†Saint Quote
"Quote of the Day
"The adorable Heart of Jesus is our comfort, our way, our life."
–St. Frances Xavier Cabrini †Today's Meditation
"Strong passions are the precious raw material of sanctity. Individuals who have carried their sinning to extremes should not despair or say, 'I am too great a sinner to change,' or 'God would not want me.' God will take anyone who is willing to love, not with an occasional gesture, but with a 'passionless passion,' a 'wild tranquility'. A sinner, unrepentant, cannot love God, any more than someone on dry land can swim; but as soon as a person takes his errant energies to God and asks for their redirection, he will become happy, as he was never happy before. It is not the wrong things one has already done that keep one from God; it is present persistence in that wrong. Someone who turns back to God, as the Magdalene and Paul, welcomes the discipline that will enable him to change his former tendencies. Mortification is good, but only when it is done out of love of God. … Mortifications of the right sort perfect our human nature; the gardener cuts the green shoots from the root of the bush, not to kill the rose, but to make it bloom more beautifully."
—Venerable Fulton Sheen, p. 185 An Excerpt From
Peace of Soul †Daily Verse
"And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."
–Isaiah 35:10 |  click to read more | | St. Bibiana St. Bibiana, also known as Vibiana or Viviana (d. 361), was born in Rome, the daughter of Christian parents who were martyred in the persecutions of Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate. Her father was severely beaten and sent to live in exile as a slave, but died from his wounds. Her mother was beheaded shortly after. St. Bibiana and her sister, Demetria, were stripped of their possessions and imprisoned in their family home in utter poverty and hunger. They were offered reward if only they would renounce Jesus, but the sisters, strong in faith and prayer, said they would rather die. Finding that they did not die from lack of food, the Roman governor summoned them. Demetria, after professing the faith, died at his feet. St. Bibiana was given to the guardianship of a pagan woman who tried to force her into prostitution. St. Bibiana refused and resolutely maintained her faith in Christ. For this she was beaten, tied to a pillar, and cruelly scourged. She eventually died from her tortures, and her body was discarded to be eaten by wild dogs. The animals, however, would not touch her. Her body was recovered by a priest and buried, with a chapel built over the tomb for her veneration. St. Bibiana's feast day is December 2nd. | Friday of the First Week of Advent Reading 1 IS 29:17-24 Thus says the Lord GOD:
But a very little while,
and Lebanon shall be changed into an orchard,
and the orchard be regarded as a forest!
On that day the deaf shall hear
the words of a book;
And out of gloom and darkness,
the eyes of the blind shall see.
The lowly will ever find joy in the LORD,
and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
For the tyrant will be no more
and the arrogant will have gone;
All who are alert to do evil will be cut off,
those whose mere word condemns a man,
Who ensnare his defender at the gate,
and leave the just man with an empty claim.
Therefore thus says the LORD,
the God of the house of Jacob,
who redeemed Abraham:
Now Jacob shall have nothing to be ashamed of,
nor shall his face grow pale.
When his children see
the work of my hands in his midst,
They shall keep my name holy;
they shall reverence the Holy One of Jacob,
and be in awe of the God of Israel.
Those who err in spirit shall acquire understanding,
and those who find fault shall receive instruction. Responsorial Psalm PS 27:1, 4, 13-14 R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge; of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Alleluia R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Behold, our Lord shall come with power;
he will enlighten the eyes of his servants.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel MT 9:27-31 As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out,
"Son of David, have pity on us!"
When he entered the house,
the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them,
"Do you believe that I can do this?"
"Yes, Lord," they said to him.
Then he touched their eyes and said,
"Let it be done for you according to your faith."
And their eyes were opened.
Jesus warned them sternly,
"See that no one knows about this."
