God's Glory in Harmony When we are conscious of what God has done in our lives, we develop gratitude. Like all expressions of praise, thanksgiving is rooted not only in God's character but also in his actions. Praise and thanksgiving are like two instruments, a duet that communicates the glory of God in a stunning harmony. —from the book Praise God and Thank Him: Biblical Keys to a Joyful Life
by Jeff Cavins |  MorningOffering.com | †Saint Quote
"You will not see anyone who is truly striving after his spiritual advancement who is not given to spiritual reading."
— St. Athanasius of Alexandria † MEDITATION OF THE DAY
"For us Christians, the first virtue of godliness is to honor our parents—to pay back the troubles of those who bore us, and to give them whatever comforts we can with all our strength. For if we repaid them as much as possible, we could still never pay them back for their gift of life. Then they will enjoy the comfort we provide, . . . And then won't our Father in heaven accept our good intentions, and judge us worthy to 'shine like the sun in the Kingdom of our Father' (Matthew 13:43)?"
— St. Cyril of Jerusalem, p. 190
AN EXCERPT FROM
Year with Church Fathers † VERSE OF THE DAY
"When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."
Isaiah 43:2-3 |  click to read more | | ST. FRANCES XAVIER CABRINI St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850–1917) was the thirteenth child of a modest farming family born near Milan, Italy. Her father would often gather his children in the kitchen to hear him read from a book on the lives of the saints. St. Frances was endeared to the stories of missionaries working in the Orient and desired to become one herself, which in her day was a man's role. Turned away from being a nun twice due to poor health, she prayed before the relics of her patron, Francis Xavier, the great Jesuit missionary-saint, about founding a new religious order to evangelize the East just as he did. Pope Leo XIII approved of her order, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, but instead of sending her to China as she had desired since childhood, he sent her to the West, specifically to America to serve the growing European immigrant population which faced poverty and disenfranchisement. St. Frances Xavier Cabrini moved to New York in 1889 and went on to found 67 institutions—schools, orphanages, and hospitals—throughout the Western Hemisphere. She received American citizenship, and in 1946 became the first United States citizen to be canonized by the Catholic Church. Her ministry left a significant mark on the Americas, creating lasting institutions to educate and care for those in need. She is the patron saint of immigrants, orphans, and hospital administrators. Her feast day is November 13th. | Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, virgin Lectionary: 495
Reading 1 2 JN 4-9 [Chosen Lady:]
I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth
just as we were commanded by the Father.
But now, Lady, I ask you,
not as though I were writing a new commandment
but the one we have had from the beginning:
let us love one another.
For this is love, that we walk according to his commandments;
this is the commandment, as you heard from the beginning,
in which you should walk. Many deceivers have gone out into the world,
those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh;
such is the deceitful one and the antichrist.
Look to yourselves that you do not lose what we worked for
but may receive a full recompense.
Anyone who is so "progressive"
as not to remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God;
whoever remains in the teaching has the Father and the Son. Responsorial Psalm PS 119:1, 2, 10, 11, 17, 18 R. (1b) Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Blessed are they whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Blessed are they who observe his decrees,
who seek him with all their heart.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord! With all my heart I seek you;
let me not stray from your commands.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Within my heart I treasure your promise,
that I may not sin against you.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Be good to your servant, that I may live
and keep your words.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Open my eyes, that I may consider
the wonders of your law.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord! Alleluia LK 21:28 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel LK 17:26-37 Jesus said to his disciples:
"As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be in the days of the Son of Man;
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage up to the day
that Noah entered the ark,
and the flood came and destroyed them all.
Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot:
they were eating, drinking, buying,
selling, planting, building;
on the day when Lot left Sodom,
fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all.
So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed.
On that day, someone who is on the housetop
and whose belongings are in the house
must not go down to get them,
and likewise one in the field
must not return to what was left behind.
Remember the wife of Lot.
Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it,
but whoever loses it will save it.
I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed;
one will be taken, the other left.
And there will be two women grinding meal together;
one will be taken, the other left."
