†Quote of the Day
"My Morning Offering
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the salvation of souls, the reparation of sins, the reunion of all Christians, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father this month. Amen. †Quote of the Day
"I ask you to consider that our Lord Jesus Christ is your true head and that you are a member of his body. He belongs to you as the head belongs to the body. All that is his is yours: breath, heart, body, soul and all his faculties. All of these you must use as if they belonged to you, so that in serving him you may give him praise, love and glory."
–St. John Eudes †Today's Meditation
"Since Jesus has gone to Heaven now, I can only follow the traces He has left behind. But how bright these traces are! How fragrant and divine! I have only to glance at the Gospels; at once this fragrance from the life of Jesus reaches me, and I know which way to run: to the lowest, not the highest place!"
—St. Therese of Lisieux, p.b153-154 An Excerpt From
The Story of a Soul †Daily Verse
"For whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope."
–Romans 15:4 | Presentation of Mary November 21st is the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. According to tradition, the Blessed Virgin Mary was consecrated to God as a young child; when she reached three years of age her holy parents, St. Anne and St. Joachim, presented her before God in the Jerusalem temple where she was to be educated and raised. This dedication was a result of a promise St. Anne made to God while she suffered from many years of infertility. The liturgical celebration honoring this event appeared in the East much earlier then it did in the West. In the late Middle Ages it was promoted as a feast day for the universal Church. | Bl. Maria Franciszka Siedliska Bl. Maria Franciszka Siedliska (1842-1902) was born to a noble and wealthy family in Warsaw, Poland. When a Capuchin friar prepared her for her First Holy Communion, she began to desire the religious life and made a private act of consecration to God. Her father was greatly opposed and said he would rather see her dead than lost to the cloister. Her vocation was not deterred, and she went to Rome to obtain the Pope's blessing for founding an active apostolic Order modeled on the hidden virtues of the Holy Family. The Congregation of Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth was formed in 1875, and she took the name Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd. In 1885 the Nazareth Sisters arrived in New York, eventually settling near Chicago where they made their first foundation in the U.S.A. She was beatified by Pope St. John Paul II in 1989. Her feast day is November 21. | Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary • Readings for the Memorial of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary Reading 1 2 Mc 6:18-31 Eleazar, one of the foremost scribes,
a man of advanced age and noble appearance,
was being forced to open his mouth to eat pork.
But preferring a glorious death to a life of defilement,
he spat out the meat,
and went forward of his own accord to the instrument of torture,
as people ought to do who have the courage to reject the food
which it is unlawful to taste even for love of life.
Those in charge of that unlawful ritual meal took the man aside privately,
because of their long acquaintance with him,
and urged him to bring meat of his own providing,
such as he could legitimately eat,
and to pretend to be eating some of the meat of the sacrifice
prescribed by the king;
in this way he would escape the death penalty,
and be treated kindly because of their old friendship with him.
But Eleazar made up his mind in a noble manner,
worthy of his years, the dignity of his advanced age,
the merited distinction of his gray hair,
and of the admirable life he had lived from childhood;
and so he declared that above all
he would be loyal to the holy laws given by God. He told them to send him at once
to the abode of the dead, explaining:
"At our age it would be unbecoming to make such a pretense;
many young people would think the ninety-year-old Eleazar
had gone over to an alien religion.
Should I thus pretend for the sake of a brief moment of life,
they would be led astray by me,
while I would bring shame and dishonor on my old age.
Even if, for the time being, I avoid the punishment of men,
I shall never, whether alive or dead,
escape the hands of the Almighty.
Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now,
I will prove myself worthy of my old age,
and I will leave to the young a noble example
of how to die willingly and generously
for the revered and holy laws." Eleazar spoke thus,
and went immediately to the instrument of torture.
Those who shortly before had been kindly disposed,
now became hostile toward him because what he had said
seemed to them utter madness.
When he was about to die under the blows,
he groaned and said:
"The Lord in his holy knowledge knows full well that,
although I could have escaped death,
I am not only enduring terrible pain in my body from this scourging,
but also suffering it with joy in my soul
because of my devotion to him."
This is how he died,
leaving in his death a model of courage
and an unforgettable example of virtue
not only for the young but for the whole nation. Responsorial Psalm PS 3:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 R. (6b) The Lord upholds me.
