†Saint Quote
"Health is Gods great gift, and we must spend it entirely for Him. Our eyes should see only for God, our feet walk only for Him, our hands labor for Him alone; in short, our entire body should serve God while we still have the time. Then, when He shall take our health and we shall near our last day, our conscience will not reproach us for having misused it." St. John Bosco †Today's Meditation Praying fervently for the coming of the Kingdom also means being constantly alert for the signs of its presence, and working for its growth in every sector of society. It means facing the challenges of present and future with confidence in Christ's victory and a commitment to extending his reign. It means not losing heart in the face of resistance, adversity, and scandal. It means overcoming every separation between faith and life, and countering false gospels of freedom and happiness. It also means rejecting a false dichotomy between faith and political life, since, as the Second Vatican Council put it, 'there is no human activity—even in secular affairs—which can be withdrawn from God's dominion'. It means working to enrich . . . society and culture with the beauty and truth of the Gospel, and never losing sight of that great hope which gives meaning and value to all the other hopes which inspire our lives."
— Pope Benedict XVI
Cover image from the book, Pope Benedict XVI
An Excerpt From Pope Benedict XVI †Daily Verse "...it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:43b-45 |  click to read more | | St. Ambrose St. Ambrose of Milan (c. 340–397 A.D.) was born in Gaul (modern France) and became a successful lawyer and governor in Milan, Italy. When the bishop of Milan died in 374 A.D., a movement arose among the people to demand that Ambrose take his place. At the time Ambrose was only a catechumen preparing for baptism; he was not yet a Christian. He went into hiding in an attempt to escape the ecclesiastical appointment. His attempts to hide were unsuccessful; the emperor forbade anyone to gave him shelter, which forced him to give himself up and submit to the will of the people to be their bishop. Ambrose quickly received the sacraments, including Holy Orders, and was ordained the Bishop of Milan a week later. He became a very holy leader, giving his property to the poor and his land to the Church, and making himself directly available to the needs of all people. He also worked tirelessly to defend orthodox doctrine, especially against the pervasive Arian heresy which denied the divinity of Christ. St. Ambrose was the saint who introduced lectio divina, the practice of prayerfully meditating on the Sacred Scriptures, into the Latin Church. This informed his eloquent writing, preaching, and teaching, earning him the nickname "honey-tongued doctor." Ambrose was the bishop who converted and baptized St. Augustine of Hippo. He is one of the four original Doctors of the Church, and his statue is one of four that upholds the Chair of St. Peter inside St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. St. Ambrose's feast day is December 7th. | Memorial of Saint Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the Church Lectionary: 688 Below are the readings suggested for today's Memorial. However, readings for the Memorial may also be taken from the Common of Pastors, #719-724, or the Common of Doctors of the Church, #725-730. Reading 1 Eph 3:8-12 Brothers and sisters:
To me, the very least of all the holy ones, this grace was given,
to preach to the Gentiles the inscrutable riches of Christ,
and to bring to light for all what is the plan of the mystery
hidden from ages past in God who created all things,
so that the manifold wisdom of God
might now be made known through the Church
to the principalities and authorities in the heavens.
This was according to the eternal purpose
that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,
in whom we have boldness of speech
and confidence of access through faith in him. Responsorial Psalm Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 21-22, 25 and 27 R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
The favors of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, "My kindness is established forever";
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
"I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
Forever will I confirm your posterity
and establish your throne for all generations."
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
"I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him,
That my hand may be always with him,
and that my arm may make him strong."
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
"My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him,
and through my name shall his horn be exalted.
He shall say of me, 'You are my father,
my God, the rock, my savior.'"
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord. Alleluia Jn 10:14 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my sheep, and mine know me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 10:11-16 Jesus said:
"I am the good shepherd.
A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
A hired man, who is not a shepherd
and whose sheep are not his own,
sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away,
and the wolf catches and scatters them.
This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd,
and I know mine and mine know me,
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;
and I will lay down my life for the sheep.
I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.
