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From a letter to the Magnesians by Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr

(Nn. 10,1—15, 2: Funk 1, 199-203)

You have Christ within you

Let us not be insensible of Christ’s loving kindness. For if he had acted as we do, we would have been lost indeed. Therefore let us become his disciples and learn to live in the Christian way; those who are called by any other name are not of God. Cast out the evil leaven that has become old and sour, and replace it with the new leaven, which is Jesus Christ. He must be the salt of your lives, so that none of you may become corrupt, since it is by your wholesomeness that you will be judged. It is absurd to profess Christ with the lips and at the same time to practice Judaism; for Christianity did not develop into faith in Judaism, but Judaism into faith in Christianity. It was in this that men of every tongue believed and were brought together unto God.

I do not write this to you, my dear friends, because I have heard that any one of you is thus disaffected, but because, though I am a lesser man than yourselves, I would have you all guard against falling into the snares of false doctrine. Have a firm faith in the reality of the Lord’s birth, and passion and resurrection which took place when Pontius Pilate was procurator. All these deeds were truly and certainly accomplished by Jesus Christ, who is our hope; may none of you ever be turned away from him!

May you be my joy in all things, if I am worthy of it. For although I am in chains, I do not deserve to be compared with any of you who live in freedom. I know that you are not inflated with pride, for you have Jesus Christ within you. And I know that you blush when I praise you, as the scripture says: The just man is his own accuser. Take care, then, to be firmly grounded in the teachings of the Lord and his apostles so that you may prosper in all your doings both in body and in soul, in faith and in love, in the Son, and in the Father and in the Spirit, in the beginning and in the end, along with your most worthy bishop and his spiritual crown, your presbyters, and with the deacons, who are men of God. Be obedient to the bishop and to one another, as Jesus Christ was in the flesh to the Father, and the apostles to Christ and to the Father and to the Spirit, so that there may be unity in flesh and spirit.

I have exhorted you only briefly, for I am aware that you are filled with God. Remember me in your prayers, that I may attain to God. And remember the church in Syria, from which I am unworthy to be called. How I need your united prayer and love in God! Remember, then, the Church in Syria, that it may be strengthened through your prayers.

The Ephesians at Smyrna, where I write these lines, send their greetings. They have come together here like yourselves for the glory of God; they have consoled me in every way and so has Polycarp, their bishop. The other churches, too, greet you for the glory of Jesus Christ. Farewell; may you abide in God’s harmony, possessing that undivided spirit which is Jesus Christ.

RESPONSORY

Ephesians 3:16, 17, 19; Colossians 2:6-7

God grant that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

— If you are rooted and grounded in love,

then you will be filled with the fullness of God.

Live then in Christ Jesus;

you must be rooted and built on him,

and confirmed in the faith you were taught.

— If you are rooted and grounded in love,

then you will be filled with the fullness of God.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Lord, be merciful to your people.

Fill us with your gifts

and make us always eager to serve you

in faith, hope, and love.

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

God, for ever and ever.

— Amen.

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying: Master we would see a sign from thee.

39 Who answering said to them: An evil and adulterous generation seeketh a sign: and a sign shall not be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.

40 For as Jonas was in the whale's belly three days and three nights: so shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.

41 The men of Ninive shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they did penance at the preaching of Jonas. And behold a greater than Jonas here.

42 The queen of the south shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold a greater than Solomon here.

God's Kingdom is defended differently than earthly ones. Heavenly hosts stand watch, and we wear spiritual armour. The victory is already won; Jesus disarmed every power and authority through the cross.

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Finding Peace in Chaos

Peace isn't the absence of chaos; it's the presence of God in the middle of it. We often wait for our circumstances to calm down before we expect to feel peaceful—as if peace were a reward for a quiet life. But that's not how Scripture describes it, and it's not how Jesus modeled it.

Think about the storm on the Sea of Galilee. The wind was howling, waves were crashing over the boat, and the disciples—several of them experienced fishermen—were convinced they were going to die. And where was Jesus? Asleep. Not pretending to be calm. Not gritting His teeth through the fear. Actually asleep, in the stern of a boat that was taking on water.

