Translate

Friday, November 30, 2018

⛪Come After Me

Like   Tweet   Pin   +1  
2cents2
 
amin

Advent Is Construction Season

The call of Advent is clear. From both the prophet Isaiah and John the Baptist, we hear, "Make straight in the desert a highway for our God." Isaiah was writing to the people exiled far from their homeland. John the Baptist was talking to people who had lost their way in a tangle of politics and religion. In our own lives, we hear this call as well. We all have some roadwork to do in our souls. We might say Advent is construction season.

—from the book Simple Gifts: Daily Reflections for Advent

***

Quote
"We know certainly that our God calls us to a holy life. We know that he gives us every grace, every abundant grace; and though we are so weak of ourselves, this grace is able to carry us through every obstacle and difficulty."
— St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Christ Himself taught humility of heart, and the heart must not remain idle, nor fail to product the necessary acts. And what acts of humility do you make before God? How often do you make them? When have you made them? How long is it since you made them? It would be absurd to hope for the reward which is promised to the humble without being humble, or at least making acts of humility; humility of heart without the heart's humbling itself—what folly! Are you foolish enough to believe that this can be done? ... it is necessary to humble ourselves when we approach God with prayer to obtain some grace, because God does not regard nor heed nor impart His grace except to the humble ... When, therefore, you come to ask God for some grace of the body or of the soul, do you always remember to practice this humility? When we pray, and especially when we say the 'Our Father', we are speaking to God; and how many times when you are saying your prayers, do you speak to God with less respect than if you were speaking to one of your fellow creatures? How often when you are in church, which is the house of God, do you listen to a sermon, which is the Word of God, and assist at the functions of the service without any reverence? Humility of heart, says St. Thomas, is accompanied by exterior reverence; and to be lacking in this is to lack humility and is therefore a sin of pride, 'which excludes reverence.'"
— Rev. Cajetan da Bergamo, p .138-140
AN EXCERPT FROM
Humility Of Heart

VERSE OF THE DAY
"It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre. For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy."

Psalm 92:1-4

***
SaintofDay1

click to read more

asaint2

Saint Andrew

(d. 60?)

Andrew was Saint Peter's brother, and was called with him. "As [Jesus] was walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is now called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, 'Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.' At once they left their nets and followed him" (Matthew 4:18-20).

John the Evangelist presents Andrew as a disciple of John the Baptist. When Jesus walked by one day, John said, "Behold, the Lamb of God." Andrew and another disciple followed Jesus. "Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, 'What are you looking for?' They said to him, 'Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are you staying?' He said to them, 'Come, and you will see.' So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day" (John 1:38-39a).

Little else is said about Andrew in the Gospels. Before the multiplication of the loaves, it was Andrew who spoke up about the boy who had the barley loaves and fishes. When the Gentiles went to see Jesus, they came to Philip, but Philip then had recourse to Andrew.

Legend has it that Andrew preached the Good News in what is now modern Greece and Turkey and was crucified at Patras on an X-shaped cross.

Reflection
As in the case of all the apostles except Peter and John, the Gospels give us little about the holiness of Andrew. He was an apostle. That is enough. He was called personally by Jesus to proclaim the Good News, to heal with Jesus' power and to share his life and death. Holiness today is no different. It is a gift that includes a call to be concerned about the Kingdom, an outgoing attitude that wants nothing more than to share the riches of Christ with all people.

Saint Andrew is the Patron Saint of:
Fishermen
Greece
Russia
Scotland

***
a1
***

Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle
Lectionary: 684

Reading 1 ROM 10:9-18

Brothers and sisters:
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
For one believes with the heart and so is justified,
and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
The Scripture says,
No one who believes in him will be put to shame.
There is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
the same Lord is Lord of all,
enriching all who call upon him.
For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed?
And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
And how can they hear without someone to preach?
And how can people preach unless they are sent?
As it is written,
How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!
But not everyone has heeded the good news;
for Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed what was heard from us?
Thus faith comes from what is heard,
and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.
But I ask, did they not hear?
Certainly they did; for

Their voice has gone forth to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.

Responsorial Psalm PS 19:8, 9, 10, 11
R. (10) The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. (John 6:63) Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
Sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

Alleluia MT 4:19
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come after me, says the Lord,
and I will make you fishers of men.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MT 4:18-22

As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew,
casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
He said to them,
"Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."
At once they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.
He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father
and followed him.

