Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled.

"IF YOU SHOULD ASK ME WHAT ARE THE WAYS OF GOD, I WOULD TELL YOU THAT THE FIRST IS HUMILITY, THE SECOND IS HUMILITY, AND THE THIRD IS HUMILITY. NOT THAT THERE ARE NO OTHER PRECEPTS TO GIVE. BUT IF HUMILITY DOES NOT PRECEED ALL THAT WE DO, OUR EFFORTS ARE FRUITLESS." (ST AUGUSTINE, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH. AUGUST 28TH.)

"On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully.

"He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table.

“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place.

"Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, ‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’ Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14: 1, 7....14).

Christ our Teacher gives us a poignant lesson on humility.  One of our great theologians writes that humility is the queen of virtues.  St Augustine, whose feast day is August 28th (today) writes that you can get into heaven without perfect chastity but you cannot enter heaven without humility. Humility is the queen of virtues.

Jesus teaches us a very practical lesson on humility.  The type of lesson a dad will give his son or a mother her daughter to spare them embarrassment.
“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor."  (Luke 14: 8).  That seat may have been reserved for someone else.

Everyone struggles with some type of pride.  My best lesson on humility is from the autobiography of St Ignatius Loyola which the saint dictated to his secretary, Father Gonzalez.  Father Gonzalez who said he struggled with pride asked St Ignatius how to overcome it. "Pray about it sincerely to the Lord."  St Ignatius said simply. He reminded Father Gonzalez of Jesus' promise of "Ask, Seek and Knock and Receive."  I know I have tried many things to obtain humility until I read this. I pray for humility always and believe that the Lord will grant me the gift. Even if humility is granted me incrementally, I will thank the Lord for it with all my heart.

Through St Ignatius, Jesus teaches me to trust Him to deal with my pride in His own way and in His time.
"Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls."  (Matthew 11: 29).

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Feast of St Monica, Mother of St Augustine and Patron Saint of Mothers.

"SON, NOTHING IN THIS WORLD NOW AFFORDS ME DELIGHT. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THERE IS NOW FOR ME TO DO OR WHY I AM STILL HERE, ALL MY HOPES IN THIS WORLD BEING NOW FULFILLED." (ST MONICA, MOTHER OF ST AUGUSTINE).

"Jesus told his disciples this parable: “A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

"Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.

"After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them.... ." (Matthew 25: 14...
30).

Saturday 27th August 2022 of the 21st Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of St Monica. Born in 331 in Tagaste in modern Algeria in N. Africa and died in 387 near Rome  at the age of 56. Monica is the mother of St Augustine, Bishop, Father and Doctor of the Church.

The Church cannot praise our saint of the day enough. Look at  the Entrance Antiphon from the special Mass for St Monica. Look also at the Collect prayer to the Father. Almighty Father accepted the motherly tears of St Monica for the conversion of the once prodigal Augustine and made Augustine a great Shepherd of souls.

St Monica also handled a difficult husband, the once alcoholic and hot tempered Patricius, a pagan city councilor. He died a baptized Christian! At a time when wife beating was not considered a crime, Monica counseled her female married friends how to handle their husbands. According to Monica, despite the fact that her husband was both a pagan and alcoholic, Patricius  never threatened nor abused her in any way.

The Church made Monica the patron saint of married women and a model for Christian mothers.

Who will doubt that we need many Monicas today.  We need women who are strong in Christian virtue and able to mother a Christian household. How can the young preserve purity and chastity today? Maternal advice can go like this:

#1 Daily Prayer: Vital Necessity.
#2 Daily word of God.
#3 Frequent Holy Communion.
#4 Frequent Confession.
#5 Spiritual Reading.

O woman, if you do this, "God will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." (Cf 1 Corinthians 1: 9).

Our Gospel for today is the Parable of the Talents. God gives everyone gifts of time, talent and treasure according to His merciful and mysterious Providence for each human being. God demands an accounting for the use of the talents.
The wise and diligent servants who use their gifts well will hear from the Supreme Judge:
"Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy."

The lazy and delinquent will hear:
"You wicked, lazy servant!....
"Throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."

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The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins.

DELAY IS NOT DENIAL. IT MEANS MORE TIME TO PREPARE.

"Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise.

"The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

"At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’

"While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked.

"Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”  (Matthew 25: 1 - 13).

Our Gospel for today is the Parable of the Ten Virgins. Five foolish and five wise. The bridegroom was delayed in his coming. Both the wise and the foolish Virgins did not know that the bridegroom will be delayed. The wise Virgins brought some extra oil for their lamps. Because the foolish Virgins did not anticipate a delay, they provided no extra oil.

