†Saint Quote
"Men do not fear a powerful hostile army as the powers of hell fear the name and protection of Mary."
St. Bonaventure †Today's Meditation
"Essentially a soldier, the Christian is always on the lookout. He has sharper ears and hears an undertone that others miss; his eyes see things in a particularly candid light, and he senses something to which others are insensible, the streaming of a vital current through all things. He is never submerged in life, but keeps his head and shoulders clear of it and his eyes free to look upward. Consequently he has a deeper sense of responsibility than others. When this awareness and watchfulness disappear, Christian life loses its edge; it becomes dull and ponderous." — Fr. Romano Guardini, p. 177 †Daily Verse
"See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him." 1 John 3:1 |  click to read more | | St. Cecilia St. Cecilia (3rd c.) is one of the most venerated of the virgin martyrs of Rome. Her name is in the Roman Canon of the Mass. According to tradition she made a private vow of chastity to Jesus, yet her parents promised her in marriage to a suitor. On her wedding night, St. Cecilia told her husband that she had not only made a vow to remain a virgin, but that an angel guarded her purity. Her husband agreed to honor her vow and follow Christ if he could also see her guardian angel. She instructed him to first be baptized, and afterwards he was able to see her angel. Cecilia's brother-in-law also converted, and both men were eventually martyred for their faith; but not without first converting their jailer. St. Cecilia was later arrested and also sentenced to death. An executioner struck three blows but was not successful in severing her head from her body; instead, she survived for three days preaching to those who visited her in prison until her last breath. They lovingly soaked up the blood from her wounds with clothes and sponges. Her relics, along with those of her husband, his brother, and the converted jailor, were placed in the church of St. Cecilia in Rome. Because she sang hymns to Jesus in her heart on her wedding day, St. Cecilia is the patron saint of musicians. Her feast day is celebrated on November 22nd.
Find a Devotional for This Saint | Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr Lectionary: 503
Reading I Dn 1:1-6, 8-20 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah,
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came
and laid siege to Jerusalem.
The Lord handed over to him Jehoiakim, king of Judah,
and some of the vessels of the temple of God;
he carried them off to the land of Shinar,
and placed the vessels in the temple treasury of his god. The king told Ashpenaz, his chief chamberlain,
to bring in some of the children of Israel of royal blood
and of the nobility, young men without any defect,
handsome, intelligent and wise,
quick to learn, and prudent in judgment,
such as could take their place in the king's palace;
they were to be taught the language and literature of the Chaldeans;
after three years' training they were to enter the king's service.
The king allotted them a daily portion of food and wine
from the royal table.
Among these were men of Judah: Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah. But Daniel was resolved not to defile himself
with the king's food or wine;
so he begged the chief chamberlain to spare him this defilement.
Though God had given Daniel the favor and sympathy
of the chief chamberlain, he nevertheless said to Daniel,
"I am afraid of my lord the king;
it is he who allotted your food and drink.
If he sees that you look wretched
by comparison with the other young men of your age,
you will endanger my life with the king."
Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief chamberlain
had put in charge of Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah,
"Please test your servants for ten days.
Give us vegetables to eat and water to drink.
Then see how we look in comparison with the other young men
who eat from the royal table,
and treat your servants according to what you see."
He acceded to this request, and tested them for ten days;
after ten days they looked healthier and better fed
than any of the young men who ate from the royal table.
So the steward continued to take away
the food and wine they were to receive, and gave them vegetables. To these four young men God gave knowledge and proficiency
in all literature and science,
and to Daniel the understanding of all visions and dreams.
At the end of the time the king had specified for their preparation,
the chief chamberlain brought them before Nebuchadnezzar.
When the king had spoken with all of them,
none was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah;
and so they entered the king's service.
In any question of wisdom or prudence which the king put to them,
he found them ten times better
than all the magicians and enchanters in his kingdom. Responsorial Psalm Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56 R. (52b) Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory, praiseworthy and glorious above all forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you on the throne of your Kingdom, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you who look into the depths from your throne upon the cherubim, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever!
"Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven, praiseworthy and glorious forever."
R. Glory and praise for ever! Alleluia Mt 24:42a, 44 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stay awake!
For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 21:1-4 When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people
putting their offerings into the treasury
and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins.
