†Quote of the Day
"Men do not fear a powerful hostile army as the powers of hell fear the name and protection of Mary."
–St. Bonaventure †Today's Meditation
"Essentially a soldier, the Christian is always on the lookout. He has sharper ears and hears an undertone that others miss; his eyes see things in a particularly candid light, and he senses something to which others are insensible, the streaming of a vital current through all things. He is never submerged in life, but keeps his head and shoulders clear of it and his eyes free to look upward. Consequently he has a deeper sense of responsibility than others. When this awareness and watchfulness disappear, Christian life loses its edge; it becomes dull and ponderous."
—Fr. Romano Guardini, p. 177 An Excerpt From
Meditations Before Mass †Daily Verse
"See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him."
–1 John 3:1 | St. Cecilia St. Cecilia (3rd c.) is one of the most venerated of the virgin martyrs of Rome. Her name is in the Roman Canon of the Mass. According to tradition she made a private vow of chastity to Jesus, yet her parents promised her in marriage to a suitor. On her wedding night, St. Cecilia told her husband that she had not only made a vow to remain a virgin, but that an angel guarded her purity. Her husband agreed to honor her vow and follow Christ if he could also see her guardian angel. She instructed him to first be baptized, and afterwards he was able to see her angel. Cecilia's brother-in-law also converted, and both men were eventually martyred for their faith; but not without first converting their jailer. St. Cecilia was later arrested and also sentenced to death. An executioner struck three blows but was not successful in severing her head from her body; instead, she survived for three days preaching to those who visited her in prison until her last breath. They lovingly soaked up the blood from her wounds with clothes and sponges. Her relics, along with those of her husband, his brother, and the converted jailor, were placed in the church of St. Cecilia in Rome. Because she sang hymns to Jesus in her heart on her wedding day, St. Cecilia is the patron saint of musicians. Her feast day is celebrated on November 22nd. | Memorial of Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr • Readings for the Memorial of Saint Cecilia, virgin and martyr Reading 1 2 Mc 7:1, 20-31 It happened that seven brothers with their mother were arrested
and tortured with whips and scourges by the king,
to force them to eat pork in violation of God's law. Most admirable and worthy of everlasting remembrance was the mother,
who saw her seven sons perish in a single day,
yet bore it courageously because of her hope in the Lord.
Filled with a noble spirit that stirred her womanly heart with manly courage,
she exhorted each of them
in the language of their ancestors with these words:
"I do not know how you came into existence in my womb;
it was not I who gave you the breath of life,
nor was it I who set in order
the elements of which each of you is composed.
Therefore, since it is the Creator of the universe
who shapes each man's beginning,
as he brings about the origin of everything,
he, in his mercy,
will give you back both breath and life,
because you now disregard yourselves for the sake of his law." Antiochus, suspecting insult in her words,
thought he was being ridiculed.
As the youngest brother was still alive, the king appealed to him,
not with mere words, but with promises on oath,
to make him rich and happy if he would abandon his ancestral customs:
he would make him his Friend
and entrust him with high office.
When the youth paid no attention to him at all,
the king appealed to the mother,
urging her to advise her boy to save his life.
After he had urged her for a long time,
she went through the motions of persuading her son.
In derision of the cruel tyrant,
she leaned over close to her son and said in their native language:
"Son, have pity on me, who carried you in my womb for nine months,
nursed you for three years, brought you up,
educated and supported you to your present age.
I beg you, child, to look at the heavens and the earth
and see all that is in them;
then you will know that God did not make them out of existing things;
and in the same way the human race came into existence.
Do not be afraid of this executioner,
but be worthy of your brothers and accept death,
so that in the time of mercy I may receive you again with them." She had scarcely finished speaking when the youth said:
"What are you waiting for?
I will not obey the king's command.
I obey the command of the law given to our fathers through Moses.
But you, who have contrived every kind of affliction for the Hebrews,
will not escape the hands of God." Responsorial Psalm Ps 17:1bcd, 5-6, 8b and 15 R. (15b) Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
Hear, O LORD, a just suit;
attend to my outcry;
hearken to my prayer from lips without deceit.
R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
My steps have been steadfast in your paths,
my feet have not faltered.
