†Saint Quote
"And I saw that truly nothing happens by accident or luck, but everything by God's wise providence ... for matters that have been in God's foreseeing wisdom, since before time began, befall us suddenly, all unawares; and so in our blindness and ignorance we say that this is accident or luck, but to our Lord God it is not so."
–St. Juliana of Norwich †Today's Meditation
"Love, by its essence, involves a leap into the unknown, a death to oneself, because genuine love is a love that loves to the end. And to love to the end means to die for those whom you love. It also means to forgive them. This involves the experience, one day or another, of the Cross and, therefore of sacrifice, which will seal the spouses' unity definitively."
—Robert Cardinal Sarah, p.25 An Excerpt From
Couples, Awaken Your Love †Daily Verse
"The end of all things is at hand. Therefore, be serious and sober for prayers. Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining."
–1 Peter 4:7-9 |  click to read more | | Pope St. Anastasius I Pope St. Anastasius I (d. 401 A.D.) was a 4th century Bishop of Rome. The writings of the Church Fathers tell us that he was a distinguished Roman Christian known for his charity and holiness. He was elevated to the Chair of St. Peter in 399 A.D., succeeding Pope Siricius, and his pontificate lasted not quite four years. St. Paulinus of Nola, St. Augustine, and St. Jerome were among his friends. St. Jerome called Pope St. Anastasius "a man of very rich poverty and apostolic zeal." He fought against heresies and heretics that threatened the doctrine of the Church, most notably a popular theologian at the time, Origen, whom he soundly condemned. Pope St. Anastasius I was known as a great Holy Father who governed the Church "with purity of life, abundance of doctrine, and perfect strictness of ecclesiastical authority." His feast day is December 19. | Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent Reading 1 JGS 13:2-7, 24-25A There was a certain man from Zorah, of the clan of the Danites,
whose name was Manoah.
His wife was barren and had borne no children.
An angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her,
"Though you are barren and have had no children,
yet you will conceive and bear a son.
Now, then, be careful to take no wine or strong drink
and to eat nothing unclean.
As for the son you will conceive and bear,
no razor shall touch his head,
for this boy is to be consecrated to God from the womb.
It is he who will begin the deliverance of Israel
from the power of the Philistines."
The woman went and told her husband,
"A man of God came to me;
he had the appearance of an angel of God, terrible indeed.
I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his name.
But he said to me,
'You will be with child and will bear a son.
So take neither wine nor strong drink, and eat nothing unclean.
For the boy shall be consecrated to God from the womb,
until the day of his death.'"
The woman bore a son and named him Samson.
The boy grew up and the LORD blessed him;
the Spirit of the LORD stirred him. Responsorial Psalm PS 71:3-4A, 5-6AB, 16-17 R. (see 8) My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.
R. My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!
For you are my hope, O LORD;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother's womb you are my strength.
R. My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!
I will treat of the mighty works of the LORD;
O God, I will tell of your singular justice.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R. My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory! Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
O Root of Jesse's stem,
sign of God's love for all his people:
come to save us without delay!
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel LK 1:5-25 In the days of Herod, King of Judea,
there was a priest named Zechariah
of the priestly division of Abijah;
his wife was from the daughters of Aaron,
and her name was Elizabeth.
Both were righteous in the eyes of God,
observing all the commandments
and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren
and both were advanced in years.
Once when he was serving as priest
in his division's turn before God,
according to the practice of the priestly service,
he was chosen by lot
to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense.
Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside
at the hour of the incense offering,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him,
standing at the right of the altar of incense.
Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him.
But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah,
because your prayer has been heard.
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son,
and you shall name him John.
And you will have joy and gladness,
and many will rejoice at his birth,
for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.
He will drink neither wine nor strong drink.
He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb,
and he will turn many of the children of Israel
to the Lord their God.
He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah
to turn the hearts of fathers toward children
and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous,
to prepare a people fit for the Lord."
Then Zechariah said to the angel,
"How shall I know this?
For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years."
And the angel said to him in reply,
"I am Gabriel, who stand before God.
I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news.
But now you will be speechless and unable to talk
until the day these things take place,
because you did not believe my words,
which will be fulfilled at their proper time."
Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah
and were amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary.
But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them,
and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary.
He was gesturing to them but remained mute.
Then, when his days of ministry were completed, he went home.