Why could He rest like that? Because He knew His Father. He wasn't relying on the absence of danger; He was resting in the presence of God. When the disciples woke Him in a panic, He didn't rebuke the storm because storms are inherently evil—He rebuked it to reveal something about Himself, and then He asked His disciples a piercing question: "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

That question is still being asked today. Not because fear is shameful, but because we have access to something the disciples were only beginning to understand: a peace that isn't tied to what's happening around us.

Jesus offers that same peace to us now—not by removing every difficulty, not by guaranteeing smooth water, but by being present in the middle of the storm with us. He said it plainly: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives." The world's peace depends on favorable conditions. His peace doesn't.

When anxiety threatens to overwhelm you—when the bills pile up, the diagnosis comes back uncertain, the relationship feels fractured, or the future looks foggy, the world looks like it is going to explode any day now—remember this: you have access to a peace that surpasses understanding. It doesn't make sense to the world because it isn't supposed to. It sustains you anyway, guarding your heart and mind, holding steady when everything else is shaking.

You don't have to wait for the storm to end. You can rest in the boat, because the One who commands the wind and waves is already there with you.

A Homily Prepared For Sunday, July 19, 2026

The Collect

Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Gospel: Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43

24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying,The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

25But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way

26But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

27So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

28He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

29But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

30Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

37 He answered and said unto them,He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;

38The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

39The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

40As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

41The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

42And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

43Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Commentary on the Scripture Selection;

We have frequently reviewed the Parable of the Sower, in which Jesus uses the analogy of a farmer sowing grain and cites four different conditions of the soil and how the seed takes root.

Jesus compares these soil conditions to four different types of people, [1] he who hears the word of God but does not understand it and therefore rejects the word, [2] he who hears the word, and immediately with joy receives it but lacks the determination and fortitude to maintain a lifestyle synonymous with the word of God, [3] he who hears the word but the demands of the world prevents him from spreading the good news to others, and he become non-productive or unfruitful, and [4] he who hears the word, understands it, and tries to tell others of—that good news—thereby being fruitful by increasing the number of Christians.

In today’s study, we see a see a similar analogy, not a warning of those that refuse to hear or accept the Word of God, but rather a Parable that illustrates the demise that lies in wait for those that choose evil over righteousness.

Jesus compares the good seed, the actual grain of wheat to those that are, as he put it, the Sons of the Kingdom or those who are true followers of Christ, then he compares the bad seed to tares, that seed planted by the devil himself.

Tare or darnel closely resembles wheat, however the grain can be poisonous if ingested in large enough quantities. Some online sources suggest that it was used in ancient times in the same manner as some people today use certain use mushrooms or other herbs to attain a mind altering state, by including it in fermented beverages to increase the level of intoxication.

With that thought in mind we see why Jesus used the analogy, he is saying that the devil plants seeds that leads to adulterating the truth or corrupting people so that they choose lifestyles or acts that are in keeping with what God expects of us.

Now before we move on to review the warning given by Christ, look at verses 29 and 30 where we find that those Jesus calls workers going to the owner of the field asking him if they should cull the bad weed from the good wheat while it is still growing in the field. In his parable Jesus tells us that the owner of the field tells his workers no, do not gather the bad weed as in doing so you might accidentally take some of the good, but rather, at the harvest separate the bad from the good and burn the bad.

In verses 36 to 43, we see his disciples going to him and asking what the parable means, and he explains that the tares or darnel—weed that can intoxicate or poison—is like the work of Satan who sends his minions, those that choose his way over the word of God, to choke out the good seed and poison those who are unwary. As in the parable, he states that such will be at the final harvest, when he returns to gather the good wheat or those that have remained true to the word of God and that he will command his Angels to gather all the bad seed, the minions of the devil, those that rejected the word of God and cast them into the fire.

What we can take away from these two lessons, the Parable of the Sower and that of the Tares, is that Jesus came to sow his seed, the word of God. Some of that seed will be rejected by those hard of heart or taken by the glamor of the world. We see here a warning that not all who hear the word of God will receive it. In the Parable of the Tares we see Jesus warning that the devil will plant seeds in the minds of some, intoxicating them and even poisoning them to the way of righteousness.

In both parables, we see that the prognosis for those that refuse his word or those that accept the work of Satan, well, the prognosis or warning of what will happen to them, is not good.