O LORD, how many are my adversaries!
Many rise up against me!
Many are saying of me,
"There is no salvation for him in God." R. The Lord upholds me.
But you, O LORD, are my shield;
my glory, you lift up my head!
When I call out to the LORD,
he answers me from his holy mountain. R. The Lord upholds me.
When I lie down in sleep,
I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.
I fear not the myriads of people
arrayed against me on every side.
R. The Lord upholds me. Alleluia 1 Jn 4:10b R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God loved us, and sent his Son
as expiation for our sins.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 19:1-10 At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town.
Now a man there named Zacchaeus,
who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man,
was seeking to see who Jesus was;
but he could not see him because of the crowd,
for he was short in stature.
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus,
who was about to pass that way.
When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said,
"Zacchaeus, come down quickly,
for today I must stay at your house."
And he came down quickly and received him with joy.
When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying,
"He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner."
But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord,
"Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor,
and if I have extorted anything from anyone
I shall repay it four times over."
And Jesus said to him,
"Today salvation has come to this house
because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.
For the Son of Man has come to seek
and to save what was lost."
| Daily Meditation: 2 Maccabees 6:18-31 I will leave to the young a noble example. (2 Maccabees 6:28) Eleazar was one of the leading teachers of the Law of Moses during a time of intense persecution of the Jewish people. A distinguished older man, he was revered by his fellow Jews, especially the younger generations, for his wisdom and devotion to the Lord. Eleazar was also shrewd. He knew that his words and actions had an outsized effect on the young people who were also suffering persecution. When the pagan occupiers of Jerusalem arrested Eleazar, they gave him two choices: either publicly eat pork, in disobedience to the Law, or face torture and execution. His captors even proposed that he just pretend to eat the pork—as long as everyone else thought he had given in. But Eleazar chose death. He knew how many young people looked up to him, and he didn't want to spare his life if it meant leading them astray. Now, this is a very dramatic and extreme example of the influence one person's life can have. But don't dismiss it because of the drama! You can make a difference in people's lives! Just think of the people whose witness has affected you. Not just your parents or your pastor, but everyday parishioners or friends. Think of the stories of the saints and their enduring legacy for generations of believers. People notice your life just as much. They see your patience. They see your kindness and generosity. They see your faithfulness to your family and friends. They see how you handle disappointments, grief, and suffering. Every time you choose the way of Christ over the way of the world—even if it's quiet or subtle or unstated—your life becomes a testimony to the love of God. When it comes to spiritual matters, we humans have a way of underestimating the effect we can have. It's easy to forget that the Holy Spirit is at work in us—and in the people around us. It's easy to forget his ability to take our actions, fill them with his grace and power, and use them to reveal himself. Your decisions matter because you matter! "Thank you, Lord, for using me as a vessel of your grace!" Psalm 3:2-7
Luke 19:1-10 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:Audio Link | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
Eleazar spoke thus, "The Lord in his holy knowledge knows full well that, although I could have escaped death, I am not only enduring terrible pain in my body from this scourging,
but also suffering it with joy in my soul
because of my devotion to him."
This is how he died,
leaving in his death a model of courage
and an unforgettable example of virtue
not only for the young but for the whole nation......." end of verse.
. . . Yesterday we heard about someone saying that they'd rather die than to sin. Today we heard the same from an elder, a man that was looked on as a leader, a teacher. It is fitting to think of the culmination of all the Old Testament in one Man, our Lord Jesus Christ, who very well could've said the same without speaking; "The Lord (our Father) in his holy knowledge knows full well that, although I could have escaped death, I am not only enduring terrible pain in my body from this scourging,
but also suffering it with joy in my soul
because of my devotion to him." Could this be your life too? Could you offer yourself to our Father our Lord in the same manner? Yes. Daily. Yes. It is a practice of daily suffering and dying. How would you have offered this day for our Lord? How would you have sacrificed this life if every day can be counted as a life? From the moment that you wake up, to the moment you lie your head, this is a daily life, and for this, we need our daily bread, our sustenance from Heaven...our Lord Himself! | We pray today:
"The Lord upholds me. When I lie down in sleep, I wake again, for the LORD sustains me. I fear not the myriads of people
arrayed against me on every side.
