Splendid

Day's Saints
Alberic of Citeaux, Benedictine
Conan of Iona, monk

Gospel Mk 4:26-34
Jesus said to the crowds:
“This is how it is with the Kingdom of God;
it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land
and would sleep and rise night and day
and the seed would sprout and grow,
he knows not how.
Of its own accord the land yields fruit,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,
for the harvest has come.”
He said,
“To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God,
or what parable can we use for it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,
is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants
and puts forth large branches,
so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”
With many such parables
he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
Without parables he did not speak to them,
but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

+ 

His creation is indeed splendid, and you
are part of what makes it so :) +

Do not judge by appearances. While it seems as if there is an eternity of time to make right our ways before God, there is no such thing. When the new kingdom is at hand, it will appear and no one will be spared. For those who love the Lord, that is not a problem, because they knew the only thing worthy about them was God's choosing to dwell in them.

Yes, everything will change, and the day before the correction, there will be the warning and then it will indeed be time to repent.

Guard against irrational rejection of the truth, for stubborn men go down into the abyss and do not emerge again. Having your own way all the time is not only boring, but entrenches a lie in your heart and one grows to reject God and His Law, to his downfall. The way of righteousness is not to judge other people as if they were lost, but seeing them in error, the loving man, who is just, tries to persuade this brother of the truth, and goes as far as to risk his own life to save him, for the love of a brother, just like Jesus Christ.

Jesus was crucified, actually died, and was resurrected to ascend into heaven to rejoin His Father.  the manner of His death was unpleasant and uncomfortable in the utmost extreme. So much so, that some He loved unusually well, and He joined them to Him in the Passion so others might have eternal life and His saving act be extended in time until today. They, in the excess of love, suffered as Jesus suffered, and died, patiently waiting for the end, so they may hand intact, their sacrifice to Jesus to join to His own so they might be well.

St. Padre Pio, Capuchin

God will illumine you to know what He wants. Wait for Him, and watch steadfastly faithful to Him, and you will not fail to please or be useful to Him, no matter how ordinary your life. In fact, there is no such thing as an ordinary life, for God's love, given us abundantly, is extraordinary in His Heart and Mind. Thus, whether you live in a single room, or in a splendid castle on a hill, both people live to please God, and out of pure love, sacrifice many things to Jesus, to reveal that He is the good shepherd and Lord of all. 

Do not halt your prayers or be interrupted in them by anything else, but the more you are tempted to give up, cry out to Him all the more, that you love Him, and you will always be at His side to please Him, and on the last day, will have nothing to fear, since love has defended you against evil which is foul hatred and lies, murderous acts and violence. In order to put these things to death, He died, and we will be resurrected and awaken to His love as a consequence.

St. Gemma Galgani, Passionist

I know these things as one who has lived what he relates. I do not claim to be perfect or spotless, for I have made mistakes as all men do, but the Lord who loved me, did not cast me aside, but cherished me all the more for my distance, and in time, overwhelmed my sins with His love, and He made my sacrifices fruitful. Thus, in the end, love is all there is that is worthy, and we are privileged to live in perilous times so that we may see the triumph of good over evil and a world free of evil, and abundant with His love.

You have but to reach out to heaven and cry out your love, and you will encounter love, and deprivations and desolation will not matter, because He has emphatically proclaimed His love for all people, great and small.

Splendid

Day's Saints
Alberic of Citeaux, Benedictine
Conan of Iona, monk

Gospel Mk 4:26-34
Jesus said to the crowds:
“This is how it is with the Kingdom of God;
it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land
and would sleep and rise night and day
and the seed would sprout and grow,
he knows not how.
Of its own accord the land yields fruit,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,
for the harvest has come.”
He said,
“To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God,
or what parable can we use for it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,
is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants
and puts forth large branches,
so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”
With many such parables
he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
Without parables he did not speak to them,
but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

+ 

His creation is indeed splendid, and you
are part of what makes it so :) +

Do not judge by appearances. While it seems as if there is an eternity of time to make right our ways before God, there is no such thing. When the new kingdom is at hand, it will appear and no one will be spared. For those who love the Lord, that is not a problem, because they knew the only thing worthy about them was God's choosing to dwell in them.

