†Quote of the Day
"Can there be a more fitting pursuit in youth or a more valuable possession in old age than a knowledge of Holy Scripture? In the midst of storms it will preserve you from the dangers of shipwreck and guide you to the shore of an enchanting paradise and the ever-lasting bliss of the angels."
–St. Boniface †Today's Meditation
"Know that our faith is strengthened by the resurrection of Christ. The passion of Christ represents the misery of our present life, while the resurrection of Christ gives us a brilliant glimpse of the happiness of the future life. Let us apply ourselves energetically in the present life, and hope in the future. Now is the time for painful struggle; then will come the recompense. Those who are lazy about carrying out their work will be brazenly impudent if they expect the recompense."
—St. Augustine, p. 61 An Excerpt From
Augustine Day by Day †Daily Verse
"Therefore, from the day we heard this, we do not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding to live in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God."
–Colossians 1:9-10 | Bl. Maria Fortunata Viti Blessed Maria Fortunata Viti (1827–1922) was born in Italy, the eldest daughter of nine children. Her father had a gambling and alcohol addiction, and her mother died when she was 14 years old. Maria then cared for her younger siblings and worked as a housekeeper to earn money for the family as her father sunk deeper into his addiction. Maria rejected an offer for marriage, deciding instead to become a Benedictine nun at the age of 24. Sr. Maria Fortunata, illiterate her entire life, spent more than seventy years in the monastery as a housekeeper attending to the washing, sewing, and other simple tasks, which was her path to holiness. She was admired for her great simplicity of heart, and her confessor testified that she was often accosted by the devil with threats, physical attacks, and vile insults in attempts to break her virtue. She had great devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and made frequent visits to the chapel tabernacle as she carried out her daily tasks. She died at the age of 95, and after her death miracles were reported at her grave. She is a patron saint against poverty, temptations, loss of parents, and mental illness. Her feast day is November 20th. | Monday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 1 Mc 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63 [From the descendants of Alexander's officers]
there sprang a sinful offshoot, Antiochus Epiphanes,
son of King Antiochus, once a hostage at Rome.
He became king in the year one hundred and thirty seven
of the kingdom of the Greeks. In those days there appeared in Israel
men who were breakers of the law,
and they seduced many people, saying:
"Let us go and make an alliance with the Gentiles all around us;
since we separated from them, many evils have come upon us."
The proposal was agreeable;
some from among the people promptly went to the king,
and he authorized them to introduce the way of living
of the Gentiles.
Thereupon they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem
according to the Gentile custom.
They covered over the mark of their circumcision
and abandoned the holy covenant;
they allied themselves with the Gentiles
and sold themselves to wrongdoing. Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people,
each abandoning his particular customs.
All the Gentiles conformed to the command of the king,
and many children of Israel were in favor of his religion;
they sacrificed to idols and profaned the sabbath. On the fifteenth day of the month Chislev,
in the year one hundred and forty-five,
the king erected the horrible abomination
upon the altar of burnt offerings
and in the surrounding cities of Judah they built pagan altars.
They also burned incense at the doors of the houses and in the streets.
Any scrolls of the law which they found they tore up and burnt.
Whoever was found with a scroll of the covenant,
and whoever observed the law,
was condemned to death by royal decree.
But many in Israel were determined
and resolved in their hearts not to eat anything unclean;
they preferred to die rather than to be defiled with unclean food
or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die.
Terrible affliction was upon Israel. Responsorial Psalm Ps 119:53, 61, 134, 150, 155, 158 R. (see 88) Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
Indignation seizes me because of the wicked
who forsake your law.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
Though the snares of the wicked are twined about me,
your law I have not forgotten.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
Redeem me from the oppression of men,
that I may keep your precepts.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
I am attacked by malicious persecutors
who are far from your law.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
Far from sinners is salvation,
because they seek not your statutes.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
I beheld the apostates with loathing,
because they kept not to your promise.
R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands. Alleluia Jn 8:12 R. Allelujia, alleluia.
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 18:35-43 As Jesus approached Jericho
a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging,
and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening.
They told him,
"Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."
He shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!"
The people walking in front rebuked him,
telling him to be silent,
but he kept calling out all the more,
"Son of David, have pity on me!"
Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him;
and when he came near, Jesus asked him,
"What do you want me to do for you?"
He replied, "Lord, please let me see."
Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you."
He immediately received his sight
and followed him, giving glory to God.
