| A Church of the Streets I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting, and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from clinging to its own security. My hope is that we will be moved by the fear of remaining shut up within structures which give us a false sense of security, within rules which make us harsh judges, within habits which make us feel safe, while at our door people are starving. —Pope Francis, as quoted in the book Pope Francis and Our Call to Joy by Diane M. Houdek | ✞ "We know certainly that our God calls us to a holy life. We know that he gives us every grace, every abundant grace; and though we are so weak of ourselves, this grace is able to carry us through every obstacle and difficulty." — St. Elizabeth Ann Seton ✞ MEDITATION OF THE DAY "Christ Himself taught humility of heart, and the heart must not remain idle, nor fail to product the necessary acts. And what acts of humility do you make before God? How often do you make them? When have you made them? How long is it since you made them? It would be absurd to hope for the reward which is promised to the humble without being humble, or at least making acts of humility; humility of heart without the heart's humbling itself—what folly! Are you foolish enough to believe that this can be done? ... it is necessary to humble ourselves when we approach God with prayer to obtain some grace, because God does not regard nor head nor impart His grace except to the humble ... When, therefore, you come to ask God for some grace of the body or of the soul, do you always remember to practice this humility? When we pray, and especially when we say the 'Our Father', we are speaking to God; and how many times when you are saying your prayers, do you speak to God with less respect than if you were speaking to one of your fellow creatures? How often when you are in church, which is the house of God, do you listen to a sermon, which is the Word of God, and assist at the functions of the service without any reverence? Humility of heart, says St. Thomas, is accompanied by exterior reverence; and to be lacking in this is to lack humility and is therefore a sin of pride, 'which excludes reverence.'" — Rev. Cajetan da Bergamo, p .138-140 AN EXCERPT FROM Humility Of Heart ✞ VERSE OF THE DAY "It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre. For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy." Psalm 92:1-4 | click to read more | | Saint Andrew Saint of the Day for November 30 (d. 60?) Andrew was Saint Peter's brother, and was called with him. "As [Jesus] was walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is now called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, 'Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.' At once they left their nets and followed him" (Matthew 4:18-20). John the Evangelist presents Andrew as a disciple of John the Baptist. When Jesus walked by one day, John said, "Behold, the Lamb of God." Andrew and another disciple followed Jesus. "Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, 'What are you looking for?' They said to him, 'Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are you staying?' He said to them, 'Come, and you will see.' So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day" (John 1:38-39a). Little else is said about Andrew in the Gospels. Before the multiplication of the loaves, it was Andrew who spoke up about the boy who had the barley loaves and fishes. When the Gentiles went to see Jesus, they came to Philip, but Philip then had recourse to Andrew. Legend has it that Andrew preached the Good News in what is now modern Greece and Turkey and was crucified at Patras on an X-shaped cross. Reflection As in the case of all the apostles except Peter and John, the Gospels give us little about the holiness of Andrew. He was an apostle. That is enough. He was called personally by Jesus to proclaim the Good News, to heal with Jesus' power and to share his life and death. Holiness today is no different. It is a gift that includes a call to be concerned about the Kingdom, an outgoing attitude that wants nothing more than to share the riches of Christ with all people. Saint Andrew is the Patron Saint of: Fishermen Greece Russia Scotland | Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle Reading 1 Rom 10:9-18 Brothers and sisters: If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The Scripture says, No one who believes in him will be put to shame. There is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news! But not everyone has heeded the good news; for Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed what was heard from us? Thus faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ. But I ask, did they not hear? Certainly they did; for Their voice has gone forth to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. Responsorial Psalm PS 19:8, 9, 10, 11 R. (10) The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just. or: R. (John 6:63) Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life. The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul; The decree of the LORD is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just. or: R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The command of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eye. R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just. or: R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; The ordinances of the LORD are true, all of them just. R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just. or: R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life. They are more precious than gold, than a heap of purest gold; Sweeter also than syrup or honey from the comb. R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just. or: R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life. Alleluia Mt 4:19 R. Alleluia, alleluia. Come after me, says the Lord, and I will make you fishers of men. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 4:18-22 As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him. | Meditation: Matthew 4:18-22 Saint Andrew, Apostle (Feast) Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men. (Matthew 4:19) Good fishermen know that different types of fish like different types of bait. Some are attracted to bright colors, while others are drawn to a particular smell. We see something similar in our call to be fishers of men. God has selected a diverse assortment of men and women. Their particular gifts give each of his followers their own particular appeal to different audiences. God uses each one differently. For instance, St. Andrew, whose feast we celebrate today, used his friendliness and his family connection to bring his brother, Simon, to Jesus (John 1:42). God values our uniqueness; he can use all of us. He deliberately created us with distinct talents and personalities. He even helps us learn from our mistakes so that we can use our full life experience—successes and failures—to build his Church. By simply following Jesus—gifts, warts and all—we can attract people who appreciate our unique perspective. Like Andrew, we can lead them to Jesus. While Andrew was not as well-known as his brother, Peter, he played an important role in the early Church. A simple fisherman, Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist. His heart must have yearned to be close to God. Andrew began following Jesus after John identified Jesus as the "Lamb of God" (John 1:36). It seems that Andrew was approachable and easy to talk to. In the middle of a huge crowd, he somehow knew the boy whose bread and fish became the supply for one of Jesus' miracles (6:8-9). When Philip wanted Jesus to speak to some Greek Jews, he first consulted Andrew (12:20-22). And tradition tells us that after the resurrection, Andrew traveled to modern-day Greece and Turkey, making friends and sharing the gospel. Andrew's humble ability to connect with people blessed the Church right up to the day he died a martyr's death. Rejoice that God has given you a unique mission—one that only you can fill. Your life may not be recorded in Scripture, but like Andrew, you can have a ripple effect beyond what you see. "Help me, Lord, to answer your call." Romans 10:9-18 Psalm 19:8-11 | my2cents: Let's open up the first scripture with a highly disputed verse: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Here, today, there are denominations that believe this alone, faith alone. Not their fault. They are reading a bible that someone messed with, and wrote in the word "alone" into it. They say if you say this then you'll be saved forever. Meaning, you can live basically however you want, a two faced personality in spirituality. NO. When we confess, we are giving a living witness, being a living testimony of Christ on earth! What will people see in you? I want it to be Christ today and tomorrow and every day after. There is a sever problem in the world where everyone is trying to be so unique, so different, but why so different from Christ? In the Catholic faith, we are called as in all Christian faith, to be HOLY. Christ calls on us to be holy souls He created us to be. Do you believe this...in your heart? We pray : "Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; The ordinances of the LORD are true, all of them just." There is something about the word "forever" that keeps pulling at me. It is impacting. And we prayed that the fear of the Lord is pure, and forever enduring. Fear here is an amazement and striking at the heart, to put you in your place, standing before your God, Father, Creator. Whoever and whater God is....to me, is AMAZING. Downright fearful I am. Yet, He says "I am fearfully and wonderfully made" in His image. WHAT? That is an amazing love. And this love reaches out to us, as our Lord says ""Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." "Come AFTER Me". And what will happen? He will MAKE us fishers of men. God is written as a Father, as a man. In Spanish, if you read all of this "men" and "man", it speaks of all of humanity. So do not be gender confused! Once become fishers of mankind, He desires all souls to be brought to Him, this is fruit. What a wonderful task He has set before us. In the RCIA class last night we read these words "Come" as if the invitation was laid out direct to each one. And it is! God is asking you to join HIM! Did you know that when the Mass ends, the priest says His final blessing (you should never leave before his blessing by the way) because that is the point of sending forth, which is called a co-missioning, commission. It means together on a mission, and He is on the mission with us in this world. He loves it, and if you are in this with me, it means He loves us. If we are stricken, it only makes us more united with Him. Such is the powerful love of a heart united to His. NOTHING can separate us from His love, and I'm saying this so you're love grows to His. Andrew and Simon left their father (family) and work, basically rendered their lives to Jesus. Life and the world would never be the same..... | | |