†Quote of the Day
"He who carries God in his heart bears heaven with him wherever he goes."
–St. Ignatius of Loyola †Today's Meditation
"At this point in the season, we always stand teetering between a fuller engagement of the real point and purpose of Advent or getting swept away in the often overwhelming material preparations. Gaudete Sunday invites us to pause in the midst of the activity and breathe deeply. The material celebrations of Christmas come and go each year. But if we let the rich invitation of Advent seep to the core of our hearts, we actually find ourselves freed to prepare more intentionally and celebrate more fully with family and friends."
—Fr. John Burns An Excerpt From
Adore: A Guided Advent Journal for Prayer and Meditation †Daily Verse
"Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
–Matthew 5:19
Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska - Divine Mercy in My Soul (Leather Cover) | St. Patapios St. Patapios (4th c.) was born in Thebes, Egypt. His parents were prominent Christians, and his father was the governor of the region. Patapios was well-educated by the best tutors, and his learning awakened in him a desire to shun the world and its materialism and seek a life of asceticism. Inspired by the manner of life of the Church Fathers, Patapios became a desert hermit upon his father's death. He later moved away to live in a cave near Corinth, and then sailed to Constantinople to live as a simple monk in the Monastery of Blachernae. There he fasted, prayed, and performed miracles until his death at the age of 83. In the early 20th century, a local priest planning renovations discovered his relics after the saint appeared to him in a dream and informed him where they were located. His relics were found the next day holding a large wooden cross on his chest and a parchment scroll bearing his name. St. Patapios' feast day is December 8th. | Monday of the Second Week of Advent Reading 1 Is 35:1-10 The desert and the parched land will exult;
the steppe will rejoice and bloom.
They will bloom with abundant flowers,
and rejoice with joyful song.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to them,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
They will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.
Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
make firm the knees that are weak,
Say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
With divine recompense
he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
Then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing. Streams will burst forth in the desert,
and rivers in the steppe.
The burning sands will become pools,
and the thirsty ground, springs of water;
The abode where jackals lurk
will be a marsh for the reed and papyrus.
A highway will be there,
called the holy way;
No one unclean may pass over it,
nor fools go astray on it.
No lion will be there,
nor beast of prey go up to be met upon it.
It is for those with a journey to make,
and on it the redeemed will walk.
Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return
and enter Zion singing,
crowned with everlasting joy;
They will meet with joy and gladness,
sorrow and mourning will flee. Responsorial Psalm Ps 85:9ab and 10, 11-12, 13-14 R. (Isaiah 35:4f) Our God will come to save us!
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD –for he proclaims peace to his people.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. Our God will come to save us!
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. Our God will come to save us!
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and salvation, along the way of his steps.
R. Our God will come to save us! Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Behold the king will come, the Lord of the earth,
and he himself will lift the yoke of our captivity.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 5:17-26 One day as Jesus was teaching,
Pharisees and teachers of the law,
who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem,
were sitting there,
and the power of the Lord was with him for healing.
And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed;
they were trying to bring him in and set him in his presence.
But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd,
they went up on the roof
and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles
into the middle in front of Jesus.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said,
"As for you, your sins are forgiven." Then the scribes and Pharisees began to ask themselves,
"Who is this who speaks blasphemies?
Who but God alone can forgive sins?"
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply,
"What are you thinking in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,'
or to say, 'Rise and walk'?
But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"–
he said to the one who was paralyzed,
"I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home." He stood up immediately before them,
picked up what he had been lying on,
and went home, glorifying God.
Then astonishment seized them all and they glorified God,
and, struck with awe, they said,
"We have seen incredible things today." | Daily Meditation: Luke 5:17-26 And the power of the Lord was with him. (Luke 5:17) When we hear today's Gospel reading, we often focus on the man's physical healing. Obviously, it was a miraculous event, and it should capture our attention. But as we step back and look again at this passage, we will recognize other amazing things that showed God's power: The power of the Lord was with Jesus as he preached and taught. It was the power of Jesus' words that drew people from Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem (Luke 5:17). It was the power of his words that inspired the friends of the man who was paralyzed to come to Jesus. That power awakened the gift of faith in their hearts and moved them to do whatever it took, even opening up a roof, to place their friend right in front of Jesus. When the Scriptures touch your heart and draw you to Jesus, when you hear the gospel proclaimed and feel moved to respond, that same power is at work in you. The power of the Lord was with Jesus as he forgave sins. This wondrous work in the heart of the paralyzed man was even greater than his legs being made whole. His relationship with his heavenly Father was restored, and he could now live as a redeemed son of God. That same power is at work in you whenever you receive God's forgiveness, especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It's a power that cleanses you and sets you free. It ignites your heart with a desire to walk in the Lord's ways. The power of the Lord was with Jesus as he healed body and mind. Jesus simply spoke, and the man stood up without hesitation. Both his body and his heart were set free. Years of suffering and pain were gone in an instant, and he couldn't help but glorify God (Luke 5:25). Jesus' healing power is at work in you as you come to him in prayer for yourself or when you lay your loved ones at Jesus' feet and ask for relief. It's there as you trust that the Lord will bring freedom and peace. Jesus' power is with you today. So let his word stir your faith. Let him forgive your sins and heal you in both body and mind. "Jesus, help me to trust in the power of the Lord that is with you as you walk with me today." Isaiah 35:1-10
Psalm 85:9-14 |  click to hear 2cents | Reflections with Brother Adrian:
Audio English | From today's 1st Holy Scripture:
"Say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
With divine recompense
he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
Then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing......"_ end of verse.
