†Quote of the Day
"Never give up prayer, and should you find dryness and difficulty, persevere in it for this very reason. God often desires to see what love your soul has, and love is not tried by ease and satisfaction."
–St. John of the Cross †Today's Meditation
"The reason why the soul not only travels securely when in obscurity, but also makes greater progress, is this: In general the soul makes greater progress in the spiritual life when it least thinks so, yea, when it rather imagines that it is losing everything …There is another reason also why the soul has traveled safely in this obscurity; it has suffered: for the way of suffering is safer, and also more profitable, than that of rejoicing and of action. In suffering God gives strength, but in action and in joy the soul does but show its own weakness and imperfections. And in suffering, the soul practices and acquires virtue, and becomes pure, wiser, and more cautious."
—St. John of the Cross, p.149 An Excerpt From
Dark Night of the Soul †Daily Verse
"Hearken to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am He, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save."
–Isaiah 46:3-4 | St. John of the Cross St. John of the Cross (1542–1591) – also known as San Juan de la Cruz – was born to a poor family in Old Castile, Spain. His father married below his rank and was disinherited as a result. After his father's early death, John was raised in poverty by his mother. He studied and served at a local hospital while committing himself to severe penances. Uncertain of his life's direction, he was told in prayer that he should enter religious life in order to bring reform. John joined the ancient Carmelite Order and received permission to observe their original rule of life, quickly earning a reputation for his humility, obedience, and religious fervor. He later met St. Teresa of Avila, a reforming Carmelite abbess who recognized the greatness of John's virtue and requested his assistance to found a monastery of friars under the primitive Carmelite rule, as she had done for her nuns. Together they founded the Discalced Carmelites, a contemplative order of strict religious observance. His reforms began to spread, and as a result John was captured, imprisoned, and physically abused by his fellow friars. His sufferings helped him to write his most famous work, Dark Night of the Soul. After nine months he made a miraculous escape and he went on to found and govern several Carmelite monasteries. St. John of the Cross became an authority on the spiritual life, and his profound writings and poetry are considered among the greatest of all Spanish literature. Because of his invaluable writings he was named a Doctor of the Church and the patron saint of mystics, contemplatives, and Spanish poets. His feast day is December 14th. | Memorial of Saint John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church • Readings for the Memorial of Saint John of the Cross, priest and doctor of the Church Reading 1 Is 41:13-20 I am the LORD, your God,
who grasp your right hand;
It is I who say to you, "Fear not,
I will help you."
Fear not, O worm Jacob,
O maggot Israel;
I will help you, says the LORD;
your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
I will make of you a threshing sledge,
sharp, new, and double-edged,
To thresh the mountains and crush them,
to make the hills like chaff.
When you winnow them, the wind shall carry them off
and the storm shall scatter them.
But you shall rejoice in the LORD,
and glory in the Holy One of Israel. The afflicted and the needy seek water in vain,
their tongues are parched with thirst.
I, the LORD, will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
I will open up rivers on the bare heights,
and fountains in the broad valleys;
I will turn the desert into a marshland,
and the dry ground into springs of water.
I will plant in the desert the cedar,
acacia, myrtle, and olive;
I will set in the wasteland the cypress,
together with the plane tree and the pine,
That all may see and know,
observe and understand,
That the hand of the LORD has done this,
the Holy One of Israel has created it. Responsorial Psalm Ps 145:1 and 9, 10-11, 12-13ab R. (8) The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.
I will extol you, O my God and King,
and I will bless your name forever and ever.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.
Let them make known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness. Alleluia See Is 45:8 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let the clouds rain down the Just One,
and the earth bring forth a Savior.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 11:11-15 Jesus said to the crowds:
"Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
From the days of John the Baptist until now,
the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence,
and the violent are taking it by force.
All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John.
And if you are willing to accept it,
he is Elijah, the one who is to come.
Whoever has ears ought to hear."
| Daily Meditation: Isaiah 41:13-20 All may see and know . . . that the hand of the Lord has done this. (Isaiah 41:20) Imagine that you're a Jew living in exile in Babylon, and you're reading this passage from the prophet Isaiah. God has promised to make Israel into a strong and flourishing nation. You return to this passage again and again for reassurance that God is working on your behalf. But there are also days when doubts surface. When will God act as he says he will? God did act—in time, the exiles returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the Temple. But even this victory was temporary. Eventually, Israel was conquered once more, and the Temple was destroyed, never to be rebuilt again. Yet all the while, God was at work, doing something far greater than the exiles at the time could have ever imagined. In the fullness of time, he sent his Son to inaugurate a kingdom that would last forever. Jesus came to save his people not just from invaders but from the ultimate enemies: sin and death. We have been saved through our Lord Jesus, but we don't see the final victory, either. We often experience the effects of sin, both in our hearts and in the world around us. We witness bodily death and we grieve our loved ones who have gone before us. Life is not always the beautiful flourishing garden that Isaiah describes. But just as the exiles couldn't foresee how God's long-term plan would unfold, neither can we. We know that Jesus will come again to put things right once and for all. However, we simply can't imagine how that will happen and what the world will look like when it is finally accomplished. Sometimes we may even doubt that it will ever come to pass. We can't peer into the future, but we can place our hope in the God who keeps his promises. One day—we don't know when—we will see the final ending of God's story of salvation. And we will know "that the hand of the Lord has done this" (Isaiah 41:20). So, like the Jewish exiles of so long ago, let the prophet's words reassure you. Whatever your situation now, believe that God is doing something beyond your wildest expectations—and he will accomplish it! "Father, I place my hope in your promises." Psalm 145:1, 9-13
Matthew 11:11-15 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:
Audio English | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"I will plant in the desert the cedar, acacia, myrtle, and olive;
I will set in the wasteland the cypress, together with the plane tree and the pine, That all may see and know, observe and understand, That the hand of the LORD has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it........"_ end of verse.
. . . Have you ever been to an actual oasis, in the middle of a sand desert or dry land and find trees and water there? Most of my teenage and early college years were spent living in the desert on weekends, at a patch of about 100 square miles of hills of clean rolling sand. To me it was amazing and fun, sometimes crazy jumping across hills on quads (4 wheelers) and sometimes just taking it easy, hanging with friends and or family. The sunsets were amazing. The hot weather didn't bother me, as long as I had water. After years of exploring and riding, someone told me there was a patch of trees. I followed trails and found them. That would be the later spot to relax under huge desert willows nestled in between some big sand hills. There birds were hanging out, some grass was growing, and it was its own little world. Now the sandhills were purchased and we've been kicked out. They are selling the sand and the sandhills are being flattened out. The beauty will be no more.
But what made the sandhills bloom? Water. Just add water and see what happens. Jesus turns the water to wine and the wine into water. Jesus can make our lives bloom. And get ready. He is coming.
My mom asked me this morning if we are ready for Christmas. I said we are praying, about to start Posadas, and got the tree up and decorations. I said "we will be getting ready until He comes". | We pray today:
"Let them make known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great ......" end of psalm. | In the Gospel today we heard:
"From the days of John the Baptist until now,
the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force.
All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John.
And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come.
Whoever has ears ought to hear."....." end of Gospel verse. | We suffer violence don't we? The Kingdom suffers from violent attacks. They say that the last 100 years has been the worst as far as Christianity being attacked with violence. They just stabbed a priest not long ago in Nebraska too. Was it religious persecution? Whether we like it or not, evil spirits work with willing souls. All we need to do is give the dark side permission and things like this happens, so yes, even if inadvertently, this happens. But it is more prevalent in other parts of the world. Blood everywhere. They bomb churches. They round up the innocent. They kidnap them. They hold them hostage. Some get killed. But in our country, it may be worse. We don't see too many blood baths, but we are seeing worse. A rapid decline in faith.
Over there, at the blood baths, faith is actually growing! By leaps and bounds! And here, faith is more stagnant. Many don't care too much about tending to God's will. And this could mean we are headed for disaster, turning into a desert. But do we have to turn into dry land? No. We need to ask for the living waters from God our Father...in Jesus our Lord. Water that flows from His side forever. Water that pours blood and water, love and mercy.
Let's make a return. Let's turn to the one who loves us.
Let's turn from melancholy to joy. Let's turn from hopelessness to hopefulness. Let's turn then to the light in the dark.
Who was John the Baptist? Our Lord said he was Elijah.
Who was Elijah? Elijah was a major prophet that was up against total darkness, people having left for other gods. His name means "My God is the Lord". Elijah prepared the way for the future Elisha.
Elijah proved to the kings and peoples that our God is the God of above all gods. His feats were amazing, and still he had to flee for his life, some lady wanted his head cut off and so he was a prophet crying out in the desert. Just like John the Baptist, who's head was actually cut off. Everything St. John the Baptist did and Jesus did was more significant but hidden to many eyes. Elijah was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire. St. John was beheaded. Jesus our Lord feeds thousands whereas Elisha fed a hundred. Elisha means "God is Salvation". Jesus name means "He Saves".
Elijah and John pointed to our God.
Today, we have our Lord still doing what Elisha did. He is Emmanuel, which means God is with us. To feed us. To warn us. To be with us and shelter us. To resurrect us. He can do it all.
Where is our love and fear of the Lord? True faith needs His water of fire, a surging stream of life from our Creator Himself. All we've to do is to avail ourselves to Him. Receive the gift. Pray with me: Lord, may we truly prepare ourselves by opening ourselves more to Thee, in true love, sincerity, and humility. |  Click To Hear | Random Bible Verse 1
Ephesians 4:31–32 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
