For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments, questions, discussion.

1 posted on 08/04/2016 10:20:44 PM PDT by Salvation

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Alleluia Ping

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2 posted on 08/04/2016 10:21:38 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

From: Nahum 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7

The fall of Nineveh interpreted

[1] The shatterer has come up against you.
Man the ramparts;
watch the road;
gird your loins;
collect all your strength.

[3] The shield of his mighty men is red,
his soldiers are clothed in scarlet.
The chariots flash like flame
when mustered in array;
the chargers prance.

Nineveh sentenced for its crimes

[1] Woe to the bloody city,
all full of lies and booty —
no end to the plunder!
[2] The crack of whip, and rumble of wheel,
galloping horse and bounding chariot!
[3] Horsemen charging,
flashing sword and glittering spear,
hosts of slain,
heaps of corpses,
dead bodies without end—
they stumble over the bodies!

[6] I will throw filth at you
and treat you with contempt,
and make you a gazing-stock.
[7] And all who look on you will shrink from you and say,
Wasted is Nineveh; who will bemoan her?
whence shall I seek comforters for her?”

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

2:1-3:19. A brief introduction explaining the significance of the fall of Nineveh
(2:1-2), is followed by a very powerful poem about the assault on and destruction
of the Assyrian capital (2:3-3:19); it is interwoven with feelings of joy at the fall
of the hated city: astonishment at the scale and nature of the violence; and ac-
knowledgment that there is no appeal against God’s sentence. The poem is very
carefully constructed, and follows the logical course of an invasion — the assault
on the city (2:3-13), a description of the crimes that warranted God’s sentence
(3:1-7), a comparison with the fate of Thebes (3:8-11), the weakness of Nineveh
(its army as well as its fortresses: 3:12-17), and finally an “elegy” for the king of
Nineveh (3:18-19).

2:3-4. It is very difficult to capture in translation the full impact of the Hebrew
original. The prophet manages to convey the sheer terror and anguish of the
Ninevites as the Babylonian army pours through the streets and squares of the
great capital of Assyria.

2:7. The “mistress”, literally “she who stands upright”. The original text is not in
good condition. The New Vulgate translates it as “the Beautiful” (woman). What
is being referred to here apparently is the statue of lshtar, goddess of love and
war, much honoured in Nineveh. On seeing the statue destroyed, her devotees
and priestesses would make much lamentation.

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

3 posted on 08/04/2016 10:23:15 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

From: Matthew 16:24-28

Jesus Foretells His Passion and Resurrection (Continuation)

[24] Then Jesus told His disciples, “If any man would come after Me, let him
deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. [25] For whoever would save
his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. [26] For what
will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall
a man give in return for his life? [27] For the Son of Man is to come with His an-
gels in the glory of His Father, and then He will repay every man for what he has
done. [28] Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste
death before they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom.”

*********************************************************************************************

Commentary:

24. “Divine love, ‘poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to
us’ (Romans 5:5), enables lay people to express concretely in their lives the spirit
of the Beatitudes. Following Jesus in His poverty, they feel no depression in want,
no pride in plenty; imitating the humble Christ, they are not greedy for vain show
(cf. Galatians 5:26). They strive to please God rather than men, always ready to
abandon everything for Christ (cf. Luke 14:26) and even to endure persecution in
the cause of right (cf. Matthew 5:10), having in mind the Lord’s saying: ‘If any
man wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and fol-
low Me’” (Matthew 16:24) (”Apostolicam Actuositatem”, 4).

25. A Christian cannot ignore these words of Jesus. He has to risk, to gamble,
this present life in order to attain eternal life: “How little a life is to offer to God!”
(St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 420).

Our Lord’s requirement means that we must renounce our own will in order to
identify with the will of God and so to ensure that, as St. John of the Cross com-
ments, we do not follow the way of those many people who “would have God will
that which they themselves will, and are fretful at having to will that which He wills,
and find it repugnant to accommodate their will to that of God. Hence it happens
to them that oftentimes they think that that wherein they find not their own will
and pleasure is not the will of God; and that, on the other hand, when they them-
selves find satisfaction, God is satisfied. Thus they measure God by themselves
and not themselves by God” (”Dark Night of the Soul”, Book 1, Chapter 7, 3).

