 clickable | | Fill Your Days with Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is fully living into our givenness—it is the acceptance that our life is a miracle. To be thankful is to take pleasure in our existence and in the things that make that existence possible. "In this pleasure," writes Berry, "we experience and celebrate our dependence and our gratitude, for we are living from mystery, from creatures we did not make and powers we cannot comprehend." Berry is here speaking particularly of the pleasure that comes in our eating and its attendant thanksgiving, but he is also necessarily speaking of the pleasure of membership. Our lives are indebted to other lives and dependent upon them.... Through this gratitude and proper understanding of indebtedness, we are able to gain the freedom to become more generous ourselves. ... When we come to truly understand our givenness, which is also our indebtedness and embeddedness in the whole of the creation, then our response must be to give as we have been given. All pretenses that attend the accomplishments of our own work, all illusions of making value or owning something, is but a debt unaccounted, a gift accepted without thanks. Our first and most profound response should be to fill our days with thanksgiving. It is in that practice that we will finally begin to recover who we are and what we should be about in this world, this creation, this gift. —from the book Wendell Berry and the Given Life by Ragan Sutterfield |  MorningOffering.com | † Saint Quote
"Nothing seems tiresome or painful when you are working for a Master who pays well; who rewards even a cup of cold water given for love of Him."
— St. Dominic Savio † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"The temporal goods are created by the Most High for the sole purpose of sustaining life; having attained this end, the need of them ceases. And as this need is limited, soon and easily satisfied, there is no reason that the care for the immortal soul should be only fitful and temporary, while the hunger after riches should be so perpetual and unintermitting, as it has come to be among men. It is the height of perverseness for man to mix up the end and the means in an affair so important and urgent, that he devote all his time, all his care, all the exertion of his powers and all the alertness of his mind to the life of the body, of which he knows not the duration nor the end, and that on the other hand, in many years of his existence he spare for his poor soul only one hour, and that very often the last and the worst one of his whole life."
— Venerable Mary of Agreda, p. 85-6
AN EXCERPT FROM
Mystical City of God † VERSE OF THE DAY
"For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"
Galatians 5:13-14 |  click to read more | | ST. CATHERINE LABOURÉ St. Catherine Labouré (1806 – 1876) was born in Burgundy, France, the ninth of seventeen children of a pious and prosperous farming family. Her mother died when she was nine years old. After her mother's funeral, Catherine kissed a statue of the Virgin Mary in her home, saying, "Now you will be my mother." Catherine was devout and simple, and did not learn to read or write. She cared for her family for many years and, drawn to the religious life, entered the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in Paris at the age of twenty-two. In the year 1830, on the eve of the feast of St. Vincent de Paul, Catherine experienced her first apparition of the Blessed Mother. Mary entrusted to Catherine the mission of spreading devotion to her Miraculous Medal, the design of which she revealed to the saint in a vision. The Blessed Virgin appeared to Catherine two more times, and eventually the Miraculous Medal was mass-produced, widely promoted, and approved by the Church as a sacramental for public devotion. Catherine preferred anonymity and remained unknown as the visionary to whom Our Lady appeared, even to the sisters of her own convent. She continued to live a quiet life in service to the sick. After her death many miracles were ascribed to her relics. St. Catherine Labouré is one of the Church's incorruptible saints: her body is reposed in a glass casket in the chapel where she received the vision of Our Lady. Her feast day is November 28th. | Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 506
Reading 1 Dn 6:12-28 Some men rushed into the upper chamber of Daniel's home
and found him praying and pleading before his God.
Then they went to remind the king about the prohibition:
"Did you not decree, O king,
that no one is to address a petition to god or man
for thirty days, except to you, O king;
otherwise he shall be cast into a den of lions?"
The king answered them, "The decree is absolute,
irrevocable under the Mede and Persian law."
To this they replied, "Daniel, the Jewish exile,
has paid no attention to you, O king,
or to the decree you issued;
three times a day he offers his prayer."
The king was deeply grieved at this news
and he made up his mind to save Daniel;
he worked till sunset to rescue him.
But these men insisted.
They said, "Keep in mind, O king,
that under the Mede and Persian law
every royal prohibition or decree is irrevocable."
So the king ordered Daniel to be brought and cast into the lions' den.
To Daniel he said,
"May your God, whom you serve so constantly, save you."
To forestall any tampering,
the king sealed with his own ring and the rings of the lords
the stone that had been brought to block the opening of the den. Then the king returned to his palace for the night;
he refused to eat and he dismissed the entertainers.
Since sleep was impossible for him,
the king rose very early the next morning
and hastened to the lions' den.
As he drew near, he cried out to Daniel sorrowfully,
"O Daniel, servant of the living God,
has the God whom you serve so constantly
been able to save you from the lions?"
Daniel answered the king: "O king, live forever!
My God has sent his angel and closed the lions' mouths
so that they have not hurt me.
For I have been found innocent before him;
neither to you have I done any harm, O king!"
This gave the king great joy.
At his order Daniel was removed from the den,
unhurt because he trusted in his God.
The king then ordered the men who had accused Daniel,
along with their children and their wives,
to be cast into the lions' den.
Before they reached the bottom of the den,
the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones. Then King Darius wrote to the nations and peoples of every language,
wherever they dwell on the earth: "All peace to you!
I decree that throughout my royal domain
the God of Daniel is to be reverenced and feared: "For he is the living God, enduring forever;
his Kingdom shall not be destroyed,
and his dominion shall be without end.
