†Saint Quote
"God has done everything; he has done the impossible: he was made flesh. His all-powerful love has accomplished something which surpasses all human understanding: the Infinite has become a child, has entered the human family. And yet, this same God cannot enter my heart unless I open the door to him."
–Pope Benedict XVI †Today's Meditation
"What worthy return can we make for so great a condescension? The One Only-begotten God, ineffably born of God, entered the Virgin's womb and grew and took the frame of poor humanity. He who upholds the universe, within whom and through whom are all things, was brought forth by common childbirth. He at whose voice archangels and angels tremble, and heaven and earth and all the elements of this world are melted, was heard in childish wailing. The Invisible and Incomprehensible, whom sight and feeling and touch cannot measure, was wrapped in a cradle."
— St. Hilary of Poitiers, p. 364 An Excerpt From
A Year with the Church Fathers, 364 †Daily Verse
"I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."
–John 10:11 |  click to read more | | Adam & Eve Adam and Eve, the first man and woman created by God as recounted in the Old Testament book of Genesis, are the father and mother of all humanity. Through their willful disobedience to the command of God, sin came into the world. To redeem mankind which was thereby separated from the perfect communion with the Holy Trinity for which they were created, God became man, born of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and died on a Cross. Jesus is the New Adam, and Mary is the New Eve. Christian tradition recognizes that Adam and Eve were rescued by Christ in virtue of His death, burial, and resurrection, and are with God and the saints in heaven. Their feast day is celebrated together on December 24th.
Find a Devotional for This Saint | The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) Mass during the Night Lectionary: 14
Reading I Is 9:1-6 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing, as they rejoice before you as at the harvest, as people make merry when dividing spoils. For the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder, and the rod of their taskmaster you have smashed, as on the day of Midian. For every boot that tramped in battle, every cloak rolled in blood, will be burned as fuel for flames. For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, from David's throne, and over his kingdom, which he confirms and sustains by judgment and justice, both now and forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this! Responsorial Psalm Ps 96: 1-2, 2-3, 11-12, 13. R. (Lk 2:11) Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.
Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.
R. Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.
Announce his salvation, day after day. Tell his glory among the nations; among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and what fills it resound; let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult.
R. Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.
They shall exult before the LORD, for he comes; for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice and the peoples with his constancy.
R. Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord. Reading II Ti 2:11-14 Beloved:
The grace of God has appeared, saving all
and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires
and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age,
as we await the blessed hope,
the appearance of the glory of our great God
and savior Jesus Christ,
who gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness
and to cleanse for himself a people as his own,
eager to do what is good. Alleluia Lk 2:10-11 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I proclaim to you good news of great joy:
today a Savior is born for us,
Christ the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 2:1-14 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus
that the whole world should be enrolled.
This was the first enrollment,
when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.
And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth
to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem,
because he was of the house and family of David,
to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
While they were there,
the time came for her to have her child,
and she gave birth to her firstborn son.
She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields
and keeping the night watch over their flock.
The angel of the Lord appeared to them
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were struck with great fear.
The angel said to them,
"Do not be afraid;
for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people.
For today in the city of David
a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.
And this will be a sign for you:
you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes
and lying in a manger."
And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel,
praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." | Daily Meditation: Luke 1:67-79 The dawn from on high shall break upon us. (Luke 1:78) Zechariah knew he was standing on the cusp of a new era. Israel's centuries-long wait for redemption was coming to an end, and Zechariah's own son had been chosen to announce the dawning of this new day. How his heart must have swelled with pride and gratitude as he held his newborn son! Today we too stand on the cusp of a new era. Tomorrow "the dawn from on high shall break upon us" as we celebrate Jesus' coming to live with us (Luke 1:78). The reign of sin will be broken by his life of perfect obedience. Death will lose its sting as he reveals to us the meaning of his resurrection. Divisions will fall as he teaches us to forgive as he has forgiven us. And injustice will give way to his law of love and his gospel of peace. Of course, even a quick glance at a newspaper will tell you that none of this has happened yet, despite Jesus' birth. Sin, death, division, and injustice continue to haunt the human race, even as they haunt those places in our hearts that we keep hidden. Like Zechariah, we are still looking forward to the day of our full redemption, the real "tomorrow" when Jesus finally returns in glory. Until then, we remain in this in-between space of having already tasted his salvation but not yet experiencing it in fullness. Christmas is a time of rejoicing. It's a time to celebrate Jesus' coming to set us free. But as you prepare to celebrate, remember that Jesus' coming is an invitation as well. It's an invitation to join him in the work of preparing the world for his return in glory and his final victory over all evil. It's an invitation to say no to sin and yes to his grace. It's also an invitation to share the good news of his coming with the people around you so that they too can rejoice in his salvation. And so we wait, just as Zechariah did, for the "dawn from on high" to break upon us and upon the whole world. And as we wait, we watch for Jesus, the Son of God who will set us free. "Jesus, thank you for coming to break the power of sin and death. Fill me with great expectation for the day when your victory will be fully revealed." 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16
Psalm 89:2-5, 27, 29 | Let the Light enter tonight.
