 clickable | | We Are All Mothers of Our Lord Mary and JesusIn his Letter to all the Faithful, Saint Francis writes, "We are mothers of our Lord Jesus Christ when we carry him in our hearts and in our bodies, lovingly, and with a pure and sincere conscience, and give birth to him through the working of his grace in us which should shine forth as an example to others." —from the book Surrounded by Love: Seven Teachings from Saint Francis by Murray Bodo, OFM |  MorningOffering.com | † Saint Quote DECEMBER 13, 2019
"Advent's intention is to awaken the most profound and basic emotional memory within us, namely, the memory of the God who became a child. This is a healing memory; it brings hope."
— Pope Benedict XVI MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"The most important and most fruitful acts of our freedom are not those by which we transform the outside world as those by which we change our inner attitude in light of the faith that God can bring good out of everything without exception. He is a never-failing source of unlimited riches. Our lives no longer have in them anything negative, ordinary, or indifferent. Positive things become a reason for gratitude and joy, negative things an opportunity for abandonment, faith, and offering: everything becomes a grace."
— Fr. Jacques Philippe, p. 58
AN EXCERPT FROM
Interior Freedom VERSE OF THE DAY
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."
John 10:10 |  click to read more | | ST. LUCY St. Lucy (Lucia) of Syracuse (283–304 A.D.) was born to a wealthy Christian family on the island of Sicily. Her father died when she was in her infancy. Lucy grew in piety, and at a young age secretly consecrated her virginity to Christ. Her mother pressured her into an arranged marriage with a pagan nobleman in order to provide for her daughter's future, which Lucy avoided. When Lucy's mother was struck with a long and serious illness, Lucy convinced her mother to accompany her to pray at the tomb of St. Agnes. As a result, Lucy's mother was miraculously cured of her malady. Lucy then told her mother about her vow of chastity, and her mother consented to her refusal to marry. Lucy gave herself to serving persecuted Christians hiding in the catacombs, wearing a wreath of candles on her head to illumine the dark underground caverns, with her arms full of provisions. The man to whom Lucy was betrothed, upon finding that Lucy was a Christian and had refused his hand in marriage, had her imprisoned under the persecutions of Diocletian. The judge sentenced Lucy to prostitution in a brothel, but God rendered her body immovable and the soldiers were unable to carry out the task. They then tried to set her on fire, but the wood underneath Lucy would not burn. Finally, she was killed by the sword. Among her tortures her eyes were gouged out, making St. Lucy the patron saint of eye problems and blind people, among others. St. Lucy is among the great virgin martyrs of the Church, her name appearing in the Roman Canon of the Mass. Her feast day is December 13th. | Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr
Lectionary: 185
Reading 1 Is 48:17-19 Thus says the LORD, your redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel:
I, the LORD, your God,
teach you what is for your good,
and lead you on the way you should go.
If you would hearken to my commandments,
your prosperity would be like a river,
and your vindication like the waves of the sea;
Your descendants would be like the sand,
and those born of your stock like its grains,
Their name never cut off
or blotted out from my presence. Responsorial Psalm pS 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6 R.(see John 8:12) Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light 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 follow you, Lord, will have the light 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 follow you, Lord, will have the light 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 follow you, Lord, will have the light of life. Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord will come; go out to meet him!
He is the prince of peace.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 11:16-19 Jesus said to the crowds:
"To what shall I compare this generation?
It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another,
'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance,
we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.'
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said,
'He is possessed by a demon.'
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said,
'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.'
But wisdom is vindicated by her works." | Meditation: Isaiah 48:17-19 Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr (Memorial) I, the Lord, your God, teach you what is for your good. (Isaiah 48:17) Imagine getting instruction from Bill Gates on computers, Serena Williams on tennis, or Gordon Ramsay on cooking. It would be spectacular, wouldn't it? Well, you have something even better: almighty God, the One who is greater than all of the experts, has promised to teach you not only about your hobbies but about the best way to live. You have the One who is all-knowing and the source of all truth as your very own tutor! If God is your teacher, then Scripture is the first and best textbook he uses. This book is a compendium of his wisdom, knowledge, and laws. It is a literary expression of faith lived out. And it is a testament of a restored relationship with him through the cross. In every aspect of faith and morals, it is never wrong. What's more, because it's inspired by the Holy Spirit, Scripture is a living word that God uses to speak directly and personally to our hearts. So read it. Stop when you feel your heart stirring with hope or longing. Stop when a question forms in your mind, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you find the answer. Let the teachings of the Church guide you when you are confused. Pay attention to thoughts that form as you read; they may be coming from the Lord. When something seems too good to be true, reread it—hundreds of times, if necessary, until you are convinced of God's goodness. Believe that God can spark understanding and direction for your life through a single verse. Advent is the perfect time for going deeper and further with the Lord. It can be a time to learn and to experience the fruit that develops when you spend time meditating on the words of your Teacher. It can be a time to receive a little more of the life Jesus was born to give you. God is ready and waiting to teach you. He is ready to clear away the guilt and fear that hinder you. So come to him, and receive his expert instruction! "Father, help me to know your ways, and teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me today." Psalm 1:1-4, 6
Matthew 11:16-19 |  clickable | Does the Church teach that those who take their own life automatically go to hell? That's what I learned. . . . Actually, the Church does not teach this. The Church has never said that a particular soul, even from suicide, is in hell. . . . This is how the Church now looks upon suicide: with pity, not with condemnation.
