† Quote of the Day "O Holy Family—the Family so closely united to the mystery which we contemplate on the day of the Lord's Birth—guide with your example the families of the whole earth!"
-Pope St. John Paul II Today's Meditation "Jesus is talking about God's plan for the world, the new thing that God wants to create in the midst of the old society. In short: He is speaking of the reign of God. This new world of God's, says Jesus, will not succeed by cowardice, with people who are immovable, who constantly want to make themselves secure, who would rather delay than act. This new society of God's will only succeed with people who are ready to risk, who will wager everything on the turn of a card, who go all out and who, with utter determination, will be "doers." —Gerhard Lohfink, p.173
An excerpt from The Forty Parables of Jesus Daily Verse "No, you have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels in festal gathering, and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven, and God the judge of all, and the spirits of the just made perfect, and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel." -Hebrews 12:22-24 | Saint Anysia Of Salonika St. Anysia of Salonika (d. c. 298 A.D.), also known as St. Anysia of Thessalonica, was born to wealthy and pious Christian parents near Thessalonica, Greece. After the death of her parents, while she was still a young lady, Anysia dedicated her life completely to Christ. She made private vows of chastity and poverty, spent her days in fasting and prayer, and gave her wealth to the poor. She lived under the persecutions of the Roman Emperor Maximian, who declared that anyone who met a Christian could kill them without trial. One Sunday while on her way to church, St. Anysia was harassed by a Roman soldier. In one account he attempted to force her to make sacrifice to the pagan sun god. Anysia refused, declared her commitment to Christ, and spat in the soldier's face. Enraged, the soldier ran her through with his sword, winning Anysia the crowns of virginity and martyrdom. Her feast day is December 30. | The Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas Reading 1 1 John 2:12-17 I am writing to you, children,
because your sins have been forgiven for his name's sake. I am writing to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men,
because you have conquered the Evil One. I write to you, children,
because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men,
because you are strong and the word of God remains in you,
and you have conquered the Evil One. Do not love the world or the things of the world.
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world,
sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life,
is not from the Father but is from the world.
Yet the world and its enticement are passing away.
But whoever does the will of God remains forever. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 96:7-8a, 8b-9, 10 R. (11a) Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice! Give to the LORD, you families of nations,
give to the LORD glory and praise;
give to the LORD the glory due his name! R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Bring gifts, and enter his courts;
worship the LORD in holy attire.
Tremble before him, all the earth. R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity. R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice! Alleluia R. Alleluia, alleluia. A holy day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, and adore the Lord.
Today a great light has come upon the earth. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Luke 2:36-40 There was a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee,
to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him.
| Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Luke 2:36-40 . . . Anna, of the tribe of Asher. (Luke 2:36) Today's Gospel offers us a snapshot from St. Luke's story about Jesus' presentation at the Temple (2:22-38). Mary and Joseph have come to dedicate their firstborn son to the Lord when they encounter Anna, an elderly prophetess who gives thanks to God for the gift of their child. But who is Anna? Why is she important, and what can she teach us? Scripture tells us that Anna was eighty-four years old, a widow, and devoted to prayer (Luke 2:37). She was descended from the northern tribe of Asher, one of the ten "lost" tribes of Israel that were overpowered by the Assyrians in the eighth century BC. But Anna wasn't lost. She was part of the small, faithful remnant of her tribe that still trusted God to fulfill his promise to save his people. Her witness joins the witness of Simeon, who lived in Jerusalem, the capital of the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin (2:25). So at the presentation, we see both a man and a woman, one from the northern kingdom and one from the south, who proclaim Jesus as the Messiah. Anna's heritage shows God's faithfulness to his covenant and points toward the full restoration of God's people, all twelve tribes of Israel. In her, the lost tribes are found again! This faithful daughter of Asher tells us that God's salvation extends to everyone. Anna also teaches us that nothing is more important than staying close to the Lord and worshipping him. She teaches us to keep trusting in the Lord, even when God's timing is not our timing and his promise is taking longer than we'd like. Finally, Anna teaches us that we can't keep the good news of Jesus to ourselves. Even here, near the end of her life, Anna "spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem" (Luke 2:38). Today, pray for the faith that Anna had. Ask the Spirit to help you detect the presence of God in smallness, as Anna saw it in the Christ Child. Ask for the strength to trust him during times of waiting or sorrow. And ask for the boldness to tell someone about how God has been faithful to you. Tell them about the God who never stops reaching out to his children. "Thank you, Lord, for coming to save us! St. Anna of Asher, pray for us!" 1 John 2:12-17
Psalm 96:7-10 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "... She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee,
to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him. ...." Word of the Lord. | From Roberto Juarez:
"The figure of Anne also invites us to value the role of the elderly in the faith. In it, old age is not decadence, but plenitude. It is a living memory of the promise and a bridge between expectation and fulfillment. The Church needs those who, like Anna, sustain the Christian life by their faithful prayer and persevering witness. In this Octave of Christmas, the Gospel poses a simple but decisive question to us: do we know how to recognize the Lord when he comes to meet us? Are we capable of discovering his presence in the humble, in the fragile, in the everyday?
Let us ask the Lord for the grace of a patient and grateful faith; the ability to wait without tiring and to recognize its action in our daily lives. Like Anne, may we know how to give thanks, joyfully proclaim what we have seen and trust that God's grace continues to be at work today, even in the midst of our simplicity."
Last week, I joined my wife to a local parish retreat in a nearby city, before Christmas where they invited a keynote speaker I have heard of for many years...a man that plays the guitar with his feet, because he was born without arms: Tony Melendez, a Catholic evangelist born without arms who plays the guitar with his feet, inspiring millions with his faith, music (like "Never Be the Same"), and message of hope, famously recognized by Pope John Paul II for his courageous witness. He said "once you're kissed by the Pope, you are never the same again. After the retreat, I went to take a picture with him and I said, "what inspires me, as a singer and evangelist as well, is that you are persevering into older age, I admire that".
Prophetess Anna was said to be in the mid 80's. That in of itself for her day in age is remarkable. Women still lived longer than men! LOL. But how do you envision YOUR Life?? Will you be expecting the coming of our Lord, living in the temple? There was much anticipation for Him, did you notice? Mother Mary is said to be a chaste virgin that was brought to live in the temple too. She was said to be of the Essene Jews who lived in total purification mode and were bringing lineage blood lines together on purpose to help bring about the Messiah. That is crazy! Or is it?
Where is that fervor today? Anna was representing the lost tribes of the north. Simeon was representing the remnants of the southern tribes of Israel. And they joined into the child Jesus, the Messiah, the long awaited for Savior.
Now, our Lord flips the tables in the temple (literally too!). He flips the script.
It gets even more crazy. He destroys the temple worship, and sacrifice, and brings it all unto Himself, the temple sacrifice to atone for all sin for all humanity. And the temple? From the Sacristy to your heart, your body.
Have you been waiting for that moment? Joy should enter. Not total absurd happiness that the world teaches and preaches, but the joy of having Him inside, a perennial joy no matter your circumstance in life. Anna and Simeon sought the fulfillment of all things.
And Jesus comes in....
Seek and ye shall find.
Our Lord now comes at any moment, of any day, of your life.
In the end, you will see, He was there the whole time... |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse Matthew 5:7
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
. . . . . . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
