†Saint Quote
"The adorable Heart of Jesus is our comfort, our way, our life."
–St. Frances Xavier Cabrini †Today's Meditation
"Strong passions are the precious raw material of sanctity. Individuals who have carried their sinning to extremes should not despair or say, 'I am too great a sinner to change,' or 'God would not want me.' God will take anyone who is willing to love, not with an occasional gesture, but with a 'passionless passion,' a 'wild tranquility'. A sinner, unrepentant, cannot love God, any more than someone on dry land can swim; but as soon as a person takes his errant energies to God and asks for their redirection, he will become happy, as he was never happy before. It is not the wrong things one has already done that keep one from God; it is present persistence in that wrong. Someone who turns back to God, as the Magdalene and Paul, welcomes the discipline that will enable him to change his former tendencies. Mortification is good, but only when it is done out of love of God. … Mortifications of the right sort perfect our human nature; the gardener cuts the green shoots from the root of the bush, not to kill the rose, but to make it bloom more beautifully." — Venerable Fulton Sheen, p. 185 †Daily Verse
"And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."
–Isaiah 35:10 |  click to read more | | St. Bibiana St. Bibiana, also known as Vibiana or Viviana (d. 361), was born in Rome, the daughter of Christian parents who were martyred in the persecutions of Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate. Her father was severely beaten and sent to live in exile as a slave, but died from his wounds. Her mother was beheaded shortly after. St. Bibiana and her sister, Demetria, were stripped of their possessions and imprisoned in their family home in utter poverty and hunger. They were offered reward if only they would renounce Jesus, but the sisters, strong in faith and prayer, said they would rather die. Finding that they did not die from lack of food, the Roman governor summoned them. Demetria, after professing the faith, died at his feet. St. Bibiana was given to the guardianship of a pagan woman who tried to force her into prostitution. St. Bibiana refused and resolutely maintained her faith in Christ. For this she was beaten, tied to a pillar, and cruelly scourged. She eventually died from her tortures, and her body was discarded to be eaten by wild dogs. The animals, however, would not touch her. Her body was recovered by a priest and buried, with a chapel built over the tomb for her veneration. St. Bibiana's feast day is December 2nd. | Thursday of the First Week of Advent Lectionary: 178
Reading I Is 26:1-6 On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah: "A strong city have we; he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us. Open up the gates to let in a nation that is just, one that keeps faith. A nation of firm purpose you keep in peace; in peace, for its trust in you." Trust in the LORD forever! For the LORD is an eternal Rock. He humbles those in high places, and the lofty city he brings down; He tumbles it to the ground, levels it with the dust. It is trampled underfoot by the needy, by the footsteps of the poor. Responsorial Psalm 118:1 and 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a R. (26a) Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.
R. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Open to me the gates of justice; I will enter them and give thanks to the LORD.
This gate is the LORD's; the just shall enter it.
I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me and have been my savior.
R. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
O LORD, grant salvation! O LORD, grant prosperity!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD; we bless you from the house of the LORD. The LORD is God, and he has given us light.
R. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia Is 55:6 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call him while he is near.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 7:21, 24-27 Jesus said to his disciples:
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,'
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. "Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined." | Daily Meditation: Matthew 7:21, 24-27 The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew. (Matthew 7:25) Storms are inevitable, both in nature and in life. To survive them, Jesus says, we need to build our lives on the firm foundation of his word (Matthew 7:25-26). But how do we do that, especially when we're being buffeted by rain and wind? Since it's Advent, let's take a few minutes to reflect on the storms that Mary and Joseph encountered and how their example can help us to build our own lives on the "rock" of Christ (7:24). Mary and Joseph faced an unplanned pregnancy, an uncomfortable journey to Bethlehem, and a hurried flight to Egypt. The stories in the Bible don't offer much detail, but that doesn't mean those situations were simple to navigate or that trust in God came easily. Mary and Joseph were human like us. They probably faced a host of questions, emotions, and fears, just as we can. But because the Lord was already their firm foundation, they listened to his word, trusted that he knew what was best for them, and did what he was asking. And through their obedience, God saved the world. The storms of life can be frightening, and suffering and hardship can give way to real loss. But the Lord is with us always, speaking to us, showing us how to navigate each situation. As we imitate Mary and Joseph by listening to God and obeying his voice, we can trust that he will keep our "houses" from collapsing (Matthew 7:25). Not only that, but our faith in him will be even stronger when we face the next storm. Today, spend a few extra minutes meditating on one of the Holy Family's storms and how they reacted to it. Put yourself in their shoes and imagine what they must have felt or thought. Then think of a "storm" you might be experiencing now. How can you listen, trust, and obey God as they did? How can you make your foundation in Christ even stronger than it is right now? Let's ask for the grace to respond to the turbulence in our lives as Mary and Joseph did. Like them, may we always be that wise man or woman who builds their lives on the unshakable "rock" of the Lord and his word! "Lord, you are my foundation. Help me build my life on you!" Isaiah 26:1-6
Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 19-21, 25-27 | From Today's Holy Scripture:
"Trust in the LORD forever! For the LORD is an eternal Rock. He humbles those in high places, and the lofty city he brings down" Trust is something we must do. In your sickness, you must trust. In the Sacraments, we must trust. In God's Word, we must trust. | We pray in Psalms:
"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." My dad says quoting the bible "maldito el que confia en el hombre", and we must realize the truth to this. Those who believe in man and man made laws are setting themselves up for failure, as has been repeated throughout history in and outside the bible. Back to trust. A vendor came trying to sell electricity, and we began talking about how people nowadays want out of democracy and instead, socialism. I said that this is like asking for doom, because the endpoint of socialism is to fully trust in man. I said that we need to be focused on God, at the heart. Then the salesman went off about gun ownership, as if trusting solely in that was the key, but that is yet again...trusting in yourself. I know a guy that doesn't want to get close to God, and he keeps filling his closets with all sorts of guns "just in case", as if this was his insurance. Don't take me wrong, we do need rights to guns, as a civil right inscribed in our origins, even Peter carried a sword, but what about what God says? Those who live by the sword will die by the sword.