How do you deal with the Delay Factor in your life? The Second Coming of Jesus has been delayed. Most likely than not, the fulfillment of God's precious promise to you will be delayed. What do you do?

There are 106 occurrences of WAIT in the Bible. The message is uniform: There may be delays. Wait for the Lord.  There is an appointed time for the fulfillment. You must wait for this fullness of time.

“For the vision is yet for the appointed [future] time It hurries toward the goal [of fulfillment]; it will not fail. Even though it delays, wait [patiently] for it, Because it will certainly come; it will not delay." (Habakkuk 2: 3 AMP).

"Don’t be impatient. Wait for the Lord, and he will come and save you! Be brave, stouthearted, and courageous. Yes, wait and he will help you." (Psalm 27: 14 TLB).

Those who waited for the Lord:
Abraham and Sarah, Jacob, David, Elizabeth and Zachary, Simeon and the Prophetess Anna.  St Monica whose feast is tomorrow waited patiently for God for the conversion of her son, Augustine.

The Lord does not delay as human beings consider delays. All His actions are guided by His mighty, merciful and mysterious Providence. God cannot be even one second late for His appointments. God is always on time.

"In this Sacrament I wait for you. So many emphasize that they must wait for Me, and yet I am already present, close to them, and disposed to reveal to them the secrets of My Heart. They forget that it is I who wait for them to come to Me. How often did I say to My disciples, “Come to Me.” They understood, at least most of them did, the intensity of My longing for the company of souls. I would have all souls come to Me and remain with Me." (IN SINU JESU page 94).

Wait for the Lord!

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Feast of St Louis of France and St Joseph Calasanz.

WHY DO WE HONOR THE SAINTS? THEY REIGN WITH JESUS IN HEAVEN. THROUGH THE LITURGY OF THE MASS, JESUS INSTRUCTS US THAT WHEN WE HONOR THE SAINTS, WE GLORIFY HIM.

"Jesus said to his disciples: “Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time?

"Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so. Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.

"But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards, the servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” (Matthew 24 :42 - 51).

Thursday 25th August 2022 of the  21st Week of Ordinary Time.  We celebrate the lives of two saints. Remember that in honoring these two saints, we are in fact glorifying our Lord Jesus Christ who is King of all the saints.  He promised that those who follow Him will reign forever with Him. And those who honor the saints glorify Him. Never miss an opportunity to glorify Jesus through honoring the saints on their feast day.

St Louis of France (1214 - 1270). He lived a simple life characterized by prayer and penance. God was pleased with Louis and raised him from the cares of earthly rule to the glory of heavenly kingdom.

We celebrate also today:
St Joseph Calasanz (1557 - 1648). Spanish Priest who dedicated his life in charity and patience to the education of poor children.

What is the common factor between King Louis and Father Joseph? They were separated by nearly 300 years. The key is in today's Gospel:
"Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so. Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property."

St Louis the king of France had eleven children. As king of a great European power in the 13th century, Louis lived a life of penance and prayer and treated the French people as his children.

St Joseph Calasanz dedicated his life in charity and patience to the education of poor children. He founded a religious order to cater for the poor and the abandoned children of Rome. It is reported of him that he founded the first free primary education for poor children. St Joseph Calasanz died in Rome in August 25th 1648 and was canonized in 1767 by Pope Clement XIII.

What is the central message in today's Gospel? Jesus teaches the absolute necessity of being Always Ready! Always Prepared! For what? For the Time of Fulfillment to answer your prayers or for the Hour to meet
your God. God decided in His mighty, merciful and mysterious Providence not to reveal the precise time He visits us.
The moment may come like a thief in the night. Very suddenly!

How do we prepare?
#1. Form a habit of daily prayer.
#2. Form a habit of daily feeding on the word of God.

Be always prepared!

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The Feast of St Bartholomew the Apostle.

WHO IS AN APOSTLE? ONE OF THE 12 MEN CHOSEN BY JESUS TO BE HIS FOLLOWER AND WITNESS TO HIS WORK AND RESURRECTION. THE CHURCH TEACHES THAT THE BISHOPS ARE LEGITIMATE SUCCESSORS OF THE APOSTLES THROUGH APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION INSTITUTED BY JESUS CHRIST.

"Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

"Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him.” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”

"Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (John 1: 45 - 51).

Wednesday 24th August 2022 of the 21st Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of St Bartholomew, Apostle and Martyr.

St Bartholomew also known as Nathanael is one of the Twelve Apostles. Tradition says that St Bartholomew worked in India and Armenia where he was martyred.  The people of Armenia claim St Bartholomew as the Founder of the Armenian Church.