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my word.
R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings.
But I in justice shall behold your face;
on waking, I shall be content in your presence.
R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full. Alleluia See Jn 15:16 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I chose you from the world,
to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 19:11-28 While people were listening to Jesus speak,
he proceeded to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem
and they thought that the Kingdom of God
would appear there immediately.
So he said,
"A nobleman went off to a distant country
to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return.
He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins
and told them, 'Engage in trade with these until I return.'
His fellow citizens, however, despised him
and sent a delegation after him to announce,
'We do not want this man to be our king.'
But when he returned after obtaining the kingship,
he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money,
to learn what they had gained by trading.
The first came forward and said,
'Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional ones.'
He replied, 'Well done, good servant!
You have been faithful in this very small matter;
take charge of ten cities.'
Then the second came and reported,
'Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.'
And to this servant too he said,
'You, take charge of five cities.'
Then the other servant came and said,
'Sir, here is your gold coin;
I kept it stored away in a handkerchief,
for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding man;
you take up what you did not lay down
and you harvest what you did not plant.'
He said to him,
'With your own words I shall condemn you,
you wicked servant.
You knew I was a demanding man,
taking up what I did not lay down
and harvesting what I did not plant;
why did you not put my money in a bank?
Then on my return I would have collected it with interest.'
And to those standing by he said,
'Take the gold coin from him
and give it to the servant who has ten.'
But they said to him,
'Sir, he has ten gold coins.'
He replied, 'I tell you,
to everyone who has, more will be given,
but from the one who has not,
even what he has will be taken away.
Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king,
bring them here and slay them before me.'" After he had said this,
he proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem.
| Daily Meditation: 2 Maccabees 7:1, 20-31 [God] will give you back both breath and life. (2 Maccabees 7:23) The reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175–164 BC) was a time of terrible suffering for the Jewish people. Unlike his predecessors, Antiochus imposed Greek ways—and Greek idol worship—upon the people. He sought to force the Jews to abandon the Lord and swear loyalty to the gods of the Greeks instead. Many gave in, but a few resisted, even to the point of death. Today's first reading tells the story of one family whose brave faithfulness to the Lord cost them their lives. We hear this story—and others like it—at Mass this week and the next as we come to the end of the liturgical year. They are stories about persecutions of the righteous and parables of God's final judgment. And right in the middle, we celebrate the feast of Christ the King, who will ultimately have the victory in this epic battle between good and evil. It may be a little intimidating to find our own small role in this grand story. How do we embrace the long view of salvation while enduring our own hardship and suffering? It can be hard to picture ourselves sharing victory with Jesus! But those are the times when we need to pursue the Lord even more persistently. What trials have brought you to your knees? Perhaps you have felt like this mother of the seven martyred sons. You may have seen someone you love doing battle with addiction, disease, or trauma. If so, you know that there is no magic wand that will make everything better. There are no pious platitudes that erase the pain. And yet like the mother in today's story, the promise of our resurrection can bring us hope. Our relationship with the risen Lord can assure us that sin and death don't have the final word. The fruit of Jesus' resurrection is already available to you; he can help you in every affliction (Romans 8:31-39). Jesus knows your needs. Even now he is interceding for you before the throne of his Father. Take courage and let him strengthen you to face whatever this day brings. "Jesus, I trust in your resurrection!" Psalm 17:1, 5-6, 8, 15
Luke 19:11-28 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:Audio Link | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"She had scarcely finished speaking when the youth said:
"What are you waiting for?
I will not obey the king's command.
I obey the command of the law given to our fathers through Moses.
But you, who have contrived every kind of affliction for the Hebrews,
will not escape the hands of God."......"_ end of verse.
. . . And the question then is "who is your king"?
We all claim Jesus is our King, at least if we are Christian you should claim Him as our King.
Do we follow and obey our King and give our lives for Him? He has already done so for us. | We pray today:
"My steps have been steadfast in your paths,
my feet have not faltered.
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my word.
Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings.
But I in justice shall behold your face;
on waking, I shall be content in your presence...." end of psalm. | In the Gospel today we heard our Lord:
"He said to him,
'With your own words I shall condemn you,
you wicked servant.
