I Hear About You

Minute Meditations Reliance on God When a child is born, the mother and father are a bit like God. The child is fed, nourished, and given everything by their parents, even their existence. — from The Gospel of John, The Gospel of Relationship St. Leonard of Noblac Facts Feastday: November 6 Patron of political prisoners, imprisoned people, prisoners of war, and captives, women in labour, as well as horses Death: 559 Hermit-abbot, a convert of St. Remigius. He was a French courtier offered a bishopric, but became a recluse at Micy, France. He then lived at Limoges, France, and he was given land by the royal court on which he founded Noblac Abbey, later called Saint-Leonard. He is a patron of Women in labor and prisoners of war. Patron Saint of: Robbers, danger from Daily Prayer - 2015-11-06 Presence "Come to me all you who are burdened and I will give you rest" Here I am, Lord. I come to seek Your presence. I long for your healing power. Freedom Thank you for the gift of freedom, Lord. Grant that I may always choose to follow You. Keep me ever mindful of your ways. Of your love and concern for all people. Consciousness How wonderful it is to be able to enter into your presence Lord. No matter what time it is. No matter which land I am in. I need only to speak your name. The Word of God Reading 1 Rom 15:14-21 I myself am convinced about you, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to admonish one another. But I have written to you rather boldly in some respects to remind you, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in performing the priestly service of the Gospel of God, so that the offering up of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to boast in what pertains to God. For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to lead the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum I have finished preaching the Gospel of Christ. Thus I aspire to proclaim the Gospel not where Christ has already been named, so that I do not build on another's foundation, but as it is written: Those who have never been told of him shall see, and those who have never heard of him shall understand. Responsorial Psalm PS 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4 R. (see 2b) The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power. Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; His right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm. R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power. The LORD has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel. R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power. Alleluia 1 Jn 2:5 R. Alleluia, alleluia. Whoever keeps the word of Christ, the love of God is truly perfected in him. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 16:1-8 Jesus said to his disciples, "A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. He summoned him and said, 'What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.' The steward said to himself, 'What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.' He called in his master's debtors one by one. To the first he said, 'How much do you owe my master?' He replied, 'One hundred measures of olive oil.' He said to him, 'Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.' Then to another he said, 'And you, how much do you owe?' He replied, 'One hundred measures of wheat.' He said to him, 'Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.' And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of light." - - - Some thoughts on today's scripture This is a strange parable. It seems to unfold within the value-system of "the children of this age". As the dishonest manager tries to deal with the consequences of his imminent dismissal, he does so by perpetrating further dishonesty. For this even his employer praises him "because he had acted shrewdly". Cleverness, astuteness, canniness (even if morally reprehensible) are admired in this world of business. Within the very different value-system of "the children of light", do we have the same level of shrewdness and astuteness Conversation Sometimes I wonder what I might say if I were to meet you in person Lord. I think I might say "Thank You Lord" for always being there for me. I know with certainty there were times when you carried me, Lord. When it was through your strength I got through the dark times in my life. Conclusion Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Meditation: Romans 15:14-21 View NAB Reading at USCCB.org Subscriber? Login to view archives. I myself am convinced about you, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness. (Romans 15:14) A strange movement that began in the late 1990s has gained popularity in recent years. The premise is simple: strangers assemble in theaters, bars, and church halls to perform dramatic readings of old diary entries, love letters, and poems. The excerpts range from hilarious to moving to painfully awkward, but one element that most have in common is how direct they are—especially the ones written by children and teenagers! Look at how direct St. Paul was with the believers in Rome! We may be accustomed to using the term "brothers and sisters" in a church setting, but think about how this would have come across to the original recipients. Paul, a faithful Jew, is calling Gentiles his family?! He is warm and kind to these Romans, almost scandalously so. What's more, in blunt language he praises them for what they are getting right and corrects them for their mistakes. And these are people he has not even met! Paul enjoyed being part of an international, multicultural, growing Church. He saw people from