The True Self Is Waking Up The coming of the dawn is the rising up of an inner light. In that undefiled dawn the soul opens wide to life's essential wonder, and the hidden meaning of being here knocks on the door of the heart. This new awareness comes first in glimmers, and then as a deeper knowledge. It is like being aroused from a long sleep. An inner nature (the true self) is waking up and life is no longer a series of events through which we pass, but rather a mystery within which we awaken. There is a growing awareness that we are made for something more than the small story of our human life. We are intended to reach a greater potential. —from the book Stars at Night: When Darkness Unfolds As Light | †Quote
"There are two ways of knowing how good God is: one is never to lose Him, and the other is to lose Him and then to find Him."
— Archbishop Fulton Sheen † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"It is, then, in following the will of God, in spite of all the difficulties that may arise both from within and from without, in the constant offering of ourselves to God as the creatures of His hand to do and to be what He would have us, in the surrender of one thing after another that comes between us and Him and holds us back—it is in such acts that we unite ourselves with those glorious beings who cast their crowns before the throne and with those unfallen creatures who have never known what it is to have a wish or thought apart from the will of God. Amongst those glorified saints there are, indeed, many whose wills were for a long time in revolt against God's will and who brought themselves at last into subjection, many to whom the will of God here on earth meant the sacrifice of everything the heart most loved, many to whom it meant the sacrifice of life itself. But all that is past and over, and its fruits remain—the eternal life of oblation and union with God, where one will rules those countless multitudes and binds them together and to God, where each one of those countless millions lives his own complete and perfect life yet never jars on any other, where each is perfect in itself and all together compose one perfect whole—the Body of Christ."
— Fr. Basil Maturin, p. 47
AN EXCERPT FROM
Spiritual Guidelines for Souls Seeking God † VERSE OF THE DAY
"But no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so."
James 3:8-10 |  click to read more | | Blessed Pope Urban V (1310 – December 19, 1370) In 1362, the man elected pope declined the office. When the cardinals could not find another person among them for that important office, they turned to a relative stranger: the holy person we honor today. The new Pope Urban V proved a wise choice. A Benedictine monk and canon lawyer, he was deeply spiritual and brilliant. He lived simply and modestly, which did not always earn him friends among clergymen who had become used to comfort and privilege. Still, he pressed for reform, and saw to the restoration of churches and monasteries. Except for a brief period he spent most of his eight years as pope living away from Rome at Avignon, seat of the papacy from 1309, until shortly after his death. Urban came close, but was not able to achieve one of his biggest goals—reuniting the Eastern and Western churches. As pope, Urban continued to follow the Benedictine Rule. Shortly before his death in 1370, he asked to be moved from the papal palace to the nearby home of his brother, so he could say goodbye to the ordinary people he had so often helped.
Reflection Simplicity in the midst of power and grandeur seems to define this saint, as he reluctantly accepted the papacy, but remained at heart a Benedictine monk. Surroundings need not negatively influence a person. | Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent Reading 1 Jgs 13:2-7, 24-25a There was a certain man from Zorah, of the clan of the Danites,
whose name was Manoah.
His wife was barren and had borne no children.
An angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her,
"Though you are barren and have had no children,
yet you will conceive and bear a son.
Now, then, be careful to take no wine or strong drink
and to eat nothing unclean.
As for the son you will conceive and bear,
no razor shall touch his head,
for this boy is to be consecrated to God from the womb.
It is he who will begin the deliverance of Israel
from the power of the Philistines." The woman went and told her husband,
"A man of God came to me;
he had the appearance of an angel of God, terrible indeed.
I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his name.
But he said to me,
'You will be with child and will bear a son.
So take neither wine nor strong drink, and eat nothing unclean.
For the boy shall be consecrated to God from the womb,
until the day of his death.'" The woman bore a son and named him Samson.
The boy grew up and the LORD blessed him;
the Spirit of the LORD stirred him. Responsorial Psalm Ps 71:3-4a, 5-6ab, 16-17
R. (see 8) My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.
R. My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!
For you are my hope, O LORD;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother's womb you are my strength.