He said, "I tell you truly,
this poor widow put in more than all the rest;
for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth,
but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood." | Daily Meditation: Daniel 1:1-6, 8-20 Daniel was resolved. (Daniel 1:8) The people of God had been captured and handed over to a godless king. Now Daniel was among those selected to be trained to serve this king. The idea might have distressed him since the training would involve eating "unclean" foods that violated his covenant with the Lord. Even so, Daniel resolved in his heart that he would never break his commitment in this way. Instead, he sought out God's help and wisdom. And he trusted that God was with him even in these circumstances. The problem was, how could he avoid eating the king's food? Daniel got creative. He recognized that God had granted him favor in the chief chamberlain's eyes, so he asked for a special diet. When the chamberlain said no, he didn't give up. He proposed a ten-day trial of a special diet of only vegetables. The chamberlain agreed, and Daniel and his friends remained undefiled. By choosing to follow the Lord and by using his God-given talents for shrewd negotiating, Daniel was able to avoid a difficult situation. We too can face times of confusion or uncertainty. So how can we follow Daniel's example and actively trust God? First and foremost, we need to ask the Lord for guidance and resolve to remember that no matter what is happening, we are in his hands. That's our foundation. But we can build on that foundation by coming up with creative ways to face and deal with our difficult situation. God has given us logic, intuition, and imagination. As we use them and try to follow the Spirit, we might be surprised at the answers we come up with! When Daniel stood before the king, healthier than any of the other young men despite his limited diet, he proved God's trustworthiness. That truth helped him face whatever might follow with boldness and faith in God. The same can happen to you as you step out in faith, listen to the Spirit, and creatively act on his guidance. You'll experience God holding you in his hands, and that will give you a deeper conviction that he won't ever let you go! "Father, I trust that I am in your hands. Thank you for your wisdom to help me meet my challenges." (Psalm) Daniel 3:52-56
Luke 21:1-4 | From Today's Holy Scripture:
"But Daniel was resolved not to defile himself
with the king's food or wine; so he begged the chief chamberlain to spare him this defilement." Daniel chose not to be defiled, rather to follow God's laws. What was the effect? Because he chose this, he far surpassed all others in all aspects of strength and wisdom.
Now let's think spirituality. Now let's think of our temple, and defilement and giving to God truly. | We pray in Psalms:
"Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory, praiseworthy and glorious above all forever. Glory and praise for ever!" Everything happens in the temple. Your body can house the very Spirit of God!
But what about God's temple? That was your temple, but what about HIS?
Everything happens there. Let us go there.
Let us worship. Let us adore. | We heard in the Gospel today:
"When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins. He said, "I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood." | When Jesus speaks, who listens?
What did He just say to your heart?
To me, immediately the message came in as I was reading the last words that the widow "..has offered her whole livelihood".
This spoke to me and said: "I Am All In".
She was all in. She totally trusted. She totally gave. She totally surrendered, everything, right there in the middle of all, in the middle of God's temple.
And you? What are you giving? A little bit? A little more than the average? Are we talking tithes here? Jesus did. But Tithing means more...as a priest once said in a cursillo "money is like life certificates". Now...are you all in? Or do you give of your leftovers? There's these people that always ask me for money. For many of those times, I reminded them that they should give to God first...and He would provide the rest. But they forget...over...and over again. And I am kind of tired of reminding them, because they will not do it. And not long ago, they were talking about leaving the church. Interesting right?
Am I talking money here? I'm talking love.
I am talking sins, and in particular, your very own sins. What are you doing with that junk you don't need in your life?
Go to confession. Sell all you have and give it to the LORD!
Amen?
Here's what I've learned in my years of ministry, and for all those afraid to do what the rich young man was asked for when Jesus said to sell everything and give it to the poor and follow HIM: when someone asks, you give. That's all I've learned. Say yes. For it very well could be the Lord asking. Would you be a teacher or volunteer for the church? Would you go to the streets for Jesus? Would you pray with every troubled soul you encounter? Would you? Right now, our community is saddened by our student buses involved in crashes, and deaths were involved. Right now another community is saddened by a driver plowing through a parade killing many innocent people, and even a priest and parishioners were all hurt. What's the message? The time is now. Don't you know how to discern the signs of the times? Why put things off for a day you have never seen?
Think of the great Present...To GOD our FATHER! Let's pray:
Lord, God, Father,
These are my 2 cents.
My very life offering to Thee.
I want to be all in. Give us courage, give us grace,
give us righteousness. to make the light that makes the difference in our world. We need You more than ever. | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: WOW!! Mt 7 7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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