†Quote of the Day
"If you become Christ's you will stumble upon wonder upon wonder, and every one of them true."
–St. Brendan †Today's Meditation
"Thus, brethren, God has loved you from eternity, and through pure love, he has selected you from among so many men whom he could have created in place of you; but he has left them in their nothingness, and has brought you into existence, and placed you in the world. For the love of you, he has made so many other beautiful creatures, that they might serve you, and that they might remind you of the love which he has borne to you, and of the gratitude which you owe to him."
—St. Alphonsus Liguori, p. 218 An Excerpt From
The Sermons of St. Alphonsus Liguori †Daily Verse
"You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised. 'For, after just a brief moment, he who is to come shall come; he shall not delay. But my just one shall live by faith, and if he draws back I take no pleasure in him.' We are not among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and will possess life."
–Hebrews 10:36-39 | Dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica in ============
Daily Feast
November 9th is the feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome. It marks the dedication, in 324 A.D., of the cathedral church of Rome after Constantine's Edict of Milan granted religious freedom to Christians. It is the oldest and ranks first among the four Papal Basilicas, and is the official ecclesiastical chair of the Bishop of Rome, the Pope. A Latin inscription in the church reads: "Omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater et caput," translated, "Of all the churches in the city and the world, the mother and head." Its universal celebration is a sign of love for and union with the See of St. Peter, Vicar of Christ.
See More About Today's Feast | St. Benignus St. Benignus of Armagh (d. 467 A.D.) was the son of a pagan Irish chieftain in what is now County Meath in Ireland. He was baptized by St. Patrick and became his loyal follower in the saint's ministry across Ireland. In 450 A.D. Benignus became coadjutor with St. Patrick in the Diocese of Armagh, and also became the first rector of the Catholic school there. St. Benignus was a talented singer and worked to form choral groups wherever they traveled for their missionary work; for this he was called "Patrick's Psalmist." He also assisted with the compilation of the Senchus Mor, the Irish Code of Law, and sat on a number of commissions, councils, and synods that helped further establish the Catholic faith across Ireland. His feast day is November 9th. | Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome Reading 1 Ez 47:1-2, 8-9, 12 The angel brought me
back to the entrance of the temple,
and I saw water flowing out
from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east,
for the façade of the temple was toward the east;
the water flowed down from the southern side of the temple,
south of the altar.
He led me outside by the north gate,
and around to the outer gate facing the east,
where I saw water trickling from the southern side.
He said to me,
"This water flows into the eastern district down upon the Arabah,
and empties into the sea, the salt waters, which it makes fresh.
Wherever the river flows,
every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live,
and there shall be abundant fish,
for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh.
Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow;
their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail.
Every month they shall bear fresh fruit,
for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary.
Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine." Responsorial Psalm Ps 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9 R. (5) The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High!
God is our refuge and our strength,
an ever-present help in distress.
Therefore, we fear not, though the earth be shaken
and mountains plunge into the depths of the sea.
R. The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High!
There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city of God,
the holy dwelling of the Most High.
God is in its midst; it shall not be disturbed;
God will help it at the break of dawn.
R. The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High!
The LORD of hosts is with us;
our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
Come! behold the deeds of the LORD,
the astounding things he has wrought on earth.
R. The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High! Reading 2 1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17 Brothers and sisters:
You are God's building.
According to the grace of God given to me,
like a wise master builder I laid a foundation,
and another is building upon it.
But each one must be careful how he builds upon it,
for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there,
namely, Jesus Christ. Do you not know that you are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
If anyone destroys God's temple,
God will destroy that person;
for the temple of God, which you are, is holy. Alleluia 2 Chr 7:16 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I have chosen and consecrated this house, says the Lord,
that my name may be there forever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Jn 2:13-22 Since the Passover of the Jews was near,
Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves,
as well as the money-changers seated there.
He made a whip out of cords
and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen,
and spilled the coins of the money-changers
and overturned their tables,
and to those who sold doves he said,
"Take these out of here,
and stop making my Father's house a marketplace."
His disciples recalled the words of Scripture,
Zeal for your house will consume me.
