†Saint Quote
""He who enters into the secret place of his own soul passes beyond himself, and does in very truth ascend to God. Banish, therefore, from thy heart the distractions of earth and turn thine eyes to spiritual joys, that thou mayest learn at last to repose in the light of the contemplation of God."
–St. Albert the Great †Today's Meditation
"St. Augustine says, that to prevent the sheep from seeking assistance by her cries, the wolf seizes her by the neck, and thus securely carries her away and devours her. The Devil acts in a similar manner with the sheep of Jesus Christ. After having induced them to yield to sin, he seizes them by the throat, that they may not confess their guilt; and thus he securely brings them to Hell. For those who have sinned grievously, there is no means of salvation but the confession of their sins."
— St. Alphonsus Liguori, p. 138 An Excerpt From
Sermons of St. Alphonsus Liguori, p138 †Daily Verse
"For through the Spirit, by faith, we await the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus, neither...counts for anything, but only faith working through love."
–Galatians 5:5-6 |  click to read more | | Our Lady of Loreto Our Lady of Loreto is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with the house where Mary was born, the site of the Annunciation, and the dwelling place of the Holy Family. The tradition and history of the Holy House goes back to Apostolic times. In the 13th century the house was mysteriously moved in one piece from Nazareth in the Holy Land to a final resting place in Loreto, Italy, carried by angels, a miracle to which the Church attests. It was transported to prevent its destruction by Muslims who destroyed the basilica which housed it. A new basilica was built around the Holy House in Italy, known as the Shrine of Our Lady of Loreto, one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in the world. Written at the door of the basilica are these words: "The whole world has no place more sacred … For here was the Word made Flesh, and here was born the Virgin Mother." Our Lady of Loreto is the patron of aviators, fliers, pilots, and builders. Her feast day is December 10th.
Find a Devotional for This Saint | Friday of the Second Week of Advent Reading I Is 48:17-19 Thus says the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
I, the LORD, your God, teach you what is for your good, and lead you on the way you should go.
If you would hearken to my commandments, your prosperity would be like a river, and your vindication like the waves of the sea;
Your descendants would be like the sand, and those born of your stock like its grains,
Their name never cut off or blotted out from my presence. Responsorial Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6 R. (see John 8:12) Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Blessed the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
He is like a tree planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves never fade. Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Not so the wicked, not so; they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life. Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord will come; go out to meet him!
He is the prince of peace.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 11:16-19 Jesus said to the crowds:
"To what shall I compare this generation?
It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another,
'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance,
we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.'
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said,
'He is possessed by a demon.'
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said,
'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.'
But wisdom is vindicated by her works." | Daily Meditation: Isaiah 48:17-19 I, the Lord, your God, . . . lead you in the way you should go. (Isaiah 48:17) God's people are in a terrible state. Jerusalem—especially the Temple where they used to encounter God—is in ruins, and they are living in exile. Clearly, they've made a mess of doing what pleases God, and the result has been disastrous. How can they find their way back? With God's help, of course. Speaking through his prophet, God promises that he will lead them in the way they should go. He promises to restore them, heal them, and bring them back into his presence. But sometimes these bedrock truths can seem like little more than pious platitudes, especially when we come face-to-face with our sin as the Israelites did. So let's join our prayers to those of the exiles and ask God to come alongside us, take us by the hand and show us the way: "Lord, lead me in the way that I should go. So often, Jesus, I feel like the Israelites, lost and far from you. But when I'm on the wrong path, you are the remedy for my sinful wanderings. You don't just point me in the right direction. You dwell in me and give me the grace to overcome every temptation. As you promised to lead the Israelites back from exile, help me see and follow the road that leads to you. "Lord, help me hearken to your commands. I'm trying to "hearken," to listen with my heart. Help me hear what you're saying to me today. Help me to be still—to let go of all my distractions long enough to spend time contemplating the miracle of your coming to live among us. That's what my journey is all about this Advent. As you promised the Israelites, you will bless me as I listen and follow you. "Lord, give me the 'prosperity . . . like a river' that you promise (Isaiah 48:18). Let the riches of your mercy wash over me again and again, like the waves of the sea. Help me to trust that I have been restored to you and that my name will never be blotted out from your presence. As you did for the Israelites, give me confidence and trust that as I listen and follow, I will receive the blessings of your life at work in my heart." "Lord, you are my Redeemer. I thank you for all the ways you show me mercy." Psalm 1:1-4, 6
Matthew 11:16-19 | From Today's Holy Scripture:
"If you would hearken to my commandments, your prosperity would be like a river, and your vindication like the waves of the sea" It's not difficult to understand. If you do the right thing, good things can come. If you do the wrong thing, bad things will come. And so, if we listen, if we come to our Lord and our Father, we will be receiving the good. So come to Him, let Him have what you are afraid of. Let Him in on everything, then you will see what it tastes like to be with Him. | We pray in Psalms:
"Blessed the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked Nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent, But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life..." | We heard of our Lord in the Gospel today:
"To what shall I compare this generation?
