† Quote of the Day "Whenever I go to the chapel, I put myself in the presence of our good Lord, and I say to Him, 'Lord, here I am. Tell me what You would have me do.' If He gives me some task, I am content and I thank Him. If He gives me nothing, I still thank Him since I do not deserve to receive anything more than that. And then, I tell God everything that is in my heart. I tell Him about my pains and my joys, and then I listen. If you listen, God will also speak to you, for with the good Lord, you have to both speak and listen. God always speaks to you when you approach Him plainly and simply." -St. Catherine Laboure Today's Meditation "When you are at Mass, don't just go through the motions. Ask God to help you find Him in the Eucharist. When you hear or read Scripture, prayerfully ask God what He is saying to you through the words. When you pray, don't just say words at God. Bring your whole self to it, rededicate your life and your relationships to Him, and ask for the grace to be His disciple in all you do. And, of course, take a little time each day to learn more about what it means to love and be loved by Him...The more your faith becomes intrinsic, the more you will be able to put aside your anxiety, sit at the feet of the Lord, and let your heart be still, knowing that He is God. —Dr. Gregory Popcak, p. 67-68
An excerpt from Unworried Daily Verse "For you were called for freedom, brothers. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love. For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" -Galatians 5:13-14 | St Catherine Laboure St. Catherine Labouré (1806 – 1876) was born in Burgundy, France, the ninth of seventeen children of a pious and prosperous farming family. Her mother died when she was nine years old. After her mother's funeral, Catherine kissed a statue of the Virgin Mary in her home, saying, "Now you will be my mother." Catherine was devout and simple, and did not learn to read or write. She cared for her family for many years and, drawn to the religious life, entered the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in Paris at the age of twenty-two. In the year 1830, on the eve of the feast of St. Vincent de Paul, Catherine experienced her first apparition of the Blessed Mother. Mary entrusted to Catherine the mission of spreading devotion to her Miraculous Medal, the design of which she revealed to the saint in a vision. The Blessed Virgin appeared to Catherine two more times, and eventually the Miraculous Medal was mass-produced, widely promoted, and approved by the Church as a sacramental for public devotion. Catherine preferred anonymity and remained unknown as the visionary to whom Our Lady appeared, even to the sisters of her own convent. She continued to live a quiet life in service to the sick. After her death many miracles were ascribed to her relics. St. Catherine Labouré is one of the Church's incorruptible saints: her body is reposed in a glass casket in the chapel where she received the vision of Our Lady. Her feast day is November 28th. | Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Daniel 7:2-14 In a vision I, Daniel, saw during the night,
the four winds of heaven stirred up the great sea,
from which emerged four immense beasts,
each different from the others.
The first was like a lion, but with eagle's wings.
While I watched, the wings were plucked;
it was raised from the ground to stand on two feet
like a man, and given a human mind.
The second was like a bear; it was raised up on one side,
and among the teeth in its mouth were three tusks.
It was given the order, "Up, devour much flesh."
After this I looked and saw another beast, like a leopard;
on its back were four wings like those of a bird,
and it had four heads.
To this beast dominion was given.
After this, in the visions of the night I saw the fourth beast,
different from all the others,
terrifying, horrible, and of extraordinary strength;
it had great iron teeth with which it devoured and crushed,
and what was left it trampled with its feet.
I was considering the ten horns it had,
when suddenly another, a little horn, sprang out of their midst,
and three of the previous horns were torn away to make room for it.
This horn had eyes like a man,
and a mouth that spoke arrogantly.
As I watched, Thrones were set up
and the Ancient One took his throne.
His clothing was snow bright,
and the hair on his head as white as wool;
His throne was flames of fire,
with wheels of burning fire.
A surging stream of fire
flowed out from where he sat;
Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him,
and myriads upon myriads attended him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.
I watched, then, from the first of the arrogant words
which the horn spoke, until the beast was slain
and its body thrown into the fire to be burnt up.
The other beasts, which also lost their dominion,
were granted a prolongation of life for a time and a season.
As the visions during the night continued, I saw One like a son of man coming,
on the clouds of heaven;
When he reached the Ancient One
and was presented before him,
He received dominion, glory, and kingship;
nations and peoples of every language serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed. Responsorial Psalm Daniel 3:75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81 R. Give glory and eternal praise to him!
