†Quote of the Day
"He who labors as he prays lifts his heart to God with his hands." St. Bernard of Clairvaux †Today's Meditation
"The story of Christ's life and ministry cannot be told without giving due space to Satan's activity. The Gospel writers carefully distinguish between cases of mere physical ailments and cases of a demonic character (both of which Jesus cures). Jesus frequently refers to the devil in his parables and other teachings, and the devil himself tempts Jesus in the desert and returns again later to engineer Judas' betrayal (cf. Jn 13:2). This Gospel motif teaches us an undeniable, if uncomfortable lesson: the devil is real, and he is interested in counteracting the work of grace. In one sense, accepting this fundamental truth, and keeping it always in the back of our minds, can comfort us tremendously: it helps us make sense of all the unpleasant influences at work in and around us. We are not crazy; we are not failures; we are simply engaged in a spiritual battle. If we believe in Jesus Christ, we must also believe in the devil—doomed as he is, he would love to take as many souls as he can along with him."
—Fr. John Bartunek, p. 350
Cover image from the book, The Better Part
An Excerpt From The Better Part †Daily Verse "So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:48 | St. Elizabeth of Hungary St. Elizabeth of Hungary (1207–1231) was born in Hungary, the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary and his wife Gertrude. As a child she was sent to Thuringa (now Germany) to be brought up with Prince Ludwig of Thuringa, whom she was to marry at the age of 14 in order to solidify a political alliance between the two nations. Their marriage was a very happy one, and they had three children together. Although Elizabeth was a princess surrounded by a magnificent court, she lived a humble life serving the sick and poor outside her castle walls. No amount of disapproval from those who considered this behavior beneath her royal status could dissuade her from her faithfulness to this task. One day, on her way to feed the poor, her husband stopped her and asked to see what she concealed beneath her mantle. The food she carried was miraculously replaced by roses, signifying God's approval of her charity. When her husband, after six years of marriage, tragically died on his way to join the crusade in Jerusalem, Elizabeth was grief-stricken. She vowed to never remarry, and eventually left her life of nobility to join the Secular Franciscans as a penitent. She continued her charitable works to an even greater degree, and helped Thuringa recover from a famine by giving them a huge gift of grain. It was this act, along with her habit of distributing bread to the poor, that made her the patron saint of bakers. She is also the patron of hospitals, the homeless, widows, charities, and nursing homes. St. Elizabeth of Hungary's feast day is November 17th. | Readings for the Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, religious Reading 1 Wis 13:1-9 All men were by nature foolish who were in ignorance of God,
and who from the good things seen did not succeed in knowing him who is,
and from studying the works did not discern the artisan;
But either fire, or wind, or the swift air,
or the circuit of the stars, or the mighty water,
or the luminaries of heaven, the governors of the world, they considered gods.
Now if out of joy in their beauty they thought them gods,
let them know how far more excellent is the Lord than these;
for the original source of beauty fashioned them.
Or if they were struck by their might and energy,
let them from these things realize how much more powerful is he who made them.
For from the greatness and the beauty of created things
their original author, by analogy, is seen.
But yet, for these the blame is less;
For they indeed have gone astray perhaps,
though they seek God and wish to find him.
For they search busily among his works,
but are distracted by what they see, because the things seen are fair.
But again, not even these are pardonable.
For if they so far succeeded in knowledge
that they could speculate about the world,
how did they not more quickly find its Lord? Responsorial Psalm Ps 19:2-3, 4-5ab R. (2a) The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night imparts knowledge.
R. The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.
R. The heavens proclaim the glory of God. Alleluia Lk 21:28 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 17:26-37 Jesus said to his disciples:
"As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be in the days of the Son of Man;
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage up to the day
that Noah entered the ark,
and the flood came and destroyed them all.
Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot:
they were eating, drinking, buying,
selling, planting, building;
on the day when Lot left Sodom,
fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all.
So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed.
On that day, someone who is on the housetop
and whose belongings are in the house
must not go down to get them,
and likewise one in the field
must not return to what was left behind.
Remember the wife of Lot.
Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it,
but whoever loses it will save it.
I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed;
one will be taken, the other left.
And there will be two women grinding meal together;
one will be taken, the other left."
They said to him in reply, "Where, Lord?"