R. My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!
I will treat of the mighty works of the LORD;
O God, I will tell of your singular justice.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R. My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory! Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
O Root of Jesse's stem,
sign of God's love for all his people:
come to save us without delay!
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 1:5-25 In the days of Herod, King of Judea,
there was a priest named Zechariah
of the priestly division of Abijah;
his wife was from the daughters of Aaron,
and her name was Elizabeth.
Both were righteous in the eyes of God,
observing all the commandments
and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren
and both were advanced in years. Once when he was serving as priest
in his division's turn before God,
according to the practice of the priestly service,
he was chosen by lot
to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense.
Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside
at the hour of the incense offering,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him,
standing at the right of the altar of incense.
Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him. But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah,
because your prayer has been heard.
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son,
and you shall name him John.
And you will have joy and gladness,
and many will rejoice at his birth,
for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.
He will drink neither wine nor strong drink.
He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb,
and he will turn many of the children of Israel
to the Lord their God.
He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah
to turn the hearts of fathers toward children
and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous,
to prepare a people fit for the Lord." Then Zechariah said to the angel,
"How shall I know this?
For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years."
And the angel said to him in reply,
"I am Gabriel, who stand before God.
I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news.
But now you will be speechless and unable to talk
until the day these things take place,
because you did not believe my words,
which will be fulfilled at their proper time."
Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah
and were amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary.
But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them,
and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary.
He was gesturing to them but remained mute. Then, when his days of ministry were completed, he went home. After this time his wife Elizabeth conceived,
and she went into seclusion for five months, saying,
"So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit
to take away my disgrace before others."
| Meditation: Luke 1:5-25 3rd Week of Advent Your prayer has been heard. (Luke 1:13) What was Zechariah praying for? He and Elizabeth had been childless their entire marriage, so he was likely praying for a son. But Zechariah was also a priest, and this scene takes place as he is offering incense in the sanctuary of the Temple. So Zechariah was probably also praying on behalf of his people, Israel. And God, in his infinite wisdom and creativity, announced that he had heard both strains of Zechariah's prayer: he and Elizabeth would have a son, and that son would prepare the way for the Messiah. God answered both of Zechariah's prayers at once, revealing a plan that is both as vast as salvation history and as intimate as Zechariah's deepest longings. Let's see how God did this: "You shall name him John" (Luke 1:13). The name John, which means "God has shown favor," reveals how God is blessing Zechariah and Elizabeth with a child. But it also reveals that he will "favor" all of Israel through this child. "Many will rejoice at his birth" (Luke 1:14). John's birth will not just make his parents happy, but it will bring rejoicing to many people—ultimately, to the entire world. "He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb" (Luke 1:15). Zechariah was probably relieved to know his son would be born already holy, but that holiness was so that he could draw all the children of Israel to the Lord! This is how generous and creative God is. His work in the life of one person always carries a corporate blessing along with it. For example, when you receive forgiveness in Confession, not only do you feel more free and joyful, but your disposition has a positive effect on the people around you. Or when someone comes to new faith in Christ, he or she often shares the good news with other people and invites them into the same relationship with the Lord. God is always concerned with the deep longings of your heart. But he is also at work making you an instrument of his love. "Father, I trust you to answer the prayers of my heart." Judges 13:2-7, 24-25
Psalm 71:3-6, 16-17 | 2 cents :
An angel told Samson's mother: ""Though you are barren and have had no children, yet you will conceive and bear a son.
