†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 †Today's Meditation
"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, p138 †Daily Verse
"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 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 I 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 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.
R. 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 They left their nets and followed him. (Matthew 4:20) Could you imagine an executive leaving his high-paying job to volunteer with a nonprofit group immediately after meeting its young leader? That's not normally how human relationships work. It takes time for people to get to know each other and to build up mutual trust. So when we see Andrew—whose feast we celebrate today—instantly dropping everything to follow Jesus after just a few words, we might think it was a rash decision. But that's not the whole picture. Remember, Andrew had met Jesus earlier. John's Gospel tells us that John the Baptist had first introduced him to Jesus, the "Lamb of God" (1:36). So when he left his job as a fisherman, Andrew wasn't making an impulsive decision. Radical, yes. But Andrew's decision to follow Jesus flowed from the ways he had already encountered the Lord. Every encounter after that only strengthened Andrew's zeal to follow Jesus. Think of all the preaching he heard and all the miracles he witnessed. Think about the privilege of seeing the risen Lord or how he received the Holy Spirit. Every new revelation deepened Andrew's faith. Andrew eventually chose to leave his homeland to preach in Asia Minor and Greece, where he made the ultimate sacrifice as a martyr. The same is true for us: every encounter with Jesus can deepen our faith a little bit more. We may experience him reviving us if we've become discouraged or indifferent. Maybe he will help us let go of unforgiveness or impatience. Maybe we will experience him strengthening us against temptation. Each blessing will help us follow him better. It all starts with an encounter, just as it did for Andrew. So remember, it's not "just another prayer time." Every time you call on him, every time you go to Mass or Adoration or open your Bible, Jesus is there, waiting. The more you open yourself to his love, the more he will change you. So make time to encounter the Lord today. Listen! He's calling your name! "Lord Jesus, open my heart to hear your call, today and every day!" Romans 10:9-18
Psalm 19:8-11 | From Today's Holy Scripture:
"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."
Thus we can speak about how faith has been formed in our Holy faith, and how it has been formed in yourself today. First, Tradition, then tradition. First there was oral tradition, throughout the ages, and then there were written accounts. First there were Sacraments and Mass, and then there was the Bible. The Word is first. The Word was spoke. God speaks. And now you are to speak, in His name. And how will you speak? Will you be a clear vessel for His message? Or will you be an obscure, hazy message, that is afraid to speak in the name of the Lord? The Word has been spoken. | We pray in Psalms:
"The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul; The decree of the LORD is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just."
Is it possible for a wise man to fail to be simple? Then this person would be haughty, and proud. And what if it is true what we heard...that if you disregard sermons and preachings...that you are a proud person? If this is true, then there is much needed, lacking, in our whole of society. Where has humility gone? Where did then.. the Way of Christ go? Who has fallen away? And who is truly following the Way, our Lord, the Christ? | We heard our Lord in the Gospel today:
"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."
Three words our Lord says to them and to us all today: Come After Me.
Come After Him.
Let's go.
"Follow ME", He says.
Today, what are you after? What are your hopes, dreams, and aspirations? Do you even have any real set goals in life? What are the ideals that you follow?
Today, the world offers millions of things to follow, on the internet, and in the media, and regular day to day things, like sports, luxuries, social media, ways of life they call "lifestyles" and fads and trends. There are so many...to me they are boring. The latest tattoos are boring, the latest music is boring, the latest fads are boring. Nothing is cool about being cool anymore.
The zeal is out.
Apostolic zeal is in.
Where is the vigor, the fire for living a real life with Christ?
Follow me now.
I have been in ministries, singing and participating full throttle at all sorts of events, even putting on a men's conference "Soldiers for Christ". And yesterday our Lord made it known to me, that a real Christ soldier is a subtle, and humble soul, at peace with Him. In other words, a real follower of The Christ. The fire in Heaven purifies. That is why God's Throne is depicted as having flames coming out of it, for nothing impure and cold is to touch Him.
And so our Lord says "Come After Me."
Not in front of Him. Don't tell Him what to do. Don't try to lead Him. Let Him lead you. | From Bishop Barron:
"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: How has our culture's focus on being self-made or self-sufficient affected your life and your trust in God's providence? Do you let God act first or do you expect him to "make up" for what you cannot accomplish yourself?" Let's pray:
Lord, I want to be a fisher of men, but what will we use for a lure?
Help us be shrewd, and meek, to bring Thy Precious Body into reality. Help us with Thy Heavenly Grace. Mother of God, pray for us and for the healing of the Body of Christ.
Amen | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: Exodus 20:16 "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