But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.
| Daily Meditation: Isaiah 29:17-24 On that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book. (Isaiah 29:18) Picture yourself as a first-century resident of Bethlehem. You've heard some amazing gossip lately about the promised Messiah. People are saying that a child has been born in your town, and that he is in fact this Messiah! You go to see the child, and something happens in your heart and mind. You start to believe it could be true. You recall today's passage from Isaiah, and everything seems to come together. It's as if your own ears are opened, and you are hearing the words of Scripture for the first time. Of course, you don't live in Bethlehem. You live in the modern world, where practically everyone has heard the story of the baby Jesus. Advent comes every year, and it's easy to go through the motions of getting ready for Christmas. This year, though, you'd like it to be different. You'd like to experience something of what the people of Bethlehem did on that first Christmas Day. Don't give up on that desire! It's God who put it on your heart—just as it's on his heart! Remember that the Scriptures, as old as they are, were written so that even our hearts could be open to the truth about God's desire to save his people. Jesus didn't come to earth so that the world would stay the same. He came to open the ears of the deaf, to restore sight to the blind, and to comfort the lowly in every generation (Isaiah 29:18-19). In other words, he came to heal and save each one of us. Jesus wants to open your spiritual ears and eyes a little more each day so that you'll come to know him better. So pray that the Advent readings will fill you with wonder and gratitude for the miracle of Jesus coming among us. As the ears of the deaf were opened to "hear the words of a book" (Isaiah 29:18) pray that the Holy Spirit will open your ears to hear what he is saying to you as you read his word each day. "Holy Spirit, awaken me this Advent to know and love Jesus more than ever before!" Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14
Matthew 9:27-31 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"And out of gloom and darkness,
the eyes of the blind shall see.
The lowly will ever find joy in the LORD,
and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel." Who rejoices in the Holy One? I want to know who is in love with God? I want them to explain to me how to love someone that you have never met. How do you love someone that won't talk back. How do you love someone who is invisible? Isn't this crazy talk? No wonder atheists have a hard time believing! Right?
Someone texted me this morning for prayers, for the delivery of their baby. And last night I was asking others for prayer for them. And I asked them to consider how this couple had decided not to know the gender of the baby until it was born, the subject being, how to prepare for the coming of the King. How do you prepare, not knowing the gender? What colors do you choose for them, their bed, their room? All of this is minor things, really. What is important is the love. How do you love someone you can't talk to or they can't talk back? An innocent child is a perfect example on how to love God. | We pray today;
"I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
The Lord is my light and my salvation"
To give light in spanish means to give birth too. And also, to see, is related to the light. And this is the life that God has given...the reasoning, the thought of the possibility of a reality...if only we believe. | In the Gospel today we heard our Master and Teacher:
_""Do you believe that I can do this?"
"Yes, Lord," they said to him.
Then he touched their eyes and said,
"Let it be done for you according to your faith." _ They say that we can tap into faith. Don't we wish we could have faith to move mountains? Don't we wish we could heal others just by touching them? Well, truth is, that's one thing, but the other is the receiver. The receiver of the faith is very key to the whole miracle.
First, God disposes, to the one who proposes. What does this mean? It is His will, and our asking.
And we are a needy folk aren't we? We ask and ask for tons of things all of our lives. I know I do. I'm praying always for different things, as long as I am awake. | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, today in our Gospel, two blind men beg Jesus to heal them.
Blindness in the Bible is very often a symbol of spiritual blindness: the incapacity to see what truly matters. Focused on the worldly goods of wealth, pleasure, power, and honor, most people don't see how blind they are to the truly important things: giving oneself to the grace of God and living a life of love. If you have not surrendered to the grace of God, you are blind. How wonderful it is, then, that these men in the Gospel can cry out to Jesus in their need.
They are, of course, making a petition for physical healing, but it's much more than that for us. It's asking for that one thing that finally matters: spiritual vision—to know what my life is about, to know the big picture, to know where I'm going. You can have all the wealth, pleasure, honor, and power you want. You can have all the worldly goods you could desire. But if you don't see spiritually, it will do you no good; it will probably destroy you."
A spanish reflection asked that we see ourselves as the blind person. To realize that we fail to see what God sees. To fail to ask to see what He desires in a way.
Perhaps we don't want to see. Perhaps this is why our prayers aren't answered. We don't want to see the greater picture of the greater good? We want what we want immediately, as a cantankerous and selfish child, my way or the highway. How can I love the unknown God?
My friend, He is coming. Do you want to see? Can you love Him already without even having met? Oh you've met Him. You just failed to see!!!! ........................................
Lord, I want to see where I fail to see
............................................... adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse
Proverbs 16:12 12 It is an abomination to kings to do evil, for the throne is established by righteousness. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
