Jesus Promises His Real Presence in the Eucharist

Jesus Promises His Real Presence in the Eucharist
The Real Presence is everything without Him our faith means nothing. Todd
John 6:4,11-14 - on the eve of the Passover, Jesus performs the miracle of multiplying the loaves. This was prophesied in the Old Testament (e.g., 2 Kings4:43), and foreshadows the infinite heavenly bread which is Him.

Matt. 14:19, 15:36; Mark 6:41, 8:6; Luke 9:16 - these passages are additional accounts of the multiplication miracles. This points to the Eucharist.
Matt. 16:12 - in this verse, Jesus explains His metaphorical use of the term "bread." In John 6, He eliminates any metaphorical possibilities.
John 6:4 - Jesus is in Capernaum on the eve of Passover, and the lambs are gathered to be slaughtered and eaten. Look what He says.
John 6:35,41,48,51 - Jesus says four times "I AM the bread from heaven." It is He, Himself, the eternal bread from heaven.
John 6:27,31,49 - there is a parallel between the manna in the desert which was physically consumed, and this "new" bread which must be consumed.
John 6:51-52- then Jesus says that the bread He is referring to is His flesh. The Jews take Him literally and immediately question such a teaching. How can this man give us His flesh to eat?
John 6:53 - 58 - Jesus does not correct their literal interpretation. Instead, Jesus eliminates any metaphorical interpretations by swearing an oath and being even more literal about eating His flesh. In fact, Jesus says four times we must eat His flesh and drink His blood. Catholics thus believe that Jesus makes present His body and blood in the sacrifice of the Mass. Protestants, if they are not going to become Catholic, can only argue that Jesus was somehow speaking symbolically.
John 6:23-53 - however, a symbolic interpretation is not plausible. Throughout these verses, the Greek text uses the word "phago" nine times. "Phago" literally means "to eat" or "physically consume." Like the Protestants of our day, the disciples take issue with Jesus' literal usage of "eat." So Jesus does what?

John 6:54, 56, 57, 58 - He uses an even more literal verb, translated as "trogo," which means to gnaw or chew or crunch. He increases the literalness and drives his message home. Jesus will literally give us His flesh and blood to eat. The word “trogo” is only used two other times in the New Testament (in Matt. 24:38 and John 13:18) and it always means to literally gnaw or chew meat. While “phago” might also have a spiritual application, "trogo" is never used metaphorically in Greek. So Protestants cannot find one verse in Scripture where "trogo" is used symbolically, and yet this must be their argument if they are going to deny the Catholic understanding of Jesus' words. Moreover, the Jews already knew Jesus was speaking literally even before Jesus used the word “trogo” when they said “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” (John 6:52).
John 6:55 - to clarify further, Jesus says "For My Flesh is food indeed, and My Blood is drink indeed." This phrase can only be understood as being responsive to those who do not believe that Jesus' flesh is food indeed, and His blood is drink indeed. Further, Jesus uses the word which is translated as "sarx." "Sarx" means flesh (not "soma" which means body). See, for example, John 1:13,14; 3:6; 8:15; 17:2; Matt. 16:17; 19:5; 24:22; 26:41; Mark 10:8; 13:20; 14:38; and Luke 3:6; 24:39 which provides other examples in Scripture where "sarx" means flesh. It is always literal.

John 6:55 - further, the phrases "real" food and "real" drink use the word "alethes." "Alethes" means "really" or "truly," and would only be used if there were doubts concerning the reality of Jesus' flesh and blood as being food and drink. Thus, Jesus is emphasizing the miracle of His body and blood being actual food and drink.
John 6:60 - as are many anti-Catholics today, Jesus' disciples are scandalized by these words. They even ask, "Who can 'listen' to it (much less understand it)?" To the unillumined mind, it seems grotesque.
John 6:61-63 - Jesus acknowledges their disgust. Jesus' use of the phrase "the spirit gives life" means the disciples need supernatural faith, not logic, to understand His words.
John 3:6 - Jesus often used the comparison of "spirit versus flesh" to teach about the necessity of possessing supernatural faith versus a natural understanding. In Mark 14:38 Jesus also uses the "spirit/flesh" comparison. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. We must go beyond the natural to understand the supernatural. In 1 Cor. 2:14,3:3; Rom 8:5; and Gal. 5:17, Paul also uses the "spirit/flesh" comparison to teach that unspiritual people are not receiving the gift of faith. They are still "in the flesh."
John 6:63 - Protestants often argue that Jesus' use of the phrase "the spirit gives life" shows that Jesus was only speaking symbolically. However, Protestants must explain why there is not one place in Scripture where "spirit" means "symbolic." As we have seen, the use of "spirit" relates to supernatural faith. What words are spirit and life? The words that we must eat Jesus' flesh and drink His blood, or we have no life in us.
John 6:66-67 - many disciples leave Jesus, rejecting this literal interpretation that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood. At this point, these disciples really thought Jesus had lost His mind. If they were wrong about the literal interpretation, why wouldn't Jesus, the Great Teacher, have corrected them? Why didn't Jesus say, "Hey, come back here, I was only speaking symbolically!"? Because they understood correctly.