He said to them, "Where the body is,
there also the vultures will gather."
| Daily Meditation: Wisdom 13:1-9 If out of joy in their beauty they thought them gods, let them know how far more excellent is the Lord than these. (Wisdom 13:3) The children had been running races on the beach when a stranger asked if he could join in. They agreed, since the man seemed ancient—almost as old as their parents! Surely they could beat him. Yet they had barely reached the halfway point when he effortlessly sailed past the finish line. "One day, long ago, I ran in the Olympics," he explained to his breathless opponents. "Did you win a gold medal?" they asked. "No," he laughed. "I came in last!" Their sense of awe doubled. There was someone even faster than him! In a similar kind of comparison, today's first reading invites us to consider "how far more excellent" God is when compared with anything he has created (Wisdom 13:3). Dwell on that truth for a moment. The intense wind that can tear a tree from the ground is simply God's breath. The night sky reminds us of the staggering vastness of the galaxies, and yet God holds it all in his hands. Not even the most stunning sunrise can match his beauty. And no relationship on earth can fully reflect the depth of love he has for us! We see this contrast even more powerfully in Scripture. The Letter to the Hebrews tells us that Old Covenant sacrifices cleansed the ancient Israelites, but "how much more will the blood of Christ . . . cleanse our consciences" (9:14, emphasis added). And today's reading invokes the power and beauty of nature to point out how much more amazing its Creator must be. There is one final comparison that shows how incredible God is. Jesus speaks of the attention our Father pays to creation, clothing the grass and feeding the birds. But then he turns it around: how much more does he value you (Matthew 6:30)? More than everything else in the world! Let this truth sink in. The Creator of the universe loves you more than the wind, the sea, fire, and all the stars of the sky. He loves you so much that he emptied himself on the cross to save you. In that moment, shorn of any outward sign of his great power, he revealed the greatest thing of all: his love for you. "Lord, just the thought of your love fills me with awe!" Psalm 19:2-5
Luke 17:26-37 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:Audio Link | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"All men were by nature foolish who were in ignorance of God,
and who from the good things seen did not succeed in knowing him who is,
and from studying the works did not discern the artisan........." end of verse.
. . . They say that the most advanced scientific discoveries, especially in the realms of metaphysics are finding more and more proof of God our creator.
This is both scary, yet good news, isn't it?
Why scary? Because, everything He has said is proving to be true. There will be no more denying on any other basis than the very truth. An the direct denial will be a blatant "no" to His Holy will. Our creation is exclaiming His glory. Shouldn't we be doing the same with every breathe we take that has been given to us by Him? | We pray today:
"The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night imparts knowledge.
The heavens proclaim the glory of God....." end of psalm. | In the Gospel today we heard our Lord:
""As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be in the days of the Son of Man;
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage up to the day
that Noah entered the ark,
and the flood came and destroyed them all......" end of Gospel verse. | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus says that the days of his Second Coming will be like the days of Noah. So what went wrong in Noah's day? The biblical answer is sin—that is to say, human dysfunction—more precisely a refusal of the great tasks that God gave to human beings. They became bad stewards of creation and bad priests, falling into ego-driven violence and the worship of false deities. The result was the flood.
But God did what he will do throughout salvation history: he sent a rescue operation. He found the one righteous man left and gave him a very peculiar assignment. Noah must have been a laughingstock, building a giant boat in the middle of the desert.
Onto the ark come representatives of all the animal species, as well as Noah and his family. Once again, we see the deeply integrated vision of the Bible. Salvation is never simply a matter of setting things right for human beings. It has implications across the whole of creation.
This is precisely why the Church Fathers saw Noah as a type of Christ and the ark of Noah as a type of the temple and of the Church."_ end quote from Bishop Barron.
Our Lord continues to say:
"Remember the wife of Lot.
Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it,
but whoever loses it will save it.
I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed;
one will be taken, the other left." end quote.
What is our Lord Jesus asking?
He's asking what He's always asked.
That we forsake ourselves for the good of the Kingdom.
To choose. Right?
But how?
Remember that fad, " I Am Second" slogan many Christians were wearing for a while? It means God is First. Right?
So, is He first in your life?
We have to be real with the answer, because people will notice right away that you aren't really living up to what you are proclaiming to be...a follower of Christ, or even more...a lover of Christ Jesus.
It's your reputation or His, right?
It's your neck, or His, isn't it?
Think true humility. Not fighting back. Letting others win and be above you.
It's your dignity, or His...ultimately, am I correct?
Who's life are you trying to save? Is it the life of Christ, or yours? Shouldn't it be all together one? And then our Lord immediately speaks about one being taken away: "I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left."
On what night? That dark part of the day.
In the end. One will be taken away. And please don't ask protestants what this means because they've come up with some strange theories on what the bible means, (this is what happens when you take off with our Scriptures and try to decipher them for yourselves). They've come up with the "rapture" theory, and the "Left Behind" series. No. Please no.
Our Lord is again, in the tone of the eschatological theme, speaking yes, of the end times, but we are all in the end times now in a sense...our very life will end, will it not?
Will we not meet our Lord at judgement day?
One will be left. Like a couple, who's spouse passes away. This scripture becomes very real. Your friend you worked with is no longer there, it is an eye opening scripture. Be ready. Forsake the things of now, focus on what is important, God's business. His business. His love. Amen?
Pray with me:
Lord, as much as I'd love to hold You physically, accept my hand in Yours, I know You are there. Hold me forever. |  Click To Hear | Random Bible Verse 1
2 Timothy 1:7 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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