†Saint Quote
"You are asking for something that would be harmful to your salvation if you had it—so by not getting what you've asked, you really are getting what you want."
–St. Catherine of Siena †Today's Meditation
"What really hurts is not so much suffering as the fear of suffering. If welcomed trustingly and peacefully, suffering makes us grow. It matures and trains us, purifies us, teaches us to love unselfishly, makes us poor in heart, humble, gentle, and compassionate toward our neighbor. Fear of suffering, on the other hand, hardens us in self-protective, defensive attitudes, and often leads us to make irrational choices with disastrous consequences."
—Fr. Jacques Philippe, p. 47 An Excerpt From
Interior Freedom †Daily Verse
"For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God."
–2 Timothy 1:7-8 |  click to read more | | St. Adrian of Nicomedia St. Adrian of Nicomedia (d. 306 A.D.) lived under the Christian persecutions of the Roman Emperor Galerius Maximian. Thirty-three Christians were seized in Nicomedia, brought before a judge, and ordered to be savagely beaten. With each new torture the men received, they bravely proclaimed their faith in Christ. They argued with the judge that by his tortures he was only increasing their heavenly glory, while guaranteeing his own damnation to hell. Adrian, a man of 28 years, was head of the praetorium and witnessed the steadfast faith of these men. He was moved to the point of conversion, and exclaimed that he, too, would reject paganism to suffer and die for the name of Christ along with the other Christians. One of Adrian's servants ran to tell his wife, Natalie, what her husband had done. Natalie, who was secretly a Christian, ran to the prison in joy at the news of her husband's newfound faith, and encouraged him to stay strong and steadfast in it. After Adrian refused to recant his profession of faith in Christ, he was thrown into prison with the other men and cruelly tortured. His arms and legs were severed on an anvil before finally dying as a martyr. Saint Adrian is the patron saint of soldiers, arms dealers, and butchers. His feast day is September 8th. | Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Reading I Mi 5:1-4a The LORD says: You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah, too small to be among the clans of Judah, From you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; Whose origin is from of old, from ancient times. (Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne, And the rest of his brethren shall return to the children of Israel.) He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the LORD, in the majestic name of the LORD, his God; And they shall remain, for now his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth; he shall be peace. OR: Rom 8:28-30 Brothers and sisters:
We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers.
And those he predestined he also called;
and those he called he also justified;
and those he justified he also glorified. Responsorial Psalm 13:6ab, 6c R. (Isaiah 61:10) With delight I rejoice in the Lord.
Though I trusted in your mercy, let my heart rejoice in your salvation.
R. With delight I rejoice in the Lord.
Let me sing of the LORD, "He has been good to me."
R. With delight I rejoice in the Lord. Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, deserving of all praise;
from you rose the sun of Justice, Christ our God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 1:1-16, 18-23 or 1:18-23 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.
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
"Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins."
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means "God is with us."
| Daily Meditation: Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23 Do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. (Matthew 1:20) Have you ever had the experience of someone quietly (or not so quietly) distancing himself from you because of your faith? Perhaps an adult child says you are "too radical," or a neighbor questions your sincerity, or a friend accuses you of being too generous to the poor. Whether by our closest family or friends or by our acquaintances, being snubbed or misunderstood can sting. The Virgin Mary, whose birth we celebrate today, was on the verge of being abandoned by her husband and shunned by her community because of her yes to God. Joseph also knew he was taking a great risk when he stayed with Mary in spite of her unexpected pregnancy. What makes their decisions even more remarkable is that Mary and Joseph would have known about figures from the Hebrew Scriptures who also faced opposition for their decision to follow God's plan. They would have recalled how Moses faced rebellion when he was trying to lead his people into the Promised Land. Or how David had to escape King Saul, who was so jealous of David that he tried to kill him. Mary and Joseph would have also known that obeying God does not guarantee a problem-free life. In fact, it could open them up to rejection and ridicule. Yet they were willing to follow him because what they were receiving was so much greater than the risk at hand. The promise of salvation for all mankind was worth the hardships they would face. And so they accepted his will, with its high points and its low points, and held fast to him through it all. When you face misunderstanding or even hostility because of your faith, remember Mary and Joseph and the courage it took for them to yield to God's plan for them. Remember that your reward will be much greater than any opposition you might face, starting with the peace that comes from being in the plan and will of God. "Hail Mary, full of grace, pray for me to say yes to God's plan for me." Micah 5:1-4
Psalm 13:6 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne, And the rest of his brethren shall return to the children of Israel." We remember the birth of our Blessed Mother in Heaven. Happy Birthday Beloved Mother. Blessed are you forever. And Blessed be our Lord our God forever. Blessed we are and we bless Him in return. Mother, you gave us our Lord by giving God a simple yes. Now, may we may make a blessed return to God our Father, creator of us all. | We pray today;
" Let me sing of the LORD, "He has been good to me." With delight I rejoice in the Lord." And Blessed Mother said "the Lord has done good things...He has looked with favor on His lowly one". Today, we realize that Holy Scripture is fulfilled in Mary, and in turn, we can now fulfill God's Word, with our very lives. | In the Gospel today we heard:
"For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." Remember the name of our Lord. It is the most powerful prayer we can say, in one word...Jesus, meaning He-Saves. He saves us who are afraid, and begin to drown in our fears. He saves us from things we believe are impossible to be saved from. It is this Holy Child of the Holy Spirit born in wo-man. How strange that God would create a creature, in His image, and then come to be in life through that creature. The day of the birth of the first born is everything. First, the nativity of Mary, then, we will celebrate the nativity of our Lord. But much happens in between, many spectacular troubles and joys. | Some people say I'm a guy with faith. Well, I'd say ok, but that doesn't mean much. It's like saying, I'm a guy with a nose, LOL! And on another note, I want to say, it is not fair that I'm one with faith. Why do I say that? Well, I've grown up as an altar boy. Did that make me have faith? No. I met a wonderful priest as an altar boy, and he'd take us across the country on trips, all alone with the priest. It was tons of fun, I learned how to swim in the many hotels we stayed at with my cousins and friends as altar boys. Did this for few years. Did I get my faith from all that? No, I don't think so, maybe it helped cultivate an already implanted seed. So when did faith begin for me? With my first communion? That was a launch pad, but not the seed. So when was it? Are you hungry yet? I'll have to go all the way back, as a toddler, when the seed was planted in me...in my Holy Baptism. There, life was implanted in life. That is, eternal life was planted in a mortal being. This was the whole story of Jesus in Mary. This is the Holy Spirit in Mary our Blessed Mother. We too receive the Holy Spirit and the seed is planted in us. I'm not really sowing unless people are being baptized. I'm not having more faith than others that is not already there. You got what it takes my child. I'm simply helping the seedling to grow and grow to Heaven. The Nativity of our Mother is special, but so special that nobody knows, except our Lord in Heaven who is having a banquet in her honor this day. And what does she want for her birthday? Souls for Christ, souls for God, salvation of all souls, to quench God's thirst for goodness, all things pure and holy love. Mother of Heaven and Earth, with your precious help in grace, may we obtain God's Holy Will for all humanity, forever.
Mother, full of grace, pray for us sinners now and forever.
Holy Mary, spread the effect of grace over all of humanity forever. |  click to hear | Random bible verse generator: Psalm 86:4–5 4 Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
