†Saint Quote
"If you ate only one meal a week would you survive? It is the same for your soul. Nourish it with the Blessed Sacrament."
–St. Andre Bessette †Today's Meditation
"There is nothing to be dreaded in human ills except sin—not poverty, or disease, or insult, or ill treatment, or dishonor, or death, which people call the worst of evils. To those who love spiritual wisdom, these things are only the names of disasters, names that have no substance. No, the true disaster is to offend God, to do anything that displeases him."
—St. John Chrysostom, p. 334 An Excerpt From
A Year with the Church Fathers †Daily Verse
"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him."
–Matthew 2:1-2 |  click to read more | | Epiphany of the Lord Epiphany is one of the oldest Christian feasts and one of the most important. Historically, Epiphany celebrated four things: Jesus' nativity, the Magi's visit to the Holy Family, Jesus' baptism, and Jesus' first miracle at the wedding feast of Cana. Each biblical event is a theophany, or epiphany, a special manifestation of Jesus Christ to mankind. The relationship between these events is beautifully described in this antiphon from the Divine Office: "This day is the Church joined unto the Heavenly Bridegroom, since Christ hath washed away her sins in Jordan; the wise men hasten with gifts to the marriage supper of the King; and they that sit at meat together make merry with water turned into wine. Alleluia." In the Latin Church the visit of the Three Kings is the primary focus of Epiphany, symbolizing the revelation of Jesus Christ as a light for the Gentile nations and the Savior born for the redemption of all mankind. Epiphany is January 6th, traditionally marking the end of the 12 days of Christmas; in many U.S. dioceses the liturgical celebration is transferred to the nearest Sunday. | Christmas Weekday • Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint André Bessette, religious [In the Dioceses of the United States] Reading 1 1 Jn 5:5-13 Beloved:
Who indeed is the victor over the world
but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is the one who came through water and Blood, Jesus Christ,
not by water alone, but by water and Blood.
The Spirit is the one who testifies,
and the Spirit is truth.
So there are three that testify,
the Spirit, the water, and the Blood,
and the three are of one accord.
If we accept human testimony,
the testimony of God is surely greater.
Now the testimony of God is this,
that he has testified on behalf of his Son.
Whoever believes in the Son of God
has this testimony within himself.
Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar
by not believing the testimony God has given about his Son.
And this is the testimony:
God gave us eternal life,
and this life is in his Son.
Whoever possesses the Son has life;
whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you so that you may know
that you have eternal life,
you who believe in the name of the Son of God. Responsorial Psalm PS147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20 R. (12a) Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia. Alleluia SEE Mk 9:6 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The heavens were opened and the voice of the Father thundered:
This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel M 1:7-11 This is what John the Baptist proclaimed:
"One mightier than I is coming after me.
I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.
I have baptized you with water;
he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee
and was baptized in the Jordan by John.
On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open
and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him.
And a voice came from the heavens,
"You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased." or Lk 3:23-38 or 3:23, 31-34, 36, 38 When Jesus began his ministry he was about thirty years of age.
He was the son, as was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli,
the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi,
the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, the son of Mattathias,
the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli,
the son of Naggai, the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias,
the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,
the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel,
the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, the son of Melchi,
the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam,
the son of Er, the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer,
the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,
the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph,
the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, the son of Melea,
the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan,
the son of David, the son of Jesse, the son of Obed,
the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon,
the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni,
the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,
the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham,
the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, the son of Serug,
the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber,
the son of Shelah, the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad,
the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared,
the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enos,
the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. or When Jesus began his ministry he was about thirty years of age.
He was the son, as was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli,
the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha,
the son of Nathan, the son of David, the son of Jesse,
the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala,
the son of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin,
the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez,
the son of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac,
the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem,
the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Enos,
the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
| Daily Meditation: Mark 1:7-11 You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased. (Mark 1:11) Imagine you are Jesus for a moment. That might be a stretch, but picture yourself being baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan. As you come up out of the water, you see a vision in the sky of the Holy Spirit coming down on you. Then you hear a voice from heaven—God the Father saying that he is "well pleased" with you (Mark 1:11). Now, you might think, "Of course God is saying this to Jesus! After all, he is the Son of God, so naturally his Father would be pleased with him." But did you ever think about how Jesus might have heard these words? Imagine how much it must have encouraged him, especially as he was beginning his ministry and preparing to enter the desert for a forty-day fast and battle with Satan. Don't forget that Jesus is not just fully divine; he is fully human as well. God the Father surely spoke these words to him not just because he knew the victories Jesus would win or the miracles he would perform. No, he spoke them to affirm his love for Jesus even before he had won any victories or performed any miracles. In a sense, he was doing what any father would do. He was telling his Son that he loves him! In a similar way, we all need to be encouraged—especially by God. The negative voices of the world, the urges of our fallen nature, and the temptations that come from the devil are constantly at work to bring us down. But God wants to remind us over and over that we are his beloved children. He wants to lift us up and urge us to live for him. You probably won't hear an audible voice or see a vision coming down from heaven, but that doesn't mean that God isn't speaking to you. He uses many ways to tell you how much he loves you and how delighted he is with you. He sees your struggles and successes, and he knows how much you want to please him. And so he will tell you, in the quiet of your heart, that he loves you and is committed to caring for you. As you read this passage, see if you can hear the Father whispering to you: "You are my beloved child, and with you I am well pleased." "Heavenly Father, thank you for your amazing love!" 1 John 5:5-13
Psalm 147:12-15, 19-20 | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"Now the testimony of God is this, that he has testified on behalf of his Son." A voice has become flesh and the flesh has given voice. This is the will of God our Father, that has been manifested in us, so that we may manifest Him to the world. How difficult is it to love God? Someone you've never met. Someone you've never seen. How difficult, yet, we have millions and millions of people that do just that; they love idols they've never met, and they follow their lead, and do what they say! Or, we can fall in love with a child in a womb, and you never have met yet! All the while, the government and the darkness want to make sure you never meet! Am I talking about abortion? Or am I talking about cutting the bond between you and Your Father in Heaven? There is no difference, and the message is this: let no thing come in between you and that very love that remains forever. | We pray today;
"He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation; his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem." | In the Gospel today we heard:
" the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens,
"You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."
Who saw this? Who heard this? Because whoever saw or heard this has written it down forever.
Did St. John the Baptist see this? If so, why would he have questioned Jesus at all, when John found himself in jail? Why would he have doubted? Was he even doubting?
I'll tell you what, after having seen things to make one believe, I too still have doubts, and I reach in pleading to our Lord, "are you there? Can you see I'm in need!?". Right? Don't we get that way sometimes?
But who answered the please of God on the Cross? Who? He cried to Our Father "Why have you forsaken me daddy!?"
And this is the beloved one in whom God was pleased!
How in the world would we ever stand a chance above God Himself on the cross?
Our Lord Jesus knows our sufferings, because he took them on Himself in our baptism, the cup of salvation that would be made in Him.
Now we drink of His blood...through suffering and death, to life eternal with Him and in Him, and through Him.
Does this make sense?
May we offer our sufferings, whatever they may be, spiritual, mental, physical, so that our Lord may see that we have something to offer and suffer for him and with Him, even if a little bit.
Today the 3 wise men are celebrated, and in other countries, this is actually the day to bring gifts, to give gifts to others, not on the day of the birth but on the day of visiting and seeing our Lord for the first time.
May we bring gifts to our Lord...of love, both now and always. | .......................†........................
Lord, You are the light we see, and we see only in Your light. May we be one with You for the Father, forever. Amen.
.................................................. adrian |  click to hear | Random Bible Verse 1
Matthew 6:34 34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
