† Quote of the Day "We have been called to heal wounds, to unite what has fallen apart, and to bring home those who have lost their way." -St. Francis of Assisi Today's Meditation "Mary remained with the donkey at the very entrance of the street while Joseph sought a lodging in the nearest houses—in vain, for Bethlehem was full of strangers, all running from place to place. Joseph returned to Mary, saying that as no shelter was to be found there, they would go on farther into the town. He led the donkey on by the bridle, and the Blessed Virgin walked beside him. When they came to the beginning of another street, Mary again stopped by the donkey, and Joseph again went from house to house in vain seeking a lodging, and again came sadly back. This happened several times, and the Blessed Virgin often had long to wait. Everywhere the houses were filled with people, everywhere he was turned away ... Joseph led the Blessed Virgin to [a] tree, and made her a comfortable seat against its trunk with their bundles, so that she might rest while he sought for shelter in the houses near. ... At first Mary stood upright, leaning against the tree. Her ample white woolen dress had no girdle and hung around her in folds: her head was covered with a white veil. Many people passed by and looked at her, not knowing that the Redeemer was so near to them. She was so patient, so humble, so full of hopeful expectation. Ah, she had to wait a long, long time; she sat down at last on the rug, crossing her feet under her. She sat with her head bent and her hands crossed below her breast. Joseph came back to her in great distress; he had found no shelter. His friends, of whom he had spoken to the Blessed Virgin, would hardly recognize him. He was in tears and Mary comforted him." —Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich, p.185
An excerpt from The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary Daily Verse "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful." -James 5:16 | St Zeno Of Nicomedia St. Zeno of Nicomedia (d. 303 A.D.) was a Roman soldier and commander living in Nicomedia (modern-day Turkey) during the reign of Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximian. During their fierce persecution of the Church they were condemning many Christians to death, including any soldiers who professed faith in Jesus Christ. In Nicomedia alone, as many as 20,000 Christians were burned alive as they gathered inside a cathedral on Christmas Day. Standing nearby when the Emperor was offering a sacrifice to a Roman deity, St. Zeno, a Christian, mocked his devotion to a soulless god. St. Zeno was immediately seized and put to death, giving him a martyr's crown. St. Zeno's feast day is December 22nd. | Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent Reading 1 1 Samuel 1:24-28 In those days,
Hannah brought Samuel with her,
along with a three-year-old bull,
an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine,
and presented him at the temple of the LORD in Shiloh.
After the boy's father had sacrificed the young bull,
Hannah, his mother, approached Eli and said:
"Pardon, my lord!
As you live, my lord,
I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD.
I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request.
Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;
as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD."
She left Samuel there. Responsorial Psalm 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd R. (see 1a) My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior. "My heart exults in the LORD,
my horn is exalted in my God.
I have swallowed up my enemies;
I rejoice in my victory." R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior. "The bows of the mighty are broken,
while the tottering gird on strength.
The well-fed hire themselves out for bread,
while the hungry batten on spoil.
The barren wife bears seven sons,
while the mother of many languishes." R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior. "The LORD puts to death and gives life;
he casts down to the nether world;
he raises up again.
The LORD makes poor and makes rich,
he humbles, he also exalts." R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior. "He raises the needy from the dust;
from the dung heap he lifts up the poor,
To seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage." R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior. Alleluia R. Alleluia, alleluia.
O King of all nations and keystone of the Church;
come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Luke 1:46-56 Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever." Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months
and then returned to her home.
| Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: 1 Samuel 1:24-28 A long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the Lord. (1 Samuel 1:28) We all know what it's like to pray fervently for that one thing that we want more than anything else. But how many of us, having finally received it, would intentionally give it away? This, essentially, is what Hannah did in today's first reading. For years, she begged God to let her conceive a child. In fact, she once prayed so intently at Israel's greatest shrine that the priest, Eli, thought she was drunk (1 Samuel 1:12-15)! Yet when she finally was granted a son, she gave him to Eli so that he could raise her son to be dedicated completely to God. What an immense sacrifice this must have been! But God blessed Hannah's sacrifice, both by opening her eyes to his plans and by blessing her with many more children (1 Samuel 2:1-10, 21). Evidently, God can never be outmatched in showing generosity! What about you? Have you seen the Lord answer a deep longing in your heart? Did a special blessing from God draw you closer to him? How did you respond? Perhaps you felt moved to offer something to him in return for his goodness? Christmas is only a couple of days away; what can you give to the Lord in gratitude for his gifts to you? If you're a parent, maybe you can follow Hannah's example and surrender to him your dreams for your children or other loved ones. Especially when it comes to our adult children, you may have expectations that they follow a certain path for their lives. So maybe you can acknowledge that God might have a different plan for them, and you can try to release them to follow that plan. You can take a similar approach to other aspects of your life. For example, you might acknowledge that your money, like everything else in this world, belongs to God, so you can decide to listen for his guidance on where and how to spend it. Or you can look at the way you spend your free time. Especially during this season, you could offer more time to loved ones or someone you know who is lonely. None of us will give to God exactly the same gift that others will. But like Hannah, each of us can offer him a gift that comes from the heart. "Here I am, Father! I offer back to you every good gift you have given me!" (Psalm) 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-8
Luke 1:46-56 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "... "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation. ...." Word of the Lord. | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, we hear the Magnificat—Mary's great hymn of praise to Yahweh. The hymn commences with the simple declaration "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord." Mary announces here that her whole being is ordered to the glorification of God. Her ego wants nothing for itself; it wants only to be an occasion for giving honor to God. But since God needs nothing, whatever glory Mary gives to him returns to her benefit, so that she is magnified in the very act of magnifying him. In giving herself away fully to God, Mary becomes a superabundant source of life; indeed, she becomes pregnant with God. This odd and wonderful rhythm of magnifying and being magnified is the key to understanding everything about Mary, from her divine motherhood, to her assumption and immaculate conception, to her mission in the life of the Church." end quote.
Mother Mary magnifies the Lord. For generations she said she would be called "blessed".
And she is, "most blessed among women" and "blessed is the fruit of her womb...Jesus".
Through Jesus we are given life. We are born into Him into His death and resurrection.
He fathers children in baptism through fathers, the priests.
And so, if we are made into God's children in holiness, she is our mother as well, maybe grandmother as well! Maybe I've gone over on ideas and theories, but the point is...she is the new Eve, of the new creation, of the new children of God that are to be called to a destination of eternity.
We long for something, and I told the crowd at Posadas last night, that no earthly gift will make you truly happy, only the gift from God, of God, wrapped for you in Christmas in swaddling clothes....the gift of self, of which we know our Most Blessed Mother did as well.
God gave Himself.
Mother Mary gave herself.
And Jesus gave Himself.
And so the greatest gift is there for the taking...but only to be given.
Are we prepared for this gift to God from self? Jesus, Mary, Joseph,
I love you...Save Souls! |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
1 John 2:4–6 "Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked." . . . . . . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment