And you... Do you practice charity? Meditate on it before God.

 

Aridity

 

"You find yourselves in aridity, so glorify the grace of God, without which you can do nothing. Then open your soul to heaven, just as a flower opens its calyx at sunrise to receive the beneficial dew.

You find yourselves in complete helplessness, your spirit in darkness, your heart under the weight of its frivolity, your body tormented by pain. Then worship the poor. Come out of your poverty and go to live with the Lord, or offer your poverty to Him so that He may exchange it for riches: this is a great work worthy of His glory."

Saint Peter Julian Eymard

THE HOLY GUARDIAN ANGELS (October 2nd)

The Most High has commanded His angels to watch over you; they shall guard you in all your ways; they will bear you up in their hands, lest your foot dash against a stone. (Psalm 90[91]:11-12)

I. Admire the goodness of God, who has appointed a prince of His court to watch over your conduct. Your guardian angel remains at your side day and night; he defends you against the devil and temptations; he inspires holy thoughts; he turns you away from evil; he intercedes for you before God. Thank God for the kindness He shows you in giving you so faithful and charitable a guide, and see in this grace a proof of the esteem He has for your soul. Thank your guardian angel for the services he renders you; ask him to continue them until your death.

II. Show profound respect for your angel, and express it each day with some prayer. Do not mistreat or scandalize anyone; remember the word of the Lord forbidding you to scandalize the little ones, for their angels always behold the face of their Father. These angels will avenge the harm you do to those under their care. If you labor to convert some sinner, beg his guardian angel to assist you. Honor your guardian angel. Do not do in his presence what you would not do before a respectable person. (St. Bernard)

III. Consider your guardian angel as the best friend you have in this world. He is faithful; he will not abandon you in your needs. He is infinitely enlightened—consult him in your doubts: he will not deceive you. He is powerful to help you: he has more power, more intelligence, and more strength than the men in whom you place your trust. Listen to what he inspires in you. Ah! If you had but a little faith, you would fear nothing, knowing that your angel is with you.

PRAYER: O God, who in ineffable providence deign to send Your holy angels to guard us, grant to our humble supplications the grace of being sustained by their protection, and the joy of being in eternity the companions of their glory. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

VOLUNTEER?

 

ALWAYS THE SAME

“…He who possesses true virtue does not change nor is he disturbed by anything, like a rock in the midst of the sea beaten by raging waves. Let them despise you, let them slander you, let them mock you, let them call you hypocrites, false devotees: none of this takes away the peace of your soul; you love those who insult you just as much as those who praise you; do not cease, for this reason, to do them good and to protect them, even if they speak ill of you; continue in your prayers, in your confessions, in your communions, continue attending Holy Mass as if nothing had happened.”

St. John Vianney, the Curé of Ars

THE WILL OF ISABEL THE CATHOLIC: THE GOOD TREATMENT OF THE INDIANS

Queen Isabel made her will at the castle of La Mota, in Medina del Campo, on October 12, 1504.

On November 23, she added a codicil, in Chapter XII of which she expresses her concern for the inhabitants of the newly discovered American lands.

Therefore, she asks her husband Ferdinand, her daughter Princess Juana, and her son-in-law Archduke Philip to ensure that the Indians are treated with justice and respect and to remember that the main purpose for which they have been granted the territories of the New World is evangelization:

"Whereas, at the time that the islands and mainland of the Ocean Sea, discovered and undiscovered, were granted to us by the Holy Apostolic See, our main intention was, while we begged Pope Alexander VI of good memory, who made us the said concession, to try to induce and bring the peoples therein and convert them to our Holy Catholic Faith, and to send to the said islands and mainland of the Ocean Sea pearls, religious men, clerics, and other learned and God-fearing people, to instruct the neighbors and inhabitants thereof in the Catholic Faith, and to teach and indoctrinate them good customs and to exercise due diligence in this regard, as more fully  In the Letters of the said concession it is contained, therefore I most affectionately implore the King, my Lord, and I charge and command the said Princess my daughter and the said Prince her husband, that they do and comply with this, and that this be their main objective, and that they exercise great diligence in this regard, and that they do not consent or allow the neighboring Indians and residents of the said Indies and mainland, conquered and yet to be conquered, to receive any harm in their persons or property; but I command that they be well and justly treated. And if they have received any harm, that they remedy and provide for it."

THE SCALES

For the truly wise, prosperity and adversity, wealth and poverty, health and sickness, honors and disdain, life and death are things that, in themselves, are neither desirable nor abhorrent. If they contribute to the glory of God and your eternal happiness, they are good and desirable; otherwise, they are evil and abhorrent.

Saint Robert Bellarmine