Humility helps us to be receptive to God's wisdom

[weedy]

Humility helps us to be receptive to God's wisdom

Only the humble of heart--those who thirst for God and acknowledge his
word as true--can truly understand the wisdom which comes from above.
[See Psalm 119:99ff: "I have more understanding than all my teachers,
for your testimonies are my meditation."] God is ever ready to speak
his word to us and to give us true wisdom and understanding. Do you
hunger for the wisdom which comes from above?

Prayer:
"Lord Jesus, may your word take root in my heart and transform all my
thoughts and actions. Give me wisdom and understanding that I may know
your will for my life and have the courage to live according to it."

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25 September – Saint Cleopas

(First Century)
Disciple of Christ – one of the two Disciples of the Way to Emmaus.
Martyr. Also known as – Cleophas.

The Roman Martyrology states: “At Emmaus, the birthday of the blessed
Cleopas, Disciple of Christ. It is related that he was killed by the
Jews, for the confession of our Lord, in the same house in which he
had entertained Him and where he was honourably buried.”

Luke 24:13-35
Now that very day, two of them were going to a village seven miles
from Jerusalem called Emmaus and they were conversing about all the
things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were
conversing and debating, Jesus Himself drew near and walked with them
but their eyes were prevented from recognising Him.

He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?“
They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to
Him in reply, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know
of the things that have taken place there in these days?“
And He replied to them, “What sort of things?”

They said to Him, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who
was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both, handed Him over to a sentence
of death and crucified Him. But we were hoping that He would be the
one to redeem Israel and besides all this, it is now the third day
since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have
astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not
find His body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a
vision of angels who announced that He was alive. Then some of those
with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had
described but Him they did not see.“

As they approached the village to which they were going, He gave the
impression that He was going on farther. But they urged Him, “Stay
with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So He
went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while He was with
them at table, He took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it
to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognised Him but
He vanished from their sight.

Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning [within us]
while He spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?” So
they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found,
gathered together, the eleven and those with them who were saying,
“The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” Then the
two recounted what had taken place on the way and how He was made
known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Cleopas has no further occurrence in the New Testament but in
tradition he has often been identified with Clopas, another New
Testament figure mentioned in John’s Gospel.

The historian, Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea, quotes the earlier
chronicler, Hegesippus, who wrote, c 180, that he had years before
interviewed the grandsons of Jude the Apostle and learned that Clopas
was the Brother of St Joseph, spouse of the Virgin Mary: “After the
martyrdom of James, it was unanimously decided that Simeon, Son of
Clopas, was worthy to occupy the See of Jerusalem. He was, it is said,
a Cousin of the Saviour.” Hegesippus noted, that Clopas was a Brother
of Joseph. Epiphanius adds that Joseph and Cleopas were Brothers, sons
of “Jacob, surnamed Panther.”

According to the surviving fragments of the work Exposition of the
Sayings of the Lord of the Apostolic Father Papias of Hierapolis, who
lived c. 70–163, Cleophas and Alphaeus are the same person: “Mary the
wife of Cleophas or Alphaeus, who was the Mother of James the Bishop
and Apostle and of Simon and Thaddeus and of one Joseph.”

https://anastpaul.com/2021/09/25/


Saint Quote:
A man who governs his passions is master of the world. We must either
command them, or be enslaved by them. It is better to be a hammer than an anvil.
--St. Dominic

Bible Verse
Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.
For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)


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O God, We Love Thee
Prayer inspired by St Louis’ Last Instructions
to his Eldest Son, Philip
(Perhaps Philip prayed thus)

O God, we love Thee.
We wish to do nothing to displease Thee.
If we have troubles, let us thank Thee.
If we do not, we also humbly thank Thee.
Let us pray diligently
and be compassionate and generous to the poor.
May we hold fast all that is good
and all that is bad, discard.
We thank Thee for friends,
who help us bear our burdens
and help us grow in holiness.
Let us turn away from calumniators and slanderers
and lend a willing ear to those who speak of God.
Let us always do what is right and just for those we serve
and promote peace among our neighbours.
Let us be quick to defend our Faith.
O Holy Lord, all Thy holy Saints,
defend us from all evils.
Grant us Thy grace to fulfil always,
Thy Holy Will,
so that Thou may be glorified and honoured
and so we may be with Thee forever.
Amen

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And remember-

'Be kinder than necessary;
For everyone you meet is
Fighting some kind of battle.'

'The truest greatness lies in being kind,
the truest wisdom in a happy mind.'