These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice,
and there will be one flock, one shepherd." | Daily Meditation: Isaiah 40:1-11 Give comfort to my people. (Isaiah 40:1) In the ancient world, pagans turned to their gods for help and solutions to their problems. But this relationship was essentially a contract with the gods, a desperate attempt to "buy" divine assistance. When things went well, it meant the gods were happy; if not, they were angry. Even in good times, pagans could never say that their gods loved them, only that they had struck a successful bargain—which might not last. Today's first reading gives us an entirely different picture of God. Given that Israel was utterly defeated by Babylon and their temple destroyed, Isaiah's words must have seemed foolish. Any Gentile would have looked at Israel's situation and concluded that their God was either powerless or didn't care enough to help them. But Israel believed otherwise. At their lowest point, they heard God say, "Give comfort to my people" (Isaiah 40:1). God is not like the pagan gods. He keeps his covenant no matter what and promises to bring his people home. Isaiah not only proclaimed the end of the exile but the promise of an even deeper hope as well. His words would find their ultimate fulfillment in the birth of Jesus: "Here comes with power the Lord God" (Isaiah 40:10). Not only does God love his people, but instead of forcing them to bargain with him, he promises them infinitely more than they can ever pay in return. In Jesus, they receive his comfort, his words of mercy, and eternal salvation. God wants to speak this same message of love and comfort to us today. Through Jesus, he has bound himself to us in an unbreakable covenant. We don't have to "buy" his love with good deeds as the pagans of old did. When things go wrong, we don't have to take on the added fear that God has somehow abandoned us. No! At our lowest point, God looks at us with love and says, "Give comfort to my son, to my daughter." Today in prayer, try to have a bargain-free conversation with God. Accept his love. Welcome his mercy. Let him feed you and carry you tenderly in his arms. "Jesus, I trust in you! Thank you for your comfort and mercy!" Psalm 96:1-3, 10-13
Matthew 18:12-14 | From Today's Holy Scripture:
"To me, the very least of all the holy ones, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the inscrutable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for all what is the plan of the mystery hidden from ages past in God who created all things, so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the Church to the principalities and authorities in the heavens." To the least, God intends the message to reach.
To you and to me. And for us to reach the most souls with His message. | We pray in Psalms:
"My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him, and through my name shall his horn be exalted. He shall say of me, 'You are my father, my God, the rock, my savior.' Who shall say of Him and to Him "you are my Father"? It is you and I.
Remember my vision, where I was taken out of this realm, and I witnessed...Our Father In His Passion for the whole world, the past, the present, and future. He is Our Father, my soul just knew, that is MY FATHER! And the phenomenal aspect of this Father is majestic, almighty, and true Love. | We heard of our Lord in the Gospel today:
"Jesus said: "I am the good shepherd.
A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd
and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep." A Good Shepherd gives, and gives freely. A good shepherd cares because they are His.
We are a family business. I witness good and bad stewards, and shepherds. As an owner, I hop into a company truck, and I immediately begin taking care of it, cleaning it, checking it, driving it thoroughly, fixing it if need be.
I put an average hired hand on the same unit, and they will not take care of it the same. They may not care at all!
But God is the owner. He cares about the world, and even more about you in the world. Imagine, an unlimited Father...loving unlimited. | "I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me,
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep."
The worldly darkness is out to say God is not good. That's the first line atheists use. "If god were good then why is there evil" is their argument.
God asks us to come see that He is good. I believe it just by looking at history. Mercy is evident, albeit, not as we'd like to see it, un-flawed in our meager eyes.
What's more, God came in Jesus, God came Himself, and He proved His love for us, and here we are now, thousands of years later, and we live...to hear of His message to this day.
Yes, indeed, God is good. Can you see beyond your problems to believe? Can you live this life of a child? For you are His child, his baby. Nobody loves you like our True Father.
You know who those 99 sheep are? It's the rest of the world. For nobody can love you like that. In this world, I don't believe in love until I see sacrificial love. I even told my wife when we first got married, "I'll believe you love me when we are old and on rocking chairs." And even then, will commitment be true love? It will be all the sacrifices for willing the good of the other that will be evident of God's love. In other words, Love is immense. God will never be outloved, He will love you more always, any time, anywhere.
So who is that one sheep that has gone astray?
Is it you? Is it your loved one? What does it mean to go astray? To get lost. To wonder off from the flock. What does all of this mean, and who is it?
Sometimes it is you and me. Sometimes it is someone we know. Would you be a good shepherd too? Let's pray:
Lord, Father, You have created me in Thine Precious image, and in that image, not only a sheep as the Paschal Lamb, but as a Good Shepherd. I pray that we learn to be sacrificial in love, and thus, be true imitators of Thy precious gift...forever. amen. | from your brother in Christ,
Adrian |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: WOW! 1 John 4:14
14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