Now, then, be careful to take no wine or strong drink
and to eat nothing unclean." Basically the same message the angel told Zechariah in the temple: "...He will drink neither wine nor strong drink. " speaking of Zecheriah's child, Saint John the Baptist. And another important thing, the Angel names the child already. Just like Jesus. Angels change the world with God's message. The word comes and it becomes true. Samson means "sun child", bringing light, bearing light. What did Samson do? He ultimately destroyed enemies with his brute physical strength, and then the false pagan temple he was tied to and this killed him too. His strength was his purity. Think of your own purity and holiness...for God. The same with Saint John the Baptist; he was pure and consecrated from birth until death, as if the word until meant a change would occur. John means "gracious" moreover, "YAHWEH is gracious". This brings a barren desert child to light...grace is light. They prepare a way for the Lord. This is where we must go. | Let us pray: "My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory! For you are my hope, O LORD; my trust, O God, from my youth. On you I depend from birth; from my mother's womb you are my strength. " Two women have a child promised by God our Father. Now we are fast approaching the third, our dear Lord and Savior. How near and dear is He to your heart? Is it possible to be near and dear to Him? Since He came, yes. He knows our fears. He knows our anxieties, but, He also knows our doubts that cast huge shadows instead of faith that casts lights. This Son of God and Son of Man has come so that we MAY have faith, LIfe, and more abundantly. Someone told me "I want to want" to sin less or have more faith. Can we pray like that? Yes. Of course. ""Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" Mk 9:23. | In the Holy Gospel, we have the account of Zechariah. An angel appears while he is praying. I bet Samson's mother was praying when the angel appeared. Blessed Sister Anne Emmerich says Mother Mary was praying when the angel appeared, Archangel. I have recently met a man that said an angel appeared to him, and now he wants to be Catholic. It's interesting, because he too was meditating, praying and was touched by an angel. He said recently that in that moment and instantaneously, he knew he was to be catholic and accept every teaching no matter what it was. I digress. An angel's visitation changes the world. That's how powerful an angel is. The word becomes true. Shall we follow through? Not everyone gets touched by an angel...do we? Well, not everyone prays as we ought! I don't see why most couldn't be touched by an angel and speak with angels. Guardian angels are by far the most personable. So we doubt. So we become mute. Unable to speak. Thus was the miracle of Zechariah. He became a suffering mute. Can you imagine life not being able to speak? How could you communicate? How could you call for help even!? Yet, many live life mute. But hold on, Jesus can heal that and more! When John was born, Zechariah spoke. Grace was born, for Zechariah said "YAWEH IS GRACIOUS!" That is the child's name!! ALL Honor and Glory be To God! Grace enters the seen. God's gift. And this "Gracious one" points to Christ all his life. He is a priest like no other. He is Samson from the desert. No more physical wars but spiritual. They say now the focus of modern day military is space-war. They will take this fight outside our level/dimension. What does this mean for us spiritually? It means the world. Anything that happens spiritually can affect us physically. Saint John, like Elijah fought the tyranny, the evil that was taking over the Holy Temple. He was on the outside, preaching repentance and winning souls and saving souls, turning God's people...to God. Prepare the way. How can we do this? Purity is key, but that comes with much sacrifice, and a continuous and true prayer life. In other words, a total consecration. Consecrate yourself. Be religious. The world has called religious people the problem. Do you believe the lies? They say religions cause all the greatest wars and human casualties. Do you believe the lies? They say you can be good without God. Do you believe those lies? Because all those lies say that we can be god without God! LIES from the pits of hell.
So, can you fight the evil in your world?
Do you want more lies? They say you don't need church.
More lies? They say you can have freedom to worship, so long as you do not express it publicly.
LOL. That's a good one. That's like saying "preach at all times and if necessary, use words".
They say you don't need to confess to a priest. Lies from demons.
In other words, be silent. Just like evil likes. Did you know that you can't see evil for the very reason it doesn't want to be discovered? Because it knows it will be cast out! Where is the Sun-Child? We need to see! Where is the "Gracious-Child"? We need to see!!!
And so we await in joyful expectation to be able to see the light of the world on that glorious day, Jesus. He is with us. He is in the womb. What a precious gift. Women used to be so happy being pregnant. Nowadays many are seized with fear as if they are diseased, and thinking about abortions. LIES. The unborn is all I pray for. Children, unwrapped gifts from Heaven. Angels even await.
When a woman is pregnant, she is said to be glowing.
Funny, one or two people I see take the Holy Eucharist, and they suddenly appear to glow.
Why? Because the light is inside. A most precious gift. What shall we do?
For now, expect full of joy... | |
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