† Quote "If we really want to love, we must learn how to forgive." -St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta Today's Meditation "Consecration to St. Joseph will help you become "another Joseph" for Jesus and Mary. That is, entrusting yourself entirely to St. Joseph helps you become a faithful, loving, and trusting companion of Jesus and Mary! In the New Testament, we read that Jesus "increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man" (Lk 2:52) under the watchful care of his parents. Such an "increase" can happen to you, too, if you entrust yourself to the paternal care of St. Joseph...Saint Joseph is "The Increaser." He has paternal love for you and the power to increase the presence of God in your life and take you to greater heights in the spiritual life. –Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, p. 13
An excerpt from Consecration to St. Joseph Daily Verse "I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yea, wait for the Lord!" -Psalm 27:13-14 | 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 | Tuesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time Reading I 2 Maccabees 6:18-31 Eleazar, one of the foremost scribes,
a man of advanced age and noble appearance,
was being forced to open his mouth to eat pork.
But preferring a glorious death to a life of defilement,
he spat out the meat,
and went forward of his own accord to the instrument of torture,
as people ought to do who have the courage to reject the food
which it is unlawful to taste even for love of life.
Those in charge of that unlawful ritual meal took the man aside privately,
because of their long acquaintance with him,
and urged him to bring meat of his own providing,
such as he could legitimately eat,
and to pretend to be eating some of the meat of the sacrifice
prescribed by the king;
in this way he would escape the death penalty,
and be treated kindly because of their old friendship with him.
But Eleazar made up his mind in a noble manner,
worthy of his years, the dignity of his advanced age,
the merited distinction of his gray hair,
and of the admirable life he had lived from childhood;
and so he declared that above all
he would be loyal to the holy laws given by God.
He told them to send him at once
to the abode of the dead, explaining:
"At our age it would be unbecoming to make such a pretense;
many young people would think the ninety-year-old Eleazar
had gone over to an alien religion.
Should I thus pretend for the sake of a brief moment of life,
they would be led astray by me,
while I would bring shame and dishonor on my old age.
Even if, for the time being, I avoid the punishment of men,
I shall never, whether alive or dead,
escape the hands of the Almighty.
Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now,
I will prove myself worthy of my old age,
and I will leave to the young a noble example
of how to die willingly and generously
for the revered and holy laws."
Eleazar spoke thus,
and went immediately to the instrument of torture.
Those who shortly before had been kindly disposed,
now became hostile toward him because what he had said
seemed to them utter madness.
When he was about to die under the blows,
he groaned and said:
"The Lord in his holy knowledge knows full well that,
although I could have escaped death,
I am not only enduring terrible pain in my body from this scourging,
but also suffering it with joy in my soul
because of my devotion to him."
This is how he died,
leaving in his death a model of courage
and an unforgettable example of virtue
not only for the young but for the whole nation. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 3:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 R. (6b) The Lord upholds me.
O LORD, how many are my adversaries! Many rise up against me!
Many are saying of me, "There is no salvation for him in God." R. The Lord upholds me.
But you, O LORD, are my shield; my glory, you lift up my head!
When I call out to the LORD, he answers me from his holy mountain. R. The Lord upholds me.
When I lie down in sleep, I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.
I fear not the myriads of people arrayed against me on every side. R. The Lord upholds me.
Alleluia 1 John 4:10b
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God loved us, and sent his Son
as expiation for our sins. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Luke 19:1-10 At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town.
Now a man there named Zacchaeus,
who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man,
was seeking to see who Jesus was;
but he could not see him because of the crowd,
for he was short in stature.
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus,
who was about to pass that way.
When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said,
"Zacchaeus, come down quickly,
for today I must stay at your house."
And he came down quickly and received him with joy.
When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying,
"He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner."
But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord,
"Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor,
and if I have extorted anything from anyone
I shall repay it four times over."
And Jesus said to him,
"Today salvation has come to this house
because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.