Back to Trust. Back to God. | We heard our Lord in the Gospel today: "Jesus said to his disciples:
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,'
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven." Who is this message for? Who says "Lord, Lord" and will not enter Heaven?
Is it those who refuse to go to church but still say that they pray?
Or is it those who go to church, but refuse to reach out to the ones in need?
In the Gospel of Matthew we hear:
+"21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?' 23 Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.'"_ I NEVER knew you? A person doing His works and yet God says "I don't KNOW you"? In the Holy Bible, to "know" means to be intimate with, like when mother Mary said to the Archangel Gabriel "how can this be since I do not know man"? And so, how can we be intimate with God? Intimacy is at the heart.
Be intimate with Him.
He resides in intimacy. What is intimacy? It is heart to heart living...and in God's realms, things are of living beings, all things being. | ""Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock." What does it mean to listen? What does it mean to act? To listen, is to obey. So many of us hear the word of God, pretending this means listening. But to listen means to take to heart. Yesterday, my dad and boss, asked me to fill out some papers for his doctor checkup, and I heard him, took the papers, put them right in front of me to do, but I did not listen. I carried on with work and distractions. This morning he asked me if I forgot, as he was on his way to the doctor. I did forget. What a fool. I failed to listen. What's worse, is that I had time to do it, I was not busy. I just failed to listen. To listen is to take to heart immediately, and make it a most important objective for yourself.
What does it mean to act? To act here means to live out. Like in the church, the Holy Mass, we have the liturgy of the Word to Listen, and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, to act.
In the Holy Mass, the Living Word becomes the Living Being.
And so our Lord asks us to build our lives on the Rock.
In Scripture, our Lord is usually described as the "stone that the architects rejected" and in others "the capstone" and in others, "the cornerstone". The world builders always refuse to base their lives on Christ.
But us Christ followers must base our ENTIRE lives on Him.
Every decision, no matter how small or large must be based on Him.
In our town, we had a tragedy a couple weeks ago, when our school charter buses were involved in an accident, a head on collision on an Interstate Highway that nobody can seem to explain. The driver and band director and other driver died, and about 20 or so students went to the hospital, with one or two in pretty serious condition. Tomorrow is the Christmas parade in our little town, and they say about 800 out of town students are coming in various (40 or so) charter buses to march with our band in the parade. The whole town is moved by this compassion. The local Chamber of Commerce was even asking me direct to get a float in the parade because they know I lead the family festival. The whole town is moved, and so should I, but I am not going to make it. At that day, at that hour, I will be at Holy Hour Adoration of The Most Blessed Sacrament. On First Friday. The only day of the month we have Adoration. The only time I am signed up for, once a month, to be with Christ, for one hour, where we pray, my wife and a few others. Me and my wife reschedule our anniversary dates, birthdays, anything and everything to be here at this moment. Last night, I told this to my RCIA class and a teen said "I can't wait to go to...the parade!" DOH! LOL. I thought she may say to Adoration, the less chosen path. The narrow gate. The Way. The path less taken, and abandoned. I've made some suggestions to our youth group on what to present at the parade to "Keep Christ in Christmas" and it seems they will do so to represent our Parish. So in a sense I will be there in heart and spirit as I will be with Christ our Lord praying for all. But, in what other ways do we choose to build on sand, rather than on stone? Do people build buildings on sand? Skyscrapers? No, not the buildings that are built to last.
And this Church has been built to last for thousands of years.
It is built on Christ, and on the rock, Peter.
Now Peter is rock. Our first Pope is rock. And now we are to be rock to our family, our community. Those anchors needed.
I've seen lately, as we've grown older in family, my aunts, going to church alone. They have kids and husbands, but they refuse to go to church. These aunts, I pray for them, to be rocks, and anchors. We are to be anchors to Christ, a safe harbor and lifesaver for those who make their way to the light. Let's pray:
Lord, God, Father, Christ, Savior, My Rock, My refuge,
Make our faith rock solid. Make our communities a place of refuge for sinners looking for a way out. I pray for those in addictions, I pray for those who are vexed and hardened in sin and refuse to turn to You, Our Father.
I pray that I can be a solid rock in your Foundation of Salvation....forever. amen | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: The Whole Armor of God 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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