† Quote of the Day "It is not the actual physical exertion that counts towards a man's progress, nor the nature of the task, but by the spirit of faith with which it is undertaken." — St. Francis Xavier Today's Meditation "St. Joseph wants you to be docile to the direction of the Holy Spirit so that you can be led in the ways of holiness. What is holiness, anyway? Is it some unattainable spiritual summit you can never hope to reach? No, it is not. Holiness is living in intimate, loving communion with God. More specifically, holiness is observing the two great commandments of love of God and neighbor, avoiding sin, leading a life of virtue, and abiding in sanctifying grace. None of this is possible without the Holy Spirit in your life. –Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, p. 21
An excerpt from Consecration to St. Joseph Daily Verse "A slave of the Lord should not quarrel, but should be gentle with everyone, able to teach, tolerant, correcting opponents with kindness. It may be that God will grant them repentance that leads to knowledge of the truth, and that they may return to their senses out of the devil's snare, where they are entrapped by him, for his will." — 2 Timothy 2:24-26 | St. Francis Xavier St. Francis Xavier (1506–1552) was born in his family castle in Navarre in what is today Spain. While studying in Paris he met St. Ignatius of Loyola and joined him in the foundation of the Society of Jesus. Instead of devoting himself to academic pursuits as he had planned, and in which he enjoyed great success, he became the first Jesuit missionary priest. His missionary activity began in Goa, India and extended across the Orient. St. Francis Xavier was known throughout the Far East for his humility, care of the poor, and miracles including healings, speaking in tongues, and prophetic powers. His passion for Christ and zeal for souls won him many converts to the faith. It is said that during his missionary journeys he baptized over 40,000 people. He is considered by many to be one of the Church's greatest missionaries since St. Paul the Apostle. In his travels he left behind flourishing churches that were the foundations of the Catholic Church in Asia. He is the patron saint of navigators, missionaries, African missions, India, Japan, China, and New Zealand. St. Francis Xavier's feast day is December 3rd. | Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest • Readings for the Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest Reading 1 Is 11:1-10 On that day,
A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,
and from his roots a bud shall blossom.
The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:
a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
A Spirit of counsel and of strength,
a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,
and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.
Not by appearance shall he judge,
nor by hearsay shall he decide,
But he shall judge the poor with justice,
and decide aright for the land's afflicted.
He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
Justice shall be the band around his waist,
and faithfulness a belt upon his hips. Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
The calf and the young lion shall browse together,
with a little child to guide them.
The cow and the bear shall be neighbors,
together their young shall rest;
the lion shall eat hay like the ox.
The baby shall play by the cobra's den,
and the child lay his hand on the adder's lair.
There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD,
as water covers the sea. On that day,
The root of Jesse,
set up as a signal for the nations,
The Gentiles shall seek out,
for his dwelling shall be glorious. Responsorial Psalm Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17 R. (see 7) Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king's son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
He shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
May his name be blessed forever;
as long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever. Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Behold, our Lord shall come with power;
he will enlighten the eyes of his servants.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 10:21-24 Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
"I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him." Turning to the disciples in private he said,
"Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it."
| Daily Meditation: Isaiah 11:1-10 The earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord. (Isaiah 11:9) What do you think of when you hear this promise from the prophet Isaiah? The Israelites hearing this prophecy might have wondered if such a beautiful scene was even possible. Maybe you think about heaven, when people will no longer be judged by appearances, and the poor and mistreated will finally be healed and given justice. Peace will reign—so much so that a baby will be able to "play by the cobra's den" (Isaiah 11:8). Certainly our experience of life here and now falls far short of this ideal! But it would be a mistake to think that God wants us to just hang on and endure life's disappointments until we make it to heaven. The blessings of "that day" aren't just reserved for later; we can begin experiencing them today (Isaiah 11:1). We, too, can fill the earth with "knowledge of the Lord" as our lives reflect his love and goodness. How might that look? A good place to start is with prayer. Prayer puts us in touch with God. As we spend time with the Lord—especially as we open ourselves to his presence and ponder his word—our hearts gradually change. We start looking at people the way Jesus sees them. Instead of judging them superficially or letting envy get the better of us, we become more compassionate and more willing to forgive. Even when we make mistakes or fall into sin, it doesn't discourage us as much because we realize that we don't have to be perfect for God to love us. We discover the freedom that comes when we confess our weaknesses and failures and receive God's mercy. And that mercy changes us even more. As you change, the world around you starts changing. Your peace and joy become contagious, as does your care and concern for the people around you. Your relationships deepen. You feel freer to share your faith and to encourage other people to seek the Lord themselves. We will all experience the fullness of Isaiah's prophecy when we finally reach our heavenly home. But how blessed we are that we can begin to experience it this very day—and share it with everyone around us! "Jesus, help me spread the 'knowledge of the Lord' wherever I go today!" Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
Luke 10:21-24 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Click to hear Audio | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
"I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him......" end Gospel quote, word of the Lord. | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus places a high value on childlikeness. What is it about "the childlike" that Jesus prizes? Jesus himself is the child, the Son who has received everything from his Father. He lives in an attitude of receptivity, taking in all that the Father has given him. His is a life of obedience. He is not in command of his life, but he receives it as a gift.
This is what it means to be a little child: to have an attitude of receptivity that allows you to be moved by God and by God's ways. The problem with "the wise and the learned" is not that they're educated, but that they are trying to govern and run their own lives on their own terms rather than living in obedience to God. The truly wise are those who are like Christ: little children in relation to God......." End quote Bishop Barron.
From the book of Isaiah we hear today:
"Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; The calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them."
Who is that little child we are hearing about?
It is that child that the prophet Isaiah was prophesying about. We all know who's birth we recall on one of the darkest days of the year, right? The child that is coming, desires to have a humble home.
He thanks us for the lights, and the preparations. But, He is asking for a little more. A spot in your tender heart. He knows it has been hurt, so has His heart been hurt, all year, all decade, all century long, it has been devastating to Him. He has had to face pains like no other.
But, He desires to come into a heart, to share joys and pains with us. We don't like pains, but, what we can make out of them with Him is a special love to God in thanksgiving, that reverse miracle that comes from earth to Heaven. It is a blood offering of a heart, isn't it?
The child of God is entering to reign. The time has come.
The time for miracles has begun. We have been running dry for a very long time. Dry faith.
Lord, may your coming be a true light for the world.
May we prepare our hearts for your coming.
May we be penitent, may we empty ourselves of selfish thoughts and pleasures.
May we desire what makes You happy.
And may we envision the day, to see the child, the baby, smile.
That smile of a baby that changes everything, and we do everything to protect them, and cherish them, and show them the way of God, the way of Love. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 145:8 8 The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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