| A Place to Dwell Somewhere our Lord is doing something lovingly to you, even when what you experience is only hurt. Is He carving out a cave to dwell | | A Place to Dwell Somewhere our Lord is doing something lovingly to you, even when what you experience is only hurt. Is He carving out a cave to dwell in? If so, the cutting away of rocks might hurt very much and you might not be aware of the space He is creating for Himself. -from Love, Henri |
†"Men do not fear a powerful hostile army as the powers of hell fear the name and protection of Mary."
— St. Bonaventure ✞MEDITATION OF THE DAY✞ "Essentially a soldier, the Christian is always on the lookout. He has sharper ears and hears an undertone that others miss; his eyes see things in a particularly candid light, and he senses something to which others are insensible, the streaming of a vital current through all things. He is never submerged in life, but keeps his head and shoulders clear of it and his eyes free to look upward. Consequently he has a deeper sense of responsibility than others. When this awareness and watchfulness disappear, Christian life loses its edge; it becomes dull and ponderous."
— Fr. Romano Guardini, p. 177
AN EXCERPT FROM
Meditations Before Mass |
 Franciscan Media |
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Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro Saint of the Day for November 23
(January 13, 1891 – November 23, 1927) Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro's Story ¡Viva Cristo Rey! (Long live Christ the King!) were the last words Pro uttered before he was executed for being a Catholic priest and serving his flock. Born into a prosperous, devout family in Guadalupe de Zacatecas, Mexico, he entered the Jesuits in 1911, but three years later fled to Granada, Spain, because of religious persecution in Mexico. He was ordained in Belgium in 1925. Fr. Pro immediately returned to Mexico, where he served a Church forced to go "underground." He celebrated the Eucharist clandestinely and ministered the other sacraments to small groups of Catholics. He and his brother Roberto were arrested on trumped-up charges of attempting to assassinate Mexico's president. Roberto was spared but Miguel was sentenced to face a firing squad on November 23, 1927. His funeral became a public demonstration of faith. He was beatified in 1988.
Reflection When Fr. Miguel Pro was executed in 1927, no one could have predicted that 52 years later the bishop of Rome would visit Mexico, be welcomed by its president and celebrate open-air Masses before thousands of people. Pope John Paul II made additional trips to Mexico in 1990, 1993, 1999 and 2002. Those who outlawed the Catholic Church in Mexico did not count on the deeply rooted faith of its people and the willingness of many of them, like Miguel Pro, to die as martyrs. |
Sacred Space
Daily Prayer - 2016-11-22 Presence God is with me, but more,
God is within me, giving me existence.
Let me dwell for a moment on God's life-giving presence
in my body, my mind, my heart
and in the whole of my life. Freedom I ask for the grace to believe
in what I could be and do
if I only allowed God, my loving Creator,
to continue to create me, guide me and shape me. Consciousness In the presence of my loving Creator,
I look honestly at my feelings over the last day,
the highs, the lows and the level ground.
Can I see where the Lord has been present? The Word of God readings audio link Reading 1 Rv 14:14-19 I, John, looked and there was a white cloud,
and sitting on the cloud one who looked like a son of man,
with a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
Another angel came out of the temple,
crying out in a loud voice to the one sitting on the cloud,
"Use your sickle and reap the harvest,
for the time to reap has come,
because the earth's harvest is fully ripe."
So the one who was sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth,
and the earth was harvested. Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven
who also had a sharp sickle.
Then another angel came from the altar, who was in charge of the fire,
and cried out in a loud voice
to the one who had the sharp sickle,
"Use your sharp sickle and cut the clusters from the earth's vines,
for its grapes are ripe."
So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and cut the earth's vintage.
He threw it into the great wine press of God's fury. Responsorial Psalm Ps 96:10, 11-12, 13
R. (13b) The Lord comes to judge the earth.
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. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult. R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Before the LORD, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy. R. The Lord comes to judge the earth. Alleluia Rv 2:10c
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Remain faithful until death,
and I will give you the crown of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 21:5-11 While some people were speaking about
how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,
Jesus said, "All that you see here–
the days will come when there will not be left
a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down." Then they asked him,
"Teacher, when will this happen?
And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?"
He answered,
"See that you not be deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying,
'I am he,' and 'The time has come.'
Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections,
do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,
but it will not immediately be the end."
Then he said to them,
"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues
from place to place;
and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky."
Some thoughts on today's scripture ▪ Many of the happenings spoken by Jesus in today's gospel have been taking place over the centuries, such as dreadful wars and natural catastrophes. These are continuing in our time.
▪ At a personal level, become aware of the passing of things. This makes us reflect on what is of real value.
▪ Jesus tells us to beware of not being 'led astray'.
Conversation Lord, I know that when I turn to you there is no need for words.
You can see into my heart.
You know my desires and you know my needs.