Mark 4:34 - Jesus always explained to His disciples the real meanings of His teachings. He never would have let them go away with a false impression, most especially in regard to a question about eternal salvation.
John 6:37 - Jesus says He would not drive those away from Him. They understood Him correctly but would not believe.
John 3:5,11; Matt. 16:11-12 - here are some examples of Jesus correcting wrong impressions of His teaching. In the Eucharistic discourse, Jesus does not correct the scandalized disciples.
John 6:64,70 - Jesus ties the disbelief in the Real Presence of His Body and Blood in the Eucharist to Judas' betrayal. Those who don't believe in this miracle betray Him.
Psalm 27:2; Isa. 9:20; 49:26; Mic. 3:3; 2 Sam. 23:17; Rev. 16:6; 17:6, 16 - to further dispense with the Protestant claim that Jesus was only speaking symbolically, these verses demonstrate that symbolically eating body and blood is always used in a negative context of a physical assault. It always means “destroying an enemy,” not becoming intimately close with him. Thus, if Jesus were speaking symbolically in John 6:51-58, He would be saying to us, "He who reviles or assaults me has eternal life." This, of course, is absurd.
John 10:7 - Protestants point out that Jesus did speak metaphorically about Himself in other places in Scripture. For example, here Jesus says, "I am the door." But in this case, no one asked Jesus if He was literally made of wood. They understood him metaphorically.
John 15:1,5 - here is another example, where Jesus says, "I am the vine." Again, no one asked Jesus if He was literally a vine. In John 6, Jesus' disciples did ask about His literal speech (that this bread was His flesh which must be eaten). He confirmed that His flesh and blood were food and drink indeed. Many disciples understood Him and left Him.

Matt. 26:29; Mark 14:25; Luke 22:18 – Jesus says He will not drink of the “fruit of the vine” until He drinks it new in the kingdom. Some Protestants try to use this verse (because Jesus said “fruit of the vine”) to prove the wine cannot be His blood. But the Greek word for fruit is “genneema” which literally means “that which is generated from the vine.” In John 15:1,5 Jesus says “I am the vine.” So “fruit of the vine” can also mean Jesus’ blood. In 1 Cor. 11:26-27, Paul also used “bread” and “the body of the Lord” interchangeably in the same sentence. Also, see Matt. 3:7;12:34;23:33 for examples were “genneema” means “birth” or “generation.”
Rom. 14:14-18; 1 Cor. 8:1-13; 1 Tim. 4:3 – Protestants often argue that drinking blood and eating certain sacrificed meats were prohibited in the New Testament, so Jesus would have never commanded us to consume His body and blood. But these verses prove them wrong, showing that Paul taught all foods, even meat offered to idols, strangled, or with blood, could be consumed by the Christian if it didn’t bother the brother’s conscience and were consumed with thanksgiving to God.
Matt. 18:2-5 - Jesus says we must become like children, or we will not enter the kingdom of God. We must believe Jesus' words with child-like faith. Because Jesus says this bread is His flesh, we believe by faith, even though it surpasses our understanding.
Luke 1:37 - with God, nothing is impossible. If we can believe in the incredible reality of the Incarnation, we can certainly believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. God coming to us in elements He created is an extension of the awesome mystery of the Incarnation.
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/the_eucharist.html

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http://divinemercyandgrace.blogspot.com/

How Great the Father's Love!

How Great the Father's Love!

