†Quote of the Day
"There are two ways of knowing how good God is: one is never to lose Him, and the other is to lose Him and then to find Him."
–Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen †Today's Meditation
"We must beg God constantly in our prayers to uphold us by His hand; we should keep ever in our minds the truth that if He leaves us, most certainly we shall fall at once into the abyss, for we must never be so foolish as to trust in ourselves. After this I think the greatest safeguard is to be very careful and to watch how we advance in virtue; we must notice whether we are making progress or falling back in it, especially as regards the love of our neighbor, the desire to be thought the least of all and how we perform our ordinary, everyday duties. If we attend to this and beg Our Lord to enlighten us, we shall at once perceive our gain or loss."
—St. Teresa of Avila, p.98-99 †Daily Verse
"But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. This need not be so, my brothers."
–James 3:8-10 | St. Winebald St. Winebald (701-761 A.D.) – also known as Winibald or Wynbald – a Saxon prince born into a holy and royal family in England. His father, St. Richard the King, and his mother, St. Wunna of Wessex, are both saints, as well as his brother, St. Willibald, his sister, St. Walburga, and his uncle, St. Boniface. After making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with his father and brother, and then spending many years in Rome, Winebald was recruited by his uncle, Boniface, to join him in evangelizing Germany. Winebald was ordained a priest and worked as a missionary across Germany, Holland, France, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg, leaving behind many flourishing churches and monasteries under the Rule of St. Benedict. St. Winebald was an important figure in laying the foundations of Christianity across much of Europe. After his death, his tomb became a pilgrimage shrine. His feast day is December 18. | Monday of the Third Week of Advent Reading 1 Jer 23:5-8 Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David;
As king he shall reign and govern wisely,
he shall do what is just and right in the land.
In his days Judah shall be saved,
Israel shall dwell in security.
This is the name they give him:
"The LORD our justice." Therefore, the days will come, says the LORD,
when they shall no longer say, "As the LORD lives,
who brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt";
but rather, "As the LORD lives,
who brought the descendants of the house of Israel
up from the land of the north"–
and from all the lands to which I banished them;
they shall again live on their own land. Responsorial Psalm Ps 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19 R. (see 7) Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king's son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous deeds.
And blessed forever be his glorious name;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever. Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
O Leader of the House of Israel,
giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai:
come to rescue us with your mighty power!
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 1:18-25 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
"Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins."
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means "God is with us."
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.
He had no relations with her until she bore a son,
and he named him Jesus.
| Daily Meditation: Matthew 1:18-25 Joseph . . . was a righteous man. (Matthew 1:19) The word "righteous" has acquired some uncomfortable baggage in our times. It tends to be associated with self-righteousness, with an egotistical belief that one is better than those around them. But in Scripture, a righteous person is someone who is faithful to God in all things, someone devoted to the Lord and committed to following his commandments. And that's who Joseph was: a man who lived humbly before his God and who strove to walk in his ways every day. Indeed, this is why God set him apart and called him to become the earthly father of his Son. When Joseph learned that Mary, his betrothed, was pregnant, the implication would have been clear: she must have committed adultery. And as a righteous man, he knew what the letter of the law demanded: that he denounce her and that she be punished severely. But Joseph clearly loved Mary because he saw beyond the letter of the law. He also saw beyond his broken heart and bruised pride. Righteous man that he was, he saw a vulnerable young woman and chose the way of mercy—he decided to divorce her quietly. Even before the revelation that Mary had not, in fact, been adulterous, Joseph had already decided that her dignity, her life itself, was worth protecting. Many years later, Jesus taught that "the whole law" hinged on the command to love God and one another (Matthew 22:40). His teachings would have made his adoptive father—the righteous man, Joseph—proud! Jesus is the righteous man foreshadowed by Joseph. He sees your sins and shortcomings, but he also sees the person he created in love, the person he still loves deeply. He fulfills the law by offering you forgiveness instead of condemnation, pardon instead of punishment. He has chosen to take you into his home and make you part of his family. What a gracious—and righteous—Savior we have! "Jesus, Son of God and son of Joseph, thank you for seeing beyond my sins and right into my heart!" Jeremiah 23:5-8
Psalm 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:
Audio English | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"In his days Judah shall be saved, Israel shall dwell in security.
This is the name they give him:
"The LORD our justice......."_ end of verse.
. . . What is Israel? A country? Not necessarily. It is a country, but it is more importantly, a people. The people of Israel is a nation, not necessarily an occupied territory. And Israel was saved by the lion, the king of Judah, Jesus. How? Through Joseph. Tracing all the way back to King David. Judah saved. Israel, the people of God can dwell in security. | We pray today:
"For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him. He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever......" end of psalm. | In the Gospel today we heard:
""Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." ......" end of Gospel verse. | What an amazing message from the Arch Angel Gabriel. That Joseph deserved or was found worthy to hear from the Angel himself:
"Do Not Be Afraid."
"Take Mary into your home".
"He is of the Holy Spirit".
"His name is Jesus".
We are going every night for 9 nights to different houses, 3 houses per night, with youth dressed as Joseph and Mary, and even a real donkey which carries Mary, followed by kids dressed as angels and shepherds. We live a struggle at night, but it is a very small reenactment of what the Holy Family actually suffered.
Joseph was in for it. He wanted to divorce the young 15 year old virgin Mary, he was probably mid 40's or older, and was probably marrying her to preserve her consecrated virginity, as is proven by her own words "I do NOT HAVE RELATIONS with man".
Her only relation then, was with God, her Love, her everything.
Back to Joseph. Take her into your home, said the angel.
St. Joseph worked hard all his life to provide then for this child of God. He loved God so much. Do not believe the convoluted protestant theories, or even the doubts of catholic theologians of St. Joseph's own purity. Joseph was a righteous man. Very few times will you hear that in the bible. And only once will you hear "favored" as in the time the angel spoke of Mary.
They say St. Joseph just about cried when he couldn't find a place for Mary when she was about to give birth. He took her into his home, but he didn't have a literal home. He too was consecrated to God. His trade was to build things with his hands and to love God. They say that he struggled all his life to provide, and got to witness the jealousy of the Jews that already despised Jesus, "the carpenter's son" from the ago of 20 to 30 of the child of God.
Our Lord saw it was better that Joseph die older, and offer his life for Jesus, and it was at that time that Jesus would begin his ministry.
And then our Lord too would be found dying and giving the command Himself "Take my mother into your home".
And so, in the Posadas, Mary is given a place to rest, warmth, a meal, and the home is left blessed.
Joseph suffered after taking in Mary into his home, his heart. How did he love her? As a father? A husband? A friend? They say on his death bed she held his head in her lap. They say St. Joseph's death was the happiest on earth. And it is true.
He died in Mother's arms, the mother of God.
And holding his hands, was God himself, Jesus, with tears in his eyes, becaue of so much love from God and from St. Joseph. Nothing fills the earth more than these burning furnaces of charity.
This is why it is good to be giving in Advent. To give God a place in your life, the best place...all of our life. Pray with me: Lord, I am afraid of taking in Mary, because I know I will take in Christ, and following Christ to Calvary is not an enticing invitation.
But I know all along the way is pure love and joy. Faith then, becomes true love. Help us love Thee more and more! |  Click To Hear | Random Bible Verse 1
Matthew 11:28–30 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