26-27. Christ’s words are crystal-clear: every person has to bear in mind the Last
Judgment. Salvation, in other words, is something radically personal: “He will
repay every man for what he has done” (verse 27).

Man’s goal does not consist in accumulating worldly goods; these are only means
to an end; man’s last end, his ultimate goal, is God Himself; he possesses God
in advance, as it were, here on earth by means of grace, and possesses him fully
and forever in Heaven. Jesus shows the route to take to reach this destination—
denying oneself (that is, saying no to ease, comfort, selfishness and attachment
to temporal goods) and taking up the cross. For no earthly—impermanent—good
can compare with the soul’s eternal salvation. As St. Thomas expresses it with
theological precision, “the least good of grace is superior to the natural good of
the entire universe” (”Summa Theologiae”, I-II, q. 113, a. 9).

28. Here Jesus is referring not to His Last Coming (which He speaks about in the
preceding verse) but to other events which will occur prior to that and which will
be a sign of His glorification after death. The Coming He speaks of here may refer
firstly to His Resurrection and His appearance thereafter; it could also refer to His
Transfiguration, which is itself a manifestation of His glory. This coming of Christ
in His Kingdom might also be seen in the destruction of Jerusalem—a sign of the
end of the ancient people of Israel as a form of the Kingdom of God and its sub-
stitution by the Church, the new Kingdom.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

4 posted on 08/04/2016 10:24:51 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible by Darton, Longman & Todd

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading
Nahum 2:1,3,3:1-3,6-7 ©

See, over the mountains the messenger hurries!

‘Peace!’ he proclaims.

Judah, celebrate your feasts,

carry out your vows,

for Belial will never pass through you again;

he is utterly annihilated.

Yes, the Lord is restoring the vineyard of Jacob

and the vineyard of Israel.

For the plunderers had plundered them,

they had broken off their branches.

Woe to the city soaked in blood,

full of lies,

stuffed with booty,

whose plunderings know no end!

The crack of the whip!

The rumble of wheels!

Galloping horse,

jolting chariot,

charging cavalry,

flash of swords,

gleam of spears...

a mass of wounded,

hosts of dead,

countless corpses;

they stumble over the dead.

I am going to pelt you with filth,

shame you, make you a public show.

And all who look on you will turn their backs on you and say,

‘Nineveh is a ruin.’

Could anyone pity her?

Where can I find anyone to comfort her?

Responsorial Psalm
Deuteronomy 32:35-36,39,41 ©

It is the Lord who deals death and life.

It is close, the day of their ruin;

their doom comes at speed.

For the Lord will see his people righted,

he will take pity on his servants.

It is the Lord who deals death and life.

See now that I, I am He,

and beside me there is no other god.

It is I who deal death and life;

when I have struck it is I who heal.

It is the Lord who deals death and life.

When I have whetted my flashing sword

I will take up the cause of Right,

I will give my foes as good again,

I will repay those who hate me.

It is the Lord who deals death and life.

Gospel Acclamation	1S3:9,Jn6:68

Alleluia, alleluia!

Speak, Lord, your servant is listening:

you have the message of eternal life.

Alleluia!

Or	Mt5:10

Alleluia, alleluia!

Happy those who are persecuted

in the cause of right,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Alleluia!

Gospel
Matthew 16:24-28 ©

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. What, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life? Or what has a man to offer in exchange for his life?

‘For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and, when he does, he will reward each one according to his behaviour. I tell you solemnly, there are some of these standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming with his kingdom.’

5 posted on 08/04/2016 10:27:14 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Pray for Pope Francis.

6 posted on 08/04/2016 10:42:32 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

7 posted on 08/04/2016 10:42:43 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

8 posted on 08/04/2016 10:43:05 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

9 posted on 08/04/2016 10:44:05 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

10 posted on 08/04/2016 10:44:54 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

11 posted on 08/04/2016 10:45:54 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Jesus, High Priest

We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry.

Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.

Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.

Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.

Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.

Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder your word and follow your will.

O Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.

Intercede for our priests, that offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Saint John Vianney, universal patron of priests, pray for us and our priests

This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.

The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.

The border contains an altar and grapevines, representing the Mass, and icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.

