Cristy Li

Blessed Sebastian of Aparicio
Image: Roman Catholic Saints

(Franciscan Media) Sebastian born of poor parents in Spain Galicia, throughout life his roads and bridges connected many distant places, his final bridge building was to help Women and Men, recognize their God given dignity with destiny.

At the age of 31 Sebastian sailed to Mexico where he began working in the fields, eventually building roads to facilitate agricultural trading and other commerce–his 446 mile road from Mexico City to Zacatecas took 10 years to construct and required careful negotiations with the indigenous people along the way.

As the years went by, Sebastian became a wealthy farmer and rancher. When he was 60, he got married, his spouse motivation many have been a large inheritance, his was to provide a respectable life for a young Woman without even a modest marriage dowry, when his first wife died, Sebastian remarried for the same reason, his second wife preceded him in death.

When Sebastian was 72 he distributed his wealth among the poor and entered the Franciscans as a Brother, assigned to a large Friary at Puebla de Los Angeles, south of Mexico City, Sebastian collected money for the Friars for the next 25 years, earning him the nickname “Angel of Mexico.”

Sebastian was Beatified on the 17 May, 1789 by Pope Pius VI

Bl. Luke Belludi (1200-1285)
Image: Ad Jesum Per Mariam

(Franciscan Media) In 1220 as Fr. Anthony of Padua was ministering conversion to Jesus Christ to the inhabitants of Italy Padua, a young nobleman Luke Belludi, came up to him and humbly asked to receive the habit of the followers of Saint Francis — Anthony took to the talented, well educated Luke and personally recommended him to Saint Francis who then received him into the Franciscan Order.

Luke then only 20 yrs of age, was to be Anthony’s traveling companion and help in his ministry, tending to him through his last days and taking Anthony’s place upon his death. Subsequently appointed Guardian of the Friars Minor in the City of Padua. In 1239, the city fell into the hands of its enemies, Nobles were executed, the Mayor and Council were disbanded, the great University of Padua closed and the Church dedicated to Saint Anthony was left unfinished. –Luke, banished from Padua secretly returned and at night, Luke and the new Guardian of the Friars Minor, visited the tomb of Saint Anthony in the unfinished shrine to pray for his help.

One night a voice came from Saint Anthony’s tomb, assuring Luke and the present Guardian of the Friars Minor, that Padua would soon be delivered from the evil tyrant.

After the fulfillment of the prophetic message, Luke was elected Provincial Minister and furthered the completion of the great Basilica in honor of Saint Anthony his teacher, traveling companion and confidant. Luke subsequently founded many Convents of the order and had, as Saint Anthony, the Gift of Miracles.

Upon Luke’s death in 1285 he was laid to rest in the Basilica that he helped finish and has had a continual great respect up to the present time. Blessed Luke Belludi was beatified according to Roman Catholic Saints.com by Pope Pius XI

Jesus: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do
for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.”
–Matthew 25:45
Images Courtesy of: Thomas R@Twitter
and Deacon Paul O’Connor

Judgment of the Nations

Jesus: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats and He will put the sheep at His right hand and the goats at the left.

Then the King will say to those at His right hand, ‘Come you that are blessed by My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you gave Me clothing, I was sick and you took care of Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw You hungry and gave You food or thirsty and gave You something to drink? When was it that we saw You a stranger and welcomed You or naked and gave You clothing? When was it that we saw You sick or in prison and visited You?’

The King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of My family, you did it to Me.’

Then He will say to those at His left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from Me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me, naked and you did not give Me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

Then they will also answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not take care of You?’

Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’

These will go away into eternal punishment but the righteous into eternal life.'” –Matthew 25:31-46

Related: For Today’s Most Holy Scripture Readings, Visit: -USCCB

Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against Me and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! — For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord God.
Turn then and live. –Ezekiel 18:31A-32 (NRSVCE)
Image Courtesy: Blue Army Shrine Our Lady of Fatima

• All Scripture is inspired by God
  and is useful for teaching, for reproof,
  for correction and for training in righteousness.
  –2 Timothy 3:16

A Psalm of Asaph (5th Century BCE)

To those who who go the right way
I will show the salvation of God! (Psalm 50:23B)

The mighty One, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth  from the rising of the sun to its setting. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth! Our God comes and does not keep silence, before Him is a devouring fire and a mighty tempest all around Him. He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that He may judge His people; “Gather to me My faithful ones, who made a Covenant with Me by sacrifice!” The heavens declare His righteousness, for God Himself is judge.

