†Saint Quote
""Crosses release us from this world and by doing so bind us to God."
Blessed Charles de Foucauld †Today's Meditation
"Our freedom always has this marvelous power to make what is taken from us—by life, events, or other people—into something offered. Externally there is no visible difference, but internally everything is transfigured: fate into free choice, constraint into love, loss into fruitfulness. Human freedom is of absolutely unheard-of greatness. It does not confer the power to change everything, but it does empower us to give a meaning to everything, even meaningless things; and that is much better. We are not always masters of the unfolding of our lives, but we can always be masters of the meaning we give them. Our freedom can transform any event in our lives into an expression of love, abandonment, trust, hope, and offering." — Fr. Jacques Philippe, p. 58 An Excerpt From
Interior Freedom, p58 †Daily Verse
"So submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you of two minds. Begin to lament, to mourn, to weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you." James 4:7-10 |  click to read more | | St. Columbanus St. Columbanus (543 – 615 A.D.) was born in West Leinster, Ireland. He was a noble, well-educated, and handsome man who was pursued by many women. He sought the advice of a pious religious woman who advised him to flee from his temptations for the sake of his soul, which he did, leaving the world to become a monk against the wishes of his family. He embraced the monastic life and excelled in virtue before being called by God to be a preacher in foreign lands. At the age of 40 he left his monastery with a band of twelve fellow monks on an apostolic mission to spread the Gospel throughout Europe. The holiness and zeal of Columbanus and his companions combatted the laxity of the clergy and the negative influence of the barbarian invaders. Columbanus preferred the solitude of nature and would often live withdrawn from others in a nearby cave, which attracted followers to imitate his lifestyle. He founded and served as abbot of several monasteries known for their strictness, writing a monastic rule governing their life which emphasized obedience, silence, poverty, humility, and chastity. The Rule of St. Columbanus was approved by the Council of Mâcon in 627 A.D., but was later superseded by the Rule of St. Benedict. His feast day is celebrated on November 24th.
Find a Devotional for This Saint | Memorial of Saint Andrew Dŭng-Ląc, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs Lectionary: 505
Reading I Dn 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28 King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his lords,
with whom he drank.
Under the influence of the wine,
he ordered the gold and silver vessels
which Nebuchadnezzar, his father,
had taken from the temple in Jerusalem,
to be brought in so that the king, his lords,
his wives and his entertainers might drink from them.
When the gold and silver vessels
taken from the house of God in Jerusalem had been brought in,
and while the king, his lords, his wives and his entertainers
were drinking wine from them,
they praised their gods of gold and silver,
bronze and iron, wood and stone. Suddenly, opposite the lampstand,
the fingers of a human hand appeared,
writing on the plaster of the wall in the king's palace.
When the king saw the wrist and hand that wrote, his face blanched;
his thoughts terrified him, his hip joints shook,
and his knees knocked. Then Daniel was brought into the presence of the king.
The king asked him, "Are you the Daniel, the Jewish exile,
whom my father, the king, brought from Judah?
I have heard that the Spirit of God is in you,
that you possess brilliant knowledge and extraordinary wisdom.
I have heard that you can interpret dreams and solve difficulties;
if you are able to read the writing and tell me what it means,
you shall be clothed in purple,
wear a gold collar about your neck,
and be third in the government of the kingdom." Daniel answered the king:
"You may keep your gifts, or give your presents to someone else;
but the writing I will read for you, O king,
and tell you what it means.
You have rebelled against the Lord of heaven.
You had the vessels of his temple brought before you,
so that you and your nobles, your wives and your entertainers,
might drink wine from them;
and you praised the gods of silver and gold,
bronze and iron, wood and stone,
that neither see nor hear nor have intelligence.
But the God in whose hand is your life breath
and the whole course of your life, you did not glorify. By him were the wrist and hand sent, and the writing set down. "This is the writing that was inscribed:
MENE, TEKEL, and PERES.