The Lord upholds me...." end of psalm. | In the Gospel today we heard our Lord:
"When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said,
"Zacchaeus, come down quickly,
for today I must stay at your house."
And he came down quickly and received him with joy.
When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying,
"He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner." ......" end of Gospel verse. | From a Spanish Reflection today (with google translate):
"And the eyes of Jesus, as he passed by the sycamore, fixed on Zacchaeus and invited him to come down from the tree. But that look had already penetrated the heart of the tax collector and had awakened in him the desire to change, but it was not a desire of the moment but rather a radical and total one. What a profound view of Jesus that destroyed the conversion of Zacchaeus! As Pope Francis says: "Jesus' gaze goes beyond sins and prejudices; "Look at the person with the eyes of God, who does not remain in the bad past, but glimpses the good future."
Whoever allows himself to be seduced by the kind gaze of the Lord opens himself to the mercy of the Father God and makes it possible for salvation to come to his life and to his house. Today we celebrate the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the temple: the best example of what God is capable of doing in a creature who listens to and accepts her Word. Mary's welcoming attitude made God's salvation dwell in her heart and in her body. And the world will be filled with hope and joy. Something new and extraordinary had emerged.
The look of Jesus made Zacchaeus come down from the tree "immediately", made Jesus stay in his house, made Zacchaeus offer him a banquet and tell him: "Look, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone, I will restore him four times as much." Zacchaeus threw away all his previous life and embarked on a new path. It was worth leaving everything for that kind and trusting look of Jesus! The Gospel doesn't say it, but surely that many would change their lives before the example of Zacchaeus. I hope that many people who look at us, also through our testimony of faith and life, can say like Zacchaeus "I want to know Jesus."
Zacchaeus is a paradigm of the one who, knowing Jesus, not only quickly divests himself of material things, but also allows his interior to be transformed by grace to begin a new life project, much in spite of those who perhaps judged that they should purge . otherwise the many sins of him. God's grace works differently! Divine mercy has its own rules and barometers." end quote from Jose Luis C.M.F.
Zacchaeus was a happy camper, and the rest were grumpy grumblers. It's like that today. Pope Francis refuses to ostracize a group of sinners, looking to them with a loving gaze, and we have extreme "traditionalists" that seemingly hate the Pope for even directing a single word to the pride movement people. Remember we are to love the sinner but to hate the sin? The pride people are so happy they got a letter from the pope and the grumpy grumblers ridicule the Pope. Not much has changed since our Lord walked this earth!
It is like that with our priest, find any fault and we have a grumpy group that is extremely upset with how he
'deals with people". You will never make everyone happy! And it has been like this with EVERY single priest that I've known in my life in my parish. A new priest comes in, and a group leaves the church, and a new group comes in. Let this get through our heads, "It's NOT the Priest!". It's NOT the Bishop! It's NOT the POPE that needs to change! The message is not just for the shepherd! It is for the entire flock! I'm starting to attempt to write a book, and in an interview with a family member on this biography the 70 year old person being interviewed said "people are not like they were before, nowadays people complain with their mouth full!" because he came from the poorest of poor in slums of a third world country. We are so privileged to have the opportunity to have church, and a priest too! Yet we are ungrateful. We have tremendous opportunities for more meetings and classes and workshops, but so very few want to come! Lots of chiefs, no Indians! And that there is my dilemma.
Why don't we love God and want to spend ALL our time with God? In all meaning of the word humility and servitude.
Who do you rather spend it with?
Who would you rather spend it with forever?
We need to get our senses right. It is illogical to choose anything or anyone above God.
Eleazar chose death than to save his life for his loved ones.
He chose God, dying to self and dying for God.
God is love. So Eleazar died for Love's sake.
How can I convince you that God our Father is everything and means everything? That's my dilemma. And so, I'm on a never ending quest....I too must find a way to love Him with all my soul, strength, body, strength....all my heart, just like Mother Mary. Pray with me:
Mother of God pray for us, so that we may love Father God eternally more.
Saint Eleazar pray for us, so that we may love Father God eternally more.
Saint Zacchaeus pray for us, so that we may love Father God eternally more! |  Click To Hear | Random Bible Verse 1
Luke 12:6–7 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?1 And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
