†Saint Quote
"When you sit down to eat, pray. When you eat bread, do so thanking Him for being so generous to you. If you drink wine, be mindful of Him who has given it to you for your pleasure and as a relief in sickness. When you dress, thank Him for His kindness in providing you with clothes. When you look at the sky and the beauty of the stars, throw yourself at God's feet and adore Him who in His wisdom has arranged things in this way. Similarly, when the sun goes down and when it rises, when you are asleep or awake, give thanks to God, who created and arranged all things for your benefit, to have you know, love and praise their Creator." St. Basil the Great †Today's Meditation
"Prayer is more the work of the heart than of the head; it should, therefore, be simple, affective, and sincere. Let not the mind, then, weary itself in seeking for beautiful thoughts and sonorous phrases; we meditate not to prepare a finished sermon, nor to address God with fine rhetoric, but to nourish our soul with reflections which may enlighten and move us, and excite holy and generous resolutions; we make these reflections for ourselves alone, let them, then, be simple as well as pious. In affections, likewise, we seek for the practice of virtue, and not for the pleasures of a refined egotism. Let us never confound our sensible feelings with our will, or mere emotion with devotion. None of these acts need be made with a feverish ardour, nor in a tone of enthusiastic fervor . . . Above all, our prayers should be the faithful echo of our interior dispositions; our affections should express the sentiments which reign in our heart, or which we wish to form there; our petitions should proceed from a real desire; our every resolution should be a firm purpose of the will, and thus our whole soul will be upright and sincere before God." — Rev. Dom Vitalis Lehodey, p. 99
Cover image from the book, The Ways of Mental Prayer, p99
An Excerpt From The Ways of Mental Prayer, p99
Recommended Reads †Daily Verse "All these died in faith. They did not receive what had been promised but saw it and greeted it from afar and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth." Hebrews 11:13 Catholic Coffee
St. Albert the Great |  click to read more | | St. Albert the Great St. Albert the Great (1206-1280) was born in Bavaria, Germany, the eldest son of a powerful military count. As a youth he was sent to study at the University of Padua where he encountered and entered the newly-founded Dominican order as a mendicant friar, forsaking his inheritance against his family's wishes. He was the first Dominican to earn a Master of Theology degree and was sent as a lecturer to the University of Paris (which at that time was the intellectual center of Europe) before launching a Dominican house of studies in Cologne. He introduced the works of Aristotle to western thought which allowed his most brilliant student, St. Thomas Aquinas, to synthesize the Catholic faith with human reason, that is, the truths established through philosophy. St. Albert the Great was a renowned scholar and a pioneer in the field of natural science, keeping his own laboratory for scientific experiments. He is known as one of the greatest thinkers of his day, called by his contemporaries "the teacher of everything there is to know" for writing an encyclopedia of all human knowledge up to that point in history. St. Albert the Great was also one of the most famous preachers of his day and served as the papal theologian in Rome. He was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1931 by Pope Pius XI. St. Albert the Great is the patron saint of scientists and philosophers. His feast day is November 15th. | Monday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 497
Reading I 1 Mc 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63 [From the descendants of Alexander's officers]
there sprang a sinful offshoot, Antiochus Epiphanes,
son of King Antiochus, once a hostage at Rome.
He became king in the year one hundred and thirtyseven
of the kingdom of the Greeks. In those days there appeared in Israel
men who were breakers of the law,
and they seduced many people, saying:
"Let us go and make an alliance with the Gentiles all around us;
since we separated from them, many evils have come upon us."
The proposal was agreeable;
some from among the people promptly went to the king,
and he authorized them to introduce the way of living
of the Gentiles.
Thereupon they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem
according to the Gentile custom.
They covered over the mark of their circumcision
and abandoned the holy covenant;
they allied themselves with the Gentiles
and sold themselves to wrongdoing. Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people,
each abandoning his particular customs.
All the Gentiles conformed to the command of the king,
and many children of Israel were in favor of his religion;
they sacrificed to idols and profaned the sabbath. On the fifteenth day of the month Chislev,
in the year one hundred and forty-five,
the king erected the horrible abomination
upon the altar of burnt offerings
and in the surrounding cities of Judah they built pagan altars.
They also burned incense at the doors of the houses and in the streets.
Any scrolls of the law which they found they tore up and burnt.
Whoever was found with a scroll of the covenant,
and whoever observed the law,
was condemned to death by royal decree.
But many in Israel were determined
and resolved in their hearts not to eat anything unclean;
they preferred to die rather than to be defiled with unclean food
or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die.
Terrible affliction was upon Israel. Responsorial Psalm 119:53, 61, 134, 150, 155, 158 R. (see 88) Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
Indignation seizes me because of the wicked who forsake your law.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
Though the snares of the wicked are twined about me, your law I have not forgotten.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
Redeem me from the oppression of men, that I may keep your precepts.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
I am attacked by malicious persecutors who are far from your law.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
Far from sinners is salvation, because they seek not your statutes.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
I beheld the apostates with loathing, because they kept not to your promise.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands. Alleluia Jn 8:12 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 18:35-43 As Jesus approached Jericho
a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging,
and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening. They told him,
"Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."
He shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!"
The people walking in front rebuked him,
telling him to be silent,
but he kept calling out all the more,
"Son of David, have pity on me!"
Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him;
and when he came near, Jesus asked him,
"What do you want me to do for you?"
He replied, "Lord, please let me see."
Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you."
He immediately received his sight
and followed him, giving glory to God.
When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God. | Daily Meditation: Luke 18:35-43 Lord, please let me see. (Luke 18:41) Here is a story from a reader that relates to today's Gospel reading: "We stood in the hospital room that dreary November day filled with doubt, fear, and discouragement. My handsome, athletic eighteen-year-old nephew had been playing basketball and lacrosse just months earlier; now he lay in his hospital bed after nearly nine months of intensive chemotherapy. He was still handsome, but the ravages of the chemo showed. "He was at another critical crossroad in his battle with leukemia. To finally get released from the hospital, he would have to gain some weight. But that would require another invasive medical procedure. He was understandably tired and weary. He had clearly 'hit a wall' and didn't want to undergo any more procedures—especially painful ones. But to his credit, he agreed to let us pray with him. "His mother, another aunt, and I gathered around him and placed our hands gently on his lean shoulders. Then I heard his mom, teary but resolute, pray boldly, 'Jesus, Son of David, have pity on my son. Help my son; heal my son!' Her way of praying struck me forcefully in that moment. Like the blind beggar, she called upon Jesus as the Son of David, the long-awaited Messiah, the one who would come and restore God's people and usher in his kingdom. Then she told Jesus exactly what her son needed at that very point in time. It was like the beggar asking Jesus, 'Please let me see' (Luke 18:41). "A few days later, my nephew found the courage to allow the procedure. He soon gained enough weight to be released from the hospital before Thanksgiving. Over the next few months, he regained his strength, and today he is healthy and cancer free." Jesus' love and care for each one of us is so very personal. Like the blind beggar and like this boy's mother, Jesus wants to hear from us. Today, imagine Jesus asking you, "What do you want me to do for you?" (Luke 18:41). Then tell him exactly what you need. "Jesus, Son of David, thank you for caring about my every need." 1 Maccabees 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63
Psalm 119:53, 61, 134, 150, 155, 158 |  Listen to 2cents | From Today's Holy Scripture:
"But many in Israel were determined
and resolved in their hearts not to eat anything unclean; they preferred to die rather than to be defiled with unclean food or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die. Terrible affliction was upon Israel."
There's two ways to die then, either you die for your God, all things religion, or you will die forever to Him, that is eternal damnation. And what is religion, but a belief? And so, in a world, you will have a choice, to believe...or to not care about beliefs. Even Judas was a follower that called our Lord..."master". And so things go deeper...how much do you care...how much do you truly love Him? How much do you love the One who is preparing a Mansion in Heaven for you? How much do you Love the one who thought of you before time began? Do you believe? | We pray in Psalms:
"Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands. Far from sinners is salvation,
because they seek not your statutes." What is apostasy? Apostasy is the formal disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person.
It doesn't take much for an apostasy nowadays. On Sunday morning, some will renounce God, they will choose to stay home or go to work. Anything but to follow the law. And if we get enough of this attitude, the majority will cave to death mongrels who prowl about the world seeking death for any and all, especially the Christ followers...those on the Way, living the Way. There are not enough preachers harking on the gravity of this mortal sin, this deprivation that exists to this day.
Those who seek God, must seek His statutes. First you are to believe. Then you will see. If this works in the secular world, it works for the spiritual world. You must believe in order to see. | We heard our Lord:
_"They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." He shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!" The people walking in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent, but he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me!" Pause.
Never give up. The blind man was told to hush, but he did not, it was THAT important to him. What is important to you? Are others telling you to silence your faith? Your religion? Sometimes it doesn't take much to apostatize, sometimes it just takes a little doubt to cause the great divide. Where is faith? Resume. | "Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him;
and when he came near, Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" He replied, "Lord, please let me see." Pause.
Two reflections I've read or heard today state that the blind man's response was very specific. We are then to be specific when praying. I always feel a generic prayer is said, like "I pray for the whole world" or "I pray for my family". It would perhaps be more ideal to be more specific. What exactly is it that you are praying for? What do you specifically want? Resume. Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you."
He immediately received his sight and followed him, giving glory to God. When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God." Our Lord usually heals and says "go...your faith has saved you".
I've noticed that it is the people's faith that moves mountains. The miracles and deeds are there already for the taking. And when the blind man saw, because he wanted to, a whole new world opened up and He followed our Lord.
This is how it should be for us all spiritually.
Once you see, we are to follow Christ, with Thanksgiving, with gratitude, with service, by loving His will and following His Way.
Faith is then being sincere in believing.
Then be sincere in thanksgiving.
Help others see...Christ. Let's pray:
Lord, I want to see Your transforming light illuminating our suffering world. If we only knew how sin makes one suffer. Help us to see the painful truth. And then help us follow You closer, and never lose sight...of Thee again! | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: WOW!!! Hebrews 11:16 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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