   After reading today's mass readings I seem to realized how much I need to be forgiven and what a miserable state mankind as a whole is in. We really have reached the level of Sodom and Gomorah, as the state of New York has proven. What a mess.
   As an individual I have violated each of the 10 commandments:
I have not made God first in my life
I have taken His name in vain (there is more to it then just cussing)
I have not kept the Sabbath Holy
I have not honored my Dad and Mom as they deserve
I have been angry for no reason (see the sermon on the mount)
I have looked at women in the wrong sense in my life
I have stolen time from people who needed my attention
I have lied in my life
I have coveted my neighbors wife before ( a much younger me) ( anyone who fantsized about a movie star that was married is guilty)
I have coveted my neighbors material possesions
I contend most of us have done each of these. It only takes a thought....
The bottom line is God's Mercy is greater than our sin. That is why the sacrament of reconcilliation is so important. Yes, we can confess privately to God, it seems to lack the significance of confession.
His love is so Great, the Trinity is love and we can not fathom how great that love is.
Don't let the sun go down on your sin today, confess it and get rid of the near occassion of sin, partake in the Eucharist as soon as possible. Be thankful for so great a love... God bless, Todd

Body of Christ

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Deuteronomy 8:2-3,14-16

The Body and Blood of Christ

Not by bread alone does man live. (Deuteronomy 8:3)
Imagine entering a restaurant where the owner promises: “Our food will give you so much vitality that you’ll never go hungry again. Not only that, you’ll never weaken, get sick, or even die!” Wouldn’t you think that the owner was either a con artist or deranged? Yet in a spiritual sense, this is the claim that Jesus made when he said that he was “the bread that came down from heaven. … Whoever eats this bread will live forever” (John 6:58).
“This bread” that Jesus is talking about is the life that he offers to us every time we celebrate the Eucharist. He is the food that makes us immortal, the drink that quenches our thirst forever. Sound impossible? Not for anyone who believes that “all things are possible for God” (Mark 10:27)!
Have you ever noticed how much of an emphasis Jesus placed on his promise that those who ate of him in faith will live forever: “I will raise him on the last day” (John 6:54)? Imagine: We will have a glorified body that will radiate the very holiness and power of our God!
This promise of the Second Coming pervades the celebration of the Mass. The Nicene Creed, for instance, states that Jesus will “come again in glory.” In the Sanctus, we proclaim: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Even the Memorial Acclamation is emphatic: “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.” This short prayer, in fact, sums up the entire gospel message—and one-third of that prayer is the Second Coming!
At every Mass, we are reminded that Jesus will return. The exact hour is hidden in God’s design, yet we can be certain that he will come again as the King of Love. For this, we should always give praise!
“Lord Jesus, we await your coming. You will come in power, yet in tenderness. May we prepare for your coming by our faith, hope, and love.”
http://wau.org/meditations/current/

Corpus Christi

Mary!

Pray for the intercession of Mary for our nation!

New York Legislature Undermines True Marriage, Family, Society and the Common Good

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New York Legislature Undermines True Marriage, Family, Society and the Common Good
By Catholic Online
6/25/2011
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Republicans and Democrats equally share responsibility for this ruinous legislation and we as Catholics should hold all accountable for their actions

This issue has been framed as upholding marriage equality. This is not the case since one of the principal purposes of marriage is to bring new life into the world. This cannot happen in same-sex marriage. It is not a civil rights issue, but rather a human rights issue upholding the age-old understanding of marriage.Republicans and Democrats equally share responsibility for this ruinous legislation and we as Catholics should hold all accountable for their actions ALBANY, NY (Catholic Online) - The Bishops of New York immediately responded to the regrettable and reprehenisble action taken against true marriage and the family and the society founded upon it on June 24, 2011. First, we offer the response from all of the Bishops of New York:

Statement by the Bishops of New York
"The passage by the Legislature of a bill to alter radically and forever humanity's historic understanding of marriage leaves us deeply disappointed and troubled.
"We strongly uphold the Catholic Church's clear teaching that we always treat our homosexual brothers and sisters with respect, dignity and love. But we just as strongly affirm that marriage is the joining of one man and one woman in a lifelong, loving union that is open to children, ordered for the good of those children and the spouses themselves.

"This definition cannot change, though we realize that our beliefs about the nature of marriage will continue to be ridiculed, and that some will even now attempt to enact government sanctions against churches and religious organizations that preach these timeless truths.
"We worry that both marriage and the family will be undermined by this tragic presumption of government in passing this legislation that attempts to redefine these cornerstones of civilization.
"Our society must regain what it appears to have lost - a true understanding of the meaning and the place of marriage, as revealed by God, grounded in nature, and respected by America's foundational principles."

Next, the personal response from Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn:
"Today, Governor Andrew Cuomo and the state legislature have deconstructed the single most important institution in human history. Republicans and Democrats alike succumbed to powerful political elites and have passed legislation that will undermine our families and as a consequence, our society.
"With this vote, Governor Cuomo has opened a new front in the culture wars that are tearing at the fabric of our nation. At a time when so many New Yorkers are struggling to stay in their homes and find jobs, we should be working together to solve these problems. However, the politicians have curried favor with wealthy donors who are proponents of a divisive agenda in order to advance their own careers and futures.
"What is needed in our state is leadership and not political gamesmanship.
"In light of these disturbing developments and in protest for this decision, I have asked all Catholic schools to refuse any distinction or honors bestowed upon them this year by the governor or any member of the legislature who voted to support this legislation. Furthermore, I have asked all pastors and principals to not invite any state legislator to speak or be present at any parish or school celebration.
"The above request is intended as a protest of the corrupt political process in New York State. More than half of all New Yorkers oppose this legislation. Yet, the governor and the state legislature have demonized people of faith, whether they be Muslims, Jews, or Christians, and identified them as bigots and prejudiced, and voted in favor of same-sex "marriage." It is mystifying that this bill would be passed on the last day of an extended session under the cover of darkness.
"This issue has been framed as upholding marriage equality. This is not the case since one of the principal purposes of marriage is to bring new life into the world. This cannot happen in same-sex marriage. It is not a civil rights issue, but rather a human rights issue upholding the age-old understanding of marriage. Our political leaders do not believe their own rhetoric. If they did, how in good conscience could they carve out any exemption for institutions that would be proponents of bigotry and prejudice?
"Republicans and Democrats equally share responsibility for this ruinous legislation and we as Catholics should hold all accountable for their actions."

http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=41895

Daily Readings for Saturday June 25, 2011

Reading 1, Gn 18:1-15
¹ Yahweh appeared to him at the Oak of Mamre while he was sitting by the entrance of the tent during the hottest part of the day.
² He looked up, and there he saw three men standing near him. As soon as he saw them he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them, and bowed to the ground.
³ 'My lord,' he said, 'if I find favour with you, please do not pass your servant by.
⁴ Let me have a little water brought, and you can wash your feet and have a rest under the tree.
⁵ Let me fetch a little bread and you can refresh yourselves before going further, now that you have come in your servant's direction.' They replied, 'Do as you say.'
⁶ Abraham hurried to the tent and said to Sarah, 'Quick, knead three measures of best flour and make loaves.'
⁷ Then, running to the herd, Abraham took a fine and tender calf and gave it to the servant, who hurried to prepare it.
⁸ Then taking curds, milk and the calf which had been prepared, he laid all before them, and they ate while he remained standing near them under the tree.
⁹ 'Where is your wife Sarah?' they asked him. 'She is in the tent,' he replied.
¹⁰ Then his guest said, 'I shall come back to you next year, and then your wife Sarah will have a son.' Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent behind him.
¹¹ Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well on in years, and Sarah had ceased to have her monthly periods.
¹² So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, 'Now that I am past the age of childbearing, and my husband is an old man, is pleasure to come my way again?'
¹³ But Yahweh asked Abraham, 'Why did Sarah laugh and say, "Am I really going to have a child now that I am old?"
¹⁴ Nothing is impossible for Yahweh. I shall come back to you at the same time next year and Sarah will have a son.'
¹⁵ Sarah said, 'I did not laugh,' lying because she was afraid. But he replied, 'Oh yes, you did laugh.'

Responsorial Psalm, Luke 1:46-47, 48-49, 50, 53, 54-55
⁴⁶ And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
⁴⁷ and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour;
⁴⁸ because he has looked upon the humiliation of his servant. Yes, from now onwards all generations will call me blessed,
⁴⁹ for the Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name,
⁵⁰ and his faithful love extends age after age to those who fear him.
⁵³ He has filled the starving with good things, sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴ He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his faithful love
⁵⁵ -according to the promise he made to our ancestors -- of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.