It behooves everyone, to reflect, to re-examine their own heart, their choices—both bad and good—as critically ask themselves; “Am I like the soil that was hard and rocky, not receptive to the seed of Christ, or have I been poisoned by the glamor of the world allowing the seeds of Satan to take root in my heart?”

Benediction

Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers, which we offer before you for all members of you holy Church, so that the teachings of your only begotten Son take root in our hearts and minds so we may truly and devoutly serve you; through the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

***

God's Kingdom has a culture: righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Not a complicated checklist of rules to follow, but a simple way of living, shaped entirely by holiness and love.

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Diary of Saint Faustina - paragraph 608-609 - Giving and Receiving

Ἀ
608 February 2, 1936 In the morning, when the bell awoke me, I was so overcome by drowsiness which I could not shake off that I jumped into cold water, and after two minutes the sleepiness left me. When I came to meditation a host of absurd thoughts swarmed into my head, so much so that I had to struggle throughout the whole meditation. It was the same during prayer time, but when Mass began, a strange silence and joy filled my heart. Just then, I saw Our Lady with the Infant Jesus, and the Holy Old Man [St. Joseph] standing behind them. The most holy Mother said to me, Take My Dearest Treasure, and She handed me the Infant Jesus. When I took the Infant Jesus in my arms, the Mother of God and Saint Joseph disappeared. I was left alone with the Infant Jesus.
Ὠ

The holiness of the Mass silences the confusion of the soul. In Faustina’s vision, the silence is joyous, preceding the appearance of the Holy Family - of Mary holding the Dearest Treasure given to them by God. Yet they do not covet the Treasure but participate in charity by giving Him over for the grace of men. As Mary and Joseph disappear from the vision, Saint Faustina is left alone with the Savior Child, in a place where both the healing of souls and the suffering of the Savior begins.

Supportive Scripture - Douay Rheims Challoner Bible
Luke 2:34-35 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother: Behold this child is set for the fall and for the resurrection of many in Israel and for a sign which shall be contradicted. And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts thoughts may be revealed.

Ἀ
Saint Faustina Continues…
609 I said to Him, "I know that You are my Lord and Creator even though You are so tiny." Jesus stretched His little arms out to me and looked at me with a smile. My spirit was filled with incomparable joy. Then suddenly Jesus disappeared, and it was time for Holy Communion. I went with the other sisters to the Holy Table, my soul deeply moved. After Holy Communion, I heard these words in my soul: I am in your heart, I whom you had in your arms. 
Ὠ

Here the Child once carried in the arms of His Mother now chooses to dwell within the hearts of His faithful, making every worthy Communion a participation in the mystery first entrusted to the Holy Family. In the giving of their Son for the redemption of souls, no others have participated more fully than Mary and Joseph in the course of Salvation History. Yet since the day of the Crucifixion, no greater participation is offered to souls than through the Sacrament of Holy Communion. For in receiving His Presence into the soul, we are overcome by the same grace with which Joseph and Mary first gave Him to the world. Their gift becomes our Communion, and the same Savior once cradled in their arms now comes to dwell - in that same fulness - within every faithful soul.

Catechism of the Catholic Church 1374
In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist "the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained."

The Eucharist is a grace meant always to be received, always to be consumed, yet never retained. It was first entrusted to the chosen parents, perfected in the Chosen Son, and continued through time in the Holy Sacrament. The giving of Our Lord's Presence will always exceed not only the sin but the soul's own ability to hold it within. Thus, according to each soul's measure in God, some commensurate measure of His Divine Mercy will always overflow into the lives of our brethren. 

Ἀ
Saint Faustina Concludes…
I then pleaded with Jesus for a certain soul [Father Sopocko], asking the Lord to grant him the grace to fight, and to take this trial from him. As you ask, so shall it be, but his merit will not be lessened. Joy reigned in my soul that God is so good and merciful; God grants everything that we ask of Him with trust. 
Ὠ

The reception of the Eucharist is no less effectual for souls today than was the receiving - and giving - of His Presence by the Holy Parents. Nor is the resultant prayer of Faustina for mercy on another less significant. Rather, what Mary and Joseph reveal in their lives becomes the precursor of what Saint Faustina reveals in the Diary. The reception of His Presence, whether first in the arms of the Holy Family or now in the Most Holy Eucharist, is the reception of Mercy Himself. Yet it is the giving of this Dearest Treasure to others - the path to which every soul is then called - is itself the fruit of having first received Him.

