'You should never find fault with, accuse or judge anyone but yourself, so that your lips that are destined to praise God, and your tongue on which the Sacred Host so often rests, may not serve Satan as instruments to sully your soul.'

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)

"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42).

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3687419/posts

Saint of the Day — Saint John Chrysostom

The Easter Sermon of St. John Chrysostom
On the Paradoxical Freedom of Poverty as Taught By St. John Chrysostom
St. John Chrysostom on Keeping a Fast
Blood and Water >From His Side - St. John Chrysostom(Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)
Homilies from the Heart, St.John Chrysostom [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Chrysostom on the Poor

St. John Chrysostom: The Prophet of Charity
Benedict XVI’s Nearly Unnoticed Letter on St. John Chrysostom (Fr. Z)
On Chrysostom's Social Doctrine
On St. John Chrysostom's Antioch Years
Synaxis of The Three Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, & John Chrysostom, Jan.30
The Translation of the Relics of St. John Chrysostom (Jan 27 or Feb 9 Julian calendar)
The Easter Sermon of St. John Chrysostom (c. 400 AD)
The Life of Saint John Chrysostom
PASCHAL Homily of St John Chrysostom
The Golden Mouthed Preacher-St.John Chrysostom [Bishop,Doctor of Catholic and Orthodox Churches]

Information: St. John Chrysostom

Feast Day: September 13

Born: 347, Antioch

Died: Commana in Pontus, 14 September, 407

Patron of: Constantinople, education, epilepsy, lecturers, orators, preachers

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Thursday, September 13

Liturgical Color: White

Today is the Memorial of St. John Chrysostom,
bishop and doctor of the Church. St. John, known as
the Golden Mouth, was a very gifted speaker who gave
many inspiring homilies on the Eucharist and on
Scripture. He died in 407 A.D.

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: September 13th

Memorial of St. John Chrysostom, bishop and doctor

MASS READINGS

September 13, 2018 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

O God, strength of those who hope in you, who willed that the Bishop Saint John Chrysostom should be illustrious by his wonderful eloquence and his experience of suffering, grant us, we pray, that, instructed by his teachings, we may be strengthened through the example of his invincible patience. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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Library (5)

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St. John Chrysostom, born in Antioch about 347 A.D., was a great genius. His powerful eloquence earned him the surname of Chrysostom, or golden mouthed. With St. Athanasius, St. Gregory Nazianzen and St. Basil, he forms the group of the four great doctors of the Eastern Church. As Archbishop of Constantinople, his courageous stance against the vices of even the wealthy caused him to be exiled several times. As a result he died in 407, still in exile. In 1204 his body was brought to St. Peter's in Rome but was returned to the Orthodox on November 27, 2004 by Pope John Paul II. His silver and jewel-encrusted skull is now kept in the Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos in northern Greece, and is credited by Christians with miraculous healings. His right hand is also preserved on Mount Athos, and numerous smaller relics are scattered throughout the world. His feast in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite is celebrated on January 27.

St. John Chrysostom
John Chrysostom was the son of a Latin father and a Greek mother; his mother, Anthusa, was widowed at the age of twenty, soon after his birth. Putting aside all thought of remarriage, Anthusa gave all of her attention to her son: she gave him the best classical education of the day, and enrolled him as a catechumen when he was eighteen. He came under the influence of Meletius, patriarch of Antioch, who sent him to the monastic school of Diodore, then baptized him and ordained him lector.

At this time, St. John Chrysostom decided to take his future into his own hands and became a monk-hermit, living in a cave, studying the Scriptures, and putting himself under the discipline of an old hermit named Hesychius. However, his health broke under this austere regimen and he returned to Antioch, was ordained a priest, and began his remarkable career as a preacher.

During the next twelve years, he electrified Antioch with his fiery sermons, filled with a knowledge and an eloquence that were astonishing. It was during this period that he received the nickname Chrysostom, or golden mouth, for his words seemed to be pure gold. In 397, when the see of Constantinople became vacant, the Emperor Arcadius appointed John patriarch, and since it was feared that he would refuse the honor, he was lured to Constantinople and consecrated bishop of the city in 398.

John found himself in a nest of political intrigue, fraud, extravagance, and naked ambition. He curbed expenses, gave lavishly to the poor, built hospitals, reformed the clergy, and restored monastic discipline. But his program of reform made him enemies, in particular the Empress Eudoxia and the Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria. The city in turmoil, his life threatened, John was exiled by the emperor in the year 404.

