Welcome To My World!

All the love that history knows,
is said to be in every rose.
Yet all that could be found in two,
is less than what I feel for you.

- Author Unknown -

Think not those faithful who praise all thy words and actions; but those who kindly reprove thy faults.

Socrates (469 BC - 399 BC)

SEPTEMBER 23
ST. THECLA

Thecla was a beautiful young pagan noblewoman who lived in the first century. She was from the city of Iconium, in Turkey. She read many philosophy books, yet nothing satisfied her desire to know about her Creator. When St. Paul the apostle came to preach the Gospel of Jesus in Iconium, Thecla's prayer to know the one, true God was answered. From St. Paul she also learned that a young woman can become the bride of Christ if she gives up marriage. By this time, Thecla desired nothing else than to give herself entirely to God.

Thecla's pagan parents tried their best to make her give up her Christian faith, but she would not. Her fiancé, Thamyris, begged her not to break their engagement. However, Thecla had made up her mind. She wanted to be Christ's bride, not his. At last, in great anger, Thamyris accused her to the judge. When she still refused to give up her love for Jesus, she was ordered to be burned to death. The beautiful young woman bravely prepared to die. However, it is said that no sooner had the fire been lit than a storm from heaven put it out. Later, she was condemned to be eaten by lions. Once again, however, God saved Thecla's life. Instead of clawing her, the fierce beasts walked gently up to her, lay down at her side, and licked her feet, like pet kittens. At last, in fear, the judge set Thecla free. She went to live in a cave where she spent the rest of her long life. She prayed and taught the people who came to visit her about the Lord Jesus.

Daily Reading & Meditation

Saturday (9/23): "He who has ears to hear, let him hear"

Scripture: Luke 8:4-15

4 And when a great crowd came together and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable: 5 "A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell along the path, and was trodden under foot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew with it and choked it. 8 And some fell into good soil and grew, and yielded a hundredfold." As he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." 9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, 10 he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy; but these have no root, they believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.

Meditation: How good are you at listening, especially for the word of God? God is ever ready to speak to each of us and to give us understanding of his word. Jesus' parable of the sower is aimed at the hearers of his word. There are different ways of accepting God's word and they produce different kinds of fruit accordingly. There is the prejudiced hearer who has a shut mind. Such a person is unteachable and blind to the things of God. Then there is the shallow hearer who fails to think things out or think them through; such a person lacks spiritual depth. They may initially respond with an emotional fervor; but when it wears off their mind wanders to something else. Another type of hearer is the person who has many interests or cares, but who lacks the ability to hear or comprehend what is truly important. Such a person is for ever too busy to pray or too preoccupied to study and meditate on God's word. He or she may work so hard that they are too tired to even think of anything else but their work. Then there is the one whose mind is open. Such a person is at all times willing to listen and to learn. He or she is never too proud or too busy to learn. They listen in order to understand. God gives grace to those who hunger for his word that they may understand his will and have the strength to live according to it.