Advent Is Construction Season The call of Advent is clear. From both the prophet Isaiah and John the Baptist, we hear, "Make straight in the desert a highway for our God." Isaiah was writing to the people exiled far from their homeland. John the Baptist was talking to people who had lost their way in a tangle of politics and religion. In our own lives, we hear this call as well. We all have some roadwork to do in our souls. We might say Advent is construction season. —from the book Simple Gifts: Daily Reflections for Advent | †Quote
"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 heed 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 (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
Lectionary: 684 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: Romans 10:9-18 Saint Andrew, Apostle (Feast) No one who believes in him will be put to shame. (Romans 10:11) What makes you ashamed? Past sin? Maybe you don't like the way you look in a mirror. Or you compare your finances to someone else who is better off than you. Typically, shame comes about because we think we have failed to live up to expectations—often a set of impossible expectations. Let's apply this to St. Andrew, whose feast we celebrate today. He was the first to follow Jesus. Without him, his brother, Peter, might not have met the Lord at all. He was also friends with and possibly a coworker with John and James. Yet despite how close the four men were, Jesus chose only three of them—Peter, John, and James—to be his closest disciples. For whatever reason, he did not include Andrew. How do you think Andrew reacted to this exclusion? Maybe he felt he wasn't good enough to become part of Jesus' inner circle. Maybe he felt awkward around the other disciples every time Jesus invited the other three but not Andrew to join him. Maybe there were times when he questioned whether he should even be an apostle. Or maybe nothing like that happened at all. At least there is no indication that Andrew felt ashamed or embarrassed because he was left out. And if he did feel any shame, he didn't let it get the better of him. In fact, he became one of the boldest and farthest traveled of the apostles. After Pentecost, he evangelized the nomadic peoples around the Black Sea. He also founded the church in Constantinople, which became the head of Eastern Christianity. Finally, at his martyrdom, Andrew asked to be crucified, not on a cross like Jesus and not upside down like Peter, but on an X-shaped cross. The envy and rivalry, the guilt and self-condemnation, that rise from shame had no place in Andrew's heart. His experience of Jesus' love and his devotion to Jesus' call pushed aside self-centeredness and made him a humble servant instead. Shame can be overwhelming. But how much more overwhelming is Jesus' unconditional, merciful love! That love tells us that we belong. It tells us that Jesus treasures us. It heals us and removes all shame. And it's available to you. "Lord, let your love burn away all my shame and guilt!" Psalm 19:8-11
Matthew 4:18-22 | 2 cents : "For one believes with the heart and so is justified".
This here is the important part of the call. Believing. Be living. For many confess that the Lord is God and has risen, but those who actually believe? Those who believe will follow the Lord and His Way. They will become people of the Way. | Let us 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." Spirit and life are His words. They provide us with a precious gift, fear of the Lord. Fear brings about a special relationship. One of respect, perhaps, but more than that, a special calling to Him. And He provides the way, with precepts, with words, and they give life in abundance. | Let us turn to our Lord of abundant life: ""Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." Watch the response of the men He calls: "At once they left their nets and followed him." Right away. Immediately they followed, left their work and their family. What will it be like when the Lord calls you? You will leave everything. Won't you? Will you? Have you? A Holy Fear of the Lord will enable a quick response. The kind of response that is not negotiable. No conditions. Love knows no bounds. These men gave up their lives right then and there. It wasn't when they were tortured at the end, but now. This was the offering. For us, it is the same when the Lord calls. It is at the moment your heart is called by the Almighty. Come. Follow Me. We shall catch souls now. We shall bring fruit to God Almighty. We will become shepherds of everlasting life with the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His flock.
The song goes "I have decided, to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back, the cross before me, the world behind, the cross before me, the world behind, I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back".
And we follow the Light into Eternity Prayer to Saint Andrew the Apostle O Glorious Saint Andrew,
you were the first
to recognize and follow
the Lamb of God.
With your friend Saint John
you remained with Jesus
for that first day,
for your entire life,
and now throughout eternity.
As you led your brother
Saint Peter to Christ
and many others after him,
draw us also to Him.
Teach us to lead others
to Christ solely out of love
for Him and dedication
in His service.
Help us to learn
the lesson of the Cross
and to carry our daily crosses
without complaint
so that they may
carry us to Jesus. | |
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