You knew I was a demanding man,
taking up what I did not lay down
and harvesting what I did not plant;
why did you not put my money in a bank?
Then on my return I would have collected it with interest......." end of Gospel verse. | From Bishop Barron today:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus tells a parable that demonstrates the significance of a life of goodness and faithfulness. How do we make the all-important judgment about the quality of our lives, one that touches not simply on what we are to do but on who we are to be? How do we know?
In another place, Jesus had said that a tree is known by its fruits. And Paul makes this very specific. He tells us that the fruit of the Holy Spirit is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." He implies that the Spirit's presence in one's life can be read from its radiance in these soul-expanding qualities.
I have often spoken of the magna anima (the great soul) of the saint in contrast to the pusilla anima (the cramped soul) of the sinner. And the fruit of the Spirit can make the difference. Love is willing the good of another; patience bears with the troublesome; faithfulness is a dedication to a partner or friend; self-control restricts the havoc that the ego can cause; and so on. All of the fruits of the Spirit are marks of an expansive and outward-looking magna anima." end quote Bishop Barron.
Wouldn't you like to hear rather, the words from our King's mouth say: "'Well done, good servant! You have been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of ....cities".
None of us want to hear: "With your own words I shall condemn you, you wicked servant."
And why was the servant a wicked servant? Because, he did not trust in the King. And by not trusting, it meant that he inadvertently believed the King was a hard and punishing and even a bad person, right? That's what it means when you don't trust someone, right? Can you truly be a good servant if you live this way? How does a love relationship even work if one does not love the other by fully trusting the other? It doesn't work too good, right? There's always tension, there's always a problem to deal with, right?
That's not what our Lord wants. He loves us full heartedly, it is us that have a hard time trusting Him with our lives, our finances, our loved ones, our health, in a word, trusting Him with everything!
So what kind of a servant am I?
What kind of a servant are you?
As a leader at work, and church, and family, I see a common factor among all peoples, everyone things they are good and my question is, who says you are as great as you say you are?
For example, an employee demands a raise, in their eyes they say they are the best of all employees, naming all their good qualities and pointing out all the flaws of the not so good employees. How much better they are. In my eyes I see a whole other story, they are average, and in many ways not as good as others in other qualities.
And the same at church. Everyone things they are good too. How can I say that? Because the lines to confessionals are practically nonexistent! It's not rocket science. And so we have quarreling, bickering, fighting, arguing, nobody trusts nobody. Same as at work, and same as at home.
At home, or in my family in general, the same thing happens. One thinks they are good and call the other person bad. And bickering and fighting happens. And I'm talking about toddlers but relatives afar too. Where is all of this distrust, this darkness coming from?
Our Lord is demanding, yes. He wants to reap fruit that we were to make grow with His gifts! Is that so hard? What fruit? Are you ready for the truth? The fruit of love. This fuels Heaven with a light that is not possible in Heaven without you and me. It is good! It makes the world operate as it should!
But those who don't want to hear this message, their love will be buried in the dirt, and then when picked back up, the King, on the last day will say "what have you done?".
Don't ask a protestant about this Gospel parable, they will ignore it and declare "faith alone", but "faith without works is dead" it says in the Holy Scripture.
And trust me, this whole true sacrificial love thing is not easy...to one who loves themselves more. For instance, I've been trying to figure out how in the Book of Heaven how this suffering lady suffers for and with Jesus. How? Why? How can you offer your sufferings for Him? And could this be an act of love too? Yes. Because her offerings were accepted to help Jesus. They say sufferings are actually good. But the world says suffering is bad and so God is not good because there is suffering. We have it all backwards! The mere fact that we say this is to bury our talent in the sand. How much good would come in the world if we offered voluntary and involuntary suffering to our Lord! A blast of shining light would surprise the Heavens.
Alas. We can. We can offer ourselves to God in everything we do. A visit to see Him. In the Blessed Sacrament. The confessional. A sick or lonely person. A light unto the dark. Pray with me:
Lord, help me discover my talents so I can offer them to Heaven, because I know they are so valuable to You. Help us discover the value of such a gift. |  Click To Hear | Random Bible Verse 1
Acts 2:38
38 And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