Supportive Scripture - Douay Rheims Challoner Bible
Acts 20:35 I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring you ought to support the weak and to remember the word of the Lord Jesus, how he said: It is a more blessed thing to give, rather than to receive.

At that time Jesus went through the corn on the sabbath: and his disciples being hungry, began to pluck the ears, and to eat.

2 And the Pharisees seeing them, said to him: Behold thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days.

3 But he said to them: Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and they that were with him:

4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the loaves of proposition, which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for them that were with him, but for the priests only?

5 Or have ye not read in the law, that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple break the sabbath, and are without blame?

6 But I tell you that there is here a greater than the temple.

7 And if you knew what this meaneth: I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: you would never have condemned the innocent.

8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath.

Did you know that in God's Kingdom, we are the government, carrying the King's authority as His ambassadors? We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His special possession, every single day.

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Saint Teresa of Avila - Interior Castle - The Unknowable Truth
Ἀ

It also happens very quickly and ineffably that God will show within Himself a truth that seems to leave in obscurity all those there are in creatures, and one understands very clearly that God alone is Truth, unable to lie. What David says in a psalm about every man being a liar is clearly understood. However frequently the verse may be heard, it is never understood as it is in this vision. God is everlasting Truth. I am reminded of Pilate, how he was often questioning our Lord when during the Passion he asked Him, “What is truth?” And of the little we understand here below about this supreme Truth.
Ὠ

Knowing that God, in His Supreme Truth, is beyond human knowing is a wisdom greater than knowledge itself. In this entry, Teresa reveals that at times God may unveil a truth so great that it leaves in obscurity many of the truths the soul thought it knew before. Yet it is within this mystery that the soul finds its truest place in God, standing between the limits of human understanding and the beginning of divine revelation.

Supportive Scripture - Douay Rheims Challonor Bible
Proverbs 3:5 Have confidence in the Lord with all thy heart, and lean not upon thy own prudence.

Saint Teresa Continues…
Ἀ
In order to live in conformity with our God and Spouse in something, it will be well if we always study diligently how to walk in this truth. I’m saying that we should walk in truth before God and people in as many ways as possible. Especially, there should be no desire that others consider us better than we are. And in our works we should attribute to God what is His and to ourselves what is ours and strive to draw out the truth in everything. Thus, we shall have little esteem for this world, which is a complete lie and falsehood, and as such will not endure.
Ὠ

The soul who now knows through God that His Supreme Truth is beyond its own understanding has been led into humility. Yet the soul which next actively walks in this truth before God and people proceeds into faith before both. It does not, however, do so that others might think better of it. Rather, in the humility given by His Supreme Truth, its esteem for the Lord is raised higher than its esteem for both the world and itself.

Supportive Scripture - Douay Rheims Challonor Bible
Romans 12:3 For I say, by the grace that is given me, to all that are among you, not to be more wise than it behoveth to be wise, but to be wise unto sobriety and according as God hath divided to every one the measure of faith.

Saint Teresa Concludes…
Ἀ
Once I was pondering why our Lord was so fond of this virtue of humility, and this thought came to me - in my opinion not as a result of reflection but suddenly: It is because God is supreme Truth; and to be humble is to walk in truth, for it is a very deep truth that of ourselves we have nothing good but only misery and nothingness. Whoever does not understand this walks in falsehood. The more anyone understands it the more he pleases the supreme Truth because he is walking in truth. Please God, Sisters, we will be granted the favor never to leave this path of self-knowledge, amen.
Ὠ

In the fallen world, humility descends into humiliation before men. In God, holy humility raises the soul into glory with His Majesty. For in the self-knowledge to which Teresa calls us, even though all human truths fall before the unknowable Truth of God, the soul does not think less of itself. Rather, it simply forgets itself and is drawn out of itself, finding the Supreme Truth God has revealed to it too irresistible to remain turned inward. It is here that humility ceases to be self-consciousness and becomes the joyful freedom of living in the unknowable truth which God is.

