† Quote of the Day "I will go anywhere and do anything in order to communicate the love of Jesus to those who do not know Him or have forgotten Him." — St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Today's Meditation "God will forgive you if you forgive others. Forgiving those who cause offense or injury is often exceedingly difficult. And yet, forgiveness is one of the most beautiful and important teachings of Jesus Christ. It is central to the gospel because, without it, you can't go to heaven." —Patrick Madrid, p.21
An excerpt from A Year with the Bible Daily Verse "When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." — Isaiah 43:2-3 | St. Frances Xavier Cabrini St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850–1917) was the thirteenth child of a modest farming family born near Milan, Italy. Her father would often gather his children in the kitchen to hear him read from a book on the lives of the saints. St. Frances was endeared to the stories of missionaries working in the Orient and desired to become one herself, which in her day was a man's role. Turned away from being a nun twice due to poor health, she prayed before the relics of her patron, Francis Xavier, the great Jesuit missionary-saint, about founding a new religious order to evangelize the East just as he did. Pope Leo XIII approved of her order, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, but instead of sending her to China as she had desired since childhood, he sent her to the West, specifically to America to serve the growing European immigrant population which faced poverty and disenfranchisement. St. Frances Xavier Cabrini moved to New York in 1889 and went on to found 67 institutions—schools, orphanages, and hospitals—throughout the Western Hemisphere. She received American citizenship, and in 1946 became the first United States citizen to be canonized by the Catholic Church. Her ministry left a significant mark on the Americas, creating lasting institutions to educate and care for those in need. She is the patron saint of immigrants, orphans, and hospital administrators. Her feast day is November 13th. | Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin Lectionary: 493
Reading 1 Ti 3:1-7 Beloved:
Remind them to be under the control of magistrates and authorities,
to be obedient, to be open to every good enterprise.
They are to slander no one, to be peaceable, considerate,
exercising all graciousness toward everyone.
For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, deluded,
slaves to various desires and pleasures,
living in malice and envy,
hateful ourselves and hating one another. But when the kindness and generous love
of God our savior appeared,
not because of any righteous deeds we had done
but because of his mercy,
he saved us through the bath of rebirth
and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
whom he richly poured out on us
through Jesus Christ our savior,
so that we might be justified by his grace
and become heirs in hope of eternal life. Responsorial Psalm 23:1b-3a, 3bc-4, 5, 6 R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Alleluia 1 Thes 5:18 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
In all circumstances, give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 17:11-19 As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying,
"Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!"
And when he saw them, he said,
"Go show yourselves to the priests."
As they were going they were cleansed.
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
"Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine?
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?"
Then he said to him, "Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you." | Daily Meditation: Luke 17:11-19 They . . . raised their voice. (Luke 17:12, 13) The ten people with leprosy were probably used to shouting. They had to call out warnings to keep other people from coming close enough to be exposed to their disease. But that's not the only shouting they did. They also cried out to Jesus in faith and hope that he would heal them. And then one of them, realizing he had been healed, came back to praise and thank God—loudly—for his healing. Imagine the obstacles they must have overcome to raise their voices like this! They could have talked each other out of asking for healing. Maybe they believed that their disease was God's punishment for their sins. They might have thought their situation was hopeless. But they believed enough to call out to Jesus. And he not only stopped and listened, but he also gave them something concrete to do. And miraculously, they were healed as soon as they began to do it! What was their response? One, realizing he had been healed, returned to Jesus, "glorifying God in a loud voice" (Luke 17:15). We don't know what kept the other nine from praising God for their healing. But we do know that the one who returned demonstrated his faith as he glorified God loudly enough for everyone to hear. Let's learn from this man to overcome our hesitations and cry out to Jesus. Maybe we don't think he cares enough to intervene. Maybe we think we don't deserve his help. Or maybe we think we should handle our problems on our own. How do you overcome these obstacles? Take a step of faith and just cry out! You can even do it quietly if you're self-conscious. Just give voice to your need and trust that Jesus will hear you. Even if you don't have a pressing need right now, you can still cry out—in thanksgiving for all he has done for you! And if you do have a need, you can still cry out in thanksgiving—you can thank him in anticipation of whatever grace or healing or insight or gift he will give you. You can raise your voice in a song of praise or read aloud one of the psalms. Or use your own words as you thank him for his goodness and love. God gave you a voice, so use it! "Thank you, Jesus, that you hear my cry and answer my call!" Titus 3:1-7
Psalm 23:1-6 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Click to hear Audio | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
""Go show yourselves to the priests."
As they were going they were cleansed.
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
"Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine?
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?"
Then he said to him, "Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you........" end Gospel quote, word of the Lord. | From Bishop Barron today:
"Friends, today's Gospel recounts the Lord's healing of ten lepers, only one of whom comes back to give thanks. Leprosy frightened people in ancient times, just as contagious and mysterious diseases frighten people today. But, more than this, leprosy rendered someone unclean and therefore incapable of engaging in the act of worship. It is not accidental that the person responsible for examining the patient in ancient Israel was the priest. The priest's job was to monitor the whole process of Israelite worship, very much including who could and couldn't participate in the temple.
What is so important about worship? To worship is to order the whole of one's life toward the living God, and, in doing so, to become interiorly and exteriorly rightly ordered. To worship is to signal to oneself what one's life is finally about. Worship is not something that God needs, but it is very much something that we need..........." end quote Bishop Barron.
The lepers were pleading ""Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!". A song was playing through my head that we sing in choir, "The Lord Hears, The Cry of the Poor".
Our Lord heard the cries, the pleading, and He healed them.
And then we heard that only one returned to give thanks.
One out of ten.
This 10% is what I see mostly doing most of the heavy lifting in church.
About 10% are actually tithing.
About 10% are actually faithful.
About 10% are very active.
And the rest? Very lightweight Catholics. And this is hard. Because if they didn't take the faith so lightly, this world would be so much more different, and better..
Even in Government, if rulers would allow Catholic ways to enter more true, it wouldn't be perfect, but the glory to our Lord would be more, and this more beneficial for us. We would experience less oppression, depression, and the divisions would subside significantly. If only, that is, if only we were true to the Word in thanksgiving.
Thankfulness changes everything. Gratitude is an attitude.
I am shocked at how few are thankful.
How so?
I see people survive heart attacks, and they still don't go to church.
What about answered prayers?
I see people survive cancer, and they are somewhat interested in going to church, what about your very life that was saved so you could enjoy?
How can we make a return?
How else can we realize that God is here? Or do you think you saved yourself after you pleaded to Him for help?
I speak for myself. I've been saved in more ways than one.
For one act of God, I am fighting to be eternally grateful.
You got me Lord! How can I give my life to You in return?
You heart makes my heart burn with a fire of love.
If only we could spread this fire like Mother Cabrini, whom we celebrate today. She spread God's love, and made institutions to care for the sick, the orphans, and the faithless. And these places still exist. Me and my family visit one of her stops, a shrine in Golden, Colorado. We go and experience God on a mountain top, (because we live in flatlands any mount is huge!). And these make for everlasting moments. And there, at the top, a huge statue of our Lord with open arms, and the sacred heart, that shines for the world to see that God exists...Love exists! |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Philippians 2:9–11 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