Melchizedek: king of righteousness (left icon) was priest and king of Jerusalem. He blessed Abraham and has been considered an ideal priest-king.

St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.

12 posted on 08/04/2016 10:47:02 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

13 posted on 08/04/2016 10:47:54 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

3. The Lord's Prayer: OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)

5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

6. Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.

Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.

End with the Hail Holy Queen:
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Final step -- The Sign of the Cross

The Mysteries of the Rosary By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary. The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.

The Sorrowful Mysteries

(Tuesdays and Fridays)

1. The Agony in the Garden (Matthew 26:36-46, Luke 22:39-46) [Spiritual fruit - God's will be done]
2. The Scourging at the Pillar (Matthew 27:26, Mark 15:15, John 19:1) [Spiritual fruit - Mortification of the senses]
3. The Crowning with Thorns (Matthew 27:27-30, Mark 15:16-20, John 19:2) [Spiritual fruit - Reign of Christ in our heart]
4. The Carrying of the Cross (Matthew 27:31-32, Mark 15:21, Luke 23:26-32, John 19:17) [Spiritual fruit - Patient bearing of trials]
5. The Crucifixion (Matthew 27:33-56, Mark 15:22-39, Luke 23:33-49, John 19:17-37) [Spiritual fruit - Pardoning of Injuries]

14 posted on 08/04/2016 10:48:21 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

St. Michael the Archangel

~ PRAYER ~

St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle
Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the devil;
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God,
Cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen
+

15 posted on 08/04/2016 10:48:51 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

From an Obama bumper sticker on a car:
"Pray for Obama. Psalm 109:8"

PLEASE JOIN US - Evening Prayer
Someone has said that if people really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless.
Did you know that during WWII there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every day at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace?

There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America. If you would like to participate: Every evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time (8:00 PM Central) (7:00 PM Mountain) (6:00 PM Pacific), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, and for a return to a Godly nation. If you know anyone else who would like to participate, please pass this along. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have. Please forward this to your praying friends.

16 posted on 08/04/2016 10:49:23 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

August Devotion -- The Immaculate Heart [of Mary]

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The month of August is traditionally dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The physical heart of Mary is venerated (and not adored as the Sacred Heart of Jesus is) because it is united to her person: and as the seat of her love (especially for her divine Son), virtue, and inner life. Such devotion is an incentive to a similar love and virtue.

This devotion has received new emphasis in this century from the visions given to Lucy Dos Santos, oldest of the visionaries of Fatima, in her convent in Tuy, in Spain, in 1925 and 1926. In the visions Our Lady asked for the practice of the Five First Saturdays to help make amends for the offenses given to her heart by the blasphemies and ingratitude of men. The practice parallels the devotion of the Nine First Fridays in honor of the Sacred Heart.

On October 31, 1942, Pope Pius XII made a solemn Act of Consecration of the Church and the whole world to the Immaculate Heart. Let us remember this devotion year-round, but particularly through the month of August.

INVOCATIONS

O heart most pure of the Blessed Virgin Mary, obtain for me from Jesus a pure and humble heart.

Sweet heart of Mary, be my salvation.

ACT OF CONSECRATION
Queen of the most holy Rosary, help of Christians, refuge of the human race, victorious in all the battles of God, we prostrate ourselves in supplication before thy throne, in the sure hope of obtaining mercy and of receiving grace and timely aid in our present calamities, not through any merits of our own, on which we do not rely, but only through the immense goodness of thy mother's heart. In thee and in thy Immaculate Heart, at this grave hour of human history, do we put our trust; to thee we consecrate ourselves, not only with all of Holy Church, which is the mystical body of thy Son Jesus, and which is suffering in so many of her members, being subjected to manifold tribulations and persecutions, but also with the whole world, torn by discords, agitated with hatred, the victim of its own iniquities. Be thou moved by the sight of such material and moral degradation, such sorrows, such anguish, so many tormented souls in danger of eternal loss! Do thou, O Mother of mercy, obtain for us from God a Christ-like reconciliation of the nations, as well as those graces which can convert the souls of men in an instant, those graces which prepare the way and make certain the long desired coming of peace on earth. O Queen of peace, pray for us, and grant peace unto the world in the truth, the justice, and the charity of Christ.

