† Quote "Our true worth does not consist in what human beings think of us. What we really are consists in what God knows us to be." -St. John Berchmans Today's Meditation "It seems to me that kneeling this moment before my Lord, concealed in the Holy Eucharist, as if next to my Mother beneath the cross, I surrender myself together with her for the accomplishment of God's most holy will in all things. I desire to love her with the heart of St. John the beloved disciple and to always abide with her. Together with St. John Berchmans I can say, 'I love Mary; therefore, I also expect to persevere in good, until the end.'" —Mother Raohael Lubowidzka of the sweetest Heart of Jesus, CSFN, p.
An excerpt from 100 Holy Hours for Women Daily Verse "But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as [also] your Father is merciful." -Luke 6:35-36 | St John Berchmans St. John Berchmans (1599-1621) was born in Flanders, Belgium, the eldest of five children of a shoemaker. He was a virtuous and well-liked child who would often rise early to serve at two or three Masses a day before he reached the age of seven. On Friday evenings he had a custom of making the Stations of the Cross outdoors while barefoot. When he was nine years old his mother suffered from a long and terrible illness, and John faithfully attended her bedside until she died. As a pious young person devoted to the things of God, he enrolled in a Jesuit college where he was known for being an energetic and outgoing student with great academic potential and leadership qualities. He also joined the Society of the Blessed Virgin and prayed her Office daily. He discerned a vocation to the religious life and began priestly formation as a Jesuit. His way of holiness was to perform his ordinary duties with extraordinary fidelity and perfection even in the smallest details, believing that, "If I do not become a saint when I am young, I shall never become one." He died tragically of a fever at the age of twenty-two while studying for the seminary in Rome. Many miracles were attributed to him after his death. St. John Berchmans is the patron saint of altar servers and young people. His feast day is November 26th.
Find a devotional for this saint St. Catherine of Alexandria (4th c.) was born to a noble pagan family in Alexandria, Egypt, and her father was governor of the city. She was an intelligent child who devoted herself to study, and converted to the Christian faith after the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to her in a vision. Many of her fellow Christians were put to death under the reign of Roman Emperor Maxentius. Catherine, at the age of 18, rebuked the emperor to his face for this injustice, giving a skillful defense of the Christian faith. In response, Maxentius brought fifty of his best philosophers to debate with her and refute her claims. St. Catherine not only won the argument by confounding her opponents, but she caused many of them to convert to the Christian faith. The emperor offered Catherine a royal marriage if she would renounce her faith, but she refused. She was imprisoned, and while in captivity, through her newfound fame, converted the emperor's wife and two hundred of his soldiers. When this was discovered, Maxentius had them all put to death. Catherine was to be tortured and killed by being torn apart on a spiked wheel, but the wheel fell to pieces when it touched her. She was finally martyred by beheading. St. Catherine is the patroness of philosophers, preachers, lawyers, apologists, scholars, and librarians, to name a few. Her feast day is celebrated on November 25th. | Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Daniel 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28 King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his lords,
with whom he drank.
Under the influence of the wine,
he ordered the gold and silver vessels
which Nebuchadnezzar, his father,
had taken from the temple in Jerusalem,
to be brought in so that the king, his lords,
his wives and his entertainers might drink from them.
When the gold and silver vessels
taken from the house of God in Jerusalem had been brought in,
and while the king, his lords, his wives and his entertainers
were drinking wine from them,
they praised their gods of gold and silver,
bronze and iron, wood and stone. Suddenly, opposite the lampstand,
the fingers of a human hand appeared,
writing on the plaster of the wall in the king's palace.
When the king saw the wrist and hand that wrote, his face blanched;
his thoughts terrified him, his hip joints shook,
and his knees knocked. Then Daniel was brought into the presence of the king.
The king asked him, "Are you the Daniel, the Jewish exile,
whom my father, the king, brought from Judah?
I have heard that the Spirit of God is in you,
that you possess brilliant knowledge and extraordinary wisdom.
I have heard that you can interpret dreams and solve difficulties;
if you are able to read the writing and tell me what it means,
you shall be clothed in purple,
wear a gold collar about your neck,
and be third in the government of the kingdom." Daniel answered the king:
"You may keep your gifts, or give your presents to someone else;
but the writing I will read for you, O king,
and tell you what it means.
You have rebelled against the Lord of heaven.
You had the vessels of his temple brought before you,
so that you and your nobles, your wives and your entertainers,
might drink wine from them;
and you praised the gods of silver and gold,
bronze and iron, wood and stone,
that neither see nor hear nor have intelligence.
But the God in whose hand is your life breath
and the whole course of your life, you did not glorify.
By him were the wrist and hand sent, and the writing set down. "This is the writing that was inscribed:
MENE, TEKEL, and PERES.
These words mean:
MENE, God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it;
TEKEL, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting;
PERES, your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians." Responsorial Psalm Daniel 3:62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67 R. (59b) Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Sun and moon, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever." R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Stars of heaven, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever." R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Every shower and dew, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever." R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"All you winds, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him. "Fire and heat, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever."