After this time his wife Elizabeth conceived,
and she went into seclusion for five months, saying,
"So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit
to take away my disgrace before others."
| Daily Meditation: Luke 1:5-25 You will have joy and gladness. (Luke 1:14) Zechariah had spent so many years praying for a child that he had become accustomed to God's silence. It's no wonder, then, that he was terrified when God finally answered! And what a set of questions this answer must have prompted! How would Zechariah have the energy to keep up with a young child? Did he and Elizabeth have the wherewithal to train and form a son with such an important mission? And just how radically would this event alter their everyday lives? In answer, the angel told Zechariah about the joy that God had in store for him. He also foretold that the child's mission would bring joy to many other people besides. He even offered some advice by outlining the way of life Zechariah's son was to follow, just as an angel had instructed Manoah and his wife before Samson's birth (Judges 13:4-7). And that was a good thing: neither Samson nor John the Baptist was an easy child to raise. They both had strong personalities, and they clearly didn't blend in with the crowd. It can be frightening when God answers prayers we have been making for a long time. We suddenly realize what an impact this change will have on us. We can no longer count on what had become familiar, even if it wasn't ideal. With the gift come new challenges that invite us to grow and change. Think, for instance, of first-time parents. Their lives have changed dramatically! The way they treat their child will affect every aspect of his or her life. This child will ask questions for which they will have no answers and present needs that they may not know how to meet. Their new vocation will test their relationship and drive them to depend on God in ways they had never imagined before. But despite all that, this new child will bring them so much joy and love that they will accept every challenge and learn how to weather every storm together. If we can keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, even in the most stressful of situations, we'll always find the grace we need to move forward. And finding that grace, we'll also find reason to rejoice. "Lord, help me never to lose sight of the joy that you have in store for me." Judges 13:2-7, 24-25
Psalm 71:3-6, 16-17 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"The boy grew up and the LORD blessed him;
the Spirit of the LORD stirred him." In the Gospel of Luke we hear about Saint John the Baptist: "And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him." What causes this stir? What stirred Samson? It was the Lord. What caused both Samson and John to be strong? It was the Lord. Only, John was said to have had the grace of God.
But in both, it was the Lord that gave the strength, and wisdom, and we are now availed Grace.
Sometimes we think we are as of nothing, but God asks us to rethink this thought. Had you been nothing, you'd not be hearing this message...what you do matters more than you will ever know. | We pray today;
"For you are my hope, O LORD; trust, O God, from my youth. On you I depend from birth; from my mother's womb you are my strength. My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory" | In the Gospel today we heard our Master and Teacher:
""I am Gabriel, who stand before God.
I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news. " The same angel that came to Mary, came to Zechariah.
But there was a difference between Mary and Zechariah, one was not afraid, and this was Mary. But Zechariah was afraid....to believe. Not so much afraid of the angel, but afraid of the news.
Now this is the scary part. Because now we are speaking directly into your heart.
my child, do you believe what is being told to you right now?
We are writing to you in order that you might believe. And that you might have life more abundantly.
How does the annunciation of John affect you today?
You are still growing in your faith. You are learning that you can indeed move mountains. My little toddler girl sometimes wears a shirt that says "she will move mountains". And the message is for you. how can we move mountains? The other day we were struck with a 5.3 magnitude earthquake, which made for an unnerving feeling inside. Mountains can move and new ones can be made. But in what way can we move mountains?
They say Samson destroyed a whole army and their temple to dagon, a god of many things and other gods and He was also worshiped further east, in Mesopotamia, where many rulers regarded him as the god capable of granting them kingship over the western areas.
Fast forward to John the Baptist. He too came with the power of Elijah, who also basically defeated armies and gods.
Yet in prison...there was a smidge of concern as He reached out to the Lord for hope, while in chains...like Samson.
Only God would deliver Him...forever.
What makes these men wind up in chains? Darkness always wants to make us slaves.
I write to you because the truth awaits in the manger. The ember days of the ember light to start the world on fire is there. He is true joy. He is true peace. Our priest always says in these days that if the holidays become a reason to sin, then we have missed the mark. What is robbing us of peace and joy that awaits us?
I've begun to feel peace lately. You see, we began 9 days of offerings every night, we go taking to the streets in the cold dark nights seeking a place for our Lord in homes. We sing in front of homes; 2 out of 3 homes reject us (as planned of course) and the 3rd house welcomes us. There we reveal God's word in Scripture, and there they open up their homes and food to us and we eat. Sometimes a meager humble meal, other times a great feast like last night. But in the end...love is felt. Community of love changes everything. This is common union. This is Christ in Holy Common-union, communion. I am not sad, that my dad isn't joining us this year, I take him wherever I go. My voice sounds just like his when we talk, we were like twins in that manner. His voice lives on through me and you. I am making moves, moving stone by stone...and mountains are beginning to move. Faith is alive, just as Christ our Lord is alive...and lives in a willing soul. | ........................................
My Lord and My God, How precious you are!
............................................... adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse 1
1 Corinthians 3:19–20 19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their craftiness," 20 and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile." | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