so many different backgrounds come to faith through the power of the Holy Spirit, and that's what gave him the confidence to speak so boldly. He was convinced that this was God's work, and so God would sustain it. The Holy Spirit wants to convince us that God is at work today just as powerfully as he was in Paul's day. He wants to urge us to try to advance the mission of the Church. He wants to tell us the same thing Pope John Paul II said over and over again: "Do not be afraid!" We may not feel as talented as the apostle Paul, but it's not too hard for us to speak an encouraging word to a friend. It's not hard to offer to pray for a neighbor or relative facing a medical crisis. It's not impossible to forgive a co-worker who has hurt us. We are a Church on a mission. As Pope Francis has said, sometimes that means going beyond our parish boundaries so that we can draw more people in. May we all commit to building the Church, confident that God is with us, sustaining us at every step. "Lord, fill me with love for your Church and confidence in your work in it." Psalm 98:1-4 Luke 16:1-8 I Hear About You Podcast Page: http://hipcast.com/podcast/HdWnKn2x my2cents: The last part of a super long text reflection today brought this quote up "How difficult it is to be a human, it asks not to be be born, it doesn't know how to live, and it doesn't want to die!!!!" LOL. And then the reflection went on with the 3 last desires of Alexander the Great: 1.  That his coffin be taken on shoulders of the best doctors of the time. 2.  That the treasures he had conquered (silver, gold, precious stones), be scattered on the road to his tomb...and 3.  That his hands be balanced in the air, out of the coffin, and in everyone's site. One of the generals astonished by such unusual  desires asked Alexander what were the reasons.  Alexander explained: 1.  I want the most eminent doctors to carry my coffin so that this way they can show they do NOT have, before death, the power to cure. 2.  I want the ground covered by my treasures so that all can see the material goods here conquered remain here. 3.  I want my hands balanced in the air so that people can see that we come with empty hands, and we leave with empty hands when our most precious treasure ends which is time. The 5 minutos said (I will also translate this reflection for you): "A man went to confess, even though apparently he had no sins.  To all the questions the priest made, the answer was always "None of that Father! I didn't do anything".  So then the confessor says in a joking manner: 'You must be a saint. Let us put you on an altar.  The man doubted but accepted.  There was an empty niche on the wall of the church.  The priest ordered him to stand up there: 'Stand in the niche with your hands together. Like so.' and he called the people over: 'Come see the new saint'.  All who came to see the new saint on the altar, made some comment: "That guy there? but what an unusual saint! He is always drinking at bars!...He has an outstanding debt with me and won't pay....I never seen a saint get into an estranged family...that guy who insults more than anyone...And so every one was making the confession of the new saint.  The priest had to stop them, because he didn't want to hear worse things.  He turned to the man who had his head hung low and said ' you can get down now', you didn't want to confess your sins, but your neighbors decided to do it for you."   Also in our missionary lives, evangelization, catechism, construction of the community, we are to remain awake, be intelligent to seek the best ways, and be astute.  Are we children of the light, or do we hide the light under the table?" People often aspire to get something...and they get it, the desires of their heart.  Here then is the key...what exactly are the desires of your heart?  Mine?  I'm like that baffled human, like many trying to make it through, but through to what?  I see idols people have, movie stars, and politicians gaining ground to get what they want, but what about the rest?  Who cares right?  That's not what the Church teaches.  We are here for one another, and when we sin, we offend one another and offend God.  This is why the man in the Holy Gospel was trying to get right with the people, to save his own life.  He got smart, but what about when it comes to a life in the Spirit?  Make it a point to place God's will above yours and do it.  His desires are everlasting, and if we fail, then that too is everlasting.  If the world wasn't so greedy, there wouldn't be so much violence or hunger.  Now listen to that statement.  Listen to when somebody says that.  Usually that person is the one that is not feeding the hungry, nor being a peacemaker.  Astuteness is needed then for God's Kingdom...NOW HIRING!  LOL.  I absolutely love to see people take action and use all sorts of resources to make an activity or ministry happen in the Church.  Now you are using your time, treasure, and talents for the Love of GOD!  But realize that truth just said...for the Love of GOD!  It is all for not if people can't get along with you, and the solution is not to quit but to quit being full of pride.  Pride brings about most other sins and squanders the gifts of God.  Realize what is at hand, and what is precious, and it isn't just time, but GOD, He is precious, He is wonderful, He is amazing, He is all around us, He is offering Himself to you, He is eternal, He is almighty, He is beyond eternity, and us?  We have the opportunity to serve and love and know Him...what a most precious gift! Will you open it? adrian Subscribe to the Going4th mailing list.

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