 clickable | | Run to Mary Mary cares for our souls in a way that no human mother ever could—even the most wonderful, loving one! It is that burning charity that motivates her to work tirelessly for our salvation. She wants our salvation so desperately that she appeared many times over the centuries, sharing messages of hope and calling for prayer and conversion. Her desire that all should be saved is born of a mother's deep and lasting love for her children. —from the book Forgiving Mother: A Marian Novena of Peace and Healing by Marge Steinhage Fenelon |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"For prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God."
— St. Teresa of Avila † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"While other martyrs suffered by sacrificing their own lives, the Blessed Virgin suffered by sacrificing her Son's life—a life that she loved far more than her own. So she not only suffered in her soul all that her Son endured in his body. In addition, the sight of her Son's torments brought more grief to her heart than if she had endured them all in her own person. No one can doubt that Mary suffered in her heart all the outrages that she saw inflicted on her beloved Jesus. Anyone can understand that the sufferings of children are also those of their mothers who witness them."
— St. Alphonsus Liguori, p. 331
AN EXCERPT FROM
A Year with Mary † VERSE OF THE DAY
"Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail."
Isaiah 58:9-11 |  click to read more | | POPE ST. SYLVESTER Pope St. Sylvester (c. 250-335 A.D.) was born in Rome and raised as a Christian under the care of pious parents, and the religious instruction of a devout priest. He was later ordained to Holy Orders in Rome, and witnessed the outbreak of Christian persecution under the Emperor Diocletian. During this time he became well-known as a good and holy priest, so much so that when the Pope died, Sylvester was appointed the new Bishop of Rome. Little is known about Pope St. Sylvester other than the many important events in Church history that occurred under his pontificate. He was the reigning pope during the Council of Nicea which condemned the Arian heresy and established the Nicene Creed; he was the Holy Father who converted and baptized the Roman Emperor Constantine; Rome's greatest churches were built under his direction by Constantine, including St. John Lateran, St. Peter's, and Santa Croce; and the Church saw the beginnings of temporal prosperity and the establishment of the Christian Roman Empire. Sylvester was Pope from 314 A.D. until his death in 335 A.D. His feast day is December 31st. | The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas Lectionary: 204
Reading 1 1 Jn 2:18-21 Children, it is the last hour;
and just as you heard that the antichrist was coming,
so now many antichrists have appeared.
Thus we know this is the last hour.
They went out from us, but they were not really of our number;
if they had been, they would have remained with us.
Their desertion shows that none of them was of our number.
But you have the anointing that comes from the Holy One,
and you all have knowledge.
I write to you not because you do not know the truth
but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth. Responsorial Psalm Ps 96:1-2, 11-12, 13 R. (11a) Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name;
announce his salvation, day after day.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult before the LORD.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
The LORD comes,
he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice! Alleluia Jn 1:14a, 12a R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us.
To those who accepted him
he gave power to become the children of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 1:1-18 In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it. A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world,
and the world came to be through him,
but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own,
but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God,
to those who believe in his name,
who were born not by natural generation
nor by human choice nor by a man's decision
but of God. And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father's only-begotten Son,
full of grace and truth. John testified to him and cried out, saying,
"This was he of whom I said,
'The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.'"
From his fullness we have all received,
grace in place of grace,
because while the law was given through Moses,
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God.
The only-begotten Son, God, who is at the Father's side,
has revealed him. | Catholic Meditations
Meditation: John 1:1-18 7th Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5) Happy New Year's Eve! Are you thinking of resolutions to make for the coming year? Maybe you want to begin a new diet or cut back on your screen time or read more Scripture. Maybe you want to work on your relationship with a friend or family member. Of course, these are all good ideas, but think about adding another resolution—one that flows from today's Gospel reading. Think about resolving to increase your sense of hope in the Lord. Now, most of us already live with a certain degree of hope. But sometimes anxiety can creep in and rob us of it. We learn of a loved one's cancer diagnosis and wonder if they'll ever recover. We fall back into a sin pattern we thought we had already conquered. We see empty pews at Mass and worry about the future of the Church. These are all real challenges, and it's tempting to let them convince us to throw away our hope. But at the bottom of such struggles are these two fundamental questions: Does God see what is happening? And is he going to do anything about it? Today's Gospel provides us with the answers. Jesus knows we live in a world darkened by sin, and this is precisely why he chose to enter it. He is the light of the world, and no darkness can overcome him. It doesn't mean that the darkness is gone, but it does mean that it will not have the final word. One day every tear will be wiped away, and there will be no more suffering (Revelation 21:4). In the end, Jesus will come again and reign over all the earth. So as you look back at the past year and look forward to the next, try not to focus on the problems. Focus on Jesus instead. When you go to Mass tonight or tomorrow, keep your eyes on him. Look at the crucifix above the altar and think of how much he loves you. Listen to the prayers with fresh ears. Receive him with joy in the Eucharist. What a Savior we have! Even if things don't change, Jesus remains the same. He is ever present, always full of promise, hope, and power. "Jesus, be my source of hope in the coming year!" 1 John 2:18-21
Psalm 96:1-2, 11-13 |  clickable | The priesthood of Jesus Christ is a profound mystery of our faith. To understand it, man must open himself to a supernatural vision and submit human reason to a way of transcendental thinking. Christ the Priest constitutes the living center of the life of personal and community faith in the consciousness of all.