***

Meditation: Romans 10:9-18

Saint Andrew, Apostle (Feast)

No one who believes in him will be put to shame. (Romans 10:11)

What makes you ashamed? Past sin? Maybe you don't like the way you look in a mirror. Or you compare your finances to someone else who is better off than you. Typically, shame comes about because we think we have failed to live up to expectations—often a set of impossible expectations.

Let's apply this to St. Andrew, whose feast we celebrate today. He was the first to follow Jesus. Without him, his brother, Peter, might not have met the Lord at all. He was also friends with and possibly a coworker with John and James. Yet despite how close the four men were, Jesus chose only three of them—Peter, John, and James—to be his closest disciples. For whatever reason, he did not include Andrew.

How do you think Andrew reacted to this exclusion? Maybe he felt he wasn't good enough to become part of Jesus' inner circle. Maybe he felt awkward around the other disciples every time Jesus invited the other three but not Andrew to join him. Maybe there were times when he questioned whether he should even be an apostle.

Or maybe nothing like that happened at all. At least there is no indication that Andrew felt ashamed or embarrassed because he was left out. And if he did feel any shame, he didn't let it get the better of him. In fact, he became one of the boldest and farthest traveled of the apostles. After Pentecost, he evangelized the nomadic peoples around the Black Sea. He also founded the church in Constantinople, which became the head of Eastern Christianity. Finally, at his martyrdom, Andrew asked to be crucified, not on a cross like Jesus and not upside down like Peter, but on an X-shaped cross.

The envy and rivalry, the guilt and self-condemnation, that rise from shame had no place in Andrew's heart. His experience of Jesus' love and his devotion to Jesus' call pushed aside self-centeredness and made him a humble servant instead.

Shame can be overwhelming. But how much more overwhelming is Jesus' unconditional, merciful love! That love tells us that we belong. It tells us that Jesus treasures us. It heals us and removes all shame. And it's available to you.

"Lord, let your love burn away all my shame and guilt!"

Psalm 19:8-11
Matthew 4:18-22

***
ANF
2cts

2 cents :

"For one believes with the heart and so is justified".
This here is the important part of the call. Believing. Be living. For many confess that the Lord is God and has risen, but those who actually believe? Those who believe will follow the Lord and His Way. They will become people of the Way.

psalms

Let us pray: " Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just." Spirit and life are His words. They provide us with a precious gift, fear of the Lord. Fear brings about a special relationship. One of respect, perhaps, but more than that, a special calling to Him. And He provides the way, with precepts, with words, and they give life in abundance.

Let us turn to our Lord of abundant life: ""Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." Watch the response of the men He calls: "At once they left their nets and followed him." Right away. Immediately they followed, left their work and their family. What will it be like when the Lord calls you? You will leave everything. Won't you? Will you? Have you? A Holy Fear of the Lord will enable a quick response. The kind of response that is not negotiable. No conditions. Love knows no bounds. These men gave up their lives right then and there. It wasn't when they were tortured at the end, but now. This was the offering. For us, it is the same when the Lord calls. It is at the moment your heart is called by the Almighty. Come. Follow Me. We shall catch souls now. We shall bring fruit to God Almighty. We will become shepherds of everlasting life with the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His flock.

The song goes "I have decided, to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back, the cross before me, the world behind, the cross before me, the world behind, I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back".
And we follow the Light into Eternity

Prayer to Saint Andrew the Apostle

O Glorious Saint Andrew,
you were the first
to recognize and follow
the Lamb of God.
With your friend Saint John
you remained with Jesus
for that first day,
for your entire life,
and now throughout eternity.
As you led your brother
Saint Peter to Christ
and many others after him,
draw us also to Him.
Teach us to lead others
to Christ solely out of love
for Him and dedication
in His service.
Help us to learn
the lesson of the Cross
and to carry our daily crosses
without complaint
so that they may
carry us to Jesus.

***

adrian

***
 
 
Powered by
GoDaddy Email Marketing ®

Thursday, November 29, 2018

⛪When These Signs Begin

Like   Tweet   Pin   +1  
acloud
 
amin

Advent with Saint Clare

"She was the first flower in Francis' garden, and she shone like a radiant star."
—Saint Bonaventure

On Sunday we begin the Advent season, leading us to the birth of Christ. As we walk this journey, we will be joined by Saint Clare, a holy woman with quite her own journey to Christ. It is one that begins with Clare's decision to leave behind the comforts of her life, descend to the hills below Assisi, and join Saint Francis in living out his mission. For Clare, Christ was her focus and Saint Francis was her guide to him. Her path, though, was definitely her own.

