† Quote of the Day "When you sit down to eat, pray. When you eat bread, do so thanking Him for being so generous to you. If you drink wine, be mindful of Him who has given it to you for your pleasure and as a relief in sickness. When you dress, thank Him for His kindness in providing you with clothes. When you look at the sky and the beauty of the stars, throw yourself at God's feet and adore Him who in His wisdom has arranged things in this way. Similarly, when the sun goes down and when it rises, when you are asleep or awake, give thanks to God, who created and arranged all things for your benefit, to have you know, love and praise their Creator." — St. Basil the Great Today's Meditation "True devotion to Our Lady is constant. It confirms the soul in good, and does not let it easily abandon its spiritual exercises. It makes it courageous in opposing the world in its fashions and maxims, the flesh in its weariness and passions, and the devil in his temptations; so that a person truly devout to our Blessed Lady is neither changeable, irritable, scrupulous nor timid. It is not that such a person does not fall, or change sometimes in the sensible feeling of devotion. But when he falls, he rises again by stretching out his hand to his good Mother. When he loses the taste and relish of devotions, he does not become disturbed because of that; for the just and faithful client of Mary lives by the faith (Heb. 10:38) of Jesus and Mary, and not by natural sentiment." —St. Louis De Montfort, p. 55
An excerpt from True Devotion to Mary Daily Verse "For through the Spirit, by faith, we await the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus, neither...counts for anything, but only faith working through love." — Galatians 5:5-6 | Our Lady of Loreto is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with the house where Mary was born, the site of the Annunciation, and the dwelling place of the Holy Family. The tradition and history of the Holy House goes back to Apostolic times. In the 13th century the house was mysteriously moved in one piece from Nazareth in the Holy Land to a final resting place in Loreto, Italy, carried by angels, a miracle to which the Church attests. It was transported to prevent its destruction by Muslims who destroyed the basilica which housed it. A new basilica was built around the Holy House in Italy, known as the Shrine of Our Lady of Loreto, one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in the world. Written at the door of the basilica are these words: "The whole world has no place more sacred ... For here was the Word made Flesh, and here was born the Virgin Mother." Our Lady of Loreto is the patron of aviators, fliers, pilots, and builders. Her feast day is December 10th. | Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent Reading 1 Is 40:1-11 Comfort, give comfort to my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her
that her service is at an end,
her guilt is expiated;
Indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD
double for all her sins. A voice cries out:
In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!
Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill shall be made low;
The rugged land shall be made a plain,
the rough country, a broad valley.
Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken. A voice says, "Cry out!"
I answer, "What shall I cry out?"
"All flesh is grass,
and all their glory like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower wilts,
when the breath of the LORD blows upon it.
So then, the people is the grass.
Though the grass withers and the flower wilts,
the word of our God stands forever." Go up onto a high mountain,
Zion, herald of glad tidings;
Cry out at the top of your voice,
Jerusalem, herald of good news!
Fear not to cry out
and say to the cities of Judah:
Here is your God!
Here comes with power
the Lord GOD,
who rules by his strong arm;
Here is his reward with him,
his recompense before him.
Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;
in his arms he gathers the lambs,
Carrying them in his bosom,
and leading the ewes with care. Responsorial Psalm Ps 96:1-2, 3 and 10ac, 11-12, 13 R.(see Isaiah 40:10ab) The Lord our God comes with power.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name;
announce his salvation, day after day.
R. The Lord our God comes with power.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
Say among the nations: The LORD is king;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. The Lord our God comes with power.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then let all the trees of the forest rejoice.
R. The Lord our God comes with power.
They shall exult before the LORD, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.
R. The Lord our God comes with power. Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The day of the Lord is near;
Behold, he comes to save us.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 18:12-14 Jesus said to his disciples:
"What is your opinion?
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?
