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Thursday, November 23, 2017

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Praise and Thanksgiving

When we are conscious of what God has done in our lives, we develop gratitude.
Like all expressions of praise, thanksgiving is rooted not only in God's character but also in his actions. Praise and thanksgiving are like two instruments, a duet that communicates the glory of God in a stunning harmony.
—from Praise God and Thank Him: Biblical Keys to a Joyful Life
by Jeff Cavins

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✞ "Behold Jesus Christ crucified, Who is the only foundation of our hope; He is our Mediator and Advocate; the victim and sacrifice for our sins. He is goodness and patience itself; His mercy is moved by the tears of sinners, and He never refuses pardon and grace to those who ask it with a truly contrite and humbled heart."
— St. Charles Borromeo

MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"My daughter, know that My Heart is mercy itself. From this sea of mercy, graces flow out upon the whole world. No soul that has approached Me has ever gone away unconsoled. All misery gets buried in the depths of My mercy, and every saving and sanctifying grace flows from this fountain."
— St. Faustina Kowalska, (1777)
AN EXCERPT FROM
Diary of St. Faustina

VERSE OF THE DAY
"And it is by God's will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
Hebrews 10:10

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SaintofDay1

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MiguelPro

Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro

(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, Miguel 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.

Father 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. Miguel Pro 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.

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Thursday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 500

Reading 1 1 MC 2:15-29

The officers of the king in charge of enforcing the apostasy
came to the city of Modein to organize the sacrifices.
Many of Israel joined them,
but Mattathias and his sons gathered in a group apart.
Then the officers of the king addressed Mattathias:
"You are a leader, an honorable and great man in this city,
supported by sons and kin.
Come now, be the first to obey the king's command,
as all the Gentiles and the men of Judah
and those who are left in Jerusalem have done.
Then you and your sons shall be numbered among the King's Friends,
and shall be enriched with silver and gold and many gifts."
But Mattathias answered in a loud voice:
"Although all the Gentiles in the king's realm obey him,
so that each forsakes the religion of his fathers
and consents to the king's orders,
yet I and my sons and my kin
will keep to the covenant of our fathers.
God forbid that we should forsake the law and the commandments.
We will not obey the words of the king
nor depart from our religion in the slightest degree."

As he finished saying these words,
a certain Jew came forward in the sight of all
to offer sacrifice on the altar in Modein
according to the king's order.
When Mattathias saw him, he was filled with zeal;
his heart was moved and his just fury was aroused;
he sprang forward and killed him upon the altar.
At the same time, he also killed the messenger of the king
who was forcing them to sacrifice,
and he tore down the altar.
Thus he showed his zeal for the law,
just as Phinehas did with Zimri, son of Salu.

Then Mattathias went through the city shouting,
"Let everyone who is zealous for the law
and who stands by the covenant follow after me!"
Thereupon he fled to the mountains with his sons,
leaving behind in the city all their possessions.
Many who sought to live according to righteousness and religious custom
went out into the desert to settle there.

Responsorial Psalm PS 50:1B-2, 5-6, 14-15

R. (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
God the LORD has spoken and summoned the earth,
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
From Zion, perfect in beauty,
God shines forth.
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Gather my faithful ones before me,
those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice."
And the heavens proclaim his justice;
for God himself is the judge.
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Offer to God praise as your sacrifice
and fulfill your vows to the Most High;
Then call upon me in time of distress;
I will rescue you, and you shall glorify me."
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

Alleluia PS 95:8

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 19:41-44

As Jesus drew near Jerusalem,
he saw the city and wept over it, saying,
"If this day you only knew what makes for peace–
but now it is hidden from your eyes.
For the days are coming upon you
when your enemies will raise a palisade against you;
they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides.
They will smash you to the ground and your children within you,
and they will not leave one stone upon another within you
because you did not recognize the time of your visitation."

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Thanksgiving Day (USA)

You did not recognize the time of your visitation. (Luke 19:44)

Some "visitations" from God are hard to miss. The Lord appeared to Moses in a burning bush. Angelic messengers revealed God's plans to Zechariah and Mary. On the road to Damascus, Saul was struck down by a blinding light.

These are spectacular visitations, but God usually comes to us in more subtle ways. He might visit you in a gentle conviction of sin that moves you to repent and strive to live in a new way. He might come in an impulse to do something you've never considered before. Maybe he will whisper a thought, an inspiration, or a desire that persists over the course of days and weeks. Or he might give you a quiet assurance that arrives in wakeful hours of the night.

Very often God "visits" us through Scripture. Maybe a reading at Mass swells your heart with hope or excitement. Or perhaps a verse or a passage or even just a word stands out, as if the Lord has underlined it just for you.

If you experience any of these things, pause for a moment. Think about what emotions God is stirring in you. See what thoughts come to mind. What might he want to say to you? This may be a "visitation" from your God!

But don't just enjoy this visitation. Respond to it! Acknowledge it by writing it down: "Lord, I think you are saying ___ to me." Maybe you can keep a log of what you think God is putting on your heart. Then experiment with those things, responding as best you can in the ways that occur to you. God is more interested that you respond than in exactly how you do so. Take small chances on what you think he's revealing. You'll know you are on the right track if you begin to feel a sense of peace or joy.

Jesus came to us in the flesh to show us how deeply he wants to be united with us. He placed his Holy Spirit in us so that we could recognize his coming. Because God's creativity is endless, the variety of his visitations is limitless too. What is constant is that he takes pleasure in coming to you.

"Father, thank you for revealing your presence to me. Lead me in your truth and guide me today and always."

1 Maccabees 2:15-29
Psalm 50:1-2, 5-6, 14-15

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my2cents:
Today in the USA it is Thanksgiving Day. Today people will gather and eat....much like the frontiersmen and Natives if this continent. Perhaps for the frontiersmen it was a moment to have peace and evangelization. Perhaps it left a resounding keystone of what humanity should be about. Like when wars happen....if the soldiers weren't so into their world of offense or defense they would actually sit togrther and enjoy a meal.
Today do this for Thanks & Giving: forget yourself.
The Eucharist is about forgetting yourself in giving yourself.
It is Christ. Giving thanks to the Father. For what?
Everything.
When you are Holy, you are grateful and it shows.
An ingrate does not appreciate.
This is a blackhole of light self absorbing until something happens.
Something greater.
It is the Lord.
Today, will you pray for peace?
Our Lord says "if you only knew what makes for peace..."
Jesus speaks of His holy prescence.
Without it, there is unrest.
This thought hit me yesterday: when faith grows lax, people get comlacent and when complacency lives [false peace] an evil broods and arises and raises its head to strike at what should've been in the beginning....
God first

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adrian

 
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