"Make known to me your ways, LORD; teach me your paths. / Guide me by your fidelity and teach me, for you are God my savior."—Psalm 25: 4-5

—from the book Advent with Saint Clare

***

Quote
"Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the most tender of friends with souls who seek to please Him. His goodness knows how to proportion itself to the smallest of His creatures as to the greatest of them. Be not afraid then in your solitary conversations, to tell Him of your miseries, fears, worries, of those who are dear to you, of your projects, and of your hopes. Do so with confidence and with an open heart."
— St. Damien of Molokai

MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"The fullness of wisdom is fear of the Lord, she is present with the faithful in the womb (Sirach 1:14). Fear of the Lord does not mean to be afraid of God. It means to stand in awe and wonder before the greatness of the Lord. When we recognize that God is God and we are creatures, we develop a healthy sense of humility. We acknowledge our need for wisdom and grace, which are both gifts of the Holy Spirit."
— Rev. Jude Winkler, p. 9
AN EXCERPT FROM
Daily Meditations Holy Spirit

VERSE OF THE DAY
"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.'"
John 8:12

***
SaintofDay1

click to read more

asaint.jpg

BLESSED DENIS OF THE NATIVITY

Blessed Denis of the Nativity (1600-1638) was born as Pierre Berthelotin in France and became a sailor at the age of twelve. He had a successful career as pilot-in-chief and cartographer in service to the Kings of France and Portugal, even being knighted for bravery. He later chose the religious life and became a Carmelite friar, taking the name Dionysius (Denis) of the Nativity. He was sent by his superiors on a diplomatic and missionary mission to the Sultan of Aceh (Sumatra). Once there, all the members of his party were seized at the instigation of the Dutch authorities. They were tortured by their Islamic captors and were told to renounce their Catholic faith and become Muslims. They refused and were martyred. St Denis was martyred last, as he desired, in order to be able to strengthen the others. He was killed by a scimitar blow that split his head in two. His last words were: "Jesus, Mary."

***
a1
***

Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 506

Reading 1 RV 18:1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9A

I, John, saw another angel coming down from heaven,
having great authority,
and the earth became illumined by his splendor.
He cried out in a mighty voice:

"Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.
She has become a haunt for demons.
She is a cage for every unclean spirit,
a cage for every unclean bird,
a cage for every unclean and disgusting beast."

A mighty angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone
and threw it into the sea and said:

"With such force will Babylon the great city be thrown down,
and will never be found again.
No melodies of harpists and musicians,
flutists and trumpeters,
will ever be heard in you again.
No craftsmen in any trade
will ever be found in you again.
No sound of the millstone
will ever be heard in you again.
No light from a lamp
will ever be seen in you again.
No voices of bride and groom
will ever be heard in you again.
Because your merchants were the great ones of the world,
all nations were led astray by your magic potion."

After this I heard what sounded like
the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying:

"Alleluia!
Salvation, glory, and might belong to our God,
for true and just are his judgments.
He has condemned the great harlot
who corrupted the earth with her harlotry.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants."

They said a second time:

"Alleluia! Smoke will rise from her forever and ever."

Then the angel said to me, "Write this:
Blessed are those who have been called
to the wedding feast of the Lamb."

Responsorial Psalm PS 100:1B-2, 3, 4, 5
R. (Rev. 19: 9a) Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R. Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise;
Give thanks to him; bless his name.
R. Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
For he is good:
the LORD, whose kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R. Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.

Alleluia LK 21:28
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 21:20-28

Jesus said to his disciples:
"When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies,
know that its desolation is at hand.
Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains.
Let those within the city escape from it,
and let those in the countryside not enter the city,
for these days are the time of punishment
when all the Scriptures are fulfilled.
Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days,
for a terrible calamity will come upon the earth
and a wrathful judgment upon this people.
They will fall by the edge of the sword
and be taken as captives to all the Gentiles;
and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles
until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

"There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,
and on earth nations will be in dismay,
perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
People will die of fright
in anticipation of what is coming upon the world,
for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
But when these signs begin to happen,
stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand."

***

Meditation: Revelation 18:1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9a

34th Week in Ordinary Time

Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb. (Revelation 19:9)

Doesn't it feel wonderful to receive a wedding invitation? The couple wants you to share in their big day! So you put the date on your calendar. You start thinking about what you will wear. You make travel arrangements and begin to look for an appropriate gift. As the event gets closer, you might even begin counting down the days.

Today's first reading tells us that God is inviting us to a wedding—the "wedding feast of the Lamb" (Revelation 19:9). This is no ordinary ceremony. Scripture often uses marriage as a metaphor to describe God's covenant relationship with his people, and the actual feast is seen as a description of the joy and celebration that await us in heaven. This is the biggest invitation you could possibly receive: an eternal celebration with God and all the saints and angels! So how will you respond?