"Mountains and hills, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever." R. Give glory and eternal praise to him!
"Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever. R. Give glory and eternal praise to him!
"You springs, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever." R. Give glory and eternal praise to him!
"Seas and rivers, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever." R. Give glory and eternal praise to him!
"You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever." R. Give glory and eternal praise to him!
"All you birds of the air, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever." R. Give glory and eternal praise to him!
"All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever." R. Give glory and eternal praise to him! Alleluia Luke 21:28 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Luke 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."
| Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Luke 21:29-33 The Kingdom of God is near. (Luke 21:31) We certainly have had some alarming Gospel readings the past several days! But today's reading gives us a bit of a breather as Jesus uses a peaceful scene from nature to give his followers an encouraging lesson. "Consider the fig tree and all the other trees," Jesus says (Luke 21:29). When you see them budding and flowering, you know that summer—the time of fruitfulness—is on its way! So, too, when you see some of the more frightening things Jesus predicted, you can know that "the Kingdom of God is near" (Luke 21:31). Jesus is telling us that times of chaos and destruction are not the only signs of his kingdom. Think about the new ways that the Holy Spirit is bursting forth within the Church! Think of all the missionaries bringing the good news to people around the world. Notice the increase in young people following Jesus—even answering the call to the priesthood and religious life. Recall the times in your own life when you experienced Jesus' love in a new way or received a new insight from the Scriptures. All of these "signs" alert us to the presence of Christ's kingdom, too. We should never be afraid when we see "signs" of the kingdom—the coming of Jesus is something we long for! Jesus reassures us that, no matter what's going on around us, he remains the Lord of creation. Despite the disturbing things that we have been reading about lately, even despite heaven and earth themselves passing away, his "words"—his promises—"will not pass away" (Luke 21:33). In this chapter from Luke's Gospel alone, Jesus says that he will give us wisdom in hardship (21:15), that "not a hair on your head will be destroyed" (21:18), and that "by your perseverance you will secure your lives" (21:19). So just as he told his disciples, "When these signs begin to happen, . . . raise your heads because your redemption is at hand" (21:28, emphasis added). Remember: in the midst of the somber signs of Jesus' return, you will still find hopeful signs of his kingdom coming to full flowering. Look for its fruit in the world, in the Church, and in your family, and take comfort when you see it. Because the coming of the kingdom is very good news! "Jesus, help me to look forward to your coming with peace and joy." Daniel 7:2-14
(Psalm) Daniel 3:75-81 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | From today's Holy Gospel: "... 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....." Word of the Lord. | From Bishop Robert 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.
Our Lord said "...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." Did this actually happen? Did God actually give this sign of a tree bursting its buds open?
Yes. The cross, the is the wood of a tree, and on that cross is found the tree of life that was tearing open...the very heart of God, Jesus.
His blood has proven to be precious. That is why we have gold on the altars to simply signify that what it holds is more precious than the gold itself....the best for the best, the most valuable for the invaluable and what does invaluable mean? It means something so precious that one cannot assign a price to it. How can you put a price on this life, this precious blood and body of God?
And it began on the cross...that He ushered in HIS Kingdom. This is the KINGDOM OF JESUS. He rules the world and is the new Manna, the new Staff of Aaron, the leadership of Moses, He is the new from the Alpha and the Omega, from which time does not exist.
And this matters, because righteousness has entered the seen. The days of our lives are numbered, and every fleeting moment is precious, and can be used to give honor and glory to God.
And there is a force to be reckoned with that we do not care to lift a finger to see....the absolute righteousness of God that we ought to fear. I have been listening to many stories of purgatory, and they are not pleasant to hear, souls, hungry souls, thirsting, suffering, some flamed by the pits of hell, and the ones closes to Heaven agonizing even more...for God.
Why is does it have to be this way, the purgative way? And what of the illuminating way? It should go without saying, that we need to be purged of our sinful ways. Then you can be on the illuminating path of purgation, of realizing God's true will. And then, live in the unitive way, united to God, for His Kingdom is at hand.
The Gospels continuously ask us to be on our way, ready the way.
Not just for self, but for all the souls we encounter and the trails we are blazing for the next to come....let it be steps leaving tracks of light in the dark sand. |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Mark 12:30–31
" And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." . . . . . . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
