† Quote of the Day "Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the most tender of friends with souls who seek to please Him. His goodness knows how to proportion itself to the smallest of His creatures as to the greatest of them. Be not afraid then in your solitary conversations, to tell Him of your miseries, fears, worries, of those who are dear to you, of your projects, and of your hopes. Do so with confidence and with an open heart."
— St. Damien of Molokai Today's Meditation "One of the most awe-inspiring aspects of the mystical body of Christ, the Catholic Church, is the papacy. When I had my radical conversion and fell in love with Jesus, Mary, and the Church, an essential part of my being set free was a deep respect for the awesome gift of the papacy. Knowing that Jesus, our head, has a visible representative on earth who speaks on His behalf so that the members of His body (you and me) can hear the voice of the Shepherd and follow him is extremely liberating...The Church is the pillar and bulwark of the truth! What this means is that we have an official teacher who hands on to us the authentic Christian message; it is the Church. And not just any church, but the Church that Jesus founded and established with a visible representative who has been divinely appointed to speak on Christ's behalf." —Donald H Calloway, MIC, p. 78-79 Daily Verse "Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'"
— John 8:12 | Bl Denis Of The Nativity
Blessed Denis of the Nativity (1600-1638) was born as Pierre Berthelotin in France and became a sailor at the age of twelve. He had a successful career as pilot-in-chief and cartographer in service to the Kings of France and Portugal, even being knighted for bravery. He later chose the religious life and became a Carmelite friar, taking the name Dionysius (Denis) of the Nativity. He was sent by his superiors on a diplomatic and missionary mission to the Sultan of Aceh (Sumatra). Once there, all the members of his party were seized at the instigation of the Dutch authorities. They were tortured by their Islamic captors and were told to renounce their Catholic faith and become Muslims. They refused and were martyred. St Denis was martyred last, as he desired, in order to be able to strengthen the others. He was killed by a scimitar blow that split his head in two. His last words were: "Jesus, Mary." | Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 507
Reading 1 RV 20:1-4, 11—21:2 I, John, saw an angel come down from heaven,
holding in his hand the key to the abyss and a heavy chain.
He seized the dragon, the ancient serpent,
which is the Devil or Satan,
and tied it up for a thousand years and threw it into the abyss,
which he locked over it and sealed,
so that it could no longer lead the nations astray
until the thousand years are completed.
After this, it is to be released for a short time. Then I saw thrones; those who sat on them were entrusted with judgment.
I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded
for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God,
and who had not worshiped the beast or its image
nor had accepted its mark on their foreheads or hands.
They came to life and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Next I saw a large white throne and the one who was sitting on it.
The earth and the sky fled from his presence
and there was no place for them.
I saw the dead, the great and the lowly, standing before the throne,
and scrolls were opened.
Then another scroll was opened, the book of life.
The dead were judged according to their deeds,
by what was written in the scrolls.
The sea gave up its dead;
then Death and Hades gave up their dead.
All the dead were judged according to their deeds.
Then Death and Hades were thrown into the pool of fire.
(This pool of fire is the second death.)
Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life
was thrown into the pool of fire. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth.
The former heaven and the former earth had passed away,
and the sea was no more.
I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Responsorial Psalm PS 84:3, 4, 5-6A AND 8A R. (Rev. 21:3b) Here God lives among his people.
My soul yearns and pines
for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and my flesh
cry out for the living God.
R. Here God lives among his people.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest
in which she puts her young–
Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my king and my God!
R. Here God lives among his people.
Blessed they who dwell in your house!
continually they praise you.
Blessed the men whose strength you are!
They go from strength to strength.
R. Here God lives among his people. Alleluia LUKE 21:28 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel LK 21:29-33 Jesus told his disciples a parable.
"Consider the fig tree and all the other trees.
When their buds burst open,
you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near;
in the same way, when you see these things happening,
know that the Kingdom of God is near.
Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away
until all these things have taken place.
Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will not pass away." | Daily Meditation: Revelation 20:1-4, 11–21:2 Another scroll was opened, the book of life. (Revelation 20:12 Death holds deep dread for human beings. It is the one certainty that all people, "the great and the lowly," must face (Revelation 20:12). Yet in the mystery of his immeasurable mercy and power, God transformed earthly death from a punishment to the path by which we can live again—and live forever! As St. Paul wrote, when Jesus died, "he died to sin once and for all" (Romans 6:10, emphasis added). So now, being baptized into his death, we are also raised up with him so that like Jesus, we, too, can "live in newness of life" (6:4). At the heart of the gospel message—a message that finds its climax in the Book of Revelation—is the unfathomable promise that you, along with everyone who comes to Jesus, can have your name "written in the book of life" (Revelation 20:15). This is why Jesus died, and this is why he rose. It was so the ancient powers of sin and death could be destroyed and their hold over us could be dissolved forever. As Pope Benedict XVI once said, God desired to save us by going to the bottom of this abyss [of sin] . . . so that every person, even those who have fallen so low that they can no longer perceive Heaven, may find God's hand to cling to and rise from the darkness. (Homily, January 13, 2008) It was at your Baptism that you rose from this darkness! Now, today and every day, the Lord reaches out his hand to grasp you and bring you even more fully into the radiance of his light. You may be weakened by illness or anxious about your future or frustrated by patterns of sin—but you can still take comfort in knowing that your name is written in the book of life. Jesus is still with you. He can give you hope, even in the most difficult circumstances. All because he has claimed you as his own. Spend time in prayer today marveling that the One who conquered death itself is with you. Marvel that he has written your name in his book of life! "Jesus, I rejoice that by your cross and resurrection, you have raised me to new, eternal life!" Psalm 84:3-6, 8
Luke 21:29-33 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Click to hear Audio | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
" Jesus told his disciples a parable.
"Consider the fig tree and all the other trees.
When their buds burst open,
you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near;
in the same way, when you see these things happening,
know that the Kingdom of God is near.
Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away
until all these things have taken place.
Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will not pass away....." end Gospel quote, word of the Lord. | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, in today's Gospel passage, Jesus speaks of the time when the plan of God will be fulfilled. Some philosophies defend a circular or cyclic understanding of time. They hold that time just continually circles back on itself, repeating like the cycles of the seasons. The modern philosopher Nietzsche spoke of the "eternal return of the same." That's a mythic consciousness, and it can be found all over the world.
But the Jews had a very different sense of time, what we might call "linear." They felt that time was moving somewhere, that it had, under God's direction, a purpose. The past was not simply there to be repeated endlessly; rather, the past was a preparation for a definitive future. It was an anticipation of what God would do, what God was going to accomplish.
The Lord assures us that the kingdom of God is near and that we must prepare for its coming....." End quote Bishop Barron.
HIS Kingdom come.
HIS will be done.
My King has come.
My King will come.
Our life is a preparation for the King.
The lights we shine...it is His, it belongs to Him.
The light is our Lord.
With Him there is no darkness.
With Him who or why should you fear?
The goodness of God is not to be feared but lived.
The goodness of God shall be shared.
The life of God is the love of God we so much need in the world...beginning in you and me. |  audio | Random Bible Verse Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Luke 6:38 | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