—Alfons Maria Cardinal Stickler
from The Case for Clerical Celibacy | my2cents:
"Their desertion shows that none of them was of our number.
But you have the anointing that comes from the Holy One,
and you all have knowledge."
The opening Scripture speaks about the antichrists that have existed and exist until this day.
How far do you need to go to run into an anti-christ?
I'd say, not very far. The spirit of the antichrist runs amuck, and the definition of amuck is "mad with murderous frenzy", to have in a sense, gone insane. If you read the books from G.K. Chesterton, the "apostle of common sense" you can get a feel for how the world presents God, completely opposite of what is the truth. And the last verse of the Holy Gospel implores "I write to you not because you do not know the truth but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth." Everything they say about abortion is alien, the founder had alien thoughts, and now, this gender confusion is an insanity against common sense, all brought about an alien, something, not the truth. Now we are talking disgrace, where our Lord has come to reveal it, and to bring grace in place of grace. | Let us pray: "The LORD comes, he comes to rule the earth. He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!"
I asked last night in a funeral vigil, during the rosary, to consider if we really make Jesus the King, or do we disgrace Him by being neutral. Do we wash our hands like Pontious Pilate, or do we choose to have a firm resolve, and to be resolute in our faith, like Christ when He set His precious face to Jerusalem? As it stands, there are forces gearing up to invade and persuade the faithful. You will be asked to choose ... the truth...or not. | In the Holy Gospel of John, John mentions John, one who said that our Lord would rank above Him. Indeed, we must decrease so He can increase. We must be less so God can be more. We must let go of our loves and our lives, so He can love and live inside. Who can penetrate these gates of the heart? Who controls the gates? What do you let inside? Who do you let inside? Jesus said that John was the least in the Kingdom of Heaven, Luke 7:29 " I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." What does this say about John? What does this say about you? What does this say about those in the Kingdom of Heaven? What does this say about the least? Does this say that there are holy on earth, yet there are super holy in Heaven? Or does this say that there are still more that are least among us? There are in existence, very precious souls to God. So innocent, so totally His. So full of grace...that brings forth great love. | "And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory.." and this is how it came to be. Emmanuel. He said "no temple you build can ever house my great Glory, but I will come make my dwelling place among you...in you". And so God gave us the greatest gifts upon the cross. His Body, His Soul, and His Divinity.
Priest, Prophet, and King.
The new Baptism of Fire.
The Holy Spirit.
Keep in mind what baptism does...a cleansing, a new life, forever.
And among the gifts from the cross? His Mother. And He gave His Mother His beloved disciple....John.
Mother to son and son to Mother. A restoration. A new life.
And that is Our Mother.
When the Word chooses to dwell among us, we are honored.
It is an honor to have Christ reside in me, and it is an honor to see Christ in you.
Scripture said today "No one has ever seen God"
Yet, God chose to be revealed. "The only-begotten Son, God, who is at the Father's side, has revealed him."
And He looks like me, and He looks like you, for you are baptized in Him.
I must then, honor you, child of God. I must then obey you. I must then praise you, and encourage you, and how will I be most effective? I must not sin. I must not dwell or focus on sin. I must not live in the dark. I must live focused on the light. I must partake of the light. "The true light, which enlightens everyone...". I love you Lord, please, we need you so much in the dark and cold world we find ourselves in so often. We need the warmth of your light...your love...your truth...all of You |  click to hear a message | Random Bible Verse 1 Luke 6:27 Love Your Enemies 27 "But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. Thank You Lord | |
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