† Quote of the Day "The adorable Heart of Jesus is our comfort, our way, our life." — St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Today's Meditation "Concerning obedience as a sign of authenticity, St. Theresa is eloquent: 'Believe me, there is no better way of acquiring this treasure [of loving fire sent from heaven] than to dig and toil in order to get it from this mine of obedience. The more we dig, the more we shall find; and the more we submit to men, and have no other will than that of our superiors, the more completely we shall become masters of our wills and bring them into conformity with the will of God.'" —Fr. Thomas Dubay, p. 239
An excerpt from Fire Within Daily Verse "And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." — Isaiah 35:10 | St. Bibiana St. Bibiana, also known as Vibiana or Viviana (d. 361), was born in Rome, the daughter of Christian parents who were martyred in the persecutions of Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate. Her father was severely beaten and sent to live in exile as a slave, but died from his wounds. Her mother was beheaded shortly after. St. Bibiana and her sister, Demetria, were stripped of their possessions and imprisoned in their family home in utter poverty and hunger. They were offered reward if only they would renounce Jesus, but the sisters, strong in faith and prayer, said they would rather die. Finding that they did not die from lack of food, the Roman governor summoned them. Demetria, after professing the faith, died at his feet. St. Bibiana was given to the guardianship of a pagan woman who tried to force her into prostitution. St. Bibiana refused and resolutely maintained her faith in Christ. For this she was beaten, tied to a pillar, and cruelly scourged. She eventually died from her tortures, and her body was discarded to be eaten by wild dogs. The animals, however, would not touch her. Her body was recovered by a priest and buried, with a chapel built over the tomb for her veneration. St. Bibiana's feast day is December 2nd. | Monday of the First Week of Advent Reading 1 Is 2:1-5 This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz,
saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In days to come,
The mountain of the LORD's house
shall be established as the highest mountain
and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it;
many peoples shall come and say:
"Come, let us climb the LORD's mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
That he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths."
For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and impose terms on many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
One nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again. O house of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the LORD! Responsorial Psalm Ps 122:1-2, 3-4b, 4cd-5, 6-7, 8-9 R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
May those who love you prosper!
May peace be within your walls,
prosperity in your buildings.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Because of my relatives and friends
I will say, "Peace be within you!"
Because of the house of the LORD, our God,
I will pray for your good.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. Alleluia See Ps 80:4 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come and save us, LORD our God;
Let your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mt 8:5-11 When Jesus entered Capernaum,
a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,
"Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully."
He said to him, "I will come and cure him."
The centurion said in reply,
"Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a man subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes;
and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes;
and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him,
"Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west,
and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven."
| Daily Meditation: Isaiah 2:1-5 Come, let us climb the Lord's mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob. (Isaiah 2:3) "Do we have to?" How many times have we heard this refrain from children who don't want to go to Mass. If we're being honest, we occasionally think this way ourselves. Sometimes the call to "remember the sabbath day" feels like something we have to do (Exodus 20:8). Today's first reading can help us remember that this is also something we get to do. Today's passage from Isaiah celebrates God's choice of Jerusalem as the dwelling place of God. Isaiah prophesied that one day "all nations shall stream toward" Mount Zion, where the Temple stood (Isaiah 2:2). In a sense, this prophecy has come to pass in Jesus. Now God is worshipped not only on Mount Zion, but in every tabernacle in every church all over the world. We—who represent "all nations"—can climb "the Lord's mountain" every time we enter a church (2:3). Anytime we wish, we can join with other brothers and sisters to worship the Lord with one voice. What a privilege to be living in this time of fulfillment! Yet how easy it is to take this privilege for granted! Especially in Advent, it's tempting to view opportunities to gather together for worship as just one more thing to cross off our to-do list. If you begin to feel that way, remember what Advent is all about: we are preparing to celebrate the truth of the Incarnation: that in Christ, God became flesh and reconciled us to himself. That gift is for all of us. The Lord wants everyone to come to know his love and mercy, no matter who they are or where they come from. Even as you read this, people from all over the earth are joining to worship the Lord. Next time you go to church—or even if all you can do is gather with a few other believers—remember these words from today's psalm response: "Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord" (Psalm 122). Imagine the Jewish pilgrims singing this song as they climbed Mount Zion to enter into God's presence in the Temple. Then praise God for inviting you to join in that song of praise, right in your own parish! "Jesus, let me never forget what an honor it is to worship you!" Psalm 122:1-9
Matthew 8:5-11 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Click to hear Audio | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"When Jesus entered Capernaum,
a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,
"Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully."
He said to him, "I will come and cure him."
The centurion said in reply,
"Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a man subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes;
and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes;
and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." ....." end Gospel quote, word of the Lord. | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, in today's Gospel, Jesus celebrates the trust of the centurion who asked him to heal his servant: "Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith."
We can say with the centurion that the Lord is a rock, a stronghold, a firm place to stand. The God who is not one more shifting and indefinite creature but rather the ground of being itself is a power upon whom we can rely, a covenant-maker whose word we can trust.
In his very freedom and sovereignty as our Creator, God is a parent in whose lap we can serenely find our rest. Undoubtedly, what has made religious belief such an indispensable part of human consciousness and behavior is just this assurance of safety that it brings.
There is nothing in the cosmos that will not, finally, disappoint us. There is no place in the universe that will not, finally, be shaken. But God, the self-sufficient ground of existence itself, can be trusted not to disappoint and not to betray. "No storm can shake my inmost calm, while to that rock I'm clinging," says the author of the Shaker hymn, witnessing ecstatically to this divine faithfulness......" End quote Bishop Barron.
"Only say the word". These are the prayers we pray right before we receive the Lord, as we have been doing for centuries.
At the command of the word of the Lord, the entire world was created.
At the command of the word of the Lord, a dead person rises from the tomb.
At the command of the word of the Lord, a crippled person leaps up and starts running and jumping.
And the list goes on until today.
But, are we only in this faith to receive miracles?
We should be in this faith to have someone to thank other than ourselves. Perhaps this is a reverse miracle. One of thanksgiving. Where a soul finds itself unable to thank God for the immense gift of this life, and so we begin uniting ourselves to Him, in His will, His sacrifice, His outreach, so that ultimately, His will can be accomplished through you in your world.
"Lord, I am not worthy that you enter under my roof".
The roof of my mouth. The roof of this temple, this body. But only say the Word and it is made worthy. There has never been a worthy soul on earth to enter the temple of Heaven, much less, a worthy soul to enter Heaven...except, mother Mary. If you are thinking of our Lord entering Heaven, and His worthiness, it is His house! Of course He can, and He is inviting us to the mansion that has a room being fitted for you.
He isn't just preparing a place at a banquet for you, but a home for you.
How in the world can you thank Him for that?
It starts now. Think Eucharist. It goes to every level of our being.
The world would change if only we had the faith of the centurion, the faith of a mustard seed.
Our Lord was going to walk to the centurion's house. But the centurion stopped Him in His tracks. "You don't need to physically be there to heal my slave. The distance from him does not matter. Your word is enough. It has always been enough. It will always be enough. For you have been given the highest authority, and we are all subject to that authority. You are worthy, and I believe. Amen, and amen, let it be done according to Thy Holy Word."
This world will change. Your world will change. Your faith will make it change for the better, because...in the end...it is God's will, because He is good and desires the ultimate good. |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
