† Quote of the Day "Whenever I go to the chapel, I put myself in the presence of our good Lord, and I say to Him, 'Lord, here I am. Tell me what You would have me do.' If He gives me some task, I am content and I thank Him. If He gives me nothing, I still thank Him since I do not deserve to receive anything more than that. And then, I tell God everything that is in my heart. I tell Him about my pains and my joys, and then I listen. If you listen, God will also speak to you, for with the good Lord, you have to both speak and listen. God always speaks to you when you approach Him plainly and simply."
— St. Catherine Laboure Today's Meditation "When you are at Mass, don't just go through the motions. Ask God to help you find Him in the Eucharist. When you hear or read Scripture, prayerfully ask God what He is saying to you through the words. When you pray, don't just say words at God. Bring your whole self to it, rededicate your life and your relationships to Him, and ask for the grace to be His disciple in all you do. And, of course, take a little time each day to learn more about what it means to love and be loved by Him...The more your faith becomes intrinsic, the more you will be able to put aside your anxiety, sit at the feet of the Lord, and let your heart be still, knowing that He is God. —Dr. Gregory Popcak, p. 67-68 Daily Verse "For you were called for freedom, brothers. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love. For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"
— Galatians 5:13-14 | St. Catherine Laboure St. Catherine Labouré (1806 – 1876) was born in Burgundy, France, the ninth of seventeen children of a pious and prosperous farming family. Her mother died when she was nine years old. After her mother's funeral, Catherine kissed a statue of the Virgin Mary in her home, saying, "Now you will be my mother." Catherine was devout and simple, and did not learn to read or write. She cared for her family for many years and, drawn to the religious life, entered the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in Paris at the age of twenty-two. In the year 1830, on the eve of the feast of St. Vincent de Paul, Catherine experienced her first apparition of the Blessed Mother. Mary entrusted to Catherine the mission of spreading devotion to her Miraculous Medal, the design of which she revealed to the saint in a vision. The Blessed Virgin appeared to Catherine two more times, and eventually the Miraculous Medal was mass-produced, widely promoted, and approved by the Church as a sacramental for public devotion. Catherine preferred anonymity and remained unknown as the visionary to whom Our Lady appeared, even to the sisters of her own convent. She continued to live a quiet life in service to the sick. After her death many miracles were ascribed to her relics. St. Catherine Labouré is one of the Church's incorruptible saints: her body is reposed in a glass casket in the chapel where she received the vision of Our Lady. Her feast day is November 28th | Daily Readings
November 27, 2024
November 28, 2024
November 29, 2024
Readings for the Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time-Thanksgiving Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 506 Reading 1 RV 18:1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9A I, John, saw another angel coming down from heaven,
having great authority,
and the earth became illumined by his splendor.
He cried out in a mighty voice:
"Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.
She has become a haunt for demons.
She is a cage for every unclean spirit,
a cage for every unclean bird,
a cage for every unclean and disgusting beast." A mighty angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone
and threw it into the sea and said: "With such force will Babylon the great city be thrown down,
and will never be found again.
No melodies of harpists and musicians,
flutists and trumpeters,
will ever be heard in you again.
No craftsmen in any trade
will ever be found in you again.
No sound of the millstone
will ever be heard in you again.
No light from a lamp
will ever be seen in you again.
No voices of bride and groom
will ever be heard in you again.
Because your merchants were the great ones of the world,
all nations were led astray by your magic potion." After this I heard what sounded like
the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying: "Alleluia!
Salvation, glory, and might belong to our God,
for true and just are his judgments.
He has condemned the great harlot
who corrupted the earth with her harlotry.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants." They said a second time: "Alleluia! Smoke will rise from her forever and ever." Then the angel said to me, "Write this:
Blessed are those who have been called
to the wedding feast of the Lamb." Responsorial Psalm PS 100:1B-2, 3, 4, 5 R. (Rev. 19: 9a) Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R. Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise;
Give thanks to him; bless his name.
R. Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
For he is good:
the LORD, whose kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R. Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb. Alleluia LK 21:28 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel LK 21:20-28 Jesus said to his disciples:
"When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies,
know that its desolation is at hand.
Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains.
Let those within the city escape from it,
and let those in the countryside not enter the city,
for these days are the time of punishment
when all the Scriptures are fulfilled.
Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days,
for a terrible calamity will come upon the earth
and a wrathful judgment upon this people.
They will fall by the edge of the sword
and be taken as captives to all the Gentiles;
and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles
until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,
and on earth nations will be in dismay,
perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
People will die of fright
in anticipation of what is coming upon the world,
for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
But when these signs begin to happen,
stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand." | Daily Meditation: Luke 21:20-28 Raise your heads! (Luke 21:28) Don't you find today's readings unsettling? In the Gospel, Jesus describes a time when Jerusalem will be plunged into unrelenting violence. And the first reading describes the destruction of "Babylon the great," considered by many scholars to be the city of Rome (Revelation 18:2). Taken together, these two cities symbolize the whole world—the sacred and the profane. No one, it seems, will escape the "terrible calamity" set to "come upon the earth" (Luke 21:23). And so Jesus warned his disciples to help them prepare for whatever was coming. It doesn't take a detailed investigation to see that Jesus' warning is for us as well. We are all aware of how widespread war, violence, famine, and abuse have become. Even our environment (the frightening "roaring" of the oceans—Luke 21:25) is suffering the effects of human sin! So how should we respond? By following Jesus' exhortation: "Stand erect and raise your heads" (Luke 12:28). Lift up your head! Fix your eyes on Jesus and pray. Your prayers have power (James 5:16)! Pray for the healing of people closest to you who are suffering. Pray for the deliverance of those still trapped in cycles of sin and violence. Pray even for world leaders, that they will pursue peace. Lift up your head! Look up to heaven, where the God of mercy reigns. Ask his forgiveness for any way you have contributed to the sin in the world—including the sin of indifference to other people's needs. But also seek the grace to forgive anyone who has hurt you. Pursue the mercy of the Lord so that you can help create an environment of mercy and compassion in your home, neighborhood, or workplace. Lift up your head! Let your faith and trust in the Lord be visible to the people around you. Join your heart with all believers so you can "shine like lights in the world" (Philippians 2:15). Let your peace draw others to the Lord so they can become instruments of peace as well. Never forget the love and faithfulness of the Lord. Let him help you stand firm. And for heaven's sake—and for the sake of everyone else—lift up your head! "Jesus, help me to keep my eyes fixed on you, no matter what!" Revelation 18:1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9
Psalm 100:1-5 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Click to hear Audio | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
" ....." end Gospel quote, word of the Lord. | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus uses apocalyptic language from the prophet Daniel: "On earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory."
I realize how strange and distant all of this can sound, but there is a spiritual point of enormous significance behind all of it: we should not trust in any of the powers of the world to give us security and peace. Such peace will come only with the arrival of God's kingdom.
One of the most enduring convictions of human beings—you can see it up and down the centuries and across the cultures—is that we can make things right if only we find the correct political, economic, or cultural configuration. But you should never put your ultimate faith in any of the kingdoms, social arrangements, or political programs of the world. They are all, in one way or another, attractive, and they are all destined to fall. They all lead to tribulations.
What you should look to is the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven. Now, is this meant in an ultimate sense? Yes, the second coming signals the end of the world as we know it. But the Son of Man is coming on the clouds of heaven even now in the life of the Church. Think of the clouds of incense that accompany the manifestations of Christ in the high liturgy. Even now the true king, the successor of David, is in our midst......" End quote Bishop Barron.
From the end of a Spanish reflecton today:
"God, our Providence,
deliver us from fear
and grant peace in our time.
For your sake, deliver us from our fears,
Lift us up with your mercy:
make us see your promise
and may your salvation be given to us. Blessed are those invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb!
Blessed seas, our Father:
your son
salvation and power.
Pronounce your judgment on us:
may the time of your grace and of the betrothal,
the consummation of your covenant, come to our world." The forecast calls for the coming of our Lord.
The spiritual weather right now is fair and partly cloudy.
There are parts in tehe world receiving great rays of our Lord the Son shining with upwards of hundreds of thousands of conversions to Christ. In other parts it is gloomy and dark.
And you? How does your heart anticipate His coming?
Are you anticipating with joy
Or with fear?
Or do some dread the coming?
It all depends on how your heart is living now, which will be the forever now. |  audio | Random Bible Verse Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So
107 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
