St. Andrew: Pray for Us He was among the first to be drawn to the young rabbi. Andrew and another of John the Baptist's disciples heard John refer to Jesus as "the Lamb of God," and began following him. At the end of a day with Jesus, Andrew did what many of us do when we make an amazing discovery. He went to his beloved brother to share the news of the Messiah. Andrew is regarded as part of the inner circle of apostles. It's believed that after the Resurrection, he preached in Eurasia until his own crucifixion. Based on Biblical accounts, Andrew doesn't seem to have been concerned about his place in the pecking order of Apostles. He just loved Jesus and wanted others to meet him. We can learn from that example of putting our own interests aside so that we may grow in grace. Spend some time today with a sibling, blood or of the heart, talking about how you can help each other on your spiritual journeys. —from Brotherhood of Saints: Daily Guidance and Inspiration
by Melanie Rigney |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"We know certainly that our God calls us to a holy life. We know that he gives us every grace, every abundant grace; and though we are so weak of ourselves, this grace is able to carry us through every obstacle and difficulty."
— St. Elizabeth Ann Seton †MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"Christ Himself taught humility of heart, and the heart must not remain idle, nor fail to product the necessary acts. And what acts of humility do you make before God? How often do you make them? When have you made them? How long is it since you made them? It would be absurd to hope for the reward which is promised to the humble without being humble, or at least making acts of humility; humility of heart without the heart's humbling itself—what folly! Are you foolish enough to believe that this can be done? ... it is necessary to humble ourselves when we approach God with prayer to obtain some grace, because God does not regard nor heed nor impart His grace except to the humble ... When, therefore, you come to ask God for some grace of the body or of the soul, do you always remember to practice this humility? When we pray, and especially when we say the 'Our Father', we are speaking to God; and how many times when you are saying your prayers, do you speak to God with less respect than if you were speaking to one of your fellow creatures? How often when you are in church, which is the house of God, do you listen to a sermon, which is the Word of God, and assist at the functions of the service without any reverence? Humility of heart, says St. Thomas, is accompanied by exterior reverence; and to be lacking in this is to lack humility and is therefore a sin of pride, 'which excludes reverence.'"
— Rev. Cajetan da Bergamo, p .138-140
AN EXCERPT FROM
Humility Of Heart † VERSE OF THE DAY
"It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to thy name, O Most High; to declare thy steadfast love in the morning, and thy faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre. For thou, O Lord, hast made me glad by thy work; at the works of thy hands I sing for joy."
Psalm 92:1-4 |  click to read more | | ST. ANDREW THE APOSTLE St. Andrew (1st c.) was the first of the twelve Apostles to follow Jesus, after being a disciple of St. John the Baptist, the Precursor of Christ. St. Andrew was a fisherman by trade and the younger brother of St. Peter. Andrew recognized Jesus as the prophesied Messiah and left his fishing trade behind to follow Jesus, convincing his brother Simon Peter to do the same. After Jesus' ascension into heaven, Andrew preached the Gospel throughout the world as commanded by Christ. He ministered and preached in Asia Minor before finally being martyred by crucifixion in the city of Patras in Achaea, Greece. He was tied to an X-shaped cross by request, not deeming himself worthy to die on the same kind of cross as his Savior. Andrew suffered for two days before dying, while continuing to preach Christ from his cross. St. Andrew's feast day is November 30th. | Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle Lectionary: 684
Reading 1 ROM 10:9-18 Brothers and sisters:
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
For one believes with the heart and so is justified,
and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
The Scripture says,
No one who believes in him will be put to shame.
There is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
the same Lord is Lord of all,
enriching all who call upon him.
For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed?
And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
And how can they hear without someone to preach?
And how can people preach unless they are sent?
As it is written,
How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!
But not everyone has heeded the good news;
for Isaiah says,
Lord, who has believed what was heard from us?
Thus faith comes from what is heard,
and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.
But I ask, did they not hear?
Certainly they did; for Their voice has gone forth to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world. Responsorial Psalm PS 19:8, 9, 10, 11 R. (10) The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. (John 6:63) Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
Sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life. Alleluia
MT 4:19
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come after me, says the Lord,
and I will make you fishers of men.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel MT 4:18-22 As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew,
casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
He said to them,
"Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."
At once they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.
