God desires to be our neighbor

[Weedy]

God desires to be our neighbor

"God our Lord wished to be called our neighbor. The Lord Jesus Christ
meant that he was the one who gave help to the man lying half-dead on
the road, beaten and left by the robbers. The prophet said in prayer,
'As a neighbor and as one's own brother, so did I please' (Psalm 34:14
). Since the divine nature is far superior and above our human nature,
the command by which we are to love God is distinct from our love of
our neighbor. He shows mercy to us because of his own goodness, while
we show mercy to one another because of God's goodness. He has
compassion on us so that we may enjoy him completely, while we have
compassion on another that we may completely enjoy him.
--St. Augustine--(excerpt from CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 33)

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22 September – St Maurice and the Martyrs of the Theban Legion

Died in c 287 at Agaunum, an area of modern Switzerland. Patronages –
against cramps, against gout, alpine troops, armies, cloth dyers,
clothmakers, infantrymen, Pontifical Swiss Guards, soldiers,
swordsmiths, weavers, Austria, Sardinia, diocese of Angers, France,
diocese of Magdeburg, Germany, 4 cities.

The Roman legion of Christians, called the Theban Legion, under the
presidency of their General, Maurice, numbered more than six thousand
men. They marched from the East into Gaul, which was in revolt. They
were camped near the Lake of Geneva, when they received orders to join
with the others in a solemn sacrifice to the gods. They retired a
little farther away, to a site today called Saint Maurice d’Augaune,
in order to abstain but were told to return and join in the festival
with the others.

They found themselves in the sad necessity of disobeying the command.
It was not an act of felony for these brave soldiers, who had already
fought many battles but of heroic loyalty. Nonetheless, the barbaric
prince gave the order to decimate the Legion. It would seem the
emperor’s messengers might have feared a forced resistance but the
disciples of Jesus Christ hoped for nothing but a peaceful victory
over the world and the demon, with all his false gods.

The names of the soldiers were written on papers and placed in the
caps of the centurions, for 600 were destined to perish as examples.
These embraced their comrades, who encouraged them and even envied
their fate. The plain soon flowed with the blood of the martyrs. The
survivors persisted in declaring themselves Christians and the
butchery began again – the blood of another 600 reddened the waters of
the Rhone. The others all persevered in their faith and Saint Maurice
sent to the tyrant an admirable letter, saying:

“Emperor, we are your soldiers, we are ready to combat the enemies of
the empire but we are also Christians and we owe fidelity to the true
God. We are not rebels but we prefer to die, innocent, rather than to
live, guilty.”

The Emperor, seeing himself defeated, ordered them all to be
massacred. As the massacre began, these generous soldiers deposed
their weapons, offered their necks to the sword and suffered
themselves to be butchered in silence.

see
https://anastpaul.com/2018/09/22/


Saint Quote:
He who does not give up prayer cannot possibly continue to offend God
Habitually. Either he will give up prayer, or he will stop sinning.
-- St. Alphonsus Liguori

Bible Quote:
What is the key verse in Jesus' teaching on the virtue of humility in
Luke 18:9-14?
"For everyone who raises himself up will be humbled, but anyone who
humbles himself will be raised up." A heart that remains in a state of
grace through the repentance of sins is a humble heart. The Lord
resists the proud and boastful but gives His grace to one who
possesses a contrite and humble heart: Both Sts. Peter and James quote
Proverbs 3:34 concerning the special grace of God which is disposed to
the humble:


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THANK YOU, LORD!

Just this once, Lord, I want to come to you with no problems, but simply to
say, Thank You:

For your forgiveness when I fail For the sheer joy of sleep when I'm
terribly tired For silent strength of humility when pride overtakes me For
the justice of your laws when people are cruel For the remedies for
sickness when I am ill For the simplicity or orderliness when I face
confusion For the assurance that you have made a place especially for me
when I feel inadequate among my peers For the joy of helping others when I
see people in need For the earthly evidence of your will when I'm trying to
find out what life is all about For the reality of your world, when I stray
too far into fantasy For the rightness of reasonableness when I panic too
quickly For the fun that refreshes when everything gets too serious For the
renewal in moments of silence when I'm overly stressed!

Thank you Lord, for all of these things. But most of all, thank you for
your abiding presence that..... MAKES EVERY DAY I LIVE A DAY OF
THANKSGIVING!