Gospel, Mt 8:5-17
⁵ When he went into Capernaum a centurion came up and pleaded with him.
⁶ 'Sir,' he said, 'my servant is lying at home paralysed and in great pain.'
⁷ Jesus said to him, 'I will come myself and cure him.'
⁸ The centurion replied, 'Sir, I am not worthy to have you under my roof; just give the word and my servant will be cured.
⁹ For I am under authority myself and have soldiers under me; and I say to one man, "Go," and he goes; to another, "Come here," and he comes; to my servant, "Do this," and he does it.'
¹⁰ When Jesus heard this he was astonished and said to those following him, 'In truth I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found faith as great as this.
¹¹ And I tell you that many will come from east and west and sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of Heaven;
¹² but the children of the kingdom will be thrown out into the darkness outside, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.'
¹³ And to the centurion Jesus said, 'Go back, then; let this be done for you, as your faith demands.' And the servant was cured at that moment.
¹⁴ And going into Peter's house Jesus found Peter's mother-in-law in bed and feverish.
¹⁵ He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve him.
¹⁶ That evening they brought him many who were possessed by devils. He drove out the spirits with a command and cured all who were sick.
¹⁷ This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: He himself bore our sicknesses away and carried our diseases.

http://www.catholic.org/bible/daily_reading/

St. Faustina wrote:

 

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St. Faustina wrote:

O Mary, my Mother and my Lady, I offer You my soul, my body, my life and my death, and all that will Follow it. I place everything in Your hands. O my Mother, cover my soul with Your virginal mantle and grant me the grace of purity of heart, soul and body. Defend me with Your power against all enemies, and especially against those who hide their malice behind the mask of virtue. O lovely lily! You are for me a mirror, O my Mother!   

O Jesus, Divine Prisoner of Love, when I consider Your love and how You emptied Yourself for me, my senses fail me. You hide Your inconceivable majesty and lower Yourself to miserable me. O King of Glory, though You hide Your beauty, yet the eye of my soul rends the veil. I see the angelic choirs giving You honor without cease, and all the heavenly Powers praising You without cease, and without cease they are saying: Holy, Holy, Holy.

Oh, who will comprehend Your love and Your unfathomable mercy toward us! O Prisoner of Love, I lock up my poor heart in this tabernacle, that it may adore You without cease night and day. I know of no obstacle in this adoration, and even though I be physically distant, my heart is always with You. Nothing can put a stop to my love for You. No obstacles exist for me. O my Jesus, I will console You for all the ingratitude, the blasphemies, the coldness, the hatred of the wicked, the sacrileges. O Jesus, I want to burn as 'a pure offering and to be consumed before the throne of Your hiddenness. I plead with You unceasingly for poor dying sinners.

 
 O Holy Trinity, One and Indivisible God, may You be blessed for this great gift and testament of mercy. My Jesus, to atone for blasphemers I will keep silent when unjustly reprimanded and in this way make partial amends to You. I am singing within my soul an unending hymn to You, and no one will suspect or understand this. The song of my soul is known to You alone, O my Creator and Lord!

    I will not allow myself to be so absorbed in the whirlwind of work as to forget about God. I will spend all my free moments at the feet of the Master hidden in the Blessed Sacrament. He has been tutoring me from my most tender years.   
Write this: before I come as the just Judge, I am coming first as the King of Mercy. Before the day of justice arrives, there will be given to people a sign in the heavens of this sort: All light in the heavens will be extinguished, and there will be great darkness over the whole earth. Then the sign of the cross will be seen in the sky, and from the openings where the hands and the feet of the Savior were nailed will come forth great lights which will light up the earth for a period of time. This will take place shortly before the last day.

O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You!
http://www.saint-faustina.com/Diary/DMIMS2.shtml

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Gn 16:1-12, 15-16 Psalms 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20 Mt 7:21-29

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Reading 1, Gn 16:1-12, 15-16
¹ Abram's wife Sarai had borne him no child, but she had an Egyptian slave-girl called Hagar.
² So Sarai said to Abram, 'Listen, now! Since Yahweh has kept me from having children, go to my slave-girl. Perhaps I shall get children through her.' And Abram took Sarai's advice.
³ Thus, after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan for ten years, Sarai took Hagar her Egyptian slave-girl and gave her to Abram as his wife.
⁴ He went to Hagar and she conceived. And once she knew she had conceived, her mistress counted for nothing in her eyes.
⁵ Then Sarai said to Abram, 'This outrage done to me is your fault! It was I who put my slave-girl into your arms but, now she knows that she has conceived, I count for nothing in her eyes. Yahweh judge between me and you!'
⁶ 'Very well,' Abram said to Sarai, 'your slave-girl is at your disposal. Treat her as you think fit.' Sarai accordingly treated her so badly that she ran away from her.
⁷ The angel of Yahweh found her by a spring in the desert, the spring on the road to Shur.
⁸ He said, 'Hagar, slave-girl of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?' 'I am running away from my mistress Sarai,' she replied.
⁹ The angel of Yahweh said to her, 'Go back to your mistress and submit to her.'
¹⁰ The angel of Yahweh further said to her, 'I shall make your descendants too numerous to be counted.'
¹¹ Then the angel of Yahweh said to her: Now, you have conceived and will bear a son, and you shall name him Ishmael, for Yahweh has heard your cries of distress.
¹² A wild donkey of a man he will be, his hand against every man, and every man's hand against him, living his life in defiance of all his kinsmen.
¹⁵ Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave his son borne by Hagar the name Ishmael.
¹⁶ Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
¹² Praise Yahweh, Jerusalem, Zion, praise your God.
¹³ For he gives strength to the bars of your gates, he blesses your children within you,
¹⁴ he maintains the peace of your frontiers, gives you your fill of finest wheat.
¹⁵ He sends his word to the earth, his command runs quickly,
¹⁹ He reveals his word to Jacob, his statutes and judgements to Israel.
²⁰ For no other nation has he done this, no other has known his judgements.