“Hear, O My people and I will speak, O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God. Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; Your burnt offerings are continually before Me. I will not accept a bull from your house or goats from your folds. For every wild animal of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know the birds of the air and all that moves in the field is mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and all that is in it is mine. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High. Call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you and you shall glorify Me.”

 

To the wicked God says: “What right have you to recite My Statues or take a Covenant on your lips? For you hate discipline and you cast My Words behind you. You make friends with a thief when you see one and you keep company with adulterers. You give your mouth free rein for evil and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your kin; you slander your own mother’s child. These things you have done and I have been silent; You thought that I was one just like yourself but now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you. Mark this then, you who forgot God or I will tear you apart and there will be no one to deliver.”

 

“Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor Me; To those who go the right way I will show the salvation of God.” –Psalm 50:1-23

• You May Know the Joy of Salvation and Eternal Life
  in Heaven Today Through The Good News
  of Christ Jesus!

Related: Why Does God Send People to Hell?  -The Fatima Center

Final Battle Will Be Over Marriage and the Family -ChurchPOP

“Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.” -St. Teresa of Calcutta
Image Courtesy: KTLA

How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? –1 John 3:17

Warnings & Encouragements

When a crowd of many thousands had gathered so that they were trampling one another, Jesus began to speak, first to His disciples saying, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight and what you have whispered (gossip) in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.

I tell you My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more but I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after your body has been killed has authority to throw you into Hell. Yes I tell you, fear Him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows.

I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges Me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God but whoever disowns me before others will also be disowned before the angels of God and everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man (Jesus) will be forgiven but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

When you are brought before Synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”

The Parable of the Rich Fool

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance for me.’

Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?”

Then Jesus said to the crowd, “Watch out! Be on guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

Jesus then told them a parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones and there I will store my surplus grain and I’ll say to myself, you have plenty of grain laid up for ,many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’

God then said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”

Jesus: “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

Do Not Worry

Jesus said to His disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you eat or about your body what you will wear. For life is more than food and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn, yet God feeds them and how much more valuable are you than birds! Who of you worrying can ad a single hour to your life? Since you can not do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will He clothe you? You of little faith! For the pagan world runs after all such things and your Father knows that you need them but seek His Kingdom and these things will be given to you as well.

Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom! Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in Heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their masters to return from a wedding banquet so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or towards daybreak but understand this: If the owner of the house had known what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man (Jesus) will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.” 

Peter asked, ‘Lord, are you telling this parable to us or to everyone?’

Jesus answered, “Who then is the faithful and the wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions but suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ then begins to beat the other servants both men and women and to eat, drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows but the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with a few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

Not Peace But Division

Jesus: “I have come to bring fire on the earth and how I wish it were already kindled but I have a baptism to undergo and what constraint I am under until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Interpreting the Times

Jesus said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘Its going to rain’ and so it does and when the south wind blows, you say, ‘Its going to be hot’ and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, how is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?

Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way or your adversary may drag you off to the judge and the judge turn you over to the officer and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” –Luke 12:1-59

Related: Sister Lucia dos Santos: Final Battle Between God and Satan, Marriage and the Family

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Blessed Mary Angela Truszkowska

(FranciscanMedia) Today we celebrate the life a woman who submitted to God’s will throughout her life.

Born Sophia Camille Truskowska prematurely on the 16 May, 1825 in Poland Kalisz, according to The Franciscan Family she was the eldest of 7 children. With care and love of her family, she grew up to be a lively, inquisitive child and observant of all people and events around her.

As a young girl, Sophia contracted tuberculosis, this forced a period of convalescence and gave her ample time for silent reflection and this is where she developed a spirit of contemplative prayer.

Sophia felt called to serve God by working with the poor, including street children and the elderly homeless in Poland Warsaw’s slums–In time, her cousin Clothilde Ciechanowska joined her in the work.

On 21 November, 1855 the two Women made private vows and consecrated themselves to the Blessed Virgin Mother. In this simple ceremony, the first Felician community came into existence–this date has remained the official founding date of the ‘Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Felix of Cantalice’ and became known as the Felician Sisters.

As their numbers grew, so did their work and so did the pressures on ‘Mother Angela’ –the name Sophia took in her religious life.

Mother Angela served as Superior for many years, until her health forced her to resign at the age of 44, she watched the Order of the ‘Felician Sisters’ grow and expand, including missions to the United States among the Sons & Daughters of Polish immigrants.

Pope John Paul II beatified her in 1993 at St. Peter’s Square and said that, “Blessed Mary Angela’s life was marked with love, she was concerned about all people, those hungry for bread, the heartbroken, the homeless and those hungering for the truth of the Gospel.”

Related: Felician Sisters Beginnings