At this the Jews answered and said to him,
"What sign can you show us for doing this?"
Jesus answered and said to them,
"Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."
The Jews said,
"This temple has been under construction for forty-six years,
and you will raise it up in three days?"
But he was speaking about the temple of his Body.
Therefore, when he was raised from the dead,
his disciples remembered that he had said this,
and they came to believe the Scripture
and the word Jesus had spoken.
| Daily Meditation: 1 Corinthians 3:9-11, 16-17 You are God's building. (1 Corinthians 3:9) While St. Peter's Basilica might be the most popular church in Rome, today's feast recognizes another important building, the one that serves as the cathedral of the bishop of Rome: the Lateran Basilica. Inside this ancient church, an inscription reads, "The mother and head of all churches of the city and of the world." This church serves as a sign of the unity of all the Catholic churches around the world. It's not just that all these churches are united because of their relationship to the Lateran. We as believers are also united. We are "God's building" and a sign of the physical presence of God in the world. Our foundation is Jesus Christ himself, and it is this shared foundation that unites us all as one (1 Corinthians 3:11). We are part of a Church that spans the whole world and that encompasses a greater diversity of cultures and backgrounds than we can imagine! Even the readers of this magazine span a large portion of the globe. You might be reading this today from India, Nigeria, Mexico, Australia, or any number of other countries. You may be reading it from a correction facility, while on military assignment, in a country experiencing turbulence, or while homebound. None of us are just individual Christians; we are part of something much greater! Today's feast is a chance to celebrate that together, we make up "God's building" throughout the world (1 Corinthians 3:9). Wherever you live, and in whatever circumstances you find yourself, you can rejoice that you are part of a worldwide family of faith. You are not alone! In fact, God promises to not only be with you but to make his dwelling in you! As St. Paul says, "You are the temple of God, and . . . the Spirit of God dwells in you" (3:16). Rejoice today because of his presence in you and in every brother and sister in Christ around the world. "Lord, thank you for making me part of your worldwide family. Thank you for making your home in me!" Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12
Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9
John 2:13-22 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:Audio Link | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"The angel brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water flowing out from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the façade of the temple was toward the east; the water flowed down from the southern side of the temple, south of the altar.........." end of verse.
. . . Does it matter which way you face when you pray?
Does it matter which way your church faces, the facade and the altar? Does it matter where people sit? And the priest?
I do believe everything matters. How special do we make things? That's the point of a temple, or the purpose of using precious metals or elements to give meaning in sacred liturgy. And apparently they thought these things important in the first couple of centuries too.
Our Lord was said to have faced east when crucified. Note the following excerpt from the Didiscalia written in 250 A.D. and see the formality and Eastward direction. By Monsignor Charles Pope's reflection: "Now, in your gatherings, in the holy Church, convene yourselves modestly in places of the brethren, as you will, in a manner pleasing and ordered with care. Let the place of the priests be separated in a part of the house that faces east. In the midst of them is placed the bishop's chair, and with him let the priests be seated. Likewise, and in another section let the laymen be seated facing east. For thus it is proper: that the priests sit with the bishop in a part of the house to the east and after them the lay men and the lay women…Now, you ought to face east to pray, for, as you know, scripture has it, Give praise to God who ascends above the highest heavens to the east… And if there is one to be found who is not sitting in his place let the deacon who is within, rebuke him, and make him to rise and sit in his fitting place… Likewise, the deacon ought to see that there are none who whisper or sleep or laugh or nod off. For in the Church it is necessary to have discipline, sober vigilance, and attentive ear to the Word of the Lord." | We pray today:
" The waters of the river gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High!
God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress. Therefore, we fear not, though the earth be shaken and mountains plunge into the depths of the sea........." Our Lord said it, the earth will shake, there will be wars, there will be terrible things, but take heart, He is with us. Amen? Not too far from where we are, we had a 5.3 magnitude earthquake yesterday. And we hear of terrible things always. I told my students yesterday, we live in an imperfect world. And we have total free will to choose what we want. Very few want to love our Lord with all their heart, mind, and soul. How about you? The waters of His river gladden the city of God, and is this the Heavenly Jerusalem? We are speaking about His dwelling and He wants to dwell within us starting now. In our temple. | In the Gospel today we heard our Lord:
"He made a whip out of cords
and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen,
and spilled the coins of the money-changers
and overturned their tables,
and to those who sold doves he said,
"Take these out of here,
and stop making my Father's house a marketplace."
