LIVE IT TODAY: Saturday, September 13, 2025 | Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Root yourself in Me, and I will make your life bear fruit that endures.
LIVE IT TODAY: Saturday, September 13, 2025 | Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
A GREAT WAY TO BEGIN TODAY!
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GOD'S DECLARATION TO YOU TODAY
Root yourself in Me, and I will make your life bear fruit that endures.
INVOCATION
Come, Holy Spirit! Through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother Mary, open my heart to hear and receive all that You desire for me. Draw me ever more deeply into the Love and Life of the Blessed Trinity!
GOSPEL | Luke 6:43-49
Jesus said to his disciples:
"A good tree does not bear rotten fruit,
nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.
For every tree is known by its own fruit.
For people do not pick figs from thornbushes,
nor do they gather grapes from brambles.
A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good,
but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil;
for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.
"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' but not do what I command?
I will show you what someone is like who comes to me,
listens to my words, and acts on them.
That one is like a man building a house,
who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock;
when the flood came, the river burst against that house
but could not shake it because it had been well built.
But the one who listens and does not act
is like a person who built a house on the ground
without a foundation.
When the river burst against it,
it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed."
EVERY DAY QUESTION
What struck you? Challenged you? Inspired you? What questions did it raise?
GOING DEEPER
Hearts, Houses, and Fruit
Jesus ties together three images today: trees and fruit, hearts and words, houses and foundations. They all point to one truth—our inner life inevitably shapes our outer life. What is stored in the heart will overflow in speech. What roots feed the tree will show in its fruit. What foundation we build on will be revealed in the storm.
The phrase “from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks” would have hit hard for His first-century listeners. In Jewish thought, the lev (heart) was not just emotions but the seat of will and decision. Jesus is not calling for polite words or surface morality. He is calling for transformation at the root—the heart conformed to His.
The image of the house digs even deeper. To “dig deeply” and build on rock in Galilee meant backbreaking work. The soil near rivers looked firm but was shallow sand; only those who labored to reach bedrock could build a house that survived floods. Jesus is clear: it is not enough to hear His words—we must act on them. Discipleship is not cheap listening but costly obedience.
Parents, the home is where both images come alive. Children watch what fruit grows from our words and actions. They notice if we call Jesus “Lord” but ignore His commands in our tone, habits, or priorities. They feel whether our home is built on shifting sands of convenience or on the rock of daily prayer, forgiveness, sacrifice, and love.
This Gospel is both challenge and invitation. The storms will come—financial stress, sickness, conflict, cultural pressures. The question is whether our family’s house will stand. The answer depends on whether Christ is truly the foundation. That begins with us, parents, humbly storing up goodness in our hearts by prayer and sacraments, and then praying over our children by name, asking God to root them in His love.
Storms reveal what was hidden. May our homes reveal Christ.
“The house of the Father is our homeland. Sin has exiled us from it, but conversion of heart enables us to return” (CCC 2795).
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
Fruit Check: What fruit is my life producing right now—words, actions, and habits—and what does it reveal about my heart?
Foundation Test: Where are we building our family life on sand rather than on the rock of Christ?
Storm Readiness: How can we prepare our children now to stand firm when storms of faith and culture come?
FAMILY LIVE IT
Make some time today to gather together and, going around, each person share one way they want their life to bear better fruit for Christ.
Then pray over each person by name:
“Lord Jesus, root [Name]’s heart in Your love. Remove every false foundation and fill them with goodness that overflows in words and actions. Strengthen their life like a house on the rock, unshaken by storms, and make their fruit a blessing to others.”
DAILY PARENT & GRANDPARENT BLESSING
LORD JESUS CHRIST, let Your holy anointing be upon each of our children, grandchildren, and godchildren this day and week, including all to whom they are called in vocation, and all future generations! In Your Sacred Name we claim them for You! We renounce all whispers, lies, and influences of the Enemy! We pray right now that each know Your loving Presence, be forged in virtue, and be flooded with an abundance of Your Holy Spirit to live fully their identity and mission in You now and through all eternity, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother! Amen.
PARENT BLESSING PROJECT: bit.ly/ParentBlessing
GOING VERTICAL
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Just as the vertical beam upholds the horizontal beam of the Cross, so too does undistracted, dedicated daily turning to God as our lifeblood uphold and strengthen every part of life. Start with just three minutes. Wait patiently for the breakthrough beyond the noise. Let Him speak.
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