Give Thanks for All God's Creatures Francis answered God's revelatory voice by saying he would happily embrace his sufferings and pain, knowing now for certain that they will be the pledge of entering God's kingdom of painless, perfect interconnectedness between and among all created things. Francis knew this was true by means of a lifetime of learning how to live with all creatures, loving them and serving them, and giving God thanks for them. And now, two years before he will embrace Sister Death, God assures Francis and us that everything belongs to everything else, and everything belongs to God. So everything is thereby holy and worthy of care, and reverence, and a song of God's praise. —from the book Surrounded by Love: Seven Teachings from Saint Francis | †Quote
"He will provide the way and the means, such as you could never have imagined. Leave it all to Him, let go of yourself, lose yourself on the Cross, and you will find yourself entirely."
— St. Catherine of Siena † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"These persons, when they [receive Holy Communion], strive with all their might for sensible sweetness, instead of worshipping in humility and praising God within themselves. So much are they given to this, that they think when they derive no sensible sweetness, they have done nothing, so meanly do they think of God; neither do they understand that the least of the blessings of the Most Holy Sacrament is that which touches the senses, and that the invisible grace It confers is far greater; for God frequently withholds these sensible favors from men, that they may fix the eyes of faith upon Himself . . . All this is a very great imperfection, being against the purity of Faith, and directly at variance with the nature of God."
— St. John of the Cross, p. 28
AN EXCERPT FROM
Dark Night of the Soul † VERSE OF THE DAY
"A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God's people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray."
Isaiah 35:8 |  click to read more | | ST. BARLAAM OF ANTIOCH St. Barlaam of Antioch (d. 304 A.D.) was an elderly, uneducated peasant laborer from a village near Antioch. He was arrested for his Christian faith under the persecution of Roman Emperor Diocletian. He was detained for a long time in a dungeon before being brought before his judge. At his trial he was severely scourged, his bones dislocated on the rack, and tortured in other ways in an attempt to force him to renounce his faith in Christ and sacrifice to idols. Instead of crying out, there was joy in his countenance. His meekness, answers, and resolute will confounded his persecutors. The judge, determined to not be humiliated by a peasant, then devised a plan that would force Barlaam to offer sacrifice to the gods despite his constancy. He had an altar with a fire prepared, and had Barlaam's right hand held over the fire and filled with incense and hot coals. This would force Barlaam's burning hand to recoil, causing the incense to fall before the pagan altar, which the judge could then proclaim as a public act of sacrifice to the idols. Instead, Barlaam endured the pain in perfect stillness. He held his hand steady until it burned off completely. Irate, the judge ordered his immediate death. St. Barlaam's feast day is November 19th. | Monday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Rv 1:1-4; 2:1-5 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him,
to show his servants what must happen soon.
He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
who gives witness to the word of God
and to the testimony of Jesus Christ by reporting what he saw.
Blessed is the one who reads aloud
and blessed are those who listen to this prophetic message
and heed what is written in it, for the appointed time is near. John, to the seven churches in Asia: grace to you and peace
from him who is and who was and who is to come,
and from the seven spirits before his throne. I heard the Lord saying to me:
"To the angel of the Church in Ephesus, write this: "'The one who holds the seven stars in his right hand
and walks in the midst of the seven gold lampstands says this:
"I know your works, your labor, and your endurance,
and that you cannot tolerate the wicked;
you have tested those who call themselves Apostles but are not,
and discovered that they are impostors.
Moreover, you have endurance and have suffered for my name,
and you have not grown weary.
Yet I hold this against you:
you have lost the love you had at first.
Realize how far you have fallen.
Repent, and do the works you did at first.
Otherwise, I will come to you
and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent."'" Responsorial Psalm Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
R. (Rev. 2:17) Those who are victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Those who are victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Those who are victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Those who are victorious I will feed from the tree of life. Alleluia Jn 8:12
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 18:35-43 As Jesus approached Jericho
a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging,
and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening.
They told him,
"Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."
He shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!"
The people walking in front rebuked him,
telling him to be silent,
but he kept calling out all the more,
"Son of David, have pity on me!"
Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him;
and when he came near, Jesus asked him,
"What do you want me to do for you?"
He replied, "Lord, please let me see."
Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you."
He immediately received his sight
and followed him, giving glory to God.
When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.
| Meditation: Revelation 1:1-4; 2:1-5 33rd Week in Ordinary Time The revelation of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 1:1) Have you ever wondered what the Book of Revelation is about? You're not alone. This book has baffled, bedeviled, and frightened readers for centuries. That's mainly because the Book of Revelation is a different kind of writing that we're not too familiar with in the twenty-first century. Revelation is a prime example of "apocalyptic" literature. That means it uses dramatic imagery—cosmic signs and fanciful creatures—to interpret present-day events. In the case of this book, it is an interpretation of the readers' own challenging situations: persecution, false gospels, complacency, and general hardship. But that's only one part of the picture. The overall goal of Revelation is to reveal Jesus himself, the One whose kingdom can withstand any challenge or hardship. It's an unveiling—a throwing back of the curtain around heaven. From now until Advent begins, the Church's liturgy will feature readings from this beautiful but puzzling book. These readings will unveil a truly awe-inspiring Jesus. You'll see him take his throne on a seat of glory. You'll see him surrounded by myriads of worshippers crying, "Holy, holy, holy" (Revelation 4:8). You'll even hear him speaking from heaven as he tells you that he has come, not only to destroy the old reign of sin, but also to "make all things new" (21:5). For the next two weeks, begin each prayer time by asking the Holy Spirit to open your eyes so that you can see Jesus in the passages you will read. Then read through them. Don't be afraid to use your imagination. Go ahead and picture the scenes. Imagine yourself actually in them. Let those pictures draw you into worship. If you find yourself struggling amid unfamiliar signs and symbols, that's okay. See if you can find a commentary in your Catholic study Bible that might clarify these images for you. Footnotes can provide context or help you understand what the images mean. Finally, trust that God is going to bless you. After all, he said, "Blessed is the one who reads" (Revelation 1:3)! Let this fantastical imagery help you imagine Jesus' majesty. Let it convince you that no matter what life throws your way, Jesus is on his throne and in control. "Holy Spirit, open my eyes to see the glory of Jesus." Psalm 1:1-4, 6
Luke 18:35-43 | 2 cents :
"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave ... I hold this against you:you have lost the love you had at first." When I ask someone if they miss Church on Sunday, it is a loaded question. It means "do you love God?" It means "Did you visit Our Father?" It means, in Mass "Did you Give Thanks to Our God?". And sometimes, I wonder when I ask, if this is even the appraoch...the reproach. I mean, how can I MAKE someone love our Father? It is the question of the day isn't it? How to reconcile a sinner. How to give a taste of grace. How to have hope again. How to show faith in action, love in action. | Let us pray; " Those who are victorious I will feed from the tree of life. Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes." The tree of life. It is our Lord isn't it? He was put on a tree, yet He is the tree. And we are fed from the tree. In Mass, when we see our Father, when we give thanks to our Father. He feeds a banquet feast, a taste of forever. | "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!"
Music to our Lord's ears. Yet people told the blind man to just hush. There is no way he could hush. He wanted to see Jesus just like everyone else, with their own two eyes, yet they told him to hush. So he yelled all the more. Jesus hears the languishing heart. He hears the cry of the poor. The Lord has ears made of mercy. So when they all told him to hush, it made our Lord open up all the more. "How can you silence the poor?". Yet we want silence. Silence is deadly. The abortion industry wants to silence those who are against it. The worldly ruler wants you to hush and not pray in public. Why? They want darkness. So our Lord turns to the poor. "Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him"
"What do you want from Me?"
"I want to see!"
Jesus says ""Have sight; your faith has saved you." WOW.
What a gift. The sight? Not nearly as much as FAITH. Faith is what gives sight, yes, but, Jesus says "you have been saved".
That is what our Lord aims for the poor.
I want the blind to see.
But the blind I want to see, they don't want to see. They are content.
They are rich.
They are not giving out the cry of the poor.
So the poor are in Church.
I love it.
THANK YOU LORD | |
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