His disciples recalled the words of Scripture,
Zeal for your house will consume me......" end of Gospel verse. | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, in our Gospel, Jesus performs the dramatic gesture of cleansing the temple. His prophetic vocation will manifest itself in all of his speech, gestures, and actions. Jesus' confrontation with fallen powers and dysfunctional traditions will be highly focused, intense, and disruptive. Standing at the heart of the holy city of Jerusalem, the temple was the political, economic, cultural, and religious center of the nation. Turning over the tables of the money-changers, driving out the merchants, shouting in high dudgeon, and upsetting the order of that place was striking at the most sacred institution of the culture, the unassailable embodiment of the tradition.
It was to show oneself as a critic in the most radical and surprising sense possible. That this act of Jesus the warrior flowed from the depth of his prophetic identity is witnessed to by the author of John's Gospel: "His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, 'Zeal for your house will consume me.'" Many of the historical critics of the New Testament hold that this event—shocking, unprecedented, perverse—is what finally persuaded the leaders that Jesus merited execution...." end quote Bishop Barron.
When is it right to have righteous anger? And was our Lord actually angry in today's passage? The bible doesn't explicitly say He was angry. The only time I could find "anger" in the word search was when the letters are in the word "changer". LOL. Our Lord was the true changer, wasn't He? Out with all the other false changers. He is the true Transformer. He wanted to change the hearts for money and for man, to a heart for God Himself and in Jesus The Son of Man.
There is a way to be graceful when showing correction.
I would rather envision God as He is. Lovingly correcting.
And even that can be hard to take!
Like last night, after Mass, I was walking around our new parking lot with my son waiting for CCD class to start so I could teach RCIC young teens the faith for Sacraments.
Father surprises me and immediately starts critiquing all the parking lot construction we had done (my family business). Keep in mind, we done all this for free, I won't tell you how much it costs to do parking lots, and it is much work. By the time he was done, there were a half dozen things "we should've done" to make it right. Boy, I can't seem to make him happy. And this from a guy that slaves away constantly. But before you jump to conclusions about priests and so forth and start hating on them, let me finish what I got to say.
I love it. I miss that about my dad that has passed away. Boy that's all I got was harsh criticisms about all things I thought he'd be proud of, but it was really never good enough. And I am like that with my kids unfortunately too. I didn't like being told what to do, but that's just the arrogant man in me. Put pride to the side and let the corrections flow. Truth is, father was right, there were indeed many imperfections.
Truth is, he wasn't angry. He was calling out our imperfections back then too, right? Most of the times Holy Scripture says our Lord was "indignant" which can be misinterpreted to make Him out to be an angry God. Depends on who's reading it and their hearts right? Aganaktesis. This is the Greek word for indignation (aganaktesis) communicates a sense of irritation, grief and annoyance at what someone else has done— particularly if it is unjust. Jesus felt this way when the disciples rebuked the people who were bringing children to have him touch them. This is the same word we can see always when He is indignant. Good grief! Right? Because God can grieve. Just like right now, He can grieve over our indignation on Him! We always hear how unfair He is, but it is us pointing the finger, while the rest of the fingers point back to us.
His ways are of righteousness and truth.
He was indignant when they didn't want Him to heal anybody on the Sabbath. Our Father wants what is best for us. For us to look beyond our wants, and our needs. And this my loved one, means faith. Pray with me:
Lord, trusting You means also loving You. This then, is what I want...to amaze You with my faith, My Father in Heaven. Dwell within Me, reside in Me, and there, in my heart, correct me, show me the Way of perfection of Thy Ways of True Love. Your Temple is precious, make this temple of mine such beauty that You may always desire to reside in me. |  Click To Hear | Random Bible Verse 1
John 14:2–3 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?1 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