He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father
and followed him. | Daily Meditation: Matthew 4:18-22 At once they left their nets. (Matthew 4:20) Andrew was a Jewish fisherman during a time when Rome taxed every single catch of fish. But despite—or perhaps because of—the hardships of his trade, it seems that Andrew had more than his livelihood on his mind. He was also a follower of John the Baptist, a devout man searching for the promised Messiah of Israel (John 1:35-42). Just to hear John the Baptist preach, Andrew had to travel a journey of several days from Capernaum to the Jordan Valley. So it shouldn't surprise us that Andrew was eager and ready to respond when he finally did meet the Messiah. Out of the many people who did hear about Jesus' ministry in its earliest days, Andrew had a unique response. Along with his brother, Peter, and their friends, James and John, Andrew left his nets in an extraordinary act of faith. His encounter with Jesus left an imprint that made him willing to let go of everything else so that he could learn more about who this man was. Like Andrew, we need to be ready to leave parts of our former life aside as we seek the Lord this Advent. We can sharpen our hearing so that we can listen to Jesus and brace our feet so that we can run after him. This Advent, consider praying through one of the Gospels as a way to encounter Jesus. As you contemplate God's word, see if Jesus is asking you to depart from "business as usual." Maybe he is asking you to come away to be with him for a while so that you can learn from him. You may not be able to walk with Jesus as Andrew did, but you can walk with him through the pages of the Bible. Every day this week, the first reading for Mass comes from the Book of the prophet Isaiah. As you read these passages, ponder all the verses that prophesy about who Jesus is and what he came to do. As you discover each one, think of it as a "character trait" of the Messiah you are choosing to take on. Believe that every time you see Jesus more clearly—no matter where you see him—you will be moved to leave your "nets" behind and follow him more closely. "Jesus, help me follow after you this Advent." Romans 10:9-18
Psalm 19:8-11 |  clickable | Hope is a holy thing, and insofar as we allow it to diminish, it is in that measure less holy.
— Mother Mary Francis, P.C.C.
from Cause of Our Joy | my2cents:
"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." And then, say the protestant brothers and sisters "say the repentance prayer". They added man made prayers. But that's it? You need nothing else for salvation? They say that's it. But there's more. Take that line out of context and you leave out the rest "For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved." What does all this mean? Yes, salvation, but it is all about the Savior and our belief. A Muslim can call out to Jesus and our Lord would answer, if they believe. A complete atheist could call out to our Lord and be saved, if they choose to call out in honesty. It is not a protestant thing, it is scriptural reference....gone wild! LOL. Our Lord is Savior, and that is why we call out to Him to come during advent. | We pray: "The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever; The ordinances of the LORD are true, all of them just. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just."
Fear of the Lord let's you call out to our Lord.
And this fear let's you love His laws.
Lord, give us this great gift from Heaven. | Our Lord comes by the seashore and says to St.s Simon and Andrew: ""Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." | From Bishop Barron Today:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus calls his first disciples. What is it about this scene that is so peaceful and right? Somehow it gets at the very heart of Jesus' life and work, revealing what he is about. He comes into the world as the second person of the Blessed Trinity, a representative from the community that is God—and thus his basic purpose is to draw the world into community around him.
Jesus says to Simon and Andrew, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." This tells us something about how God acts. He is direct and in-your-face; he does the choosing. "Come after me," Jesus says. He is not offering a doctrine, a theology, or a set of beliefs. He is offering himself. It's as if he's saying, "Walk in my path; walk in imitation of me."
Finally, Jesus explains, "I will make you fishers of men." This is one of the best one-liners in Scripture. Notice the first part of the phrase: "I will make you . . ." This is counter to the culture's prevailing view that we're self-made, that we invent and define our own reality. Jesus puts this lie to bed. We learn from him that it's God who acts, and if we give ourselves to his creative power, he will make us into something far better than we ever could.
Reflect: What path is Jesus calling you to walk right now? How are you allowing him to equip and lead you on that path?" When our Lord calls, it is a transformation if you have a true repentant heart, that is, holy fear. Lord, we want to hear your voice. Lord we want to see you. Lord, we want to be transformed. Help us begin this journey now. My friends, I invite you to start fasting from something that brings you joy, until Christmas Eve.
And that will be a gift to our Lord. Together, we can give Him a great Gift of Love! | Random Bible verse from online generator Mark 10:43–45 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,1 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave2 of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