Above all, give us peace in our hearts, so that the kingdom of God may spread its borders in the tranquillity of order. Accord thy protection to unbelievers and to all those who lie within the shadow of death; cause the Sun of Truth to rise upon them; may they be enabled to join with us in repeating before the Savior of the world: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will."

Give peace to the nations that are separated from us by error or discord, and in a special manner to those peoples who profess a singular devotion toward thee; bring them back to Christ's one fold, under the one true Shepherd. Obtain full freedom for the holy Church of God; defend her from her enemies; check the ever-increasing torrent of immorality; arouse in the faithful a love of purity, a practical Christian life, and an apostolic zeal, so that the multitude of those who serve God may increase in merit and in number.

Finally, even as the Church and all mankind were once consecrated to the Heart of thy Son Jesus, because He was for all those who put their hope in Him an inexhaustible source of victory and salvation, so in like manner do we consecrate ourselves forever to thee also and to thy Immaculate Heart, O Mother of us and Queen of the world; may thy love and patronage hasten the day when the kingdom of God shall be victorious and all the nations, at peace with God .and with one another, shall call thee blessed and intone with thee, from the rising of the sun to its going down, the everlasting "Magnificat" of glory, of love, of gratitude to the Heart of Jesus, in which alone we can find truth, life, and peace. — Pope Pius XII

IN HONOR OF THE IMMACULATE HEART
O heart of Mary, mother of God, and our mother; heart most worthy of love, in which the adorable Trinity is ever well-pleased, worthy of the veneration and love of all the angels and of all men; heart most like to the Heart of Jesus, of which thou art the perfect image; heart, full of goodness, ever compassionate toward our miseries; deign to melt our icy hearts and grant that they may be wholly changed into the likeness of the Heart of Jesus, our divine Savior. Pour into them the love of thy virtues, enkindle in them that divine fire with which thou thyself dost ever burn. In thee let Holy Church find a safe shelter; protect her and be her dearest refuge, her tower of strength, impregnable against every assault of her enemies. Be thou the way which leads to Jesus, and the channel, through which we receive all the graces needful for our salvation. Be our refuge in time of trouble, our solace in the midst of trial, our strength against temptation, our haven in persecution, our present help in every danger, and especially) at the hour of death, when all hell shall let loose against u its legions to snatch away our souls, at that dread moment; that hour so full of fear, whereon our eternity depends. An,; then most tender virgin, make us to feel the sweetness of thy motherly heart, and the might of thine intercession with Jesus, and open to us a safe refuge in that very fountain of mercy, whence we may come to praise Him with thee in paradise, world without end. Amen.

Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954

Sacred Heart Of Jesus

Sacred Heart Of Jesus image

Immaculate Heart of Mary

Immaculate Heart of Mary image

Blessed be the Most Loving Heart and Sweet Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the most glorious Virgin Mary, His Mother, in eternity and forever. Amen.

....Only the Heart of Christ who knows the depths of his Father's love could reveal to us the abyss of his mercy in so simple and beautiful a way ----From the Catechism. P:1439

From the depth of my nothingness, I prostrate myself before Thee, O Most Sacred, Divine and Adorable Heart of Jesus, to pay Thee all the homage of love, praise and adoration in my power.
Amen. - - St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

The prayer of the Church venerates and honors the Heart of Jesus just as it invokes his most holy name. It adores the incarnate Word and his Heart which, out of love for men, he allowed to be pierced by our sins. Christian prayer loves to follow the way of the cross in the Savior's steps.-- >From the Catechism. P: 2669

The Salutation to the Heart of Jesus and Mary

An Offering of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Novena Prayer to Sacred Heart of Jesus

Prayer to the Wounded Heart of Jesus

Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart

Meditation & Novena Prayer on the Sacred Heart

Beads to the Sacred Heart

Novena Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

A Solemn Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

The Daily Offering to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Exaltation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin

The Holy Heart of Mary Is, After the Heart of Jesus, the Most Exalted Throne of Divine Love
Let us recollect that God has given us the feast of the most pure Heart of the Blessed Virgin so that we may render on that day all the respect, honor and praise that we possibly can. To enkindle this spirit within us let us consider our motivating obligations.

