 clickable | | Symbol of Joy The Christmas tree, so simple and yet so strange, is a natural symbol that speaks to many people without elaborate explanation. It was there, you remember it, you know it was meaningful, even if you can't put that meaning into words. The lights and ornaments made you happy. You knew that Christmas was a special time, though you have never heard about liminality, utopia, or soul and spirit. —from the book The Soul of Christmas by Thomas Moore |  MorningOffering.com | † Saint Quote
"He who carries God in his heart bears heaven with him wherever he goes."
— St. Ignatius of Loyola †MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Little by little, we can make our daily life more and more prayerful, as we are able, over time, to incorporate those suggestions that work with our schedule and that we are ready for spiritually. There is a particular spiritual practice that Francis [de Sales] highly recommends that is possible for all of us: even on those 'impossible' days when we are perhaps unable to undertake our normal spiritual practices, we can stay rooted in prayer by constantly addressing brief prayers to the Lord. These can be acts of love, of adoration, of faith, of hope, of petition, or simply saying the name of Jesus—throughout the course of the day. Francis places a very high value on these simple utterances, traditionally called ejaculatory prayers or aspirations."
— Ralph Martin, p. 135
AN EXCERPT FROM
Fulfillment of all Desire † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Now to him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand without blemish in the presence of his glory with rejoicing, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."
Jude 1:24-25 |  click to read more | | POPE ST. DAMASUS I Pope St. Damasus I (306-384 A.D.) was born into a Christian family in Rome. He became a deacon and served at the Basilica of St. Lawrence in Rome where his father served as priest. After the death of Pope Liberius, Damasus was elected Pope in the year 366 A.D. Violence broke out as a rival pope was also elected, and the two factions fought to enforce their candidate. Damasus was confirmed as the rightful pope by the Roman Emperor, and the anti-pope was banished from the city. Pope Damasus chose the scripture scholar St. Jerome as his personal secretary, to whom he commissioned the translation of the Bible into Latin (the Latin Vulgate). It was during Damasus' reign that Christianity was declared the religion of the Roman state. Pope Damasus also called the Council of Rome in 382 A.D. to clarify the canon of Sacred Scripture. He opposed heresy, worked to preserve the catacombs, and advocated for devotion to the Christians martyred under the Roman persecutions. His feast day is December 11. Reflection
The history of the papacy and the Church is inextricably mixed with the personal biography of Damasus. In a troubled and pivotal period of Church history, he stands forth as a zealous defender of the faith who knew when to be progressive and when to entrench. Damasus makes us aware of two qualities of good leadership: alertness to the promptings of the Spirit, and service. His struggles are a reminder that Jesus never promised his Rock protection from hurricane winds nor his followers immunity from difficulties. His only guarantee is final victory. | Wednesday of the Second Week of Advent
Lectionary: 183
Reading 1 Is 40:25-31 To whom can you liken me as an equal?
says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high
and see who has created these things:
He leads out their army and numbers them,
calling them all by name.
By his great might and the strength of his power
not one of them is missing!
Why, O Jacob, do you say,
and declare, O Israel,
"My way is hidden from the LORD,
and my right is disregarded by my God"? Do you not know
or have you not heard?
The LORD is the eternal God,
creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint nor grow weary,
and his knowledge is beyond scrutiny.
He gives strength to the fainting;
for the weak he makes vigor abound.
Though young men faint and grow weary,
and youths stagger and fall,
They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength,
they will soar as with eagles' wings;
They will run and not grow weary,
walk and not grow faint. Responsorial Psalm Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 8 and 10 R.(1) O bless the Lord, my soul!
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul! Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Behold, the Lord comes to save his people;
blessed are those prepared to meet him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 11:28-30 Jesus said to the crowds:
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." | Catholic Meditations
Meditation: Matthew 11:28-30
Saint Damasus I, Pope (Optional Memorial) You will find rest. (Matthew 11:29) Scripture tells us that rest was part of God's plan from the beginning: "God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation" (Genesis 2:3). The day of rest, or Sabbath, was meant as a time to honor our unique relationship with God. Of all the animals on the earth, men and women are the only ones who take this day off. To a cow or a cat, one day is just like the next. But we humans are made for work and rest. We are made to enjoy friendship with God just as much as we are made to tend to the earth. Throughout Israel's history, people understood the Sabbath primarily as a gracious gift. Over time, however, more and more rules concerning proper conduct on the Sabbath were added, to the point at which some came to see this special day as a burden—or as an occasion to judge everyone else. Did my neighbor say no to the right activities? Questions like that one became more important than whether our neighbor, or we ourselves, for that matter, had said yes to God. Then came Jesus and his promise: "I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). He didn't say, "I will give you rest on the Sabbath." Just "I will give you rest"—the rest that comes through faith in him, a rest that we can experience each and every day. When worry and anxiety get the better of you, he can give you rest through his presence. When you become painfully aware of your shortcomings, he can give you rest through his mercy. When you feel overburdened, he can give you rest as he walks with you and lightens your load. The next time you find yourself worrying about life, take a moment to turn and say yes to Jesus and his promise of rest. You won't always feel different. Worry may even creep back in. But as you persist in faith, you will gradually sense his presence and his peace. Jesus has promised you rest, and he is always faithful to his promises. "Lord, you alone can renew my spirit. Help me to say yes to the rest you came to give." Isaiah 40:25-31
Psalm 103:1-4, 8, 10 |  clickable | If a pastor fails to feed his parishioners with the Word of God, they may well be the first on the Day of Judgment to demand his punishment for having left them spiritually starved. Do we repay our redemption, our vocation and our other blessings from the Lord by such disregard for His commands? How we shall call on the rocks and mountains to cover us from His merited indignation!