Gospel, Mt 7:21-29
²¹ 'It is not anyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," who will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven.
²² When the day comes many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, work many miracles in your name?"
²³ Then I shall tell them to their faces: I have never known you; away from me, all evil doers!
²⁴ 'Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock.
²⁵ Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock.
²⁶ But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand.
²⁷ Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had!'
²⁸ Jesus had now finished what he wanted to say, and his teaching made a deep impression on the people
²⁹ because he taught them with authority, unlike their own scribes.
http://www.catholic.org/bible/daily_reading/

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Adoration

Remember always the Mercy of God. Receive the Eucharist often. If we have been a blessing to you please donate by clicking the Donate button at the right of this page. All gifts are greatly appreciated. Thanks, Todd   God desires to help us discover the way of truth, in which we are transformed and set free "Human life finds its unity in the adoration of the one God. The commandment to worship the Lord alone integrates man and saves him from an endless disintegration" (CCC 2114). Through his intercession, "Elijah asked God what God himself wished to do: to show himself in all his mercy, faithful to his nature as Lord of life Who forgives, converts and transforms" -- Pope Benedict XVI http://www.catholic.org/hf/faith/story.php?id=41820

St. Thomas More

St. Thomas More, Martyr (Patron of Lawyers) St. Thomas More was born at London in 1478. After a thorough grounding in religion and the classics, he entered Oxford to study law. Upon leaving the university he embarked on a legal career which took him to Parliament. In 1505, he married his beloved Jane Colt who bore him four children, andwhen she died at a young age, he married a widow, Alice Middleton, to be a mother for his young children. A wit and a reformer, this learned man numbered Bishops and scholars among his friends, and by 1516 wrote his world-famous book "Utopia". He attracted the attention of Henry VIII who appointed him to a succession of high posts and missions, and finally made him Lord Chancellor in 1529. However, he resigned in 1532, at the height of his career and reputation, when Henry persisted in holding his own opinions regarding marriage and the supremacy of the Pope. The rest of his life was spent in writing mostly in defense of the Church. In 1534, with his close friend, St. John Fisher, he refused to render allegiance to the King as the Head of the Church of England and was confined to the Tower. Fifteen months later, and nine days after St. John Fisher's execution, he was tried and convicted of treason. He told the court that he could not go against his conscience and wished his judges that "we may yet hereafter in heaven merrily all meet together to everlasting salvation." And on the scaffold, he told the crowd of spectators that he was dying as "the King's good servant-but God's first." He was beheaded on July 6, 1535. His feast day is June 22nd. 
http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=324

Daily Readings for Wednesday June 22, 2011:Gn 15:1-12, 17-18 Psalms 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9 Mt 7:15-20

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Reading 1, Gn 15:1-12, 17-18
¹ Some time later, the word of Yahweh came to Abram in a vision: Do not be afraid, Abram! I am your shield and shall give you a very great reward.
² 'Lord Yahweh,' Abram replied, 'what use are your gifts, as I am going on my way childless? . . .
³ Since you have given me no offspring,' Abram continued, 'a member of my household will be my heir.'
⁴ Then Yahweh's word came to him in reply, 'Such a one will not be your heir; no, your heir will be the issue of your own body.'
⁵ Then taking him outside, he said, 'Look up at the sky and count the stars if you can. Just so will your descendants be,' he told him.
⁶ Abram put his faith in Yahweh and this was reckoned to him as uprightness.
⁷ He then said to him, 'I am Yahweh who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldaeans to give you this country as your possession.'
⁸ 'Lord Yahweh,' Abram replied, 'how can I know that I shall possess it?'
⁹ He said to him, 'Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon.'
¹⁰ He brought him all these, split the animals down the middle and placed each half opposite the other; but the birds he did not divide.
¹¹ And whenever birds of prey swooped down on the carcases, Abram drove them off.
¹² Now, as the sun was on the point of setting, a trance fell on Abram, and a deep dark dread descended on him.
¹⁷ When the sun had set and it was dark, there appeared a smoking firepot and a flaming torch passing between the animals' pieces.
¹⁸ That day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram in these terms: 'To your descendants I give this country, from the River of Egypt to the Great River, the River Euphrates,

