† Quote of the Day "If you suffer with Him, you will reign with Him. If you cry with Him, you will have joy with Him. If you die with Him on the cross of tribulation, you will possess the eternal dwelling place in the splendor of the saints. And your name, written in the book of life, will be glorious among men." — St. Clare of Assisi Today's Meditation "Throughout the year, Friday is meant to be a day of penance and self-denial. We make sacrifices on Fridays to recall Christ's great sacrifice on Good Friday. In part, our sacrifices discipline and test our attachment to created goods. When we deny ourselves little comforts, our suffering sheds light on the many ways we cling too tightly to the offerings of this world. Mortification leads to self-mastery, a process that purifies our ability to lift our eyes from passing goods and set them instead upon the everlasting good that is God Almighty." —Fr. John Burns, p. 23 An excerpt from Adore: A Guided Advent Journal for Prayer and Meditation Daily Verse "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." — Matthew 11:28-30 | St. Catherine Of Alexandria St. Catherine of Alexandria (4th c.) was born to a noble pagan family in Alexandria, Egypt, and her father was governor of the city. She was an intelligent child who devoted herself to study, and converted to the Christian faith after the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to her in a vision. Many of her fellow Christians were put to death under the reign of Roman Emperor Maxentius. Catherine, at the age of 18, rebuked the emperor to his face for this injustice, giving a skillful defense of the Christian faith. In response, Maxentius brought fifty of his best philosophers to debate with her and refute her claims. St. Catherine not only won the argument by confounding her opponents, but she caused many of them to convert to the Christian faith. The emperor offered Catherine a royal marriage if she would renounce her faith, but she refused. She was imprisoned, and while in captivity, through her newfound fame, converted the emperor's wife and two hundred of his soldiers. When this was discovered, Maxentius had them all put to death. Catherine was to be tortured and killed by being torn apart on a spiked wheel, but the wheel fell to pieces when it touched her. She was finally martyred by beheading. St. Catherine is the patroness of philosophers, preachers, lawyers, apologists, scholars, and librarians, to name a few. Her feast day is celebrated on November 25th. | Optional Memorial of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr Lectionary: 683C Below are the readings suggested for today's Memorial. However, readings for the Memorial may also be taken from the Common of Martyrs (#713-718), or the Common of Virgins (#731-736). Reading 1 Revelation 21:5-7 The One who was seated on the throne said:
"Behold, I make all things new."
Then he said, "Write these words down,
for they are trustworthy and true."
He said to me, "They are accomplished.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
To the thirsty I will give a gift
from the spring of life-giving water.
The victor will inherit these gifts,
and I shall be his God,
and he will be my son." Responsorial Psalm Psalm 124:2-3, 4-5, 7cd-8 R. (7) Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare.
Had not the LORD been with us–
When men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive
When their fury was inflamed against us.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare.
Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us;
over us then would have swept
the raging waters.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare.
Broken was the snare,
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare. Alleluia See Te Deum R. Alleluia, alleluia.
We praise you, O God,
we acclaim you as Lord;
the white-robed army of martyrs praises you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Matthew 10:28-33 Jesus said to his Apostles:
"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father." | Daily Meditation: Luke 21:1-4 This poor widow put in more than all the rest. (Luke 21:3) A famous Indian athlete once decided to give a very large donation to Mother Teresa. He wanted to give it to her in person, so he traveled to Kolkata. Finding her in the Home for the Dying she had established, he told her his intention. But she replied, "It is not your money that I want; rather, your time. Can you spare your time in taking care of the sick and needy?" The man had no answer. This story can help us understand what Jesus was saying about the people who were giving money at the Temple. He knew that, like this wealthy athlete, many of them were giving from their surplus. They could afford to give more, but they chose a comfortable amount. That's why he praised the widow who gave what she could not afford to give. She had no means of support. These two small coins were all she had to meet her needs. So she was putting much more than loose change into the treasury. She was giving a gift that cost her something, a sacrifice of her own life. Why does Jesus honor sacrificial giving so much? Because love itself is sacrificial. Love calls us to give, and that costs us something. The widow's gift shows that God was her highest good. Part of what is beautiful about her sacrifice—or any sacrifice—is the generosity it demonstrates. But another beautiful part is the trust it shows in the One who will meet our needs. When we give in a spirit of selfless love, we are opening ourselves up to Jesus in a way that giving from our excess does not. So ask yourself whether there is an area in your life that you might be reluctant to offer to the Lord. Is there some way that you could give more of yourself to him? If you listen for the prompting of the Holy Spirit, he will help you discern how to give and where. He may call you to give more money to a local charity or maybe to give more of your time to your family, your coworkers, or your friends. Or maybe he will ask you to give attention to your prayer. Whatever sacrifice you are led to make, you can be sure that it will bring you closer to Jesus! "Lord, help me to live a sacrificial life—to give without counting the cost out of love for you!" Revelation 14:1-5
Psalm 24:1-6 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Click to hear Audio | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Jesus said to his Apostles:
"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father."......" end Gospel quote, word of the Lord. | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, today's Gospel tells of the poor widow who gave her last penny to the temple treasury. Her behavior makes us consider our possessiveness. What do we tell ourselves all the time? That we're not happy because we don't have all the things that we should have or that we want to have. What follows from this is that life becomes a constant quest to get, to acquire, to attain possessions.
Do you remember the parable about the foolish rich man? When his barns were filled with all his possessions, he decided to tear them down and build bigger ones. Why is he a fool? Because (and I want you to repeat this to yourself as I say it) you have everything you need right now to be happy.
What makes you happy is always right in front of you because what makes you happy is love. Love is willing the good of the other, opening yourself to the world around you. Love is not a feeling. It's an act of the will. It is the great act of dispossession." End quote Bishop Barron.
In the Gospel of the daily readings, we heard about a widow that gives all compared to others who give little.
What then is she giving? Faith?
In the Gospel reading of the memorial of St. Catherine of Alexandria, the scriptures say ""Do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna."
And she was murdered by officials. Tortured. For what?
She gave it her all. For her faith.
These two women have much to tell us with their lives.
Can we give it our all?
Or are we giving little like the rich ones, who are hoarding most of their belongs for self?
I like the reflection from Word Among Us that recalled how a famous athlete wanted to give Mother Teresa much money to help her. But Mother Teresa said she'd rather have her time. And they said there was no response from the famous athlete.
Mother Teresa had a way with words, to cut to the heart.
But I see it too. I can ask some folks for thousands of dollars for church, and they will gladly give. But if I ask for some of their time, it hurts.
But what about you? Perhaps, you do not have thousands of dollars, what can you give? Time?
I heard at the closing ceremony of a cursillo last night, a lady said she had all the excuses not to be able to go to a cursillo, but she finally ran out of excuses and went. She says she regrets the excuses, and wants the whole world to experience the cursillo.
Thank you for you prayers. One can tell when some are struck by the awesome wonders of God. Here, the next day, is when the truth begins to be revealed. Faith.
What if Jesus said "Just have faith!".
Guess what? He ALWAYS said "just believe".
Forget the thousands of dollars, forget the time you can give, what about your faith?
Can you truly surrender your whole life to Christ?
Don't be doubting my child, just believe.
So much does NOT happen because of a lack of faith. And you know how often I equate the word "love" with "Faith".
Do you love God?
This means "do you have faith in God".
I am sometimes amazed by those who say they love me, yet, they do not seem to trust me. They do not have faith in me. Yet, so much more would be accomplished, if only, they had love that could move mountains, faith is what we call it.
Our priest always says it with a word we cannot fathom in our selfish world "unconditional love". Can we love like that? Or do we expect something in return? Love is to will the good of the other.
This is the truth.
This is the life.
This is the Way.
This is to be Christ to the world. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 42:11
11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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