Mark, Chapter 9,
Verse 31-32
31 He was teaching his disciples and telling
them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and
three days after his death he will rise.” 32 But
they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him.
Many
times, we are afraid to ask a
question of the Lord because we do not want to know the answer. We measure
success with an earthly yardstick and not a heavenly one. Christ asks us to
trust in Him. The heavenly yardstick is this as spoken by Michael the
Archangel, “Who is like God?
We
are in a battle with the world, the flesh and the Devil. Let us remember that
St. Michael, along with our Guardian Angel stand to defend us from perdition.
No harm can come to the children of God who place their trust in the Precious
Blood. We must not be afraid to ask for Michaels help and to always call on
Mary the Queen of Angels whose children we are through Christ. We must not be
afraid to question science, literature, or art in its many forms as these
achievements of human works are often pressed into service by the Devil and his
cohorts.
God’s
yardstick, “Who is like God?” leads us to Love Him and to love our neighbors.
Why is this
commandment to love God and our neighbor called the great commandment? Because in these
two are contained all the others, so that he who fulfills these fulfills the
whole law. For whoever loves God with his whole heart does not murmur against
God; does not dishonor His name by cursing and swearing; does not desecrate the
Sabbath-day, because he knows that all this is offensive to God. On the
contrary, he hopes in God; gives thanks and praise to God; sanctifies the
Sundays and holy-days, because he knows this to be pleasing to God; observes
the precepts of the Church, because he knows it to be the will of God that he
should hear the Church; honors his parents; does no injury to his neighbor;
does not commit adultery; does not steal; slanders no one; bears no false
witness; pronounces no unjust judgment; is not envious, malicious, unmerciful,
but rather practices towards every one the corporal and spiritual works of
mercy; and all this because, out of love to God, he loves his neighbor as
himself. Thus, love fulfills all the commandments.[1]
The gift of counsel is “to render the individual
docile and receptive to the counsel of God regarding one’s actions in view of
sanctification and salvation.” Primarily, this gift enables a person to judge
individual acts as good and ought to be done, or as evil and ought to be
avoided. Aiding the virtue of prudence, the Holy Spirit not only makes our
heart docile to search for the truth (as taught by the church) and to accept
it, but also helps us to remember and learn from past events. The counsel given
pertains to one’s own personal sanctification and ultimate supernatural end.
Therefore, this gift prompts the person to ask himself, “Is this act true to Christ and the teachings of this church? Does this
act lead to or strengthen holiness? Will this act lead to heaven?”
Therefore, the gift of counsel enlightens a person to know what must be done at
this particular time, place and circumstance; it also enlightens us to counsel
others who ask for advice and direction. To cultivate this gift, a person
should pray for the help of the Holy Spirit (in particular for the gifts of
knowledge and understanding). Also, continued study of sacred Scripture and the
teachings of the church, especially in the moral issues of the day, provide
fuel for this gift.
Full Flower Moon
Today according to the almanac is a Full Flower Moon;
bring flowers to all the women in your life. Christ always brought His mother
Lilies of the Valley.
Daily Devotions
·
Please
pray for me and this ministry
·
Please
Pray for Senator
McCain and our country; asking Our Lady of Beauraing to
intercede.
The annual Vesak Theravada Buddhism Festival of Lights held at Gangaramaya Temple on Beira Lake in Colombo, Sri Lanka - celebrating the Birth, Life, and Death of the Buddha.
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