—Fr. Chris Alar, MIC
from his talk After Suicide: There's Hope for Them and for You | my2cents:
"If you would hearken to my commandments, your prosperity would be like a river..."
This is the Word of the Lord. Adhere, cherish, and love the commandments. You, right here, and right now. Stop thinking of the multitudes that do not. The message is for you here, and right now. Your prosperity will be like a river, if you would. And how do you define prosperity? In temporal terms? How about eternal terms? Because what is here is a mere glimpse, an inkling of what things could be and become. We are in a phase of a life that God has created. And this is good news for the lovers of the laws of God. For the one who has, more will be given. | We pray today: "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. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life."
We know very well that there are insolent people, actually very intolerant of religion, they are rebellious, and spit in the face of a humble follower of God. Is that the proper place for a follower of God? Franciscans once tried a direct approach to the Muslims, straight to the Sultan, and they never returned, they were beheaded. A prolife group a couple months ago shows a mob of youth shouting at them and spitting on the quiet pro-life group. What is our proper place then? First let us turn to our Lord. | Our Lord said "It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, 'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.'"
He is talking of hundreds of years of speaking through prophets. He is speaking in Jerusalem with His life. He came at the wedding feast, manifested Himself to the world, turning water to wine. And for this, He ended on the cross, turning blood to water, the wine of His life. He mingled among humankind in human form. He tasted victory and loss, He laughed and He cried. He was a baby, He tripped, He fell, He grew in Wisdom and Obedience, for He had wonderful parents that taught Him to value Wisdom and Obedience, and patience, and suffering. St. Joseph was a suffering man, Mother Mary was a most devout and Holy Woman of God. Both led Jesus to Our Father in Heaven. | Yet, for all the marvels in the world, there would be those who would not believe Him, much less believe In Him. And this is how He left the world, with unbelievers and believers. I don't have a message for you of how things are going to end, but things will end. Someone said to think of Christmas as the last day. The second coming at hand. This week, various priests came in for Penance service. Very few parishioners attended. Did they not know? It was announced, and I posted it on our website and parish app. But visitors to Mass are few (in the heart) and visitors to the website and app much less. The message is there, Christ was waiting in the confessional. Eventually, the priests (the Christs) left one by one, some traveling over 40 miles. I was to teach my class just as they were leaving. I rushed my class and caught the last 2 priests, and two suited back up. It took no time for them to suit up. One priest came out of the confessional after waiting, "well, I'm ready!" and the kids were scared to go. It took a pep talk to get my 9th graders to slowly start trickling in. Soon younger students poured in. I saw they weren't going to a priest waiting. I went to give those 5th or 6th graders a quick talk and they seemed even more scared than my 9th graders. Maybe 1 or 2 went of the young ones that I talked to.
The question is, what are they afraid of? The Lord? God? Or were they afraid to come out with the truth? Or were they afraid of something like punishment? I don't know. I felt I was dealing with, not scoundrels, but with some severely beaten sheep, or wild sheep. Beaten spiritually, in defeated mode. Wild because they've not had the commands, the law of the Lord, properly instilled in their hearts. The kind of law that draws you closer to the Lord. The kind where they acquire a taste of the wine, the blood of Christ.
And this my friend, takes work. It takes discipline to be a disciple.
As a choir leader, I can sing a song and have nobody sing with me in Church, and I want to so move the sheep to sing to God.
I can play a sad song, and have no one moved, rather, they start yawning.
I sweat bullets at times in some vigils, for I feel a negative energy from some.
They hate the things I say, for it does not match their beliefs in other religions.
But what gives me Hope?
The truth gives hope.
Jesus is the truth.
Being human, I feel human feelings, but being Christian, I am rooted in an extraordinary way with Christ, the reason for hope. So what is the flute and dirge playing in your life? The good times and the bad. Through thick and thin. For better or for worse, our Love is a choice, not a feeling. Is God someone I fear, or love? The English language is not the best when it comes to old language translations. In Spanish, the word is "Santo Temor" (Holy Fear) and the word temor means something that trembles inside, if I am trying to explain the word properly. It is honor in the most supreme, the kind that Mother Mary has for God. The Kind that when the Master speaks, we follow the calling because the connection is so deep.
So next time you tell someone that's acting a scoundrel "Hey, you need to go to Church", that's probably not going to do much for them. They don't dance to the flute. So how then, how can we help a soul to Christ? How do we get them to visit Him? How do we connect the Lover?
You become the Lover.
You become intimate in the Eucharist.
You become one with Love.
God is Love, and Loves to Love through you. |  hear it read | Random Bible Verse 1 Psalm 23:4
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,1 I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Random Bible Verse 2
Acts 2:38
38 And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Thank You Lord | |
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