These words mean:
MENE, God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it;
TEKEL, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting;
PERES, your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians." Responsorial Psalm Daniel 3:62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67 R. (59b) Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Sun and moon, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Stars of heaven, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Every shower and dew, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"All you winds, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Fire and heat, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Cold and chill, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him. Alleluia Rv 2:10c R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Remain faithful until death,
and I will give you the crown of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 21:12-19 Jesus said to the crowd:
"They will seize and persecute you,
they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,
and they will have you led before kings and governors
because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
You will even be handed over by parents,
brothers, relatives, and friends,
and they will put some of you to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives." | Daily Meditation: Daniel 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28 Tell me what it means. (Daniel 5:16) Today's passage from the Book of Daniel reads like a modern horror story. Imagine the panic and terror the people felt when they saw a disembodied hand inscribing cryptic words on the wall! But this story comes from ancient Israel, not modern times. In fact, this is where we get the saying about seeing "the writing on the wall." The facts are right in front of you, and they're about to come true. So it was for King Belshazzar, though neither he nor his wise men could interpret the mysterious writing. Sometimes hearing God speak to us seems just as inscrutable as mysterious writing on the wall. You ask the Lord for wisdom in a difficult situation or for direction for your life, and then you can't make heads or tails of his answer. You long for someone to tell you what it all means. King Belshazzar was fortunate to have Daniel to decode the message, but what about me? you wonder. But you can discern what God is saying. Scripture tells us that Daniel lived under harsh persecution, yet he faithfully practiced his faith. He stayed close to the Lord. He prayed three times a day. He avoided foods and activities contrary to Jewish law. And "God gave [him] knowledge . . . , wisdom, and . . . understanding" (Daniel 1:17). God can do no less for you as you seek to discern what he is saying. We all have times when we wish God would tell us exactly what to do. Most often, he doesn't, but he has given us the Spirit of truth to guide us (John 14:17). The Spirit will help us discern by using the tools God has given us: our reason, our past experience of God's work in our lives, his word in Scripture, wisdom from our prayer time, or advice from a trusted friend. Over time, we can grow in noticing the Spirit's guidance and understanding how he might be leading us. So ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten your mind, and look for the evidence all around you. These tools can help you grow, like Daniel, in wisdom and understanding of what God is saying to you. "Holy Spirit, help me to read 'the writing on the wall' as I seek to know you and understand your word to me." (Psalm) Daniel 3:62-67
Luke 21:12-19 | From Today's Holy Scripture:
"Suddenly, opposite the lampstand, the fingers of a human hand appeared, writing on the plaster of the wall in the king's palace. When the king saw the wrist and hand that wrote, his face blanched;
his thoughts terrified him, his hip joints shook,
and his knees knocked." There is one word for an all controlling dictator, an authoritarian and in want of full control of the whole world...and that word is coward.
Have you ever met a man that beats his wife? Have you met a government that beats on its own people? With more and more regulations. It is insecurity. These are not signs of one like God, who lets everyone totally free, in full trust. God trusts you with His Kingdom. And He is calling on you to trust Him and others. Letting go is hard. I should know. I'm facing tons of problems at our family business, there seems to be no end to problems, the DOT is threatening hefty fines for things we didn't know, a customer is threatening breach of contract for miscommunication issues, and a couple cases of injuries are hurting our safety scores, limiting our customer base more and more as the cases go on and on. It's all an uphill battle. And then the daily battles. Most of the time I'm in shock, and disbelief, knees knocking maybe? Lord, what have we done? What's going on? Why does everything seem against me?
Yet the message is clear.
Mene: Your Days Are Numbered
Tekel: You Have been found Wanting
Peres: Your Kingdom has been given to others. What does this say to you? The wise ones know, they will not waste away their life, their light. They will not burn the sweet oil that God has provided. They will not get drunk and use God's gifts for self pleasure. The wise will learn to give in, more and more to Christ. Give into the light. Give into...the cross. | We pray in Psalms:
"Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"All you winds, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever." Give glory and eternal praise to him." | We heard in the Gospel today:
"They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony." And so, there are a couple ways to give testimony, to share the light, to spend our life right...for the Lord.
The good way: Always spreading His Good Word by word and deed.
The bad way: being forced to speak about Him.
Which is the way you face now? In some good instances, like Blessed Miguel Pro, who was shot to death by a firing squad, the very government military in Mexico, about 100 years ago, He shouted "Viva Cristo Rey!" proclaiming Christ the King.
Father Miguel Pro was already being hunted and accused of an assassination plot. Lies. They were just killing priests left and right, hanging them on telephone poles as well as many hundreds of faithful.
There are two ways to spread the testimony. White Martyr and Red Martyr.
Blessed Miguel died with a rosary on one hand and His ordination crucifix on the other. He chose both crowns. | And our Lord continues:
"You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name...". Well, well...so you want to be a true Christian? Welcome to a world of hatred. Catholics are the number one target. And this should tell the world...that there is something there that the world hates...evil hates. Truth. "but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives." Let's pray:
Lord, I don't even know the number of hairs on my head...but You do. What's more, this insignificant fact apparently is significant to You. If then, this is true, how much more do you value my heart! My Lord, Father, I want to love Thee with my whole heart. Please accept it, and let it love You forever and ever... | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: James 1:13
Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