He is a deliverer and savior,
working signs and wonders in heaven and on earth,
and he delivered Daniel from the lions' power." Responsorial Psalm Daniel 3:68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74 R. (59b) Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Dew and rain, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Frost and chill, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Ice and snow, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Nights and days, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Light and darkness, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Let the earth bless the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him. Alleluia Lk 21:28 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 21:20-28 Jesus said to his disciples:
"When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies,
know that its desolation is at hand.
Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains.
Let those within the city escape from it,
and let those in the countryside not enter the city,
for these days are the time of punishment
when all the Scriptures are fulfilled.
Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days,
for a terrible calamity will come upon the earth
and a wrathful judgment upon this people.
They will fall by the edge of the sword
and be taken as captives to all the Gentiles;
and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles
until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,
and on earth nations will be in dismay,
perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
People will die of fright
in anticipation of what is coming upon the world,
for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
But when these signs begin to happen,
stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand." | Meditation: Daniel 6:12-28 Thanksgiving Day (USA) Has the God whom you serve so constantly been able to save you? (Daniel 6:21) You can imagine the headlines: "Brave Jewish Man Survives Lions' Den." We naturally marvel at Daniel's courage and composure, but there is another part of this story worth exploring. When Daniel comes out of the den unharmed, King Darius issues a decree stating that Daniel's God will from now on be honored and revered throughout his kingdom. That's how powerful Daniel's witness was. Of course, Darius' relationship with Daniel didn't begin with the lions' den. The early chapters of this book portray Daniel as a wise statesman. He probably knew all the ins and outs of palace life and interacted at the highest levels of government. And all along, he continued to worship and obey the one true God. Over time, Daniel's faithful witness gained the attention and respect of Darius. It didn't happen all at once; it was the result of Daniel's everyday faithfulness. Whether you work in a high-level corporate position or on a construction site, whether you are a stay-at-home mom or a powerful government official, you can be a witness just like Daniel. How? By working diligently at your job and witnessing to the Lord when the opportunities arise. This is how evangelization usually starts. It mostly takes place in the course of everyday life and arises out of our day-to-day interactions. It's hard for people to gloss over the witness of a life of faith. They will see the unique way you treat people—with respect and compassion. They will notice how your faith shapes the way you spend your time, the decisions you make, and even the clothes you wear. It all adds up and points people to the God you worship and his love and grace. Daniel's night in the lions' den was one more act, albeit a big one, of faithfulness. But he could never have done it if it weren't for all the little acts of faithfulness he had performed along the way. So aim to be like Daniel, wherever you are and whatever you're doing. And if you ever have to face something that feels like the lions' den, know that all your little choices to live faithfully will have prepared you well. "Lord, help me to be like Daniel, to boldly follow you and be a witness to the world around me." (Psalm) Daniel 3:68-74
Luke 21:20-28 |  clickable | Elementary things are also essential things. Instead of abandoning them as banalities so as to chase after subtle novelties, we must always go back to them, to go into them more deeply.
—Henri de Lubac
from Paradoxes of Faith | my2cents:
"For he is the living God, enduring forever; his Kingdom shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be without end." When was the Kingdom of God ushered in? Because Daniel was perhaps a couple hundred years BC, before Christ? Amen? They were already speaking about a Kingdom, a never ending Kingdom. And Jesus came in and said, "thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done" and "the Kingdom is at hand". In spanish it is said "venga nosotros tu reino", come tu us your Kingdom, "hagase tu voluntad haci en la tierra como en el cielo", let your will be done on earth as in Heaven. And God's will be done, and blessed the soul who it is found working through. Blessed is your body, and your soul, blessed for allowing God's will to come to fruition. Blessed are you. Blessed can be forever. | Let us pray:
"Give glory and eternal praise to him. "Let the earth bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever." So when will the Lord come again? Because what He said was fulfilled, yet more is to come, to be fulfilled. Do not worry, only worry about His will, and let His will be one in yours. | Our Lord said "People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken." I can only imagine how scary things will be when the time of the Lord comes. Scary to those who are faithless. Scary to those who have weak hearts. You can be brave all you want while you are healthy and have no fears, but when an image of an ending world is pending, when an image of a judgement is coming your way, then, then things will be frightening. But like Daniel, do not be afraid, because an angel is at your side to help and defend and guide you. Angels can become your good friend, if, Holiness pervades, if a sincere relationship is formed and nurtured. Look to these angels with great love, for their face is always upon God our Father. | "And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." This sight will be the cause of the rise and fall of many; for the rising from the dead to the righteous ones, and the dead to eternal death. Like I told the agnostic this week "God doesn't put people in hell, people choose it for themselves".
And this on the day of thanksgiving. In the homily today in Mass, Father asked "where are all the thankful?" When driving up to a nearly empty lot, that thought hit our heads too. "Where is everybody?" Busy. Busy doing their own thing. It wasn't easy to get up on a cold morning to give thanks to God. It is sacrifice. And there is a blessing in sacrifice...a blessing to God almighty, Our Father. I know many of my loved ones and friends are travelling. But where are the hundreds more? On Sunday? You see, it's not just about today, but every day that we are to be giving thanks to God; because Eucharist means Thanksgiving.
And this is an eternal offering...... |  hear it read | Random Bible Verse 1 Hebrews 13:6
6 So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" Thank You Lord | |
