†Saint Quote
"Upon receiving Holy Communion, the Adorable Blood of Jesus Christ really flows in our veins and His Flesh is really blended with ours."
–St. John Vianney †Today's Meditation
"The works of her, who was to be the Mother of the God-man, were altogether and in every way most perfect, and even to understand them exceeds the capacity of all human creatures and of the angels. Her interior acts of the virtues were so precious and of such great merit and favor, that they surpass all that the seraphim can do . . . But it is my Will, that during thy pilgrimage in thy mortal body thou place most holy Mary as the beginning of thy joy, and that thou follow her through the desert of renunciation and abnegation of all that is human and visible. Follow her by a perfect imitation according to the measure of thy strength and of the light which thou receivest. Let her be thy guiding star and thy Directress: she will manifest to thee my Will and will let thee find my holy law which is written in her by the power of my right hand: meditate upon it day and night."
— Ven. Mary of Agreda, p. 87 An Excerpt From
Mystical City of God, p87 †Daily Verse
"Let marriage be honored among all and the marriage bed be kept undefiled, for God will judge the immoral and adulterers. Let your life be free from love of money but be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never forsake you or abandon you." Thus we may say with confidence: "The Lord is my helper, [and] I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?""
–Hebrews 13:4-6 |  click to read more | | Saint John of Matha St. John of Matha (1154-1213) was born near Provence, France to noble and pious parents, and was dedicated to God from his birth. He learned the arts of a nobleman and advanced in Christian virtue, tending the sick and giving alms to the poor. Through his study of theology at the University of Paris he discerned a call to Holy Orders and became a priest. On the day of his first Mass he had a vision which encouraged him to devote his life to ransom Christians who had been captured by Muslims and forced into slavery. After time spent in prayer and fasting, he went to Rome to gain the Pope's approval for a new religious order dedicated to this purpose. Pope Innocent III deliberated and ordered a fast, afterwards concluding that John's mission was inspired by God. He gave his approval for the foundation of the Order of the Holy Trinity, or the Hospitaler Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of Captives (Trinitarians). The habit of the order, a white scapular with a two-toned blue and red cross on the chest, was chosen according to what St. John saw in his vision. St. John of Matha and the Trinitarians collected alms and traveled to Moor-controlled areas, ransoming and encouraging many Christian captives. His feast day is December 17. | Friday of the Third Week of Advent Lectionary: 193
Reading I Gn 49:2, 8-10 Jacob called his sons and said to them: "Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob, listen to Israel, your father. "You, Judah, shall your brothers praise –your hand on the neck of your enemies; the sons of your father shall bow down to you. Judah, like a lion's whelp, you have grown up on prey, my son. He crouches like a lion recumbent, the king of beasts–who would dare rouse him? The scepter shall never depart from Judah, or the mace from between his legs, While tribute is brought to him, and he receives the people's homage." Responsorial Psalm 72:1-2, 3-4ab, 7-8, 17 R. (see 7) Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
O God, with your judgment endow the king, and with your justice, the king's son;
He shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
The mountains shall yield peace for the people, and the hills justice.
He shall defend the afflicted among the people, save the children of the poor.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Justice shall flower in his days, and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
May his name be blessed forever; as long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed; all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever. Alleluia R. Alleluia, alleluia.
O Wisdom of our God Most High,
guiding creation with power and love:
come to teach us the path of knowledge!
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 1:1-17 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,
the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham became the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.
Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah,
whose mother was Tamar.
Perez became the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab.
Amminadab became the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz,
whose mother was Rahab.
Boaz became the father of Obed,
whose mother was Ruth.
Obed became the father of Jesse,
Jesse the father of David the king. David became the father of Solomon,
whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.
Solomon became the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asaph.
Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,
Joram the father of Uzziah.
Uzziah became the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.
Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amos,
Amos the father of Josiah.
Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers
at the time of the Babylonian exile. After the Babylonian exile,
Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel the father of Abiud.
Abiud became the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
Azor the father of Zadok.
Zadok became the father of Achim,
Achim the father of Eliud,
Eliud the father of Eleazar.