Yes, everything will change, and the day before the correction, there will be the warning and then it will indeed be time to repent.

Guard against irrational rejection of the truth, for stubborn men go down into the abyss and do not emerge again. Having your own way all the time is not only boring, but entrenches a lie in your heart and one grows to reject God and His Law, to his downfall. The way of righteousness is not to judge other people as if they were lost, but seeing them in error, the loving man, who is just, tries to persuade this brother of the truth, and goes as far as to risk his own life to save him, for the love of a brother, just like Jesus Christ.

Jesus was crucified, actually died, and was resurrected to ascend into heaven to rejoin His Father.  the manner of His death was unpleasant and uncomfortable in the utmost extreme. So much so, that some He loved unusually well, and He joined them to Him in the Passion so others might have eternal life and His saving act be extended in time until today. They, in the excess of love, suffered as Jesus suffered, and died, patiently waiting for the end, so they may hand intact, their sacrifice to Jesus to join to His own so they might be well.

St. Padre Pio, Capuchin

God will illumine you to know what He wants. Wait for Him, and watch steadfastly faithful to Him, and you will not fail to please or be useful to Him, no matter how ordinary your life. In fact, there is no such thing as an ordinary life, for God's love, given us abundantly, is extraordinary in His Heart and Mind. Thus, whether you live in a single room, or in a splendid castle on a hill, both people live to please God, and out of pure love, sacrifice many things to Jesus, to reveal that He is the good shepherd and Lord of all. 

Do not halt your prayers or be interrupted in them by anything else, but the more you are tempted to give up, cry out to Him all the more, that you love Him, and you will always be at His side to please Him, and on the last day, will have nothing to fear, since love has defended you against evil which is foul hatred and lies, murderous acts and violence. In order to put these things to death, He died, and we will be resurrected and awaken to His love as a consequence.

St. Gemma Galgani, Passionist

I know these things as one who has lived what he relates. I do not claim to be perfect or spotless, for I have made mistakes as all men do, but the Lord who loved me, did not cast me aside, but cherished me all the more for my distance, and in time, overwhelmed my sins with His love, and He made my sacrifices fruitful. Thus, in the end, love is all there is that is worthy, and we are privileged to live in perilous times so that we may see the triumph of good over evil and a world free of evil, and abundant with His love.

You have but to reach out to heaven and cry out your love, and you will encounter love, and deprivations and desolation will not matter, because He has emphatically proclaimed His love for all people, great and small.

Tied Up

 Day's Saints
Vincent of Saragossa, Martyr
Blessed Giuseppe Nacimbeni, Franciscan

Gospel
Mk 3:22-30
The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus,
"He is possessed by Beelzebul," and
"By the prince of demons he drives out demons."
Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables,
"How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house is divided against itself,
that house will not be able to stand.
And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided,
he cannot stand;
that is the end of him.
But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then he can plunder his house.  
Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies
that people utter will be forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness,
but is guilty of an everlasting sin."
For they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."

+

Beware, and pay heed to what He says about how a house is plundered; the thief must first tie up, restrain or incapacitate a person before he can help himself to his property.

For us, it is a warning equally applicable, concerning our treasure. We cannot be blinded or bound by evil without our consent, and he knows enough tricks to bind many, and without the mercy of the Lord, they cannot be freed. One may implore the Lord to be freed and do penance to atone for sins, and gain His favor. But do not wait to act, lest you be called before Him and must explain, for what can you says but " I have sinned in your sight and I ask your mercy", as you work to atone. He may allow us to do more when we have stood before Him by way of purgation in suffering because we are not rejoined to Him to remain forever.

Pray for one another, and do not hesitate to do penances for each other, for such a kindness deserves a considerable blessing. If you suffer, do not hesitate to use it to advantage for souls, for you will earn no punishment that way, but rather your eyes will be cleansed so you may see Him clearly, a blessing much desired by holy souls.

Do not be startled or dismayed by what evil men say to gain power over people so that they may plunder and ravage and do all sorts of evil. Those who do such things are anti-Christs, and God gives them no power. Nations might be annihilated, but the children of God will be protected by God, while the enemy is being cast into the shouldering depths of hell. If their sins are revealed to all, they are to be shunned as the evil they are.

Tied Up

 Day's Saints
Vincent of Saragossa, Martyr
Blessed Giuseppe Nacimbeni, Franciscan

Gospel
Mk 3:22-30
The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus,
"He is possessed by Beelzebul," and
"By the prince of demons he drives out demons."
Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables,
"How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house is divided against itself,
that house will not be able to stand.
And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided,
he cannot stand;
that is the end of him.
But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then he can plunder his house.  
Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies
that people utter will be forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness,
but is guilty of an everlasting sin."
For they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."

+

Beware, and pay heed to what He says about how a house is plundered; the thief must first tie up, restrain or incapacitate a person before he can help himself to his property.

For us, it is a warning equally applicable, concerning our treasure. We cannot be blinded or bound by evil without our consent, and he knows enough tricks to bind many, and without the mercy of the Lord, they cannot be freed. One may implore the Lord to be freed and do penance to atone for sins, and gain His favor. But do not wait to act, lest you be called before Him and must explain, for what can you says but " I have sinned in your sight and I ask your mercy", as you work to atone. He may allow us to do more when we have stood before Him by way of purgation in suffering because we are not rejoined to Him to remain forever.

Pray for one another, and do not hesitate to do penances for each other, for such a kindness deserves a considerable blessing. If you suffer, do not hesitate to use it to advantage for souls, for you will earn no punishment that way, but rather your eyes will be cleansed so you may see Him clearly, a blessing much desired by holy souls.

Do not be startled or dismayed by what evil men say to gain power over people so that they may plunder and ravage and do all sorts of evil. Those who do such things are anti-Christs, and God gives them no power. Nations might be annihilated, but the children of God will be protected by God, while the enemy is being cast into the shouldering depths of hell. If their sins are revealed to all, they are to be shunned as the evil they are.

Caring

 It is as much work not caring as it is caring. One can go through life oblivious of the outrageous behavior of nations and their leaders, but what will you say to the Lord when you stand before Him having lived your life as a slob who didn't care?

For me, my pain is private, and if they have any clue, it is hard to tell. I only know I can greet the stranger and welcome the immigrant ( and we have many here). But the Lord is present in my pain, and my happiness is in His embrace that reassures and comforts me, so I may extend it to the other people in my life.

I have said often enough, that we should occupy ourselves doing penance for our sins, so we can so penance for those who do not seek foregiveness because they are afraid to ask, lest they be forbidden.

But if His life tells us anything, He never withheld His mercy or His love, and on too many occasions, those who were leaders were uncaring and saw nothing wrong with treating others as merely disposable objects.

None of us likes to be treated as disposable, as if our feelings do not matter and our pain nothing that requires us to make any effort to care or to comfort. Nevertheless, we all need His care and His love, and we need to realize just how much effort He put into His children's well-being.

To counteract the the violence and destructive hatred in the world, we need to care beyond our strength. We cannot grow weary or give up in despair, because His power is total, not limited like nations and armies.

The earth displays its violence on occasion, and then it is all open and visible to see, nothing hidden, as homes and lives are overturned and destroyed. He cares, whatever happens to us. If we wish it for ourselves, we must make sure we care for others, and then what we have afforded others comes back as our consolation.

In our daily lives, we are meant to ponder and penetrate the mystery of His passion. It was a passonate passion; He cared and spare Himself nothing in order to reach the point of sacrifice which could redeem us. The temple veil was torn from top to bottom, the sky was dark for three hours, and the earth trembled and tossed in the moments after He died, a fact noted in the Gospels.

Do you honestly think that He shows no signs in our world around us of His love for us? You are mistaken. Take hope and comfort one another and do not give up. Do not give up feelings because you are tired of hurting without rest. Jesus did not give up during the three hours He hung crucified. His last act on the cross was to forgive the centurion who lanced His Heart.

Caring

 It is as much work not caring as it is caring. One can go through life oblivious of the outrageous behavior of nations and their leaders, but what will you say to the Lord when you stand before Him having lived your life as a slob who didn't care?

For me, my pain is private, and if they have any clue, it is hard to tell. I only know I can greet the stranger and welcome the immigrant ( and we have many here). But the Lord is present in my pain, and my happiness is in His embrace that reassures and comforts me, so I may extend it to the other people in my life.

I have said often enough, that we should occupy ourselves doing penance for our sins, so we can so penance for those who do not seek foregiveness because they are afraid to ask, lest they be forbidden.

But if His life tells us anything, He never withheld His mercy or His love, and on too many occasions, those who were leaders were uncaring and saw nothing wrong with treating others as merely disposable objects.

None of us likes to be treated as disposable, as if our feelings do not matter and our pain nothing that requires us to make any effort to care or to comfort. Nevertheless, we all need His care and His love, and we need to realize just how much effort He put into His children's well-being.

To counteract the the violence and destructive hatred in the world, we need to care beyond our strength. We cannot grow weary or give up in despair, because His power is total, not limited like nations and armies.

The earth displays its violence on occasion, and then it is all open and visible to see, nothing hidden, as homes and lives are overturned and destroyed. He cares, whatever happens to us. If we wish it for ourselves, we must make sure we care for others, and then what we have afforded others comes back as our consolation.

In our daily lives, we are meant to ponder and penetrate the mystery of His passion. It was a passonate passion; He cared and spare Himself nothing in order to reach the point of sacrifice which could redeem us. The temple veil was torn from top to bottom, the sky was dark for three hours, and the earth trembled and tossed in the moments after He died, a fact noted in the Gospels.

Do you honestly think that He shows no signs in our world around us of His love for us? You are mistaken. Take hope and comfort one another and do not give up. Do not give up feelings because you are tired of hurting without rest. Jesus did not give up during the three hours He hung crucified. His last act on the cross was to forgive the centurion who lanced His Heart.

Grains of Wheat

 Day's Saints
Honoratus of Arles, Abbot
Blessed Giuseppe Antonio Tovini, Franciscan Tetiary

1 Sm 16:1-13 Samuel and the anointing of David

Gospel Mk 2:23-28
As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath,
his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain.
At this the Pharisees said to him,
“Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”
He said to them,
“Have you never read what David did
when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?
How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest
and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat,
and shared it with his companions?”
Then he said to them,
“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

+

God did not make human beings so they could be oppressed by other human beings, and enslaved by those who think they know more than all the rest.

Sufficient to the task was the will of men, to know and love Him and serve Him. Beyond even that, He made men to serve one another by giving good example and doing the Will of God. Neither He make it so difficult to know His Will that they could not succeed; they were not made so God could have something to condemn. But He did make us all to use our minds and our wills and train them to align with His thoughts and Will, for in these He provides what we need to do what pleases Him.

Men in power over others have a double responsibility to make sure laws are reasonable and in accordance with God's Will. He did not intend men to become ravenous beasts, devouring one another in greed. 

The grain in the field was God's gifts to men to sustain their labors and help them live. Do not take away from others what is necessary to live.

Do not empower men who will oppress others, for to cause grief separates God's children from Himself, and He will not bless what separates men from God. He is with men of His own accord, but it is difficult to seek and find what unites to  God. If you empower an immoral man and men sin on account of it, will He not look into the matter and set things straight?

Bring down on yourselves no wrath from God, but do as He asks, for He has only the best in mind for you.