† Quote of the Day "If we really want to love, we must learn how to forgive." — St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta Today's Meditation "Consecration to St. Joseph will help you become "another Joseph" for Jesus and Mary. That is, entrusting yourself entirely to St. Joseph helps you become a faithful, loving, and trusting companion of Jesus and Mary! In the New Testament, we read that Jesus "increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man" (Lk 2:52) under the watchful care of his parents. Such an "increase" can happen to you, too, if you entrust yourself to the paternal care of St. Joseph...Saint Joseph is "The Increaser." He has paternal love for you and the power to increase the presence of God in your life and take you to greater heights in the spiritual life. –Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, p. 13
An excerpt from Consecration to St. Joseph Daily Verse "I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yea, wait for the Lord!" — Psalm 27:13-14 | St. Rose Philippine Duchesne
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne (1769–1852) was born in Grenoble, France, to a wealthy and prominent family. At the age of 18 she joined the Visitation nuns against the wishes of her family, taking her religious name after St. Rose of Lima and St. Philip Neri. During the anti-religious fervor of French Revolution, the "Reign of Terror," her convent was shut down. She then took up the work of providing care for the sick, hiding priests from the revolutionaries, and educating homeless children. When the tensions of the revolution subsided, she rented out her old convent in an attempt to revive her religious order, but the spirit was gone. She and the few remaining nuns of her convent then joined the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Since childhood St. Rose Philippine had had a strong desire to do missionary work in the New World, especially among the Native Americans. This was realized in 1818 when she and four nuns traveled across the Atlantic, a journey of eleven weeks, and another seven weeks up the Mississipi river to serve in one of the remotest outposts in the region in St. Charles, Missouri. St. Rose Philippine was a hardy pioneer woman ministering in the Midwest during its difficult frontier days. She opened several schools and served the Potawatomi Indians who gave her the name "Quah-kah-ka-num-ad," meaning, "Woman-who-prays-always." Her feast day is November 18th. | Monday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 RV 1:1-4; 2:1-5 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him,
to show his servants what must happen soon.
He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
who gives witness to the word of God
and to the testimony of Jesus Christ by reporting what he saw.
Blessed is the one who reads aloud
and blessed are those who listen to this prophetic message
and heed what is written in it, for the appointed time is near.
John, to the seven churches in Asia: grace to you and peace
from him who is and who was and who is to come,
and from the seven spirits before his throne.
I heard the Lord saying to me:
"To the angel of the Church in Ephesus, write this:
"'The one who holds the seven stars in his right hand
and walks in the midst of the seven gold lampstands says this:
"I know your works, your labor, and your endurance,
and that you cannot tolerate the wicked;
you have tested those who call themselves Apostles but are not,
and discovered that they are impostors.
Moreover, you have endurance and have suffered for my name,
and you have not grown weary.
Yet I hold this against you:
you have lost the love you had at first.
Realize how far you have fallen.
Repent, and do the works you did at first.
Otherwise, I will come to you
and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.'" Responsorial Psalm PS 1:1-2, 3, 4 AND 6 R. (Rev. 2:17) Those who are victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Those who are victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Those who are victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Those who are victorious I will feed from the tree of life. Alleluia JN 8:12 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel LK 18:35-43 As Jesus approached Jericho
a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging,
and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening.
They told him,
"Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."
He shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!"
The people walking in front rebuked him,
telling him to be silent,
but he kept calling out all the more,
"Son of David, have pity on me!"
Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him;
and when he came near, Jesus asked him,
"What do you want me to do for you?"
He replied, "Lord, please let me see."
Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you."
He immediately received his sight
and followed him, giving glory to God.