Eleazar became the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ. Thus the total number of generations
from Abraham to David
is fourteen generations;
from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations;
from the Babylonian exile to the Christ,
fourteen generations. | Daily Meditation: Matthew 1:1-17 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David. (Matthew 1:1) Every Advent, we hear this genealogy as part of the Mass readings. When that happens, our first reaction may be to tune it out. We know it's Jesus' family tree, so it must be important. But we can get stuck on how long it is, or how many unfamiliar names appear in it. And we know that we'll likely forget most of them as soon as the reading is over. So we may wonder, "What's the point?" In fact, all those names are the point. Jesus didn't have to be born to Mary. He could have just appeared out of nowhere. But he came into the world as an infant, born into a specific family history. From Abraham to David, all the way to Joseph, every name in that long list is a link in the chain that brought Jesus to us. Every name is a real person who was a necessary part of God's plan of salvation. How amazing—God is not distant from human history! In fact, he is very involved in every aspect of it. Even before the dawn of creation, he planned each detail of how Jesus would come into this world. Guess what? God also planned for you to be born into the world. He saw you before you were even conceived, and he loved you from the beginning! You are part of his family history, the continuation of that genealogy. That's because God's ultimate purpose for Jesus' birth into a human family was so that you—and every human being—could become members of his family. Not just distant relatives, but treasured sons and daughters, heirs of his eternal kingdom. Through your baptism, through new birth by the Holy Spirit, you have become his child (John 1:12). You are now part of the "family tree" of Jesus! As you prepare to celebrate Jesus' birth, let this truth sink in. Give thanks that you too are part of the Christmas story. Praise God for the wonder of the Incarnation of his Son. And praise him that you are no longer a "stranger" to the promises of God. You can hear his voice and know his love. You're part of his household, and a "fellow citizen" with the saints. (Ephesians 2:12, 19). "Father, thank you for bringing each of us into your family." Genesis 49:2, 8-10
Psalm 72:1-4, 7-8, 17 | From Today's Holy Scripture:
"The scepter shall never depart from Judah, or the mace from between his legs, While tribute is brought to him, and he receives the people's homage." The Lion from Judah, bore descendants, to David to Jesus. What does this say? The Lion, the King lives, and will live forever. The King shall come, with shouts of joy. For a world gone wrong, the opposite will come, a savior, Emmanuel that saves. | We pray in Psalms:
"May his name be blessed forever; as long as the sun his name shall remain. In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed; all the nations shall proclaim his happiness. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever." What if God is happy? What if God is made joyful? What will the world be? What if you are capable of making Him happy? How different would your life be? You'll know when you do His will, what the answer will be. | We heard of our Lord in the Gospel today:
"...the total number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen generations;
from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations; from the Babylonian exile to the Christ, fourteen generations." Today's Holy Scripture may sound like the book of Numbers, where we hear on the lineage of descendants from one to another. Does it matter? Do the hairs on your head matter? Does knowing how many hairs you have matter? Does the life of a sparrow matter? It may not matter to you as much, but to God, it matters more than you'll ever know. And so, the lineage, the ancestry, the blood line matters, because...it is HIS, it is all about Him. | And if you study the bible, and learn what each person lived in His lineage, you'll find some amazing facts about each one, or some, not much at all. You'll find people that messed up. But you'll also find that all of them were holy, repented souls that lived in the end solely for God's will. Can you live out your lineage...of Christ? Because if you've partaken of His blood and body, then, you have His blood and body coursing through your veins.
So many are proud of their blood family, but Christ decided to extend the family to the whole world. And the extension occurs at the extension of His arms on the cross. Welcome.
Can you be an extension of God's love?
Yes, and as a matter of fact, you must be the very extension He desires.
Because Christ matters, His lineage matters, and because you matter to Christ, then the world changes. So, let's not have an abstract love of Christ. How can you love someone you've never met?
God loved you before you were born. How does that work?
My sister in law I remember used to write love letters to her future husband, a man she did not know she would marry. When she met him, she gave him the letters, and I cannot express what the husband felt at the moment he opened those letters, but let me assure you, most of them were prayers involving God and knowing that God would provide.
What will your love letters to God be like?
Are you writing any? Are you joyfully anticipating with great faith?
I don't know why I cannot shake the thought of another lady, Mother Angelica, founder of EWTN, who gave all her life to God and as she was in her last few moments, they said her face and eyes were looking as if in joyful expectation, almost as if excited...to meet her Love of her life. Who dies like that?
Only the crazy in love and crazy in faith.
And this calling is to you.
If you only knew how much everything you do matters. You may or may not ever see the fruits of the good or bad things you ever do...but if you could, you'd live life totally different.
Back to the lineage. Back to leaving and living for the future. Back to dying on the cross in total faith in God.
Back to loving God like nobody else would ever care to.
Back to the fundamentals of life.
God is love, and expects love for love, and this creates a unique light...for the world to see.
Welcome to the fold. Let's pray.
My Lord, Our Father,
How precious is Thy Holy Blood and Body.
So precious that Mother Mary cared for it, as if it were her very own. So precious that She desired total unification in blood, body, and soul with God. What a precious sight of unfathomable love.
Help us love Thee right. Help us Love Thee with all our soul, mind, strength, our very heart! FOREVER. | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: 1 Peter 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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