I place myself into your hands. 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. |
wau.org
Catholic Meditations
Meditation: Luke 21:5-11 Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr (Memorial) The days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone. (Luke 21:6) What do you remember most fondly about your home when you were growing up? Maybe sitting around the dinner table, laughing with your family. Or perhaps the backyard, where you climbed trees in the summer. No matter how old we get, our childhood homes hold a special place in our hearts. In today's Gospel, we hear about another home, the Temple in Jerusalem. "Adorned with costly stones," it was beloved, down to the last detail, by the Jewish people (Luke 21:5). So when Jesus prophesies, "All that you see here—the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone," his words are shocking and troubling (21:6). The Jewish people expected the Messiah to protect the Temple, not predict its destruction. But Jesus upends their expectations. He tells them that he has come to establish a new temple, one that would last. That temple is the Church, and he is the cornerstone. The rest of the building is made out of living stones—us. We are more precious than the "costly stones" used in Jerusalem's Temple, and each of us is called to play an important role in the Church. Because we are a living temple in Christ, how we live makes a difference, not only in our lives, but also in our brothers and sisters'. We add beauty and strength to the whole Church when we show patience to one of our children. Our few minutes of reflection on the Scriptures daily not only enliven our relationship with God but draw all of us closer to Jesus. God always has more—more that he wants to see done in the Church and more grace for us to accomplish his work. So today, ask: "What one small thing can I do to build up your Church, Lord?" Listen to what the Holy Spirit says: it could be something small, but even so, it will delight the Lord and bless his people. Finally, let's pray that Jesus would continue to guide and protect the Church and everyone in it. Together, may we grow more and more into the temple that Jesus envisions. "Thank you, God, for forming us into a living temple, your Church. May we glorify you in all that we do!" Revelation 14:14-19
Psalm 96:10-13 |
my2cents audio
my2cents: We heard the Word of the Lord today "I, John, looked and there was a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud one who looked like a son of man, with a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand." The King has received dominion over the entire world. Who am I to say anything on the contrary? Why then, is there not a fear in me of Him? Why am I not afraid to sin? Why am I not afraid, if there is such a tremendous King of the Universe, the God, the King of Kings? Why is the world not trembling in fear? It is because I am not trembling in fear. We fall for the lies and temptations and lures away from the Lord, away from the light of salvation, into false lights, like the creatures in the sea that have false lights and devour their prey. We live in such times, with false prophets, false lies, false lights. It is a very real battle for souls. And the King is a warrior. It is a terribly free world, but chains are being tied on souls and dragging them away from the Lord. Who will fight to loosen them from darkness? It is you who have read this. I went to confession Saturday, no lines, no lie. I walked from my car, into the church, and straight into confession. I hung around until Father left...no line, no lie. I was the only one there since I got there. There is a lie out there that dis-invites, disways people from confessions...that is...the LORD. Fast forward, 2 days, yesterday, I went to confession in another city, another church, no lines, no lie. Boy, Adrian is quite a sinner uhhh? Confessions repeatedly, what is going on? No need to worry, no grave or mortal sins, but these little sins are really getting to me, even temptations, to lose my cool, to be angry, to being less charitable with God's gift of....GRACE! I am growing more in fear...more in....LOVE!
We prayed today "The Lord comes to judge the earth." and "Before the LORD, for he comes; for he comes to rule the earth. He shall rule the world with justice and the peoples with his constancy." Planned Parenthood is an abortion company that has been caught selling dead baby body parts. Once a pro-life president was elected, there has been an outpouring of movie stars and singers and thousands of followers to feeding the beast of abortion, death. This then, with rioting in streets is a clear sign of a dark devil, angry. The anti-Christ is anti-Life. It is obvious because the Lord our King was put to death, just like today's Saint of the day, Blessed Miguel Pro, who was a priest that was falsely accused and put to death, just like our Lord. The truth is wanting to be shushed, but it will never happen, you can not silence the truth because the truth is the victorious Warrior...JESUS OUR LORD AND KING!
In comes the Lord, our beautiful Savior: ""See that you not be deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.'
Do not follow them!" See that you are not being deceived. Do not be deceived on what is most important: GOD. See to it. Be on watch 24/7/365. The evil one does not sleep or rest, much less does our Lord. We must not be found dozing/slacking off on our faith. The Lord says Do NOT Follow them! Do not follow them to hell, to damnation, to a darkness that is an eternal damnation. The Lord said that not a stone would be left in that temple they had adorned. Today, people adorn their temples (their bodies) with all sorts of things, like clothes, jewelry, all things beauty and vain. The Lord destroys the body, your body will be destroyed. Now, will it be destroyed for Him? Or will it be destroyed by the enemy? Because the point is the offering. This is a calling to a sacrificial offering, a witness, a testimony, a living of life, and to you, is a calling to give life to a world focused on death, all things doom and gloom. The world has not ended in the 2,000 plus years since the Lord said this, but billions and billions have died before you. This is a clear sign of one thing...LIFE WINS. He has the ultimate say. God is good and gracious and merciful, and this worries me, because I see no one in line, no lie, to see the Lord. That's like saying "I love Him but I don't need to see Him". That's for all who believe church is not necessary, even though it is a commandment...to Love God above all things and people. For some of us reading this, the end will come soon, for some later. The temple must be razed and raised. Razed meaning completely destroyed. In my parish, I've been heading up our buildings committee for the last several years, and the plans seem to always evolve on the new structure, and the old people get upset because they worked so hard for the current building and it is finally paid off. But it is not big enough for our people, not our hall, not our church sanctuary either. But they don't want to see it razed, destroyed, even though it is falling apart on its own. And I want to see a new temple raised, built anew on the foundation others have laid before us. This is a personification of faith. You must raze yourself in confession and come out anew. Afraid to be stuck in our old ways, where there is no room for Christ....and this is the entire point of the new liturgical year that is about to start...Advent...THE COMING OF CHRIST!!! |
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