Just as you would make arrangements for an earthly wedding, there are some preparations you'll need to make for this one as well.

You might think that one of the biggest questions is what to wear. Well, don't worry about that one; God has it taken care of. Scripture tells us that he wants to clothe us with "gladness" and the "garments of salvation" (Psalm 30:12; Isaiah 61:10). It says that he offers us "a bright, clean linen garment" of righteous deeds (Revelation 19:8). And importantly, it warns us to make sure we come to his feast properly dressed (Matthew 22:11-12).

So how do you get hold of this outfit? Believe it or not, you already have it! At your baptism, your parents put a white robe on you as a symbol of how God had washed away original sin and clothed you with Christ. You were then told that this robe was "the outward sign of your Christian dignity," and you were exhorted: "With your family and friends to help you by word and example, bring that dignity unstained into the everlasting life of heaven" (Rite of Baptism).

So there you have it: an invitation to a never-ending wedding banquet, with your wardrobe already provided! Just make sure you keep that robe as clean as possible.

"Jesus, thank you for inviting me to your wedding feast! Help me to be ready."

***
ANF
2cts

2 cents :
"Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great." And so it happened. The culmination of all the people, put together, a great city, and it was completely destroyed by one single angel of God. Left to go up in smoke forever. There is hell to pay for believing you are god. For you believing you are greater. For you believing you don't need Him. For you to lose fear of Him. They were all one, one language, one coin, Revelation came true once again. In that one number they had sacrificed no more. For they were hogging up all the praise and honor and glory. Jesus has ushered in a new Jerusalem. The City of God, the City of Peace. A spanish reflection ended today with: "Because the heart also is like a small city, in which one can be or not be, in which He can reign or not reign, God our Father, and His Son Jesus Christ."

psalms

Let us pray the Psalm: "Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb. Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful song." Serve the Lord. SERVE! And sing at the same time? LOL. And sing joyfully at that? WHOA! Do we have to? Well, in a wedding feast, you kind of should, if you are rejoicing. Why? Aren't you just a guest? Uhh...Hate to break the news to you...you don't know? Jesus is the groom....and You are the bride!! AHHH! Yeah, He loves you. Like, He loves you soooooo much. Yeah. You're kind of the biggest deal. So much that He designed eternity to be with you. You know how people say "I'll love you forever?" Well, He really does.
So yeah! Be joyfully serving HIM! Love for Love. Amen?

In comes our Lord with an apocalyptic message: "And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." Again in the cloud, just like the old Testament. This cloud of old did what? It showed them God was with them. Yes. It showed the power of God. Yes. It would accept their sacrifice. Yes. And anyone who dared to enter it would die. Right? It's kind of a big thing. Power and glory, all belong to Him. Now, scattered across the earth, people speak different languages, can't understand one another, unless you learn their language. But there is one language God put in our hearts...His command, of love. People understand across the world, the precepts of love. Love wins ultimately, despite the attacks. You can choose to win. And there is no second place, to lose is to lose forever. What if I told you that the cloud is with us? Can you see it and the Son of Man on it? People choke in church when the incense starts up. And the Eucharist arises. Dare to enter? Jesus says "Come". And no one dares. The confessionals are empty, basically. Jesus says "come give thanks with holy lives" and the Eucharist is offered. Be ever careful how you receive Him. Know this, He will cement the love you allow in your heart, your inner city, with the Holy Eucharist. If there is none, for Him, you leave with none. But tenacity wins. I encourage you to keep partaking and asking for holiness. I told my 9th grade students last night "if you haven't been picked on for being religious, forgive me for being crude, but it may mean you haven't really stood out for Christ". It very well may mean the world says "hey come on in, you are one of us!". Worldly. Ungodly. Those trying to rebuild Babylon. I am not a Babylon builder. I am trying to build up God's Kingdom. I am trying to stand out for Him and stamp out darkness. Is it easy? With God it can be. His angels are on standby. If there are billions of demons, demon spirits in the world, and there are only a few angels, it means a single angel has more power than millions. Let us turn to God like angels. Angels serve God. On earth, they serve, and they serve as messengers. Don't you just love it when someone serves you with love? You should try being that server (instead of being a love hog! LOL). Serving at church, at home, and at work. It brings light to darkness. It changes the world. God reigns.
And He receives Glory, and praise, and Honor

***

adrian

***
 
 
Powered by
GoDaddy Email Marketing ®