†Saint Quote
""Only he will receive, will find, and will enter who perseveres in asking, seeking and knocking."
–St. Louis de Montfort †Today's Meditation
"Jesus has many lovers of His heavenly kingdom, but few cross-bearers. Many desire His consolation, but few His tribulation. Many will sit down with Him at table, but few will share His fast. All desire to rejoice with Him, but few will suffer for Him. Many will follow Him to the breaking of the bread, but few will drink the bitter cup of His Passion. Many revere His miracles, but few follow the shame of His cross. Many love Jesus when all goes well with them, and praise Him when He does them a favor; but if Jesus conceals Himself and leaves them for a little while, they fall to complaining or become depressed. They who love Jesus purely for Himself and not for their own sake bless Him in all trouble and anguish as well as in time of consolation. Even if He never sent them consolation, they would still praise Him and give thanks. Oh how powerful is the pure love of Jesus, when not mixed with self-interest or self-love!"
— Thomas à Kempis, p. 88-89 †Daily Verse
"Hearken to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am He, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save."
–Isaiah 46:3-4 |  click to read more | | St. John of the Cross (1542–1591) – also known as San Juan de la Cruz – was born to a poor family in Old Castile, Spain. His father married below his rank and was disinherited as a result. After his father's early death, John was raised in poverty by his mother. He studied and served at a local hospital while committing himself to severe penances. Uncertain of his life's direction, he was told in prayer that he should enter religious life in order to bring reform. John joined the ancient Carmelite Order and received permission to observe their original rule of life, quickly earning a reputation for his humility, obedience, and religious fervor. He later met St. Teresa of Avila, a reforming Carmelite abbess who recognized the greatness of John's virtue and requested his assistance to found a monastery of friars under the primitive Carmelite rule, as she had done for her nuns. Together they founded the Discalced Carmelites, a contemplative order of strict religious observance. His reforms began to spread, and as a result John was captured, imprisoned, and physically abused by his fellow friars. His sufferings helped him to write his most famous work, Dark Night of the Soul. After nine months he made a miraculous escape and he went on to found and govern several Carmelite monasteries. St. John of the Cross became an authority on the spiritual life, and his profound writings and poetry are considered among the greatest of all Spanish literature. Because of his invaluable writings he was named a Doctor of the Church and the patron saint of mystics, contemplatives, and Spanish poets. His feast day is December 14th.
Find a Devotional for This Saint | Memorial of Saint John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church Lectionary: 188
Reading I Zep 3:1-2, 9-13 Thus says the LORD:
Woe to the city, rebellious and polluted, to the tyrannical city!
She hears no voice, accepts no correction;
In the LORD she has not trusted, to her God she has not drawn near. For then I will change and purify the lips of the peoples,
That they all may call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one accord;
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia and as far as the recesses of the North, they shall bring me offerings. On that day
You need not be ashamed of all your deeds, your rebellious actions against me;
For then will I remove from your midst the proud braggarts,
And you shall no longer exalt yourself on my holy mountain.
But I will leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly,
Who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD: the remnant of Israel.
They shall do no wrong and speak no lies;
Nor shall there be found in their mouths a deceitful tongue;
They shall pasture and couch their flocks with none to disturb them. Responsorial Psalm 34:2-3, 6-7, 17-18, 19 and 23 R. (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD; the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
The LORD confronts the evildoers, to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them, and from all their distress he rescues them.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
The LORD redeems the lives of his servants; no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor. Alleluia R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come, O Lord, do not delay;
forgive the sins of your people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 21:28-32 Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
"What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.'
The son said in reply, 'I will not,'
but afterwards he changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, 'Yes, sir,' but did not go.
Which of the two did his father's will?"
They answered, "The first."