When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.
| Daily Meditation: Luke 18:35-43 He kept calling out all the more. (Luke 18:39) You may have heard the saying "The squeaky wheel gets the grease." Sometimes people use it negatively, to point out someone who complains too long and too loudly. But normally, people just mean that if you want something, you have to be persistent about asking for it. There are times in life when we should speak up about what we need or we may never get it—especially when it comes to prayer. "Squeaking" is what the blind man begging by the side of the road was doing when he heard that Jesus was passing by. Certainly he was accustomed to asking for what he needed. So his first instinct was to let Jesus know his needs right away. However, with such a large crowd in front of him, he had to speak up to get noticed! Yet the people tried to get him to be quiet. Perhaps they thought that he was too pushy or loud. They might even have thought that, given his lowly status, the man should keep his mouth shut. Who did this beggar think he was to keep bothering Jesus like that? There's a lesson here for us. We believe in Jesus' love, and we know that we can come to him and ask for help. But do we? Sometimes "the crowd" rebukes us and stops us. Instead of hostile onlookers, though, that "crowd" is often the voices in our own heads—voices that tell us that Jesus may listen to everyone else, but he won't listen to us. Or that we don't deserve his help. Or that because we don't see an answer right away, we should just give up. Don't listen to those voices! Keep calling out to Jesus, just as the blind man did! Perhaps you have a friend or relative who has been dealing with a really difficult issue for a long time. It seems hopeless. But don't stop praying, because a solution might be just around the corner. Or perhaps you face a seemingly impossible situation in your own life. Be insistent and persistent in your prayer. Jesus hears your prayers. He is asking you today, "What do you want me to do for you?" (Luke 18:41). "Lord, I come to you with my needs. Help me to never stop calling out to you!" 1 Maccabees 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63
Psalm 119:53, 61, 134, 150, 155, 158 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:Audio Link | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"But many in Israel were determined
and resolved in their hearts not to eat anything unclean; they preferred to die rather than to be defiled with unclean food or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die. Terrible affliction was upon Israel........" end of verse.
. . . Did you see how fervent they were in their faith? They said "they preferred to die rather than to be defiled with unclean food or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die."
Some saints lived by that motto "I rather die than to sin". These are like shining lights in our dark world. Can you shine like that? The purpose of me reaching out to you is that you do indeed let the light shine from within, and that light is Christ. | We pray today:
"I beheld the apostates with loathing,
because they kept not to your promise.
Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands......" end of psalm. | In the Gospel today we heard our Lord:
""What do you want me to do for you?"
He replied, "Lord, please let me see."
Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you."
He immediately received his sight
and followed him, giving glory to God......." end of Gospel verse. | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus heals a blind man. The Lord asks, "What do you want me to do for you?" He replies, "Lord, please let me see." Jesus tells him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you."
Taking this story as their inspiration, many of the Fathers of the Church said that it is through Christ's power and presence that we are able to see the world aright. The problem is that we pretend we are not sinners; we become blind to our blindness. Often the most important step in one's spiritual development is an awakening to just how lost one is.
Dante's Divine Comedy opens with the line: "Midway on the journey of our life I awoke to find myself alone and lost in a dark wood, having wandered from the straight path." Dante's adventure of the spirit, which will take him from hell to purgatory to heaven, can begin only when he wakes from a slumber of complacency and self-righteousness, only when he comes to the painful realization that he stands in need of grace.
The breakthrough of God's grace is sometimes a harsh and dreadful thing, especially when it cracks open the defensive shell of our self-righteousness....."_ end quote from Bishop Barron.
We like to sin, that's why we have a problem with letting it go. We are blind then, in a sense. So do you want to be healed?
Do you want to be free from sin? There is a need in our world, that I see...we need a true desire for true freedom in Jesus. To be free from sin. We need a savior. But how can we desire our Lord? Many in the world do not know our Lord. Therefore, they act like they do not care. That is why I ask, "what do you desire?' And it is a trick question, because the question should be read "who do you desire?".
Today, we hear a blind man being silenced. Who or what is trying to silence you as you try to be a holier person in God? Who is trying to put out your light?
For sure, it is a good sign when others are trying to silence you!
How? Why? It is a sign that you are on the right path. I always try to encourage those that are let down by others in our church. "It is not for them that you are here, you are here for our Lord, look beyond what you see".
Pray with me:
Lord I cannot see what You see! Help me to see what You desire! |  Click To Hear | Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 51:10 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right1 spirit within me. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