"For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace." Some see our Lord is Savior, others see Him as nothing else than another man that walked this earth, and some still ridicule Him, mock Him, forget Him, scourge Him, and attempt to crucify Him. Such was the fate of all the first martyrs, because they knew somehow Jesus was still alive.
And tonight, we celebrate the entering into this world, a great light, for something has happened since then, the world has never been the same, for Israel, for the faith, and the faithful.
We celebrate the great Mass...the Christ-Mass. We celebrate the light of the world, which means life and ultimately, salvation. First...let there be light, as it says in the book of Genesis. | We pray in Psalms:
" Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.
Announce his salvation, day after day. Tell his glory among the nations; among all peoples, his wondrous deeds."
Take heart. Be not afraid...to be perfect.
Be not afraid to be holy. God has shown the truth of God in Jesus, God Himself walking this earth. And to this day, everything can be touched by God, especially His own children. He lavishes His children, His faithful with gifts. Some will spend this day alone, but God is there. Alone in nursing homes, in prisons, and in the most remote corners of the earth, but God is there, a whisper away. He said "I AM with you always" as He ascended and then descended with angels. Do you believe? | We heard in the Gospel today:
"The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid;
for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord." | The angel announces to Zechariah, then Mary, and then to the Shepherds. All different angels. All pointing to Jesus. Angels even spoke to St. Joseph. How can we forget the message? Especially when an angel comes to you with such astonishing messages. See who angels appeared to, throughout the bible, always to the faithful, often in the temple, and as you will soon see, Jesus is found in the temple...with the Holy Family.
I cannot imagine living in a world with no hope, but it exists...and it is hell. But we do not live there, unless we choose to disregard hope, our Savior Jesus the Christ, the reason for Mass, for existence itself.
Every day of my life, I attempt to encounter our Lord, through Scripture, and prayer, and meditation, but above all, in Holy Mass.
The Lord enters our world every single day of the year in Holy Mass. And today, we will celebrate the first coming, the first breaking of the bread, the first offering from God to the world, for our eyes and hearts to feast on the King as He lays in a feeding trough. It was no accident that Mary and Joseph had to suffer and struggle...to find God's message prostrate before them as a living scroll to be devoured by our souls. God is amazing and works with hardships to explain the grandest of themes and schemes, a salvific plan if you will, and if you desire to see through, in this adventure we call Life.
Every night, for the past 8 nights, we have re-enacted the struggle, walking from house to house with Joseph and Mary, seeking for someone to let us in. Every night 3 houses visited, and the third lets us in. They say that about one out of 3 believes in the Holy Eucharist, the very Blood,Body, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ in Holy Mass. That means 2 out of 3 have no room. They are filled with other things, ideas, and their own makings of a Christ, unreal at best. But for those who believe, like me, I know He is there in the consecrated Host. He is there in the Blessed Sacrament. He is pure. And only a pure child can believe. Blessed is that child who believes. Blessed are the eyes and hearts who feast on this glorious day, where angels sing GLORIA, Glory to God in the Highest, and peace to people on earth...who believe. Is this an epic moment in History? It is because it is always present. It is God's present. He gave Himself to us on the cross, we have unwrapped Him, stripped Him of everything on earth, and He has revealed, His true self...True Love from HEAVEN.
Let the hearts pour out, tears of gladness and Joy, forever, God is amazing. God is humbly yours. What a gift! What a present we live in! Let's pray:
Lord, THANK YOU.
Eucharist means THANK YOU.
I thank You for this great gift. I will receive You on my knees. I will receive you with an open heart. I will open my heart and I will let You in. I will hold You, I will feed You, I will look for You, I will tend to Your bloody body on earth, in the poor, in the forgotten, please, I only ask for Your Grace to accomplish Your Holy Will, for You are everything, My Christ, Our Father, Good and triumphant, and glorious in every way...forever.....
Amen | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith
Hebrews 12:1–2
12
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of Go | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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