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the Kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him." | Daily Meditation: Matthew 21:28-32 You did not later change your minds and believe him. (Matthew 21:32) If you had to summarize Jesus' parable in one line, it might be this: repentance requires a change of mind and heart. That's what happened to the first son; he said no when his father asked him to work in the vineyard, but then he reconsidered and went. Like the son in this story, the "tax collectors and prostitutes" had heard John's words about righteousness, and they turned away from sin and placed their faith in God (Matthew 21:32). Why was it so difficult, then, for the elders and scribes to shift their thinking so that they could believe John's message—and Jesus' after him? The truth is, we all struggle with adopting new perspectives. It's so much easier and more comfortable to stand on the firm ground of our current beliefs than it is to risk the churning seas of uncertainty and change. But unless we are open and teachable, God won't be able to move us to think more in line with him. Being open to a new perspective also requires humility. A change of mind forces us to confront our weaknesses and false assumptions. As painful as that can be, it shouldn't surprise us. Our human judgment can easily be clouded by the fleeting values of the world, the false accusations of the devil, and our past experiences of sin. All kinds of influences can derail our thinking until we "miss the mark" altogether. So how can we better listen to God and allow him to transform our thinking? First, we can humbly ask the Lord in prayer to show us where we need to change our perspective. That can lead to repentance, or simply to a different way of viewing another person, a relationship, or a situation. Second, we can keep in mind this promise from the Lord: "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways" (Isaiah 55:8). The more we understand this truth, the more we will be open to discovering God's ways of thinking and seeing. That discovery may just convince us that we need a change of heart and mind—and that God will help us make that change! "Jesus, help me let go of any ways of thinking that are not in line with your ways." Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13
Psalm 34:2-3, 6-7, 17-19, 23 | From Today's Holy Scripture:
"On that day You need not be ashamed of all your deeds, your rebellious actions against me; For then will I remove from your midst the proud braggarts, And you shall no longer exalt yourself on my holy mountain." Remember the story of Babylon. Remember the story of Noah's ark. Remember the story of King Belshazzar's feast-the story of the writing on the wall, remember the story of Christ when He was rejected by...the very institution founded for the Messiah. Who stands on the mountain, who is King? Nowadays, many people are standing on that mountain, claiming to be the reason...for everything. But God our Father, Creator is the reason for everything. Everything works according to His design. His Holy Will. | We pray in Psalms:
"Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame. When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him. The Lord hears the cry of the poor."
Have you ever been ashamed? How about ashamed of coming to God? How about being ashamed of being truly sincere and honest with God our Father?
For all these years of ministry and serving the Lord, I got to be honest, I don't know that I've been sincere to our Lord, and how can I say that? Because, I repeat my sins. So has my yes been a yes? | We heard of our Lord in the Gospel today:
"A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, 'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.' The son said in reply, 'I will not,' but afterwards he changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, 'Yes, sir,' but did not go. Which of the two did his father's will?" You heard our Lord say it: "Son go out and work!". LOL.
What is all this vineyard work? I need to know! Because every time I go confess, I have to read John 15, about our Lord being the vine and we are the branches, without Him we can do nothing. I need to know about our Lord, taking care of the Lord then, because He says HE is THE VINE. He is Divine. He is asking us to take care of His business, just as He said when He was "lost" in the temple at 12 years old. He was taking care of the Vineyard, all things that are about God's Kingdom.
And what of the fruits? My friend, stop looking back at the field you are plowing. Luke 9:62 "Jesus replied, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."
If you want fruits, if you want to see fruit, then you are on the wrong side my friend, get off that mountain, for all fruit belongs to our Father. Stop trying to see results, and success measured in human esteem and numbers and analytics.
"Oh but Adrian, the church is in a bad state of disarray, the youth are falling away, the parents are not doing anything about it, and the Church has so many problems".
Stop crying.
God is in control. You were not called to be successful, you were called to be faithful.
For instance, we are building a large building at our parish. WHY? Even I'm asking why, but God knows why we've been slaving away at this for years. Right now all I see is pandemics, people afraid to come around, lines to confession are practically non-existent, but God knows what is going to happen. It is not for me to question but to forge ahead, being about our Father's business. And it is so with Church, the Catholic Church. It has always faced severe problems from day one. Everything we are facing has been faced, or even worse, to the point of world wars beating down the doors of Rome, in a symbolic metaphor of what is going on in the world...where men want full control.
Who is standing on God's mountain?
Should we not make room for the King?
I've asked many to fast til Christmas, and the aim is to make room for Christ. I've lost focus on this goal. I pray for things, fast for things, for many in addictions and sinfulness, but I'm losing sight of what it means to make room for Christ.
He must reign first and foremost in our hearts, minds, our very soul.
Everything you do in secret matters, all thoughts, all actions. Is it a yes to God's love? Let's pray:
Lord, God, Father,
May our yes be a yes. May the no we hear and act turn into a yes. May we be sincere with You and trust in You with all our heart mind and soul. For the Good of Your Kingdom on earth, may it be in Heaven, with Your Grace and Mercy, both now and forever. Amen. | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: Psalm 23 The Lord Is My Shepherd
A Psalm of David. 23 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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