. . . The lame will leap like a stag, and the tongue of the mute will sing?
The Book of Psalms says: "May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy."
Forever we are to remember the Lord, at every instant, every moment of our lives. We are to live our lives now as we would like to live in Heaven, with love, charity, hope, and sacrifice. And our sacrifices here are worth 1,000 times more. If only we would hearken to the Word of God that makes miracles and life happen unbeknownst before our very eyes. | We pray today:
"I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD –for he proclaims peace to his people. Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him, glory dwelling in our land. Our God will come to save us!......." end of psalm. | In the Gospel today we heard:
"But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd,
they went up on the roof
and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles
into the middle in front of Jesus.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said,
"As for you, your sins are forgiven." ....." end of Gospel verse. | From Bishop Barron today:
"Friends, our Gospel for today tells that wonderful story of the healing of the paralytic. People gather by the dozens to hear Jesus, crowding around the doorway of the house. They bring him a paralyzed man, and because there is no way to get him through the door, they climb up on the roof and open a space to lower him down.
Can I suggest a connection between this wonderful narrative and our present evangelical situation? There are an awful lot of Catholics who are paralyzed, unable to move, frozen in regard to Christ and the Church. This might be from doubt, from fear, from anger, from old resentment, from ignorance, or from self-reproach. Some of these reasons might be good; some might be bad.
Your job, as a believer, is to bring others to Christ. How? A word of encouragement, a challenge, an explanation, a word of forgiveness, a note, a phone call. We notice the wonderful urgency of these people as they bring the sick man to Jesus. Do we feel the same urgency within his Mystical Body today? . . . . ." end quote Bishop Barron.
The lame man, the crippled man walked, and some that were blind began to see this was truly Jesus, and some refused to see, for they were not there for their healing but for their own agenda.
And I'm afraid of the latter group, because what if all I do is to take care of myself and my needs and my own salvation but not there for what God wants for the salvation of others?
And so it happens in Communion, Christ enters our house, and either we leave the same or blessed or worse than when we came in. I say this as I have received the Sacrament of Confession and Holy Communion right before writing to you. And I noticed something. I have a picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on my phone, before confession, it was hard to look at. After Confession and Communion, I could look at it with more love and affection.
Sin makes you want to run from the cross. To flee. To hide. "Get away from me!" is the sentiment of one with bad spirits. This is how lost souls venture further and further from our Lord.
But our Lord remains the same. True and available. He avails Himself as the sun to the earth. We can be fortified by Him or we can try to be children of the night, not needing or wanting to bask in the sun, the very light of God's glory.
This Advent, these weeks leading the coming of our King in the manger, are weeks of opportunity for us to reflect, to spend time with our Lord in prayer, and to restore our relationship with Him.
We celebrate His coming in preparation. Often we talk about those men who helped the crippled man on a stretcher. Community. The importance of being in good friendship with Christ lovers. These are the ones who can help you to Christ. Helping you to Heaven. Are you one of those friends? Do you need one of those friends? We need angels don't we? And we have them! Christ our Lord decided never to leave us alone. Not only does He offer full time angels for us, but He offers Himself, from the Cross, to Heaven and back in the Holy Spirit! We have so much to be thankful for, even giving our very lives for His will. Pray with me:
Lord, I want us to say "We have seen incredible things today." This means we were blind, but now, we are seeing God at work among us. You work so beautifully, so subtly, quiet, graceful, wonderful, patiently, as I grow restless and impatient, despondent and sad. We need rest from our labors, we need more time with You, time we do not make on earth, that we should be making on earth, as it is in Heaven. May every beat of my heart say "I Love YOU", because You are worthy of all my love. Sacred Heart of Jesus, be my love.
Sacred Heart of Jesus. Be my salvation! |  Click To Hear | Random Bible Verse 1
Romans 12:11 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit,1 serve the Lord. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