When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God. | Daily Meditation: Luke 18:35-43 What do you want me to do for you? (Luke 18:41) Why would Jesus ask such a question! It was abundantly clear that this man who was crying out to him was blind. Tragically, that disability had reduced him to begging on the side of the road for his livelihood. Gaining his vision would have been the answer to all his problems! But perhaps Jesus posed the question to expand this man's expectations. Perhaps he had something more than a physical healing to give him. Full of faith and expectation, the man made his request: "Lord, please let me see" (Luke 18:41). That was all Jesus needed to hear! Moved by the blind man's determination, Jesus gave him his physical sight and something even more miraculous: the ability to see who Jesus really was. The man responded to this gift with joy and "immediately . . . followed him, giving glory to God" (18:43). Imagine the Lord asking you the same question: "What do you want me to do for you?" Surely there are many things that you need—perhaps a physical healing or a better job or a reconciliation with someone you love. These are important to you, and the Lord knows it. But perhaps he wants to give you something more than just what you are asking for. So put aside your immediate needs for a moment and ask him what he wants to do for you. Maybe, just as he did for the blind man in today's Gospel, he wants to reveal more of himself to you. Maybe he wants to heal any spiritual blindness in you so that you can see him more clearly. Jesus knows you and loves you beyond anything you can imagine. He can fill every persistent longing in your heart. He is ready to forgive and forget every one of your transgressions. He will never, ever abandon you. It's true that Jesus wants to care for us, but we shouldn't think of him as just an instrument we use to attain all that we need. He is all that we need! May we turn to him each day, ready to be filled with all that he desires to give us. "Lord, I want to see! Open my eyes to who you are and all you want to do within me." Revelation 1:1-4; 2:1-5
Psalm 1:1-4, 6 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Click to hear Audio | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
""Son of David, have pity on me!"
Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him;
and when he came near, Jesus asked him,
"What do you want me to do for you?"
He replied, "Lord, please let me see."
Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you."
He immediately received his sight
and followed him, giving glory to God.
When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God......." end Gospel quote, word of the Lord. | From Bishop Barron today:
"Taking this story as their inspiration, many of the Fathers of the Church said that it is through Christ's power and presence that we are able to see the world aright. The problem is that we pretend we are not sinners; we become blind to our blindness. Often the most important step in one's spiritual development is an awakening to just how lost one is.
Dante's Divine Comedy opens with the line, "Midway on the journey of our life I awoke to find myself alone and lost in a dark wood, having wandered from the straight path." Dante's adventure of the spirit, which will take him from hell to purgatory to heaven, can begin only when he wakes from a slumber of complacency and self-righteousness, only when he comes to the painful realization that he stands in need of grace.
The breakthrough of God's grace is sometimes a harsh and dreadful thing, especially when it cracks open the defensive shell of our self-righteousness." end quote from Bishop Barron.
We pray like the sinner, if we are so lucky: "Lord have mercy on me!".
"Have pity on me!".
For what? Why do you want mercy?
So that you can go on living in your blind ways?
So that you can live life as if there were no God to thank eternally?
What do you want? All the glory and no guts? You want the crown without a cross?
What do you want from me?
And the blind man's answer was precious and should be read in a deeper level.
I want to see!
I want to see what you see Lord!
I want to see the Messiah, the Savior, that everyone has been talking about!
I want to see for myself! I want to be able to follow for myself!
And this is why reflections always ask us to turn inward and ask ourselves if we are living life blind, and to be like the blind man, to ask our Lord to see.
Can you see that you have been living life blind? That is, in faithlessness?
Can you see that you have been tricked into worrying about all the wrong things?
Can you see our Lord at all? In the poor? Have you failed to seek Him with all your heart?
I want to see Jesus!
I want to see the Love of God!
I want to see with my own eyes what Heaven has stored up!
But you know what?
I want to see the one that has in need of the greatest of love, right before my eyes.
I no longer want to live blind.
I want to see right here and right now, what God wants me to see.
And in doing so, may I see the humility and meekness He hides in.
I want to see therefore....to pour out my love and follow Him the rest of our life! |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Numbers 23:19 [Numbers 23] 19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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