—Ven. Fulton J. Sheen
from The Priest Is Not His Own | my2cents:
"Do you not know or have you not heard? The LORD is the eternal God, creator of the ends of the earth."
Did you know that God is not a human being? Really. But what about when the Word says we were made in His image? Well, maybe if I make a clay model, or a robot, we can begin to see what God created. What would He create us for? I would say, to experience Love. And not just any kind of love, because love has been twisted really bad, turned into a silly word. He wants us to experience His love. And He shows us all the way to the cross. Interesting huh? Yes, God is amazing. Inexplicable. Would He choose to appear as a human, He would, and He did. This is the beauty of the preparation...of advent, of His coming. And think of His second coming, in the timing He chooses. | Today we pray: Merciful and gracious is the LORD, slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes. O bless the Lord, my soul!"
Are you quick tempered? You are not like the Lord then.
Are you mean? You are not like the Lord.
Advent, repent. Make way, make your highs lows and your lows highs. This is the time for penance, and for great giving! Giving to the great and almighty! | Two commands are issued from the Almighty:
1† "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." 2† "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart" At the first command, He commands us to come to Him. COME! COME! Let us adore Him. COME into His arms. Come sit at His feet Martha. Come and rest. The success of most Franciscans and Carmelites and even Jesuits is the fact of one thing...to focus your life on prayer. Most will do a daily Holy Hour. Bishop Fulton Sheen suggests this for every single person out there. COME. COME! You will find rest. This is what most agnostics and atheists accuse of being our "crutch". They hate that we have a crutch, someone to lean on. They hate that they don't have that, so they use something else as a crutch...themselves, or a man-made thing, a false god. But we need rest, don't we? My visits to the Lord are just that, and sometimes I wish I could rest forever. It is uplifting, energizing, and peace, all at the same time. I call my visits in Holy Hour in front of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, a dose of radiation from the power source of all energy...Jesus. | 2† "Take my yoke" was the second command. Yup, that "crutch" is actually a yoke. To bind ourselves to Him, to learn from Him as we are binded together. The Sacraments bind us to Jesus. And He continues "For I AM meek and humble of heart". It takes our Lord sometimes years to react, even centuries or millennium, now you tell me if He isn't meek and humble! Most of quick reactions are self infliction, like the repercussion from sin. So what if God were to speak to you? First of all, would you know it? Secondly, what would be your reaction if you did know it? Last night my toddler was calling and calling out to me, and I looked at him square in the eyes I replied with his name and gave 100% of my attention to him. He froze with big eyes, just with mouth open. He knew I was ready full on for whatever he wanted and had my undivided attention. He never said a word. What's funny, is that we can be like that in prayer. It's happened to me with Our Father in Heaven, praying and praying and suddenly I felt Him 100% asking "what is it my child?" And I froze, became mute, with mouth wide open, I completely forgot what all my wants were. Were they wants or needs? It's like nothing else mattered because when He spoke, all attention is on Him, a super connection with the formidable and everlasting Father.
The Lord said "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.…" in the beatitudes in Matthew 5:5. The meek will inherit the earth. Guess who is the meek? Jesus! WOW!! He inherited it! And He becomes one with us in the Eucharist! You are called for an inheritance. God loves you my child. He really does. He availed to you this message as we head to the Nativity, that place where a meek One was born. Humility was born. Jesus was born. He came from a meek and humble home...homeless in earthly terms, but at home in His mommy's arms and Joseph's arms. Your arms can hold Him. Every time you hold someone in great need, you hold Jesus. Hold them tight.
This past weekend, the Knights of our parish fed the nursing home elderly and sickly. I came in late after a diocesan meeting, and I took photos. My eyes caught sight of an elderly asian woman. She called me with her eyes. I went to her and she began speaking raising her arm, and I held her hand, she clenched and I clenched harder, she talked and talked in who knows what language. I wish I knew what she said, but I knew she was feeling the warmth of my hand. These people don't need your pity, nor do the homeless. They need your hand in theirs. They need something for realls. They don't need your money so much as your time...your heart. I'm not coming up with this, a homeless couple actually showed me. They were provided for. If you give a homeless some money, what's appreciated is your time. If you go to a nursing home, what's appreciated is your time...your love.
That is Jesus.
He thanks you for it. COME! COME!!!
He awaits in the confessional, in Holy Hour, in Mass. COME! COME!!
He awaits at the table in Heaven. COME! COME!! |  hear it read | Random Bible Verse 1 Random Bible Verse 1
Ephesians 2:4–7 4 But1 God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Thank You Lord | |
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