Much To Give (Mt 10:8) by Kevin McNicholas

09 Jul Much To Give (Mt 10:8) by Kevin McNicholas

“Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.“ ~ Mt 10:8 (full readings)
.
Kevin’s Reflections:  Jesus brings up a very important idea here, and one that has given me reason to think: what stands in my way? I always pray that God will bless others through my work and example, as I try to live and work so as to glorify Him on earth by accomplishing the work He gives me to do (John 17). Thinking about this, and thinking about what Jesus says in the Gospel, how much more do I have to give to Laura and Ellie and Jeremiah at home, as well as to our community? I need to volunteer more, striving to go beyond just dropping our donation in the basket at Mass. Matthew Kelly often references what would happen if even just 10% of the world’s Catholics would go to Mass and participate in the life of their Parishes. What if I decided that I had enough of legal abortion in the US and decided to follow in Abby Johnson’s footsteps? She is one of the most powerful anti-abortion champions in the world, since she knows firsthand the lies that the abortion industry tells. Her work has made her uncomfortable, but she works for God, not for worldly comforts and the regard of those who support the culture of death. Great Saints were never really comfortable much of the time, and did not choose to receive the worldly comforts that were offered. Today’s Saint of the day is St. Veronica Giuliani, who was born to a wealthy family, and chose to willingly give up the comforts of a life of ease and become a nun. She received the Stigmata later in her life, and was also known as a visionary. When she died, there was reported to be an imprint of the Cross on her heart, the gift of God, Who she served willingly and freely. To reference another great Saint, St. Bernadette is probably the best known visionary in history. People frequently offered her huge sums of money to pray for them, or to ask the Holy Mother’s special intercession. Her answer was always “I wish to remain poor.” The Immaculate Conception had promised her happiness, not in this life but in the next. So today, I am going to pray for the opportunity to serve God more devoutly, thinking always about the next life, not this one.
* Kevin is a School Social Worker in Southern Illinois. He and his wife Laura have been blessed with two living miracles: a 2 1/2 year old daughter named Elliana (“the Lord Answers”) and a 1 year old son named Jeremiah (“God is Exalted”). They have also been blessed during the 9 years of their marriage to be able to visit Catholic pilgrimage sites worldwide, as well as to serve their Parish and community..

Faith Challenge:   Pray today for the opportunity to 1. Trust God; 2. Clean House (physically and spiritually); and 3. Help Others.

Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, LifeNews, American Family, Vatican, Project Rachel..
.
Our Prayers: Pray LIFE Runners Creed to End Abortion.  Add Prayers. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, unceasingly. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.
.
Feast Day:  Saint Veronica Giuliani Emily deVialar
.
Faith Quote:  “If you follow the will of God, you know that in spite of all the terrible things that happen to you, you will never lose a final refuge. You know that the foundation of the world is love, so that even when no human being can or will help you, you may go on, trusting in the One that loves you.” ~Pope Benedict XVI

Through Christ our Lord,
Kevin McNicholas
Lk 1:37