For the Son of Man has come to seek
and to save what was lost." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! | Daily Meditation: Luke 19:1-10 He came down quickly and received him with joy. (Luke 19:6) Imagine a distinguished guest showing up at your house for dinner. Maybe it's an ambassador from a foreign country, the head of a large corporation, or even your in-laws! You would be rushing around to make your home ready. You would clean every corner, put out your finest china, and prepare a feast for your visitor. These tasks focus only on outward preparations, but Jesus wants to be more than a guest at your table. He wants to be a resident in your heart! Let's look at today's Gospel, where Jesus encounters Zacchaeus, the tax collector. He invites himself to Zacchaeus' home before Zacchaeus has any time to speak words of repentance or promise any change in his life. Jesus doesn't even give him time to clean his house or prepare his table! So imagine Zacchaeus' amazement as he scrambles down from that tree to receive Jesus "with joy" (Luke 19:6). He takes no thought of his readiness; he just wants to welcome the Lord. Instead of hiding or delaying Jesus' visit, he allows the Lord to love him as he is: a sinner in need of mercy. Through that encounter with divine love, Zaccheaus' heart is changed—and that interior change will transform the way he lives. Every single day, Jesus stands before you and invites himself into your heart. He wants you to receive him freely, with joy and delight. You might feel ashamed to welcome him in. You know you are not ready to receive the all-holy God into your very being. You might hesitate and let the memory of your past sins keep you at a distance from him. You might let feelings of unworthiness keep you from looking him in the eye. You might even hide from him. But all you're doing is missing out on fellowship with your God! So how can you receive Jesus with joy today instead of holding back in fear at what he might uncover? Remember that as he did with Zaccheaus, Jesus sees past your sins. He loves you and longs to dwell with you. So welcome him. Let him cleanse and heal your heart. Let his love change you from the inside out. The reward will be priceless: union with the Son of God! "Jesus, help me to welcome you into my heart with joy." 2 Maccabees 6:18-31
Psalm 3:2-7 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Ai Audio 2cents | From today's Holy Gospel: "...Zacchaeus, come down quickly,
for today I must stay at your house."
And he came down quickly and received him with joy.
When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying,
"He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner."
But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord,
"Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor,
and if I have extorted anything from anyone
I shall repay it four times over...." Word of the Lord. | Roberto Juarez said today: "Sometimes it finds us on the tree of fear, of tiredness, of routine, of "I can't change". And he tells us today, "Come down... I want to enter your house." The house is your heart. Your family. Your wounds. Your relationships. Your darkness. Jesus is not afraid of any of that.
When we experience his mercy, the heart is enlarged, generosity springs up, life is illuminated. Faith is not an obligation: it is a response.
Jesus did not pass through Jericho by chance. Zacchaeus did not climb the tree by chance. This gospel does not come to us today by chance. The Lord also tells us, "Today I want to come into your house."
Let's open the door for him. Let his gaze transform us. And then, like Zacchaeus, we will be able to hear these life-changing words: "Today salvation has come to this house." end quote.
Our Lord asked Zacchaeus to " come down quickly,
for today I must stay at your house."
Zac was excited, honored, and transformed all at the same time, for when the Lord calls, it is an innate calling direct to the heart.
When is the last time you were called by the Lord? Were you excited, honored, and transformed too?
Or have you not heard Him calling? He calls in the night. He calls to a heart within crowds. He calls direct with attention so fine, that we cannot deny it...or do we?
How many times He has called you! But we didn't hear.
He invited you...to suffering, but you were afraid.
He called you to the cross, but you ran away naked and afraid.
If you read today's 1st Holy Scripture, you would have heard about "Eleazar, one of the foremost scribes,
a man of advanced age and noble appearance,
was being forced to open his mouth to eat pork.
But preferring a glorious death to a life of defilement,
he spat out the meat..."
Eventually he was tortured to death for choosing God's laws instead of human things.
But how many times nowadays do we choose human things instead of God's laws?
Eleazar was tempted to fake it, to eat fake meat that wasn't pork, but he said no, that he would not be known as a faker, after living his entire life for God.
God sees the heart. He too was tempted as we have been, but He chose to be tortured to death before sinning against God, to fail God is to miss the mark....to eternal oneness in the Lord.
These messages are reaching straight to the people God wants to set apart for Himself. To be set apart means to be holy. Not separated from people, but to be separated from sin. To be the light shining right where you are...to be found with oil burning His light with His grace. Lord, if only we would answer the call...to perfection. Help us with Your grace, to be forever in your loving embrace! |  Audio of Random Verse | Random Bible Verse 1 Luke 19:10
"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."
. . . . . . . . Word of the Lord! | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
