†Saint Quote
"If we do not risk anything for God we will never do anything great for Him."
–St. Louis De Montfort † Today's Meditation
"An excellent method of preserving interior silence is to keep exterior silence. . . even in the world, each one of us can make his own solitude, a boundary beyond which nothing can force its way unperceived. It is not noise in itself that is the difficulty, but noise that is pointless; it is not every conversation, but useless conversations; not all kinds of occupation, but aimless occupations. In point of fact, everything that does not serve some good purpose is harmful. It is foolish, nay, more, it is a betrayal to devote to a useless objective powers that can be given to what is essential. There are two ways of separating ourselves from almighty God, quite different from one another but both disastrous, although for different reasons: mortal sin and voluntary distractions—mortal sin, which objectively breaks off our union with God, and voluntary distractions, which subjectively interrupt or hinder our union from being as close as it ought to be. We should speak only when it is preferable not to keep silence. The Gospel does not say merely that we shall have to give an account of every evil word, but of every idle thought."
—St. Alphonsus Liguori, p. 44 †Daily Verse
"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do." –Colossians 3:12-13 |  click to read more | | St. Peter Canisius St. Peter Canisius (1521–1597) was born in Holland to a wealthy family. He was sent to the University of Cologne and met St. Peter Faber who influenced him to join the Jesuits. St. Peter Canisius became famous for his preaching and writing, and was one of the most influential Catholics of his time. He was instrumental in defending Catholicism against the Protestant revolt in Germany and surrounding countries. He famously wrote a popular-level catechism to counter the spreading heresies. The restoration of the Church in Germany is largely attributed to his catechetical work. He was adamant in promoting charity and courtesy towards Protestants in a time of great hostility. After the Council of Trent, he was chosen by the Vatican to help smuggle the documents of the Council into the hands of European bishops, avoiding the outposts of Protestant aggression, which was a difficult task at the time. For his brilliance in teaching Catholic doctrine, St. Peter Canisius was named a Doctor of the Church. His feast day is December 21st. | Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent Reading 1 SG 2:8-14 Hark! my lover–here he comes
springing across the mountains,
leaping across the hills.
My lover is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
Here he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattices.
My lover speaks; he says to me,
"Arise, my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one,
and come!
"For see, the winter is past,
the rains are over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of pruning the vines has come,
and the song of the dove is heard in our land.
The fig tree puts forth its figs,
and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance.
Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one,
and come! "O my dove in the clefts of the rock,
in the secret recesses of the cliff,
Let me see you,
let me hear your voice,
For your voice is sweet,
and you are lovely." or Zep 3:14-18a Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!
Sing joyfully, O Israel!
Be glad and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has removed the judgment against you,
he has turned away your enemies;
The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,
you have no further misfortune to fear.
On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!
The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
He will sing joyfully because of you,
as one sings at festivals. Responsorial Psalm PS 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21 R. (1a; 3a) Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
Sing to him a new song;
pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness.
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice;
in his holy name we trust.
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song. Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law:
come to save us, Lord our God!
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel LK 1:39-45 Mary set out in those days
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
"Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled." | DAILY MEDITATION: SONG OF SONGS 2:8-14 Your voice is sweet, and you are lovely. (Song of Songs 2:14) Does this passage make you feel as if you've stumbled into the middle of a romance novel? The Song of Songs is, in fact, a series of love poems. It doesn't even mention God by name one time! So you wouldn't be the first person to ask why this book is in the Bible. One of the answers scholars have suggested is that the romantic love between the man and woman in this book is symbolic of the love between God and his people. This may seem odd at first, but the Bible often uses married, romantic love as an analogy for our union with God (Isaiah 62:5; Jeremiah 2:2; Matthew 25:1-13). We are accustomed to thinking of God as our Father, whose guiding and forgiving love for us is like that of a parent for a child. But using romantic love as an analogy for God's love can open up new insights. Anyone who has been in love will tell you how elated and excited they feel. All they want is to be with their beloved, to savor their beauty, and to do special things for them. God's love for you is like this, but even greater. It's deeper, more encompassing, and stronger and purer than any romantic love you will ever experience. And in just a few days, we will celebrate one of the most dramatic expressions of that love: the Son of God becoming a man so that he could win back our love. When we think of Jesus' time among us, we tend to focus on his sufferings. He dealt with poverty, rejection, ridicule, and a painful death. But another side of this story emerges when you imagine Jesus as the lover in today's first reading: a young man springing across mountains and hills in his eagerness to be with you. He sees your sins and your struggles, but he also sees the beauty of God's image in you and your potential for holiness. His love for you isn't muted. It bursts forth, like the sun rising over a distant mountain. It's always flowing, like a rushing river. And it's meant for you. As Christmas approaches, remember that Jesus is running eagerly toward you, his heart full of love. He will never stop pursuing you. "Jesus, thank you for your faithful, persistent love." Psalm 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21
Luke 1:39-45 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one,
and come!
The discussion is asking, why does this book exist in the Holy Bible? Because, it is God speaking to us with words of everlasting love. They say God loves us like nobody else. Tons and tons of near death experiences have people coming back having experienced God's love and they say it is beyond words. Yet, on earth, we tend to feel unloved, and alone. Why is that my child? Do you believe really? | We pray today;
"Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield, For in him our hearts rejoice; in his holy name we trust. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song." Sing a new song? I used to take this literally, always writing songs about our Lord, and then, I realized...there's more to it. A new song is a new life for God and with God. It's what you proclaim with your very breath. This matters very much, more than you'll ever know. | In the Gospel today we heard:
"Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb." Mother Mary is the most blessed among women, and forever, and her fruit of her womb is the most blessed both then, now, and forever. We have to realize the creation of God, is made anew, in her, and a whole new life brought about through Him, our Very Lord, the Christ, the Savior, Messiah. |
From Bishop Barron today:
Friends, today's Gospel tells the marvelous story of the Visitation. At the Annunciation, the angel had told Mary that the child to be conceived in her would be the new David. With that magnificent prophecy still ringing in her ears, Mary set out to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was married to Zechariah, a temple priest. No first-century Jew would have missed the significance of their residence being "in the hill country of Judah." That was precisely where David found the ark, the bearer of God's presence. To that same hill country now comes Mary, the definitive and final Ark of the Covenant. Elizabeth is the first to proclaim the fullness of the Gospel: "How does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?"—the Lord, which is to say, the God of Israel. Mary brings God into the world, thus making it, at least in principle, a temple. And then Elizabeth announces that at the sound of Mary's greeting, "the infant in my womb leaped for joy." This is the unborn John the Baptist doing his version of David's dance before the Ark of the Covenant, his great act of worship of the King. " . . . .. King David leaps for Joy at the sight of our Lord.
Saint John the Baptist leaps for joy at the sound of our Mother's voice.
And this means something...it is life changing. A new chapter and turn in life begins. This is what happens when we repent.
This is what happens when we see the light.
This is what happens when we encounter The Christ.
Nevermind how much the world despises the light and Christ.
Never pay attention and fall to the sad disposition. I told my nephew after rocking the boat with my siblings for talking about saints; I said that there is a false prince of peace, the antichrist in the world. And it goes like this, "this false prince of peace is not of this world. He merely asks that in order for their to be peace, say nothing about church, or Christ, or saints and angels, and you will have peace. So, at gatherings, church talk is treated like politics, leave it out, and there will be peace. And once you give into this false prophet and antichrist, you surrender all power to darkness to control your lives."
It takes extreme humility to accept everything of our Lord and His holy family in Heaven. I believe more than most in angels and saints and in Mother Mary.
And a thought hit me, my child, if you were to pass away and enter Heaven, and you could see me suffering or worse, losing my way from faith on earth, wouldn't you pray for me incessantly so that I may not suffer uselessly or lose my eternal life with God? Such are the angels and saints and those little less than angels...our loved ones that await with joyful hope and expectation....the unification of God's love, for God's love is incomplete without yours....forever. .......................†........................
Lord, I do believe. Now let me live out my beliefs more truly!
.................................................. adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse 1
1 John 4:12–13
WOW 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
