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Tuesday, December 21, 2021

† "..Blessed Are You Who. . ."

 
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†Saint Quote
"If we do not risk anything for God we will never do anything great for Him."
–St. Louis De Montfort

†Today's Meditation
"An excellent method of preserving interior silence is to keep exterior silence. . . even in the world, each one of us can make his own solitude, a boundary beyond which nothing can force its way unperceived. It is not noise in itself that is the difficulty, but noise that is pointless; it is not every conversation, but useless conversations; not all kinds of occupation, but aimless occupations. In point of fact, everything that does not serve some good purpose is harmful. It is foolish, nay, more, it is a betrayal to devote to a useless objective powers that can be given to what is essential. There are two ways of separating ourselves from almighty God, quite different from one another but both disastrous, although for different reasons: mortal sin and voluntary distractions—mortal sin, which objectively breaks off our union with God, and voluntary distractions, which subjectively interrupt or hinder our union from being as close as it ought to be. We should speak only when it is preferable not to keep silence. The Gospel does not say merely that we shall have to give an account of every evil word, but of every idle thought."
— St. Alphonsus Liguori, p. 44

An Excerpt From
Sermons of St. Alphonsus Liguori, p44

†Daily Verse
"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do."
–Colossians 3:12-13

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St. Peter Canisius

St. Peter Canisius (1521–1597) was born in Holland to a wealthy family. He was sent to the University of Cologne and met St. Peter Faber who influenced him to join the Jesuits. St. Peter Canisius became famous for his preaching and writing, and was one of the most influential Catholics of his time. He was instrumental in defending Catholicism against the Protestant revolt in Germany and surrounding countries. He famously wrote a popular-level catechism to counter the spreading heresies. The restoration of the Church in Germany is largely attributed to his catechetical work. He was adamant in promoting charity and courtesy towards Protestants in a time of great hostility. After the Council of Trent, he was chosen by the Vatican to help smuggle the documents of the Council into the hands of European bishops, avoiding the outposts of Protestant aggression, which was a difficult task at the time. For his brilliance in teaching Catholic doctrine, St. Peter Canisius was named a Doctor of the Church. His feast day is December 21st.
Find a Devotional for This Saint

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Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent

Lectionary: 197
Reading I

Sg 2:8-14

Hark! my lover–here he comes

springing across the mountains,

leaping across the hills.

My lover is like a gazelle

or a young stag.

Here he stands behind our wall,

gazing through the windows,

peering through the lattices.

My lover speaks; he says to me,

"Arise, my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one,

and come!

"For see, the winter is past,

the rains are over and gone.

The flowers appear on the earth,

the time of pruning the vines has come,

and the song of the dove is heard in our land.

The fig tree puts forth its figs,

and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance.

Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one,

and come!

"O my dove in the clefts of the rock,

in the secret recesses of the cliff,

Let me see you,

let me hear your voice,

For your voice is sweet,

and you are lovely."

OR:

Zep 3:14-18a

Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!

Sing joyfully, O Israel!

Be glad and exult with all your heart,

O daughter Jerusalem!

The LORD has removed the judgment against you,

he has turned away your enemies;

The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,

you have no further misfortune to fear.

On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:

Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!

The LORD, your God, is in your midst,

a mighty savior;

He will rejoice over you with gladness,

and renew you in his love,

He will sing joyfully because of you,

as one sings at festivals.

Responsorial Psalm

33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21

R. (1a; 3a) Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;

with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
Sing to him a new song;

pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness.
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;

the design of his heart, through all generations.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,

the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
Our soul waits for the LORD,

who is our help and our shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice;

in his holy name we trust.
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law:
come to save us, Lord our God!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Lk 1:39-45

Mary set out in those days
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
"Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled."

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Daily Meditation: Luke 1:39-45

Most blessed are you among women. (Luke 1:42)

What attitudes of the heart helped Elizabeth recognize and rejoice in the coming of the Messiah? As Christmas approaches, let's spend some time reflecting on this Gospel passage so that we can learn from Elizabeth how to enter more fully into the joy of the season.

First, Elizabeth was both prayerful and open to the Holy Spirit. So as soon as Mary crossed her threshold, Elizabeth knew that her cousin was carrying the Messiah. Elizabeth had probably spent long hours in prayer contemplating her own miracle of having conceived a child so late in life, and that prayer opened her to God's work and presence in other people as well. Perhaps we can spend a few days this week contemplating God's work in our lives. How can we be a little more alert to him as Christmas approaches?