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9
¹ Alleluia! Give thanks to Yahweh, call on his name, proclaim his deeds to the peoples!
² Sing to him, make music for him, recount all his wonders!
³ Glory in his holy name, let the hearts that seek Yahweh rejoice!
⁴ Seek Yahweh and his strength, tirelessly seek his presence!
⁶ Stock of Abraham, his servant, children of Jacob whom he chose!
⁷ He is Yahweh our God, his judgements touch the whole world.
⁸ He remembers his covenant for ever, the promise he laid down for a thousand generations,
⁹ which he concluded with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.

  

Gospel, Mt 7:15-20

¹⁵ 'Beware of false prophets who come to you disguised as sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves.
¹⁶ You will be able to tell them by their fruits. Can people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?
¹⁷ In the same way, a sound tree produces good fruit but a rotten tree bad fruit.
¹⁸ A sound tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor a rotten tree bear good fruit.
¹⁹ Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown on the fire.
²⁰ I repeat, you will be able to tell them by their fruits.
http://www.catholic.org/bible/daily_reading/

The Mercy of God in song

Prayer of Manasseh- one of the wickedest Kings of Judah

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Manasseh was one of the wickedest king of Judah and yet he received mercy from God.

The Prayer of Manasseh is a short work of 15 verses of the penitential prayer of king Manasseh of Judah. Manasseh is recorded in the Bible as one of the most idolatrous kings of Judah (2 Kings 21:1-18; 2 Chronicles 33:1-9). Chronicles, but not Kings, records that Manasseh was taken captive by the Assyrians. (2 Chronicles 33:11-13) While a prisoner, Manasseh prayed for mercy, and upon being freed and restored to the throne turned from his idolatrous ways. (2 Chronicles 33:15-17) A reference to the prayer, but not the prayer itself, is made in 2 Chronicles 33:19, which says that the prayer is written in the "history of the seers."
The prayer is considered apocryphal by Jews, Catholics and Protestants. It was placed at the end of 2 Chronicles in the late 4th-century Vulgate. Over a millennium later, it was part of the 1537 Matthew Bible, and the 1599 Geneva Bible. It also appears in the Apocrypha of the King James Bible. Pope Clement VIII included the prayer in an appendix to the Vulgate stating that it should continue to be read "lest it perish entirely."
The prayer is included in some editions of the Greek Septuagint. For example, the 5th century Codex Alexandrinus includes the prayer among fourteen Odes appearing just after the Psalms.^[1] It is accepted as a deuterocanonical book by some Orthodox Christians, though it does not appear in Bibles printed in Greece. The prayer is chanted during the Orthodox Christian and Byzantine Catholic service of Great Compline. It is used also as a canticle in the Daily Office of the 1979 U.S. Book of Common Prayer used by the Episcopal Church in the United States of America|.
The prayer appears in ancient Syriac, Old Slavonic, Ethiopic, and Armenian translations.^[1][2] In the Ethiopian Bible, the prayer is found in 2 Chronicles.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_of_Manasseh

Prayer of Manasseh - A prayer for Mercy

1. O Lord Almighty, God of our ancestors, of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and of their righteous offspring;

2 you who made heaven and earth with all their order;

3 who shackled the sea by your word of command, who confined the deep and sealed it with your terrible and glorious name;

4 at whom all things shudder, and tremble before your power,

5 for your glorious splendor cannot be borne, and the wrath of your threat to sinners is unendurable;

6 yet immeasurable and unsearchable is your promised mercy,

7 for you are the Lord Most High, of great compassion, long-suffering, and very merciful, and you relent at human suffering.
O Lord, according to your great goodness you have promised repentance and forgiveness to those who have sinned against you, and in the multitude of your mercies you have appointed repentance for sinners, so that they may be saved.

8 Therefore you, O Lord, God of the righteous, have not appointed repentance for the righteous, for Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, who did not sin against you, but you have appointed repentance for me, who am a sinner.