R. Give glory and eternal praise to him.
"Cold and chill, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever." R. Give glory and eternal praise to him. Alleluia Revelation 2:10c R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Remain faithful until death,
And I will give you the crown of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Luke 21:12-19 Jesus said to the crowd:
"They will seize and persecute you,
they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,
and they will have you led before kings and governors
because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
You will even be handed over by parents,
brothers, relatives, and friends,
and they will put some of you to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives."
| Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Daniel 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28 You have rebelled against the Lord of heaven. (Daniel 5:23) What a showstopper! King Belshazzar is feasting with the lords of his kingdom, when the fingers of a human hand appear and write on the wall of his banquet hall. Suddenly the revelry ends, and silence descends on everyone there. Terrified, the king wants to know what the writing means. Daniel, an exile from Israel, minces no words. He tells Belshazzar, "You have rebelled against the Lord of heaven" (Daniel 5:23). By using sacred vessels that had been stolen from the Temple and by praising false gods made of silver, gold, bronze, and iron, the king has rejected the one true God. He will pay a heavy price for offending the Lord "in whose hand is your life breath and the whole course of your life" (5:23). This is a dramatic story, but Belshazzar was not an outlier. Beginning with our first parents, rebellion against God has plagued all of humanity. Instead of following the Lord, we all tend to want to be our own "gods," calling the shots and going our own way. As followers of Jesus, we might think, But I'm not drinking out of stolen vessels. But we still need to be on guard lest we fall into other forms of rebellion. For example, perhaps we sense God asking us to let go of our resentment toward someone who has offended us, but we continue to hold a grudge. Or maybe we know we need to stop abusing alcohol or kick some other bad habit that is leading us into sin, but we keep doing it anyway. Perhaps God is calling us to spend more time with him, but we choose to let movies or television fill the space that we could have spent in prayer. Today, ask the Spirit to search your heart and show you if there are any ways you are "rebelling" against God or his will for you. If you detect something, ask him for forgiveness and the grace to start anew. His mercy is always available whenever you stray. God's message is not just handwriting on a wall. It's the good news of a crucified and risen Savior! By his grace, you don't have to rebel. You can be a faithful and devoted servant who loves Jesus, listens for his voice, and does the Father's will. "Jesus, help me to follow you all the days of my life." (Psalm) Daniel 3:62-67
Luke 21:12-19 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | From today's Holy Gospel: "...Jesus said to the crowd:
"They will seize and persecute you,
they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,
and they will have you led before kings and governors
because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony....." Word of the Lord. | Bishop Barron says today: "Friends, in today's Gospel, the Lord cautions us to expect persecution until the end of time: "They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors." When will the Church stop being persecuted? When the Lord returns, and not before. None of the saints lived a serene life, a life free of worry, threat, persecution. It always strikes me as odd that somehow it is assumed that those who believe in God expect their lives to be a bowl of cherries. Absolutely nothing in the Bible or in the great tradition of the Church should lead us to expect this. Instead, the saints found courage in the struggle. The Lord himself promised to prepare them for their defense: "I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute." Their courage got them through the negativity. I'm reminded of a verse from an Eva Cassidy song: "No storm can shake my inmost calm, while to that rock I'm clinging. Since love is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing?" end quote.
From Roberto Juarez:
"Even when outwardly it seems that we lose, inwardly God is keeping us. Even when we suffer, God is with us. Even when the world seems to be falling apart, we are held by His hands.
Jesus reminds us: God's victory is greater than any human defeat. Today's Word leaves us with a clear, strong and hopeful message. Following Christ involves difficulty, but we are not alone. The Holy Spirit is our strength when we can't take it anymore. Perseverance is the way of salvation, not success, not perfection, but constant faithfulness. God takes care of us, even when life seems to hit hard.
May this prayer renew our trust, give us courage in trials and sustain us in daily fidelity. And may Mary, the persevering woman, the one who remained at the foot of the cross, teach us to remain firm in the faith, confident that God never abandons his children. Amen" end quote.
Our Lord ended today's Gospel with:
"You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives." This happens all the time. People hate you, because of His name. Everything else is admitted but not Him...into these realms of the world we live in. Acceptance and tolerance are preached except...the name of Jesus.
We can speak about sports, politics, weather, and anything else under the sun...except...the name.
Why is that? Why is it polarizing? Only in a dark place is it polarizing.
And instead, the name can be blasphemed, made fun of, and used for personal gain...
Sounds like the story of King Belshazzar, when he was partying, living it up, praising the gods of gold and silver and more, and then taking the Lord's vessels from the temple to use them for himself...basically mocking the Lord of Lords.
In comes the Lord with His righteous finger to end kingdoms as He sees necessary. Why? Because, these people in charge were squandering what was right....living a life for self, and for other gods.
I always get a cold chill though, about the finger of God writing while on earth...and I think of when Jesus is approached about an adulterous woman caught red handed. Our Lord writes with the finger on the ground....and I recall the 3 words, "Mene", "Teke", "Peres".
The judgement has been set long ago for the people.
MENE, God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it;
TEKEL, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting;
PERES, your kingdom has been divided and given to . . .
And this is a time of...reckoning.
God is among us. He is watching...the partying, the carrying on for self...the squandering of the vessels, the amusement we love, and the hatred...of the Name.
Me and my family pray the 3pm Divine Mercy Chaplet every day, since I saw our Lord in a vision out of this world....He is the one on the cross squandered and abused by our will, see what our selfish will does to the Lord day in and day out.
We should bend the knee at three.
Honor Himself, giving Himself for all of humanity...an open heart...for a closed mind.
I wish we weren't so blinded by disgrace.
Only grace illuminates with true wisdom...and the Truth is a person with a name...JESUS, our Lord, King, and our God.
We should tremble not of Him, but to turn from Him...
Speak only Jesus in every breath...for the mercy of His heart to the world...and the worlds we cannot see...purgatory and more....Mercy, MERCY! |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1 1 Corinthians 13:1–3 The Way of Love "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,1 but have not love, I gain nothing." end quote. . . . . . . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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