It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, 'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.' I've been a parishioner at the same parish for 90% of my life. I've grown up here, serving since I was a little guy. This is where I received all my Sacraments except Holy Baptism, which was up in Colorado. I've witnessed many things growing up here. I have seen how the flock, the parishioners act, especially when a priest is moved out, and another one moved in. This normally happens every 8 to 12 years. Some people leave the parish when the priest leaves. Some others come in when a new priest comes in. It doesn't matter what race or age the priest is. If he's young, they dismiss him. If he can't speak their language, they leave. If He's too fat, they laugh. If he doesn't speak well or lead well, they criticize him. And so, there is no end to please the...sentiments. You see, for the most part, people are worldly, that is, they go by mere feelings.
If the church is too cold, or too old, or too modern, or the choir is no good, or too old, or too modern, there is no pleasing to many souls. I've spoken to many that left when the deacon left for XYZ reason. A perfect excuse never to step foot back in our church....in their view.
And so we must take into mind, the excuse. What excuse do we make to...live apart? To live in the dark? To live in sin?
I found a homeless guy in our church once, I helped him get work, a place to live, and he ruined it all, he lost his job, and was wrecking the apartment with party goers when his money started coming in.
Where is the gratitude? He tried to tell me that drugs were what helped him.
It wasn't God. It was drugs that helped him live. And so, choosing this, keeps him in ruins. | God plays the flute.
Will you dance? What is the flute? The beauty of Tradition, the beauty of an ascetic life, the beauty of a true, sincere, and holy life. Would this bring you to Him?
God plays the dirge.
Will you mourn and cry? What is a dirge? It is the terrible things that happen in the world, disasters, pandemics, you name it. Would this bring you to Him? Those that I meet on the street, typically nothing moves them to come to their knees in front of God in Church. Not the flute, not all the beauty, nor humility, nor the dirge, for all the calamities of the world constantly attacking. What will move you?
What will anchor you to Him?
What will help you live according to His will? I've tried to help addicts. And it is hard. I pray for them. I fast for them. I speak with them. I reach out to them. Sometimes I'll visit with them.
But like the homeless man, he was hooked and unable to let go.
And so, I've realized something that even exorcists say, about souls hooked on demons and whims...it takes their part. There are so many out there that refuse to do their part. What part? Giving up and giving into the Lord. How hard is it?
It takes self sacrifice my friend. Whence the addict/sinner admits the problem, they should take heart, and move to a solution, a healing, a restoration.
Such is the life God offers, when He stretches Himself out on the Cross for you and for me. Let's pray:
Lord, Father, Holy Spirit,
We need grace in our world. We need light in our world.
We need you in our World. We need guidance to Your Holy Will.
We need to follow Your way of self surrender, for total giving of true Love. May this be our prayer reaching the heavens for hand...to break out of our sinfulness...and live in a whole unity with Your flock in Heaven, both now and forever.
amen. | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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