9 For the sins I have committed are more in number than the sand of the sea; my transgressions are multiplied, O Lord, they are multiplied!
I am not worthy to look up and see the height of heaven because of the multitude of my iniquities.

10 I am weighted down with many an iron fetter, so that I am rejected because of my sins, and I have no relief; for I have provoked your wrath and have done what is evil in your sight, setting up abominations and multiplying offenses.

11 And now I bend the knee of my heart, imploring you for your kindness.

12 I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned, and I acknowledge my transgressions.

13 I earnestly implore you, forgive me, O Lord, forgive me!
Do not destroy me with my transgressions!
Do not be angry with me forever or store up evil for me;
do not condemn me to the depths of the earth.
For you, O Lord, are the God of those who repent,
14 and in me you will manifest your goodness; for, unworthy as I am, you will save me according to your great mercy,

15 and I will praise you continually all the days of my life.
For all the host of heaven sings your praise, and yours is the glory forever.
Amen.
http://www.theworkofgod.org/Devotns/divmercy/DMercy.htm

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Apostles of Mercy

Apostles of Mercy

{Regarding all those who will proclaim God's Mercy} I shall protect them Myself at the hour of death, as My own glory. (378)

With souls that have recourse to My mercy and with those that glorify and proclaim My great mercy to others, I will deal according to My infinite mercy at the hour of their death. (379)

When I entered the chapel to say goodnight to the Lord before retiring, and apologised for having talked so little to Him when I was at home, I heard a voice within my soul, I am very pleased that you had not been talking with Me, but were making My goodness known to souls and rousing them to love Me. (404)

This morning after completing my spiritual exercises, I began at once to crochet. I sensed a stillness in my heart; I sensed that Jesus was resting in it. That deep and sweet consciousness of God's presence prompted me to say to the Lord, "O Most Holy Trinity dwelling in my heart, I beg you: grant the grace of conversion to as many souls as the stitches that I make today with this crochet hook." Then I heard these words in my soul: My daughter, too great are your demands. "Jesus, You know that for You it is easier to grant much rather than a little." That is so, it is less difficult for Me to grant a soul much rather than a little, but every conversion of a sinful soul demands sacrifice." Well, Jesus, I offer You this whole-hearted work of mind; this offering does not seem to me to be too small for such a large number of souls; You know, Jesus, that for thirty years You were saving souls by just this kind of work. And since holy obedience forbids me to perform great penances and mortifications, therefore I ask You, Lord: accept these mere nothings stamped with the seal of obedience as great things." Then I heard a voice in my soul: My dear daughter, I comply with your request.

..write this for many souls who are often worried because they do not have the material means with which to carry out an act of mercy. Yet spiritual mercy, which requires neither permissions or storehouses, is much more meritorious and is within the grasp of every soul. If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment. . Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasures for themselves, they would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgement with their mercy. (1317)

I desire that priests proclaim this great mercy of Mine towards souls of sinners. Let the sinner not be afraid to approach Me. The flames of mercy are burning Me - clamouring to be spent; I want to pour them out upon these souls....Distrust on the part of souls is tearing at My insides. The distrust of a chosen soul causes Me even greater pain; despite My inexhaustible love for them they do not trust Me. Even my death is not enough for them. Woe to the soul that abuses these [gifts]. (50) http://www.catholic-forum.com/churches/cathteach/divinemercy1.htm If we have been a blessing to you please donate by clicking the Donate button at the right of this page. All gifts are greatly appreciated. Thanks, Todd

Genesis 12:1-9,Psalm 33:12-13, 18-20, 22, Matthew 7:1-5

Genesis 12:1-9

1	Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.
2	And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
3	I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves."
4	So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
5	And Abram took Sar'ai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions which they had gathered, and the persons that they had gotten in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan,
6	Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.
7	Then the LORD appeared to Abram, and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
8	Thence he removed to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.
9	And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.

Psalm 33:12-13, 18-20, 22

12	Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
13	The LORD looks down from heaven, he sees all the sons of men;
18	Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19	that he may deliver their soul from death, and keep them alive in famine.
20	Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and shield.
22	Let thy steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in thee. ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matthew 7:1-5

1	"Judge not, that you be not judged.
2	For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.
3	Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
4	Or how can you say to your brother, `Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye?
5	You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. It is a great honor to you who are married that God, in His design to multiply souls who may bless and praise Him for all eternity, causes you to cooperate with Him in so noble a work. -- St. Francis de Sales Read more: http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/inspiration.htm#20#ixzz1PpzIlxak

Divine Mercy in song

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