.: 12/15/21

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

† "..What You Have seen & Heard . . ."

†Saint Quote
"Every pious desire, every good thought, every charitable work inspired by the love of Jesus, contributes to the perfection of the whole body of the faithful. A person who does nothing more than lovingly pray to God for his brethren, participates in the great work of saving souls."
–Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich

†Today's Meditation
"The life of our flesh is the delight of sensuality; its death is to take from it all sensible delight. The life of our judgment and our will is to dispose of ourselves and what is ours, according to our own views and wishes; their death, then, is to submit ourselves in all things to the judgment and will of others. The life of the desire for esteem and respect is to be well thought of by everyone; its death, therefore, is to hide ourselves so as not to be known, by means of continual acts of humility and self-abasement. Until one succeeds in dying in this manner, he will never be a servant of God, nor will God ever perfectly live in him."
—St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, p. 126

An Excerpt From
Cultivating Virtue: Self-Mastery With the Saints

†Daily Verse
"Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.""
–Matthew 28:18-20

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St. Virginia Centurione Bracelli

St. Virginia Centurione Bracelli (1587–1651) was born in Genoa, Italy, to an aristocratic family. She was pious and desired the religious life, however, at the age of fifteen she was forced into an arranged marriage. Her husband, a wealthy and illustrious man, lived dissolutely as a drinker and a gambler despite Virginia's good example. After having two daughters, Virginia was widowed at the age of twenty. Refusing another arranged marriage, Virginia took a vow of celibacy and began charitable works in service of the sick and poor while raising her children. Once her daughters were grown, she used her wealth to found a refuge center for the suffering which grew into a large hospital, and soon into two religious congregations: the Sisters of Our Lady of Refuge in Mount Calvary, and the Daughters of Our Lady on Mount Calvary. Virginia was committed not only to serving the poor and destitute—even to the point of seeking them out in the streets—she was also committed to training the underprivileged with skills so that they could attain a better way of life. She also worked as a peacemaker to help settle the frequent bloody rivalries which rose up between noble families. St. Virginia Centurione Bracelli's feast day is December 15

Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent

Lectionary: 189
Reading I

Is 45:6c-8, 18, 21c-25

I am the LORD, there is no other;

I form the light, and create the darkness,
I make well-being and create woe;

I, the LORD, do all these things.
Let justice descend, O heavens, like dew from above,

like gentle rain let the skies drop it down.
Let the earth open and salvation bud forth;

let justice also spring up!

I, the LORD, have created this.

For thus says the LORD,
The creator of the heavens,

who is God,
The designer and maker of the earth

who established it,
Not creating it to be a waste,

but designing it be lived in:
I am the LORD, and there is no other.

Who announced this from the beginning

and foretold it from of old?
Was it not I, the LORD,

besides whom there is no other God?

There is no just and saving God but me.

Turn to me and be safe,

all you ends of the earth,

for I am God; there is no other!
By myself I swear,

uttering my just decree

and my unalterable word:
To me every knee shall bend;

by me every tongue shall swear,
Saying, "Only in the LORD

are just deeds and power.
Before him in shame shall come

all who vent their anger against him.
In the LORD shall be the vindication and the glory

of all the descendants of Israel."

Responsorial Psalm

85:9ab and 10, 11-12, 13-14

R. (Isaiah 45:8) Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.
I will hear what God proclaims;

the LORD–for he proclaims peace to his people.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,

glory dwelling in our land.
R. Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.
Kindness and truth shall meet;

justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,

and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;

our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,

and salvation, along the way of his steps.
R. Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.

Alleluia

See Isaiah 40:9-10

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Raise your voice and tell the Good News:
Behold, the Lord God comes with power.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Lk 7:18b-23

At that time,
John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask,
"Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?"
When the men came to the Lord, they said,
"John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask,
'Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?'"
At that time Jesus cured many of their diseases, sufferings, and evil spirits;
he also granted sight to many who were blind.
And Jesus said to them in reply,
"Go and tell John what you have seen and heard:
the blind regain their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear, the dead are raised,
the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.
And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me."

Daily Meditation: Isaiah 45:6-8, 18, 21-25

Let justice descend, O heavens, . . . like gentle rain. (Isaiah 45:8)

When the people of Israel returned home after their exile in Babylon, many of them bore the wounds of their captivity. Yes, justice had finally descended when their captivity came to an end—just as today's first reading describes it—but many were numb to the fact that God still wanted to work in their lives. Like anyone coming out of a traumatic situation, they struggled with wounded memories, feelings of guilt or unworthiness, and anxiety over the future.

