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3 November 2012
It would be bad if you were to waste time, which is not yours but God’s and is meant for his glory. But if on top of that you make others waste it, you both diminish your own standing and defraud God of more of the glory you owe him. - Saint Josemaria Escriva
This is the excuse of a frivolous and selfish man: “I don’t want to commit myself to anything.” - Saint Josemaria Escriva
You neither want to be an evil man nor a good man. And so, limping on both legs, you will have mistaken your way and filled your life with emptiness. - Saint Josemaria Escriva
If you do not fight against being frivolous, your head will be like a junk shop: you will only be storing up impossible ideals, false hopes, and … old rubbish. - Saint Josemaria Escriva
It is sad that you do not want to remain hidden as a foundation stone and support the building, but to become a stumbling block for others? I think this is villainous. - Saint Josemaria Escriva
Do not be scandalized because there are bad Christians who are active but do not practice. The Lord, says the Apostle, “will render to every man according to his works”; to you for yours, and to me, for mine.
If you and I make up our minds to behave well to begin with, there will be too few scoundrels in the world for a start. - Saint Josemaria Escriva
You are very independent-minded. If you made use of this in a supernatural way, it would help you to become a great Christian. But the way you use it just makes you very free and easy. - Saint Josemaria Escriva
Virtue is to be found in the mean, the wise saying goes, warning us against extremism. But do not make the mistake of turning that advice into a euphemism for your own comfort, calculation, tepidity, easy-goingness, lack of idealism, and mediocrity.
Meditate on these words of Sacred Scriptures: “Would that you were cold or hot. But because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth.” - Saint Josemaria Escriva
Do not speak so irresponsibly. Don’t you realize that as soon as you throw the first stone, others – anonymously – will organize a full-scale stoning? - Saint Josemaria Escriva
Is it you who are creating that atmosphere of discontent among those around you? Forgive me then for having to tell you that, apart from being bad, you are plain stupid. - Saint Josemaria Escriva
When some misfortune or mistake occurs, it is poor satisfaction to be able to say: “I knew it would happen.”
It would mean that you are unconcerned with the troubles of your neighbour, for you should have sought a remedy if it was in your power to do so. - Saint Josemaria Escriva
There are many ways of sowing confusion. It is enough, for instance, to speak of the exception as if it were the general rule. - Saint Josemaria Escriva
People, who are stupid, unscrupulous, or hypocritical, think that others are just the same. And – this is the real pity – they treat them as if they were. - Saint Josemaria Escriva
Sometimes people think there is no malice in slander. It is the hypothesis, they say, by which ignorance explains what it does not know or understand, so as to appear well-informed.
But it is doubly evil: as ignorance and as a lie. - Saint Josemaria Escriva
You lack the maturity and composure appropriate for those who make their way through this life with the certainty of an ideal, of a goal. Ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to teach you how to praise God with your whole heart, without distractions of any kind. - Saint Josemaria Escriva
Acknowledgment: We thank the Publisher for allowing us to publish the words of Saint Josemaria Escriva, so that it could be accessed by more people all over the world; as a source of God’s encouragements to all of us. |
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Extracted from the holy Gospel according to Luke 13:18-21
Jesus said, ‘What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it with?
It is like a mustard seed which a man took and threw into his garden: it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air sheltered in its branches.’
Another thing he said, ‘What shall I compare the kingdom of God with?
It is like the yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour till it was leavened all through.’
Sharing:
Mass Readings on 30 October 2012:
1st Reading: Ephesians 5:21-33 (Encouragements-31) Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 128 (see Encouragements-29) Gospel Reading: Luke 13:18-21 (see above)
After the aforesaid Readings in Holy Mass, a wise and elderly Priest gave a short sermon. We have summarized to share with you:
In the 1st Reading, Saint Paul taught us that “Christ is the head of the Church and we are the different members of His Body, each of us is essential and important to build up the Body of Christ”. Saint Paul has such great understanding on the Body of Christ because he had a dramatic experience before his sudden conversion on the way to Damascus (his original intention was to arrest the Christians there), when he was blinded by a light from heaven and heard Jesus calling out to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’. Jesus was identifying himself with all the persecuted Christians as they are His Body—see Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 9. Thus, we are His Body.
Saint Paul is not a male chauvinist when he said that “a husband the head of his wife”, as he also said: “Husbands should love their wives just as Christ loved the Church and sacrificed himself for her to make her holy”.
In God’s plan, Man and Woman are equal and have equal rights; however each of them have different duties to create a happy and peaceful home. As each Christian Home should be a “mini-Church”, to be an effective witness of Christ living among us.
In a Christian family, the husband is the “head” of the family, the wife is the “heart” of the family and the children are the members. When Saint Paul said that “the husband is the head of the family”, what he meant is that “the husband should be a good leader to his wife and children”. Reciprocally, the wife would respect the husband out of love. This relationship is never a master - slave relationship in God’s plan. It is sad in today’s society, there are husbands that treat their wives like floor mats / washing machines or slaves, this is utterly unjust in the eyes of God… As such, these husbands would never be respected by their wives and children… Do you think they could be happy at home? 8-(
This wise Priest also said we need to apply the “TLC Cream” when there is hurt in the family. “TLC” means “Tender Loving Care”. Try this cream, it works. 8-) 3 November 2012
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