The papal envoys were imprisoned, and John — defended by the pope and ordered restored to his see — was sent further into exile, six hundred miles from Constantinople, across the Black Sea. Worn out and sick, he died of his hardships at Comana in Pontus. His last words were, "Glory to God for all things."

—Excerpted from The One Year Book of Saints by Rev. Clifford Stevens

Patron: Constantinople; epilepsy; orators; preachers.

Symbols: Beehive; chalice on Bible; white dove; scroll or book; pen and inkhorn; bishop's mitre.

Things to Do:

Discuss and implement some ideas on how to follow this idea: "Family life becomes sanctified when parents carry out St. John Chrysostom's plea to make each home a family church."
Cook special foods for this feast--Greek foods or foods with a "golden" color, such as honey.
Imitate the patron of orators, learn how to give speeches, perhaps have a speech contest.
St. John was a great Scripture scholar, and we should follow his encouragement of daily Bible reading and study.
Read excerpts from St. John Chrysostom's writing to see why he was called "golden-mouthed."
Learn more about the Eastern Rite churches.
View some of the world's most famous icons.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Luke 6:27-38

Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Memorial)

Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:36)

One of the reasons Jesus’ teaching on mercy is so challenging is that we face many opportunities to practice it each day. Like many other challenges, our best defense is a good offense. We are better able to rise to these challenges if we prepare ourselves for them in advance. So what can we do? What attitudes come before mercy?

First there’s love. When Jesus commands us to be merciful, he is essentially telling us to follow the way of love. Love doesn’t seek retribution or “brood over injury”

(1 Corinthians 13:5). That’s why Jesus tells his followers to “bless those who curse you” and “pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:28). So out of love, when a family member says something hurtful, try to hold your tongue instead of lashing out. When someone cuts you off while you’re driving, pray for that person instead of reacting with anger.

There’s also understanding. Pope Francis has said that we are all “a complex mixture of light and shadows” (The Joy of Love, 113). So before you take offense or respond in a negative way, ask yourself, “What might be causing this person to act in this way?” If you step back and take the time to understand a person and the complicated factors that might lead people to do what they do, you may find it easier to be compassionate and thus merciful.

Third, there’s self-awareness. You too are a mixture of “light and shadows.” Yet it’s so very easy to see the plank in a brother’s or sister’s eye but fail to see the beam in your own (Matthew 7:3). When you regularly examine your heart, you are constantly reminded of your own weaknesses. As you become more alert to your own need for God’s compassion and forbearance, it becomes easier to forgive other people and show them mercy.

Because we are a work in progress, we will probably always struggle with the call to be merciful. But how blessed we are that God is merciful to us! As we do our part to prepare our hearts, he will pour out his grace upon us day by day. May we become his face of mercy to all we encounter each day!

“Jesus, grant me the grace this day to show mercy, just as your Father has shown me mercy.”

1 Corinthians 8:1-7, 11-13
Psalm 139:1-3, 13-14, 23-24

Daily Gospel Commentary

Saint Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997)
founder of the Missionary Sisters of Charity
No Greater Love

"Do good and lend, expecting nothing in return"

Perhaps in an apartment or house next to yours there lives a blind man who would welcome a visit from you to read the newspaper to him. Perhaps there is a family that is in need of something of small importance to you, something as simple as looking after their child for half an hour. There are so many little things that are so small that a lot of people forget them.

Don't think have to be a simpleton to do the cooking. Don't think that sitting, standing, coming and going, and all that you do is not important to God.

God does not ask you how many books you've read, how many miracles you've done. He asks you if you did your best for his sake. Can you say in all sincerity: "I did my best”? Even if the best should be a failure, it must be our best. If you're really in love with Christ, no matter how unimportant your work is, it will be better done, from your heart. Your work will bear witness to your love. You can wear yourself out at your work, you can even kill yourself at it, but until it is mixed with love, it is of no value.

Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for September 13, 2018:

Christ died for us. Spouses give their lives daily for each other, and parents for their children. Your sacrifices are worthwhile!

Regnum Christi

September 13, 2018 – A Most High Ideal

Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Father Patrick Butler, LC

Luke 6: 27-38

Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit (is) that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as (also) your Father is merciful. “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”

Introductory Prayer: God the Father, thank you for the gift of creation, including my own life. God the Son, thank you for redeeming me at the price of your own Body and Blood. God the Holy Spirit, thank you for being the sweet guest of my soul, enlightening my mind, strengthening my spirit and kindling the fire of your love in my heart.