Second, Elizabeth focused on the people around her. We might expect her to draw attention to herself and her own pregnancy when Mary arrived—especially given Elizabeth's long struggle with infertility. Yet she immediately rejoiced with Mary over the child Mary had conceived. Elizabeth helps us to see that our joy at Jesus' coming can be greater as we try to think a little less about ourselves and a little more about the needs of the people around us.

Finally, we see Elizabeth's humility as she wonders why she was chosen for so great an honor as to have the mother of her Lord both visit her and choose to stay with her for three months (Luke 1:43). What humility it must have required for Elizabeth to receive help from a woman who had been so highly favored by God! In the same way, the Lord is asking us to humbly receive whatever gifts or service he offers us through the kindness of the people around us.

In these next few days before Christmas, try going outside of yourself as Elizabeth did. Be alert to the Lord's presence, both in the silence of your prayer and in the people around you. Humbly receive Jesus, both in the manger and in the Eucharist. Believe that as you open your heart to him, he will fill you with his joy.

"Lord, like Mary and Elizabeth, help me to rejoice at your coming this Christmas."

Song of Songs 2:8-14
Psalm 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21

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From Today's Holy Scripture:
"O my dove in the clefts of the rock, in the secret recesses of the cliff, Let me see you, let me hear your voice, For your voice is sweet, and you are lovely."

Have you ever heard a dove? We have doves around our place. Doves are gentle. They have a unique sound. They are a family bird. They are a beautiful creature that you do not get tired of seeing. There are some, that can appreciate this, and there are some who could not care. But I look for doves, and I look for love. Sometimes I see them sitting on our steeple of our cross at our church, and I see the Holy Spirit. Seek Him. Mother Mary sought our Lord. You can too. We seek Love and Love seeks us. This Holy Scripture is one of God and His creation...you and me. Do not hide from Him any longer. Let yourself be captivated...by Love.

psalms

We pray in Psalms:
"Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he has chosen for his own inheritance. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song. Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice; in his holy name we trust."

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We heard of our Lord in the Gospel today:
"When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb."

There are two blesseds here. One, Mother Mary. Another, the fruit of her womb...Jesus.

This is why we have a devotion, to the Sacred Heart of Mary, and the Sacred heart of Jesus. There are, right now, body and soul, two blesseds in Heaven, with a human heart bound with us on earth, Mother Mary, And Most Holy Jesus, King of the Universe.

And what is blessed? Chosen. Blessed is appointed and anointed. Blessed is what we receive in the Holy Sacraments. And even at the very end of Holy Mass, a secret blessing...the Father's sending forth. You see, everything a priest does is Jesus, entering the world, to the going out in the Ascension. He enters to Give His life for us, in a very real sense. Is it repeated? It is the same. How blessed we are who receive. Do we acknowledge this great gift? How do we go to receive?

"Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."
Now it is your turn to be blessed. How? Believe. Mother Mary was blessed for believing first. Many don't want to believe unless they see. This is to say "I won't give until you give first".

Blessed are those who give.
For they will receive.
Blessed are you in Christmas when you give, expecting nothing in return. Believe that love works this way.
There is absolutely no way you can give to God, because everything is His. But it is in our creation with His creation, that we work with God's hand. My little boy drew on a paper and markers we gave him, and he drew a little world, a grass field, a house, him, the sun, and a flower. He looked like a flower. He gave it to us to hang on the refrigerator. This was his gift. But the paper and markers were already ours, but what He did was create an image with love for love.
This is you and me. We can create a loving gift that God loves. He has a human heart...remember? He has feelings, but a feeling we can only imagine....so deep, so true of a love. Someone crazy about you...someone that desires your every good. Such is this beautiful God.

Let's pray:
Lord, God, Our Father,
You've created us in Your image...of Love.
We are blessed to be Yours.
Let us be a blessing to You. Give us Your grace to share with the world...mercy, compassion, and humility. All things that make for a beautiful light...in a dark world. Amen.

from your brother in Christ,
Adrian

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Random bible verse generator:

Proverbs 15:31–32
The ear that listens to life-giving reproof

will dwell among the wise.
32 Whoever ignores instruction despises himself,

but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.

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God Bless You! Peace

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