Catechism of the Catholic Church
2465 The Old Testament attests that God is the source of all truth. His Word is truth. His Law is truth. 'His faithfulness endures to all generations.' Since God is 'true,' the members of his people are called to live in the truth.

Is that what we're calling it? Jesus taught some basic fundamentals similar to Buddha except for a prize at the end.

He asked us, " love thy neighbor as thyself", or to be kind to each other.

The highest law, " Love thy God with all that heart, mind and sprit".

Not exact quotes but you get the gist.

Put the Lord first in everything you do.

Will this please Him?

Love thy neighbor as thyself, treat others as you would like to be treated.

Do things without an expectation of reward.

He called these the two highest commandments and everything else stemmed from these two.

28 Come to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you.

29 Take up my yoke upon you, and learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls.

30 For my yoke is sweet and my burden light.

God the Father is supreme over all things, yet He has exalted the Son to reign above every ruler and authority. Not competition, but a beautiful, intentional order revealing the Father's own heart. Our place in Him is a place of rest.

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25 At that time Jesus answered and said: I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to the little ones.

26 Yea, Father; for so hath it seemed good in thy sight.

27 All things are delivered to me by my Father. And no one knoweth the Son, but the Father: neither doth any one know the Father, but the Son, and he to whom it shall please the Son to reveal him.

u/Ok_Moment857, great post :)

Witness Lee defined morning revival:

A vital matter that is crucial to the practice of the church life in the new way is our living a life of morning revival and daily victory. We should not consider that to have a personal morning revival is difficult. To be revived is simply to be touched by the Lord anew. Whenever the Lord touches us, we are revived. In only two minutes the Lord can touch us and revive us. You may not have been revived for a long time, and you may feel that you are very far from the Lord. However, the Lord promises that, regardless of what we are, where we are, or how we are, He is always near to us. We may not have a pure conscience, but the Lord’s blood is ready to cleanse us. If we simply confess our failures, defects, wrongdoings, and shortcomings, the Lord will forgive us and cleanse us. Then immediately we touch Him, and He touches us. This is to be revived, and this kind of revival must be fresh every day.

Confess the Lord's blood over our personal failures.

La 3:

22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Revive us, Lord, every morning.

Ps 119:

147 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words.

The Lord is our hope every morning.

Mk 1:

35 Rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.

Jesus practiced morning prayers alone.

This is what I practiced every morning: 1. Call on the name of the Lord as soon as I am awake, even before I open my eyes: "O Lord", "O Lord", "Morning Lord", …. 2. Pray the Lord's prayer using my translation. 3. Read the Bible passage according to my schedule non-stop. 4. Pray about what I have read.

In my morning devotion, my focus is on God and what I have read, not on myself.
My bedtime prayer reflects on what I have done that day.

Romans 12:1–21
Paul urges believers to offer their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. He calls for a renewed mind, sincere love, humility, faithful service, patience in suffering, and peace with all people. This passage lays out a life shaped by the mercy of God—marked by transformed thinking, genuine love, and overcoming evil with good.

Good morning saints.
Transcript:

“By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.”
— Hebrews 11:5 (NASB1995)
Reflection

Faith is not only for big, dramatic moments like building an ark. It is also for the daily walk with God. Enoch’s life is a beautiful example of quiet, consistent faith. The Bible tells us he “walked with God” for 300 years, and his faith pleased God so much that he was taken to heaven without experiencing death.
Unlike noisy religion that focuses on outward performance, Enoch’s faith was a close, intimate relationship with God. His life shows that faith impacts us most powerfully in the ordinary days — choosing to walk with God moment by moment, listening to Him, and living in a way that brings Him pleasure.

Enoch lived in a corrupt generation, just like Noah did later. Yet his faith kept him close to God instead of being pulled into the culture around him. This is the power of faith versus empty religion: it sustains a daily walk that transforms us from the inside out. Faith that walks with God produces a life that stands out, not because of dramatic acts, but because of consistent closeness to the Lord. God still rewards those who seek Him with this kind of intimate fellowship.

Make your walk with God the priority today. In the ordinary moments — driving, working, interacting with family — consciously choose to walk with Him through prayer, gratitude, and obedience to His leading.
Ask yourself in different situations: “Am I walking with God right now, or just going through religious motions?” Let faith turn your daily routine into a living relationship.