†Saint Quote
"Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the most tender of friends with souls who seek to please Him. His goodness knows how to proportion itself to the smallest of His creatures as to the greatest of them. Be not afraid then in your solitary conversations, to tell Him of your miseries, fears, worries, of those who are dear to you, of your projects, and of your hopes. Do so with confidence and with an open heart."
–St. Damien of Molokai †Today's Meditation
"One of the most awe-inspiring aspects of the mystical body of Christ, the Catholic Church, is the papacy. When I had my radical conversion and fell in love with Jesus, Mary, and the Church, an essential part of my being set free was a deep respect for the awesome gift of the papacy. Knowing that Jesus, our head, has a visible representative on earth who speaks on His behalf so that the members of His body (you and me) can hear the voice of the Shepherd and follow him is extremely liberating…The Church is the pillar and bulwark of the truth! What this means is that we have an official teacher who hands on to us the authentic Christian message; it is the Church. And not just any church, but the Church that Jesus founded and established with a visible representative who has been divinely appointed to speak on Christ's behalf."
—Donald H Calloway, MIC, p. 78-79 An Excerpt From
Under the Mantle †Daily Verse
"Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'"
–John 8:12 |  click to read more | | Bl Denis of the Nativity Blessed Denis of the Nativity (1600-1638) was born as Pierre Berthelotin in France and became a sailor at the age of twelve. He had a successful career as pilot-in-chief and cartographer in service to the Kings of France and Portugal, even being knighted for bravery. He later chose the religious life and became a Carmelite friar, taking the name Dionysius (Denis) of the Nativity. He was sent by his superiors on a diplomatic and missionary mission to the Sultan of Aceh (Sumatra). Once there, all the members of his party were seized at the instigation of the Dutch authorities. They were tortured by their Islamic captors and were told to renounce their Catholic faith and become Muslims. They refused and were martyred. St Denis was martyred last, as he desired, in order to be able to strengthen the others. He was killed by a scimitar blow that split his head in two. His last words were: "Jesus, Mary." | Tuesday of the First Week of Advent Reading 1 IS 11:1-10 On that day,
A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,
and from his roots a bud shall blossom.
The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:
a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
A Spirit of counsel and of strength,
a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,
and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.
Not by appearance shall he judge,
nor by hearsay shall he decide,
But he shall judge the poor with justice,
and decide aright for the land's afflicted.
He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
Justice shall be the band around his waist,
and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.
Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
The calf and the young lion shall browse together,
with a little child to guide them.
The cow and the bear shall be neighbors,
together their young shall rest;
the lion shall eat hay like the ox.
The baby shall play by the cobra's den,
and the child lay his hand on the adder's lair.
There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD,
as water covers the sea.
On that day,
The root of Jesse,
set up as a signal for the nations,
The Gentiles shall seek out,
for his dwelling shall be glorious. Responsorial Psalm PS 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 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.
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.
He shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
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.
Behold, our Lord shall come with power;
he will enlighten the eyes of his servants.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel LK 10:21-24 Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
"I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."
Turning to the disciples in private he said,
"Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it."
| Daily Meditation: Isaiah 11:1-10 A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse. (Isaiah 11:1) The branches of late fall and winter look barren and lifeless, don't they? The "stump of Jesse"—the line of Judah's kings—must have looked just as dead to the people of Isaiah's time. Moral decay and miscarried justice had made the kingdom look like a wasteland, a forest hewn down by an axe (Isaiah 10:34). But God promised that a shoot would sprout from one trunk, a bud would blossom, and life and vitality would reemerge (11:1). For the people of Jerusalem, that prophecy described an ideal king from the line of Jesse (King David's father), someone who would rule as a king should. The Spirit of the Lord would settle on him, and he would restore the kingdom (Isaiah 11:2). And as they lived in peace, they would manifest God's glory to the nations around them. It sounded so glorious! But God's plans were even more glorious than what Isaiah and the people who heard him understood. For that prophecy refers not just to a human king but to a heavenly one. Of course, we have the benefit of two thousand years' hindsight, so we can understand that Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy. He is the ultimate descendant of David who is now ascended to his throne in heaven. From that throne, he rules peaceably over all who come to him. He shows, by how he governs us, that he has the wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, and other gifts that Isaiah's prophecy describes (11:2-3). Even more wonderful, we all have received the same Spirit that rested upon Jesus (John 14:16-17). Remember that as you spend time with the Lord this Advent. Fruitful branches can blossom from what looks like dry ground and bare stumps in your life. The Spirit can give you wisdom and understanding during holiday family gatherings. He can give you strength to bear up under loneliness or other difficulties that arise at this time of year. What might look barren and lifeless in you really does hold life because a shoot has sprouted—Jesus, who is Life himself. "Jesus, thank you for your life and the gifts of the Spirit that you share with me." Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
Luke 10:21-24 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"The root of Jesse,
set up as a signal for the nations,
The Gentiles shall seek out,
for his dwelling shall be glorious." There are stories of conversion that we should tune into, even today. They are inspiring, how people find their faith. From all walks of life, they come to find our Lord, and their faith, and their...true happiness. Now. How about you? What is your conversion story? What was it like? And shouldn't it be every single day, that a sinner like me and you, turn from our sins and turn to our Lord? How inspiring can we be? The world needs to see inspiration. We love to hear it. But can it affect you so deeply, that you'd year to Love God more? To the point of giving your very life? Such is the following of Christ, to the Father. | We pray today;
"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."
Here you come to grow in faith. Take heart. It will happen. What's more, my instincts are telling me that two things are extremely valuable in Heaven...faith and love, and you cannot separate one without the other. | In the Gospel today we heard our Master and Teacher:
""I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike. " The disciples saw people raised from the dead. They saw crippled people get up and walk. They saw feedings of thousands out of nearly nothing. They saw what me and you only wish we could see to grow in faith, to believe more. Yet, they still had a hard time believing....everything. What does this say to you? My friend, it means that your faith is super valuable. For that, our Lord says this:
""Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it." And so, we have a blessing in disguise.
Your faith, my child, is amazing. Don't be fooled by your doubts. Don't be fooled by worldly ideologies. Do not be fooled thinking you have no faith.
If you had no faith, you would not be reading this right now, giving God a chance...this means hope.
Faith is alive. What does this mean? Love is alive. God is love, and therefore, God is alive. And He is active. When I gave God a chance, I realized, all I had to do was to act, to take that step, to essentially...obey!
And this is the language of Heaven...obedience through Love.
A child listens...and believes everything.
Believe what is good. The Truth has been revealed. | ........................................
Lord, I do believe. I have faith, a gift given to me at my baptism. What love has been bestowed on me...to live eternally with and in Love!!!
............................................... adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 17:22 [Proverbs 17] 22 A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
