work or need to!
09-05-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 5, 2020
(St. Teresa of Calcutta, Religious)
Brothers and sisters: Learn from myself and Apollos not to go beyond what is written, so that none of you will be inflated with pride in favor of one person over against another. .
We are fools on Christ’s account, but you are wise in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clad and roughly treated, we wander about homeless and we toil, working with our own hands. When ridiculed, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we respond gently. We have become like the world’s rubbish, the scum of all, to this very moment. 1_Cor_4:6-15
So what is “written,” beloved?
Love God and Love neighbor –
at whatever the cost (to pride)! LOVE!
09-04-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 4, 2020
St. Paul said, “Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts,” 1_Cor_4:1-5
Jesus told them a parable. “No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one. Otherwise, he will tear the new and the piece from it will not match the old cloak. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins. And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’” Lk_5:33-39
Today we hear about “judgment,” “justice” and “salvation.” And as usual, the Pharisees were quick to judge every little thing Jesus did. And none of it was ever any good to them, not even His healings, or His miracles.
And yet, rarely did we ever hear Jesus rebuke His adversaries directly, for all the evil that was in their hearts. Instead, Jesus often addressed the deficiencies of the Jewish religious leaders, the crowds, and us beloved, through Parables.
You see, parables can have at least three different levels, or depths of meaning. On the surface level, there’s the story itself. For example, in our Gospel today, we can certainly understand the parable message, because it makes total sense – not to pour or sew something New into or onto something Old. We can easily understand the surface level of the parable from the point of view of practicality.
But what does that “surface level” of a parable have to do with anything that was going on in the situation that Jesus was in with the Pharisees?
Well, on a little deeper level, we can also understand that Jesus was actually criticizing the quickness of the Pharisees to judge something different, something new, compared with all their old customs. And the Pharisees’ gripe this day was about fasting and prayer.
Jesus responds to them with a question of His own in order to test their common sense. He asks, “Does one fast at a banquet or in a restaurant?” Of course, the answer is “No,” because that would be rude to their Host, who put a lot of effort into preparing that banquet.
And then, again indirectly, Jesus is telling them, that He IS that “Host!” And His banquet is a Feast of Love, not jealousy and not judgment. In a slightly deeper way, Jesus is telling the Pharisees that their Old habits aren’t necessarily wrong or bad . . . They just need to be applied with the New perspective – of context and of appropriateness with the situation at hand.
But if those who HOLD too firmly onto the Old ways and thoughts – are challenged with accepting something New, it is also highly likely that when they’re confronted with something new, they’ll just burst or rip, rather than bending.
So the point Jesus was making, in a round about way, without straight-out insulting the Pharisees, was that, as we’d say today, “They needed to lighten up.” Or as the Aussies would say, “Either chill or Bugger out.”
And then on the third level of depth, we find that Jesus’ parables have an impact on our lives too.
For you see, by no fault of ours, and with absolutely no facsimile of reason, we have been thrust into a whole New world. And the impact of that change has affected not only our own, Old actions and habits – of which some may have been pretty good, while others maybe not so good, but it has also impacted the other 7.8-Billion people on the planet.
And out of all those people, some will Bend with the New, and take Good advantage of the change . . . While others will continue clinging-on to the Old, hoping against hope, that one day it will return. And yet, we all know, that’ll never really happen. But in the meantime, they’ll grumble and mope about all that’s been done to them, and point fingers, and perpetuate their own misery.
A third group will use the situation to take advantage of the chaos, working as hard as they can to make it even worse.
Today we can see people responding to this NEW world of ours in all three ways. – The grumpy Old “wine skins;” – the Evil “torn cloakers,” tearing it up even more, on purpose; – and the Good, the Just, the Bending, who can take whatever “New” the world throws at them and turn it into God’s beauty.
St. Paul reminds us today to reserve all judgment for God, and then to seek out His Kingdom of Salvation. It’s all around us, beloved, despite and within the Change, if we just look with the eyes of Faith, with the eyes of Jesus and with a heart of Love!
09-03-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 3, 2020
(St. Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church)
Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him. Lk_5:1-11
DO NOT BE AFRAID!
And drop the world to FOLLOW Jesus!
09-02-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 2, 2020
After Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law and many others in Capernaum, He left and went to a deserted place. The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him, they tried to prevent him from leaving them. But he said to them, “To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been sent.” Lk_4:38-44
Do you ever get that feeling of “clinging” to Jesus as your own? Feeling like no one else on the planet could possibly be as close to Him as you are. And when you hear someone speaking about “your” Jesus, there’s a resentment, an animosity toward them, because no one else has the right to know Him, to love Him as you do!
Well, sorry, beloved, but Jesus didn’t just come for you alone. He came for EVERYONE! As a matter of fact, we should be trying our best to get others to love Him as much, if not more, than we do ourselves. And when they do, there should be an overwhelming JOY in us, instead of a prejudicial hatred or jealousy.
Jesus came to share God’s love with the world, and not just us. And that means the Baptists and the Methodists, the Pentecostals and the Non-denominationals all have the right and the privilege of knowing Jesus, of loving Jesus as much as we do. And we each have our different charisms, like music and spirituality and rite and Sacraments and architecture and history, that Jesus has instilled in us to make us special in one way or another.
When we can learn to see Jesus in others; when we can learn to share Jesus with the world around us; then we’re beginning to be more like what He intended us to be; more like what the Holy Spirit is inspiriting us to be. LOVE!
09-01-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
September 1, 2020
After exorcising a demon-possessed man of his demon, (Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet! Come out of him!”) the demon threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him any harm. They (the onlookers) were all amazed and said to one another, “What is there about his word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” Lk_4:31-37
St. Paul wrote, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God. And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom, but with words taught by the Spirit, describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms. 1_Cor_2:10-16
“What is it about His Word?” We can only understand, Paul tells us, if we embody God’s Spirit of wisdom. All the wisdom of the world will not be sufficient to understand the ways of God. What man could not do of his own meager intelligence, God’s Spirit can do in us whenever we seek Him. Jesus told us that we can move mountains with just a thimble full of faith. Believe and trust in the Holy Spirit and He will fill your spirit with the wisdom to accomplish the impossible. Trust!
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Happy September, 2020, beloved!
God’s blessings always!
Please come visit August’s Daily Mass Quotes too…
Link below.
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