The first is that we ought to love and honor whatever God loves and honors, and that by which He is loved and glorified. Now, after the adorable Heart of Jesus there has never been either in heaven or on earth, nor ever will be, a heart which has been so loved and honored by God, or which has given Him so much glory as that of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Never has there been, nor will there ever be a more exalted throne of divine love. In that Heart divine love possesses its fullest empire, for it ever reigns without hindrance or interruption, and with it reign likewise all the laws of God, all the Gospel maxims and every Christian virtue.

This incomparable Heart of the Mother of our Redeemer is a glorious heaven, a Paradise of delights for the Most Holy Trinity. According to St. Paul, the hearts of the faithful are the dwelling place of our Lord Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ Himself assures us that the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost take up Their abode in the hearts of those who love God. Who, therefore, can doubt that the Most Holy Trinity has always made His home and established the reign of His glory in an admirable and ineffable manner in the virginal Heart of her who is the Daughter of the Father, the Mother of the Son, the Spouse of the Holy Ghost, who herself loves God more than all other creatures together?

How much then are we not obliged to love this exalted and most lovable Heart?

— St. John Eudes

Today: Immaculate Heart of Mary [DEVOTIONAL]

The Immaculate Heart of Mary [Devotional] Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Saturdays and the Immaculate Heart of Mary [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
The Brown Scapular (Catholic Caucus)
The History of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Catholic Caucus)
Homilies preached by Father Robert Altier on the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Marian Associations Unite to Celebrate Immaculate Heart
Solemnity Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary
FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, AUGUST 22ND
Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

17 posted on 08/04/2016 10:49:54 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

August 2016

Pope's Intentions

General Intention: Sports, That sports may be an opportunity for friendly encounters between peoples and may contribute to peace in the world.

Evangelization: Living the Gospel, That Christians may live the Gospel, giving witness to faith, honesty, and love of neighbor.

18 posted on 08/04/2016 10:50:24 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Daily Gospel Commentary

Friday of the Eighteenth week in Ordinary Time

Commentary of the day
Vatican Council II
Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the modern world, Gaudium et Spes, § 37-38

Seeing the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom

Sacred Scripture teaches the human family what the experience of the ages confirms: that while human progress is a great advantage to man, it brings with it a strong temptation. For when the order of values is jumbled and bad is mixed with the good, individuals and groups pay heed solely to their own interests, and not to those of others. Thus it happens that the world ceases to be a place of true brotherhood. In our own day, the magnified power of humanity threatens to destroy the race itself…

Hence if anyone wants to know how this unhappy situation can be overcome, Christians will tell him that all human activity…must be purified and perfected by the power of Christ's cross and resurrection. For redeemed by Christ and made a new creature in the Holy Spirit, man is able to love the things themselves created by God, and ought to do so. He can receive them from God… Thus He entered the world's history as a perfect man, taking that history up into Himself and summarizing it.(11) He Himself revealed to us that "God is love" (1 John 4:8) and at the same time taught us that the new command of love was the basic law of human perfection and hence of to worlds transformation. To those, therefore, who believe in divine love, He gives assurance that the way of love lies open to men and that the effort to establish a universal brotherhood is not a hopeless one. He cautions them at the same time that this charity is not something to be reserved for important matters, but must be pursued chiefly in the ordinary circumstances of life. Undergoing death itself for all of us sinners,(12) He taught us by example that we too must shoulder that cross which the world and the flesh inflict upon those who search after peace and justice.

19 posted on 08/04/2016 10:52:42 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

'Oh Love, no more sin, no more sin!'

St. Catherine of Genoa

20 posted on 08/04/2016 10:54:16 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794

August 5, 2016

Friday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Na 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7

Responsorial Psalm Dt 32:35cd-36ab, 39abcd, 41

Alleluia Mt 5:10

Gospel Mt 16:24-28

Readings at Mass

August 2016

Pope's Intentions

General Intention: Sports, That sports may be an opportunity for friendly encounters between peoples and may contribute to peace in the world.

Evangelization: Living the Gospel, That Christians may live the Gospel, giving witness to faith, honesty, and love of neighbor.

Friday of the Eighteenth week in Ordinary Time