† Quote of the Day "O Holy Family—the Family so closely united to the mystery which we contemplate on the day of the Lord's Birth—guide with your example the families of the whole earth!" — Pope St. John Paul II Today's Meditation "Jesus is talking about God's plan for the world, the new thing that God wants to create in the midst of the old society. In short: He is speaking of the reign of God. This new world of God's, says Jesus, will not succeed by cowardice, with people who are immovable, who constantly want to make themselves secure, who would rather delay than act. This new society of God's will only succeed with people who are ready to risk, who will wager everything on the turn of a card, who go all out and who, with utter determination, will be "doers." —Gerhard Lohfink, p.173
An excerpt from The Forty Parables of Jesus Daily Verse "No, you have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels in festal gathering, and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven, and God the judge of all, and the spirits of the just made perfect, and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel." — Hebrews 12:22-24 | Saint Anysia Of Salonika St. Anysia of Salonika (d. c. 298 A.D.), also known as St. Anysia of Thessalonica, was born to wealthy and pious Christian parents near Thessalonica, Greece. After the death of her parents, while she was still a young lady, Anysia dedicated her life completely to Christ. She made private vows of chastity and poverty, spent her days in fasting and prayer, and gave her wealth to the poor. She lived under the persecutions of the Roman Emperor Maximian, who declared that anyone who met a Christian could kill them without trial. One Sunday while on her way to church, St. Anysia was harassed by a Roman soldier. In one account he attempted to force her to make sacrifice to the pagan sun god. Anysia refused, declared her commitment to Christ, and spat in the soldier's face. Enraged, the soldier ran her through with his sword, winning Anysia the crowns of virginity and martyrdom. Her feast day is December 30. | The Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas Lectionary: 203
Reading 1 1 Jn 2:12-17 I am writing to you, children,
because your sins have been forgiven for his name's sake. I am writing to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men,
because you have conquered the Evil One. I write to you, children,
because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men,
because you are strong and the word of God remains in you,
and you have conquered the Evil One. Do not love the world or the things of the world.
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world,
sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life,
is not from the Father but is from the world.
Yet the world and its enticement are passing away.
But whoever does the will of God remains forever. Responsorial Psalm Ps 96:7-8a, 8b-9, 10 R. (11a) Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Give to the LORD, you families of nations,
give to the LORD glory and praise;
give to the LORD the glory due his name!
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Bring gifts, and enter his courts;
worship the LORD in holy attire.
Tremble before him, all the earth.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice! Alleluia R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A holy day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, and adore the Lord.
Today a great light has come upon the earth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 2:36-40 There was a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee,
to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him. | Daily Meditation: Luke 2:36-40 She never left the temple. (Luke 2:37) Mary and Joseph went to the Temple to fulfill the rites of purification required in the Law of Moses. There they had an unexpected encounter with Anna, whom Luke calls a prophetess. After she was widowed, she could be found in the Temple worshipping "night and day" and waiting for the redemption of God's people (Luke 2:37). Anna kept this up until, when she was eighty-four years old, she saw the child Jesus. Imagine the joy she must have felt. After decades of waiting and praying, she finally saw the Redeemer! How long have you waited to see a prayer answered? Sometimes we have to wait years and years to see God's promises fulfilled. God seems to remain silent, and time seems to pass by without your being able to see anything change. Maybe someone in your family is sick, and you have been waiting for a healing miracle. Maybe you have spent months looking for a job, only to come up empty. Or maybe you just want to have more patience, be more merciful, or have greater love for your neighbor. You have waited one week, six months, or ten years. It's just too much, and you're beginning to lose hope. But Anna shows us the key for waiting peacefully and letting God's plan play out: she prayed. She spent her days and nights worshipping in the Temple. One way you can "go to the Temple" as Anna did is by attending Mass or going to Adoration when it is available. But you can also "go to the Temple" any time you pray. There, in "your inner room," as you "close the door, and pray to your Father" (Matthew 6:6), you can come closer to Jesus, who gives you his grace to trust in him. So today and every day, "go to the Temple." Come into the presence of God with an expectant heart. He is always available to you. He always hears your cries for help. And though he may answer in unexpected ways, his arms are always open wide. He is always ready to give you his love and peace. As you follow Anna's example, you will become more alert to the signs of God's faithfulness in your life, and that will empower you to hold on to hope even as you wait. "Lord, help me to wait with expectant faith! " 1 John 2:12-17
Psalm 96:7-10 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Click to hear Audio | In the Holy Scripture we hear today: "She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.
When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee,
to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him...." end Gospel quote, word of the Lord. | A prophetess. We don't normally hear of a woman that is a prophet. Until the coming of our Lord.
And now we have continuous visits from Heaven from our Mother, the new Prophetess, the ONE Mother, that comes to warn us to behave, or our Father will come with justice.
It is like a real family.
It is like we are really a family with God's family both in Heaven and earth, as if the words in the Lord's prayer are true "thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven".
If you pray the rosary, the joyful mysteries, we know that we pray the "presentation at the temple". This was a prescribed Jewish, a Mosaic law, of a woman that has just bore a child, to come and be cleansed and the child is presented to the temple. And when we pray this, we pray for the fruit of the mystery of obedience to come true in our lives.
We pray for this virtue, this holy virtue to become real in our lives.
That we too may present ourselves and our children to the Lord.
That we too may go to be cleansed. That we too may go to hear the words of a prophet, and upon a visitation, hear the words of a prophetess. I remember not long ago, the week before my daughter got out of the hospital last week, after Mass, me and my boys went to help at the altar and one of the Eucharistic ministers spoke to me and my boys, and she spoke good things about their upcoming faith, and she said she witnessed something happen before I received the Eucharistic species of the wine and said that she saw it turn to blood before I drank of the cup.
I will be honest, I did not notice the changing of the texture or color, but I do know that when I receive Him, it burns straight into my heart, and the light is reignited with a fervor of love and obedience.
And there is something particular about a fire...it tends to catch other, surroundings, those close on fire. Sometimes the fire burns alone, but sometimes it burns with huge like the bush on the mountain.
This is where you will find the Lord Jesus, a burning in the temple, a light in the temple, and this is a good sign, that we are not in total darkness. The light of Christ has come.
And He desires to set the world on fire for God's love. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Proverbs 3:28–29 28 Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it"—when you have it with you.
29 Do not plan evil against your neighbor, who dwells trustingly beside you. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
