†Saint Quote
""Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset."
–St. Francis de Sales †Today's Meditation
"The experience of the Church and the saints demonstrates a general law: what comes from the Spirit of God brings with it joy, peace, tranquility of spirit, gentleness, simplicity, and light. On the other hand, what comes from the spirit of evil brings sadness, trouble, agitation, worry, confusion, and darkness. These marks of the good and the evil spirit are unmistakable signs in themselves."
— Fr. Jacques Philippe, p. 51 An Excerpt From
In the School of the Holy Spirit, p51 †Daily Verse
"And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, patient, correcting opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth, and that they may escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will."
–2 Timothy 2:24-26 |  click to read more | | St. Francis Xavier St. Francis Xavier (1506–1552) was born in his family castle in Navarre in what is today Spain. While studying in Paris he met St. Ignatius of Loyola and joined him in the foundation of the Society of Jesus. Instead of devoting himself to academic pursuits as he had planned, and in which he enjoyed great success, he became the first Jesuit missionary priest. His missionary activity began in Goa, India and extended across the Orient. St. Francis Xavier was known throughout the Far East for his humility, care of the poor, and miracles including healings, speaking in tongues, and prophetic powers. His passion for Christ and zeal for souls won him many converts to the faith. It is said that during his missionary journeys he baptized over 40,000 people. He is considered by many to be one of the Church's greatest missionaries since St. Paul the Apostle. In his travels he left behind flourishing churches that were the foundations of the Catholic Church in Asia. He is the patron saint of navigators, missionaries, African missions, India, Japan, China, and New Zealand. St. Francis Xavier's feast day is December 3rd.
Find a Devotional for This Saint | Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest • Readings for the Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, priest Reading I Is 29:17-24 Thus says the Lord GOD:
But a very little while, and Lebanon shall be changed into an orchard, and the orchard be regarded as a forest!
On that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book;
And out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see.
The lowly will ever find joy in the LORD, and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
For the tyrant will be no more and the arrogant will have gone;
All who are alert to do evil will be cut off, those whose mere word condemns a man,
Who ensnare his defender at the gate, and leave the just man with an empty claim.
Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of the house of Jacob, who redeemed Abraham:
Now Jacob shall have nothing to be ashamed of, nor shall his face grow pale.
When his children see the work of my hands in his midst,
They shall keep my name holy; they shall reverence the Holy One of Jacob, and be in awe of the God of Israel.
Those who err in spirit shall acquire understanding, and those who find fault shall receive instruction. Responsorial Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14 R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge; of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
One thing I ask of the LORD; this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD and contemplate his temple.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Behold, our Lord shall come with power;
he will enlighten the eyes of his servants.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 9:27-31 As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out,
"Son of David, have pity on us!"
When he entered the house,
the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them,
"Do you believe that I can do this?"
"Yes, Lord," they said to him.
Then he touched their eyes and said,
"Let it be done for you according to your faith."
And their eyes were opened.
Jesus warned them sternly,
"See that no one knows about this."
But they went out and spread word of him through all that land. | Daily Meditation: Matthew 9:27-31 Do you believe that I can do this? (Matthew 9:28) If Jesus asked you this question, you'd likely respond as the two blind men did in today's Gospel: "Yes, Lord" (Matthew 9:28). We know that Jesus healed many people during his public ministry. We also know that as the risen Christ, he still heals people today. But if we believe that Jesus can heal, then why doesn't he heal every person for whom we pray? As Jesus touched the eyes of the two blind men, he said, "Let it be done for you according to your faith" (Matthew 9:29). We might think, I have faith, Lord, so why didn't you heal the young mother I prayed for who died leaving her children behind? Why don't you heal my spouse's cancer or my son's depression? This is a mystery we may never understand this side of heaven, and it can test our faith. We know that God cares deeply for each of us; he has counted every hair on our heads (Matthew 10:30). Yet we also know that he doesn't always say yes to every prayer we offer. But that doesn't mean we should stop praying. Rather, we should imitate these two blind men and the persistent woman in Jesus' parable (Luke 18:1-8). We should never give up asking, even when a situation seems dire. Instead, we should say, "Jesus, I believe you can do this!" But as you pray, also ask God for the grace to surrender the situation into his hands. It's not always easy to offer our most pressing petitions to God and then let go of the outcome, but the more you practice, the more your trust in him will grow. God may give you a healing, maybe even a miraculous one. Or the healing might be different than you expected, perhaps emotional or spiritual. Maybe you won't notice any change at all. Whatever happens, Jesus hears your prayers; he is always at your side, loving you, comforting you, and sustaining you. He will bring good out of your suffering, even if you can't see it right away. After all, he is your Redeemer. By dying on the cross and rising from the dead, he has delivered you from sin and death. And that, in the end, is the greatest healing of all! "Jesus, as I pray for healing, help me to surrender all my needs into your loving hands." Isaiah 29:17-24
Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14 | From Today's Holy Scripture:
"On that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book; And out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see." Do you find yourself in a gloomy area, or in darkness? I bet we all do, or have at times. What if I told you that during all that time, our Lord was there, but we are so caught up in the moment that we fail to hear him...we are deaf. What if I told you He was standing beside you, but you couldn't see Him, because...you were so blinded by the situation? Turning to Him makes all the difference. | We pray in Psalms:
"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my life's refuge; of whom should I be afraid?" In Spanish, the word "luz" means light, but it also means to see. Therefore, we could say the Lord is my light, my sight. To see, we must see through Him, with true light. Everything is different in these eyes of faith. | We heard of our Lord in the Gospel today: "As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out, "Son of David, have pity on us!"
Wait right here. Wait just a moment. How is it possible for some blind men to follow our Lord?
Yet we heard they followed Him all the way into the house:
"When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I can do this?"
"Yes, Lord," they said to him." They aren't deaf. They aren't dumb. They understood full well who they were following and what they wanted. Pity. Mercy. They wanted to meet the one they had heard about, so that they could see the world...and therefore...see Him in the world. Do you want to see Him in the world? Do you feel like you've been blind for a long time? | "Then he touched their eyes and said, "Let it be done for you according to your faith." And their eyes were opened." Now, let's realize what happened here. The truth, JESUS, has touched someone personally. The blind felt His touch. They knew in their hearts what had just happened. They were susceptible to God, and to grace. Now we are explaining faith.
Do you want to feel God's touch? Follow Him, everywhere and always. Soon you will feel His touch. I explained to my RCIA students, that our Lord is offering Himself so that we can bind ourselves with Him, in the Sacraments, and especially the Holy Eucharist. He is fully there, completely offering Himself intimately for us to bond ourselves with Him, intimately. How holy is the soul that binds themselves fully to Him. And how can we bind ourselves intimately with Him? Holiness. Purity. Loving obedience. God is Love, and God lovingly gives.
Can you give with Love? Love is to give to those who ask. Like forgiveness.
When is the last time you offered yourself to God in a Holy Confession? To Love God is to give to GOD. He wants you to give Him what you took from Him...you stole precious time, you took love and abused it with your bad character, you took money from Him by splurging on nonsense, and you took talents that could've been used for evangelizing. What else have you taken that He needs in return? Your heart. He gave you that heart too, did you know? Let's pray:
Lord, I have been blinded by so many things in my life.
I want to see Heaven and grace in action.
I want to see what You see my Lord.
I want to see what you desire.
Therefore, I desire what you desire my precious Lord and Father.
Amen. | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: Psalm 1 The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked 1 Blessed is the man1 who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law2 of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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