† Quote "He who labors as he prays lifts his heart to God with his hands." -St. Bernard of Clairvaux Today's Meditation "The story of Christ's life and ministry cannot be told without giving due space to Satan's activity. The Gospel writers carefully distinguish between cases of mere physical ailments and cases of a demonic character (both of which Jesus cures). Jesus frequently refers to the devil in his parables and other teachings, and the devil himself tempts Jesus in the desert and returns again later to engineer Judas' betrayal (cf. Jn 13:2). This Gospel motif teaches us an undeniable, if uncomfortable lesson: the devil is real, and he is interested in counteracting the work of grace. In one sense, accepting this fundamental truth, and keeping it always in the back of our minds, can comfort us tremendously: it helps us make sense of all the unpleasant influences at work in and around us. We are not crazy; we are not failures; we are simply engaged in a spiritual battle. If we believe in Jesus Christ, we must also believe in the devil—doomed as he is, he would love to take as many souls as he can along with him." —Fr. John Bartunek, p. 350
An excerpt from The Better Part Daily Verse "So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." -Matthew 5:48 | St Elizabeth Of Hungary St. Elizabeth of Hungary (1207–1231) was born in Hungary, the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary and his wife Gertrude. As a child she was sent to Thuringa (now Germany) to be brought up with Prince Ludwig of Thuringa, whom she was to marry at the age of 14 in order to solidify a political alliance between the two nations. Their marriage was a very happy one, and they had three children together. Although Elizabeth was a princess surrounded by a magnificent court, she lived a humble life serving the sick and poor outside her castle walls. No amount of disapproval from those who considered this behavior beneath her royal status could dissuade her from her faithfulness to this task. One day, on her way to feed the poor, her husband stopped her and asked to see what she concealed beneath her mantle. The food she carried was miraculously replaced by roses, signifying God's approval of her charity. When her husband, after six years of marriage, tragically died on his way to join the crusade in Jerusalem, Elizabeth was grief-stricken. She vowed to never remarry, and eventually left her life of nobility to join the Secular Franciscans as a penitent. She continued her charitable works to an even greater degree, and helped Thuringa recover from a famine by giving them a huge gift of grain. It was this act, along with her habit of distributing bread to the poor, that made her the patron saint of bakers. She is also the patron of hospitals, the homeless, widows, charities, and nursing homes. St. Elizabeth of Hungary's feast day is November 17th.
Find a devotional for this saint | Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious • Readings for the Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious Reading 1 1 Maccabees 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63 [From the descendants of Alexander's officers]
there sprang a sinful offshoot, Antiochus Epiphanes,
son of King Antiochus, once a hostage at Rome.
He became king in the year one hundred and thirty seven
of the kingdom of the Greeks. In those days there appeared in Israel
men who were breakers of the law,
and they seduced many people, saying:
"Let us go and make an alliance with the Gentiles all around us;
since we separated from them, many evils have come upon us."
The proposal was agreeable;
some from among the people promptly went to the king,
and he authorized them to introduce the way of living
of the Gentiles.
Thereupon they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem
according to the Gentile custom.
They covered over the mark of their circumcision
and abandoned the holy covenant;
they allied themselves with the Gentiles
and sold themselves to wrongdoing. Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people,
each abandoning his particular customs.
All the Gentiles conformed to the command of the king,
and many children of Israel were in favor of his religion;
they sacrificed to idols and profaned the sabbath. On the fifteenth day of the month Chislev,
in the year one hundred and forty-five,
the king erected the horrible abomination
upon the altar of burnt offerings
and in the surrounding cities of Judah they built pagan altars.
They also burned incense at the doors of the houses and in the streets.
Any scrolls of the law which they found they tore up and burnt.
Whoever was found with a scroll of the covenant,
and whoever observed the law,
was condemned to death by royal decree.
But many in Israel were determined
and resolved in their hearts not to eat anything unclean;
they preferred to die rather than to be defiled with unclean food
or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die.
Terrible affliction was upon Israel. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 119:53, 61, 134, 150, 155, 158 R. (see 88) Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
Indignation seizes me because of the wicked
who forsake your law. R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
Though the snares of the wicked are twined about me,
your law I have not forgotten. R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
Redeem me from the oppression of men,
that I may keep your precepts. R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
I am attacked by malicious persecutors
who are far from your law. R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
Far from sinners is salvation,
because they seek not your statutes. R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands.
I beheld the apostates with loathing,
because they kept not to your promise. R. Give me life, O Lord, and I will do your commands. Alleluia John 8:12 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Luke 18:35-43 As Jesus approached Jericho
a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging,
and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening.
They told him,
"Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."
He shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!"
The people walking in front rebuked him,
telling him to be silent,
but he kept calling out all the more,
"Son of David, have pity on me!"
Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him;
and when he came near, Jesus asked him,
"What do you want me to do for you?"
He replied, "Lord, please let me see."
Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you."
He immediately received his sight
and followed him, giving glory to God.
When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.
| Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Luke 18:35-43 Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. (Luke 18:37) Imagine you are that blind man on the outskirts of Jericho. Your day starts out like any other. You're sitting in your accustomed spot by the side of the road, hoping for a few small coins from passersby. Then you hear the noise of an unusually large crowd approaching. You want to know what's happening. People tell you that Jesus of Nazareth is coming. Here's your chance! You've heard about this miracle-working rabbi. You cry out to get his attention, and you ignore those trying to get you to quiet down. Suddenly, Jesus calls you over to ask what you want. That's easy! You're not looking for money or food any longer. You just want to see. And with a word, he heals you! Now you know that you never want to let Jesus out of your sight again. You follow him down the road, joyfully glorifying God. Soon others are joining in your shouts of praise. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have experienced that miracle? We all have the same longing as the man in today's Gospel: we want to see. Most of all—and even if we don't recognize it—we want to see Jesus and follow where he leads. Guess what? Jesus will be passing by you today! He will be there in prayer or at Mass, when you can call out to him in need and rejoice in signs of his love. He will be there, ready to give you his full attention. His healing presence will be close by as the Holy Spirit brings a new understanding of God's love or an insight into his word that calms your troubled heart. He will be there in your fellow believers, who might share an encouraging—or challenging—word or who might offer to pray with you. And he will be there in those who are poor and neglected, who might bring you healing as you care for them and love them with the love of Christ. So call out to Jesus today. Bring him your needs and your hopes and your dreams. Let him heal you and lead you in his ways. "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me! Lord, let me see you today!" 1 Maccabees 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63
Psalm 119:53, 61, 134, 150, 155, 158 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Ai Audio 2cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "... The people walking in front rebuked him,
telling him to be silent,
but he kept calling out all the more,
"Son of David, have pity on me!"
Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him;
and when he came near, Jesus asked him,
"What do you want me to do for you?"
He replied, "Lord, please let me see."
Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you."
He immediately received his sight
and followed him, giving glory to God.
When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God...." Word of the Lord. | Roberto Juarez said today: "This gospel is a precious opportunity to recognize that we too, in many ways, are like that blind man: • sometimes we don't see God's presence in our lives; • other times we do not see the brothers and sisters who need us; • other times we do not see the path we should follow; • other times we don't see the beauty that God has put in ourselves. And Jesus asks us today, "What do you want me to do for you?" Let this question resonate in our prayer. Let us also cry out, let us not be silenced, let us not let the voices of the world drown out the faith. Let us allow Jesus to stop by our side, open our eyes and give us back the light we need to live and to love.
And, like the healed blind man, let us continue to glorify God. 'Lord Jesus,
You who heard the blind man's cry
And you stood by him,
Stop by us today too.
We present to you our blindness,
our wounds, our fears,
which we cannot see or understand.
Ask us again:
"What do you want me to do for you?"
And give us the grace to respond with a sincere heart.
Open our eyes, Lord,
to see you in the brothers,
to recognize your passage in our life,
to walk behind you with joy.
Let your light transform our shadows
and may we always continue to glorify God to you.'
Amen." end quote.
We heard the blind man cry out "Son of David! Have pity on me!".
The crowds tried to silence him. But, the Holy Word says that our Lord "hears the cry of the poor". And our Lord says "Blessed are the poor in spirit" and our Lord responds among the negativity the blind man was hearing.
Aren't you tired of the negative attitude around you? Or have you given into this disparity? Have we become some of those silencers of salvation?
Isn't that evil? That we would silence the connection between God and His child? Yet, sadly, by becoming neutral, we do.
If you read today's 1st Holy Scripture, we heard about those that became neutral to fit in better with the other people, and eventually, that King not only said for all to "give up their customs" but that king laid out a new "religion" which simply means a set of beliefs, and if you don't follow that, then you're doomed to death.
And a thought hit me earlier today, about neutrality, is there really such a thing? This means you would have to be full hearted two faced or, does this mean you could care less about either person to follow? Either way, it is terrible. And so, there is not really a true neutrality.
Our Lord said "you will either love one or hate the other".
And so, we must not remain silent.
And we must not silence the cry of the poor!
There is a twofold lesson here, let those who have ears, hear.
Wouldn't you love for the Lord to turn His attention towards you when you think He can't hear you?
Then, we must become poor in spirit, to be blessed.
What does it mean to be poor in spirit? It means God is fully welcome, disposed to God's Holy will. Someone who has nothing but an absolute poverty to offer to God, so that He may fill us, and fulfill. |  Audio of Random Verse | Random Bible Verse 1
Ephesians 6:10 The Whole Armor of God
" Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might." . . . . . . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