Here is the amazing faith of Philip in Jesus who had just launched His public ministry:  “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” Philip believes that Jesus is the Messiah.
When Philip told his friend Bartholomew that they found Jesus, he said:  “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
But Philip, a great evangelist said to Bartholomew, “Come and see.” Both Philip and Bartholomew spent some friendly time with Jesus that afternoon and both became His disciples. The interaction with Jesus closed the sale. And Bartholomew declared: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

Who is Jesus planning to draw near Him through you? Evangelization   could be likened to seeing a great deal or sales promotion in the supermarket or Amazon and sharing that information with a friend. You share with family and friends what you value highly.

The first step in evangelization might be sharing Scripture or spiritual content with someone. For example, sharing Christian posts that move you from Instagram, Twitter, Whatsapp, etc with family or friends. You can follow up with inviting the friend to a special event in your church.

Be a Philip. Introduce somebody to Jesus today. Share your faith.

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Feast of St Rose of Lima. Virgin and Dominican Tertiary.

WHAT IS HYPOCRISY? PRETENDING TO BE WHAT YOU ARE NOT.  ACTING LIKE A A SAINT WHILE IN REALTY YOU ARE THE OPPOSITE AND HATE SAINTS.

"Jesus said: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. But these you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.” (Matthew23: 23 - 26).

Tuesday 23rd August 2022 of the 21st Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of St Rose of Lima. (1586 - 1617). Lima, Peru. Virgin and a Dominican tertiary. Rose admired St Catherine of Sienna from her youth and was deeply inspired by this Doctor of the Church who was a Dominican tertiary also. St Rose of Lima became a model of penitence, prayer and simplicity. St Rose of Lima was canonized less than 50 years after her death in 1671. She became the first native born saint in the Americas.

Our key Scripture for today deals with hypocrisy and lawlessness. We live in a time that seems to be marred by both vices.  How can a Christian deal with temptation of hypocrisy?  Hypocrisy is caused by Pride, one of the Seven Deadly Sins. St Philip Neri teaches that frequent Confession will lead us to truth and humility. The Church teaches that frequent Holy Communion will transform us into the copy image of the Person we receive in the Eucharist.

"Let them come here to remain in adoration before my Son, the Lamb Who was slain. Let them wash themselves in His precious Blood by seeking absolution from all their sins. Let them entrust and consecrate themselves to me as Virgin Bride and Mother. Almighty God will do great things in them and through them. I so desire that Knock should become for all priests a fountain of living water, a place of healing, of comfort, and of renewal.  My hands are ever raised in supplication for my priest sons, and my Heart is ready to receive them here."  (IN SINU JESU, Tuesday, February 5th 2008).

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The Feast of Mary Queen.

HAIL HOLY QUEEN, MOTHER OF MERCY. HAIL OUR LIFE, OUR SWEETNESS AND OUR HOPE.

"Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves." (Matthew23: 13.....22).

Monday 22nd August 2022 of the 21st Week of Ordinary Time is the   Feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Why the Feast of the Queenship of Mary?

#1.  The Father gave us the Mother of His Son Jesus to be our Mother from the Cross. (Cf the Collect of this Feast).

#2. Mary is the Mother of Christ the King and therefore the Queen Mother. (Bathsheba the mother of Solomon was recognized as Queen mother).

#3.  In the Church's liturgical prayers from ancient times, Mary has been hailed as Hail holy Queen, Queen of Peace, Queen of Martyrs, Queen of all Saints, etc. (See the Litany of Loretto). The Church applies here the ancient maxim: Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi.  This means that the Law of Prayer becomes the Law of Faith. Whatever the Church prays in her Liturgy is automatically the faith of the Church. Whatever is bound on earth by its prayer becomes bound in heaven

#4.  The 5th Glorious Mystery of the Holy Rosary celebrates the Coronation of Mary as Queen of heaven and earth. The fruit of this mystery is to grow in faith in the powerful intercession of Mary. In order words, Jesus Christ our Lord and King crowned His Mother Queen  so that we can approach her with confidence with all our needs.

The world today is desperately in need of the mercy of God and the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is the main reason for the Marian apparitions in Fatima, Lourdes, Knock in Ireland, etc. Mary encourages Christians to pray especially the Holy Rosary.

Here is what Jesus said to the crowds and His disciples in today's Gospel:  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves."

The sharp words of Jesus lead us to reflect on the Power of Example.
Bad example corrupts.
Good example edifies.
There are preachers, teachers and theologians out there who minimize the role of Mary in the economy of salvation.

Do not traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.

"Until now, the precious grace of Eucharistic adoration has remained unknown to far too many of My priests. This accounts for the weaknesses, the scandals, the shame, and the falling away of so many. The world has grown cold, and it will become even more cold as the darkness of the Enemy enfolds it and turns to ice the hearts that I consecrated to be for Me hearts of love." (IN SINU JESU page 216).

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