Petition: Lord Jesus, help me to actively seek the perfection you desire for me.

Revolution or Civil War? The values that Jesus proposes in his sermon on the mountain might be termed “revolutionary.” Never had the ideal of love been placed so high, demanding such heroism in practice. That’s why what Jesus asks provokes a struggle within me, between the “old man,” who resists this message, and the ideals my Lord places before me. This might be termed a “civil war” played out on the battlefield of my heart.

The Golden Rule: Jesus gives me what has been termed the “Golden Rule”: do to others as you would have them do to you. Since I naturally love myself to the point of desiring all good things and nothing bad to come my way, Jesus exhorts me to transfer that benevolence to others. This requires an effort for me, since I tend towards egoism. What can lift me up out of my smallness, my narrowness?

Becoming like God: God’s plan for me is marvelous. It exceeds my comprehension to hear Jesus tell me to be perfect, not according to a standard of human perfection, but according to divine perfection. My vocation is to become like God – for his divine life to increase in me and for my narrow, egoistic standards to diminish and disappear. I would not strive for such a high goal, if it were not commanded by my Lord. I must trust that he can do it in me. What I have to do is to collaborate with him, seeking him in prayer and discerning his will for me always.

Conversation with Christ: I thank you, Lord Jesus, for wanting to transform me into a greater likeness of God. Without you, this is impossible. With you, everything is possible, even in me with all my weaknesses and limitations. Your will be done!

Resolution: I will transform my way of judging from my point of view to God’s. Today I will strive to put into practice the “Golden Rule”.

Homily of the Day

September 13, 2018

This is one of the hardest teachings in the bible! Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who treat you badly! As human beings we immediately say this is very hard to do. But as followers of Christ, we need to trust and obey him by having a total change of attitude and way of thinking and behaving when dealing with others and establishing relationships.

Our personal struggle with this teaching was challenged when we had an experience with one of our relatives who owed us a substantial amount of money from way back and had no intention of paying the debt. Although hurt, nevertheless, we forgave him and our relationship improved. Recently, this relative fell into a financial trouble again and needed money for his children’s tuition. We were willing to help, but since he did not simplify his lifestyle even if he is in a bind, common sense seemed to dictate to us to stop helping him.

But being Christians, we must not only help in material things but also and more importantly with his conversion from the old life of bad habits to a reformed one of doing God’s will. Condemnation will not change things; only love and care.

We will only be able to love our enemies if we let Jesus live in our hearts. Jesus loved us unconditionally. Nobody is perfect, us included. We need God’s grace and mercy to be humble and to do his will.

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Espa�ol

All Issues > Volume 34, Issue 5

<< Thursday, September 13, 2018 >>

St. John Chrysostom

1 Corinthians 8:1-7, 11-13
View Readings

Psalm 139:1-3, 13-14, 23-24

Luke 6:27-38
Similar Reflections

HIM

"There is one God, the Father, from Whom all things come and for Whom we live." �1 Corinthians 8:6

After the consecration at Mass, at the finale of the Eucharistic prayer and just before Holy Communion, we pray in reference to Jesus: "Through Him, with Him, and in Him..." When we pray these words at this most precious moment, are we giving lip service to God (see Mt 15:8), or are we saying that " 'life' means Christ" (Phil 1:21) and Jesus is Life? (Jn 14:6)

Is everything in our lives done "through Him"? Do we realize emphatically that without Jesus we can do nothing? (Jn 15:5) Are we little children who depend completely on the Lord (Mt 18:3), or are we trying to do our own thing?

Do we live conscious of being "with Him"? Do we practice the presence of God? Are we constantly aware of Jesus' promise that He would be with us always and forever? (Mt 28:20)

Are we aware that the Trinity lives "in" us and we "in" Him? "Test yourselves to see whether you are living in faith; examine yourselves. Perhaps you yourselves do not realize that Christ Jesus is in you" (2 Cor 13:5).

Jesus is the only "Through-Way." We don't need to be "with it" but "with Him." Who cares about the "in thing?" We live in God and He in us (1 Jn 4:16). Live and pray: "Through Him, with Him, and in Him..."

Prayer: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I have been baptized into You (Mt 28:19). May I live accordingly.

Promise: "To you who hear Me, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you and pray for those who maltreat you." —Lk 6:27-28

Praise: St. John Chrysostom accepted the spiritual gift of preaching. His anointed sermons still touch many today in the office of Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours.

A REAL pro-life Constitutionalist.