They said to him in reply, "Where, Lord?"
He said to them, "Where the body is,
there also the vultures will gather." | Daily Meditation: Luke 17:26-37 One in the field must not return to what was left behind. (Luke 17:31) Today's Gospel reading can be somewhat scary. Could it really happen that at the end, some will be taken to heaven and others will be "left behind" (Luke 17:31)? And if that really is the case, who would be left behind? Could it be us? Or a loved one? When it comes to end times, however, the Church cautions us against reading too much into biblical images or trying to fit current events into the Scriptures. So when we reflect on today's Gospel, perhaps we would find more insight if we thought less about whether we might be mysteriously whisked to heaven and more about how we're spending our time here on earth. We may not live to see Jesus return, but we will all come face-to-face with him at our death. When that happens, all the possessions that we've spent our lives accumulating and caring for will be left behind. So will our loved ones, our jobs, and our unfinished plans. As sobering as this may sound, there is also a lot of hope in today's Gospel reading. Think about the saints—what did they leave behind? No one remembers what they wore or what kind of house they lived in. But we do remember their love, faith, sacrifice, trust in the face of suffering, kindness, and courage, as well as the fruits of these traits: hospitals, homeless shelters, religious orders, a body of inspired teachings, and a host of spiritual sons and daughters. So what will you leave behind? Perhaps a family more united because of your commitment to reconciliation. Maybe a parish that is closer to Jesus because of your witness to the joy of the Lord. Maybe grandchildren who are more thirsty for Jesus because of your intercession. Tomorrow is not assured. So what is Jesus calling you to do today? Begin by listening to the small promptings he has placed in your heart and acting on them. Someday Jesus will call you home. Until then, do your part to make the world a better place for the people you will leave behind. Start now! "Jesus, show me how I can leave behind a legacy of faith in you and love for one another." 2 John 4-9
Psalm 119:1-2, 10-11, 17-18 |  clickable | A religious sister lives in our midst as one who is radically inserted into the death and resurrection of the Lord; provides a visible witness of Christ praying, teaching, and healing; follows Christ more closely in his chastity, obedience, and poverty; builds up the Mystical Body by her prayer, penance, and example; and expresses visibly to the world that God is worthy to be loved in and for himself, and not merely as a kind of insurance policy in time of trouble.
— Fr. Thomas Dubay, SM
from And You Are Christ's | my2cents:
"For this is love, that we walk according to his commandments".
That we walk, His Way. That is love. Think of the waters involved in the Covenants throughout biblical accounts. Water in Genesis. Water with Moses. Water with Noah. And the water from the side of Christ. | We pray today: "Blessed are they whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!"
Blessed are the blameless. The ones walking the walk, not just talking the talk. Those are blessed because they bless. They bless God, and you cannot outgive our God. | Our Lord said: ""As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man".
So many considered Noah's prophecies as a joke. So man dismissed him as a fool. So many laughed at the message of...
Salvation.
Is that how it is today? | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus says that the days of his Second Coming will be like the days of Noah. So what went wrong in Noah's day? The biblical answer is sin—that is to say, human dysfunction—more precisely a refusal of the great tasks that God gave to human beings. They became bad stewards of creation and bad priests, falling into ego-driven violence and the worship of false deities. The result was the flood. But God did what he will do throughout salvation history: he sent a rescue operation. He found the one righteous man left and gave him a very peculiar assignment. Noah must have been a laughingstock, building a giant boat in the middle of the desert. Onto the ark come representatives of all the animal species, as well as Noah and his family. Once again, we see the deeply integrated vision of the Bible. Salvation is never simply a matter of setting things right for human beings. It has implications across the whole of creation. This is precisely why the Church Fathers saw Noah as a type of Christ and the ark of Noah as a type of the temple and of the Church. " Our Lord asks us to obey His message...of Salvation. Lord, help us to honor your Holy Will with our Very Lives at every moment, help us be like you...blameless | Random Bible verse from online generator: Gal 6:2
Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment