†Saint Quote
"He will provide the way and the means, such as you could never have imagined. Leave it all to Him, let go of yourself, lose yourself on the Cross, and you will find yourself entirely."
St. Catherine of Siena †Today's Meditation
"These persons, when they [receive Holy Communion], strive with all their might for sensible sweetness, instead of worshipping in humility and praising God within themselves. So much are they given to this, that they think when they derive no sensible sweetness, they have done nothing, so meanly do they think of God; neither do they understand that the least of the blessings of the Most Holy Sacrament is that which touches the senses, and that the invisible grace It confers is far greater; for God frequently withholds these sensible favors from men, that they may fix the eyes of faith upon Himself . . . All this is a very great imperfection, being against the purity of Faith, and directly at variance with the nature of God." — St. John of the Cross, p. 28 An Excerpt From
Dark Night of the Soul, p28 †Daily Verse
"And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not pass over it, and fools shall not err therein." Isaiah 35:8 |  click to read more | | St. Barlaam of Antioch St. Barlaam of Antioch (d. 304 A.D.) was an elderly, uneducated peasant laborer from a village near Antioch. He was arrested for his Christian faith under the persecution of Roman Emperor Diocletian. He was detained for a long time in a dungeon before being brought before his judge. At his trial he was severely scourged, his bones dislocated on the rack, and tortured in other ways in an attempt to force him to renounce his faith in Christ and sacrifice to idols. Instead of crying out, there was joy in his countenance. His meekness, answers, and resolute will confounded his persecutors. The judge, determined to not be humiliated by a peasant, then devised a plan that would force Barlaam to offer sacrifice to the gods despite his constancy. He had an altar with a fire prepared, and had Barlaam's right hand held over the fire and filled with incense and hot coals. This would force Barlaam's burning hand to recoil, causing the incense to fall before the pagan altar, which the judge could then proclaim as a public act of sacrifice to the idols. Instead, Barlaam endured the pain in perfect stillness. He held his hand steady until it burned off completely. Irate, the judge ordered his immediate death. St. Barlaam's feast day is November 19th. | Friday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 501
Reading I 1 Mc 4:36-37, 52-59 Judas and his brothers said,
"Now that our enemies have been crushed,
let us go up to purify the sanctuary and rededicate it."
So the whole army assembled, and went up to Mount Zion. Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month,
that is, the month of Chislev,
in the year one hundred and forty-eight,
they arose and offered sacrifice according to the law
on the new altar of burnt offerings that they had made.
On the anniversary of the day on which the Gentiles had defiled it,
on that very day it was reconsecrated
with songs, harps, flutes, and cymbals.
All the people prostrated themselves and adored and praised Heaven,
who had given them success. For eight days they celebrated the dedication of the altar
and joyfully offered burnt offerings and sacrifices
of deliverance and praise.
They ornamented the facade of the temple with gold crowns and shields;
they repaired the gates and the priests' chambers
and furnished them with doors.
There was great joy among the people
now that the disgrace of the Gentiles was removed.
Then Judas and his brothers and the entire congregation of Israel
decreed that the days of the dedication of the altar
should be observed with joy and gladness
on the anniversary every year for eight days,
from the twenty-fifth day of the month Chislev. Responsorial Psalm 1 Chronicles 29:10bcd, 11abc, 11d-12a, 12bcd R. (13b) We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
"Blessed may you be, O LORD, God of Israel our father, from eternity to eternity."
R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
"Yours, O LORD, are grandeur and power, majesty, splendor, and glory.
For all in heaven and on earth is yours."
R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
"Yours, O LORD, is the sovereignty; you are exalted as head over all.
Riches and honor are from you."
R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God.
"You have dominion over all,
In your hand are power and might; it is yours to give grandeur and strength to all."
R. We praise your glorious name, O mighty God. Alleluia Jn 10:27 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 19:45-48 Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out
those who were selling things, saying to them, "It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves."
And every day he was teaching in the temple area.
The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile,
were seeking to put him to death,
but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose
because all the people were hanging on his words. | Daily Meditation: Luke 19:45-48 . . . a house of prayer, . . . a den of thieves. (Luke 19:46) You've probably seen or heard about ticket scalpers. These are the people who stake out a spot near a sports stadium before a big game and hawk overpriced tickets to latecomers. It's an age-old way to make a buck. People with easy access to something charge a high price to those without such access. During Jesus' time, the Temple in Jerusalem had its own version of this kind of "upselling." During high holy days, when Jews came to buy sacrificial animals to offer inside the sanctuary, money exchangers located just outside charged exorbitant rates to switch secular currency for Jewish or Tyrian money. These scalpers' profits often went to the priests, which only created more cycles of corruption. It's no wonder that Jesus showed his Father's displeasure! The Temple was supposed to be a place of sanctification, a portal to heaven, and a space of communion between God and his people. Instead, it had become a "den of thieves" (Luke 19:46). But making dishonest profits off of well-meaning pilgrims wasn't their only offense. On a more fundamental level, these money changers and the priests who conspired with them were hindering people from free and unobstructed access to God's holy place. Jesus had come to earth and was preparing to suffer and die for the very purpose of destroying every obstacle that prevented people from entering God's presence. Yet here were his Father's own representatives establishing even more obstacles! In that sense, Jesus' cleansing of the Temple was prophetic. It foreshadowed what he would soon accomplish on the cross: giving every one of us free access to his Father's healing love and mercy. Now it no longer matters who you are or how much you can give him. All he wants is for you to approach him so that he can greet you with a loving embrace. So don't let anything stand in the way between you and God. He has become the new Temple, and the only sacrifice he is looking for is a contrite and humble heart. Nothing else is required! "Lord, thank you for always welcoming me into your presence." 1 Maccabees 4:36-37, 52-59
1 Chronicles 29:10-12 | From Today's Holy Scripture:
"All the people prostrated themselves and adored and praised Heaven, who had given them success...
There was great joy among the people now that the disgrace of the Gentiles was removed." As a whole, for the last few decades, we have fallen to disgrace, as is evident by today's laws...with legal murder, and secret murders and spiritual murders and murderers. I told my young adults class that I can see dead people. LOL, not ghosts or zombies, but I can see people spiritually dead. The light has gone from their soul. And it is a strange sight to see, but all too familiar. And so, if we do not make a difference, both you and me, if we don't do our part in doing God's will, the times will only be more evident of our current state of grace. We can hunger for grace the good way, or for the worse. Either way, God's will, shall be done. | We pray in Psalms:
"You have dominion over all, In your hand are power and might; it is yours to give grandeur and strength to all." We praise your glorious name, O mighty God." It wasn't an invitation from God to love God with all our mind, strength, and soul, it was a command. And so it is our duty and privilege to serve Him. Taste and see how good the Lord is. Just look at the Crucifix! | We heard in the Gospel today:
"Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, "It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves." And every day he was teaching in the temple area." Did you catch the first Holy Scripture last verses? It was about celebrating the feast of the dedication of the temple on the 25th day on the month of Chislev, which for some reason in spanish translates the biblical passage to December.
In short, God Himself has come to rededicate the temple, and this is something to celebrate on Christmas Day, when we remember the day Christ is born, and have Mass, in the temple, where holiness has restored the world. He pushes out the thieves, all those with self interest above God's interests, where consumerism and profits where greater than humility, and the prophets of God.
And Jesus is the Highest Priest and Prophet. Back to you. What does this matter to You?
Our body is a temple of God. And together we make the temple of God. You matter more than you will ever know.
But who or what does your temple hold? What spirits have you let into your body?
Because those can take over.
We need Christ to rededicate this temple, this shell (our body) that should house the sacred Holy Spirit of God. | The Gospel continues:
"The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile, were seeking to put him to death, but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words." And so it is today. These same spirits pervade the world and persuade the world to crucify Christ. They exist in ways we cannot see clearly. When I was young, I was naive, and innocent. I knew there were bad people out there, kidnappers, killers, mean people, but now that I have grown, I see it is to a greater degree, the existence of evil that grows like weeds in places not tended to well. And I am speaking of the human heart. My innocence was protected for a while, until sin entered through the pervert that pervades the world, seeking the ruin of souls. I no longer saw things the same, and this was the fall of man. I am like St. Augustine, who was caught up in the world and all the pleasures it offered. And today I see what price those pleasures cost. A severe pain, a dagger to the heart, a lance to the very side of Christ.
And so, the remedy, to humility and innocence? Seeking first the Kingdom of God, where the King there is the most humble of all, even more than a child. Our minds cannot fathom the humility.
But notice, that the evil spirits could not kill Christ so long as everyone would hang on to God's Words. This message is for you, and us all, that we should hang on His every Last word, memorize the Word, and then Live the Word, and then BE the Word, and this allows a true indwelling of the Spirit of God to work His power among us.
So let us empty ourselves of our ideals and let HIM be the sole ideal of reality. It is time. Let's pray:
Lord, For the Kingdom, the power, the Glory are Yours both now and forever.
I am Thy Subject. I am Yours, and Yours I wish to be both now and forever. From: PRAYER FOR A VISIT TO THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
by Saint Alphonsus de Liguori "My Jesus I love You with my whole heart!
I grieve for having so often offended Your infinite goodness. I promise, by Your grace, never more to offend You and, as unworthy as I am, I consecrate myself to You completely; renouncing my entire will, my affections, my desires, and all that I possess. Do with me as You please and whatever You please with all that I have.
All that I ask and desire of You is Your holy love, final perseverance, and the perfect accomplishment of Your will. I entrust to You the souls in purgatory, especially those who had the greatest devotion to You in the Most Blessed Sacrament and to the most Blessed Virgin Mary. I also recommend to You all poor sinners. " | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: Psalm 5:11–12 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.
12 For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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