And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost." | Daily Meditation: Matthew 18:12-14 It is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost. (Matthew 18:14) Like everyone else, you probably have at least one "little one," one "lost sheep," among your family, friends, or colleagues. Perhaps you see them making choices that will lead to negative and harmful consequences down the road. Maybe they simply got out of the habit of going to church. They might even have pulled away from you to avoid discussions about faith. Whatever the reason, you're praying that the Lord will bring them back to himself. If this is your situation, today's Gospel has some good news for you. Your heavenly Father is even more eager for this person's return than you are! Just think about the parable that Jesus shares: a prudent shepherd might write off one wandering sheep and choose to focus on the ninety-nine that he has left. But God—our heavenly Shepherd—is always searching diligently for the one who has gone astray. It is not his will "that one of these little ones be lost" (Matthew 18:14). Jesus' parable of the compassionate shepherd has its roots in the Old Testament. In today's first reading, for example, Isaiah describes the Lord as a shepherd who "feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and leading the ewes with care" (40:11). He takes good care of them and goes after the ones who are scattered, scooping them up and carrying them close to his heart. That means that no matter how long you may have to wait for your precious "lost lamb" or "little one" to return, you can keep trusting that the Father hasn't given up on them. Just as he never abandons us on our journey to our eternal home with him, the divine shepherd never writes off a single straying sheep. He remains vigilant, always alert for the slightest good intention or honest question that can provide an opening for his grace to break through. So take heart! The story isn't over, and the Shepherd is tirelessly at work. You can count on his unfailing love for you and for everyone you hold dear. "Lord, you know how I long to see my loved ones draw closer to you. Help me to trust you more." Isaiah 40:1-11
Psalm 96:1-3, 10-13 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Click to hear Audio | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost."........" end Gospel quote, word of the Lord. | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus asks: "If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray?" Well, of course not! No self-respecting shepherd would ever think of doing that. If you were a shepherd, you'd cut your losses. That sheep is probably dead anyway if it wandered far enough away.
But we are to understand that God is like that foolish shepherd. God's love throws caution to the wind to seek out the lost sheep. We might expect God to be good to those who are good, and kind to those who follow his commandments. Those who don't, who wander away, are simply lost. God might give them a few minutes, but then they're on their own.
No, God is like this kooky shepherd. God loves irrationally, exuberantly risking it all in order to find the one who wandered away. What good news: God does not love according to a strict justice on our terms but loves in his own extravagant way....." End quote from Bishop Barron.
What was our Lord teaching us in the Gospel? What is He currently wanting us to know?
This teaching "seek and ye shall find" comes to mind. The lost is sought. The lost is found. The lost is restored.
What had the people of Israel lost? They lost what was truly to be valued and treasured. They were people that would seek to make converts, but in the end, to make them like themselves, not like God.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You traverse land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. " end quote Matthew 23 verse 15.
"Woe to you, blind guides! You say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes it sacred? 18. And you say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.' 19. You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes it sacred? " End quote Matthew.
Did you know that Sacraments are a form of swearing to God? We are held there by oaths. From Baptism, to Confession, to Communion, to Marriage, to Holy Orders, all of the Sacraments hold us to the Word Himself...Jesus.
Back to the lost and found section. Aren't there plenty of lost souls to reach out to in your world?
We should begin with the ones that were with the flock, but then drifted away.
For they have the seed of the holy Spirit.
Then, we should reach and preach to the world, but how? With the love of God.
That is easier than laying on a thick bible verse. But always lead to God the Father. I know it isn't easy.
But it is the hard stuff that we are called to.
Oh how I wish faith was easy, but it is not always easy.
Every day our Lord reaches out to you and to me, here, in His word, to encourage us to the hard stuff; to love when we think it is not possible. To forgive when we believe it is not possible.
To seek the lost, reach out to them, say hello, and a prayer, by text, a call, ok, but in person, even better.
And the more you reach, the more you reach into a soul. Pray with me:
Lord, I feel lost so many times. Thank You for seeking me.
Lord, never let us stray again from You.
I pray for the lost. Help me unite with You in saving them, for Your name means "He Saves", messiah, may we be one, with light and love of God our Father. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Matthew 5:4 4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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