And so the prophet, seeing how dispirited the people were, cried out, "Let the earth open and salvation bud forth!" (Isaiah 45:8). God is pouring out his justice, his mercy, his grace! Open your hearts and receive it! Welcome his "gentle rain," with its power to heal, into your souls! (45:8).

As it was back then, so it is today. God's justice is constantly raining down on the just and the unjust alike, and he is constantly urging us to receive it (Matthew 5:45). At every moment of every day, every person on earth can hear his call: "Turn to me and be safe" (Isaiah 45:22). His cry goes out to the cancer patient in the hospital, the inmate on death row, the woman with postpartum depression, and the couple struggling to make ends meet. It goes out to the businessperson in the midst of a shady deal, the frightened soldier on the front lines, the wayward husband caught in infidelity, and the teenager tempted by drugs. There is not a single person whom God doesn't want to heal, deliver, comfort, strengthen, or guide.

Let this truth, like God's justice itself, sink into your heart. Let it give you hope for the people you know who are suffering in any way. Let it give you confidence as you lay their needs before the Lord in prayer. By all means, keep asking God to heal them or protect them or bring them to conversion. But pray just as much for them to open their hearts to the Lord and receive his grace.

And while you're at it, ask the Lord to help you open your heart to him as well. There's no end to the grace he wants to give you!

"Lord, let your justice find its way into every person's heart today!"

Psalm 85:9-14
Luke 7:18-23

From Today's Holy Scripture:
"I am the LORD, there is no other; I form the light, and create the darkness, I make well-being and create woe; I, the LORD, do all these things.
Let justice descend, O heavens, like dew from above, like gentle rain let the skies drop it down."

Did God create darkness? What is darkness? The absence of light? Did He create an absence then?

What does this creation part mean?

It means there is a a vacuum. A vacuum can be an empty space, or something that draws. And so, darkness can be used to draw into light. Can you see then, that even darkness is good...to see the light? But it is much easier to see the light, if the light is brighter. That is where you come in. That is the importance of you uniting with Christ...the Light. For your world to see the light...of Christ, the Lord, as we pray in the creed: "God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven".

We pray in Psalms:
"Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior. I will hear what God proclaims; the LORD–for he proclaims peace to his people. Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him, glory dwelling in our land."

And so we call upon the clouds to rain down ... our Lord. He ascended into Heaven, and He descends in the Holy Spirit. We pray then for a His descent upon all peoples, and the peoples that receive are the people who are open to Him. Those who fear Him. Those who honor Him. Those who worship Him. Those who are afraid to turn to darkness. Those who seek Him truly with all their heart, mind, and soul.

We heard of our Lord in the Gospel today:
"John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?"
The question is, why did John the Baptist, the greatest of all men born of women, why did he send two of his disciples to Jesus to ask if He is the one to come? Was there a doubt while John was imprisoned. Was this a way for John to ask Jesus for help, or comfort, or prayer in his darkest hour?

If the latter is true, it speaks volumes about a holy soul, John the Baptist. He sought Christ, and sent His love to Christ...as if to say "Lord, I send you my disciples, so that they may be your disciples, so that I may be less and that you may be more, so that I may decrease and You may increase, so that I might give you all of my life...as I have always prepared the way for You My Lord".
And our Lord accepts the message with a response to be remembered.

""Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me."

John had to trust in Jesus full heartedly at this point, especially when our Lord says "The Dead are Raised". Can you trust God with your life?
If you trust Him that much, can you worship Him to the point of bloodshed? How? By getting on your knees until they bleed? I've noticed my knees are developing calluses, because I kneel on hard floors for prayer, every day. But they are not bleeding. How much more shall I pray? How much more shall I praise? My fingertips are callused for playing the guitar just about every day to worship and praise God. But they aren't bleeding. How much more shall I give to God? I noticed I have a calling to reach more and more souls, but I haven't. There is a vacuum. There is a wanting. There is a desire to truly honor God. I noticed something that warmed my heart, in a news article, besides all the catastrophes of misplaced families and deaths because of storms. There are glimmers of light and hope. But on another note, the state of New York, perhaps one of the most liberal in the world, forcing mandates for pandemics, there are so many stories of faithful, still praising God in the storm, processions, filled churches with masks, and I see hope for God's Kingdom. You see, the darkness cannot extinguish the light. For He who created darkness also created the light.

And Christmas comes at the darkest times of the year to introduce the brightest of all lights...the one from Genesis Himself...God himself, to show us confidence, faithfulness, purity, and true joy of the Lord and love of God's Kingdom.

Let's pray:
Lord, I am amazed by Your light.
Let us be shining lights, always ready, for Your coming.
Help us with the oil of Your Grace. Forever.

from your brother in Christ,
Adrian